Avengers/MCU Oneshots

The Hunger Games (Pietro Maximoff)

This has probably been done in some fashion before, but who cares? The new book has gotten my all hyped up on fandom buzz. And I'm writing Marvel for... I think the first time in first person! I really need to go to bed, but I figured I'd go ahead and post this. Hope you enjoy! 

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I awoke to the sun shining in my face. I groaned. I regretted it as my twin sister stirred in my grasp. Her god awful cat, Buttercup, hissed at me. I repressed the urge to hiss back, instead sending him a glare of hatred.

Wanda's eyes fluttered open. "Pietro?" She slurred. "Whadid you do to 'im?"

"Me? I did nothing! He just hissed at me!"

"That's because you're not nice to him, Pietro," Wanda said, scooping up her beloved pet.

I huffed. Man, I hate that thing. And he hated me, ever since Wanda brought him back to the spot we'd claimed in an unused alley after our parents were blown to bits in the mines. I'd tried to drown him. I was only ten, and struggling to feed us as it was. It didn't need an animal to feed, too. I didn't want to kill him, but I didn't see much choice. Plus the thing was sick and covered in fleas. It would have died on its own. I said I was being merciful.

But Wanda had begged me, sobbing to let her keep him, and I couldn't refuse. I've always had a soft spot for my little sister. She drowned his fleas and nursed him back to health. Now she's the only person on the planet he doesn't hate. She insists though, that he can do no wrong. The scars on my arms from his scratches say otherwise.

"C'mon, Wanda. It's reaping day. We have to clean up."

Her eyes went wide, and she started shaking. She was always terrified when the reaping rolled around. Not just for herself, but for me. I always assured her that she would be fine. After all, I never let her sign up for the tesserae. Her name was only in the bucket four times. Mine was in many more. And I knew that that also terrified her.

"It'll be fine, Wanda. There's a million pieces of paper in those buckets. We won't get picked. We never do."

Wanda sighed, nodding. "You're right."

"Of course I am." I grabbed our water buckets, walking over to the pump, filling them with water. I carried them back to our spot, setting them down. Wanda had pulled out our toothbrushes, combs, soap, and towels, along with our best clothes.

We wet our toothbrushes with the cleanish water and put on toothpaste. We brushed our teeth, setting down our toothbrushes. We'd rinse them when we were done. We dunked our hair, washing it the best we could. We combed out the tangles before stripping and washing our bodies. When we were done, we weren't completely covered in coal dust, so it helped.

A squirrel darted over to us, trying to grab one of Wanda's necklaces. I grabbed it. Wanda looked away as I snapped its neck. "Well, now I've got some squirrel for the butcher. It would fetch enough for two cheese rolls from the bakery."

Wanda seemed pleased with the idea. As much as she hated killing furry creatures, she was always pleased to have meat or be able to trade for food. Obviously, she never goes hunting with me. She tried once. She ended up crying every time I got something though. She was a sensitive soul. Much unlike me. But Wanda often filled in at the bakery when someone was sick, and the baker had taken a liking to her. So she was able to bring home some money, if not food directly.

Far too soon, we were headed to the town square. I sold the squirrel and paid the baker for a couple rolls- he gave me two extra, saying it was a good luck present. Wanda and I thanked him, eating as we walked to where the reaping was being held. Wanda looked as if she might puke up the rolls.