Endearment ▶️ Pietro Maximoff

Thirty-Two

*Flashback*
Pietro woke up gasping for air, hands and feet bound to the cold metal table; one he remembered vividly. The smell of chemicals made him feel nauseous as he grunted, pulling harshly against the metal cuffs around his limbs. His entire body ached from the wounds he'd sustained during the ambush as he wondered how he survived such a brutal attack. "Ah, you're not dead! Finally." Came the haunting voice of Strucker, the mad man behind it all. Pietro's gaze hardened as he came into view, wanting nothing more than to murder him in that instant. "I'm going to kill you." Pietro growled menacingly, pulling against the metal chains painfully. "No, you won't." Strucker tut, circling the table until he was closer in proximity, looking down at Pietro condescendingly.

"You're going to regret bringing me here, again. I'm not that little boy anymore; I will kill you." Pietro's words were nothing but a promise, and Strucker knew it. But in this situation, Strucker knew he had the upper hand, something he always wanted when working with the Maximoff twins. Pietro always caused him great grief, at least Wanda was docile enough; the boy needed a little extra effort. "You kill me, everyone you love dies. Just like that." Strucker's words left an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach as he slowly ceased his struggle, contemplating. This was not how things were supposed to go down, Pietro began to feel a sense of regret for not waiting on the others and going in alone; he'd gone into the abandoned warehouse faster than anyone else when he should have waited. Had he just waited a little.. "You touch anyone I care about, Strucker.." Pietro fumed, ears ringing like an angry alarm. He was going to tear this bastard limb from limb. 

"You should be thanking me for giving you this wonderful gift of rapid healing! You were shot point blank from all angles and your body resisted it. Can you believe that?" Strucker felt giddy, like he had found a room full of gold. No, Pietro was not aware that his body was capable of that, and he would have refused to believe it if it wasn't for the fact that he had indeed been shot point blank; multiple times until he blacked out. How could he have survived such an ambush? "Think about the things we could achieve with this talent! Oh, I am going to have so much fun with you, kiddo." His words made the blood in his veins boil as he tugged harshly against the restraints. 

"Let's see how far we can go until we break you, mould you back into the monster that you are; this time an obedient one." He continued, walking towards the marble worktop and holding up what looked to be a small needle. "I wonder if the girl you're in love with still loves you back after I'm done with you." Pietro's struggle with the restraints increased as he began to understand the seriousness of the situation. The ominous sight made Pietro feel physically sick, a reaction he often felt when he was in these situations. What followed next was something Pietro had gone through repeatedly for years, something he had become so familiar with and wanted to forget; a horrific past of endless experimentation that he signed up for willingly. "This might sting a little." Strucker's mocking tone did nothing but stir up the anger bubbling inside of him, but soon Pietro found himself falling into a bleak hole of nothing but darkness. 

When Pietro woke up, he wasn't the same person anymore, a feeling of emptiness inside of him; like he was missing a piece of something he couldn't quite put his finger on. He had become confused, lost at what his purpose in life was anymore, why he had been left alone in a rundown facility until a bunch of people came crashing through the door alongside his twin sister whom he recognised almost instantly. They said he needed rescuing, that he'd been gone for days; but Pietro couldn't remember anything beyond his time at the Hydra facility, not clearly at first. His memories had become hazy, often flashes of something that lead to a lot of anger bursts unable to pinpoint the cause of it, he would break everything his hands could touch, his own strength becoming his weakness. Pietro was a mess, and he needed help before he did something stupid.

"We need to know if he's been compromised, if Strucker got into his head." Steve spoke, watching Pietro punch yet another wall in frustration. Wanda didn't want to do this, she believed her brother's plight to be genuine; but everyone was sceptical and suspicious enough to keep him inside the room that rendered him powerless. "Even if he is compromised, I'll make sure he doesn't do anything stupid." Wanda assured, looking at her brother in concern. "I can hear you, old man!" Pietro growled, punching the two way mirror, startling Wanda. Steve clenched his jaw, looking at this seething  boy in front of him with pity; a reminiscent moment of himself when he was fresh out of ice. He could understand the frustration he was feeling, but he had to make sure Pietro hadn't been compromised. "Let me see her." He grit, looking directly at Steve, even if he couldn't see him; he was aware of his presence.