Chapter Text
“You are literally the worst father ever!”
Pietro sat in the middle of the couch, arms folded into himself as his sister leaned over to rant at their father, who was still in an indignant pose, barely even sitting down. Pietro desperately wished that SHIELD could hook the therapist office with just two more seats. His family all fit into the lone couch…the problem was that they really needed more space. Even (or rather, especially) in the place that had the sole purpose of bringing them closer.
“Please tell us something we don’t know, Wanda, I could be teaching right now,” Erik sighed.
“Oh, you’d love that, wouldn’t you, father?!” Wanda hissed. “To go help some undamaged children who don’t cause any problems with their powers? Who follow you blindly without being brainwashed!”
“I told you I was sorry, how many times do I have to repeat it?” Erik rolled his eyes.
“Forever!” Wanda yelled. “I didn’t want to hear your stupid apology anyway. I only came back and let Fury sign me up for his stupid therapy because I didn’t want to give you an excuse to lock me away again!”
“Hey Wanda,” Pietro softly raised his hand.
“Um, I know you’re mad, and you have every right to be, but I promise that I know for a fact you’re not going to be locked up again. Even if you don’t believe father, which I understand, Professor X and Nick Fury wouldn’t let him do that this time. They’d rather have you out here. On their side.”
Wanda and Erik stared at Pietro for a few seconds before the two ends of the couch erupted.
“Who asked you to talk, Pietro?!” his sister snapped. “First of all, your best attempt to comfort me is to remind me I’m a living weapon, and second of all, you don’t get to talk about letting father do anything when you let him lock me up in the first place! And then you went on with his charade when he wiped my memories to keep me from hating him! You’re as guilty as he is!”
“I don’t need or want you to fight my battles for me, Pietro,” Erik shook his head with disdain. “And honestly, you’re just doing more harm than good, not that I’m surprised. The next time you have any opinions to share, do us all a favor and keep them to yourself.”
Pietro just looked between them, mouth rapidly opening and closing. Eventually, he just slumped backwards, arms folded as he stared at his toes. Magneto and the Scarlet Witch continued their verbal clash with no hesitation, but Pietro couldn’t bring himself to listen as they circled all the familiar talking points.
Eventually, Erik stood up, straightening his coat.
“As much as I would love to continue our little spat, I’m afraid our time is up, and I have a meeting to attend. Call me if there’s an emergency.”
“WHAT DO YOU CALL THIS?!” Wanda yelled as she followed him out of the room. Pietro slowly looked up from where he was still sitting, flinching as the door slammed.
“That went fast,” he muttered. “Even for me.”
“I’ll say,” Dr. Elizabeth Braddock shook her head as she pushed her session notes into the drawer of her desk. She tied her purple hair into a ponytail as she stared at Pietro.
“I couldn’t even get a word in edgewise.”
“Don’t you have telepathy?” Pietro asked.
“I don’t like to encourage reliance on it,” she shook her head.
“Fine,” Pietro grumbled. “I have a question.”
“I might have an answer.”
“If we…” he sighed. “If we never become…a real family again. Will Fury fire us?”
“No,” Dr. Braddock shook her head. “Both Director Fury and I agreed that you and Wanda receiving the safety and security you deserve would not be contingent on the results of these sessions.”
“Thanks,” Pietro gave her the best smile he could as he stood up.
“But Pietro?”
Pietro turned back to her.
“That doesn’t mean you should stop trying. From what I’ve seen, you’re the only one who is.”
“Right,” he said as he walked out the door of her office.
“Because showing up and saying nothing counts as trying now, I guess,” he whispered as he walked down the hallway. For some reason after these therapy sessions, he couldn’t seem to find the energy to run.
Laura should have known it wouldn’t last.
It had been three months since she helped the X-Men and SHIELD sank HYDRA. Since Logan had talked her into joining the team. She had nowhere else to go, after all. She had been wary of sharing a room with Kitty and Rogue. She hadn’t shared a sleeping space, ever. She had been watched while she slept, back at the facility, but she had never shared a room with anyone. That by itself would not have caused her concern. Her concern was the nightmares.
Almost every night since her escape she had had nightmares about what was done to her. About what she had become. About all the tests and fights and torture she had been through while faceless doctors watched her through glass. About the 22 children who had come before her but hadn’t made it so far.
Many times,she woke up to find the tree she had been sleeping under was cut down, her telltale scratch marks covering the shredded base. Her body the weapon, instinctually defending itself against threats only she could feel.
For 92 days, 20 hours and 45 minutes, she had not had a nightmare while she slept. She had stopped worrying about them after 30 days, 12 hours, and 15 minutes.
That was her mistake.
It was one of the worst ones. The bonding process. She could still feel the scorching heat if she closed her eyes tight enough. She had startled out of her visceral memory when a soft, gloved hand touched her shoulder.
When Laura opened her eyes, she found herself upright, two adamantium claws sticking out the other side of Rogue’s shoulder.
For the first time she could ever recall, Laura’s mouth was hanging open. It stayed open as her claws retracted back into her fists too little too late. It stayed open as Rogue dropped onto the carpeted floor, finally shaking the stunned Katherine Pryde out of her stupor enough for the screaming to begin. Rogue, despite her serious injury, looked as annoyed as Laura usually would be. Laura was too busy thinking about how everyone was going to hate her to be annoyed. The lights in the hallways and throughout the entire mansion soon began flicking on one by one.
Rogue was important. Laura knew that. Rogue was one of the original X-Men here at the mansion. She was one of the most beloved. Logan cared for her. Laura had often turned the other direction and found something else to do when she saw Logan having fun with his pseudo daughter. Not that Laura was jealous. After all, she wasn’t really Logan’s daughter. Just his clone.
Logan was going to be so upset.
As she stared at the blood dripping down her hands, an idea suddenly sprang into Laura’s mind. She could fix this. She could save Rogue. She jumped off her bed, kneeling down next to Rogue. They were both still in their pajamas, but Laura’s hands were exposed. She reached down slowly, not wanting to accidentally hurt Rogue further. Just one touch. Just one touch, and Rogue would be able to heal just as fast as her.
Just as she was about to save her roommate, something grabbed her shoulder, hard. She was flung back onto her bed, rolling backwards so fast that she fell off the other side. She was still up within seconds, able to clearly see Logan was cradling Rogue tenderly, whispering something unintelligible from the distance she was at.
As Laura stood back up, stumbling over towards them, more and more students crowded the room, forming an unintentional wall pushing Laura out of her own bedroom as everyone tried to check on what had happened. Laura was left with nothing but her own thoughts.
“He didn’t want me to save her,” she slowly realized.
“I can’t even do that.”
Laura slunk away from the crowd, head down as she let her bangs fall past her face. She wordlessly flung the window at the end of the hallway open, catching it before it could break and draw even more attention.
“Laura!” a familiar voice hissed. Laura turned around to see that one person in the crowd had separated to chase after her. Tabitha Smith.
It was kind of sad that Tabitha was the closest thing Laura had to a friend at the Institute. They shared absolutely zero of the same interests and rarely agreed, but they had one thing in common: they always told it like it is. And as much as Laura hated it, she had to respect it.
“Where are you going?!” Tabby hissed, beckoning Laura to come back in exasperatedly.
“I can’t stay here,” Laura morosely whimpered.
“Yes you can,” Tabitha shook her head. “Rogue’s already fine. People are just on edge. Will you come in now or what?”
“I don’t belong here,” Laura clenched her fist.
Tabitha rolled her eyes.
“Fine…just don’t stay out in the rain, okay? You know where the Brotherhood house is.”
Laura reluctantly nodded before leaping out the window, rolling across the lawn silently. Tabitha watched, shaking her head in disappointment. That Laura was so extra sometimes.
Pietro sat on the couch, watching America’s Funniest Home Videos. It had been Todd’s idea, and usually Pietro would have dismissed it as boring and ran off looking for something to do, but after that session aboard the helicarrier he wanted a break. One by one, the members of the team, from Lance to Fred to John to Todd himself had gone to bed. Pietro had taken it upon himself to wait for Wanda to get home. He tried to ignore the pity glances they had all given him before they left. As if she was coming home tonight. Who knows where she spends her time these days, but it was hardly ever here. Still, they had all left her room untouched, since she technically was still in the Brotherhood. Or, as they were called now, Freedom Force.
He wondered what he would even say if she did show up. Probably nothing, he sadly realized. Just then, he saw a shadow approaching the front door through the window. Pietro could tell it was a girl from the outline. Hesitantly, he sped behind the door, listening to make sure it wasn’t an intruder. He thought he heard some pretty jagged breathing before the sound of footsteps could be heard turning away. Bracing himself,he opened the door, mentally prepared to take some more hits from his sister.
Laura walked slowly up to the front door of the Brotherhood Boarding house through the treeline that she had been leaping through with all the force she could muster. She hadn’t been inside before, but she had seen the inside through the front door when she had picked up Wanda. While Tabitha was the one Laura got along with most at the mansion, Wanda was the one she got along with most in general. Tabitha had a lot of the same traits as Wanda: daddy issues, lack of childhood, bad attitude, frequent use of snark. The difference was that Wanda didn't insist on being so annoyingly fun-loving all the time. Laura could bond with her over their shared fear of hospitals, go to the mall and max out Magneto’s credit card out of spite, or just brood with Wanda without having to worry about the girl trying to “turn her frown upside down”. Laura wondered if Rogue would have been more like Tabitha or Wanda. It was too late to ever find out.
As she reached the door, she reconsidered. Wanda would probably be asleep by now. She shouldn’t bother her friend when she was the one who had committed an atrocity. She would just sleep in the woods. And then hike out of the state in the morning. She wouldn’t mess up the X-Men any more than she already had.
As she walked down the steps off the front porch, back into the pouring rain, the door opened.
“Oh. Hi,” Pietro Maximoff waved at her.
This is Wanda’s brother. She has seen him before. Wanda has spoken little of him, but what she has said did not sound flattering. He has his father’s silver hair, and his sister's eyes. He is in a brown v-neck and dark green jeans. A far cry from his armor as Quicksilver.
“Wanda’s not home,” he told her, still staring. She is soaking wet and barefoot. Most people would be more alarmed, but considering who he lives with, the boy is most likely used to it.
“Good,” she nods. “I was leaving anyway.”
“In your pajamas?” he asked.
“I am naturally suited to deal with the environment,” she coldly states. “My clothing is irrelevant.”
“Do you want to leave Wanda a message?” Pietro asked. “I don’t know when she’s coming back.”
“It’s fine,” Laura insisted. “Just tell her not to expect me the next time the X-Men go on a mission.”
“Why not?” Pietro asked. “Did you quit?”
“You will hear about it tomorrow,” Laura snaps. “I’m leaving now.”
“Well hang on,” Pietro says, stepping out onto the porch.
“I know you probably can heal like Wolverine, but don’t you want a raincoat or something? It’s probably going to rain until the morning. In fact, if you’re not with the X-Men, where are you going to go until morning?”
“I told you, I am suited for the environment,” Laura shrugged before she turned back around.
“So you’re just going to stay in the rain all night?” Pietro asked.
“Why do you care?” Laura asked.
“Cause you’re my sister’s friend,” Pietro shrugged. “Besides, it wouldn’t look very good if Freedom Force turned away a cold and homeless girl in the middle of a thunderstorm.”
Laura turned around to finally fully face him.
“You’re ridiculous. Where would I sleep?”
“Wanda’s not home, so you could- actually she might not like that. You can sleep in my room, and I’ll sleep on the pull-out couch.”
“Why not just have me sleep on the pull-out couch?” Laura asked.
“I mean, if you want to, fine,” Pietro shrugged. “But definitely don’t in the rain.”
Laura thought about it. She didn’t want to bring any problems to Wanda or her friends, or be somewhere the X-Men might find her and nobly try to take her back, but she also didn’t like sleeping in the rain. And Wanda’s brother clearly wanted her to agree. If she made Wanda’s brother happy, then maybe she could make Wanda happy by proxy.
“Okay,” she shrugged. “I’ll take your bed. But when you wake up, I warn it might not be in the same state you left it.”
“Don’t tell me you’re a bed-wetter,” Pietro groaned. She popped her claws.
“I just stab it,” she glared.
“Understood,”Pietro nodded as she sheathed her claws and walked through the door he was holding open.
“The bathroom is up the stairs,” he called. She grunted in annoyance and thanks as she tracked mud up the stairs.
Well, at least he made one person happy today.