Avengers Headquarters, the day after the funeral
Victor Faust POV
"Is this really all you can do?"
"It hurts Dad."
"Do you think it didn't hurt your mother when she laid on that bed?! Do you think it doesn't hurt me when I see her grave?!"
"I'm sorry." A quiet sob from a child echoed in the empty house.
Today is a bid day. Victor was wearing his costume for the first time. It wasn't anything special. He was wearing black army boots, black pants, and a vest made from fire-retardant material with an additional layer of scale armor underneath. His arms were covered by a deep blue jacket that reached his knees. Swallowing hard, he entered the training hall. Inside Wanda and Vision, Sam was already present. Victor swallowed even harder when he saw Wanda wearing a scarlet cloak, a red corset, and knee-high boots.
"Oh my God, woman!"
"Why thank you! You also look dashing, Merlin."
Victor blushed, catching himself broadcasting his thoughts so loudly. He kicked himself mentally for his lack of control. Thankfully, Wanda seemed to appreciate his thoughts, as she was looking at him with a cute, tilted head and a small smile.
"Avengers!" Captain America, with Natasha at his side, addressed everyone. "You are all capable individuals, but more importantly, you need to work as a team. When we go out there, we all need to rely on each other to accomplish the mission. This is why we will push you all to your absolute limits and build a real team out of you."
The following speech brought the most intense and physically exhausting training in Victor's life. However, it showcased the potential of the team. He and Wanda were covered in sweat, sitting together on a bench, sipping water.
"We don't look good compared to the rest." Wanda groaned.
"Well, to be fair, we are compared to an ex-marine, a super spy, an android with an infinity stone, and a bloody Captain America." Speaking of the devil, Steve approached the pair.
"Victor, we need to spar."
"Pardon?"
"We are the least familiar with your abilities, and S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't have much information about you or magic in general. This will be a good chance to see how you deal with one-on-one." Victor moved his hand through his hair. Wanda gave him a slight push.
"Go get him, Merlin."
"Can we stop with the nickname?" She just smirked and moved a sweaty strand of her hair from her face.
"So... How do we do this?" Steve answered by throwing his shield at Victor's face. "Oh shit."
Victor ducked, and as soon as he raised his head, he felt a fist on his jaw. Victor took a step back and felt another, this time metallic, hit on the back of his head. He felt forward, and Steve, almost at the same time, caught his shield and delivered a quick series of punches and kicks. Victor fell to the ground with a groan. Everything started to shake before his eyes.
He rolled backward and raised his hand, creating a magical circle. Blue lighting rushed at Steve, who absorbed them with his shield. Rogers rushed at a shocked Victor. Faust, at the last moment, created a barrier that pushed Steve back. Captain throws his shield again, but this time Victor telekinetically grabs it and throws it back at him. The force knocked Rogers off balance. Victor clapped his hands and waved in two serpents that rushed and coiled around Steve.
"That was dirty." The reptiles squeezed Rogers harder, and although his eyes twitched, he was smirking.
"Don't expect others to fight clean." Natasha whispered in his ear, and two seconds later he was lying on the ground in a leg lock. His spell was broken. She quickly released him and helped him stand up.
"You need to watch your surroundings, Victor. You shouldn't let me sneak up on you like that."
"Yeah, yeah, you are right. Next time won't be so easy."
"Class dismissed. See you tomorrow." Said Natasha, winking at Victor.
When everyone was heading to the showers, Wanda asked.
"You all, right?"
"Just my pride got hurt." Victor licked his lips. "Next time they won't be smiling."
"I'm sure they won't... Merlin." A small, teasing smirk appeared briefly on Wanda's face. Victor groaned. "See you around, Victor." Wanda disappeared in the showers.
Victor gently reached out with his magic and felt a wave of sorrow coming from her. He sights and hits the showers. As water washed over his naked skin and hair, he looked closely at his hands. He still had no idea about the source of Wanda's magic, and with her grief, it's difficult to just sit and play 21 questions. Furthermore, he really needs to start working on his abilities, as this was just embarrassing. After he was done, Victor went downstairs to have dinner. Sam Wilson was already munching on grilled fish and mashed potatoes.
"Oh, hey Vic, wanna join me for a bite?" Victor shrugged and put dinner on his plate. He sat next to him. "So, how's the head?"
"Meh. I will get them next time."
"I wish you luck, kid. I spar with Steve regularly. That man hits like a truck."
Victor took a bite of the fish.
"Huh, it's pretty good."
"You surprised?"
"Well, kind of? I was expecting everything to be packed in boxes, tubes, or ration packs."
"This ain't no army." Sam snorted. "Trust me, I would know."
"You served?"
"I was a parachuter in the Air Forces."
"That explains the wings." Victor took another large bite.
"There is nothing better than just being in the air."
They continued to eat and have a light conversation.
"So... You and Wanda had it rough."
"Hadn't we all?"
"Yes, but not all of us lose our country due to robot attacks. Do you have a memento? Something to remind you of home?"
"Only memories..." Then it hits Victor. He grabbed Sam's shoulder. "Sam, you are a goddamn genius!"
"Obviously, but why, tho?" Victor shoved the rest of his plate into his mouth. He swallowed it and washed it down with water from the sink.
"No time. I owe you!"
Victor rushed to his room and put on his leather jacket. Grabbing a large bag, he started typing on his brand-new phone, the last one went downhill with the rest of Sokovia. Hiding a stack of banknotes in his pocket, he rushed outside. One of the things he did when he was stuck in bed was talk with Helen Cho. She is a lovely woman who appears to have a crush on Thor. Among their conversations, she mentioned an actual market that's quite near them. After fifteen minutes of intense walking, he stood in a buzzing marketplace. The place was filled with stalls full of fresh herbs, spices, fruits, and vegetables. With a big smile, he reminded himself of Sokovia and went shopping.
After two hours, he was back in the kitchen, kneeling before an oven. The smell of cinnamon that radiated from the room seemed to summon hungry mouths.
"Since when do we have a bakery here?" Natasha asked while sitting at the table and crossing her legs. Victor didn't hear her coming. That woman is a bloody ghost.
"What smells so good?" Steve entered the kitchen, followed by Sam, who then asked.
"Is that an apple pie?"
"Yes, it is." Victor pulled out a steaming-hot pie. The air seemed to get even warmer and sweeter. Sam reached out, but Victor slapped his hand.
"Bad Sam."
"Oh, come on! Do you know when the last time I had a homemade pie was?"
"Just wait a bit." Victor cut the pie and put two large pieces on a silver tray, where he had already made fresh tea. Victor noticed an almost melancholic smile on Steve's face.
"Natasha, get the plates, please." Soon after, Victor gave them all a piece. "This is my grandmother's recipe. Now I will leave you all to enjoy." Victor grabbed the trail.
"Don't you want to stay with us, Vic?" Asked Sam, blowing air on his steaming piece.
"Maybe next time. I need to cheer someone up."
Victor went back to the corridor, where their rooms were. While holding the tray, he gently knocked on Wanda's door. Silence was his answer. He knocked again, but there was still no answer.
"Wanda, it's me, Victor. You won't need to talk to me if you don't want to, but I have something for you. Please open." After a quiet rustling, the door opened. Wanda wore a black sweater and loose pants. Her hair was in complete disarray. She cleaned her face and nose with her sleeve. Wanda noticed the tray in Victor's arms, and her eyes gave him a gentler look. She stepped aside, and Victor went inside. Her room was identically arranged to his own. Wanda frantically tried to hide the used tissues and fix the bed until Victor sat on it, placing the tray.
"Wanda, please, you don't need to pretend. Now with me." Victor gently patted the place next to him. Wanda dropped the used tissues on the floor and sat. "Now I know I'm not as good as grandmother Ida, but I hope you will like it." Wanda inhaled her piece of pie and smiled, closing her eyes. As she ate, her smile only grew.
"It tastes just the same way, Victor. Thank you." As she looked at him, Victor saw a myriad of emotions, both good and bad, both joyful and sorrowful. "I miss Sokovia; I miss my parents; and now I also miss my brother." She shared. Her voice now had a more distant, dreamy tone. "I wish I knew why it keeps happening to me, Victor."
"So do I, Wanda." He sipped his tea slowly. "You know, there is this... market nearby that's almost exactly like the one in Novi Grad. That's where I bought apples. Maybe next time you would like to go there with me?"
"I would love to, Victor." Wanda smiled at him, showing off her perfectly white teeth.
"How do you find this whole Avengers business?"
"To be honest, it's a bit... Much."
"Right? I feel like for the price of this room, you could buy an entire block back home."
"You probably actually could." As Wanda finished her pie, she started to sip her tea slowly. Her green eyes keep looking at him from behind her cup.
"I was going to watch a sitcom. That's what my family used to do. Would you like to stay?"
"Sitcoms? Of course, I would like to stay. You will need to guide me a bit though, since I haven't watched a lot of TV, you know, magical family and all that." Wanda's eyes seemed to grow twice their size. She put the empty tray on the carpet and got them further into the bed. She arranged pillows so that they could get comfy.
"My name is Wanda Maximoff, and I will be your guide in the wonderful world of entertainment television." She smiled, grabbing the TV remote.
Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for reading.
Take care :)