Prințesă

Wanda did most of the explaining, Pietro staring into the fire and wringing his hand, knee bouncing as he tried to focus on anything but the memories that were now flooding his system. The experiments Strucker had put them through burned holes in the good memories but he fought hard to keep them- to keep her. Pietro stole a glance up at Milka to see her eyes focused intently on Wanda, a smoldering anger in her pretty eyes at the thought of them being hurt.

“You can say it,” he broke in and Wanda and Milka both looked at him curiously. He frowned in annoyance, wanting to keep Milka distanced from him after having hurt her before and not wanting to do it again. “Go on, I know you want to,” he mumbled and Milka’s red brows furrowed in confusion as she looked at Wanda who fixed her twin with a stern look. “I told you so,” Pietro said when Milka asked what he meant, a little twist of her two finger by her temple to show she was confused. “You want to tell I told you so, don’t you? You’ve been dying to since Wanda started talking! Well you were right, joining the rebellion was a bad idea, leaving you was a mistake, we got hurt, are you happy?” he found himself shouting but instead of recoiling Milka hurried to kneel beside him and pull him into her arms. Pietro felt hot tears burning his eyes so he clenched them shut and set his jaw, resisting the urge to cling to Milka as she cradled his head against her shoulder and neck, brushing her fingers through his hair and down his back soothingly. She kissed his head and gently pulled his face up so he would look at her. He thought she was say it, he thought she would laugh at his tears, laugh at him, but all she did was shake her head slowly. She looked at Wanda and Wanda looked at her, the two communicating in a gentle way that Pietro once did with Milka. Wanda possibly reading her thoughts easier than it would be for her to try and work her fingers through the few signs she and Pietro made up to get by.

“Pietro, Milka says she would never say ‘I told you so’ especially because we were hurt, she just wanted us to come home and we did. She is not mad she is happy to have us back,” Wanda told him as Milka smiled oh so sweetly at him, eyes glowing from the firelight beside her and her hair seeming to be alight itself. Wanda smiled and reached over to tug Milka up to sit between her and Pietro. “We are so glad to have you back as well, Sora mica .” Milka smiled brightly and hugged Wanda tightly before she gave Pietro a cautious look, uncertain if he was going to snap at her again. It reminded him of the way she looked at him when they first met, those large blue eyes taking him with such tender caution, like she was reaching for a stray she desperately wanted to earn the trust of. Looking at someone she cared for but wasn’t sure if they would return the sentiment.

“I am sorry,” he told her softly as he ducked his head shamefully. “I did not mean to snap at you, prințesă , I was just- angry at myself,” he admitted with a heavy sigh and rubbing his eyes. Milka smiled and kissed his stubble covered cheek fondly before reaching up to twirl a loose curl of silver blonde hair around a finger, giggling musically. Wanda giggled too as she said,

“She likes your hair, Pietro.” Pietro cracked a small smile before he looked at the redhead and then Wanda.

“We have some more things to hand out,” he told his sister and Wanda looking at Milka.

“Come with us, Milka, we can get you something tasty to eat, too,” Wanda suggested and Milka smiled brightly as Pietro stood and offered Wanda a hand and Milka a hand, pulling Milka a little closer than he did Wanda. Milka smiled and bounced on the toes of her well worn sneakers before hurrying after Wanda to help hand out supplies to the citizens of their town.

Sokovia was a small country but still managed to have a capitol and a few smaller cities and farming towns. Milka and the twins were in the town just outside the city where the HYDRA base had been. It was the twins’s and Milka’s home town and Milka had been devastated when the twins told her they wanted to join the rebellion’s causes in the capitol. They were seventeen and she was only fifteen. She didn’t want them to go, she was afraid they’d get hurt. That was seven years ago and now they were back and she couldn’t have been happier.

Pietro sped up to Milka and lightly elbowed her with a playful wink which she dramatically return, curling the corner of her lips up and letting her jaw fall slack in her own wink which made Pietro chuckle. Wanda smiled over her shoulder before she gestured to a man stirring a fresh pot of stew.

“Milka go get something warm to eat, we’ll stay close,” she promised and Milka nodded before hurrying to the tent where the supplies and food was being kept and cooked. Wanda looked at Pietro who watched Milka closely, to make sure she didn’t trip or was bothered. He was so protective it made her giggle.

“Pietro,” she said curiously and he hummed in response, eyes still on Milka, “If you knew we were coming home- why didn’t you get something for Milka?” Pietro’s eyes widened as he looked at his sister and then his feet and realization dawned on Wanda as her blue eyes widened. “You did get her something, didn’t you?”