Chapter Text
I was paralyzed, unable to move or speak, forced to watch the monster do as it pleased. It tore through the line of cops firing at it, at us and started making its way through the city.
I could feel its thoughts, but only barely. It was more like feeling what it felt. In that moment, all it felt was rage.
It was a rage like I’d never imagined, pounding and clawing through the barrier between our minds. The fury flooded my fear, overtaking my thoughts and consuming them with its anger.
I watched the monster kill anyone that got in its way, the little part of its rage that had seeped into my own thoughts encouraging it.
It finally made it to where it wanted to be, and I realized what it was going to do. We were at his work. I shoved back against the barrier, trying to regain control to stop it from happening, but it was no use.
It ripped the doors open and stormed into the office, sending people screaming in terror.
My abuser stood at the end of the hall, frozen in fear. The monster thudded toward him, and I screamed from inside my cage, begging it to stop.
I felt through the monster’s hands as it tore him to pieces, powerless to shut my eyes to the horror unfolding before me. Once it had finished, it left the building and looked around.
The Avengers stood around the building, and the monster froze in its tracks. I felt something pinch the monster’s arm and looked down to find it had been injected with something. I felt it weaken, and I finally was strong enough to push past the barrier and regain control.
I felt my mind release into my body as it shifted back into my human form, and I collapsed to the ground from exhaustion. Tears flooded my cheeks as I sobbed uncontrollably.
I looked up to find a woman standing a few feet from me, holding her hand up to stop anyone from attacking.
“Kill me,” I begged. “Please, make it stop.”
The woman’s face softened, and I felt my vision darken. Had she done it? Was it finally over?
I opened my eyes and grimaced at the brightness. Glancing around, I found myself on what appeared to be a hospital bed. Instantly sitting up, I glanced at my wrists, which were bare.
“No,” I muttered. The woman from earlier glanced up from where she was sitting with a book. She set it down and came to the side of the bed.
“No, please,” I tried again, “you have to kill me. I-It won’t let me do it. It’s not safe, please, I can’t control it.” I started crying again, and the woman gently wiped away a tear before speaking.
“It’s alright, love. You need to get some rest. Let me take care of it.”
“No, please, it’s too strong. I-I can’t stop it. If it decides you’re—just please. Kill me while it’s still weak.”
“I’m not going to kill you. I’m going to help you,” she said gently but firmly.
“You can’t,” I begged. “Believe me. It’ll kill you and everyone here.”
“I won’t let it,” she said. “I’m much more powerful than I look.”
I paused doubtfully.
“I made you pass out earlier, and I can make it pass out, too. I promise. I won’t let it hurt you, me, or anyone else.”
“It’s really mad,” I whispered.
She nodded and gave my shoulder a comforting squeeze. “Try to get some sleep, and I’ll have my friend bring you something to eat in a bit, ok?”
“I can’t. It’s really upset. It wants to hurt you. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“I won’t let it hurt anyone,” she said again. “I need you to trust me.”
Just then, there was a quiet knock on the door.
“Come in,” the woman said.
The door opened, and another woman walked in.
“You’re awake,” she said, smiling at me.
I looked at her warily before turning back to the woman at my side.
“That’s Natasha,” she said, nodding at the woman who had just come in. “And I’m Wanda.”
I ignored her introductions. “It wants to hurt her now, too. Please, you need to leave.”
Wanda said, “Can I help you with something? I want to try and keep you from feeling its feelings.”
“How?” I asked quietly.
“I have abilities that let me into people’s minds.”
“Oh,” I said. In the past, I wouldn’t have believed her, but after the accident, I would believe anything.
“Can I try?” she prompted.
I nodded and shrugged.
Wanda shut her eyes and took a big inhale. As she exhaled, I felt the barrier between our minds strengthen, pushing its feelings out of mine.
She opened her eyes, and I laughed in relief.
“It’s quiet,” I breathed in awe. “Thank you,” I whispered.
She smiled happily. “I’m glad I can help.”
The woman introduced as Natasha stood next to Wanda and spoke. “I brought you some clothes that I thought might be a bit more comfortable than the ones they gave you,” she shrugged, holding out a pile of clothes.
I glanced down, realizing I was clothed.
“Are they yours?” I asked. “I don’t want to take your clothes.”
She chuckled. “I’ve got plenty. Take ’em.”
“Ok,” I conceded.
“We’ll let you get dressed. Call if you need help,” Wanda said, taking Natasha’s hand and leading her out of the room.
A few minutes later, a knock sounded from the door.
“Come in,” I said, and it opened.
Both women came in, and Natasha was holding a tray of food.
“We brought you something to eat,” she said. “Figured you’d probably be hungry.”
I smiled gratefully. “Thanks.”
I finished eating and set the tray aside before I noticed Wanda nervously twisting her hands together.
“Is something wrong?” I asked.
She quickly put on a smile. “No. Everything’s good.”
Natasha gave her a look, and Wanda gave a tiny shrug.
“She shouldn’t be kept in the dark,” Natasha whispered, thinking I couldn’t hear.
“She shouldn’t have to hear it, either,” Wanda replied.
“I know.”
Wanda sighed softly.
“Alright, there is something a little bit wrong,” she started, and I looked up at her. “The other people on my team, our team, think that whatever’s inside you is too dangerous to not be locked up.”
“It is, though,” I said, confused. “You should lock me up.”
“No,” Natasha cut in. “You haven’t done anything wrong. We want to help you, not put you in a cage.”
“You can’t help me. It won’t let you,” I tried to explain. “If it feels threatened, or thinks I’m threatened, it will force itself out and kill until it feels safe again.”
“Look at me,” Natasha said gently, taking my hands. I raised my eyes to hers. “You are stronger than you think, and you can control it. We just want to help you learn how.”
I winced as my head suddenly started pounding.
“Are you ok?” Wanda asked, coming to sit on the side of the bed. She raised her hand to my forehead almost instinctively.
“Mh,” I grunted. “Headache.”
An unexpected rush of fury tore through me, and I slapped her hand away.
Gasping softly at my action, I instantly started apologizing.
“Shit, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to, really.” I paused, realizing. “It’s getting through. That’s not my anger. You should leave. Both of you. It’s only getting madder at you. I can feel it twisting into my mind.”
“I’m not leaving you,” Wanda said, her eyes glowing red. She suddenly clutched at her head, inhaling sharply.
“What is it, milyy?” Natasha asked quickly.
“The rage,” she breathed. “It-it wants to kill… everything. Her resistance is only infuriating it.”
“See?” I whispered as Wanda’s eyes returned to their usual green. “You need to go. I can’t hold it forever.”
Wanda put a reassuring hand on my forearm. “I can still control its mind.”
“No, you can’t!” I shouted, backing away from her until my back hit the railing at the head of the bed. “It’s going to come out, and it will kill you,” I screamed. “Please, leave. I don’t want to hurt you!”
Despite my fury, Wanda’s face only seemed to soften. “Remember, you told me this is not your anger.”
“I don’t care!” I cried. “Go! Please, leave me alone!”
“We’re not leaving you,” Natasha said softly.
Everything came crashing down.
My body tensed and spasmed as I lost control over it. The new clothes I’d been given stretched until they tore down the seams, my skin feeling like it was being split open just like the clothes.
This time, though, I awoke without any memory of what had happened. Scrambling to a sitting position, I scanned the room. Natasha and Wanda sat in the chairs across the room, seemingly unharmed.
At my movement, they both looked up.
“You’re back,” Natasha said.
“What happened? What did I do? Why wasn’t I awake this time?”
Wanda’s eyes widened. “You’re usually awake when it’s in control?”
I nodded. “What happened?”
“Wanda knocked you both out before you could fully shift.”
I sighed in relief. Glancing down, I realized I was naked. A flush covered my cheeks.
“Do you want to give me some clothes, or…” I said teasingly.
Natasha chuckled, and Wanda instantly took off her jacket.
“Here, put this on. I’ll go get you some proper clothes.”
“Thanks,” I said, and she left.
A minute later, I spoke. “Um, I have a question, but it probably isn’t my place to ask,” I said nervously.
“Go on,” Natasha prompted.
“Are you two… together?”
Natasha’s smile was instantaneous. “Yeah.”
“Cool. I figured.”
“That obvious, huh?” she laughed.
“No, it’s just typical lesbian behavior. Well, at least in my experience.”
“Ah,” she said. “Gotcha. Are you seeing anyone right now?”
I snorted. “Absolutely not. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather not be terrified I’m going to kill my girlfriend at any given moment.”
She chuckled. “I guess that makes sense. Well, it’s a good thing Wanda and I are pretty hard to kill.”
I paused. She probably just misspoke. Right?
The door swung open, and Wanda walked in carrying some clothes.
“Are these yours?” I asked. “I’ve already ruined two sets of clothes today.”
She chuckled. “They are, but I’ve been meaning to go through my clothes and get rid of most of them anyway.”
“Oh. Ok.”
I started to pull on the clothes, and Wanda looked away.
“We’ll go out,” she said, using her hand to shield my body. Natasha, on the other hand, took a minute to rake her eyes over my figure.
“No need,” I said casually. “So, how long have you been together?” I asked, pulling the panties up my legs.
“One year, two months, and twenty-three days,” Natasha answered, and I looked at her in surprise.
“That’s very exact,” I chuckled.
Wanda lowered her hand, glancing at me with reddened cheeks.
I unashamedly pulled the sports bra over my head and adjusted it over my chest.
“Yeah, uh, Tasha’s always kept track,” Wanda said distractedly.
I noticed a look shared between the women.
I was tugging on my shirt when the door burst open. I recognized the man walking in as Tony Stark, aka Iron Man.
“Hey!” Natasha shouted. “She’s getting dressed, asshole!”
I raised my hand in her direction. “It’s fine.”
“Come with us,” Stark said, starting out of the room.
“Us?” Wanda questioned.
I glanced behind him to find Steve Rogers.
“Wait, where are you taking her?” Wanda continued.
“To one of the superhuman holding cells,” Tony said, glancing over his shoulder.
“What? Tony, we talked about this,” Natasha cut in, rising to stand in front of me.
“You’re one person, Romanoff. We took a vote.”
“Mother…” Natasha muttered. “You can’t be serious. She’s a person who hasn’t done anything wrong!” She was starting to get angry.
“Yes, but the thing inside her has, and she can’t control it.”
“Natasha, he’s right,” I said, gently touching her shoulder to get her attention.
She exasperatedly threw her arms in the air. “No, he’s not!”
“Come on, let’s go,” Stark said, taking my arm.
Before I could blink, Natasha had him pressed against the wall with a knife pressing into his gut.
“Don’t fucking touch her,” she growled.
“Tasha,” Wanda said gently, taking the hand with the knife.
That touch seemed to calm her a bit. She retracted the knife and stepped back, but not without shoving him against the wall first.
“It’s alright,” I said, gaining both their attention. “I’ll go.”
“You shouldn’t have to,” Wanda said sadly.
“But I do,” I replied, giving her a small smile before turning to Stark.
“Don’t touch me,” I said firmly.
“Fine. Let’s go.”
He led me out of the room and to the cell. When we got there, I realized Natasha and Wanda had not followed us. After Stark walked away, Steve Rogers spoke.
“If you need anything, just speak up,” he said, shrugging as if he were sorry to lock me away.
“K,” I said curtly, and he locked the door behind me.
I glanced around my new room. It wasn’t too horrible, but it certainly wasn’t a five-star hotel either. Most of the walls were glass or some material similar but stronger, though there was a small area with a toilet that was concealed.
There weren’t any cameras inside the cell, only pointing through the glass from the outside.
I made myself comfortable on the thin mattress and settled down for the boredom. I lasted for what felt to be a few hours, but in reality, it was probably only like five minutes.
“Can I at least get a book or something? Maybe a tv?” I called.
There was no reply. I sighed and flopped back onto my bed.
“This is so boring,” I yelled, tossing my hands in the air. “I’m going to start learning to cartwheel or some shit soon enough.”
“It’s not that hard once you get the hang of it,” came a voice. I sat up and realized Natasha was standing outside my cell, Wanda close behind.
“Geez, you scared the shit out of me!” I exclaimed.
She chuckled. “Sorry. I tend to do that. Just ask Wands.”
“It’s true. I suppose it comes with being a master assassin.”
“Master former assassin,” Natasha corrected with a smirk.
I laughed. “Master, huh?”
“Oh, yeah,” she bragged. “Best of the best.”
Wanda snickered.
“Hey,” Natasha swatted playfully at her arm. “It’s true.”
Wanda didn’t reply, just smiled teasingly.
Natasha turned to me and pointed at her. “See what I have to deal with?”
“Get to,” Wanda corrected. “You get to deal with me. Consider yourself lucky.”
I snorted. “Now, that’s the kind of self-confidence I need.”
Wanda’s cheeks grew pink.
“So, did y’all bring a book or something? I do not have the boredom tolerance for jail. Honestly, people out here going crazy after a few weeks! I wish. I’m already going crazy and it’s only been like a few hours.”
“It’s been less than half an hour,” Natasha chuckled.
“What?” I exclaimed, exaggerating my discouragement.
“I know this is not the best situation,” Wanda said, “but we’re trying to get you out, ok?”
“Nah, I’m just being dramatic. I’m really fine in here. And, it keeps me from killing you all, so that’s a plus.”
Wanda made an annoyed look, and Natasha snorted.
“I told you, Wands and I aren’t exactly easy to kill,” she said.
“When did you say that?” Wanda asked, confused.
“When you went to grab clothes. We were talking about how she doesn’t have a girlfriend because she doesn’t want to accidentally kill her, and I said that we aren’t easily killed.”
“Ah,” Wanda said, nodding. “Yeah. It’ll take a bit more than some ugly-ass monster to kill us. No offense.”
I laughed. “None taken. You should take a picture if it come out again. I’ve never really gotten a good look at it. It’s not like it stands in front of a mirror fixing its hair.”
They both were hiding their laughs.
“You can laugh,” I said quickly. “When it’s not trying to kill people, I try to make light of it. Helps me cope.”
“Well, that’s a relief because we both have, uh, really dark senses of humor,” Natasha said with a laugh.
“Wait, so you’re really conscious the whole time it’s in control?” Wanda said quietly.
“Mm-hm,” I nodded.
“Christ,” Natasha swore under her breath.
“Yeah. It’s not exactly fun to watch it rip my—er, someone I knew into shreds.”
“I can’t imagine,” Wanda said softly.
“So,” I said, slapping my hands on my knees. “Can you get me a book or something? Preferably a tv?”
Wanda chuckled. “I’ll see what I can do.”
I smiled genuinely. “Thanks.”
“Of course, love,” she replied, leaving the outer room.
“Love,” I mused after she’d left. “Does she call everyone that?”
Natasha smiled. “Nope. Just you.”
“And you,” I finished.
She shook her head. “I’m Tasha, dragă, or curvă,” she said casually.
“What’s dragă and curvă mean?”
“Well, dragă roughly means dear or darling, and curvă about means whore, slut, bitch, something along those lines.”
My eyes widened for a split second before I recovered myself.
“Right.”
Natasha cocked her head curiously.
“What?” I asked.
“Your reaction.”
“What about it?”
“I like it.”
“What do you mean?”
“There was no judgement, just surprise at the way I said it,” she explained.
“Yeah, I’m not one to judge people’s, uh, personal lives.”
She smiled. “Well, then you’ll get along just fine with us.”
I returned her smile.
“In case you were wondering, I call her milyy, which means darling.”
“Aw. You two are seriously so cute together.”
I could’ve sworn her cheeks flushed.
“Thanks. Oh, shit, I almost forgot. I brought you some more clothes, a blanket, water, just some basics.” The door clicked open, and she stepped into the cell.
As she handed me the stack of items, my fingers brushed against hers. A shiver erupted down my spine as she kept it there for a second too long.
She cleared her throat and stepped back out.
“Thanks,” I said with a smile.
“Of course.”
Just then, Wanda entered the room, awkwardly tugging a cart behind her.
“So,” she said. “We have a tv. I stole it from one of Tony’s bars, but I doubt he’ll miss it.”
I snorted.
“He’s a billionaire,” Wanda said defensively. “He doesn’t need it.”
“True,” Natasha said, moving to help her bring it to the cell door. It clicked open once again, and I helped tug the cart through it.
After I moved it across from the bed and the door had shut, I turned to the two of them.
“Thank you. Really, this means a lot. You’re both amazing.”
This time, I knew for certain Natasha had blushed along with Wanda.
“It’s not a problem, love. If you need anything else, like even just company or something, please let us know. You can just shout and the cameras will notify us. In the meantime, we are trying to convince Tony to let you out,” Wanda said, twisting her hands in front of her. I was realizing it was a nervous habit of hers. Natasha noticed and took one of her hands. Wanda smiled gratefully at her, and I smiled at the tiny show of affection.
“Well, we’ve got to go take care of some stuff, but we’ll talk to you later, ok?” Natasha said, giving me a small smile.
“Okey dokey,” I replied. “Don’t have too much fun without me,” I teased.
“We wouldn’t dream of it,” Natasha said, her voice suddenly quiet.
Another shiver ran down my spine as I imagined the other things she might say in that tone.
I shook my head to relieve myself of the filth running through it and waved.
They left, and I sighed, collapsing onto the bed.
You think your gay panic isn’t too bad, and then you’re left alone in a room with the two hottest redheaded women on earth for an hour. My god.