Variation - W.M.

Chapter 25 - November 17, 2016

I pulled my hair into a bun and yawned, the exhaustion from my undesired sleep strike finally catching up to me.

I had cleaned the entire kitchen until it sparkled, trying to focus on something else and push down the inevitable embarrassment I felt after kissing Wanda's forehead.

Now I laid in bed, the lights off save for the lamp on my bedside table.

"Hey JARVIS, tell Nat I can't do training tomorrow" I said, a yawn pushing through my words.

"I'll let her know."

I hummed sleepily, eyeing my lamp. To turn it off I would have to move, and I really didn't want to. Eventually, though, I had to, plunging the room in complete darkness.

Despite how tired I was, my mind wouldn't let me sleep, still going over how the twins acted, and if I could have done more to cheer them up.

"Maybe I should have..." I trailed off, unable to think of anything more I could have done besides force them out of their rooms, and that wasn't what I was going for.

I sighed, spreading out on my bed, letting an image of sheep fill my brain.

I had gotten to 48 when I froze, hearing the sound of my door opening. "Hello?"

The only response I got was the clicking of the door signifying that it was closed, and the sound of soft steps making their way towards me. I propped myself up on my elbow, narrowing my eyes to try and see in the dark.

My bed dipped beside me and I was hit with the familiar scent of vanilla and sage as a body pressed against mine. I relaxed, a laugh bubbling out of my mouth. "Geez, Wanda, you're really playing up this horror theme today."

"Sorry" she said softly and I hummed, moving so she could lay in my arms. Like usual her head was pressed against my chest and I bet she could hear how fast my heart was beating.

"Our parents died two years ago" Wanda whispered after a couple of minutes and my hand paused in its action of running through her hair. I pulled her in closer, squeezing a little.

"I'm so sorry Wands." I didn't ask what happened, at least not verbally. I knew she could hear the question in my head so I pushed it away. I didn't need to know. It was up to her what she told me.

"I was closer to my mother; she taught me about being the Scarlet Witch. We heard about what happened in New York and found out where the mind stone was being kept. That was the final piece to becoming who I was supposed to be. So we went after it.

"Our mistake was not knowing who had it. Hydra captured my mother and I, tortured us into telling them about my father and Pietro. I shared a cell with Pietro while our parents were in the one across from us. One day someone took them away, and they didn't come back. But their screams..." Wanda shuddered and I began rubbing her back, pressing my lips to the top of her head.

"Then they took me to that same room. They hadn't even bothered to clean it up from when...they just left them there. They tortured them and left them because they no longer had any use."

I felt my heart drop to my stomach, not even wanting to imagine what she had seen. Hydra did not stop when things got messy or when someone was screaming; they stopped when they got what they wanted. And then it was the end.

I suppose in that sense, I was lucky.

"I erased the memories from Pietro's mind but I can't do it to myself, so I still see it." Wanda's voice was thick and tears were wetting my chest as she broke down.

"Is that how you met the Avengers?" I asked hesitantly, unsure if I should.

"Once we had a handle on our powers we broke out and I did to the agents what they did to our parents, then we took the stone and ran. We managed to stay out of trouble for a little more than a year before the Avengers found us, and with Stark no longer making weapons it was an easy choice."

"And Thor must have taken the scepter to Asgard" I filled in, making Wanda nod. I let her story process in my brain and I felt an utter disdain for myself over how I treated her and the things I had thought. "I'm sorry you went through that" I whispered into her hair.

"I'm sorry for sneaking in here so late" she said back and I frowned, shooting her a look I knew she couldn't see. A stream of red mist formed and swirled around us, illuminating Wanda's face lightly as she pulled back to look at me.

"I said my door is always open and it is" I scolded her before using my thumb to wipe the tears off of her cheeks.

She nodded a little, using her own sleeve to wipe her face. "I'm s-"

I cut her off by pinching her lips together, frowning. "If you apologize one more time I'm going to lose my mind. Now, how was the Potica I made?"

Wanda slapped my hand off, laughing a little. "It was okay, but could use some work."

I grinned goofily. "It was my first time, I've never made it before."

"Did you never make it with your mother?" She asked and I felt my smile falter before dropping from my face. Wanda noticed, her face reflecting guilt. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"No, it's okay. I suppose it's fair. A story for a story." I sighed and ran a hand through my hair, separating myself from the witch completely, feeling overwhelmed. "My parents died too."

"I'm sorry" Wanda breathed and I shook my head.

"It was a long time ago; almost seven years for me" I said as dates and number swirled around my brain, the calculations adding and subtracting five to everything I usually knew.

"How did they die?"

"A fire" I admitted, nodding a little. "The firemen said it was just some wiring that malfunctioned, that it was just bad luck. They were asleep, so I was assured they were most likely knocked unconscious by smoke inhalation before they died. Not that it really made it better" I scoffed, shaking my head as I laughed in disbelief. "Everything burned thanks to some chemical my mom was working with that acted as an accelerant."

"Were you there?" Wanda asked gently and I shook my head.

"I was out at a party; told them I was studying with my best friend."

Wanda reached out, placing a hand on my shoulder that made me flinch away, the contact making me anxious. Wanda sensed my apprehension and made a move to get up. The thought of being alone sent a flash of panic through me and I grabbed her hand. I cleared my throat, the infamous Ollie coming back and replacing the vulnerable side of me. "I'm tired and you woke my brain up so you have to cuddle me back to sleep."

"You were imagining sheep in bikinis at the beach before I came in" Wanda scoffed, thankfully deciding not to comment on the switch.

"It's called counting sheep, Wands." I huffed before grinning. "Were they really that clear that you could see them?"

"Unfortunately" she hums and I laughed, a large yawn interrupting it. I laid down and opened my arms, my lip sticking out in a pout. Wanda sighed but I could see a small smile as she curled into me. I sighed contentedly, my eyes fluttering closed.

"Goodnight, Wanda."

"Goodnight, Olivia."