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They stand in front of one another in silence. Before Yelena could reach for her, Anya grabs the knife under her own boot and throws it towards Yelena. The knife slices through the air, with the blonde woman widening her eyes and dodges it out of instinct. Yelena glares at Anya and reaches for her arm to stop her, but Anya immediately stretches her leg to kick Yelena's thigh back.
"Are we really going to do this?" Yelena groans out as she stands while clutching her leg.
"What, are you getting sleepy?" Anya mocks, and earns her a glare before Yelena charges towards her with a yell, sending them to the ground.
Anya swings her leg to knee Yelena across the face, but Yelena moves quick and sends a fist to Anya's jaw. The brunette grabs the lamp from the table and throws it at Yelena, who catches it with her stomach. Anya whips her head around the room, seeing the sharp dagger that Valkyrie gifted to her. As she was about to stride towards it, Yelena grabs her ankle and pulls hard, making Anya yelp and fall to the ground.
"Get off my leg!" Anya yells at her while squirming.
The oldest of the two grunts and lies on her back, kicking her legs to shake Yelena off. Yelena is panting, and she gets on her feet, reaching for the dagger that Anya was reaching for. She grips the handle and Anya moves backward while watching Yelena.
Yelena swings her arms back, preparing herself to bring down the sword with a shout. Anya gasps and she rolls to her left, making the dagger hit the coffee table and slicing it in two. They both widen their eyes at the strength of the Valkyrie dagger, and look at each other in shock. Yelena's lips turn up into an amused smile, but it was later wiped off when Anya grabs her and slams her back against the glass cupboard.
The glass shatters behind Yelena and she groans. "This is a new vest!" She complains when the broken glass slots itself into the cloth. Yelena grabs the collar of Anya's shirt and headbutts her, making Anya stumble back and grab her forehead. Yelena is breathing heavily. "Had enough?"
Anya grimaces and rubs her forehead, but instantly flashes Yelena a challenging smirk. Yelena sighs and braces herself before Anya runs to her with a yell, delivering a blow to her stomach, and straddling her hips, swinging a punch across her cheek. Yelena rolls them over and takes Anya's place, grabbing her collar again and slamming her against the floor. Anya grunts, blood running down her forehead and nose.
It does not quite end there, since Anya reaches upwards and grabs the leg of a small chair, throwing it against Yelena's side, making her groan and fall off of Anya. The brunette breathes heavily with blood trickling down her face as she goes to the nearest wall, swiftly grabbing one of her paintings and raising it to the air above her, ready to attack Yelena with it with a scream.
"What the hell is going on here?!"
Anya's yell dies down. She and Yelena lift their heads, only to see a horrified Wanda staring at the destroyed living room. Anya drops the canvas to the ground and points at Yelena. "It was her fault."
Yelena widens her eyes and stammers. "Wh—she's the one who wanted to fight."
Wanda blinks in disbelief, opening her mouth as if to say something, but chooses not to. Instead, a red energy surges through her fingers and the living room is slowly cleaning itself up. Yelena stares in awe.
Anya glances at Yelena before exhaling in exhaustion, walking towards her to offer a hand. Yelena stares at her hand for a moment before accepting it, and she pulls her up.
"I've been looking for you for ages." Yelena winces at the ache of her body, still watching with wide eyes as Wanda cleans the place.
"Well, you found me. Congratulations." Anya stumbles to the sofa and grabs her decanter, drinking straight from the mouth. "Are you here to offer to take me back to New York? Because the answer is no."
"No, I'm here because Strange has been hiding you for the past six months, and I want to know why." Yelena crosses her arms as she stands with a wince, and her Russian accent is evident.
Anya scoffs in annoyance. "Why don't you ask him that? I'm sure he'd be delighted to answer you."
Yelena sighs in defeat. "I came here because the rest of the Avengers were all looking for you. I needed to know if you're safe." She pauses. "That, and I missed you."
Anya dryly laughs. "If that was true, then you would've come to see Nat and I when we were literally being displayed to the fucking world. Don't bullshit me and say that you didn't know where we are, because you knew exactly where, and you still didn't come." Yelena goes silent now, and Anya shakes her head at her. "And now you come back, when Natasha is dead."
Yelena flinches and averts her eyes from Anya. Anya had nothing else to say, and at the same time, Wanda returns the dagger to the wall where it belongs. "Who's she?" Yelena asks.
Wanda and Yelena stare at each other, as if sizing each other up.
Anya exhales, taking a tissue to wipe the blood from her face. "Wanda, this is Yelena. Yelena, Wanda."
Yelena nods at Wanda as a greeting before her eyes glint with recognition. "You're the one behind the whole Westview thing."
Wanda crosses her arms and says nothing.
"Caused quite the buzz at the Avengers Compound. Everyone's looking for you, too. But for a much different reason."
"Okay, hold up, you were at the compound?" Anya asks in surprise. "The compound got destroyed when Thanos arrived."
"It's back up again, you know. Six months is a long time."
"And you were there because?"
"I told you. I was looking for you. When I got there, a lot of protests were happening. People demand for the Avengers to be held accountable for what happened at Westview. There were actual riots. They're calling for your arrest," Yelena looks at Wanda. "Do you not have television here?"
"Any gadget emits a signal that can be traced. So, no. No television, no phones, nothing." Fortunately, Anya learned all of that from Maria Hill. SHIELD was very careful with their tracking devices.
"You're telling me that you've been living here for six months and you never checked the news." Yelena raises an eyebrow at Anya.
"Didn't feel like we needed to."
Yelena nods in such a sarcastic way. "So, you don't know that Wilson is the new Captain America?" She asks, and Anya's lips part in surprise. "Or that Peter Parker's identity was revealed to the whole world?"
"What?" Anya gapes. "When did that happen?"
"Only a few days back. Wilson became Captain America just a month ago."
Anya isn't sure if she should be happy for Sam, or be concerned over Peter first. "Um... Christ. Good for Sam. Is Peter okay?"
"No one's seen him in a while. He's hiding, just like you two." Yelena looks at the two other women. "Stark said you were the only one who can find Peter effortlessly."
Anya softens, and she immediately clenches her fists. "And why do you care about a child you've never met?"
"Because he is a child, and I don't want what happened to us to happen to him." Yelena shots back.
Wanda awkwardly looks between the two sisters, but stays quiet.
Anya wavers with worry. "Oh, Peter," she mutters under her breath and goes to the latch underneath the fireplace. She takes out a transceiver, and sighs at it. Well, here goes her freedom. "Wanda, I think this is goodbye." She mutters quietly.
Wanda widens her eyes. "What?"
"I have to go. Peter's missing, and I feel like I need to fix shit up in New York."
"I'm coming with you." Wanda argues back.
"No," Anya shakes her head and reaches for Wanda's shoulders. "You know they'll take you if you so much as step foot in America. You're safer here."
"And alone. I can't... I can't be alone, Anya. Please, take me with you."
Anya observes Wanda's pleading face for a moment, but shakes her head. "We can't risk it. They won't understand, Wanda."
Wanda knows Anya is right, but she feared being alone more than being imprisoned. Still, she nods and Anya exhales in relief before pulling her in for a hug.
"Do you have to leave now?" Wanda mutters into Anya's shoulder.
"I think I should. The moment I turn this thing on, I can be traced, but I can't find Peter if I don't have this."
Wanda sniffles and pulls away, looking at Yelena, and the blonde nods. "Okay, then. Didn't think it was that easy to get you to come back."
"Save your breath. I'm doing this for Peter. Not you." Anya glares at her before going to her room to get her things.
When Anya is packed and bandaged, Wanda watches as she climbs into Yelena's small jet. The redhead waves goodbye to Anya, and Anya promises herself that she'll come back for her. On the way back to America, Anya sits next to Yelena as they both pilot the ship.
"So... it's been eighteen years since I last saw you."
"We don't have to talk, Yelena."
Yelena frowns. "Where have you been before you joined Tasha in the Avengers?"
"You know perfectly well where I was. It's in all my files, I've never hid my past from the public."
"Anya..."
"What are we going to say to them? Have you got a plan? Because we are not giving away Wanda's location, do you understand me?"
"I can't believe you're housing a fugitive."
Anya gives her another glare. "You don't know what she's been through."
"She took a town hostage, Anya. Tortured their brains, kept them trapped in their own minds to live her fantasy life." Yelena sighs.
"She didn't do it on purpose. We're not giving away her location." She barely turns to look at Yelena and speaks in a calm yet dark tone. "If Wanda is in any way compromised and I find out that it's because of you, I will kill you."
Yelena stays quiet after that and only pilots the jet. For around eight hours, they were on that jet, and it wasn't until Anya could see the new Avengers Compound from afar. Her heart shook at the mere sight of it. The memories made from that place begin to surge through her, but she pushes them back. Every little moment she ever had with Loki were bound between the walls of the previous building in its place, it crushed her in more ways than she was prepared to comprehend.
"Not here." Anya mumbles.
"But we just—"
"We're going to Queens. I think there's an aunt there that's particularly worried about her nephew."
***
When Anya and Yelena arrive at the apartment building, it was swamped with reporters. They managed to climb to the window where Peter once showed Anya, and Aunt May was more than welcoming. Despite her initial shock of just gaping at Anya for several seconds.
Anya reassures May that she can reach Peter using the transceiver as long as Peter carried the other with him. And when Anya turned the device on, she can tell that the other was not in the apartment—which means Peter has his.
She turns it on. "Arachnid. This is Pyro. Checking in on you. Over."
May stares at her with anticipation, growing more worried than ever. Anya repeats her words several times before she sighs.
"I'm sorry. I thought he would answer. The other one isn't here, so he has it with him—"
The transceiver emits static and a distinct voice comes to life from it. "Th-This is Arachnid. Pyro. Pyro, I'm here!" His voice comes out shaky.
May cries out in happiness, and Anya laughs before pressing the button. "Hey, kid. It's so nice to hear your voice. Do you mind telling me where you are?" She asks calmly. "You're okay. It's just me and your aunt here. And my, um..." she glances at her sister. "My friend is here. She's the one who told me what happened. Over."
"That's... that's awesome, man. I think... I think I would be better alone right now. Over."
Anya sighs. "I know that you might think that way, kid, but a lot of people here are worried and we all just want you to be safe. So, will you tell me where you are? Over."
There was silence at the end of the line, but she can hear Peter quietly whimpering in between sobs. Anya's heart breaks. "Is MJ okay?"
Anya looks at May, and the older woman nods. "She's okay. Over."
Peter sighs in relief. "I'm... I'm at the Statue of Liberty."
Anya sighs in amusement. Everyone's in scrambles trying to look for him, and that's where he was. "Of course you are. I'm coming to get you, kid. Hang on. Over and out." She turns off the device and looks at May. "I'm going to find him, but I can't take him back here. I need to bring him to Tony and the others, he'll be safer at the compound. Is that okay with you?"
May is reluctant, but nods and thanks her repeatedly.
Anya looks at Yelena, and the blonde woman just nods wordlessly. Yelena takes them to the statue, where they can see Peter without his mask on and with red eyes. Anya opens the latch and Peter climbs inside. "Okay, I didn't think it would be this quick to find you—" She barely finishes her sentence when Peter attacks her with a hug, and starts crying into her shoulder. She frowns and embraces him. "It's okay, kid. I got you."
Anya lets Peter hold onto her for a bit longer before he pulls away and sniffles. "Oh, man. You didn't have to come all the way down here for me, Miss Anya."
She chuckles, ruffling Peter's hair a bit before cupping his chin affectionately. "Anything for my favorite spider."
Peter musters a grin at her, and sits down. He tries to smile at the other woman to be polite, and Yelena just sighs in relief upon seeing him. Yelena takes them to the Avengers Compound and lowers the jet to the landing zone. She can already see a few familiar people approaching the ship and she turns it off. Peter climbs out cautiously and walks up to the man he looks up to. Anya hops out of the small jet and watches Peter embrace Tony.
Once she lands on her feet, the others watch her in complete surprise. Tony, Pepper, Sam, Bucky, and even big green Bruce were there. Anya fiddles with her fingers and stays in her place.
Tony pulls away from Peter and lets Pepper hug him with a relieved smile, so Tony could slowly approach Anya. He sees Yelena climb out of the jet as well, but Tony's eyes are only on Anya.
She nervously stares at him, and something glistens in Tony's eyes once he is in front of her. He falters, and does his best to keep it together. "Did you... were you the one... who found him?"
Anya nods and is about to apologize when Tony engulfs her in a tight hug, and her words turn into a relieved chuckle through tears. Anya embraces everyone to greet them, including Bucky.
Bucky seems to be more stiff than the others, but that was understandable. They both remind each other of a horrible time of their lives.
Tony grins at Anya and pats her back. "It's good to have you back."
Bruce leads her inside the tower, and she looks around to see that everything was the same.
Rhodey doesn't look too excited though, and he gives her a concerned look. "Anya, there's something you need to know."
Anya chuckles. "If this is about Loki being alive and back on Asgard, you don't have to say anything. I already know."
The others stop walking and digest what she just said... and something tells Anya that they didn't exactly know that. Tony stammers. "Loki is what?!"
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note: surprise! peter is here ;)
also, for the purposes of this story, we're going to ignore no way home, and black widow. here, natasha really killed dreykov with clint and freed all the widows including yelena. yelena never came back to natasha and anya.
also, i love how peter is a spider just like the rest of the black widows. i hope the chapter title misled you all a bit ;)