This is a gift...

                                                  we were their twin miracles ;                                                         [ pietro ] & [ wanda ]

his jaw clenches, waxing wide with a defensive flare of his nostrils.  he hates this, the way she dangles all of his insecurities and desires at once in front of him like a mouse to a cat.  

(      of course… 

       —– it is he who is the mouse and she the cat, batting him about before        unhinging her lips and swallowing him whole.  goose flesh pebbles up to        sit between his shoulders.     ) 

          ‘      you been keepin’ tabs on me? 

“Of course.”

Silk turns rough, edged with assumed years of rough weather and hard living. No one looks twice, no one dares. Because she could be anyone and everyone. She was his nightmare and desire. The saint and sinner. Raven is a cop for now, all slicked back blond hair and an easy smile but should he blink how quickly it could change back to the monster beneath.

                                           Fingers trace ghost-like kisses, following the chill                                            down vertebrae to rest at the small of James’ back.

                                           She always liked to play with her food.

“Aww —-“

“— do I sense a hint of relief in your voice?”

“Oh. I…oh I am very sorry. I meant nothing by it!”

“Not a problem at all darling. She was taken from me.”

A pause.

“And yes, she had impeccable taste.”

“Your shirt is very pretty. Where did you buy it?”

“It was my wife’s before she left me.”

[ as always, something shifts behind her ribcage on meeting this other, this nameless one.

something shifts and pulls and warmth spreads throughout, a genuine pleasure at seeing a familiar face.

this time, however, she’s facing her with a face much different to her usual. disappointment nips at her heels at having to hide herself from someone she so obviously wants to greet. ]

There’s a smile, genuine in warmth, just for her. Oh how tempting it is to coil about those fragile bones, to wrap her up in a hug so tight it might cause thin shoulders to give way. Something has changed. The sweet, bright-eyed girl is gone and she is wrong — those bones are spun tight, unbreakable, unyielding — and it stirs such sorrow as she recognizes that moment the girl died.

Fingers lace beneath her chin, lips pulled into a firm line unyielding to what kindness maybe simmer beneath the surface. The girl — no, the woman — before her has changed, becoming something more akin to the monster she was.

Her heart wept at the thought, at the memory, and she knows: it is just the beginning of this dark path.

“Hello darling.”

( he’s surrounded by imbeciles. )

Who the FUCKhires you people.

“I’m so sorry sir.”

There’s a terse smile and a played quake of nervous hands. A rag quickly mops up the mess and Raven casts a nervous glance up towards Harry. “I— Uh Janice in HR said to bring up your coffee, I just, I didn’t e-expect you to look at me — I just, god, I’m so sorry —“

This was much better compared to the places that Natasha has been to in the past for assignments. The heat wasn’t preferable, and she knew once she got back to their temporary home, she’d be burnt to a crisp because of how pale she was. This still was much better than being in the middle of a desert trying to hunt down terrorists.

Her arm looped around his and she pulled him in closer as they walked. They needed to know where they are, even if they had to deal with the sound of a tour guide driving them up the wall. And they both needed to act like a married couple and not bicker. They were supposed to be newlyweds.

She leaned over and whispered in his ear, “Behave and you won’t be sleeping on the couch tonight.” She kissed his cheek. “And maybe I might treat you to a decent dinner.”  

A soft hum slips free and Raven keeps his hands in his pockets as they continue down the path alongside their guide. The cowboy-like neanderthal is going on, talking to another couple ahead of them. Natasha reminds Raven that they’re on a job, that this is important. To the guide and the other couple they’re just freshly married and still working through it all.

Some honeymoon.

“Oh you had me at behave,” Raven replies with a smooth smile and leans into her soft kiss. An arm circles around her waist, holding to her hip with portrayed fondness. “Dinner? Well anything is better than the campfire slop we’ve been eating, authentic or not.”

A kiss is placed at her cheek.

“I suppose behaving won’t be so bad.”

… —-

So that might’ve been coffee all over Osborn’s desk.

Oops.

“Oh my god, I’m so so sorry, I really didn’t mean to spill—“

Actually Raven did.

“—I j-just, stay there, I’ll fix this.”

“It’s uh–”

Fingers scratch behind her ear, words fumbling on the tip of her tongue as she struggles to release them from their cage. She was fine, she supposed. Better than she had been in the past months, but something always felt off. The way copper sometimes felt like it lingered on her tongue for hours, a taste she had experienced years ago, not earlier in the day. She doesn’t shy from the touch, rather her own brows knit together in a sort of confusion. “I came to peace…. uh, with what I am. Accepted things about myself…” she trails off, trying to figure out why even that wasn’t a fully satisfying answer.

“But it doesn’t feel like enough, sometimes. It’s easier– but it’s not enough.”

Ah.

This was like looking at herself, a younger shaken version. One that was not comfortable with the skin worn so tight around her body. Oh darling, she wants to say but swallows it back because she knows. What else happened, she wonders? With her it had been an event, people forcing her to act, before she could look in the mirror without flinching at the reflection.

“Sweetheart,” Raven begins carefully, “Even though you may think you’ve accepted it, some part of you is still denying whatever truth you think is right.” Now she cradles the girl’s face gentle and light between her hands. “I can only guess what’s on your mind but I know — I know how easy it is to believe those whispers. But it’s not true. Not always.”

Dark eyes flit across pale features.

“You know never to accept that you’re a monster, don’t you?”

Natasha nudged his shoulder with her own while they walked. She really wanted to hit him upside the head with the way that he was acting, but she kept her hands to herself and folded behind her back to keep her from doing it more.

Her hair was colored blonde to fit in and hide. Her red hair often made her too recognizable.

“Would you be quiet and simply enjoy this, husband of mine?”

It’s really tempting to say more. The words are bubbling up hot and coursing with all the little agitations building up until this point. Raven lets out a terse breath and can’t help the small smile as Natasha nudges not so gently into his shoulder.

“Right.”

They were supposed to blend in which was laughably easy for Raven. But Natasha was a different story. Of course the more he complained, the more attention their guide gave them. Oh the woes of taking an assignment in the middle of Oklafuckinghoma to observe what was going on — blah blah blah. Raven hated it here. The view was nice, the people were awful.

“Right. See there’s no incentive to shutting up.”

Oh there was plenty but Raven was giving her a hard time.

“I might start singing campfire songs.”

Family. It didn’t seem like too long ago that the word would have felt suspicious coming from Mystique’s lips. But fate would have it that Raven was one of the few who, after everything Jubilee had done, didn’t judge her. It was what she had wanted from the start, no judgement.

“You missed the party.”

“Somehow it looks as though someone as popped all your balloons.”

It’s spoken absent-mindedly as she takes a step closer. It’s the little things that Raven picks up on. The way Jubilee no longer smiles with careful ease. All the things she missed with Rogue, with Kurt, she finds in this lost girl. How could she not care for her as any mother should? Fingers are gentle, smoothing down a pale cheek to move away dark hair.

“What’s happened, darling?” she speaks softly, hushed concern meant only for her ears. Brows draw together and her hand cradles Jubilee’s cheek.

“Why do you look so lost?”