THE TOWER WAS SEEMINGLY SILENT in comparison to the chaos unfolding on the floor below; Wanda struggled to haul Peter's body through the endless corridors when he finally woke up.
On instinct, his body jerked away from her hold as they rounded a corner.
"Peter it's just me!" Wanda cried in surprise, her arms reaching out and barely catching him as he slumped against the wall in a flurry of movement- his balance was still shot from whatever drug was running through his system. Suddenly, Peter's legs buckled beneath him and they were both dragged to the ground; despite his sluggish thrashing and weak attempts at pushing her off, Wanda managed to hold on to the other teen. "Peter, please." She begged, cupping his face in her hands gently- his ragged breath fanned across her cheeks.
At the sudden touch, Peter grabbed her wrists- eyes wide and fearful- and wrenched them away. Wanda winced at the tight grip and struggled to free herself.
For a brief moment, a flicker of fear sparked in Wanda's chest and she immediately knew why no one spoke about Peter's life before the avengers. The most she knew was that he had been used by Hydra, but now, having to face his strength and his cold, lifeless eyes she understood- Peter hadn't been another experiment like herself and kept around, he had been fashioned into an asset.
Nothing more than an efficient tool. A means to an end. Her heart ached at the realisation.
"They're just memories, fragments of nightmares Peter- it isn't real." she ordered shakily, her fingers sparking as she pressed their foreheads together.
His mind was endlessly complex; littered with dark, gaping chasms that threatened to swallow Wanda whole and drown her from within- her breaths stuttered. Around her was light, so bright and vibrant that it threatened to blind her; pure, innocent happiness that was only challenged by the gaping black. Focussing hard, Wanda gripped the memories of laughter and excitement and yanked them to the forefront of Peter's mind, smoothing over the deep, endless crevasses until they were nothing but faint cracks and blurred lines in the background.
Peter's eyes shot open as he gasped.
He stared at Wanda's face that was so close to his own. Her eyes were screwed shut with a single tear running down her cheek. She had seen Peter's mind intimately, and wished that she could have done more to soothe the pain and the damage Hydra had caused him- she couldn't imagine living with the memories of what had been done to him, of what he had been made to do.
"Wanda?" Peter croaked out, eventually. Concern flitted across his eyes as her own opened and his grip disappeared from her wrists. He was sliding his hearing aids on when she met his gaze.
The red that had been swirling in her eyes faded and guilt flashed over her face before she turned away. Swallowing thickly, Wanda pushed herself to her feet before she helped Peter to his and glanced tentatively up and down the corridor. "We have to go."
"Go?" Peter echoed, confusion changing his features. "What happened? What's going on?"
"The agents who locked you up, they tried to take you." Wanda summarised, tugging Peter along until his wrist was wrenched out of her hold; she spun around.
"We have to help the team!"
"They want you." Wanda huffed, "The only way you'll help is by getting out."
For a moment, Peter stared defiantly back at Wanda as her chest heaved with exertion and emotion- he looked as if he wanted to turn back, a glint of determination forming in his eyes when he froze.
Suddenly, before she could even blink, Wanda was pulled against the wall and Peter had seamlessly manoeuvred himself so that he was in front of her body as she waited, studying his body language intently. He tilted his head, listening to something that was just out of her hearing range- before she could wheedle him for information she heard it too, a voice just down the next corridor that sounded awfully familiar.
"Holy shit."
The moment the voice registered, Peter had bolted around the corner ready to jump into the fight when Wanda slammed into his back, the magic that had begun to dance between her fingertips diminished at the sight before them. The duo stared with identical looks of alarm on their face as Harley struck someone in the head with a baseball bat.
"Shit." Harley hissed, dropping the bat as if it suddenly weighed a tonne- Peter didn't miss the shake to his hands as he ran them through his hair.
When the teenager turned to see the small audience that he had acquired, his cheeks flushed crimson and he almost squeaked in surprise as they stared openly. "He, erm, walked into the bat?" He offered, though unconvincingly. There was a beat of silence before it was Wanda who recovered from her shock first, (Peter continued to open his mouth like a fish for another few seconds) and marched towards him. Worry flashed across her features, but it seemed to be battling with anger.
"Were you followed? The agents were all downstairs-"
"There's more." Harley breathed, jumping at the slight change in topic. "It's Hydra."
Words failed Wanda as she processed the announcement, paling slightly in the light before she turned to gauge Peter's reaction- but there was barely one to look at. He seemed eerily calm as he swallowed and nodded as if it made perfect sense. Anxious, Wanda glanced back at Harley who was frowning too as he met her eyes, both sharing a look of concern between themselves that went unnoticed by Peter. He was too busy fiddling with his hearing aids and formulating some kind of plan.
"We can't stay here. They'll sweep the building; we have to go." He concluded.
Wanda didn't know if it was nerves making him mess with the device, or if it was because he'd only just put them on a few minutes ago and they genuinely needed adjusting.
"Right." Harley nodded, "Then let's get a move on slowpokes." He reached for two duffel bags that had been sitting on the floor; he threw one to Wanda. "I sort of, packed." he explained as she arched an eyebrow at him and looked inside- her clothes had been hastily shoved into the bag, joined by a random shoe that seemed to have no pair that was laying on top. She looked back at Harley as if she was wondering if he had any brain cells and why the hell, he had grabbed about eight bras and no socks.
He held his hands up in a placating gesture, "I'm as traumatised as you." Harley dramatically shuddered to add to his point. Wanda threw him an irritated glare in response; she was tempted to throw a bra at him too since she apparently had plenty to spare.
Discarding Harley as a lost cause, Wanda's attention slid back to Peter as he marched towards them.
"What's the plan? We just run and hope they don't know what cardio is?"
Peter made a face at the sarcasm, "I can drive."
"No, you can't. Technically." Harley pointed out, rather unhelpfully.
"Almost. I can almost drive then." Peter amended, "Nat's been teaching me in parking lots- how different is a road, really?" Wanda blanched as she followed him through the tower.
It didn't take long for the trio to make it to Tony's garage, courtesy of Friday giving them directions and locking out Hydra where possible, allowing them to avoid the worst of the conflict. Somewhere in the distance the Hulk roared; it was accompanied by the angered shouts of Thor and the building shaking every few minutes. Guns and repulsors were being fired almost consistently but the noises were fading as they made their way further from the main fight- the team must have left the cells and settled a few floors above for the main fight.
When they reached the garage, they all poked their heads around the corner before drawing back, Wanda swearing under her breath at the soldiers patrolling the exit.
"Right. I'll distract them, Wanda you'll-"
"There are five soldiers." She hissed, incredulous. "You're out numbered."
Despite her new knowledge of Peter's past, it didn't sit well in her chest letting Peter deal with the threats- besides, she knew she could help. "I can do it." Peter said as if he could hear her thoughts. His voice was like steel; he'd faced more before with a lot less to live for.
"Get to a car, start it up and I'll jump in the driver's seat as soon as I can."
For a few seconds, Wanda stared Peter down until Harley cut between them.
"Do not get yourself killed Parker. I do not want to be a widow remember?" Harley said, and Peter's lip quirked as he nodded sincerely. Harley squeezed his hand.
Wanda didn't look excited for the plan, but less like she'd argue it till she was blue in the face when finally, she released a breath. "What he said. Just, maybe not the last part." She teased half-heartedly, following Harley as he crawled behind a vehicle, gesturing impatiently for her to hurry up- she scowled at the back of his head but remained silent.
A/N
Harley is one of my favourites, like, I just love him so much. Also they would be a chaotic trio and I live for it :)
Anywho! Let me know any spelling mistakes! xoxo.