Steadfast Soldier

First Fight

Looking back on his life now, Hiro found that he hadn't truly lived until he decided to step outside of his safety net. The walls of the attic were his home, keeping him safe from the outside world- safe from the teasing and taunting, from the bruising punches and jarring kicks, from the laughter that erupted when he tried to include himself. Hiro had always felt hatred rolling off his classmates in waves, whereas his brother settled into his classes nicely. What reason did he have not to- he was in the proper grade for his age. Hiro, on the other hand, was a child sitting in high school level classes, graduating at an age that seemed impossible.

They called him a child prodigy, praised him for his intelligence and, after years of keeping himself hidden away, he decided to take a chance and step out. Tadashi had urged him to try and, as luck would have it, he did well. Too well. Everything felt as if it had happened so long ago, but the pain was still fresh, like wounds that never healed. The more he learned about HYDRA and the mess they had caused, the more he wanted to punch his fist through every single one of them. An anger he hadn't felt in years, only recently sparked by truth uncovered, flared up and he grit his teeth in resistance. Rage was a beast, lurking beneath his skin, awaiting its moment to unleash hell on the people around him; Hiro wasn't interested in exploding on the Avengers, whether they were all or just few.

"Hiro?"
Dexterous fingers pulled at the clamp of his arm guard, snapping it shut with a hard press. Brown eyes panned upwards, jaw tightening as sight landed on an unexpected visitor. Wanda. He hadn't talked to her since the incident in the van and, if he were being honest with himself, he should have apologized long before this moment.
"Hey. Yeah, hi," he said, stuttering only for a moment as he straightened up. His armor felt heavier than usual, though he brushed the lingering sensation aside as he watched the woman approach. She seemed to hover, not sure whether she was welcome or not- it made his gut twist with guilt.
"Can I sit," she asked, motioning to the spot beside him, other hand tucking hair behind her ear. Hiro was sure she meant no harm, but he couldn't shake the memory of her touch causing an eruption of memories he didn't want to see. Regardless, they were a team and Hiro needed to adjust to working with new people- people that weren't friends yet.
"Sure."

He scooted himself over, giving the woman room on the cement wall he was seated upon. With a flash of red and the sound of leather shifting, Wanda sat beside him, but with a respective distance between them. For a moment, they sat in silence, both staring at the ghastly sight of a silent, empty airport. Hiro shifted in his spot, feeling the ring on his back roll along his spine. Fingers clenched and released with nervous habit, jaw working itself into a tightness. Dragging in a deep breath through his nose, he sat straighter.
"Uh, Wanda, listen. About what happened in the van, I'm... I'm sorry."
"You're not the first to be afraid of me," she replied, sounding slightly amused. Hiro admired her strength and resilience, refusing to crumble to what her mind was no doubt screaming. He fidgeted in his spot, lips pressing together in a hard line as he tried to think of how to explain why he had been so reactive. He wasn't used to being so social with strangers- he usually avoided them.
"It's not that," he started, but stopped when he fumbled with his own words. He closed his eyes and sighed, trying to ease the awkward tension winding along his shoulders. The silence between them was painful and Hiro was just about to apologize for it but was quickly cut off by Wanda.
"What I saw," she asked, looking over at him, "I didn't mean to see it."

Hiro frowned and tangled gloved digits together, fixing the armor casing atop each digit. The images of a fire that burned out of control made him shudder and he tried to push it away. He hated to think about how long Tadashi lived during the fire, suffering and trying to possibly find a way out before it-
"What did you see, anyway," he asked, swallowing thickly, "I mean, really."
"I saw what a mess your mind had become, and I was reminded of someone I used to know." Her voice shook slightly, and Hiro sensed the same feeling that shook her voice- he felt it, too.
"I guess my head's a little messy, yeah," he finally said, lifting a hand to scratch at his hair, "I tend to ignore things to keep it from hurting me, but that's not always the best choice." He glanced towards Wanda, eyes searching her face for any shift in her expression. He saw her eyes soften and a sad smile form.
"My brother used to do the same thing."
"Yeah? Was he older or younger?" Wanda chuckled at the question and her eyes met his.
"We were twins, but he always used to say that he was older," she said, a sad smile accompanying the reminiscence in her eyes, "Sometimes, I felt like I was older."