Avengers/MCU Oneshots

Always Here (The Maximoff Twins)

Age: 17

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If you're locked alone in a cell in a straightjacket and electroshock collar, you learn some things.

One of those things is that time seems nonexistent. Like a day was gone faster than you blink, or a war could be started, fought, and ended before night arrived. Wanda Maximoff's main way to tell time had become that every other day, they would bring her a tray of food for dinner.

She had also learned that sometimes you just needed to keep your mouth shut. If she talked when they didn't want her to, or if she said something rude during interrogation, she would get shocked.

Wanda had also learned that you eventually adjusted to it. To the dull, but constant pain of the pressure from the straightjacket, and the searing pain from the shocks. From the sharpness of a slap to the crushing blow of a nightstick. Pain was just a weird feeling that you could adjust to after enough of it. That worried her.

But really should have worried her were the mirages she kept seeing. But they weren't worrying her in the least. Sure, she knew she was just imagining things, but it was reassuring.

She kept seeing her parents. They would sit next to her or stand in front of her. She was continuously afraid they would turn like they did in her nightmares, telling her how disgusted they were with her. But these- these visions of them never did. They were always reassuring. But they weren't her favorite mental visitors.

No, her favorite visitor was Pietro. He appeared the most, and she loved it. He was there to comfort her. And even though he was just a figment of her imagination, she found his presence reassuring.

This particular day, Wanda found herself sitting on the floor with her knees up to her chest. Her face was buried in her arms. She was sobbing, everything just hurt so much.

She had been brought up to interrogation, and she was too out of it to even come up with a snippy comment. That had made the them angry, and they'd started beating her and shocking her, demanding that she answer them. She went unconscious instead.

She had woken up on the floor of her cell, and after a struggle sat up, leading her into the position she was in. She felt another presence in the room. She weakly turned her head to the side and saw her twin brother sitting next to her. His arm was wrapped lovingly around her.

'Hey, Sis. Don't let these a**es get the best of you. You're stronger than this,' He said. The conversations were always in Wanda's head. Wanda was grateful for that, otherwise people would probably think she was crazy. And maybe she was. But if it meant that she got to see her parents and brother, she didn't care.

'I don't FEEL strong,' She sniffled.

'You didn't FEEL strong when the HYDRA experiments started, either. But you and I were the only ones who survived, remember?

"Whenever we saw the others come back under those white sheets, we got scared that that would be us. That we'd come out of the lab room like that. But we never did. We came out of there more powerful than we'd ever been.

"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. That is, if you let it. Let it, Wanda. Come back from this stronger. I know it's hard, I really do. But if I know you- which I do, better than anyone- you can do it. Don't let it beat you, alright?'

Wanda sniffled again, rubbing her eyes on her arms to dry the tears. 'I'll do my best.'

Pietro squeezed her tight. 'Good. I believe in you. You're stronger than you think, I can assure you of that.' He tensed, lifting his head. 'Oh. Sounds like someone's coming.'

He was right. Wanda could hear voices and a scuffle not too far off.

'I think that's your ticket out of here, Wands.' As soon as the words left his mouth, Steve and Clint arrived outside the door. 'Oh look. It's Old Man and Really Old Man. Here to rescue you. Hope their shining armor isn't too heavy.'

Wanda snickered quietly, hoping the two men outside of the cell didn't hear her.

"Wanda!" Steve exclaimed. "God, what happened to you? Never mind, let's get you out of here.' He handed Clint a knife. "I need you to get her out of that jacket."

Clint nodded. "You bet your a** I will."

Steve opened the door with a pass card he'd grabbed from a guard. He pulled the door open and Clint ran in.

Clint starting unbuckling the straightjacket, and Steve took off her shock collar.

She kept her eyes on Pietro, who was leaning in the corner. "Thanks," She mumbled hoarsely to friends once she was loose.

They nodded. "It's the least I can do," Steve said.

"Yeah, given that we kinda got you into this situation in the first place." Clint added.

They helped her to her feet.

"Can you run?" Steve asked.

"No," Wanda replied, feeling useless.

"That's alright, I've gotcha," Clint said, scooping her into his arms, bridal style.

As he carried her out of the room, she glanced back at her twin. 'Will I ever see you again?'

'I don't know. But you're strong. Wanna know a secret?'

'What?'

'You've been using your powers this whole time without noticing it.'

'What do you mean?'

'Our parents and I aren't just your imagination. You've been inadvertently summoning our spirits.' He gave her a cocky grin when he noticed her shock. 'Like I said, Sis. You're stronger than you think. I'm always here for you when you need me.' He disappeared into the air. 

"What's got you so shook, Maxi?" Clint asked curiously.

"I'll tell you later."

"Alright. Hold on." He took off for the quinjet as fast as his feet could carry him.