Red Assassin ~ Pietro Maximoff x OC

Prologue

edited 1/27/2022

"Anton! Katerina! Come help me set the table!" Mama calls from the kitchen in English.

"I'll get you this time, Anton," I say with a wide grin, focusing on the board. Anton and I could play Perfection for hours. Usually, I always win, but today's apparently an off day for me.

"Anton! Kat! NOW!" Mama shouts, distracting me right as the board pops up.

"We should go," Anton says.

"Yeah, we should." I sigh, looking down sadly, then press my hands to his chest and push him. "Race you there!"

"Oh, you're in for it!" He starts to chase me to the kitchen where Mama's making dinner, but I beat him.

"There's the birthday girl!" Mama says, hugging me tight. "Here. You want to help me with dinner?"

"Yeah!" I look over the ingredients. "Mama, you're making pelmeni, aren't you?"

"It's your favorite, right?" She tucks a stray piece of hair behind my ear. "Wash your hands first and then dice the shallot, sweetie?"

"Mmhmm." I give her another hug and wash my hands in the kitchen sink before kicking the step stool over to the counter where Mama's working. The shallot is already peeled, so I start to carefully dice it.

"You were playing Perfection again, weren't you," Mama says as I continue to dice and Anton sets the table. He and I look at each other and nod.

"I never understood that game. It seems to be designed for stress," Daddy says, closing the front door behind him.

"Daddy!" I squeal, running into my father's arms. "Did you bring it? The present for my birthday?"

"For your what?" he teases, eyebrows knit in pretend confusion.

"For my birthday! I'm nine today!" I remind him happily.

"Pffft. No you're not," he says, setting me down. He puts his briefcase on the coffee table and opens it. "Now, I didn't have a lot of time to go shopping, so I called in a favor with an old friend of mine. Close your eyes, sweetie."

I close my eyes, a wide grin still on my face. "Daddy, what are you doing?" I ask, feeling cold metal kiss my skin.

"Open your eyes," Daddy says, and I do. Hanging around my neck is a heart-shaped locket with a rainbow-like finish. "Happy birthday, sweetheart."

"Daddy, it's beautiful! I love it!" I throw my arms around him, smiling. "I'll never take it off!"

"It looks beautiful on you, honey," Mama says, a smile on her face.

Daddy pulls me and Anton on his lap, then wraps an arm around Mama. "I love you all so—"

He's cut off by an explosion that rattles the building. "Kids, go hide!" Mama says, shoving me and Anton to our room.

"Mama, I can't leave you!" Anton cries as another explosion rings in my ears. The wall is gone, cracks spiderwebbing along the ceiling and intact walls, and the crater in the floor is right where Daddy was.

"DADDY!" I scream, reaching for the hole.

"Go! Hide!" Mama shouts in Sokovian. I'm frozen in shock, letting her push me away from the gaping hole in the floor.

"We have to help him!" Anton says, crawling over the rubble.

"ANTON, NO!" Mama screams frantically, lunging for Anton right as a third explosion rings, knocking me on my back.

I hear a scared squeal as I land. My back stings from the debris that clawed at my skin. "Wanda? Pietro?" I whimper, barely able to see through the dust in the air and tears in my eyes.

"Quick, Kat! Hide!" Pietro says, pulling me under the bed with them. "Where's Anton?"

"H-he's gone," I shudder. "S-so are Mama and Daddy. I...I have no one."

"Wrong," Wanda says. "You have us." The twins squeeze my hands, and I squeeze back. The dust from the explosions and the sweat from our palms mixes against my skin, creating rough balls of plaster dust.

I look to where they're looking and see another shell. "Why didn't that one go off?"

Pietro claps a hand over my mouth. "Shh! It might go off any second!" he snaps, his normally sweet voice a gravelly whisper. I lick his hand, causing him to pull away in disgust.

"Guys. I'm scared," I whimper, reverting to Sokovian.

"M-me too," Wanda adds in Sokovian. "What are we gonna do?"

"We'll be okay," Pietro says in Sokovian, trying to calm us. He lowers his voice and leans closer to me. "Just focus on me, okay?"

"Pietro," I breathe, leaning my head on his shoulder.

"There you go. Focus on me." He wraps an arm loosely around me and grabs Wanda's hand. "I'll protect you."

The three of us lay there dead silent, eyes glued to the shell buried in the rubble three feet from our faces. On the side is printed one word, a word I will hate for all my life.

Stark.