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Apr 20, 2025

Whispers of the Dead

Summary: Wanda expected the new recruit with death powers to be cold and distant. She didn’t expect her to be warm, awkward, and wearing a Scarlet Witch hoodie.

Warnings: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Death, Dead souls, some creepy (maybe scary) scenes?

Main Masterlist

X--X--X--X--X

Thud thud thud

The sound of her boots against the treadmill was almost like meditation to Wanda at this point. The witch barely registered the music playing through the speakers of the gym. She was far too engrossed in her run to notice Tony and Natasha entering.. or that they were calling out to her.

The abrupt silence shunted Wanda’s consciousness back into her body, causing her to stumble a little. She suppressed her annoyance as she hopped off and walked towards the pair.

Tony was holding a device that looked suspiciously like a cochlear implant while Natasha held a water bottle for Wanda.

Wanda grabbed the bottle, giving Natasha a brief smile of gratitude, and turned to the billionaire.

“This is for you, witchy”, Tony said, giving the device to Wanda.

Wanda merely raised an eyebrow as she took the device.

“It’s to help you shut down your unwanted telepathic side. The newbie is coming today, and apparently, telepaths don’t react well to her presence.” Natasha explained.

Wanda frowned but allowed Natasha to stick part of the device near the nape of her neck and place the rest above her ear.

The Witch had briefly heard about a new member joining the Avengers, but only briefly. As far as she knew, the new girl’s powers had something to do with death.

She walked to the shower, her head filled with thoughts about this new member.

X—X—X—X—X

Whatever Wanda was expecting, you certainly weren’t it. She may have thought that the new member, you, might have been more emo with all black clothing, black chipped nails, and perhaps an air of doom and gloom with a constant brooding expression.

What she was confronted with, instead, was you, grinning and joking with Steve while wearing, possibly, every kind of Avenger merch possible. To Wanda’s surprise, the largest piece of merch was the red hoodie, which had her wimple and design on it.

As though you had heard her, your gaze left Steve and searched the area until they landed on Wanda. Your eyes widened for a second before a wide grin took over, and you ran to the witch.

“Oh my god, it’s really you. Hi. Hello. Fuck wait no. Hi, oh my god. Hello, Ms Maximoff. Or um. Ms Wanda? Um, Mrs. Wanda? Fuck no wait I wasn’t supposed t-“

“Breathe, kid”, Nat cuts in, placing a hand on your shoulder.

You snap your mouth shut before taking a deep breath and looking back at Wanda. Your eyes seem a lot more settled now.

“Hi, I’m Hades.” You say, raising your hand.

Wanda shakes your hand and introduces herself.

She sits down on the sofa adjacent to yours as some of the members leave, while others sit to get to know you better.

“So.. Hades, huh? Like the god of the underworld?” Tony asks.

A shadow crosses your face, but before anyone can notice, it’s gone.

You nod, “I don’t really remember the name I was given. It’s been a while since I heard it. So I just go by Hades now. Makes sense, you know? With the scope of my powers.”

“How old are you, if I may?” Natasha asks smoothly, an iced cup of coffee in her hand.

You think for a second, the expression you made almost made it seem like you were listening to someone right beside you.

“24.” You say confidently.

Wanda’s eyes shoot up, “Same age as me”, she notes.

“So what can you do?” Steve asks a little while into the conversation.

You think for a moment before you answer.

“I heal really quickly. Like really quickly. I can sometimes use the souls of the recently dead to do what I say.”

Wanda frowns. That didn’t make sense.

“Why did you ask Tony to make it so I can’t accidentally hear your thoughts?” She asked.

You froze, your eyes locked onto Wanda’s. Everyone noticed the drop in temperature in the room as you stared at Wanda.

“I don’t want you to hear them.” You whispered.

Wanda’s breath hitched. “Hear wha-“

A loud crash at the kitchen island brought everyone’s attention there, including Wanda’s. It seemed that the coffee pot had fallen to the ground, shattering on impact.

“Oh, I’ll get that.” You say as you get up and begin to pick up the pieces.

Nobody really moved, to be fair, nobody knew how to react to that. Once the pieces were picked up and cleaned, you sat back down and looked at everyone with the same grin you had entered with.

“So when do I get to go on my first mission?” You ask the group excitedly.

Natasha chuckled, “You gotta train before you’re mission ready, kid.”

You pouted but didn’t object.

The rest of the time was spent with the team getting to know you by asking you light-hearted questions. It seems nobody really wanted to address what happened earlier.

Wanda, on the other hand, could not get that interaction out of her head. There was something eerie about the way you looked at her. Not necessarily dangerous, but Wanda got the feeling that there was more to what you were showing.

Unable to get the feeling off her mind, she quickly excused herself and headed to bed. Unaware of the pair of eyes that followed her out of the room.

X—X—X—X—X

Thud thud thud thud

Wanda once again found herself jogging on the treadmill, her workout nearly complete. She glanced at herself in the mirror and felt the slight warmth of pride in her chest. She had been working out religiously for a couple of years now, and the fruits of her labour were finally showing. Her muscles were visible through her compression tee and leggings.

She removed her tee as she went to finish off her workout with a few light stretches. Just as she had begun, the door was swung open.

You, Natasha, and Steve entered the gym. Wanda held back a snort as she took in your outfit. You were once again wearing a Scarlet Witch oversized tee, black widow leggings, and some bright purple shoes.

You hopped around and explored the gym while Nat and Steve started running on the treadmills.

You grinned when you made eye contact with Wanda, gesturing, “Can I come over?” When Wanda nodded, you practically skipped to her and began copying her.

To Wanda’s surprise, you were able to keep up with the intensity of her stretches. You grinned and tried to make conversation, but were only met with short replies.

When Wanda was done, you waved goodbye and walked to where Natasha was standing on the mats. Wanda sat there looking at you as you and Nat discussed something.

She watched the two of you take your places on the mat, getting ready for a sparring session. The witch’s jaw practically dropped when the fight began.

You were no novice, that was for sure. From Wanda’s years of experience sparring with Natasha, she could tell even Natasha was hard pressed with the fight. It wasn’t that you were particularly strong or fast. You merely adapted faster than Natasha could keep up with. Your style of fighting kept changing. It seemed as though you had years of experience fighting; each kick and block seemed practised, not a single ounce of energy was wasted. You fought efficiently.

Even Steve had stopped his run to witness the match. The flexibility that you had shown Wanda was definitely being used; you would evade Natasha’s grapple attempts and kicks with moves that would hurt even the most flexible of people.

Wanda hadn’t even noticed that 10 minutes had already passed when the bell rang for the timer. Natasha was impressed, red in the face, while you grinned at her, a slight sweat coating your face.

“Nice moves, kid.” Nat complemented, “Where’d you learn to fight like that?”

You shrugged noncommittally, “Here and there.”

Nat nodded in understanding and decided to proceed with her workout.

You smiled at Wanda when she approached you. You grabbed a bottle and walked with her to the exit.

“You’re not going to work out more?” Wanda asked.

You shook your head, “I already worked out earlier in the morning. They just wanted to test my combat skills.”

Wanda nodded.

“So what do you like doing in your free time when you’re not being completely awesome saving the world?” You ask.

Wanda huffs in amusement, “I like to cook, read, and watch TV. The usual. I really like learning, too.”

Wanda wanted to be unnerved by the look you were giving her, but she couldn’t help but find it adorable. You were listening so intently, your eyes were practically sparkling.

“I see that you’re a fan,” Wanda noted, nodding to your attire.

You gave her a sheepish grin, “Yeah… I- you- um.. You’re my favourite.”

Wanda raised an eyebrow.

“And Natasha, of course.” You added.

Wanda felt herself smiling.

“Of course.” She confirmed.

“Woah. He was definitely wrong. Your smile is way cuter.” Wanda heard you mutter under your breath.

Blushing, she glanced back at you, “Who was wrong?”

Your face dropped as you panicked, “Um—Tony. He had said that his smile was cuter than yours.”

Wanda scoffed as she entered the elevator. While she wasn’t sure you were telling the truth, it did seem like something Tony would say.

“I’d love to watch TV with you.. If that’s something you’d be open to.” You said, with a slight nervous edge.

Wanda looked at you for a moment, the barest hint of a smirk on her face.

“We have movie night tonight, anyway. We could start with that.”

You looked at her hopefully and grinned.

X—X—X—X—X

2:44 AM

Wanda sighed as she saw the clock. There was no way she was going to bed right now.

As was her ritual, she wore her robe and made her way to the kitchen on her floor. She was glad that there were only three people per floor. This one happened to be just her, Natasha, and you.

With tea in her hand, she made her way back to her room before she heard your voice.

“No, Hank, I won’t be adding an inscription you utter simp.”

“Jean, sweetie, it’s a little too early in the morning for that.”

Wanda frowned. It had been a few weeks since movie night, and the two of you had become pretty good friends. Yet, you hadn’t once mentioned friends outside of the compound. In fact, if Wanda were to think of it, she didn’t really know much about your past at all.

Wanda practically had her ear to the door as she strained to listen to your voice even more.

“I really hope she likes it. Thanks- wait, what?”

Wanda frowns. You seem to have gone silent. She was given no alert before your door opened. She hadn’t realised how much she was leaning on the door until it opened. Wanda fell right on top of you, who let out a surprised ‘Oof’ as you both hit the ground.

Wanda looked at you, completely mortified. Not only was she spying on you, but you knew it.

“Fuck, I- I’m so s-“

“Are you okay?”

Wanda looked at you, surprised; you didn’t seem the slightest bit upset or disappointed. You gave her a look of pure concern.

Wanda nodded, noticing the major dark circles under your eyes. You looked down briefly and then rested your head on the floor, staring at the ceiling.

It was Wanda’s turn to be concerned. You suddenly avoided all eye contact with her, and your body was completely rigid underneath her.

Oh.

Right.

You were underneath her, and she hadn’t moved. One quick look down confirmed her suspicions; she was wearing a robe that was not covering a lot in this position.

With a bright red face, Wanda stood up and adjusted her robe while you lay on the ground, staring at the ceiling.

Wanda was unsure why her heart was beating so fast. She’s been naked in front of Natasha before, even in one-night stands. But she’s never felt like this.

You stand up, your eyes everywhere except on the witch. An act she did not like one bit. She had gotten far too used to having almost all (if not all) of your attention whenever she was around, even when the entire group was present, she could always feel you next to her or your gaze on her.

“Hades, can you look at me, please?” Wanda asked.

The tone of Wanda’s voice made it clear she wasn’t upset. You look into her eyes, and Wanda is, once again, hit by the sheer intensity and depth in them.

The two of you look at each other, the atmosphere overwhelming in the best possible way.

Suddenly, as though you’ve been caught, you startle into motion.

“Please come in.” You say, gesturing for her to enter further into your room.

Wanda gives you a slight smile and enters further. She allows herself to look around her room and is pleasantly surprised by how cosy it is. Given your personality, she had expected the room to be covered in Avengers’ merchandise or really bright and loud colours.

Instead, she was faced with gorgeous art on the walls, filled with warm tones. The couch, cushions, and bedsheets had a stunning emerald colour that complemented the more red paint on the walls.

Wanda walked to one of the walls, her breath caught in her throat as she saw what it was—a gorgeous sunset overlooking a city- not just any city… her city.

“That is…” Wanda started.

“Novi Grad.” You said softly, having made your way beside her.

Wanda could practically feel the warmth of the sunset. Her eyes glistened, memories of a childhood she never considered the best. But right in that moment, it was everything. She could see the little stalls of the market; she could even see the building she was in. The painting filled her with more than just nostalgia.

The view, the angle.. It was somehow exactly where she and Pietro used to go when things got bad. They had spent many sunsets looking at their city. Hopes and promises to make it better.

When the memories threatened to overwhelm her, she reached for your hand. Finding it immediately, as though it was simply waiting for her to reach out.

It was exactly the grounding she needed. Your touch allowed her to enjoy the good without the threat of the bad.

She turned to you, and whatever tears she had held back threatened to burst forth again. The look you gave her was so soft, so comforting, so understanding.

It was as though you knew exactly how she felt. It held a promise. One to keep her safe. Happy.

She knew then you weren’t just a friend. She knew you were more. Even if she wasn’t ready for it, she wanted to be there with you. She wanted to know how one person could hold so much comfort, how one person could make her feel so much without overwhelming her in the slightest.

“I.. how..” She started, unable to voice herself.

You squeeze her hand gently, smiling and looking back at the painting.

“A… close friend of mine lived there. He spoke about the place he grew up in. So much so that I wanted to give him a taste of home, he helped me paint this, giving me the exact instructions and details needed to make it. His home meant a lot to him.”

Wanda looked back at the painting, understanding the emotions your friend wanted from it. It was very similar to how she wished to remember her country.

You look back at her with a soft smile.

“Can I interest you in some tea? Now that yours is all over my carpet?” You ask.

Wanda looks at you with a slight, shy look and nods, continuing to admire the painting.

Understanding that she needed some time with it alone, you went to the mini kitchen in the main hall of your room.

Meanwhile, Wanda admired every little detail about her city. She smiled at the one little shop that would give her and Pietro snacks for free. Or rather, the woman would overlook Pietro’s quick hands as he stole a few snacks.

Wanda looked everywhere except the building where she was raised. Unlike the rest of the timeline, it was before the bombing. She couldn’t do that to herself; it would have hurt too much for it to look like every other building.

She slowly walked away from the wall, unaware that the very place she avoided looking at had two children, a little brunette and a silver-haired boy, smiling and watching TV.

X—X—X—X—X

Wanda was nervous. She was nervous for you. You were way too casual for the fact that it was your first mission.

It was a simple op. A rescue mission and intel gathering.

Last night changed the dynamic between the two of you. She found herself smiling more at your jokes. The really bad ones earned you a slight chuckle.

You were your usual jovial self. Commenting on Steve’s outfit and how it highlighted his butt a little too much.

You looked at Tony and giggled, a sound Wanda instantly wanted to hear more of.

“Hey Tony, I have a question.” You called out.

Tony looked at you and sighed, mentally preparing for whatever you were going to say. Nobody could tell with you, it would range from intellectual to absurdly inappropriate.

You looked at him and down. “Is there space in your Iron Man suit for when you get a boner?” You ask seriously.

Natasha, who was drinking the blasphemous dark red Gatorade, spat it out on you.

Even Wanda couldn’t help but snort out loud at that.

You looked at Natasha, Gatorade dripping down your black widow sweatshirt (something Wanda didn’t appreciate in the slightest).

Wanda used her magic to get the Gatorade off you. She felt a grateful squeeze on her thigh, an action that made her tummy flutter.

Soon, everyone landed, and Tony donned his Iron Man suit.

It did not take a genius to realise that everybody was subtly trying to look at his crotch and see if there was enough space.

Tony sighed, his eyes falling on Steve.

“Not you too, Steve,” Tony complained.

Steve’s gaze snapped up, his ears burning red.

When Tony flew up there was a short silence before the comments started.

“There’s definitely not enough space”

“Nope, definitely not. How does he breathe in that???”

“Um, I don’t think he’s breathing from there.”

“You know what I mean.

“We need an expert opinion. Steve?”

“I’m not commenting.”

“Oh, come on. He can't hear us.”

“…”

“… It’s too tight-“

“RIGHT”

“I fucking knew it.”

“I CAN HEAR ALL OF YOU. AT LEAST TURN THE COMMS OFF.”

X—X—X—X—X

You sighed. Tony had returned, unable to find exactly how many soldiers or mercenaries were in the facility and where they were.

You walk a little distance away, bringing the attention of the rest of your team.

“Hades, you okay?” Wanda asked.

You look at her and nod. Your expression uncharacteristically solemn.

“I’m going to use my powers when I do. Nobody touch my cloak.” You said.

The team nodded and watched in fascination as you closed your eyes and concentrated.

The effect was immediate; the temperature dropped several degrees in the surrounding area, a shadow enveloped the place despite it being the middle of the afternoon.

Dark shadows spread from your feet in a circular radius and began to rise, clinging to you and covering you in a cocoon until they dispersed. Leaving you wearing a deep black cloak, so dark it had no reflection. Dark vapour seemed to rise from the material as though it were made from shadows and death itself.

Wanda blanched the moment she saw your face. Your eyes glowed an unnerving green, the rest of your head covered by the shadows in your cloak.

“I’m going to use my powers now”, you warn them.

Wanda braced herself, your voice sounded eerie, as though it wasn’t just you talking but rather hundreds of souls giving you voice. Tony muttered something about circuitry and took a few steps back. Natasha and Steve followed his lead.

“Souls of those wronged. Souls of those damned. Those who know no rest. Those who wish to amend. Be my arms. Be my soldiers. Come forth and earn your redemption. Arise.”

The moment you finished speaking, the temperature plummeted even more. Wanda could see her breath fog in front of her.

More than fifty shadows erupted from the ground. It wasn’t pretty; these humanoid black blobs were screaming. An unnatural, guttural scream that made Wanda cringe inwardly and her skin crawl.

The screaming intensified, turned into wails so loud Wanda had to cover her ears.

She saw you glance at her briefly and bristle in anger.

“QUIET”, you roared, the black fog from your cloak turning almost sharp in response to your rage.

Not only the souls, but everything from the birds to the insects. All of them were quiet. No living creature dared to defy your command.

You look at the souls who stand in attention, staring at you, waiting for their next command.

“Go and find the hostages. Eliminate all those who get in your way.” You ordered.

They immediately dispersed. Wanda let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding.

She watched as the inky black cloak faded into the ground, nature corrected itself, leaving you in your black widow sweatshirt, leggings, and bright purple sports shoes.

Wanda saw you turn to her with an expression that clearly conveyed, “Are you scared of me now?”

It was an expression Wanda was all to familiar with, it was the same expression she wore after she had used her powers in a flashy way in front of others.

Wanda didn’t hesitate to walk to you and envelop you in a hug. Her heart clenched at the obvious relief you felt as you melted into the hug.

“.. Well, that was dramatic,” Tony stated, effectively breaking the tension.

You let out a watery chuckle as you loosened your grip around Wanda. Wiping your eyes and clearing your throat, you looked at the team. Wanda tried not to pay too much attention to the fact that your hand was around her waist. You just needed comfort. That’s all… Right?

“You okay, kiddo?” Steve asked as he put a hand on your shoulder.

You smiled and nodded.

“Using my powers can get a bit intense sometimes.” You saw weakly.

“Do you want to go sit in the quinjet?” Wanda asks, concerned.

You look at her with a reassuring smile and shake your head.

“While we wait for my soldiers to do some recon, Wanda, can I speak to you privately in the jet, please?” You ask.

Wanda nods, a little excited, and follows you into the jet.

She watches you rummage in your bag and bring out a gorgeous ring with a stone the colour of Wanda’s eyes.

Wanda looks at it in admiration and looks at you.

“I.. I made this for you.” You say shyly, “My friends Hank and Jean helped me with it. Jean used to be a telepath, and Hank.. well.. he w- is a brilliant inventor. Just as good as Tony, if not better.”

Wanda brought out her hand and watched as you held it gently, placing the ring on her middle finger. The intimicy of the action brough shivers down Wanda’s spine.

“You can remove the accessory that Tony made for you. This will work better. Now you can hear others’ thoughts. Just not mine.” You say gently.

Wanda looks at you with such affection she, herself, is not used to feeling that it takes your breath away.

While maintaining eye contact, she reaches for the accessory and slowly removes it. She sighed in relief when she felt her power working again.

While she wasn’t particularly a fan of having to read people’s minds, wearing the device made her feel as though she was constantly wearing a gas mask. It was stifling and prohibited her from ‘breathing’ properly.

Wanda frowned when she took your hand; it was incredibly cold.

“Detka, you’re freezing.” She said, placing her hand on your forehead.

You looked at her, incredibly flustered. Your mouth opened and closed like a fish as you attempted to talk.

“I- uh- I- um- it’s- actu- uh”

Wanda smiled and removed her hand.

“Cat got your tongue?” She teased.

You just looked sheepish. Your head perked up, and you grinned at her.

“They made contact!” You say excitedly as you grab her hand and run outside.

Wanda ran with you, trying to hide her smile when you didn’t let go of her hand. A fact that Natasha noticed, based on her smirk.

“Okay, so there were originally around 70 guards. We’ve now got 10. The hostages are four children and two adults. Three of the children have been tested on, and one adult is in critical condition. The hostages are on the lowest floor”

You continued to give them the information as everyone made their way into the facility.

Tony was taking fire from the automatic weapons from the facility to prevent them from hitting the team.

Wanda and Natasha made their way to the lab to gather the intel. Steve went with you to rescue the hostages.

As they entered the lab, they were confronted by seven soldiers. They were easily disposed of, most by Wanda and two or three by Natasha.

The spy immediately plugged a device into the computers and began working on it. Wanda stayed on guard, looking around for traps and such.

“She made this op pretty easy, you know. Your girlfriend.” Natasha said, without looking away from the screen.

Wanda paused, her face burning.

“She’s not- I- um- we’re not- I mean.. She’s just a friend.” Wanda stammered.

Nat smirked, “You sure about that? You two aren’t really subtle with the looks you give each other.”

Wanda sighed, well aware of how useless it was to lie to the superspy.

“I just.. I really like her, Nat.” Wanda confesses.

Nat paused for a moment, resuming her work as she spoke.

“You should let her know. Hades doesn’t strike me as a particularly perceptive woman.”

Wanda shook her head, “That’s where you’re wrong. She’s.. masking all the time. I see it when she thinks no one is looking. When nobody is around. There’s something she’s keeping from us.. perhaps even herself. There’s something she’s not telling m- us.”

Natasha looked at Wanda for a moment, resting her hip against the counter.

“Is she dangerous?” Natasha asked.

Wanda scoffed, “Which one of us isn’t?”

“You know what I mean, witchy. Is she a threat?”

Wanda shook her head. Despite the powers you demonstrated today. Despite everything. Not once has Wanda suspected malicious intentions.

Natasha nodded in agreement; she, too, had been observing you from the beginning. She agreed with Wanda’s assessment of you. All you ever did was look at Wanda with heart eyes when the witch wasn’t looking.

Soon, the data collection was complete. The pair headed out only to meet up with a very pale Steve.

He was carrying the injured adult and had two kids on his shoulders while the other two ran beside him.

Wanda wordlessly used her magic to carry the injured man and walk towards the exit.

“You okay?” Natasha asked the super-soldier, concerned for her friend.

Steve gulped and nodded.

“Hades, she’s.. she’s something else entirely”, he said, his face ashen.

“What happened?” Wanda asked, doing her best to sound a platonic amount of concerned, but Natasha’s smirk informed her she had failed.

“One moment she’s joking and talking, and the next, she’s got that cloak of hers on and those black soul things are crawling from the ground and pulling those hydra soldiers into that… black hole with them.”

Steve shudders at the memory; you had grinned at him afterwards as though nothing particularly interesting had happened.

They brought everyone back to the quinjet where you and Tony were waiting for them. You jumped up and grinned at everyone’s safe return.

When Wanda placed the injured man on the med bay, you immediately began to analyse and operate.

Wanda stood beside you, helping you whenever you asked.

While the others sat down as the jet made its way back, Wanda watched.

She watched how effortlessly you stitched the hostage back. Working tirelessly, focus never wavering. It was as though she were watching a professional. Each stroke, stitch, move. All practiced to perfection.

How could a twenty-four-year-old seem so experienced with so many things?

Once the man was stabilised, you and Wanda sat down next to each other. She leaned into you, craving the comfort you so effortlessly seemed to provide her. Unable to keep her eyes open any longer, the warmth of your shoulder had her falling asleep.

X—X—X—X—X

It was late at night. Wanda sat at the edge of her bed. The mission had been successful, and nobody was injured. Having not done much, most of the team went out for drinks. Only you and Wanda had said no.

When she asked you to hang out, you told her that you had to go somewhere to meet a friend and that you’d only return later at night.

She didn’t want to admit it, but she missed you. For a while now, she had been fidgeting and thinking of you.

The ring you had given her was cool against her skin. Her thumb brushed along its edge again and again. It was as though she was trying to draw meaning from the metal itself. The silence in her room was thick, her mind not any better.

Wanda hadn’t really gotten the chance to study the ring before. She’d worn it, admired it, even felt comforted by it. There was something about the way it muted only Hades. The feeling wasn’t uncomfortable like the device Tony had given her. It was a subtle suppression, a gentle breath of distance between Hades’s abilities and her mind.

But tonight, right now. Something felt different. The ring felt heavy, as though waiting.

She slowly slipped the ring off her finger and held it in the soft glow of the moonlight.

She admired the shape and colour as she turned it.

Etched on one side of the inner band, in a delicate, almost invisible script:

“The dark isn’t so scary when you’re not alone.”

Wanda froze. Her heart stuttered. It was… familiar. Too familiar. A whisper from a long-forgotten dream.

She turned it again, on the opposite side:

“I’m faster than fear. Remember?”

A shattered breath escaped her lungs as her world crumbled.

Hydra. The cold darkness. The screams. The pain. Pietro’s gentle embrace, his voice, broken but soft:

“I’m faster than fear. Remember?”

She blinked rapidly, unable to keep the tears from falling. She could see it so vividly: the scent of blood and smoke, the warmth of his embrace, his gentle hand stroking her shoulder as she shook under the pale, flickering light. Her only solace in the hell of their choosing.

“You scared?” He’d ask, his voice a mere whisper, tired but still teasing. “Don’t worry, sestra. Nothing has ever outrun me. Not even fear. I’m faster than fear. Remember?”

Her world tilted.

Only he knew what that meant.

Her brother had been gone for so long, but that phrase… it was him. It was undeniably him.

She rose, her knees practically buckling under the weight of her emotions. She slipped on the ring and ran. The hallway blurred as she rushed out, her bare feet pattering against the cold compound floor.

The distance between her room and Hades’s wasn’t too great, but under the weight of her heart, it felt like a chasm she couldn’t cross fast enough.

She didn’t knock, slipping into your room wordlessly.

She’d seen the painting. Of course, she had. She’d spent a few hours admiring the light, the angles, the softness of your brushwork. But she never looked at that building. The one she and Pietro called home. Arguably, the happiest place in her life. She couldn’t bring herself to.

But now..

Her eyes scanned the structure until she found it. The window. The worn-down walls. The flickering light.

The inside? Captured with a gentle, aching accuracy:

A little brown-haired girl is sitting with her knees to her chest.

A silver-haired boy, laughter frozen mid-motion, pointing towards the TV.

The paint here was softer, warmer, and more delicate than the rest. A reverent kind of care.

Hades hadn’t just recreated Novi Grad- she had listened. She had seen Pietro. His memories, his longing, his grief. She had seen it all, and she turned them into something beautiful, something breathtaking. A gift.

Each brick of their home was textured with layered brushstrokes, muted and so lived-in. The curtains hung slightly askew, exactly as they had been. The lamp near the couch flickered a familiar golden hue.

This wasn’t just a memory… This was a resurrection. It was a slice of time, captured and made eternal.

Wanda crumbled. Knees hit the floor, arm wrapped around herself as a sob escaped her.

He had been here. He had talked to you. He had seen her.

And he’d left her a message. Through the ring. Through the painting… Through you.

A scream made its way through her trembling body.

Grief filled her heart. But for the first time, it was cradled by something else, too.

Hope.

She clenched her hand into her fist, the twisted ring on her finger grounding her as it bit into her palm.

She didn’t hear you come in. But she felt you sit beside her. You said nothing.

You didn’t need to.

She leaned into you, still shaking, still sobbing. And you held her like you knew. Like you always did.

Like you had promised him you would.

And for the first time in years, Wanda felt something begin to loosen. Some ache in her she hadn’t even known she was carrying. Something buried so deep within that it was rotting without ever revealing itself.

And now. Here. In your arms. She could finally heal.

X--X--X--X--X

A/N: HI PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK THANK YOU

Should I write a part two?

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