ᑕᕼᗩᑭTEᖇ TEᑎ:
˜"*°•.˜"*°•ᗩ ᖴEᗩᖇ Oᖴ ᗪOGS•°*"˜.•°*"˜
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ᑭᖇEᐯIOᑌSᒪY:
Tommy and Billy went over to Vision and Wanda, giving them a hug as the parents picked up the children. A soft smile formed on Natalya's face and her head tilted to the side a little bit, momentarily forgetting about her thoughts about Agnes.
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Natalya entered the kitchen, wanting a bit of coffee to stop her eyes from falling shut, but was met with the sight of Billy and Tommy standing on a step stool, looking into the sink.
"If I continue farther into the kitchen, will I be considered a witness or a suspect?" Natalya asked, leaning on the doorframe. The twins didn't answer her. Natalya furrowed her eyebrows, going over to them.
"What are you guys- holy shit that is a dog!" Natalya yelped, scrambling back in fear and nearly tripping over her feet, "Boys, don't say shit. Shit is a bad word. That I have said three times, but don't say it!"
"I don't think he likes the water," Tommy - Natalya guessed it was Tommy - told his brother, ignoring Natalya.
"Excuse me, it's rude to ignore people," Natalya scolded, going over to the coffee maker and flicking it on, "And dogs are... scary." Natalya shivered.
"He's so cute, Natty!" Billy exclaimed.
"We have to get him clean so Mommy will let us keep him," Tommy continued.
"Tommy! Billy!"
"Oh, no! Mommy's coming!" Tommy exclaimed and the twins turned so their backs faced the sink in an attempt to hide the animal. Natalya smiled, feeling the exhaustion slowly being replaced by adrenaline from the caffeine.
Wanda pushed open the door, not noticing Natalya in the corner, "You know, I don't miss the crying, but jeez louise, did you have to learn to walk? You two never stay put," Wanda placed her hands on her hips.
Either I'm very good at going unnoticed or everyone in this house is very unobservant, Natalya thought when she took another sip of coffee.
"Mom, did you know, that the earlier on you teach your child to walk, the less chance they have of developing depression. This theory isn't fully proven, but-" Natalya cut herself off when she realised Wanda wasn't listening, a pang of sadness mixed with embarrassment hitting her chest.
"Unless you're innocently forming a human wall in front of the kitchen sink," This was usually the part Natalya said something sarcastic, but all the teen did was take a sip of coffee and watch her family interact. Wanda approached the twins, her elbow brushing against her daughter's mug, causing it to fall to the ground.
Natalya cursed in a foreign language and snapped her fingers to clean the mess up with her red magic, only daring to use the magic she shared with Wanda while her mother's back was turned. The mug and it's contents re-shaped and turned into a fifties diner mug with a small puff of red. The teen frowned and snapped her fingers, the mug reverting back to the plain red one she was using moments before. She placed it on the counter carefully, choosing to ignore the question of why that had just happened. Natalya had been doing a lot of that lately - just ignoring her thoughts because there was no room for them in her head.
Natalya suddenly looked down at her hands. She had touched the twins yesterday, and she had also touched Dottie and she had acted strangely. Was the teen the reason that they aged so fast?
Wanda let out a gasp, "Oh boy. Waiter, what's this canine doing in my kitchen sink?"
"The doggy paddle?" Tommy and Natalya answered in unison, though Wanda's gaze was still solely on the twins.
"Can we keep him, mommy?" Billy asked.
"Mom, you know I'm terrified of dogs- fuckity fuck!" Natalya yelled when she heard it bark and Wanda sent a sympathetic glance toward her daughter. As much as she didn't want Natalya to be scared in her own home, Wanda felt her heart tugging toward the twins' cause.
"Well, I'm sure his owners miss him very much," Wanda tried, using a hand towel to dry the dog and Natalya went to stand next to the fridge. Wanda picked the dog up and Natalya felt her breathing get ragged, "Huh. There really is no collar."
"Can we keep him?"
"Fuck no. Mom, that's a reincarnation of the devil or something, I swear. "
"He was outside. Crying, alone."
"You boys are going to join the list of devil reincarnations if that dog stays. Mom, you need to put that fucking animal down before it gives you a disease or something!"
"Natalya, watch your language," Wanda scolded, before turning to the boys, "Now, boys, taking care of a living thing is a big responsibility. Dogs need food, exercise, training-"
"To leave this house-"
"Belly rubs, and cuddles," Wanda's words slowed, rubbing the dog's back, "And kisses between his little ears."
"Morning wife. Morning boys," Vision greeted loudly as he entered the kitchen, "Good morning unfamiliar wet animal. Who's this?"
"I think you mean reincarnation of-" Natalya tried to keep her breathing calm, but ended up hyperventilating. She was terrified but couldn't will herself to move, like her feet were stuck in dry cement. Natalya had to close her eyes briefly to try and calm herself down. Her head was pounding as if other people were trying to enter it.
Vision looked over to where Natalya was and saw her eyes closed and breathing heavily. He brushed it off, thinking she was tired, and turned back to his wife and sons.
"We're not quite sure, actually," Wanda admitted, placing the dog at Tommy and Billy's feet, "Why so formal, honey?"
The throbbing in Natalya's head turned a bit clearer, so they sounded like voices. Natalya thought she was going crazy. The teen went over and sat at the table where the rest of her family were around and put her head in her hands. Luckily, the twins had moved the dog so it wasn't near the table.
"Oh, it's just a precaution really. I had a hunch someone might pop over," Vision explained, pointing at his human skin as the door swung open.
"Hi, kiddos!" Agens exclaimed as she swung the door open.
"Go the fuck away," Natalya groaned. She was terrified in her own home and was worried about Agnes finding about the strangeness in the Maximoff household and didn't need her adding to her worries. But the teen found it pleasant that the voices in her head seemed to become more quiet when the older woman was around.
"Natalya."
"What, she didn't even knock! What if you two had been in here doing the di- DISHES?"
"Watch your tone."
Wait, what? Mom never talks to me like that, Natalya thought sadly, wracking her brain to see if she could remember if she did anything to upset her mom.
"My kitchen window told me someone got a new pooch," Agnes exclaimed, closing the door behind her and setting the dog house on the island in the middle of the kitchen. "Did you name him yet."
"His name is Satan- WHY THE FUCK IS IT BARKING. GOODBYE."
Natalya got up unsteadily, fear written on her features and nearly fell a few times before stumbling into the front room. She was hyperventilating and had tears in her eyes, and tried her hardest to catch her breath. Her eyes fell shut, her heartbeat slowing down and breathing still ragged but slowing down.
She glanced into the kitchen through the open window and saw her mother use her powers to conjure a collar for the dog - Sparky - which caused Vision and Natalya to gasp. Natalya was more confused, though. The magic Wanda had used yesterday was like red energy. What happened?
"Mom!" Natalya hissed, going over to the open window unsteadily, "What do you think you're doing? Agnes was right there!"
"She didn't notice," Wanda brushed the question off, "She didn't even notice when the boys went from babies to five-year-olds."
"And that's good how, exactly? You don't think that's a bit suspicious? Sure, Agnes is strange, but she's not dumb," Natalya demanded but quickly regretted her words when she got flashbacks from yesterday.
"That's not what we agreed upon," Vision agreed with Natalya, "You made no effort to conceal your abilities."
"Well, I'm tired of hiding," Wanda told them, reaching a hand up to cup her husband's cheek, "And maybe you two don't have to, either."
"Wanda, we are usually so much of the same mind. But right now..." Natalya observed her mother's strange behaviour and cautiously moved into the kitchen, hearing Vision finish his sentence, "What aren't you telling us?"
Wanda wasn't the one who answered, it was Billy, "So, is Sparky our dog, daddy?"
"Come on, we don't need a devil reincarnation living in this house." Natalya pleaded.
"But you live her here, so why can't Sparky?"
"On an unrelated note, does anyone know where I can find a gun on short notice?"
"Well, my husband's sure to have one somewhere under all the mess he leaves lying around. I wouldn't be surprised if he did!"
"Boys, your father, sister and I don't think you're ready to properly care for an animal until you're at least..." Wanda explained slowly to the twins and glanced back at her husband and daughter and Vision coughed to cover his words. Wanda held up her hands to show her palms, "Ten years old."
The twins shared a look and Natalya quickly stood, recognizing the glint of mischief in their eyes, "Don't you dare. I know what you're thinking so stop thinking! Nope, no."
"Wait, now, hang on there a minute you young whippersnappers," Vision protested, catching on to what Natalya was trying to say.
"Aaaaaand they're ten years old!" Natalya exclaimed, slumping back into her seat "Seven years younger than me even though there is a seventeen year age gap!"
She glanced at Agnes, seeing a small smirk on the woman's face as the woman lifted Sparky a bit higher into the air, causing Natalya to flinch, "Let's just hope this dog stays the same size."
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(Time skip because I'm lazy)
Wanda sat in the middle of the sofa with her legs crossed and Tommy sat next to her, watching Billy in fascination. Natalya sat on the loveseat opposite where Billy was crouched on the floor, a scowl on her face and flinching every time Sparky made a noise. Natalya was glad that the voices in her head were easy to not listen to.
"Sit, Sparky, sit. Good dog," Billy praised the dog as he obeyed, feeding him a treat. Billy raised a hand to his ear and said, "Speak." Sparky barked and Natalya flinched. Billy fed Sparky another treat and told him to spin, which Sparky did.
Was Natalya proud of her brother? Yes. Would she tell him that? Probably not.
Wanda and Tommy started to clap happily, but Natalya clapped slowly with her scowl slowly being replaced with a small, proud smile. Billy noticed the proud smile and grinned with pride, a happy feeling settling in his chest from his sister's approval.
"Oh, bravo, Billy!" Wanda cried happily, "You weren't so bad either, Sparky."
"That was radical," Tommy praised.
"Mother, who taught Tommy that word? I need to beat them up." Natalya asked, braving her new fear of her mother to ask a question so she seemed to act normal enough.
"Natalya, weren't you the one who taught the twins about the word that starts with 's' and 'h' and ends with a 't'?"
"You do realise how many words I could've taught them with those letters, yes?"
"Where's dad? We gotta show dad!" Tommy said, getting up. Natalya grinned and pushed aside her fear of dogs to go over to Billy. She ruffled Billy's hair with a shaking hand.
"Not too bad, kid." She gave him a small smile that Billy savoured.
"Oh, he's... he's at work," Wanda told them as the trio was about to go find their father. They all turned around in confusion to turn their mum.
"But it's Saturday," Natalya stated.
"No it's not, it's Monday," Wanda corrected with a light tone. Natalya tilted her head a little, eyebrows furrowed together.
"This morning it was Saturday," Tommy backed his sister up.
"There was an emergency at the office and your father had to go in. End of story" Wanda said, changing her reasoning completely. Natalya was still scared of her mom, but was putting on a 'I-could-care-less' façade for the twins.
"Look, he just... he needed a distraction," Wanda elaborated and all of the Maximoff children's expressions dropped.
"From what?" Tommy asked.
"From us?" Billy asked softly and from the raw sadness in the boy's voice, Natalya would've shown weakness and given him a hug. If he had not been holding Sparky, she would've.
"No! Now way! No!" Wanda told her three kids, going up behind the twins and putting a hand on their shoulders. Natalya stood awkwardly.
Maybe she's talking to them only because dad needed to get away from me, Natalya thought sadly, glancing at her hands before going over to the loveseat.
"Sometimes, your dad and I aren't on the same page," Wanda explained to the boys, "but that's just temporary. Like the two, you might fight over toys but he's always going to be your brother. And he's always going to be yours."
What about me? Natalya thought, tears welling in her eyes, so she dropped her head so her chin rested against her chest/collarbone area. Does she think that suddenly I'm not going to be there for them?
"What about Natty? Will she always be our sister?" Billy asked softly, seeing how his sister tried to hide her face. Natalya looked up at the sound of her name and laughed quietly, rubbing at her eyes with her wrists.
Such a stupid reason to cry. You don't cry, Natalya, The teen mentally scolded herself.
"Of course she'll always be your sister!" Wanda exclaimed, scolding herself for forgetting about her first born, "Even though she acts all cold and tough and mean, she'll always be your sister and will always be there for you. Because family is forever."
Natalya gave a smile but it hurt. It took someone else to remind her own mother about her presence.
"Do you have a brother or a sister, mom?" Tommy asked their mother. Wanda looked away painfully.
Natalya stifled a groan of pain as an image popped into her head. A man with silver hair and brunette roots, with a brunette moustache and stubble. He was wearing jogging pants and a tight blue shirt. This was the man Natalya had identified as Pietro.
"I do," Wanda told the twins, "Yeah. He's far away from here and that makes me sad sometimes."
Sparky suddenly got up and ran out of Billy's arms, running at the door. Natalya squealed when his fur brushed her leg.
Billy and Tommy turned to watch where the dog was going. "Hey, Sparky, what's up boy?" Billy's voice became panicked, "Something's scaring him!"
Wanda got up and opened the door after telling her children to stay, which none of them listened to and quickly followed their mother out.
Nataly stood in between her brothers, wrapping an arm around both of their shoulders. Even if dogs scared her, she could tell how sad Billy and Tommy would be if they lost Sparky.
A drone thing came close up and Natalya heard a voice being broadcasted from it, "Wanda, this is Captain Monica Rambeau. Can you hear me?"
"Where is that voice coming from, mom?" Natalya asked and she tightened her grip on her brothers.
"I just want to talk. That's it." Monica's voice continued. Natalya's eyes widened as she realised that voice belonged to the person Wanda had thrown out of the house yesterday.
Mom tilted her head and Natalya couldn't hear the voice any more.
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Wanda Maximoff came through the Hex with a missile being dragged behind her. She approached the group, not caring about the guns pointed at her.
"Is this yours?" Wanda shouted with an accent like her daughter's lacing her voice. She threw the still glitching missile at them. It landed at Director Haywards feet.
"The missile was just a precaution," Hayward explained, but the mother wasn't having any of it. "You can hardly blame us, Wanda."
"Oh, I think I can," Wanda retaliated, "This will be your only warning. Stay out of my home. You don't bother me. I won't bother you."
"I wish it could be that simple," Hayward said, "You've taken an entire town hostage and that group includes your daughter."
Wanda did not want to hear her daughter's name come from that man's mouth and her blood boiled, "Well, I'm not the one with the guns, Director."
"But you are the one in control," Monica spoke up.
"You're still here," Wanda observed, Maximoff women's seemingly trademark red energy pooling in her palm, "You know, I think Natalya liked you. She's been acting strange since you left."
"Wanda, I didn't know the drones were armed," The captain explained, going closer to the woman, "But you know that, don't you? A town full of civilians. And you, a telepath, brought a SWORD Agent into your home. You trusted me to help deliver your babies. On some level, Wanda, you know I am an ally. I wanna help you."
"How?" Wanda edged, "What could you possibly have to offer me?"
"What do you want?" Monica asked softly.
"I have what I want and no one will ever take it from me again." Wanda raised her hand with the energy in it and used her magic to mind control the agents behind the guns, their eyes and temple turning red. Wanda flicked her wrist and the guns were pointed at the Director.
Wanda raised her hands and opened the Hex, the whole outside of it turning red and the agents lowering their guns. Wanda walked right through.
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ᗯOᖇᗪS: 3044 ᗪᗩTE: 10/9/2021
(Early update because I'm a nice motherfucker.)