SUPREMACY / P. MAXIMOFF

grease lightning

"You're joking."

"Well-"

"Please, tell me you are trying to pull some prank on me. Because if you are, cut it out! I'm onto you, Stark! It's not fucking funny and-"

"Language!"

Ana buried her face in her hands, letting out an exasperated sigh.

"Oh my god, I really am home."

"Yes," Tony replied, fingers blazing as they clacked down into the keyboard controlling his equipment. "You really are home. And yes, it's not funny at all. I'm quite serious actually. More serious than your scary boyfriend sulking in the corner."

Anastazya glanced to the corner of the room Tony was referring to, only to see Pietro leaning against the window pane, glowering at nothing in particular. Maybe at existence in general. But bottom line was, he did not look happy. Wanda sat in a chair only a few feet away from him, glancing nervously at him every few moments.

"Dorogoy, what is the matter?" Ana asked, frowning. Pietro's strange behavior had not changed over the days, he was detached. More quiet than usual.

And always lying whenever Ana asked him something. It drove her nuts.

It was shattering Ana's fragile heart to see the quality of their relationship on such a quick decline, but she didn't know how to confront him. She could single-handedly infiltrate Ultron's ranks, defeat thousands of his minions, and destroy his plan, but she couldn't confront her boyfriend on why he was lying to her. Maybe she was just afraid of the answer. The one that she knew, but just wouldn't admit to herself that it might be true.

That Pietro was uncomfortable and angry with the fact that Anastazya's entire existence, her chemical makeup, was orchestrated by the man that stripped them of their identities, and tortured them. Kept them separated. Lied to them. Killed so many innocent people. That had to be it. There was no other reason for Pietro to treat her so differently.

But all these speculations were useless when all Pietro said was:

"It is nothing, just listen to Tony so we can get you better, okay?"

Ana nodded dejectedly and turned her fading attention back to an impatient Tony.

"So you want to shock me with some kind of lightning, some kind of force similar to the one of the Mind Stone's blast to allow my body to be restored to its original chemical balance?"

"Yes, exactly. Thank you for finally paying attention."

"Tony," Steve sighed. "That sounds painful. And dangerous."

"Yes, it is very much so both painful and dangerous," He deadpanned, not a drop of emotion in his voice.

"I can't do that," Ana said. "I'll lose the Mind Stone. Plus it'll hurt like hell."

Tony whirled around and looked her dead in the eye, making shivers run their course through Ana's being. She had never seen him look so serious in her life.

"You know what I can't do, kid? Lose you, knowing there was something I could have done to prevent it. This experiment has a hell of a lot better chances of success than you being thrown out into the real world with no way to protect yourself. I'd take those odds any day," Tony rambled, before taking a large breath and shaking his head, waddling back over to his large, hyper tech computer and sitting down. He rested his head on the table, clearly having nothing more to say.

Ana watched warily as Pietro stood upright abruptly, stalking out of the room without another word. Wanda watched after him with sad eyes, before glancing up at Anastazya. Ana sighed, muscles twitching to go after him, but knowing she probably shouldn't.