ASCENDANCY / P. MAXIMOFF

lost girl

"What the fuck do you mean she's gone?! How could you have lost her?!" Ana demanded, trying to sit up from her spot on the couch, only to have several people push her back down, which was more taxing and painful than trying to sit up in the first place.

"Sit down, Anastazya," Bruce ordered sternly. "You'll open your stitches, and we both did not go through that for you to mess it up."

Ana grimaced and crossed her arms, staying completely still except for her foot tapping rapidly. "What. Happened. To. Natasha?" she gritted out.

Steve gently placed his hand on her head, smoothing back her hair. "They took her. She retrieved the body and Ultron got her at the last second."

Ana squeezed her eyes shut and covered her eyes.

"We'll get her back." Clint stated, clenching his jaw. "A family has to have their mom, right?"

The rest of the trip back to the tower was silent for the most part, excluding Tony and Bruce's seemingly incessant mumbling and grumbling. Needless to say, Anastazya was a bit on edge, being forced to lay solitary and stationary on a metal bench was even more torturous than the constant pain flowing through her body, and the feeling of her stitches expanding and retracting back every time she breathed.

She wanted to be doing something. Anything. Planning Nat's escape. Tracking her down. Pacing would even be better than lying down and doing nothing. Despite the endless anxious energy coursing through Ana, the dull ache in her side prevented her from doing anything. Pietro and Wanda were also thrown in the same loop due to being assigned (by Steve) to be Ana's personal watch dogs.

Ana couldn't help but worry to death about Natasha, who was a strange mix of a mother and a big sister, whom she loved too much. Knowing that she could be tortured or killed under the hand of Ultron and she couldn't do a thing was an awful feeling. It brought tears to her eyes.

They landed the Quinjet and suddenly the way Ana would be getting to her room became a whole fiasco, everyone arguing who was going to be the person to transport her there.

"I'm the strongest, it'll be easiest to get her there," Steve commented.

"But I am the fastest, I'll be there in a nanosecond," argued Pietro.

"But she doesn't even like you! I'm like her dad. It would be better for me to do it," Steve claimed.

"I could levitate her there," offered Wanda meekly.

"That's what got her injured in the first place!" Tony scolded her.

Pietro glared at him, shoving him slightly. "What are you accusing my sister of, punk?"

Ana got so sick of the arguing that she got up off of the bench and walked to her room herself when no one was paying attention, grumbling profanities under her breath.

"Where are you going, kid?" she heard Barton call from behind her, wrapping his arm around her waist and alleviating some of the weight.

"I want to go to my room," Ana sighed. "This day has already been shit. And do not tell me to watch my language."

"I won't. I'm not Captain."

Ana chuckled bitterly and shook her head, thanking God when they arrived at the door of her room.

"You want to be alone?" Clint asked. Ana gnawed on her lip and nodded. Clint pulled away from her and placed his hands on her shoulders, rubbing her arms in a comforting manner.

"You want to come live with me and Laura on the Ranch when this is all over?" Clint questioned, smiling crookedly. "You need a break. We both do. We were crazy to think that you could mentally handle being an Avenger at seventeen. It's taken a toll on you. I can tell."

Ana looked down and sighed, slowly wrapping her arms around his torso.

"That sounds nice," she hummed thoughtfully.

"Love you, Ana." Clint patted her head. "Get some sleep. I'll bat them off for now."

Ana smirked at him and looked down the hall, alarmed, when she heard them calling her name.

"Go now!" Clint whispered conspiratorially, ushering her through the door.

•

"Why is it she is so upset? Natasha will be back. We will rescue her," Wanda muttered, poking at the Instant Ramen Pietro had managed to make for them.

"It's different for her you guys, she's orphaned-" Captain started.

"We are orphaned," Pietro stated, glaring at Steve.

"This team has become Ana's family, and when one member is gone, it takes a toll on her," Steve explained calmly. "You don't understand."

"What isn't there to understand?" Pietro spat.

"Your parents died loving you," Captain elaborated in a more stern tone. "Anastazya was abandoned, left to die. She needs us more than anything."

•

Pietro rapped on Ana's bedroom door, only to be answered by a series of groaning, grunts, and high pitch whines. They were then followed by loud cursing in a language he identified as Russian. "Go away!"

He rolled his eyes, twisting the door knob and entering her room. Her gaze fell on him and she sighed. "What do you want?" she demanded, sniffling.

He passed across the carpet floor, stopping in front of her bed, kneeling down to see her face. "I just want to talk. We can talk to each other, no? We are friends now."

Ana narrowed her eyes at him. Were they friends? Regardless of him being solely responsible for multiple mental breakdowns, he still had his moments of kindness, and strange acts of protection. Like Wanda explained- maybe things would get better if she were just nicer to him.

After a few minutes of silence, Pietro began to doubt his previous statement. "I think," he backtracked nervously.

Ana sighed, rubbing her tired eyes furiously. "I guess we are, Pietro. I guess we are. What is it you want anyways? You must have another motive other than to talk."

Pietro shook his head, plopping down on his butt and crossing his legs. "No. Just talk. Ask if you are alright. There is ton of people outside this door who want to do that, but I cut in line. I thought I should be the first one to speak."

Ana raised her eyebrow in question. "And why is that?"

"Because you told me that I should talk to you whenever something is wrong. I would like to return the favor."

Ana smiled before turning back around in bed so her back was to him, wincing only slightly at her fresh wounds rubbing against her clothes.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I really can not find anything I would like to talk about," Ana told him. Pietro slowly stood to his feet.

"You are just a lost girl in her thoughts. You can not find anything when you yourself are lost," he started, brushing off his pants. "Anyways, I do understand if you prefer my sister to speak with. I guess we are more like enemies than actual friends. My mistake."

Ana sighed for the millionth time in the past hour, propping herself up on her elbows. By the time she could properly sit up, he was gone, leaving no trace of him ever being there in the first place.

"So annoying," Ana grumbled, flopping back down on her bed. "Can't even give me the chance tell him he's wrong without running off like a teenage girl. Drama queen."