Freaks||Wanda and Pietro Maximoff

Chapter 8

Peter sits sprawled on his messy bed. His hair is as long and as silver as usual, his black eyes brightening up with laughter every few seconds while looking through a box of old photos. He draws out one from the bottom and grins. He looks about five, his hair short and almost white instead of grey. He wears faded blue top and dirty white shorts which are just paler than his skinny legs. His arm is around a young Bucky who is sticking his younger out enthusiastically, his blue eyes bright with mischief. Still grinning, Peter picks up another photo. This time he looks about eight or nine with his hair starting to grow out and become darker. He stands in the centre of a line. Beside him is Bucky and Steve. Bucky is slightly taller but Steve is small and skinny, his blonde hair thin and whispy, a shy smile on his face. On either side of them is Tony and Bruce both with messy brown hair and big grins. Bruce's glasses are at the tip of his nose and with a wave of realisation Peter realises that they fell just after this photo was taken. Natasha and Clint stand close together both smiling mischievously, hand in hand. Natasha's hair is jet red and she is ruffling Clint's blonde hair with a humorous look in her eyes. Thor is at the end of the line but is obviously the tallest, he is grinning at something out of the photo which is probably at Loki or something. Peter picks up yet another photo and this time laughs out loud. He looks about twelve wearing the Pink Floyd top he still owns today with a pair of skinny jeans. Steve is on his shoulders his eyes squeezed shut in terror. Bucky is looking up at him, laughing and just in the background Peter spots a small figure that seems to be Natasha, sitting high up in a tree.

As Peter keeps sorting through the box, his hands reach a solid object. He pulls it out and realise it's the pair of silver goggles Clint got him as a joke when he was ten. But he actually found them very useful. Grinning, he shoves them in his pocket.
*
Pietro sits, slumped against the wall. His clothes are black and half burnt, his hair long and dirty. Wanda stands, her hands raised as she creates a hex that reaches the top of the wall.
"I don't know if it will hold" she says
Pietro just lifts his legs up to his chest and looks up at her, his eyes wide.
"There" she drops her hands "I don't know how long we'll have but-"
Her face falls as soon as her eyes meet her brother's. They are the widest she had ever seen. Like a baby's. Silent tears start to roll one by one down his dirty cheeks. He looks so weak. So vulnerable. Wanda is stunned in to silence.
"They died" his voice is horse and scratchy "They died and it was all Howard Stark's fault. When I find him. I will kill him" his expression is suddenly full of malice and his eyes flicker with anger
"We're only ten" Wanda shakes her head "we can't do that. We'll get noticed. And then they will really find out what we can do. They will treat us like lab rats Pietro. Do you really want that?"
"If it means we can avenge their deaths"
"No body can know what we can do!" Wanda yells, anger rising up inside her at her brother's foolishness "Stark will already be in trouble for doing this! That's good enough"
"He killed our parents!" Pietro cries, the tears starting to fall more rapidly down his cheeks "he deserves nothing but death!"
"He deserves to know what he did!"
"But he's still out there! He can still hurt you!"
"Why are you so obsessed with protecting me Pietro!" Wanda feels tears rolling down her cheeks now to "I can protect myself! Look at what I can do!"
"You shouldn't be doing that at all!" Pietro is on his feet now "you could hurt yourself! You mean the world to me Wanda! You're my sister! I will protect you to the day I die!"
And he breaks down sobbing in to
Wanda's arms. Wanda is stunned in to silence again. Pietro always seemed so tough and careless to her but now he seems so full of emotion and anger. He feels weak. Powerless. Shaking in her arms, his chest rising and falling,his tears soaking in to her ripped shirt. His hair is even more silver now. They never knew why. But it looks beautiful. White contrasting with brown. He is growing so quickly. He has become so strong. And now he has nothing but her.
Wanda starts to cry.
*
Bucky sits on the edge of Steve's bed playing with a small piece of paper in his hand. Despite Steve being reasonably neat, a few pizza boxes lie on the floor from the night before. They had had fun. Just sitting and chatting, while some cheesy movie played I'm the background. They had talked about Peter coming back. About the twins and Wanda's "sassy" attitude around Tony. About Steve's new found love of braiding Wanda's hair. And then while watching the second movie (another romance) there had been a scene where the characters had been watching a horror movie. Despite it being for comedy Bucky had seen one flash of a knife and had broken down. He saw the boy again. In front of him. Holding a knife. A malicious grin plastered on to his pale, blood covered face. Ready to attack him...
"Buck?"
Bucky looks up with a jump and gasps.

A boy stands in front of him. He looks about 16. He has mid length silver hair. Really silver hair and jet black eyes. He wears a silver jacket, black jeans and a small looking Pink Floyd t-shirt that looks slightly faded. He is grinning, showing off his shining white teeth, his eyes squinted like they always do when he smiles.
"Peter" Bucky breathes out in relief "your early!"
"Managed to pack quicker than we expected" Peter smiles, taking a step in to the room "off course my mom didn't notice how..." he breaks off his smile faltering "Bucky what's wrong? You look-"
Before he can say another word Bucky stands up and pulls him in to a tight embrace.
"Woah!" He laughs slightly "Buck you know I'm not that in to hugging man!"
"Oh shut up" Bucky whispers under his breath and Peter let's out a loud laugh
"You've changed!"
"You don't know the half of it" Bucky mutters, releasing Peter
"Steve hasn't changed" Peter grins again
"I've grown 5cms shut up" Steve scowls folding his arms over his chest "anyway we need you to meet some people Peter"
"Who?" Peters eyes narrow suspiciously
"They're these twins" Steve says "about our age."
"They're kind of weird" Bucky shrugs
"Weird in what way?" Peter looks interested now
"Let's just go and meet them shall we?" Steve says steering Peter the other way round
"Why so secretive?"
"Because we don't want to be overheard"