Tony was about to give up on Alex and send for Steve to watch her overnight when the heart monitor he'd managed to set up began beeping faster.
A few seconds later, Alex's head tried to lift up but she only succeeded in leaving a trail of drool on the pillow. Tony reached for the cloth on the bedside table and patted her face dry.
"Who are you?" She sounded hoarse, but that was the only worrying thing Tony noticed. Her tone was curious, not concerned and her eyes were closed.
"It's Tony. Your Zietto."
"Zietto." Alex managed a smile, although the rest of her face stayed still, "I missed you."
"I missed you too, Alex. You scared us half to death."
"What happened?"
"What do you remember?"
Alex groaned lightly, "Me and Pietro went to S.H.I.E.L.D and there was this woman, Sidero Sablinova. She offered us help and weapons, believing that me and Pietro could lead her to Ultron and after he was destroyed, they could use his body to make a weapon."
"Shit, you didn't—"
"We didn't take anything from them. I took us straight to Sam's and then to Ultron's base to get you. Then...then I don't quite remember. I think Ultron triggered me into amnesia and I know Pietro was there because I remember him holding me."
"That's more than I thought," Tony flexed his arms and turned the stretch into a move to pick up a notebook, "Wanda appeared while we were putting our gear back on and you were nowhere to be seen. She was holding the knife with the Mind Stone and Steve was the first one to notice. He began running back and that's when the rest of us noticed. We'd barely made it ten feet when we saw Pietro."
"Saw him doing what?"
"Running back to you."
Alex looked smug at this, "Not to say I told you so but...I did say that the twins deserved another chance and I was right."
"Somewhat right. Pietro likes you, he'd do anything to protect you."
"I think anything is extreme."
"—but," Tony carried on, not looking at Alex, "that doesn't mean he'd do the same for us."
"I disagree." Of course Alex would. Tony felt a fleeting sympathy for his mother who had to deal with him being as stubborn as Alex— but at least Tony's stubbornness was about not wanting to wash his clothes or apologise to his father rather than defending two teenagers who'd nearly killed him and blown up the world.
"I fixed up Pietro's shoulder as best as I could but it's still heavily bruised," He didn't want to say it but Alex would find out anyway, "He broke his shoulder getting through those rooms to find you."
"How is that even possible?" Alex asked, and in the second it took Tony to take in what she'd said, Alex had already begun rambling in panic. Tony allowed her a frantic minute of talking before he rested a hand on her shoulder, interrupting her, then
"Alright, calm down otherwise I'll have to sedate you."
"I don't give my consent for that to happen," Alex quickly said, forcing Tony to turn away so she didn't see his grin, "How did Pietro get so hurt?"
"I told you, he broke through about fifty rooms trying to reach you. It will heal quicker than other people's shoulders would, maybe in just a week if we're lucky."
"Right, because the Maximoff's have a history of being lucky."
"If Cap's catchphrase is 'language' then mine's about to be 'sarcasm'. You need to watch yourself, kiddo."
"It's too early to deal with your fucking metaphors." Alex drawled out the swear word, "I can't watch something I am."
"Stop being sarcastic. You're bright, I know you understand more English than you pretend to, and while it's funny watching you annoy Steve, I'd prefer it if you didn't do the same to me."
"Sembri un pene."
"Alex."
"Sembri un pene."
"Don't make me get your dad."
"Sembri un pene."
"Alright, I get Natasha then."
"Sembri un pene."
He couldn't even look up what she was saying: Tony had found the new A.I he wanted to replace J.A.R.V.I.S but had been unable to find a safe computer to upload her. Alex blowing up part of the tower had not been anticipated and when she had teleported them away from Ultron, she hadn't even gotten them to one of Tony's safe houses,
Currently, five of the Avengers and the two twins were holed up in a random, abandoned hotel that Steve had managed to convince Thor was haunted. Natasha had joined in with the joke too, attaching a tripwire that meant books flew off the shelves when someone got close but Tony had been too focused on Alex to help make something more extreme.
"Can I ask you something, Tony?" Alex's eyes were open, the deep brown colour of them steady and sure, as familiar to him as his own were. It was the only way they looked similar and so, his favourite feature of himself.
Tony knew Alex wasn't his daughter and would never consider herself to be, the sting from that knowledge was always there but never as painful as it used to be. He was the only one who'd always been there for her, even if it hadn't seemed like it to other people— throughout their doubts and insults, he had stayed certain in what he was doing, stayed strong in the face of criticism that he didn't know what was right for her.
No one loved Alex like he did, not in the same way even if they did as much.
And yet she remained unaware of it.
Which Tony could live with. As long as Alex was happy and considered him to be some part of her family, he could cope with being her brother or uncle or whatever Google Translate had said "Zio' meant when he'd looked it up.
Tony hadn't answered so he did now, "Of course."
"I want to go back to therapy. I know we talked about finding a new one after Dr Wells and agreed that I was better off without one and...and I thought I was all better but it's begun again. It'll do me good to be able to talk to someone else too."
"That's a brave choice, Alex." A braver one than he could ever hope to make. Another thing that marked them as different.
"Will you help me find one?"
"Of course."
<~~>
Wanda slammed the door behind her, trying to hold it back with her magic but it only slowed Pietro down briefly,
"I'm not done talking to you."
"Leave me alone!" There was another door, too many doors were in the tower and most of them lead to nowhere, and Wanda threw it open with a wave of her hand, using the other to wield her magic into a barrier that would hold Pietro back.
"Listen to me."
Wanda had to close the door and hold it shut but she needed both hands to do it. She was not a fighter, however, and her reflexes were predictable enough that the shield against Pietro hadn't even dropped an inch before he was through it and in front of Wanda,
"Alex is like you," Pietro took her face in his hands, forcing Wanda to look at him, "You don't have to fear that part of yourself here."
"I don't fear it."
"But you still see it as making you broken."
"That's because I am. And so are you, just in a different way." Pietro opened his mouth to argue and Wanda pushed him back, "Don't. You say there's nothing wrong with you but even now I can see you're hiding how you want to be."
"I'm not."
"Yes, you are. You're a hypocrite, Pietro, because you're telling me to do this stuff and telling me not to hide and yet I've known you long enough to know that you're doing the same thing. And I know why you're doing it— you're scared that the Avengers will get annoyed at you and make you leave."
"I don't want to leave you," Pietro emphasised the last word, twisting his hands together. "You belong here and I don't want you to have to choose between me or this place. I want to be with you and I will be with you, always, even if that means being calm and quiet and...normal."
Wanda tried to stay strong, tried to stay angry as she knew she'd cave without it. Pietro wasn't quite pouting, but it was close and Wanda could feel herself weakening.
"Wanda?"
"You're terrible." And that was enough. Pietro sped forwards and hugged her, tightly at first until she relaxed slightly and returned the hug, "After this is over, why can't we leave?" She mumbled, hands pressing into Pietro's back.
"Because this place is safe for you."
"You said that about H.Y.D.R.A."
"I was wrong. I was so wrong and it kills me knowing that I fell for their lies. All I ever want is to protect you and every time I've let you down. I'm right this time though, I'm sure nothing will hurt you while we're with the Avengers."
"You trust them that much?"
"I trust Alex."