explosion | OPEN POST.

No.

[It's an immediate answer, he doesn't even need to think about it. It's always in the back of his mind, that they might be judged for it, that they already are even if Pietro downplays everything he does with Wanda where someone might see, and flirts shamelessly to distract from it just as much as he does it to make her jealous. No one's watching. No one cares. Why can't they have this? It's their birthday. He moves his hand up her arm, lightly stroking with his fingers, encouraging.]

I want you.

[ Wanda should encourage him to exercise caution. They should be careful. She should remove her hand from his crotch and sit on the other end of the bench with some space wedged between them. But that's never been them. They've always been on top of one another, tangled up where she's not sure where she ends and he begins. She glances at the park and confirms once again that no one's even looking their way. It's almost as though they don't exist. ]

We can wait until we are home for you to come in your pants, Pietro.

[ She ignores the heat of her skin. That's what's going to happen, isn't it? She'll keep rubbing at his crotch and he'll come in his stupidly tight pants he had worn for all the other girls, and then he'll walk her home and they'll most likely do it again.

She should remove her hand, but Wanda only presses down harder. The idea of making that happen prompts her to sit up a little taller. ]

[A wave of heat burns through his chest, accompanied by a wheezing noise he tries to stifle as quickly as possible. Shit, Wanda.]

Don't say it like that.

[Pietro doesn't shy away from directness often, but when it's Wanda making such statements blatantly out in the open, he's both flustered and perhaps unfortunately for him, very stimulated. Though he'd protested over her choice of words, he only spreads his thighs further and grinds more obviously against her hand. It's exactly what's going to happen, but she doesn't need to announce it when Gertie and Jelka are right over there - engrossed in conversation and not even looking their way, but - Pietro turns his attention back to what's important here: making a nonchalant comment like he isn't going to embarrass himself on a public bench in less than two minutes.]

Besides, I am doing you a favour. You're getting a reason for me to go home with you and not stop by and see Zrinka.

Is that why? I thought it was because you wanted to make sure your hopeless little sister got home.

[ Wanda considers pulling her hand away, but she only presses down harder. He shouldn't be thinking of Zrinka right now when she's rubbing his cock through his pants. She furrows her brows, feeling as though steam's threatening to shoot from her ears. He always has to ruin these moments by bringing in the world around them like that.

Instead of pulling her hand away, she lightens her touch considerably and keeps her hand against his thigh as though she's merely sitting beside him. He wants her to continue touching him with the same level of intensity, and Wanda considers doing him a favour and preventing him from enjoying himself in the park on a nice day. In a roundabout way, they've only inspired each other.

She looks away from him, setting her jaw, and acts as though she's preoccupied with surveying those around them instead. ]

Maybe you should go see Zrinka.

[That was a completely wrong direction to go in, and Pietro regrets it the moment he hears a hint of sharpness in her first words - is that why?. He makes a frustrated whining noise when that last hard press of her fingers gives way to barely existent touches, just enough to constantly irritate him. Wanda's so practised at it, flipping that switch in his brain to annoyance so easily, like a tripwire. He fidgets uncomfortably, but attempts to keep up appearances too, they're just casually sitting here, watching people... and refusing to look at each other. Pietro could apologise, or he could say nothing at all, keep his mouth shut for one minute, but he won't.]

I think I will, now that you suggested it. Maybe later I'll tell you how it went. You could learn a lot from her.

[ Wanda withdraws her hand and clasps her hands tightly in her lap. She doesn't look at him, keeping her head tilted up slightly as she looks at anywhere but him. She won't let him ruin the park, especially when the weather's so nice and slightly warm and the sky isn't as dark and clouded with smoke as it has been over the last few weeks. She can pretend that this is a normal day in the park rather than some miracle.

But he always has to ruin it. Or maybe she does with her expectations that he won't always leave her behind.

She sits up straight and still doesn't look at him. She wishes for someone to look their way as though that's something of protection, and she finds that Jelka glances at them for the first time, even if her gaze doesn't stay. ]

Maybe you should stay with Zrinka. Have a nice time. Celebrate your birthday. [ With a decisive little nod, ] I will be fine at home.

[Once she's taken her hand back, Pietro leans forward with his elbows on his knees, fidgeting again, and tapping his fingers against each other in no semblance of a pattern, one leg shaking constantly like he wants to run off. Ignoring Wanda, he catches Jelka's eye for that brief moment. He furrows his eyebrows as she turns back to what she was doing, something just occurring to him, possibly clicking into place. But he won't mention it. They never looked, not once. Did Wanda do it? Make everyone in the vicinity completely disregard them while they were... He'll ask about it later.

He only waits long enough in awkward silence until he can get up without his erection being too obvious. He likes attention, but not that much and doesn't want it right now. When he does stand, he gaze is fixed over the park and not anywhere near Wanda, but he can feel her, her presence itself boring holes in his back. He almost says something, half of a syllable before he stops himself and just sighs, walking away.

Pietro doesn't see Zrinka, but looks for Vasili, who hadn't quite made it to the park yet. It's somehow easier to make amends there, far less trouble than he tends to have with Wanda. When they're done talking, he goes straight home. It's best. It's not much, and he may never admit to it aloud, but he recognises he's been insufferable for most of the day, as she likes to claim so often, and that the few moments he hadn't been doesn't make up for the rest of it.]

[ After he leaves the bench, Wanda doesn't stay in the park. She gathers Davida's shopping and only says a short hello to their friends before she returns to their building, giving the older woman her bags and making very little small talk. The one thing she likes about Davida is how she's no-nonsense. She's efficient, even if she comes off as antisocial. She knows what she wants and she sees to it that she gets it, even if it's simply going to the supermarket or seeing her niece several blocks away.

Perhaps she should've stayed at the park and enjoyed herself. She doesn't mind Jelka, even if she sometimes wishes the other girl wouldn't manipulate the conversation to speak of Pietro. Maybe she should've stayed and proved to herself and Pietro that she doesn't need him by her side to be able to fit in with some of their friends. But as she hesitates in the hallway, Wanda doesn't turn on her foot to return to the park. She's had enough pretending for the day.

When Wanda's in their apartment, she's unsurprised not to find Pietro there. He said he'd be busy, after all, and Zrinka was doing her a favour by keeping him out of her hair. Perhaps she'd have the entire apartment to herself for the night. A rarity—and sometimes something Wanda greatly enjoyed. She undresses and slips out of the plaid pants, finding it useless to stay in them. She swaps them for her plaid pyjama shorts from the morning and searches the apartment for sturdy rope or wires to hang her suncatcher up in front of the window. And when that task is done, she sits cross-legged on the couch and turns on Just Shoot Me! for a change in a fictional universe.

She doesn't turn her head when he enters the apartment and she doesn't lower the volume of the television, either. ]

How is Zrinka?

[ She's proud that her voice holds no malice. It's not Zrinka's fault Pietro likes her. ]

[He hears the television as he opens the door, and he hadn't really expected Wanda to be home. He should have. Even given the opportunity to socialise with their friends by herself, without him hovering around and being obnoxious, she seldom takes it or keeps up with conversations for long. Pietro shuts the door quietly and feigns a confused look and wave of his hand even if Wanda doesn't take her eyes of the television, as if he can't imagine why she asks about Zrinka at all.]

I don't know. I was with Vasili.

[He leaves no room for comments as he heads directly for the bedroom, to swap his uncomfortable tight jeans for the sloppy track pants he'd left on the floor this morning. The suncatcher sways slightly where she'd hung it, filtering the afternoon light into a warmer yellow in abstract shapes over the floor and the wall. He returns shortly, stopping behind Wanda on the couch to briefly run his fingers along her temple and kiss the top of her head.]

I'm sorry.

[It's very quiet, and immediately after, he climbs over the back of the couch and takes up whatever space is left available to him, as if he hadn't said it at all and doesn't expect to be acknowledged.]

The sunflower looks good.

[That has a more conversational tone to it, but Pietro's eyes are on the screen, in case Wanda chooses to ignore him completely and he can pretend he's engrossed in Just Shoot Me! and not waiting for crumbs of actual attention.]

[ Wanda doesn't turn her head, not when he mentions Vasili and disappears into the bedroom and not when he drops down beside her. It shouldn't surprise her that Pietro hadn't found his way to Zrinka's apartment. This follows the usual game he plays, where he threatens or promises to go somewhere and ends up somewhere else and returns to her. A part of her had been expecting him to go and see Zrinka for a few hours of having company he didn't deem completely exasperating. ]

It does.

[ She smiles softly, glancing at him from the corner of her eye. She'd been intending to wait for him to help her hang it up, but there were some things that Wanda knew she could do by herself. Hanging that up had been one of them. She didn't need her big brother to help her find the wire or to be the one to hang it up because she'd declare him to be significantly taller than her.

She turns to face him, ignoring Nina insulting Dennis despite it being her favourite part of the show. ]

Why did you not go see Zrinka?

[ Even if the question often falls in the category of things that remain unspoken or even in the category of the answer being blatantly obvious, Wanda wants to see if he answers. It's a risk. Sometimes the answer is Pietro getting up and off the couch and going somewhere else. ]

[Dennis is annoying, and Nina wears too many high cut tops for him to pay that much attention to her in general, but right now he makes it look like their conversation is interesting and something to be prioritised over Wanda. Pietro waits until the scene changes to finally answer, and he may have taken that time to actually think about what he would say instead of letting his first inclinations towards dismissive rudeness take hold. He shifts a little, ostensibly getting more comfortable, but he's also picking at his fingernails and not turning completely towards her, just a glance or two before he speaks.]

I'd never planned to.

[If he'd run into her, maybe, but not purposefully sought her out, not like he'd implied.]

[ That feels like a very, very small victory to Wanda. He hardly ever admits as much, and when he does, it always feels like she's been smacked over by a wave. She smiles a small smile and turns away from him for a moment. Perhaps she shouldn't enjoy this, but she thinks that if their positions were reversed (if they were ever reversed) that he would be gloating. ]

Hm.

[ She clasps her hands together and looks at the television screen without registering anything. It doesn't make her feel any better, but it's stopped making her feel worse. She had dreaded him coming home and boasting about how lovely Zrinka is. She's a nice girl who Wanda hates resenting.

She brushes some of her hair away from her face. ]

I am still mad at you.

[ It's only fair to tell him, even if there's no anger in her voice. ]

[Pietro scoffs and waves one hand quickly in exasperation, looking at the ceiling.]

When are you not?

[It's a dramatic exclamation, though he's not nearly as annoyed as he lets on. He slides down on the couch, crossing his arms and making sure he looks disgruntled.]

[ She makes a disgruntled noise. ]

I'm not always mad at you!

[ She frowns at him, feeling a touch defensive. Perhaps that's his plan. She's no longer as guarded as she had been moments ago. Sometimes Pietro has such a talent for crawling beneath her skin and needling her that she forgets the act she wants to portray.

Wanda huffs and shakes her head. She mutters, ] You are so infuriating.

You are not proving your point.

[He laughs to himself, unfortunately loudly, because all it took was that one thing to set her off again, and their constant back and forth all day has come to the point of absurdity. Still, he presses one more button, because he can.]

Maybe I am not so infuriating as you are uptight.

[ She shoves him. ]

I am not uptight!

[ Except, well… out of the two of them, she knows she's not the most relaxed or willing to go with the flow.

Crossing her arms against her chest, she hmphs as she tilts her head up and looks away from him in a stubborn refusal to be uptight. It doesn't work, of course. ]

I'm going to ignore you now.

[ That'll do it. ]

[Pietro frowns and attempts to look offended at that shove. Once she turns away and makes her declaration, he sighs and rolls his eyes.]

Come on, don't do that. I was joking.

[Wanda knows it's the one thing that gets to him in a different way, he'd rather have her screaming at him than pretending he doesn't exist. He pouts just a little, an expression he would never classify as such himself, and shifts to press his back against the arm of the couch, keeping one leg folded underneath him, and one stretching out. He pokes Wanda's thigh with his foot.]

You can't ignore me.

[ The pouting has the highest possible chance of breaking her. It's a good thing Wanda only glances at him from the corner of her eye and continues to ignore him. He deserves it after being so temperamental today. Even though they both know she won't be able to uphold it for long, she intends to exact a little revenge.

It's on the tip of her tongue to inform him that she can ignore him, but that's the loophole she often falls prey to when she wishes to pretend he's not near her. Perhaps she's grown wiser in her old age.

Wanda makes a point of sighing heavily and, without looking, shoves at his foot with her palm. ]

Wanda...

[He stretches the last syllable out in not quite a whine, like he used to do when they were kids and she'd refused to play with him anymore after he'd annoyed her too much. It's subsequently followed by incessant fidgeting that shakes the couch, and more prodding with his foot. Her hand can't deter him. It's childish and irritating and he knows it, but he's banking on nostalgia making it skew towards endearing instead.]

[ She shakes her head, which defeats the purpose of ignoring him, but Wanda's idea of ignoring him constitutes not speaking to him. It's easy. She thinks she's doing well.

But then she whispers, ] Stop it.

[ Why does he have to move so much? She shoves at his foot, knowing that it'll stay pressed against her thigh regardless of what she does. That's what often breaks her. Pietro's stubborn refusal to listen and his need to poke and fidget until she's the one who's exasperated and not him.

Regardless, she smacks his leg for good measure. ]

[Pietro shouldn't push too far tonight, especially after he's gotten the satisfaction of that whispered acknowledgment, but he only tones it down instead of sitting back up and behaving himself. Moving his other leg out from under him, he slouches down more so he can shove both feet in her lap, getting comfortable and completely ignoring her insistent smack.]

I've stopped. No more.

[He holds up his hands in surrender, but is already shifting his feet, trying to decide which way is best to cross his ankles if he's going to stay in one position for the rest of this episode. Nothing feels quite perfect, it will just be a minute...]

Can you stop? Your heels are pointy!

[ Wanda grabs hold of his feet and positions them in a way that's comfortable for her. While she may sit cross-legged, he's long and pointy and everything about him is annoying.

She rests them against her thigh and pokes the arch of his foot to punish him. Rather than resting her hands on her knees, she wraps them tightly around his ankles so he can't move… even though he still can. Her strength is nothing in comparison to his. ]

Don't do that, don't do that.

[She hits on a pressure point that annoys him so much. It doesn't tickle, it doesn't hurt, but there's a pulse of some sensation that makes him want to squirm. He could pull his feet away, but that's giving in and he settles for curling his toes and whining about it.]

Haven't you been insufferable enough tonight? Just watch your show.

I have been insufferable?

[ She can't help but huff incredulously. Pietro has been nothing but! And she supposes that's the reason for his deflection. As oblivious as he pretends to be, she knows he notices almost everything. He may be a blur to others, but the world around him has always remained so sharp. ]

I will show you insufferable. [ This time, she does huff loudly. She grips his ankle with one hand. ] You come and ruin my show. You will pay.

[ In retaliation, she brushes her nails against the arch of his foot in the hopes to tickle him. This is more than deserved. ]

Always. You are always insufferable.

[The last word ends in a higher pitched strangled noise as she drags her nails over that same spot on his arch. His leg jerks once, involuntarily, but Pietro doesn't pull his ankle out of her grasp. Wanda's speaking to him again and paying attention, and he can suffer for that. For a moment at least.]

I ruined nothing. You were barely watching it. Couldn't take your eyes off me from the second I got home.

[It comes out far less flippant and dismissive than he wants it to, his voice wavers too often. Trying too hard to contain most of his urges to writhe and twitch, he brings his arm up to clutch at the back of the couch in an effort to keep still.]

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