Prințesă

Pietro cleared his throat and shuffled his feet towards the supplies civilians were already poking through, sneaking off with cans of fruit and bars of candy, but Wanda only watched her brother as he offered weak smiles of reassurance to the kids watching him.

“Pietro, what did you get her? Not a dress, I hope,” she said with a roll of her eyes as she stepped up to catch up with her retreating brother. Pietro gave an indignant look as he sniffed in annoyance,

“I am not so shallow, no dress in Paris is beautiful enough for her- or you,” he quickly caught himself and Wanda merely smiled knowing her brother meant it, both as a cover up and generally. He thought both Milka and herself were too good for anything and everything in the world but still he tried.

“So tell me, what is it?” Wanda persisted refusing to probe her brother’s mind. It had been a promise he asked her to make when they were reunited in HYDRA, never to read him as she had done so many others. Mostly because his mind had fallen so dark after the experiments and he didn’t want Wanda to know everything they had done to him, or the deep shame and regret he felt over it.

Pietro’s mouth twisted into an annoyed frown before he opened his mouth and turned to Wanda, but before he could respond a woman- the woman Pietro had moments before given a dress to- went rushing between them to a boy. A boy who studied Pietro and Wanda closely.

“The man is waiting for you in the church,” the little one told Wanda and Pietro and Wanda took a step closer.

“What man?”

“The metal man.” That earned a curious look between the twins before Pietro turned to where Milka was eating as if she hadn’t eaten in days. He pursed his lips, he didn’t want to leave her again but he also wanted her to eat.

“Milka?” Wanda called earning Pietro’s look as the young redhead looked curiously. “Stay here, we have to run to the church but we’ll be right back, da?” she asked and Milka was hesitant. She just got the twins back, she didn’t want to lose them again, but she forced a stiff nod- smiling happily when the cook preparing the stew gave her another half laddle full of stew to occupy her.

“She will be fine,” the burly man ensured looking more at Pietro who was staring at the man intently, weighing and studying him like an animal would a stranger in its territory. Wanda tugged Pietro’s arms and the two started for the church.

Milka waited what felt like forever, pacing in front of the tent and picking at the loose wool of her fingerless gloves, blowing against the exposed skin as she had a constant chill from being so malnourished and small. Finally, she sighed heavily and jogged down the road, the cook calling after her but Milka merely waving over her head as she took a turn to reach the church.

Pushing open the door, Milka yelped as the largest robot she had ever seen rounded on her threateningly.

“No!” Pietro sped over just as quickly and stepped in front of Milka, holding her behind him as she gripped onto the back of his jacket, peeking over his shoulder at the large metal being studying her closely.

“Speaking of humans making children,” the man chuckled with an accent Milka was unfamiliar with. She frowned and Wanda hurried to join her brother as Pietro narrowed his blue eyes.

“We end the Avengers but no one else gets hurt, especially her,” Pietro growled out in a low voice. The metal being’s face seemed to morph almost realistically and Milka ducked down further behind Pietro worriedly. That robot was too human-like for her liking and there was sinister quality about him that set her radar off. It was that sinking feeling she had when Pietro and Wanda told her they were going to the capitol to join the rebellion. The dread thickening up in her throat and twisting her belly.

“Alright,” the robot agreed and Wanda stepped behind Pietro as well to ensure Milka was alright and hadn’t been too frightened. Milka smiled gently at Wanda and nodded at her gentle words to show she was alright but even Ultron so her hand slip into Pietro who latched onto her tightly. Ultron chuckled.

“Is this love?” he teased and the twins shot him a glare, Milka looking up with a fire in her eyes but a muted expression. Ultron held up a metal hand as he turned and started for the back of the church to make his exit. “Come on, we have work to do.”

“She’s coming,” Wanda informed the metal man and Ultron turned with a questioning raise of his metallic brows.

“Oh? Is she?” he asked in annoyance at how these two humans were bossing him around- but he did need them. If he was going to save the world and exterminate the weaker and dangerous race of humanity- he would need them.

“Da,” Pietro and Wanda said in unison. Milka looked between the two of them and Ultron scoffed but shrugged in defeat and turned back to head out the way he had come in.

“What do I call her, I suppose little red would be a bit insulting, wouldn’t it? Tiny human?”

“Her name is Milka.”

“Oh? What an odd name, Milka, hm- yes queen, of course you would name her as such,” Ultron said and Pietro exchanged a look with Wanda before he started to follow Ultron, Wanda and Milka close behind and Milka still latched to Pietro’s firm grasp.

She looked over her shoulder at the front entrance in slight panic. She felt like if she left the church nothing would be the same. She’d lose the twins anyway and still be without them, somewhere on a battlefield or locked away somewhere. There was the poisonous dread coursing through her blood but she looked at the twins, her fear evident on her features. Pietro noticed first, he had always been so attentive, so in their native language in the hopes Ultron wouldn’t understand he said, “ Nu vă faceți griji, prințesă, te voi proteja .” The young redhead smiled and looked at Wanda who nodded in agreement before Pietro paused long enough to pull Milka close and kiss her head lovingly, letting the kiss linger a moment before he turned and stepped out into the back graveyard to follow Ultron. Wanda took Milka’s hand and waited for the other woman to make the first move, and when Milka finally stepped through that door- she felt like she signed a deal with death.