drabble.
SUBJECT: wanda and pietro maximoff; sans_control @ gj.
AUTHOR: me!


The 'meeting' was over. In Wanda's opinion, it wasn't much of a meeting at all. It was a lecture, and she was less than pleased with receiving lectures. Or giving them, for that matter. Pietro wasn't fond of them either. So much sitting around. His feet tapped impatiently on floors, his fingers drummed on table tops as though he were a ticking time bomb. She didn't have his constant need to move, but after being around him for this long, she might as well have. Decisions were being made without their input, and what did it matter? They'd have to agree. They'd tried to make the others angry enough to want to take action. Wanda was, at best, entirely disinterested. She felt bad for the mutants, of course, and she didn't normally feel too bad for other people. One could say she almost sympathized. She had a problem with people who were in the majority and enjoyed pushing those 'beneath' them around. She took great pleasure in pushing back, when given the chance.

But to all of a sudden be a part of this organization where there were leaders telling you what to do, that just didn't sit well with Wanda. Taking orders. She didn't like taking orders. And it showed, too. She defiantly crossed her arms and sharply answered questions about whether or not she understood. When it was all over, she didn't linger. Instead she stormed out of the room, up the stairs, down the hall and into the room she and Pietro shared. She started cursing in every language she could think of as her fingers flared angrily and the room shivered with tension.

Pietro, however, had been directly behind her the entire way and shut the door after her. "Little Witch," he said soothingly, and when she continued to squeeze her eyes shut, Pietro put his hands on her shoulders. "Wanda."

She peeked at him as a young child would. She blinked a few times. "I'm sorry," she whined. "I just... those people and all of this and I hate it."

"I know you do. I do as well," he told her calmly. Somehow, for all of his impatience, he had just enough when it came to dealing with Wanda. She knew he wasn't any happier about all of this, but she couldn't help it. He was the more realistic of the two. He was smarter, sharper, and much more cunning. All those years that they'd lived on their own, he'd been the one to really keep them alive. Any strategy that Wanda knew from those times was from his example. Sure, she'd still been somewhat necessary, but he'd been the one to help her figure out how.

Wanda grunted and sat on the bed and crossed her legs. "You know what will happen. We'll be stuck in a war all over again. Do we even know who we're fighting?"

He sat down next to her. "They keep telling us we're in the minority. We have to fight everyone for survival and rights and other such things. Most groups start out this way, before they become terrorist organizations."

"We do not want to be part of a terrorist organization," she interjected angrily.
"We do not want to be the target of one, either," he reminded her.

"If they're going to battle the whole world, why would they take so much trouble coming after us? We don't even pose a threat. It's not like we would go to the 'other side,' if there even is one. We've never cared about sides. We believed in the cause when Magneto pulled us in, but not enough to become a part of it ourselves. They've learned nothing from this failure, and their numbers are even smaller than before."

"I don't know," he said honestly. "It seems like it will happen all over again. People are, if possible, even less dedicated than before. We are not going to be in the middle of it this time. I'm not going to lose you again." Pietro's face rarely gave off much in the way of emotion, but that gaze was determined. There was no lie in those eyes. "We'll get away. I'll keep you safe. I promise."

Her frown melted into a more endearing look. Their own personal failure at Alcatraz was forgotten. It wasn't his fault. There was nothing he could do. So many stupid people involved. Things were just so much simpler when it was the two of them and their primary concern was to watch after each other. She could get by on her own as needed, but she surely didn't prefer it that way. She was more than comfortable in her partnership with Pietro, and she was less than fond of change. At least with Pietro se felt needed, wanted, protected.

So Wanda snuggled against Pietro's side. "I know you will, my strong brother." A smile grew on her face as he puffed his chest out proudly and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I'm hungry. Let's get something to eat."

"All right."
She bounded up and began dragging him outside. "That place that almost makes Italian food. Let's go there."

He peered off as though he could see through the darkness that had almost settled in. "A few miles off. Do you want to drive?" They already had an assortment of cars.

Wanda shook her head. "No. Carry me, please?"

Pietro smiled and motioned to her. "All right." Wanda grinned as she hopped on her back and curled her arms around his neck. He wove his arms around her legs, and off they went.