explosion | OPEN POST.

[ When Wanda wakes up, she makes sure to tiptoe around the small apartment as she prepares a little surprise for Pietro. While she suspects that he'll grow justifiably annoying today, incessantly reminding her of how he's twelve minutes older and therefore wiser (amongst many other positive descriptors), all Wanda wants to do is surprise him.

For the last couple of years, he's always been quicker and beaten her to the gift-giving and first-to-say-it punch. She supposes it has something to do with him being so unnaturally impatient and quick. HYDRA separating them during this time hadn't helped, either; Wanda's become insufferably clingy and Pietro has, too, in his own way.

She tiptoes around the kitchen and gently opens and closes cupboard doors. She's bought Pietro a little cupcake from the bakery that remains standing. Maria had been more than happy to bake a special cupcake for Pietro free of charge for his birthday. Sometimes Pietro's outrageous flirting and unnecessary charisma pay off.

She slots a candle in its very centre and smiles at her handiwork. She doesn't light it yet. It's not much, but she suspects that Pietro would be happy even if she gifted him a rock from outside for his birthday. But he deserves more than a rock. She would've gotten him a whole three-tiered expensive cake like she's seen in her television shows if she could've decided on the flavours and had the money.

Wanda tiptoes back to the bed and slowly climbs on top of him. Brushing her fingers in his hair and along the shell of his ear, she whispers, ] Pietro, wake up.

[ When they had still been teenagers, Wanda had enjoyed jumping on Pietro and screaming 'Happy Birthday!' on the birthdays when she managed to get up first. She likes that she's matured to a more Wanda-like approach—it's soft and slow, the two things she knows Pietro finds the most frustrating. ]

[It's rare that Pietro sleeps deeply enough to not notice when Wanda moves at all, let alone ventures out to the kitchen and back, trying to be quiet on creaky wooden floorboards. This morning is one of those times, the need to recharge from too much energy output over the last days catching up, and he doesn't so much as twitch the entire time she's gone about sneaking around. Even when she crawls over him, he doesn't move or squirm away. The soft and slow stroke of her fingertips along his ear, in his hair making his scalp tingle - that's what draws him out of it, a low noise of annoyance, snaking one arm out from under the blanket, gently batting away her hand.]

Don't do that.

[Gravelly and low, but a weak protest, because now he's awake and won't be able to sleep again. With an exaggerated sigh, Pietro shifts around in irritated little movements until he's propping himself up on one elbow, looking up at her with a put-upon glare that has more softness than edge.]

Happy Birthday.

[He is absolutely taking the opportunity to say it first, even if it sounds too quick and perfunctory while he wipes a line of drool from his beard with his thumb. He frowns and reaches with that same hand to finger a lock of her hair.]

Is that a grey hair? You're getting old, Wanda.

[ Staying on top of him is a difficult feat, but Wanda embodies the impossible. She wants her weight to weigh him down so he can never move again. That would be nice, even if he'd grow irritated and annoying.

Perhaps she doesn't want that on her birthday. She does want it on his, though. Decisions, decisions.

She smacks at his hand lightly and scrunches her nose in annoyance at him. She was supposed to say it first! And she doesn't have grey hairs! Or that many, at least! ]

You have many grey hairs. [ She can mistake silver for grey, can't she? She ruffles her fingers through his hair roughly. ] So many.

[ But she drops her hand to press against the bed and makes no move to get off of him. Not yet, at least. There's one thing she wishes to do before he thinks about either stealing it from her or running away.

Wanda kisses his cheek. ]

And if I am old, you are older. I have a surprise for you.

[He allows the ruffling without pulling away, even has half a smile for her this early in the morning.]

At my age, it's dignified.

[Pietro can't help starting in on the 12 minutes already, and he's enough of a narcissist to state that proclamation confidently, even if 'dignified' is never a word that will be applied to him by anyone else. He reaches for her hand after that kiss, an almost unconscious need to lace their fingers together and seek closeness.]

Yeah? What sort of surprise?

A good surprise for an old man like you.

[ She suspects he'll like it, even if Wanda worries he'll think it silly. They're not kids anymore. The smallest things used to make him so happy because they had nothing but each other. She still thinks it's the same, even if Pietro has more walls now to protect where he feels most vulnerable.

Squeezing his hand, Wanda reluctantly starts to roll off of him so most of her weight is on her side. The way she positions herself behind him almost makes it that they're spooning… although her legs remain over his as though she worries he'll run away if he has no anchor. ]

Do you think you can get out of bed? Or do you need help from someone younger and much prettier who can wear grey very, very nicely?

[ That's her, btw. ]

I don't know.

[He smirks even though she can't see it, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand idly, and pretending it's hard to move his legs out from under hers, only shifting them slightly.]

It might be difficult with such a heavy weight to move, crushing my old bones. Are you calling this pretty young lady for me? That is a good surprise.

[ She smacks him. ]

No!

[ She'd smother him if she knew her weight could manage, but Wanda rolls on top of him for a moment to press her feet flat against the floor. Never mind she could've slid off the bed on the other side and spared potentially bruising him. Another birthday gift from her. He was so lucky.

Without removing her hand from his, she looms over him and flicks his ear with her other hand. ]

Up. Up, up, up, up, up!

[ And she tugs at him hard, uncaring if she pops his shoulder. ]

[Pietro can't help but laugh at her antics, not because they're amusing right now. They're irritating, she's irritating, but what he sees in her at this moment is the past. How she'd been so energetic on birthdays - he was too, but he was always more easily excitable as a kid. For Wanda, it was a shift, a special day and he remembers how much she loved it when she'd gotten up before him just to be first at something on that day.]

I'm up!

[He grumbles like he'd rather not be, but he has no desire to curl back up under the blanket and his smile says as much. He's out of bed quickly, too quickly and nearly getting his foot caught in a twisted sheet, but never pulls his hand out of her grip, tolerating every insistent tug.]

You going to let me get dressed?

No!

[ She laughs. Wanda tugs at his hand viciously, uncaring if she happened to pop his arm out of its socket. This was very important! She liked her special days as much as she loved her sitcoms, and when she got to share them with Pietro, she felt like she was the little girl she once was who used to braid his hair and tug on it fiercely. She always took pride in making him laugh and smile and blush, and this was no different.

As soon as she pulls him away from the bed, she turns and steps into him, gripping his hand tightly. ]

Close your eyes, Pietro.

[ All that's missing from her demand is a stomp of her foot. ]

This is a surprise. You have to be surprised.

[ He must follow the script. ]

[Giving in has done nothing to stop her rough handling, but it's too early for Pietro to be annoyed enough at it to comment, only rolling his eyes and making one growling sound of frustration. Despite that, he closes his eyes with no protest, gesturing towards the doorway with a wave of his hand.]

They're closed. Let's go. It better be a good surprise.

[He says it like he might ever reject anything Wanda gives him. It's never about what, and that's why such small gifts and simple sentiments were always appreciated, even if he hadn't known why they'd always made him smile when they were younger.]

[ Narrowing her eyes, Wanda eyes him for a moment to confirm that he does, in fact, have his eyes closed. Once satisfied with her scrutiny, she grips both of his hands and leads him slowly to the kitchen. Even though Pietro could walk it backwards and upside down, there's something about being depended on by her big brother that makes Wanda feel good.

At the kitchen table, she tugs out the chair and gently pushes him to sit in it. ]

Do not open your eyes.

[ Wanda removes her hands from his shoulders and takes a seat beside him. She's without a lighter or match, but she holds her index finger over the dull candle and watches with happiness that her little spark of power is enough to set it alight. It glows red rather than the usual golden yellow. ]

You can open them now. [ She gently pushes the cupcake towards him with a bright smile. ] Happy birthday, Pietro.

[Pietro does his best to wait patiently through all the steps, and the second order was needed, as he had been ready to look as soon as he sat down. He taps his fingers on the table while she does whatever she has to to present this gift. When Wanda does allow him to open his eyes, he snorts, but it's not in derision. It's amusement. He could say something snarky or try to turn her gesture around on her somehow, but he doesn't. He wants to keep that happy smile on her face, where she glows brighter than the red flame on the candle.]

Thank you.

[It's soft, and he smiles faintly, something more real than the flashy smiles he has for people at the market or out in the street. It's a very small thing, the cupcake, but like all those birthdays before, it's all Pietro needs. He reaches out playfully as if he's going to touch the flame just to see if it's hot like actual fire.]

You'll share it with me, yes?

[ Wanda smacks his hand away and hisses, ] Don't touch it!

[ She can't confirm whether the flame is hot enough to burn his skin. Given what her powers can do, she's afraid that it'll hurt Pietro when she never wanted to. All she wanted to do was see if her powers could be used for something good… and she likes that they can. She likes disarming Pietro and making him smile unguarded as he is. ]

I will have small piece. [ She smiles at him. She's always had the smaller appetite, but for this, she wants to ensure he enjoys it. ] I had it especially made for you. I wanted you to have something nice.

[ She wrings her hands in her lap. ] Something special for once.

[ It's not a new pair of shoes, like she wanted to get him, and it's not a watch or anything fancy. She can only hope he likes it as much as she loves the smile on his face. ]

You went to too much trouble.

[Pietro waves her efforts off as unnecessary, hesitating just a split second before blowing out the candle. It could extinguish as expected, or blow up the kitchen, her unpredictable weird magic could have any imaginable outcome. When nothing happens but a small black trail of smoke rising from the wick, he looks back at Wanda.]

It's not what you give me that's special.

[He looks uncomfortable after saying something so sappy, and digs into the cupcake frosting to distract from it, taking a large glob of it to suck off his finger like a child.]

It's good. Think what a disaster it would have been if you'd made it yourself.

[ Wanda rolls her eyes. If it wasn't his birthday, perhaps she'd shove him. She'd like to shove him as her own birthday wish, but his happiness is enough to fight the urge.

Instead, she follows him, swiping some icing with her finger and sucking it. ]

I can bake! There wasn't any cupcake batter left at the store.

[ And she had been so indecisive about what to get him when she did see batter at the store. Did she get chocolate? Vanilla? It had been easier to simply request it made than to potentially ruin it.

When she swipes at the cupcake again, she holds out her finger for him. ]

Lucky for me they ran out.

[He can't resist poking further, his smile this time more of a smirk, though in truth Pietro doesn't think her baking is bad at all. Wanda knows his tastes and he expects that she doesn't experiment or deviate from them too often in case he wouldn't like any strange concoctions, despite also knowing he'd eat anything she made, whether he complains about it or not. For a birthday though, something has to be 'special' and 'perfect', not typical, at least according to Wanda. Gently grabbing her wrist, Pietro leans in to lick the icing from her finger, ostensibly lingering just to be thorough and get all of it off, but his teeth graze and his tongue curls and slides over her skin after there's nothing left of the frosting.]

[ While Wanda narrows her eyes playfully at him, she drops her gaze to his mouth. Maybe this had been a bad idea, but she'd wanted him to enjoy the majority of this cupcake as she had gotten it for him and not herself.

But it's also her birthday… and she much likes Pietro's attention. ]

Pietro…

[ She warns, but she clears her throat gently and gently pokes the cupcake with the index finger of her other hand. She pushes it toward him so that he doesn't forget there's more than just the icing to enjoy. ]

You should try it. Unless you want me to feed it to you?

[ That'd be dangerous. Perhaps another birthday gift for her? ]

[He looks like he's considering that for a half a second as he pulls back from her finger. Releasing her wrist, he shakes his head.]

You'd take forever.

[Very dangerous. Pietro turns his attention to the cupcake, cutting off less than a quarter of it, but a portion where most of the icing remains, and holds the fork out to Wanda. She did only want a small piece and he is obliging.]

That's yours.

[He has the rest of the cupcake in his hand already, going to eat it in two bites... followed by that piece on the fork if she doesn't take it quickly enough.]

[ Thankfully, Wanda's learned from her previous dawdling mistakes, especially when it comes to food. She's quick to bow her head and bite that piece of cupcake on the fork so Pietro doesn't have it. Holding her hand over her mouth, Wanda smiles at him.

She frowns. ] You don't have enough icing.

[ But she's always liked the eat the icing off of any cake and hand him the rest to eat. She lifts her small portion and bites off the icing before holding the cupcake out to him.

Perhaps she got that a little mixed up? Oh, well. She's older now; her memory isn't what it was yesterday. ]

[He smiles as she offers the cake and not the icing, but it's to be expected.]

That's part's good too, you know.

[Pietro doesn't hesitate to grab that discarded piece though - she doesn't want it, it's his, and that simple rule is how he'd ended up eating far more than his fair share of birthday cakes over the years. When he's finished, which doesn't take long, he licks the crumbs off the bottom of the candle too, just because it was there sitting on the table.]

It was a very good surprise, and-

[He stops suddenly, looking mildly concerned, and leans closer to Wanda, his thumb going for the side of her mouth.]

You've got icing everywhere. It's embarrassing.

[She does not, and it's solely an excuse to touch.]

I do n—

[ Wanda catches herself quickly, but perhaps not as quickly as Pietro. Smoothing out her frown, she stays still beneath his touch as she watches him. If he's looking for a gift to give her, this one suffices well enough.

She does her best not to move her face or part her lips too much in case she dislodges his thumb from the corner of her mouth. ]

Are you just moving it around my face? It feels like you're not even wiping it away.

[ Honestly, Pietro. That's embarrassing. ]

[He makes a dismissive 'pfft' noise - of course that's not what he's doing, even if would be had she actually had icing on her face.]

I got it. I got it.

[Pietro brings his thumb back too fast, to lick off nonexistent icing that Wanda won't be able to prove wasn't there. Pushing his chair away from the table, he stands, leans down to kiss the top of her head, and returns to the bedroom.]

I'm getting dressed, then I have something for you too! Don't think I'm not three steps ahead of you planning surprises!

[ Wanda sighs in exasperation as she smiles at him fondly. Pietro always has to be first. The first born, the first to win a race, the first to do anything. Wanda's only victory is being the first one to speak. ]

You are always three steps behind, Pietro.

[ She remains where she is, expecting that he'd much prefer she doesn't follow him on his heels and ruin his allegedly three steps ahead surprise. ]

You were the one who was still asleep. I think you are getting slow in your old age.

[ She clucks her tongue in disappointment. ]

I didn't sleep in, you got up too early!

[When Pietro exits the bedroom again, it's not with an elaborate plan in place or a flashy surprise, only holding a small package in his hand. Thin and square wrapped in plain brown paper and tied with a frayed piece of twine that had likely been discarded from something else. It's been sitting inside one of his old worn-out shoes in the closet for the last few days, one place he was fairly certain Wanda wouldn't stick her hand into, even for present hunting. He holds it out to her with a small smile.]

Happy Birthday, Wanda.

[He'd already said it, but that been simply to get it out before she did, and his words hold more sentiment the second time. Unwrapping the present, she'll find a leaded glass trinket, recognisable as the type of suncatchers Izak sells at the market - usually abstract with whatever colours the man had on hand from collecting broken bottles and other assorted shards from rubble piles, this design is distinctly the head of a sunflower. Mottled brown centre, the petals partially darkening to orange in one section when he'd run out of brighter yellow, outlines in both black and grey, bent from what metal pieces had been available and the easiest to work with, the far more common traditional green glass used only for the background. A small wire loop is attached to the top, so Wanda can hang it in a window and let the light filter through.]

[ Pietro could wrap a small empty box for her in brown paper and she would think it's the best thing in the world. But what he ends up giving her is better than anything in the world he's given her.

Wanda gasps, her eyes widening almost comically at the gift. While she may drop the brown paper and frayed twine onto the floor without too much care, she holds the gift delicately like it's the most prized thing she owns. Aside from Pietro and her DVDs, it is. ]

Pietro…

[ She smiles brightly as she gently holds it up by its wire and watches it spin as though there's a gentle breeze twisting it around. ]

It's beautiful. [ More than that. Wanda smiles widely, brighter than the sun, and looks at him past the bright yellow petals. ] I love sunflowers.

[ Something he knows, given she's always loved them. If she had her choice, their apartment would be covered in them, but they've become so hard to find given the war.

Carefully placing it down on the table, she launches herself at Pietro and hugs him tightly. ]

( I WANT TO BE NEXT TO YOU. 🧁 )

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