Coming Down ➢ Steve Rogers

twenty six

Chapter Twenty-Six

Delaney had seen so many rules of physics broken during her time as an Avenger. There had been a doorway formed to another part of space hanging above New York; the Tesseract had transported Thor and Loki to Asgard; among other things. But that had not prepared her for what awaited them upon arrival at Avengers Tower: the Vision, created after Tony and Bruce uploaded J.A.R.V.I.S. into a synthetic body, which was powered by the Mind Stone that had previously been in Loki's staff. That had made her rub her eyes to ensure what she was seeing was real.

But it was, and Ultron was headed to Sokovia, so that was where the Avengers needed to be. They'd barely had time to rest before they were back in the Quinjet and flying to Sokovia, unsure what exactly was awaiting them but knowing it wasn't going to be pretty.

On the way, Delaney had sat beside their new recruits: the Maximoff twins. Out of everyone, she was the least acquainted with the two, and since they were about to trust each other with their lives, she figured it was time she learned a few things about them so they understood each other.

The two stayed apart from the other Avengers, sitting so close that their bodies were almost touching. At once Delaney could tell how important the twins were to each other.

"Hi," she said, taking her place beside them. She offered a smile. "I'm Delaney. We haven't had the chance to meet yet."

Wanda combed her fingers through her hair, moving it behind her shoulders. "Wanda, and that's Pietro," she said, jerking her head toward her twin brother.

Pietro rolled his eyes. "I'm capable of introducing myself, Wanda."

"Sometimes you make me wonder if you're capable of even that."

Delaney laughed at their playful exchanges. "Sibling rivalry. Sometimes I'm glad I was an only child."

She wondered about that sometimes – would things be different if she had a sibling? Would they too have had their memories wiped, or would they have stayed close to their parents, another family member to battle?

The twins caught each other's eyes briefly.

"We've only had each other," Pietro said lowly, and Wanda unconsciously moved closer to her brother. They were their own team.

"Hey, we're teammates now," Delaney said, smiling, trying to make herself as approachable as possible. She imagined, after so many years alone, it would be hard for the two to open up. "Tell me about yourselves, and I'll tell you a bit about me."

When the two finished their story, Delaney's heart went out to them. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "That sounds awful... No wonder you hated us."

Wanda shrugged. "We survived. That's all that matters." Pietro placed an arm around his sister's shoulders.

Delaney pursed her lips. 

We survived. That's all that matters. 

That sounded too much like her motto for her two years alone – not living, not particularly enjoying life, but surviving each day and evading the clutches of her parents.

Looking at the two youths directly in the eye, Delaney said, "I think it's my turn to tell you my story."

And she told them everything, not leaving out a single detail.

Wanda tilted her head to the side, when Delaney finished her recount. "You haven't had it easy, either."

"I don't think any of us have." Delaney looked over her shoulder at her teammates. They'd all had to make sacrifices at some point in their lives: there wasn't one person here who hadn't struggled in their lives, and had a particularly difficult obstacle to overcome. "But we're a team now – stronger than we ever could have been apart. I learned that when I tried to go on my own for a while. It really did not turn out well for me. It wasn't until I was reunited with Steve and Natasha that I learned I'd put myself at a disadvantage, running away. We'll have your backs, don't worry about that."