#marvel pietro maximoff x reader | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

literaryavenger · 2 months

Text

Happy Birthday

Summary: It's your birthday and the only person who doesn't seem to be excited about it is you.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Warnings: Mentions of death. Angst. Fluff. Language probably. My poor attempts at being funny.

Word Count: 2.5K

A/N: This story was completely self-indulgent, but I hope someone out there likes it!

Masterlist

You’ve always been very reluctant to celebrate your birthday.

You haven’t had a birthday party since you were 12. The following year your mom died a couple of days before and neither you nor your family were in the mood to celebrate anything.

It wasn’t by any means unexpected, she had been sick for a few years, but it still hit you hard.

You were the youngest and were far too young when she first got sick to really understand everything going on.

You were 8 and all you really remember is watching your mom get more and more sick until eventually there was nothing more the doctors could do.

Her death hit you hard and you closed yourself off, never talking about it or even crying after the day of her funeral. To this day you’ve still never cried, in front of others or even by yourself.

You started exercising to channel all your energy, refusing to do anything more like the therapy your family suggested.

When you were 15 you discovered SHIELD and decided you wanted to help others, so you signed up for the SHIELD Academy, working your hardest and pushing yourself to your very limit.

You ended up being not only the youngest cadet ever, but the youngest to actually graduate and then the youngest recruit at SHIELD at only 16 years old.

Natasha was very impressed when she heard about you and took a liking to you, convincing Fury to make you part of her team during her missions and teaching you everything she knows.

That’s how you ended up in the Avengers Initiative, not that you felt you didn’t deserve it since you know how hard you worked and everything you gave up to work towards this achievement.

The team themselves were initially skeptical since you were barely 18 during the battle of New York, but they were quickly proven wrong when they saw how well you handled yourself against the Chitauri.

You were devastated when SHIELD fell, but carried on as an Avenger, battling Ultron and then moving to the Compound with the team.

You met the actual Bucky for the first time when you were 22, during the whole Civil War thing with Baron Zemo. Like Natasha, you were on Tony’s team, fighting mostly Pietro, but the conflict eventually ended.

It took Tony some time to get over the whole “Bucky killing his parents while brainwashed” thing, but, as he likes to say, he can’t call himself a genius without admitting that Bucky didn’t have much of a choice.

Thanks to Tony’s help Shuri was able to find a solution to Bucky’s brainwashing faster than she would’ve alone, meaning Bucky didn’t have to go back into cryo and was pretty quickly cleared to join the team, about a year after the airport battle in Leipzig.

You were warmly accepted by everybody and, the more the team grew the more you felt at home with these people.

And now you wish you could burn down the whole compound because, somehow, Tony convinced you to have a birthday party for the first time in 13 years because, in his words, 'you only turn 25 once'.

Good news is you managed to make him limit the guest list to the team and other people close to you like Maria Hill and Fury. Bad news is you’re still gonna be the center of attention, which you hate.

You couldn’t stop Tony from making everyone dress up for the party, and you couldn’t stop the team from getting you gifts even though you insisted all you wanted was everyone together and to have fun with them since for the longest time nobody ever even knew when your birthday was.

What you didn’t realize was that the only person more worried than you about your gifts was Bucky.

Since he joined the team the two of you have gotten close, starting with his first training with the team where he very loudly told Steve about his disbelief that someone as young and small as you could actually be an asset to the team.

You quickly put him in his place by taking him down after less than two minutes of sparring, taking full advantage of his underestimating you because he “didn’t want to hurt a pretty little thing like you.”

Admittedly he was impressed and wasn’t shy about letting you know that, while the rest of the team snickered at his initial shock when you pinned him down.

You became friends after that, not as close as you’d like but friends nonetheless.

If you were honest with yourself you’ve been harboring a little crush on the supersoldier, but he’s never shown any interest so you resigned yourself to just being his friend.

Something that you did come to treasure, though, is your and Bucky’s late night talks.

It started with you walking in on him in the kitchen on a late night where you couldn’t sleep, nothing new to you, but the two of you barely talked other than acknowledging each other.

You took a bottle of water and left.

A couple of days later you ran into him again and you stood there in silence while you made yourself a cup of tea and then left for your room.

A few days later again he was just sitting there and said nothing as you made your tea, except this time you put a cup in front of him and silently took a seat next to him at the counter.

Two nights later when you arrived at the kitchen he was already there with a cup of tea in front of him and one in front of the seat next to him.

You didn’t want to assume it was for you, but you took a chance when you noticed it was the cup you always used, a blue mug with Stitch on it that says “Let’s get weird”. Your favorite in fact.

You hesitantly sat down next to him and, without you having to ask or without even looking at you, he told you that the nights you stay up late because you can’t sleep you tend to be more quiet during the team dinners and while you hang out afterwards.

You didn’t say anything in return and just sat there, trying not to overthink how much he seemed to watch you.

But the more nights you spent like that, the more you two talked and you gathered quickly that Bucky is a very observant person, nothing more.

You loved the time you spent together after dark where you’d talk about everything and anything, but come morning it was almost as if it never happened, which you came to accept.

It weirdly made the nights you spent talking even more special, which was almost every night.

But back to the present, you’re currently getting ready with Natasha and Wanda, who know much more than you about hair and makeup and are always happy to help you out with getting ready for Stark parties.

You put on the black cocktail dress with rhinestones all over the corset and a slit down the left side, then the three of you make your way to the party room and you take a deep breath before entering.

Everyone is already there, all dressed up in fancy clothes as they all shout “Happy Birthday”.

You laugh and say hi to everybody while they all take turns hugging you, there’s not too many people but everyone important to you is there.

Even Laura and Clint’s kids are there, which you consider a second family at this point, since Laura always did treat you like a daughter.

You hate to admit that it's a nice party.

Knowing you, everyone makes an effort to not put you too much at the center of attention and you just go around talking to your friends like every other party.

Eventually time comes for the cake and, the moment you kind of dreaded, opening the gifts.

Since it's the first birthday you allowed the team to celebrate everyone decided to go all in for your gifts, which you picked up on from the very first gift you open.

Pietro got you a first edition of “The Picture Of Dorian Gray” which is your all time favorite book, Wanda and Maria got you a leather jacket and an amazing pair of boots that you knew were expensive because you were all out shopping together when you came across them.

Steve got you a gold heart-shaped locker with a picture of the team inside it, Natasha got you a charm bracelet with a little charm to represent everyone on the team, and Sam got you a cute necklace with your birth stone on it.

When you open Fury’s gift you start laughing since it's a gun, a SIG SAUER P226 to be precise, which is very Fury.

“It was my first gun when I joined SHIELD.” He says with a smile and you smile back, knowing how much thought he put into this gift.

You open Clint’s gift next, a bow and arrow that he already taught you how to use, and Laura got you a pair of diamond earrings.

Your heart melts when you open Lila, Cooper and Nathaniel’s gifts, respectively a friendship bracelet, an Avengers action figure of yourself and a Stitch plushie.

The three of them hug you tightly as you say thank you and now you only have two gifts left, Tony’s and Bucky’s, and they’re both little boxes.

You open Tony’s next, thinking it’s some fancy necklace or earring but you frown when you see a car key.

“Is this the key to your car?” you ask Tony, knowing full well you’re holding the key to an Audi R8 Spyder, the car Tony’s let you borrow so many times you’re now wondering if he’s gifting you his spare set of keys.

“No.” He says casually “It’s the key to your car.”

You’re even more confused and simply stare at him with your mouth gaped, not really processing the information.

“Y-you… You got me a car?!” You almost yell out of shock and everyone else starts laughing at your antics when you start basically jumping up and down and hugging Tony, squealing like a little girl.

“Well, come on, let’s go see it!” Tony says enthusiastically after you’ve calmed down, and you get up, just as enthusiastic, but are stopped by Steve’s voice.

“Wait, wait. You have one gift left.” He says, picking up the small box and giving it to you. “It’s from Bucky.”

You were so pumped up by the car, you almost forgot about it and completely miss the mischievous look Steve gives Bucky and the murderous glare Bucky gives back.

You also miss Bucky starting to protest before you open his gift, but he instantly shuts up when he sees your face falling the second you open it.

It’s a small necklace with a blue rose in it, it really looks like something you’d give a little girl more than a 25 year old woman.

You look at it for a minute, running your finger on it before you raise your head and look at Bucky.

The whole room goes silent as they all watch you worriedly, everyone noticing immediately that tears are streaming down your face.

Nobody understands what’s happening and nobody knows how to react or what to do, it’s like they’re all frozen by the sight of you being vulnerable for the first time ever.

Meanwhile Bucky’s heart is beating so loud he’s sure everyone around him can hear it, and he feels himself starting to panic at the thought of having ruined your birthday with that stupid gift.

Everybody else got you expensive gifts and all he did was get you a small, cheap necklace that reminded him of a story you briefly talked about once on one of your late night talks about a necklace you had as a kid.

He saw it at the mall while looking for a gift for you, remembering the sweet smile you had on your face when you mentioned it and the fleeting sad look he thought he saw when you told him you lost it when you were 12.

He was really proud of himself for that gift, but the more he saw the other gifts you got the more he regretted his choice, especially after Tony gave you a fucking car.

And now you were crying, not saying anything while just looking at him.

He doesn’t know what to expect from you at the moment, nobody does, he thinks you might yell, throw his gift back at him, tell him how much you hate it and him.

But you surprise everyone by throwing your arms around Bucky’s neck, hugging him tightly while crying into his shoulder.

You honestly forgot telling Bucky about that story and certainly didn’t expect him to remember it, especially since you always got the feeling that he didn’t care about your talks as much as you.

You just assumed that come morning he deleted everything you told him to make room for more important things, and you didn’t blame him.

But he didn’t.

What you didn’t tell him about the necklace is that your mom gave it to you because blue roses were her favorite, you had that necklace since you were born but you somehow lost it the day of her funeral.

That day you lost the two most important things in your life and cried yourself to sleep, and that was the last time you allowed yourself to be weak and cry.

Until today.

Bucky hesitantly wraps his arms around you, rubbing your back hoping to get you to calm down. He looks around at the rest of the team, panicking a little and not knowing what to do.

Everyone else is as clueless as he is, never having seen you in such a state before.

Bucky starts apologizing, his heart breaking at the sight of you crying, and he feels horrible that it’s because of him.

You shake your head quickly and pull away a little to look at him, wanting to reassure him you’re not sad or angry but incredibly happy, but words refuse to come. You take a deep breath to calm yourself and finally manage to speak.

“Thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me.” It’s quiet, but it’s something, and it’s enough to make Bucky let out a breath of relief at knowing you don’t hate him or his gift.

He brings you back in for another tight hug, almost forgetting about everyone else in the room as you hug him back without hesitation.

You’re honestly not even embarrassed at crying, all you care about at the moment is Bucky, his arms around you while he lets you bury your face in his neck, like you’ve been wanting to do for years now.

“Happy birthday, doll.” He whispers in your ear and, for the first time in 13 years, you really feel like it is.

702 notes · View notes

sebsbarnes · 4 months

Text

hole in the wall || pietro maximoff

pietro maximoff x f!reader

summary: despite barely knowing the brainwashed girl beyond the wall, pietro refused to hurt her, no matter how much she hurt him.

word count: 5k+

warnings: fighting, none rlly??

a/n: the russian is translated so i apologize if the translation is wrong. i wrote for pietro years ago but this is my first time in awhile :P reader is subjected to the same torture as bucky bc the character is kinda him, inaccuracies in the mcu but nothing crazy

masterlist

pietro often wondered about the girl who was held next door. he'd hear the screeching metal against the floor followed by a slight commotion and then a thud on the floor. small shuffling could be heard and then it was silence. no movement, no talking, no heavy breathing or cries, silence until the next time the metal door unleashed its harrowing song, and large boots could be heard entering the cell and dragging the girl away.

pietro couldn't tell how long he'd really been here nor how long it had been since the mysterious girl next to him was there but he did know it had been months on end and yet he had never seen a glimpse of the girl that shared the wall with him.

there was a small hole in the cement that allowed him to peer into the girl's cell but each time he looked he was met with the grey wall from beyond. he had heard murmurs that she was young like him and wanda. strong, fearless, one of the doctor's favorites. she was often sent out on missions and came back unscathed. each mission she was sent on was a success as if the concept of failure was unfathomable. she apparently spoke little, only when instructed, never talked back, never laughed, never screamed. almost robotic.

which is why it came to pietro's surprise after hearing the thud of her knees hit the floor and the guards march away he heard a soft sniffle. and then slightly louder ones followed by rapid and heavy breathing. pietro scuffled over to the hole in the wall and peered through. he could see her sitting against the far wall with her legs tucked closely to her, her forehead resting on her knees. he could only see half her body from where she was sitting but he could see her shoulder shaking.

"you... you need to breathe in and out. you are going to make yourself pass out," pietro was unsure, his voice quiet but loud enough for her to hear. her head shot up and looked directly at the hole. her hair was sticking to her face, her mouth was slightly parted, and eyes wide and red.

"it's okay. my name is pietro. you don't need to talk but i... i wanted to see if you are okay. you've never even made a noise before now," he felt funny slightly confessing the fact he's been taking note of your actions.

he watched as you wiped the tears off your cheek and raked the hair off your face.

"i don't know how i am," your voice sounded like you hadn't spoken in days.

"it's okay to not know."

from where you sat you could only see the boy's eye. it was a striking blue, "like the sky," you murmured.

"what?" you heard the voice call back.

you slowly stood up dragging your chained feet over to the wall. you held the wall, steadying yourself before sitting with a huff, "your eyes remind me of the sky."

pietro wasn't sure what to say back. he went months not hearing your voice or seeing you, only knowing the tales that the guards spoke of yet here you were inches from him, broken down and giving a compliment. a much different reality to the one he thought he knew before.

pietro didn't hear another word from you, he assumed you fell asleep against the wall. he tried looking through the hole at any angle he could to see you, but all he noticed was a piece of metal gleaming from the dull light in your cell.

a few days had passed since the interaction and pietro had little time to dwell on it. his testing was getting more intense, he was constantly being injected with needles he knew nothing about, there were many monitors reading whatever vitals they needed to document, and his training was becoming more rigorous. he was exhausted, he hadn't been in his cell in two days, and although the cell offered no comfort he much rather be locked behind the bars than strapped to a table.

the guards pushed him down the hallway, taunting him. each time he stood up they would push him back down. the shackles on his wrists rubbed his skin raw and those around his ankles prevented him from running. the guard gripped his shoulder tightly walking past wanda's cell as she called out to her brother.

"wanda!" he screamed out as he watched the other guard reach through the bars and grip at her neck. the guard holding onto him roughly pushed him into the cell causing him to stumble and land on his shoulder, his face grazed the cement floor.

you had heard the commotion from your cell, you stood at the door looking over at the guards who simply laughed at the twins who were now in pain. all you could do was grimace. you hated this, you hated this place, each day you yearned to leave this hell hole you've called home. you heard pietro scream in frustration and then heard his rapid movements as he ran around his cell, thrashing against the walls.

you had seen pietro from a distance a few times. you were never allowed to be near the enhanced people and only managed glimpses of them. you had seen his super speed and the way the scientists trained him. it was brutal and he endured a lot just from the few moments you had witnessed. you started to notice that after particularly rough days he would do this, run back and forth for what seemed like hours on end. slamming into the cement walls that would somehow rattle from the force. he would yell in anger, cursing the guards and scientists for what they were doing.

the noise settled and you hesitantly sat in front of the small hole. you could see his large frame hunched over catching his breath. he ran a hand through his messy silver hair, his white tank top was dirty and slightly damp from his running. you peered behind your shoulder at the hallway making sure it was empty. you swallowed thickly with nerves in fear of getting caught before forcing three fingers into the hole and ripping the cement block from the wall. you could now fit your head through the hole comfortably if you wanted to.

"pietro," you said placing the block beside you. he faltered and gestured with an open hand in confusion at the now gaping hole in the wall. you couldn't help but pull your lips into a tight light suppressing the laugh you wanted to let out at the look on his face. using his speed he rushed to face you, eyes wide examining the open edges of the cement.

"you-"

"are strong," you cut him off jokingly.

the two of you sat staring at each other. it was weird to be face to face after countless months of unknowing the other despite being separated by only a wall. you took in his appearance. he was handsome. up close you could now see the slight curls to his hair and the short facial hair. his shoulders broad and built. under his sky-blue eyes were dark circles from the lack of sleep but it suited him. he was stunning and pietro was thinking the same about you. your hair fell haphazardly across your forehead. your eyes were kind and gentle, much different than the stone-cold eyes he had imagined in his head. your lips were pulled to one side in the tiniest of smiles as you took in his appearance. pietro found it hard to believe the stories he has heard about your reputation as he stared at you. expression soft, eyes and smile kind, you looked battered and worn down but still so youthful as if you didn't fit in with the surrounding grey walls.

"are you okay?" you finally asked.

pietro's nostrils flared and his eyes fluttered shut, "i don't know."

you hesitated a moment before repeating his words from a few days prior, "it's okay to not know."

if you weren't staring intently at the man before you you would've missed the smile that flashed across his face at your remark. it was soon washed away when you both heard loud footsteps from down the hall. you both quickly turned towards the noise that was approaching pietro's cell, he gulped harshly as a guard came into view. he looked back at the wall expecting to still see your face but instead, he saw a metal hand escaping through the hole as if the cement was never removed.

metal...?

it must have been late in the night. the guards had already dropped off the atrocious meal they call dinner and returned to pick the trays up. they rarely patrolled the hallways at night, opting to smoke outside. it was eerie each night. the sound of dripping water from pipes echoed, the occasional gunfire could be heard from the woods outside, slight whispers could be heard from the twins once in a blue moon but it was rare. in a place like this, they didn't let you be a person so it was hard to act like one.

pietro was lying on the bed facing the ceiling making a laughable attempt at trying to get some sort of sleep. he was imagining his life before this when his family was all together, when times were happy, when he was just a little kid and not a young adult performing for crazed scientists. his eyes scanned the room at the sound of bricks moving before seeing your head pop into vision from the hole. pietro let out a small laugh through his nose seeing your sheepish smile.

you sat facing the other not saying anything at first. it was oddly comfortable being face-to-face with the one they call quicksilver. you couldn't put your finger on why though. you've spoken so few words to him but then again it was the first time you let yourself speak to someone in this building that wasn't a doctor or a guard. maybe it was you being naive but it felt okay and safe.

"what made you cry the other day?" he finally spoke his question causing you to blink a few times.

"i think... i think they do something to my head. i mean, i know they do," you thought bringing your fingers to your temple as if the gesture helped you remember, "but i think i'm starting to notice when i'm on missions. it's hard to really know though it's all a blur."

pietro nodded softly taking in what you had to say, "like... brainwashing?"

"it has to be. they recite something each time and then it's like i'm not me," you confessed, "but these past few missions i'll overhear things from strangers passing by or i'll see something and i can feel myself start to wake from the trance. i'm starting to remember life before here and i'm becoming aware of what they have me doing."

"whatever it is they have you doing just know you are still a good person," pietro spoke quietly.

"i kill people," you said bluntly looking him straight in the eyes. he averted his gaze slightly, his hand coming to caress his jaw.

"the person they turn you into out there isn't you. the real you is sitting in front of me now."

"how can you be so sure, you don't even know me," you questioned.

"i don't think an out right evil person would check to see if a stranger is okay... or compliment them the first time they see them," pietro joked slightly. you hung your head as your lips pulled back into a smile. pietro couldn't help the way his body leaned closer to the hole with a big smile on his face observing the way you became shy.

"no one in this building is perfect. we've all done things that are considered evil but if we manage to hold on to some sort of sense of ourselves i think we will be okay. i hope wanda and i get out of here soon. it was a mistake yanno, being volunteers, i regret it. it makes me feel worse knowing you had no say in the matter. you're here every day as a puppet against your will and yet i walked through these doors. every day i'm in pain and every day i regret it," pietro's accent got thicker as he got emotional.

you frowned at the silver-haired man, "life in here is already hard enough, there is no point in being hard on yourself."

his eyes were glossed over, internally fighting himself for the choices he had made in the past. you reached your hand into the hole searching for his. this was out of character for you but it some selfish way you wanted the warmth of his hand to comfort you as well. it was peaceful sitting in silence holding each other's hand. the only form of physical touch the two of you ever received was in the form of torture. gruff hands slapping, punching, shoving, and poking you seemed like a far and distant sensation compared to the safety you felt as pietro's thumb traced the back of your hand.

"you should rest," pietro finally broke what felt like an hour's long silence, "they usually take you first."

you sighed deeply but you knew he was right. god knows what hour it was and you needed to try and get some sleep. pietro gently let go of your hand and allowed you to snake it back through the hole.

"thank you pietro. i hope we can talk more soon," you told him earnestly.

"i hope so too," he gave you a lopsided grin before you grabbed the brick.

it was mere days later when you two found yourself in the same position. the guards were out, pietro had finished his talks with wanda, the disgusting dinners were consumed and taken away, and here you were staring into the sky amongst grey walls. pietro noticed your face had small cuts scattered on it from a mission you were sent on a day prior but you had made no mention of it thus far. you were currently enthralled by pietro telling a story from his younger days. pietro was funny and he didn't even need to try, it had been years since you felt the burning sensation in your sides from laughing too much but he made it easy. and pietro loved the sound of your laugh, it was beautiful, irresistible almost. the two of you went back and forth sharing any memories you could remember from life before these walls and it was effortless but you knew just like the other nights it was soon time to hide the hole.

"you're really pretty," you confessed.

pietro's mouth formed an 'o' shape before turning into a giddy smile, "you are beautiful, dragă"

this time it was pietro plugging the brick back into the wall just as he was about to finish a loud booming voice came from your side of the wall. his hands shook slightly at the volume of the guard yelling 'soldier' in russian to you. pietro could no longer see what was happening but he heard you stand up and reply back and leave the cell.

although you and the guard walked in silence you knew he saw you talking to pietro. you continued to clench and unclench your fists trying to calm yourself for what was to come.

"Тебе нравится мальчик?" (do you like the boy?) the guard asked placing a firm grip on your shoulder, pushing you towards the all too familiar room. you stayed quiet and you heard the man snicker to himself, satisfied with your silence.

in the room, several other guards were standing in position, many holding guns. you saw the needles and wires spread across the small rolling table with a doctor in a white coat hunched over it. the monitors sitting idly waiting to read your vitals. the guard that escorted you pushed you into the contraption that stood before you forcing your body flush against the back. immediately automatic shackles secured your arms to the chair and the whirling sound of small electric plates situated themselves against the sides of your head.

"смешно... ты, кажется, молчишь только рядом с нами," (funny... you only seem to be quiet around us.) the doctor smirked, admitting they all were aware of you and pietro speaking. the doctor sucked his teeth as you glared at him, unwilling to confess to anything.

he picked up the mouth guard from the table wiggling it in front of your mouth waiting for you to open. you bit down in anger, all the muscles in your face twitching, your eyelids blinking rapidly pushing back any emotion daring to creep up at what you knew was about to happen. it wasn't often they wiped your memory, only when they deemed your actions defied them, like not getting enough information on missions which was rare. it had been months since the last time they did this. you screamed in agony as the electric volts zapped against your head. sweat started to bead across your thrashing body. it was indescribable and it wasn't a short process but once the currents stopped your world was black and each time you'd wake up in your cell with no recollection.

it was a week later you found yourself in the training room after being isolated since the memory wipe. your shoulders were hunched forward, chest facing the ground, your arms swayed ever so slightly by your side, your breathing was ragged after being beaten in the form of "training" for the last two hours. the doctors insisted it would be over soon, one final test for the day before you could go to your cell. the door creaked open and the familiar sound of boots entered, you didn't even bother looking up.

"солдат!" (soldier!) a guard yelled causing you to slowly pick your head up. at the door was a young man you'd never seen before, he wore tattered pants and a tank top, his hair was silver, and his blue eyes were opened wide in what you could only assume was shock. and though you didn't recognize him, pietro recognized you.

up until now, he had never seen your full figure before, only parts of your body that were visible through the hole. despite you clearly being injured and tired you stood tall and pietro could tell you were strong. the most alarming part about you was your arm... your metal arm. pietro's eyebrows scrunched together, head slightly cocked to the side examining the way the metal met your skin, some scar tissue bright red while others were faded.

before pietro could mutter any words aloud a doctor appeared from a side door and sauntered towards you holding a notebook.

"работа...установить..." (work...establish...) the doctor read.

"please, no," you whispered, your neck screwing to the side as if it will block the doctor's voice.

"станция..." (station...)

pietro watched as your chest heaved air in and out as the doctor continued reciting from the book, circling your body like a predator ready to attack. he watched as your teeth chatter together and your metal hand flexed. the doctor stopped behind your right shoulder leaning down slightly so his mouth was level with your ear. pietro couldn't hear the whispers but he felt nervous at the doctor's intense eye contact and the loud clap of the notebook being shut. the doctor lazily dragged his hand off your shoulder whispering one final command before exiting the way he came.

pietro jumped at the sound of the door behind him slamming shut as the guards snuck out, leaving only the two of you in the room.

"wha- WOAH!" pietro shrieked as you came barreling towards him at full speed, your metal arm raised high in the air to come down on his body.

"please i don't want to hurt you," but his pleas were left unheard as you socked him in the jaw, tossing him to the ground and repeatedly punching his stomach. although being fast, pietro found himself trapped beneath you and it took moments before he was able to get out and start running in different directions. slowly, you walked towards a vacant chair in the corner, eyes trained on the blue light racing around the room. you gripped the chair waiting for the right moment before launching it across the room and nailing pietro square in the back. you stalked towards his groaning figure grasping his shoulder and flipping him onto his back where you straddled him and punched at his face.

to pietro's relief, the doctor came back into the room beckoning an order to you. pietro watched from underneath your frame as your pupils twitched at him and your head robotically moved to face the doctor. you refrained from punching pietro anymore and stood up and walked to the doctor and the two guards who waited behind. one of the guards stabbed a needle into your neck and once more the world was black.

you couldn't even begin to guess what time or day it was when you finally woke up on the floor of your cell. your body was violently shaking from the cold and you started to panic. as much as you tried to think of any memories you couldn't, it was like your mind was a blank slate and it was causing you to panic even more which then turned into anger. you grabbed the small bed and threw it at the wall and screamed loudly. you repeatedly slammed your metal first into the wall causing dust to liter the air. guards walked past your cell but simply laughed and continued to make their way down the hall and off into the outside world.

"hey," a voice spoke unsteadily. you whipped your head around to the other wall and saw a face peeking through.

"it's okay," the man tried to ease seeing your angered state approaching him. you kneeled in front of the hole looking intensely at his face.

"who are you?"

this question confirmed pietro's fear that they wiped your memory. he had foolishly hoped that in the training room you were just too worn down to recognize him when he walked through the door before they sent you into your trance.

"my name is pietro. you may not remember but i am a friend," he spoke hoping to see any form of recollection cross your face. instead you examined him quietly before turning your head and examining the room. it was lit dully, your bed now turned on its side, and there was a tray of food sitting near the cell door that looked to be days old.

"this is a hydra base," pietro continued without you having to ask, "the people here are not good. they hurt us, they experiment on us, many people have died here. i have a sister here, a twin," he said pointing a finger behind him, "her name is wanda. they call us the enhanced. we both possess abilities no normal human would have due to their experimentations. we came as volunteers and i regret it."

"am i a volunteer?" you questioned.

"no, dragă. a few weeks ago you told me they found you during the winter, alone. you had been lost in the forest and they made promises to help you find home but you never returned. you said you aren't sure but you think it's been ten years since," pietro confessed, his accent thick with sorrow.

you hummed, unsure of what to say. you remembered none of this so what could you really say back? was pietro even telling the truth? how could you decipher fact from fiction in a state like this? despite the confusion and the absence of memory, something deep within you said it was all true, everything he was saying was right.

"why is my arm gone?" you whispered, slightly touching the contorting metal panels near the elbow.

pietro couldn't help but feel a pain in his chest as he observed you try and remember any semblance of yourself, "i- i don't know. what i do know is the doctors, they like you. you are very important to them and they make you do dirty work. the reason you can't remember anything is because they wipe your memory."

"i suppose that makes sense," you nodded slightly giving pietro a bitter smile.

"i am sorry for what they do to you," pietro stated earnestly. if he could help you in any way he would, over and over again, he would.

you paused, taking in pietro's face which held some serious injuries. the skin on his brow bone was split, his eye was bright red with blood and a nasty purple-green bruise on his jaw.

"did i do this to you?" you asked, slowly reaching your hand through to gently touch his jaw.

"of course you didn't my love," he murmured, tenderly grabbing your wrist and threading his fingers with yours.

"if there comes a time when i hurt you, please don't go easy on me," you pleaded.

"i cannot promise you that," he smiled at you softly, bringing his other hand to enclose your freezing one.

and pietro was being truthful. he couldn't nor he wouldn't harm you in the event the doctors forced you to fight. he would run and dodge the punches, and the chairs being thrown at him, but he couldn't fight you, he just couldn't. it pained him to see the different version of yourself, the real you locked inside begging to come out of the brainwashing.

pietro didn't think it would be so soon when he would be in the same position as before, standing across from you in the training room as the same doctor circled your body, reciting words in russian that would transform you into their super soldier. it was only hours after the two of you decided to sleep that pietro was ripped from his bed and dragged into the training room.

the doctor once again closed the notebook but before leaving he looked over at pietro, "it is a shame," he started with a thick russian accent, "her memory wiped twice in a week. i thought maybe you two would work well as a team. we could start sending you out on missions with her. but it seems she has developed a hm. what do you call it?" he fake pondered, "ah! a crush! and that is not something we take kindly here. she provides more to us here than you do so..." with that the doctor whispered one final thing in your ear before leaving.

pietro watched carefully as you headed towards him and at the last moment he sprinted away causing you to concave the metal door. you whipped your head around, eyes wide in anger, tracking the movements of the man. he was fast and this irritated you. sticking your leg out you managed to trip him at the last moment and his large frame hurled to the floor. you gripped his shirt in one hand and used your metal hand to punch him in the side of the face.

"it's me!" the man below you yelled. this had no effect on you and you raised your hand to hit him again but he grabbed your fist. the two of you violently struggled against each other before you used your hand clutched to his shirt to slide him away with great force.

"please i said i would never hurt you. it's me, pietro!" the man pleaded getting up to run past your approaching figure. for some reason hearing the name pietro caused a loud screeching pain in your head.

"what are you doing to my head?" you screamed, clutching your head in your hands, eyes screwed shut.

pietro stopped running and looked at your trembling figure, "i'm- i'm not doing anything."

you tried ignoring the high-pitched shrilling noise and stumbled to pietro. you grabbed onto his shoulders and pushed him backward against the wall. although you moved him with force pietro could feel the weakness in your grip this time. he stayed silent looking into your eyes that were frantically examining him.

"the noise..." you muttered bringing your metal hand to hold your head.

"there... there is no noise," pietro spoke confused. there was no noise in the room besides heavy breathing.

"who are you?" you probed shoving him roughly against the wall.

"it's me. pietro. i live next to you in the cell. i came here as a volunteer with my twin sister wanda. you are here against your will. they found you when you were little and never let you leave. they hurt you every day, they aren't good people. trust me, please. it's me your friend," pietro rushed hoping to break through to you.

he felt your grip slightly falter as you looked him up and down. he couldn't make out the emotion in your face as you screwed and unscrewed your features together, internally fighting yourself. he wasn't scared, but nervous rather for your next move or action.

as pietro spoke the high-pitched noise continued to grow louder causing severe pain in your head. it made you nauseous and your vision would cloud with blinding bright light. you hung your head gasping for air as a vague image of a cell came to memory. you tried blinking it away but it would reappear, this time you'd see a man. the man you were pushing against the wall. his head was peeking through the cell wall. instinctually you pressed him further into the wall, pietro's shoulder blades started to ache. a new memory came and it was pietro holding your hand, his thumb caressing yours.

you shot your head up looking at the man. your eyes were glossy with tears from the pain you were experiencing. not just the physical pain of the intense noise but the mental pain as you tried to piece together who he was. his appearance was becoming familiar. his clothes, his broad shoulders, the facial hair on his jaw and upper lip, the cut on his eyebrow, the dark roots of his hair and the silver ends, and his eyes.

you dropped your grip and pietro's eyes contorted in confusion.

"like the sky..." you murmured.

421 notes · View notes

acriminalmind · 6 months

Text

Songs From the Wood

Forest Dweller Wanda Maximoff x GN Reader

Summary: For years tourists who enter the mysterious woods around the town you grew up in are never to be seen again. What happened to them remains a mystery.

After years you return to the place you rather forget if it wasn’t for your parents still living there.

A party thrown by your former classmates ends up with you fighting for your life and getting a new one you can’t return from.

Warnings: ⚠️ 18+, minors DNI, dark themes, shitty and immature people, consequences of alcohol, spiked drink, use of weapons like knives, swords, and axes, very graphic images (blood, horrible injuries, torture, violent and gruesome deaths), use of strong language, allusions to cannibalism, kidnapping (taking someone without their permission), manipulation (kinda gaslighting), Stockholm Syndrome (rational thinking has gone out the window), smut (later in the story) (mention of penetration, but not specified with what), human sacrifices, loyalty tests, marriage, fluff, angst, some deja vu moments, slighty dark Wanda at times.

Please don’t report. You’ve been warned

AN: Sorry for the long wait. My new job takes me a lot of time and energy. I hope to find time to write during my vacations and weekends. I’m not out of ideas yet.

AN: In this story, Wanda is the 20-year-old sister of Pietro, who is a 10-year-old boy.

Word count: 14213 (Damn)

Enjoy! And let me know what you think.

On a warm summer evening, you received an invitation to a party organized by some former high school classmates. Initially, you had not planned on going because your high school days were not the most fun period in your life and you certainly would not be mourning never having to see your former classmates, who pretended you were invisible most of the time and only talked to you when they needed something from you, ever again. You had left the village where you had grown up shortly after the last day of high school. A university on the other side of the country had offered you a scholarship, which of course you had accepted. Five years later, you had graduated with flying colors and had been offered a well-paying job at the company where you had been an intern for the last two years of your education.

Despite having no reason or desire to go to a party so far from what you now considered home you still replied that you would attend. Your parents still live in that village and you hadn't visited them in too long, so you would visit them before you went to the party. You opened your digital calendar and put in the date of the party. Fortunately, you had just gotten a raise so the plane ticket was easily paid for. You had even granted yourself a seat in first class.

Turning off your phone you put it face down on your desk and refocused on what you were doing, writing a smutty fanfic about your favorite female heroine.

"She dropped to her knees and took their hard member in her hands. In her small hands, their cock seemed even bigger than it already was. Opening her mouth she leaned forward and took..."

Two weeks had passed and you were about to leave for the airport. A suitcase and backpack stood neatly packed next to you on the pavement as you locked your front door. You had asked your neighbor to watch your house during the time you were gone, which would not be more than 3 days if everything went right. The cab you had ordered pulled up into the driveway. After the driver had helped you with your luggage the both of you took your seats and drove off. The ride took no longer than half an hour due to the lack of traffic. After you paid the driver and tipped, you walked into the large building in front of you. The check-in went as it always did. You were happy to finally get on the plane and be seated. Next to you sat an older man who had fallen asleep not soon after takeoff. After it was announced that passengers could unbuckle their seat belts you grabbed your laptop from your bag and started working on an assignment for work. The hours flew by, no pun intended.

Once off the plane you stretched and walked to the waiting area where your parents were already waiting for you with welcoming smiles on their faces. You gave them both a big hug before your father grabbed your stuff from you and started walking with them to the car even though you told him he didn't have to do that for you and that you could do it yourself, but he was stubborn and ignored you. Your mother talked to you during the car ride about what was happening in the village. Pretty little happened in the small community where almost everyone knew each other. Except for one thing. Over the past few years, several people went missing in the woods surrounding the village and were never found. Those who went missing were mostly tourists who had probably wandered off the marked hiking trails, but it was still strange and slightly worrisome. It also wasn’t good for business as word about the woods spread fast and as a consequence, the village was being avoided by many tourists who would normally fill up the streets and spend a good amount of money in the local shops. Quite an amount of shops had to close their doors due to a lack of customers and lack of income. The shopping district was now filled with lots of empty buildings holding a gloomy atmosphere.

Your mother mentioned that someone had been reported missing again, but it was a villager this time. She mentioned the name and you recognized it immediately. It was the name of a former classmate of yours from high school. Apparently, someone had dared him to go into the woods and go off the path to see if the stories were true and that there was indeed a monster in the woods that kidnaps and eats anyone who goes off the path. It was funny until he hadn't returned after an hour and he didn't answer his cell phone either. Authorities were called in to search, but all they found was a large pool of blood with his phone lying in it. To this day, he has not been found adding another name to the growing list of missing people who fell victim to the woods.

The date of his disappearance was a week before you got the invitation to the party. You thought it was odd that they were throwing a party right now when a fellow villager was missing, but your mother said they were already planning the party before the man went missing and his parents insisted that the party should just be held as planned.

When you arrived at your parent’s house, you made sure to get your luggage out of the car before your father could. You followed your mother to the front door which she unlocked to let you in. Everything looked exactly the same as the last time you visited your parents. The house was spacious but still gave off a cozy feeling. Several pictures of you and your parents hung on the walls. It was like a timeline of your life. It puts a small smile on your face. Your mother told you to take your things to the guest room, which was your old bedroom, while she would prepare dinner. As confirmation that you had heard her, you nodded to her before walking upstairs. The second room on the right side of the hall was yours. It had its own mini bathroom and walk-in closet. You put your things in the corner of the room and plopped down on the bed to rest your eyes for a while.

Stepping out of your father's car you had borrowed to drive to the party you could already hear the loud music and people singing along from the parking lot. The party was fully going. Calmly you walked toward the entrance, breathing in the fresh air one last time before entering the smelly and crowded space. You made your way towards the bar where you ordered a diet coke, not wanting to get too drunk this early in the evening, especially while being surrounded by people you hadn't seen for years and wouldn’t fully trust with your well-being if you were drunk.

Looking around you, you took in the different faces of the people dancing on the dancefloor. You recognized most of them, they were just a bit more mature since you last saw them, but looking more mature didn't stop them from acting immature as you saw a group of men, who were part of the football team back in the day, act like monkeys on speed. Rolling your eyes at the sight you moved your eyesight to a couple of young women standing in the corner giggling about something. The blonde woman standing in the middle of the group took your breath away. It was your secret school crush and she looked even more beautiful than you remembered. The ring on her finger stopped you from approaching, not that you knew what you would have said to her if you would have. You didn't want to embarrass yourself more than you had already done in school.

For a while, you sat in silence sipping on your drink at the bar, watching the people around you like you also did as a teenager when you sat alone at lunch. When you were done with the one coke you had ordered that night you headed towards the exit, wanting to call it a night, but on your way, you were pulled onto the dancefloor by an unknown woman who started to dance around you. "Danzz with meeee!" she yelled barely hearable due to the loud music. Her slurred words and strong smell told you that she was highly intoxicated, but like the decent person you are you started awkwardly dancing with her. You didn't want anyone with bad intentions to get their hands on her as long as she was under the influence of alcohol and could be easily manipulated into doing regrettable things. After what felt like an hour of dancing with the woman you felt yourself getting tired. The woman had in the meantime sobered up a little and had found the people she came with. She gave you a quick peck on your cheek and thanked you for keeping her company after apologizing for bothering you in her drunken state. The action made you blush. This didn't go unnoticed as a small group of people made their way to you while cheering at you and making kissing sounds. One of the broad men threw his arm over your shoulder while ruffling your hair with his free hand. "Look at our favorite nerd getting some action!" Laughter filled your ears. One of the others yelled that it was probably the furthest you've ever gotten with a girl. The people now surrounding you were all people who had made your life in school unnecessarily difficult and less enjoyable. You awkwardly laughed at the stupid jokes that were being made about you in the hope that soon they would get bored of themselves and would leave you alone so you could leave this place as fast as you could to never see anyone of them again.

Half an hour later you were still at the party you had badly wanted to leave a while ago, but the strong arm on your shoulder and your shyness preventing you from speaking up had made you stay where you were. One of the women pushed a drink into your hand after you had declined the offer, guess no isn't an answer she takes. The jokes about you had stopped and the topic of conversation had changed to the missing people cases that held a tight grip on the local community. One of the women, who you remembered to be the daughter of the sheriff told about what she had heard from a whispered conversation between her father and the mayor that she had eavesdropped on four days ago. Apparently, investigators had found evidence that points to a new-found theory of mystery people inhabiting the woods. Silently sipping on your drink you listened to the woman and all the things she had heard. Even though the whole matter wasn't of interest to you, the thought of possibly dangerous people living in the woods close to your parent's house, made you more than uncomfortable. The thought of convincing your parents to temporarily live with you while searching for a new place for them far away from where they lived now crossed your mind. You were pulled out of your thoughts by someone patting your shoulder to get your attention. "Come on, let's see for ourselves," you heard someone say. You wanted to pull yourself away from the group who were now walking you to the back exit leading to the mysterious woods, but you failed. It felt like you had lost control over your body. Looking down at the empty red cup in your hand you cursed to yourself. You hadn't even noticed you had drunk the whole thing. The girl who gave it to you held your hand, pulling you with her toward the edge where the trees met the main road. You wanted to say no, but no sound came out of your mouth. Before you could register it you had been pulled into the darkness, the only sound you could hear was the drunken laughter of the people around you and the breaking of the twigs underneath your stumbling feet. While you were pulled further into the woods, even getting off the designated hiking trails, multiple pairs of eyes were watching your every move from behind the trees waiting to strike.

At hearing a weird sound behind you you turned your head to see where it came from. You could have sworn you saw a silhouette standing next to one of the many trees surrounding you, but before you could get a closer look the girl still holding your hand pulled your attention to her. She pulled you into a deep and unwanted kiss. After she had ended the kiss she complimented you for how good of a kisser you were, saying she hadn't expected that from you. Before you could react to her insulting expectation she had passed out on the floor from the combination of alcohol, drugs, and tiredness with you following her not close behind.

The woods became now completely silent.

You woke up when the first rays of the sun showed through the trees. Your head was pounding as a result of last night's activities. Looking around you noticed that you were the only one there. There was no sign of anybody else. Those fuckers had abandoned you in the middle of god knows where. Curse words left your mouth as you tried to stand up from the cold ground while having to deal with a major hangover. Once on your feet, you took another look around hoping to spot an indication as to where in the woods you were exactly, but as far as you could see you only saw trees and bushes. Looking at the place of the sun in the greyish-colored sky you decided to head east where the sun had come up some time ago. It was cold and damp and the thin shirt you had on did nothing to keep you warm. Hugging yourself you tried to keep the little body warmth you had left with you. Every time you exhaled a cloud of fog left your mouth. Without you realizing it you had started to chatter your teeth.

After what felt like hours of walking you collapsed to the ground. Your feet were dying beneath you as you weren't used to walking for so long and underneath these conditions. Leaning against a huge tree you tried to catch your breath and talk yourself into getting up again and continuing walking. You didn't even know whether you were going in the right direction, but you couldn't just stay in one place with these cold temperatures and not knowing whether someone was looking for you. Just now you realized how far you were dragged into the woods. The night before it had felt like just a few meters.

When you had found the strength you needed to get back up you took a deep breath and continued your journey toward your hopeful escape from the dense woods and to not be another name on the missing persons list who fell victim to it.

Every step you set hurts. It felt like your feet were about to fall off any second now. The frightening thought of never being able to see your parents again and leaving them in uncertainty about your well-being made you pull through.

To distract yourself from the pain you were in and keep up the spirit you started silently singing one of your favorite songs.

"Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you ..."

As you started to sing the song you were singing for the past half an hour for the ninth time you were disrupted by a high-pitched scream coming not far away from you. Holding your breath while standing deadly still, you looked around searching for the source of the scream while wondering if it came from someone who needed your help and in exchange could help you or if it came from someone who you should run from. Out of nowhere one of the guys who were with you last night came storming out of the bushes on the right of you while screaming for his life. He was covered in blood and you were sure that you saw the bone of his right arm sticking out.

You stared wide-eyed at the panicked man en wondered what had happened to him to put him in a state like he was. Another noise coming from the bushes grabbed your attention. As fast as you could you dove behind a tree to hide from whatever was gonna come out of it. Carefully you peeked your head around the edge to see what was gonna happen next. Not even five seconds after you had taken your hiding spot behind the tree two big figures with deer fur as clothes and animal skulls covering their faces appeared from the bushes. They both had a handmade axe in their hand which was dripping with blood. One of them let out some sort of battle cry before the both of them sprinted behind the wounded man. You watched fearfully as they rapidly reduced the distance between themselves and their prey. One of the figures threw his axe toward the man which ended up drilled in between his shoulder blades and throwing him face first on the ground. He let out cries of pain while trying to crawl away, but his suffering came to an abrupt end when the other figure who still had his axe harshly brought it down into his skull splitting it open and ending his life. Blood and brain tissue was splattered around the lifeless body. You slapped your hand over your mouth to prevent any sound from coming out and ducked back behind the wood. You wanted to scream, but you couldn't do that because they would hear you. You wanted to run, but you couldn't do that because they would come after you and do god knows what to you.

Never in your life had you felt this kind of fear.

You sat quiet and motionless behind the tree in the hope the two figures wouldn't see or hear you and would soon walk away so you could make a run for it. The only thing you could hear was the sound of flesh being cut. It was horrific and made your stomach turn.

When you thought it couldn't get any worse a man and a woman who you recognized as people from the group you were with last night appeared to the left of you, both of them also covered in blood. The man held a little silver-haired boy who looked to be around the age of 10 in his arms while keeping a dull knife to his throat. While the two hadn't noticed your presence, the boy did and he looked you right in the eyes with his tear-filled ones. His small body was trembling in fear. You noticed that just like the two large creatures he was wearing deer fur. He is probably part of the same group as them. He sniffled as a lonely tear dripped down his cheek. Suddenly the man who held the boy hostage started to scream at the two people to not move or else he would kill the kid. Your eyes widened at hearing that threat. The knife was pushed closer against his skin, now drawing blood. Cries of pain and fear left his mouth. The devastating sound pulled on your heartstrings. You wanted to help the boy. You couldn't leave him to his own devices even if the chances of you getting hurt in the process of saving him were high. The girl wasn't an obstacle as she was standing on the other side of the man watching it all go down with fear in her eyes. When the two people started to scream back in some unknown language the man pulled his knife away from the boy's neck, pointing it in front of him in defense. This was your chance. Taking a deep breath to calm yourself down a little you got into a running position before sprinting from behind your hiding place toward the boy.

A red-headed woman was watching it all unfold from behind a tree. No one had noticed her presence yet and she wished it to stay that way.

It felt like everything went into slow motion the moment you had a grip on his arm. Your unexpected appearance surprised the man holding him captive, resulting in him losing the tight grip he had on the boy. This gave you the chance to pull him away and motion for him to make a run for it. He looked at you with a grateful look before running off as fast as he could on his short legs. As you watched him run with a satisfied smile on your face you felt a sharp pain pierce through your skin. Looking at your waist you saw a knife being pulled out of it. The same knife that was against the boy's neck just a minute ago. Blood started to sipe through your shirt. While grabbing at the wound you looked with a panicked look behind you, locking eyes on the man who just brutally stabbed you. He looked down at the in your blood-covered knife in his trembling hand and then looked back at you. His eyes held a gaze of confusion but it soon turned into anger. “You fucking asshole,” he whispered angrily. As you fell to the ground you could hear the young boy scream in anguish. Your eyes became heavy as more blood started to gush out of your body. As you stared up into the sky waiting for the inevitable the man and woman who had captured the boy were being slaughtered at your feet by the forest people. Their screams didn't reach your ears as they could only focus on the slow beats of your own heart. Before your eyes closed you were met with a pair of beautiful emerald-colored eyes that held a soft gaze in them as they looked down at you.

Every morning before sunrise Wanda would take a walk through the woods surrounding her home. On bare feet, she wandered through the area she had come to know like the back of her hand. Her hands gracefully moved through the high grass, like birds in the sky. She would close her eyes to take in the sounds of nature better. It was like the woods sang a song just for her. It brought a smile to her face.

When she arrived at the heart of the woods she was met with a sight she hadn't seen before. A group of strangers lay sleeping on the ground. She remembered her father's warning words about strangers and that she was not to be near them by herself, but curiosity got the best of her, so she hid behind a tree at a safe distance from the group and observed the scene with curious eyes.

Before the sun started to come up all but one started to stir awake. Instead of waking them up, they whispered something to each other before running off laughing, but what they didn't know was that they were heading to a place where strangers from the outside world weren't wanted and would probably be their demise.

When the group had left her sight she averted it back to the lone stranger who was still sleeping peacefully. She wanted to take a closer look, but she stopped herself from doing so instead she stayed safely hidden behind the big tree and kept watching the stranger making sure nothing bad happened to them. Wanda always had a caring nature, always wanting to make sure the people in her community were okay. However, the person laying on the ground wasn't someone from her community. She didn’t know them. They were a stranger. Someone her father warned her about numerous times, telling her they were bad people who destroyed good things for selfish reasons and had no respect for nature, something that is very important for her people. She had seen the damage these strangers left behind with her own eyes. Still, she didn't want to leave this one all alone. She always tended to see the good in people and the person who was left behind hadn't given her any reason yet to think otherwise, unlike the people who had left them behind showing the rotten side of humanity.

As the sun started to appear from behind the trees she saw that the person started to stir awake. She watched every move they made. From them looking with utter confusion around them after waking up all alone in the middle of the woods, to them standing up while muttering unfamiliar words. As Wanda took in their appearance now that she was able to see them better from where she was standing she felt a fluttering feeling in her stomach. They were good-looking. The clothes they were wearing were strange though. Not practical for a life in the woods at all. She couldn't admire them long though as the stranger started to make their departure.

When the stranger had left she decided to head back home herself before her father would start worrying about her and sent out a search team. She also didn't want to make her little brother wait as she had agreed to spend some time with him. The last time she had made him wait he decided to go look for her all by himself in the big and treacherous forest, ending up with a gash on his knee from falling down a rocky path. And with these strangers wandering around she didn't want him to leave home by himself. Who knows what they would do to him if they got their hands on him? The single thought of something happening to him frightened her. She would never forgive herself.

Wanda held her little brother tight against her body, afraid that if she let go something bad would happen to him. Tears streamed down her face, dripping on top of Pietro's little head. She had watched the whole scene go down, from the moment those two evil outsiders grabbed her brother, who was innocently wandering around the woods while picking flowers, till the moment that the lone stranger she had been watching that morning saved him and as a result got stabbed themselves.

She felt Pietro calm down in her arms, which made her calm down a little too. He is alive and safe in her arms. She looked up and saw how her brother's captors were slaughtered by two of her father's hunting men. They screamed in agony as their bodies were mutilated until their lives had left their bodies. She had watched with zero remorse. Her sight was soon pulled to the lone stranger's motionless body that lay in a small pool of their blood. The person that saved her little brother from their people. She felt warm and grateful. When the hunters moved away from the two piles of flesh and made their way toward the unconscious stranger with their axes in their hands, ready to butcher them too, Wanda abruptly ordered them to a halt. As the daughter of their leader, she had some kind of power. They halted their movements, lowered their weapons, and looked at her through their masks, waiting for their next orders. Wanda looked down at her brother who was now looking up at her with his big friendly eyes which both still held some unshed tears, then returned her sight back to the lone stranger. She thought it over for a second before looking up at the hunters and saying in their language, "Strangers from outside the woods are not welcome in our home because of their evil natures and disrespectful behavior towards our woods, but I believe this one is different. I witnessed early this morning how the people who were with them mercilessly abandoned them in the middle of these dangerous woods. We just saw how they saved Pietro, son of Django Maximoff our celebrated leader, and my father, from their own kind and in return got stabbed. They need help, which our healers can give. We owe that to them." The two hunters grumbled something while shaking their heads. "Don't worry about my father. This is my decision. All consequences are on me. I give you my word." The two hunters looked at each other before nodding at Wanda. One of them ripped off a piece of their fur clothing and used it to tie off your open wound before he carefully pulled you off the cold ground and started walking in the direction of their home, followed directly by the other hunter, Wanda, and Pietro.

Upon their arrival at the gates of the hidden village, one of the gatekeepers blew on a horn to announce their return before letting them in. They were greeted by Django, his wife Marya, his right-hand man Erik and a handful of guards. Pietro ran like a speedster to his mother who brought him in a loving hug. Wanda made her way over to her father who was already waiting for her with open arms. She almost forgot about what happened just a while ago until she hears her father say, "Who's the stranger you brought with you?" Wanda pulled away from the hug to look her father in the eyes before she would answer him. "You know how I think about outsiders, Wanda. What is one of them doing in our home?" Wanda took a deep breath before she calmly tried to explain the situation to her father and those around them who were also listening. "This morning when I was on my morning walk and arrived at the open spot in the middle of our woods I walked upon a group of them sleeping on the ground." She noticed her father's eyes widen and mouth open ready to tell her once again that she isn't allowed to come near outsiders alone, but before he could Wanda continued, "Don't worry, Dad. I stayed at a safe distance and blended in with nature so they wouldn't notice me. Like you taught me as a kid." Her dad smiled a little at the memories of him and his daughter spending time in the woods while he taught her the ways of nature and how to take good care of it. "I watched them for a while until all of the group but one woke up. They then left, leaving the one still asleep all alone in the middle of the woods. Sometime later they woke up looking confused, scared, and angry. Not long after they had left I decided to walk back home. I had promised Pietro to spend some time with him and I didn't want him to wander alone through the woods with outsiders lurking around..." Wanda stopped to take a breath, knowing what she was about to say next would upset her parents. "Next thing I knew I heard Pietro scream. I ran as fast as I could towards the direction it came from. When I arrived I saw how two of the outsiders I saw that morning held Pietro hostage while holding a knife to his throat. They were yelling at two of your hunters. I was so afraid they were gonna hurt Pietro, but out of nowhere the lone stranger who got left behind sprinted from behind a tree and rescued Pietro. They got stabbed after. I know our rules and how our people think about outsiders, but I think this one is different. They at least deserve to be helped by our healer as a thank-you for saving Pietro. My little brother. Your son and successor." It became quiet. For a few minutes, no one said a word. Django stared at his daughter with an unknown look. He then looked to Pietro, who was still being held by his mother. "Is it true, little warrior? Did the lone stranger save you from those barbarians from the outside world?" Pietro nodded his head. One of the two hunters then spoke up and confirmed the part about the lone stranger saving Pietro. Django walked up to the hunter who still held your motionless body in his arms. He looked at your face, then at your wound, which was in high need of treatment. He looked back at his wife who nodded at him, he then looked to his daughter who was already looking at him with hopeful eyes. "If we treat them we can't just let them go back to the outside world. They will know too much about our civilization. It will bring our community at risk. I can't let that happen, Princess." Wanda understood her father's reasoning. The outsiders had hurt her community more than enough. One of her uncles fell victim to them. He died three years ago in a one-sided fight he got into with a group of outsiders he came across at the edge of the woods when he was taking an evening walk. Her father was never the same after finding his brother's beaten and lifeless body. Later he found out that a member of their community, who secretly had started seeing an outsider, had told her about the village in the woods. Her brother and his friends went to the woods that fatal night to look for these so-called forest people and bumped into Clint, her uncle. He refused to lead them to the village and ended up choking in his own blood after a severe beating. The villager who had given up their secret existence had been sentenced to death a day later after they had tracked him down. Wanda could still recall like it was yesterday how he begged for mercy as he was about to be beheaded by her father. The sound of his sword cutting through his neck had given her the chills. His head was after that placed on a stake outside the gates as a warning, so no one would ever make the same mistake as him. In the years after that, the people of the woods secluded themselves even more from the outside world. No trips to the edge of the woods were made again.

"They won't tell anyone about us, Dad," Wanda says confidentially. "Not when we keep them here." Django looks at his daughter with confusion, "What do you mean by keeping them here? You mean like a prisoner in the caves or that we keep their body here after ending their life?" Wanda shakes her head at that. "No. I mean that they become one of us. It may take some time for them to adjust to their new home, but I will personally guide them into accepting their new life if you give them the chance. It happened before, remember? We've accepted an outsider before and that went positively. I know that was a long time ago and it happened before that horrendous evening, but I have fate this lone stranger will be a good addition to our community." Django shakes his head with a sigh, but before he can speak up one of his most trusted huntingmen steps forward, Buchanan, who was the former outsider Wanda spoke of. He was now happily married to his wife Natalie and has two beautiful children, a boy and a girl. Ten years ago he had ended up lost in the woods after his car broke down on the road that went through it. Due to no service on his phone, he started walking, hoping to find a nearby gas station of some kind of civilization that could help him fix his car. He ended up walking further into the woods. After seven days of wandering around the woods without food or drinkable water, he passed out. Django and two of his men had found him on a hunting trip. They brought him back to their home and the rest was history. "With all due respect, sir. I stand with your daughter, Wanda, on this matter. I understand your worries about the possible consequences and dangers it could bring us and our loved ones" he said while looking back at his wife Natalie, "but not every outsider is like those who ended your brother's life. I am an example of that. The lone stranger can also be an example. In my eyes, they have already proven they are different by saving your son's life while risking their own. I volunteer to help them, together with Wanda, with adjusting themselves to their new life. If you agree at letting them stay, of course." "I volunteer too, sir," Natalie says while stepping forward to stand next to her husband. Wanda smiled at hearing her best friends supporting her. Marya then steps forward and places a hand on her husband's shoulders. He looks at her. She doesn't even have to say anything for him to know what she thinks. He thinks everything through before giving her a small smile while nodding his head. He turns back to look at his daughter with his mind made up. “Okay”, He says. “I will give them a month to adjust. If by then they have, they can stay with us. If not...” He doesn’t need to finish his sentence for Wanda to know what will happen then. She nods her head in acceptance. “Thank you, Father.”

Django orders the man who is still holding you in his arms to bring you to the healer so she can patch you up. Wanda follows them together with Natalie and Buchanan.

You are placed on a wooden bed with animal fur covering it. The village healer, Stephany Strange, walks towards you with a serious face. She tells Wanda, Natalie, and Buchanan to step back and give her space to do what she does best. She removes all the clothing that is covering your knife wound and starts her treatment.

After thoroughly cleaning your wound she grabs a jar from the shelf behind her. The content of it she smears on your irritated wound. You flinch in your unconscious state, but soon your body relaxes as the cream is doing its magic. Wanda watches everything with careful eyes. Stephany mumbles some ancient spells while moving her hands in patterns above your wound. When she's done she wipes the remnants of the cream off of your waist and as if a miracle just happened the wound had magically disappeared. The only indicator of you ever being stabbed there was a decent-sized scar where the knife had been.

Stephany looks up at Wanda and says, "They're healed and should wake up within the day. Make sure they rest well and drink enough water," before turning around and elegantly walking out of the room. Wanda takes a seat next to the bed. She inspects the scar and amazes herself with the healer's work. No one knows how she does it. Every time someone asks her about it they get a different answer. According to rumors, Stephany Strange is an ancient sorceress with great magical power. Whether it's true, no one knows. Whoever she is, she is well respected and beloved in the village. From the moment she arrived at the gates casually asking for a place to shelter from the rain all those years ago, she made herself useful in the community. Before her arrival, many villagers had severe health problems, causing a lot of them to die. Stephany changed that. Instead of staying only temporarily until the storm had passed she never left and became their official healer.

Wanda looked outside the window at the darkening sky. Nighttime had come. The full moon was placed in the middle of the darkness, surrounded by thousands of stars. Her mind went to her father's words. If you hadn't accepted your new life by the next full moon, you would end up as a sacrificial meal. She grabbed one of your hands in her own. She barely knew you, but she felt a certain way about you. Maybe it was because you saved her little brother. Maybe it was because you had a certain aura around you. An aura different from the other outsiders she came across from. Natalie placed a reassuring hand on top of Wanda's shoulder, knowing exactly how she felt. She had felt the exact same way when she first laid eyes on Buchanan. She was gonna support her friend in every way possible like she did with her.

While unconscious, you were haunted by terrible nightmares. You were running for your life through the dark woods while clutching your stomach trying to keep your intestines from falling out. How you were able to keep on your feet in this state was beyond you. You could faintly hear the rushed footsteps of your attackers running after you. They were screaming in an unknown language. It sounded like battle cries. You did not dare look back or reduce speed. This was a life and death situation and you weren't gonna die because you were tired of running or were curious as to how far those savages were. You were not gonna end up like one of those dumb characters in a horror movie, even though it felt like you were in one yourself. In the state you were in you didn't notice the branch sticking out of the ground until your tripped over it and fell face-first on the harsh ground. You grunted in pain as your whole body was shaking. Your vision became more blurred as you desperately tried to crawl forward with the tiny bit of energy you had still left due to adrenaline rushing through your body. You didn't get far. When two big hands grabbed you by your shoulders you knew that this meant your demise. You were roughly turned onto your back. Three large creatures stood bowed over you. They had animal skulls covering their faces and wore animal fur as clothes. You wanted to scream, but no sound came out of your mouth. One of them suddenly moved their hands to your stomach and pulled your intestines out you had desperately tried to keep inside. The other two then raised their axes and started slashing into you. At first, you were in the most horrendous pain you could imagine until you didn't feel anything anymore. You stared at the birds flying in the sky above you as your body shook with each slash. The sound of flesh being cut and breaking bones didn’t reach your ears anymore. Soon your eyes closed.

Suddenly you jolt awake. Your breathing was irregular and your body was covered in sweat. You felt two soft hands on each side of your face and heard an unfamiliar but soothing voice say something. It took you a while to calm down and get out of your disorientated state. It was only when you were calm you fully registered the other person in the room. It was a beautiful-looking woman with long wavy red hair and emerald eyes you could drown in if you looked into them for too long. They looked familiar as if you had looked into them before, you just couldn't remember when. Her thumbs were brushing in circles over your cheeks, calming you down even more. Both of you looked at each other for some time in comfortable silence until it dawned upon you that you had no idea who this woman sitting in front of you was. Then you remembered what had happened in the woods. You pushed the woman's hands off of your face and jumped up from the bed. You grabbed an unknown object and held it in front of you as a defense weapon while you backed up until you hit what you think is a wall. The woman calmly stood up and walked in your direction while saying something in a language you don't recognize. Suddenly two other people burst through the door. The woman in front of you looked at them while speaking to them with the same calm voice as she did with you, only they seemed to understand what she was saying. At that moment while the woman with red hair was too distracted by her conversation you made an unfortunate decision as panic had taken over your mindset. You grabbed her and pulled her into a headlock while you started yelling at the two people who just entered for answers. "Who are you? Where am I, What are you going to do to me?" If you had paid better attention to your surroundings you could have noticed that the ‘wall’ you had backed yourself against wasn't a wall, but a door. Before you could register the person standing behind you, you were hit on the back of your head with a blunt object. The force made you lose your grip on the woman as you fell to the floor in a hazy state. You didn't register what happened to you after that until you regained your clearness again in a poorly lit cell.

After an unknown amount of time had passed the door to your cell opened, showing an unfamiliar woman with short red hair. She held something in her hands, but due to the darkness, you couldn't make up what it was. She stepped closer to you until she was in the middle of the room. Crouching down she placed the object on the ground. It was an earthenware bowl with fresh fruits in it. The bowl contained strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, apples, and pears. You hesitantly looked at the bowl, you were hungry but too afraid and unsure to make any sudden, unwanted moves that could lead you to be punished or brutally killed. You had seen with your own eyes what these people were capable of. The woman's voice snapped you out of your thoughts. She pointed at the food and then toward you. She didn't sound angry or dangerous. Carefully you moved towards the bowl. Picking it up with your hands you studied the colorful fruits before bringing them piece for piece to your mouth. It was delicious. They were sweet and juicy. With each piece, you let out a moan from delight. This was far better than the fruit you bought at the grocery store. While you were busy eating, the woman standing in front of you was watching you, studying you. She didn't see anything dangerous in you. She saw the fear in your eyes when she walked in. Fear can do a lot to people. You woke up in a strange place with a stranger after witnessing something traumatic. At least, for you. Natalie had witnessed multiple deaths in her life and even though it still did something to her, it wasn't traumatizing to her. Your fear drove you to the stupid action that led you to be put into the cell you were in. She understood that. It reminded her of Buchanan. He did something similar in the first week here. With her right hand, she touched the small scar on the side of her neck where Buchanan had held a knife to. They had come so far. A small smile plastered her face. When you were finished with eating you placed the bowl back on the floor close by the woman's feet and slid back towards the wall. The woman grabbed the bowl and walked back towards the door. The whole time it had been wide open while calling your name. You could have tried to escape through it, but you didn't. Progress. Natalie thought. It was small and to some meaningless, but to her and most definitely to Wanda, it wasn't. She closed the door behind her and made her way to Wanda's cabin, who was already anticipatingly waiting for her to give her an update about you.

Soon the second morning of your stay in the woods dawns. While you're still secured in your cell, your parents were seated at their kitchen table with the sheriff seated across from them. Your mother could barely hold it together as your father worriedly told the sheriff about you not coming home after the party. It got even worse when the sheriff told them you weren't the only one who was reported missing. He told them that partygoers had seen you and a few others walking towards the woods. While your father was trying to console your mother he asked the sheriff if they had found any trace of you and the others. The sheriff nodded and placed your phone on the table. The screen was broken and there was something that looked like blood on one of the corners. The only thing the sheriff could bring out was "I'm so sorry. We will try everything in our power to bring them back home..." If we ever find them... He doesn't say that last part out loud, but with all the people who went missing without as much of a trace, he fears the worst. His thoughts go to his daughter who was also part of the group that was seen walking to those damn woods. He prayed to god that his daughter was okay, not knowing the horrid ending she had gotten. Her body lay almost unrecognizable in one of the death traps the people from the woods had places to keep outsiders far away from their home. Her screams of pain still echoed through the air as a crow was picking flesh from her split open head.

The early sunlight shining on your face woke you up. The door to your cell stood wide open. With care in your movements, you stood up and walked towards the light. As you walked out of the darkness from your cell you moved your hand up to block the bright sunlight from shining in your eyes and blinding you. When you were adjusted to it you looked around, taking in your surroundings. No one seemed to pay attention to you. Maybe this was your chance to escape from wherever you were. Taking another look around you to make sure the coast was clear, you started to walk in the direction of a seemingly unguarded piece of the high wall surrounding the village, not aware of the watchful pair of eyes that lay upon you. At the wall, you placed your hands on the wooden beams looking for any weak spots you could take advantage of, but you found none. Looking up you calculated whether climbing over it was an option. Before you could make a decision a firm hand was placed on your shoulder. Your eyes widened and you were sure this was the moment you were gonna die. Slowly turning around you stood face to face with a scary-looking man with brown hair that was tied in a bun and had only one arm on his body. He looked at you with an unknown look in his eyes. Suddenly he threw his arm over your shoulder and walked you towards a large cabin in the middle of the village. When you entered you were met with a room full of people who were eating and talking together. The man led you towards a table with a small group of people sitting around it in the middle of the room. Both the woman who you tried to hold hostage the other day and who gave you food last night were seated there. There was also a man and a woman who looked like to be around your parent’s age seated at the end of the table. The silver-haired boy was also there, seated next to two red-headed children who seemed to be enjoying some sort of meat. The man who still had his arm thrown over your shoulder pushed you down on a chair next to the emerald-eyed woman before taking a seat himself next to the other redhead. He kisses her on her cheek before he grabs some food off his plate and starts to eat it. You look down at the plate filled with food in front of you. Your stomach was rumbling as it was begging to be filled with food. Everyone around you was already enjoying their breakfast while moaning at the apparently delicious taste. You hesitantly reached for the reddish-looking meat before bringing it to your mouth. Taking a small bite you chew on it a couple of times, enjoying the taste of it. It wasn’t something you had eaten before as you didn’t recognize the flavor high-jacking your taste buds. The structure of the meat was a little tougher than you were used to, but it wasn’t bad. Before you knew it you had finished your breakfast and so had everyone around you. You see people clean up their things before walking out of the room to start their day. You feel a hand on your shoulder. It was the emerald-eyed woman. She looked down at you with a sweet smile and motioned for you to stand up and come with her. You could feel the stares of the others linger on you as you stood up from the table and walked after the woman. You did not know where she was taking you but you were not in a position to question things as it could cost you your life. If you wanted to live, you were obligated to live by their rules, even though you didn’t know them yet. Maybe if you showed them you meant no harm, they would let you go. It sounded like a good plan but you knew, in the back of your mind, that you were probably never gonna be let go and that this place was where you were gonna spend the rest of your life, but for now you ignored that thought. You ended up at the cabin where your stay in this village started. The woman opened the door for you and you walked in with her following not close behind you. When you heard the door lock behind you you feared the worst.

As you stood with your back to her you felt her hands being placed on your shoulders. You felt yourself tens up and she felt it too. She wanted to comfort you, but she knew that you weren’t there yet. She retracted from you and walked towards a closet in the corner of the room. She grabbed some clean clothes, clothes made of deer fur, and gave them to you. She turned around to give you some privacy. When you’re ready you scrape your throat to get her attention. She turns around and looks at you, taking in your appearance. You look a little bit more like them now. She smiles. You don’t understand why. She holds out her hand for you to take, which you reluctantly do, and pulls you outside.

Fourteen days went by. Every day you were woken up by the scary man and led to breakfast with his strong arm thrown over your shoulder while he hummed a happy tune, which had given you the chills the first half of the week, but by now you were at a point of almost joining him. You would sit next to the emerald-eyed woman, whose name, you learned, is Wanda. Slowly but certainly you started to understand what they were saying. Sometimes you even joined in on the conversation even though it wasn't much. You felt yourself getting comfortable. Your fear of them had lessened but hadn't gone away completely. There was still that small voice in the back of your mind that kept you on your toes. While the urge of wanting to leave this place wasn't as strong, you still were thinking of ways to do so when you were alone at night in your cell before sleep overtook you. Sometimes you feel guilty for still thinking of escaping plans. Most of those times were when Wanda was with you. You didn't want to admit it, but she made you feel a certain way. A feeling you were a little scared of. Her contagious laugh, her soft touch, the need to help others, you being one of them, made you fall more and more for her each day.

It was on the eighteenth day that instead of the scary man, Wanda woke you up. She had this sparkle in her eyes as she looked at you. She walked with a skip in her step to you and crouched down. Her hands were placed on both sides of your face as she smiled at you. "Today me and my friends will take you on a walk outside the wall. My father just gave me the green light." She brought you in a tight hug before standing back up again and walking towards the open door. When she didn't hear you move she looked back and nudged her head for you to follow, "Come on, handsome." You didn't understand the last part but you hurriedly stood up to follow her to the gates where the Buchanan and Natalie, whose names you just learned from Wanda, stood waiting for you both. Wanda's parents and leaders of the community were also there. He hugged his daughter, "Be safe out there, sweetheart. I trust you and your friends to behave yourselves out there and stay inside the safe area." Wanda nodded, "Yes father. And if anything somehow goes wrong, Buchanan is with us to protect us." Django looks at him as he nods in confirmation. He then looks at you. "Don't disappoint my daughter. See this as a test. If you fail..." He doesn't finish his sentence, but you know what he's alluding to and he knows you know by the slight fear in your eyes. He has seen the progress you've made in the past weeks. He has also seen how happy you make his daughter, even though you don't seem to notice it yet. But he knows from experience that some people, under certain circumstances, can do disappointing things. He hopes that you're not one of them. Time will tell. He watches as Wanda takes your hand and leads you through the open gates into the woods with Buchanan and Natalie walking not far behind.

Wanda let's go of your hand to go take a closer look at some beautiful flowers. You watch her as she does so. A small smile is plastered on your face as you watch this goddess of a woman as she gracefully touches nature's decorations. Buchanan and Natalie are watching you while having a whispered conversation. "This sight reminds me of our story, my love," Natalie says as she hugs her husband. "Who do you think will make the first move? Them of Wanda?" Buchanan shrugs his shoulders at his wife's question. "It doesn't matter, doll. What matters is what comes after the first move. Once they discover how the other feels about them not many other things will be on their mind. Like with us. You're my everything, Natalie." He looks down at his wife and brings her in a loving kiss. "I love you." "I love you too."

Soon Wanda returns, taking your hand back in hers again. The four of you walk further while taking in the beauty that is nature that surrounds you. It's quiet, only the sound of leaves rustling in the wind and the chirping of birds that fly in the blue sky can be heard. Now you have a slightly bigger chance of escaping the people who brought you to their home the thought has not come up in your mind once. You enjoy walking with Wanda, Natalie, and even Buchanan. You feel at peace. The stress that had you in its grip back home has let you go. There is no worrying about work deadlines or bills that need to be paid. While you had trouble socializing with the people outside the woods, in the woods, with its inhabitants, it felt so much easier. It didn't feel forced and you didn't feel like throwing up when you had to speak to someone you didn't know yet. The small acts of affection from Wanda, like her holding your hand, felt like something you had craved for all your life without you even knowing. Not once you had experienced the feeling she gave you before. You did have flings before that made you feel something, but that was nothing like this. This felt more intense. Her presence made you feel like butterflies had made your stomach their home. You wanted to express your feelings towards her, but you didn't know how, and even if you did, you didn't know if she felt the same about you. Sure she was affectionate with you, but that didn't mean automatically that she had some sort of romantic feelings for you. You hoped she did though.

It doesn't take long however for your peaceful and slightly romantic walk through the woods to be disturbed. Unknown voices in the distance alert Buchanan as he leads Natalie, Wanda, and you to hide in the bushes. He grabs hold of a large knife that he always carries with him, as he waits for the outsiders to appear. Your eyes widen when you see who they are. Remembering that his daughter was with you the night you entered these woods you looked at the sheriff who, together with a few of his men, was walking from behind some trees with their guns in their hands, ready to fire whoever dared attack them. Suddenly the voice in your head that you hadn't heard in a while and had forgotten about spoke again, telling you that this was your chance to escape. The chance of Buchanan taking out all these armed men was present, but not high. The sheriff knows you and would probably not shoot you. You thought the idea over. If you waited for them to come a little closer Buchanan had less of a chance of grabbing you as he sat furthest away from you. They could help you find your way back to civilization. Back to your loving parents, to your good but stressful job, paying bills that got higher each year, and forced social gatherings. You were pulled from your thoughts by Wanda who hugged your arm tightly as she watched the men with worry and slight fear. She knew that if they were discovered it would probably mean their end. It was at that moment that you made your choice. You squeezed Wanda's hand tightly to reassure her. You weren't gonna leave her. She means too much to you. You love her too much to betray her and her people like this.

Natalie had seen the internal struggle when she looked at you. She could see it from your body language and the look in your eyes when you shifted your gaze from the armed group of outsiders who, from Natalie's perspective, you seemed to know, to Wanda who hugged herself close to your side. She knew you could have made a run for it. You didn't. You had de perfect opportunity and you didn't take it because of her. Wanda. She knew at that moment that you had fallen head over heels for her best friend. Even under the current circumstances, you all were in, a small smile was plastered on Natalie's face.

Luckily for you, the sheriff and his men walked past the bushes you were hiding in and back towards the edge of the woods, far away from the hidden village. When they were out of sight and ear range it felt like all of you could breathe again. Buchanan made sure that the coast was clear before you all got out of the bushes in silence. Wanda hadn't let go of your arm the entire time. You didn't mind.

The four of you decided to walk back home. Natalie and Buchanan are in front with you and Wanda walking close behind. It didn't take long for you to arrive. The gates were opened for you to come in. You thought that Wanda would want to go see her parents after what happened, but instead, she bid her silent goodbyes to Natalie and Buchanan before she made her way to her cabin pulling you with her without saying a word. When the both of you are inside Wanda locks the door so no one can interrupt the both of you. You turn to look at her, wanting to make sure she is okay... "Wanda...I" But before you can say anything else, Wanda steps forward and closes the gap between you. She cups your face in her soft hands as she kisses you with passion. You’re surprised at her action and it takes you a moment to snap out of it. But when you do, you kiss her back with just as much passion.

A whine leaves your mouth as Wanda pulls away from you and takes a step back. The woman in front of you stares at you with desire as she starts undressing. Slowly. It takes everything in you to stay patient and calm and not just rip her clothes off of her body, but you manage. As her dress lowers to the ground you can feel yourself getting aroused at the godly sight of her nude body. Her breasts are perky with hardened rosy nipples calling for your mouth to suck them. Her tighs a canvas for you to place marks on. The forbidden fruit between her legs you can't wait to eat from. While admiring her you start to undress. She watches you with a slightly opened mouth and reddened cheeks. When you're both completely naked she walks backward towards her bed and takes her place on it, not taking her eyes off of you. Her hands move to her breasts to kneed them, something you'd like to do yourself. One of her hands soon moves south. She spreads her legs for you to see her dripping core, where soon two of her fingers disappear in. It's hard for her to not close her eyes at the pleasure, but she wants to watch you. She wants to see the lust in your eyes as you watch her pleasure herself. She wants to see you struggle to prevent yourself from taking action. It turns her on even more. You clench your fists when a loud moan leaves her mouth. When your name escapes her lips you can't stop yourself anymore. You urge towards her and before she can reach her orgasm you pull her fingers out of her, replacing them with your own. Her back arches off the bed as you hit the perfect spot inside her. You take one of her nipples in your mouth and start to suck. Her hand moves to your head to keep you in place. She bucks her hips into your hand, getting close to her orgasm again. A simple plea leaves her mouth, "P-please..." You look up at her. Her mouth hangs slightly ajar as sweat beads cover her head. Her eyes are closed tight shut as she feels herself coming closer and closer to her release as your fingers keep a steady pace. "Look at me, my sweet flower. Look at me while you cum. I want to see how beautiful you look when you do." It isn't easy, but she manages to open them and look you in the eyes. Your beautiful eyes hold love and care in them, but also desire and lust. "Cum for me." You say one more time as you watch the woman beneath you cums undone. You can feel her walls clench around your fingers before her wetness covers them, together with your hand and the sheets underneath her. You help her ride out her high before you carefully retract your fingers to lick them clean. You moan at her delicious taste. She can't help herself from staring at you licking yourself clean from her juices. Before you can start with your hand she sits up and takes a hold of it, bringing it to her own mouth to lick her juices off of it while keeping strong eye contact with you. When you're all clean she brings you into a loving kiss as your tongues battle for dominance, which you eventually get. You push her back onto the bed and start slowly kissing down her body, leaving multiple marks on your way down. You open her legs to make space for you. With her legs placed over your shoulders, you start licking and sucking until she sees stars.

As the days went by you and Wanda grew closer together. She had taught you about her people's way of living and the language they spoke. Each day you became more like one of them, each day you forgot more about your previous life. Django and Marya could see how happy their daughter was with you. They too started to think of you as one of their own. You earned more freedom as you earned their trust. Your favorite occupation was taking long walks with Wanda through the woods while listening to her endless stories. You'd even admit that sometimes her stories wouldn't reach your ears as her beauty was too distracting for you. You loved everything about her. You loved her so much that you couldn't imagine a life without her anymore. Life before her became meaningless to you. Each night you declared your love over and over again to her. Every morning you would tell her you loved her in her language, which had become yours too.

Soon it was the day of the full moon. The judgment day. But everyone knew what the outcome would be as you were now almost fully a forest person. You were one of them. It would be official after the ceremonial party that was being thrown that night. Everyone was gathered outside celebrating their new neighbor with self made beverages and food in their hands. As Django held a speech everyone raised their cups to toast on you. While everyone cheered after Django finished, Wanda pulled you away from the crowd to congratulate you in peace and quiet. Wanda pulled you into a loving kiss as she held both your hands in her own. "I love you so much, Y/n. I'm so proud of you for becoming one of us. Now you and I can be together forever." She said before bringing you into another kiss. Your mind was taken hostage by your love for Wanda. "I love you too, my love. With every fiber of my body. Every thought holds you in it." Without further thought you pick Wanda up and take her to your shared cabin. Placing her on the soft bed with care you undress her while kissing every inch of her skin. When she's fully bare you take one of her rosy nipples in your mouth while you pinch and roll the other in between your fingers. You push your muscled thigh in between her parted legs, making her moan at the sudden pressure against her dripping cunt. She rolls her hips to get more friction. "Baby, I-I need you. I need you down there. P-please." Wanda begs beneath you. "If you want my mouth you need to cum on my thigh first. I know you can do it. Be a good girl and cum for me. Ruin my pants." You move your mouth to her other nipple, making her cry beneath you. She fastens her pace, chasing her high. She needs to cum, she wants you in between her legs so bad. She is so close. You tense your muscles for her. "Oh yes, baby!" She moans as she can feel a wave of pleasure flood over her. Her juices cover your thigh as you help her ride out your orgasm. "Good girl. Such a good girl." You whisper in her ear before you make your way down.

After another terrific orgasm, you decide to give her a break. You lay beside her and bring her into a tight hug. "You did so good for me, love. I'm so proud." Wanda snuggles further against you with a satisfied smile as she throws her arm over your stomach, not wanting you to move. "Thank you, darling. Thank you for loving me and making me feel so good." The two of you lay there in silence for a few minutes, listening to the people partying outside.

"Marry me"

"What?"

"Marry me" You repeat.

Wanda looks up at you and sees the seriousness and love in your eyes. Last night I talked to your parents about me. You. Us. I love you, Wanda. So much. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, but before I ask you if you want the same I asked your parents for permission out of respect. I mean it, Wanda. I've never felt this way. I know we only know each other for about a month, but I've never been so sure about something before. Marry me. Make me the happiest person in the world. I will treat you like the queen you are and make you the happiest woman. I want you to be my wife." You look at her in full expectation. Her eyes start to get watery. For a second you panick and think the worst, until she cups your face and places a gentle kiss on your lips. "Yes, my darling. A 100 times yes. Of course, I want to marry you and become your wife. I want nothing more." You smile at hearing her answer. The both of you stay in bed for another hour before both of you dress and return to your party to share your big news, receiving nothing but positive reactions from your new family and friends.

The next few days were all about planning your and Wanda's wedding. Wanda's mother, Marya assigned herself the task of sewing her daughter the perfect wedding dress and you, her daughter's fiance, the perfect suit. Django and his men made it their mission to build an altar in the middle of the village. Buchanan had gotten the task of collecting everything for the wedding ceremony. To do this he had to go to your parent's house. Together with two others, he left the village two days before your big day, promising Natalia a safe return. Natalia spends her days with Wanda, helping her get ready. Wanda felt nervous. She wanted everything to go right. She couldn't wait for her wedding night which she would spend against your hot sweaty body. She felt herself getting aroused by the thoughts of every sinful thing she wanted to do with you. She knew you loved her with all your being, but she also knew something you didn't. The wedding ceremony contained a sacrifice that was to be made by the one who had asked the question of marriage. You. Her worry of you maybe leaving her left as soon as she looked outside to see you playing some made-up game with her little brother. With a smile, she watched on as the two of you competitively battled for the win. It ended up in you giving the win to Pietro, making him smile with joy. Soon she would be your wife and the two of you would be bonded till death parted you. She wasn't gonna let you ever leave her. She loved you too much to let that happen. You loved her too much to do that anyway.

It was the night of your and Wanda's wedding. You were standing in your earth-colored suit at the altar waiting for your almost wife to walk down the aisle, together with the rest of the forest people. The open field where the wedding was taking place was beautifully decorated with decorations from nature and various small bonfires. The clear night sky was lit up by thousands of stars. It was the perfect night. You made eye contact with Marya, who gave you an approving nod. Behind you stood Buchanan, who became your best friend in the past weeks. On the other side of the altar stood Natalie, who looked at you with a pleased smile. Her best friend was getting married to her husband's new best friend. Life was good. The four of you could go on double dates. She already had so many fun activities in her head you could do together. As you looked around to look at all the people attending your special day, something nagged at you. Something was missing but you couldn't put your finger on it. Before you could think further of it, you spotted Wanda. Wanda who wore a stunning dress matching your suit, was being walked to the altar by her father. Tears threatened to leave your eyes at the sight. A true goddess she was. Soon Wanda stood before you. Her father gave her hand to you. The both of you looked at each other with love until the person who was gonna bond you two spoke up, drawing all attention to them.

When he was done Django spoke up. "Tonight is special to me. My eldest child and only daughter is marrying her forever love, Y/n. A person who comes from the horrid we call the outside world who found their way to us after being abandoned by those whom they once saw as their people. A person we welcomed into our home who eventually made it theirs too. They proved themselves to us and became one of us, something we celebrated in harmony as a community. Tonight I want to welcome them into my family." He said with a cheerful expression, but that soon changed into a serious one. "But before that can happen, Y/n has to perform our traditional wedding ritual to prove their undying love and loyalty towards their future wife, Wanda." You felt Wanda's grip on your hands tighten at his words. Django turned to you, "Will you y/n, accept doing the ritual to prove your undying love and loyalty towards Wanda?" You look at Wanda who nods at you, then back at him. "I will." You say with determination in your voice. Django calls for two of his men to go grab something from the cabin you remember vaguely being held in the first nights of your stay here. They return with two other people who have jute bags covering their heads and rope bound around their wrists. The two unknown people are pushed onto their knees in front of you. You can hear Wanda whisper in your ear as you look down at the strangers, "You will do this for me because you love me. Remember that, baby. Remember how much you love me and how much I love you. After you do this, we can be together forever." She pecks your cheek before she lets go of your hands. In replacement, you feel the handle of a hunting knife being placed in your hand. "Think of me when you finish them. Think of how good I will make you feel after this is over. You've seen what a good girl I can be, but imagine me being your bad girl..." With one last kiss, she nudges you closer toward the kneeled people. Django grabs both jute bags and pulls them off of the people's heads. Seated in front of you, covered in dirt, blood, and bruised were your parents. As they looked up at you you could see some relief, but a lot of fear. As you looked at them all sounds around you faded away. You could see their mouths move as they seemingly pleaded for their lives, but no sound reached your ears. Everyone else looked at you in expectation, waiting for you to immortalize your wedding in blood. Before you can think about all of this too much, you feel Wanda's soft hands on your shoulders. You remember why you needed to do this. You needed to do this for her. For your love. Your happy ending. So without further thought and doubt, you step forward, closing the gap between you and your begging parents and in one swift motion slash both their throats. Blood splatters all over you as it leaves their body. It doesn't take long for two lifeless bodies to drop onto the ground. Everybody starts to cheer you on and celebrate the official making of your and Wanda's wedding. You turn around to face Wanda who smiles at you with love. She lunges forward and kisses you with might, getting blood all over her dress. As the ceremony finishes you take Wanda to your cabin for your wedding night. Seeing you sacrifice your parents for her made Wanda go feral. The door is barely closed when Wanda rips your suit off of your body en pushes you onto the bed. She jumps on top of you and starts to place kisses on your skin, leaving hickeys everywhere. She rips a piece off of her dress and ties your hands to the headboard with it. You can only look at her with pure hunger as she devours you. Teasingly she riddens herself off of her dress, throwing it on the floor. She straddles your thigh as she kneads her breasts, pinching her nipples. while humping your thigh one of her hands moves between your legs. You moan loudly as she slowly pleasures you, building up to your first orgasm. No words are being spoken, only grunts and moans are leaving both your mouths. You can feel her wetness drip down your leg and it makes you reach your orgasm faster. Some crazy boost of strength enters your body as you free yourself with a strong tug from your restraints. Before she can register what you've done you flip her over, onto her stomach, spanking her a few times as she has been a bad girl. Her eyes roll back at the burning feeling of your hand hitting her ass, probably leaving a handprint. You take hold of her hair, making a makeshift ponytail to pull on. You align yourself with her dripping cunt en slowly thrust inside. A deep moan leaves Wanda's mouth at each inch you move further inside her until you're fully inside her. Not giving her a lot of time to adjust you start pounding into her like a wild animal. Wanda's face is being pushed into the pillow beneath her as she drools from pleasure. You don't care about the noises you make. Everyone is allowed to hear how good you fuck Wanda. Your wife. Wanda murmurs something inaudible, but you know what she wants, and you're gonna give it to her. You're gonna give her as much as she wants. "Cum, my queen. Make a mess. Show me how good I make you feel." You pull her up against your chest and move one hand towards her clit. Everything becomes too much for her and soon her dam breaks. Her juices spill from her pleasured pussy. You help her ride out her second orgasm. You pull out and lay onto your back on the bed, helping Wanda straddle your lap again. "I want you to ride me, my queen. Fuck yourself on me." Due to her sensitivity, she slowly sinks down. She places her hands on your chest as she rides you, leaving scratches all over your skin. Her breasts bounce with each roll of her hips and you love it. Your mouth drools at the sight of them. Wanda's eyes close as she feels another orgasm approach. She sits up and moves her hands to play with her breasts again as you place your hands on her hips, guiding her. "Go on, baby. Cum." You sweetly order her. Watching her orgasm is beautiful. The sound she makes while doing it is like music to your ears. Tiredly she drops on top of you. You stroke her hair while she calms down. "Tired baby? Do you need a break?" You ask her. A slightly dark laugh leaves her mouth as she sits back up and wraps one of her hands around your throat, slightly choking you. "Break? Oh, baby. I'm not tired yet and I'm far from done with you. We're just getting started. You're mine now as I am yours and I will keep reminding you of that till death do us part. Now open your mouth and eat my pussy..."

Onto the Next!

Masterlist

581 notes · View notes