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It is a good day. Pietro wakes up with the sunrise and enjoys the quickest of the runs around the city. He has no time to lose today. Today is his birthday, but, more important, it is Wanda’s and he has yet to pick her gift, just like he knows she must do the same. Pietro knows what he will give to her, but he doubts he will find it as quickly as he wants to.
When Pietro comes back, Captain America is already up and drinking some coffee while reading the newspapers. “Any good news, fellow Avenger?” Pietro asks and smiles when the good Captain nods at him and starts talking about how the Avengers are being able to inspire people. “This article only shows that us Avengers, Quicksilver, need to do our best all the time.”
“But of course. Anything less would be unforgiving.”
“Yeah.” A voice comes from behind them. Hawkeye, who is too awake, only nods at them and goes towards the coffee. “Quicksilver is right: anything less than our best would only give us more critics and comparisons with our former members.”
“Oh, not with the foul mood, Hawkeye!” Captain America says, still smiling. “We have already proved our value. Besides, no soldier is loved by everyone. We all know that.”
They discuss about the critics made by some newspapers and politicians until Wanda wakes up. The first thing she does is giggle about how she needs to start waking up earlier to be able to keep up with her teammates. Then, she comes and kisses Pietro on the cheek before hugging him as tightly as she can. “Happy Birthday, brother.” She says and Pietro cannot help but smile. “Happy Birthday to you too, sister.”
“I did not know you two were born today.” The good Captain says and then he gets up and greets them both properly: a hug for Wanda and a shake of hands for Pietro. Hawkeye does the same motion and smiles at the twins: “What are you planning for such a special day, Avengers?”
Wanda and Pietro look at each other and they both smile at the same time — her smile always more carefree and wilder, while his is always more controlled and reserved. “Buy each other’s gifts.” Pietro says eventually. “We had not the time to buy what we wish for each other.”
“Together?” Hawkeye asks and when they both nod. The archer only shakes his head. “But it will not mean anything if you both see what the other is buying! Birthday gifts are only good when there is some surprise involved!”
“What, then, do you suggest, Hawkeye?” Pietro asks, mildly interested. What an absurd; Pietro and Wanda have always shopped their gifts together and it never lost any meaning. It only, in fact, brought them closer.
“I say we should split up. Captain America goes with one and I go with the other!”
“It is a good plan.” Captain America says and smiles. “This way we can also shop for you both.”
Pietro looks at Wanda then, who seems to like the idea. He, however, does not trust his fellow Avengers enough to let one of them be alone with Wanda. She looks at him and they soon start discussing silently for there are no words necessary when it comes to them. Defeated by Wanda’s plea, saying it is a good way to make Captain America and Hawkeye trust them further, Pietro agrees.
Captain America goes with Wanda, for he has intentions to buy Sharon Carter something new and Wanda seems glad to help him. By default, Hawkeye is the one to go with Quicksilver and they say nothing until they reach their destination.
“What does Wanda like?” Hawkeye asks, looking at the shops and clearly having no idea what to buy his female teammate.
“Books.” Quicksilver answers, looking around to see if something captures his eyes and has enough beauty to be a gift for his sister. “Chocolate. Flowers. However, I am with intentions to buy her a beautiful red coat to match her uniform.”
Hawkeye snorts but says nothing and so Pietro ignores him completely. “And you? What do you think she will buy to you?” He does not ask what Pietro likes, for he is far too smart to be so direct. He knows well what that means, since he would do the same thing.
“I do not know. She will probably buy tickets for a play or the circus, for I love both.”
“I see.” Hawkeye hums and keeps looking around too. “What kind of book does the Scarlet Witch likes?”
“Those with descriptions of exotic countries.” Pietro tells him, trying to find what he wants without entering the shops. If there is something Quicksilver hates more than staying put is to waste time. “And I believe it is smarter to call her other than by her codename.”
“Wanda it is, then.” Hawkeye says absently and stops at a shop to peek inside, ignoring the way Pietro himself stops instantly. “Why Wanda?”
Hawkeye gives him a puzzled look. “You are both twins. I shan’t call you both Maximoff. Wanda and Pietro won’t confuse anybody.”
Pietro is not happy at the sudden intimacy, however he prefers to say nothing; he was the one, after all, who pointed it out the unnecessary risk of using their real names at the beginning of this conversation. “Farewell. I guess, then, there is no problem in calling you Barton.”
Hawkeye smirks at him. “Of course. I do not have a parent on the Avengers. Actually I have no parent that you will ever meet, so it’s all right.” When Pietro glares, Barton simply looks around and enters the shop without telling his companion what he is doing. Seconds later, he calls Pietro and tells he has found the scarlet coat he seemed to want so much.
As he buys the coat, a beautiful shade of red that probably fits perfectly his sister’s petite frame, Pietro decides it will do no harm to help Clint find the proper book for Wanda.
.
There is no party, since Wanda and he are not used with this. It is, however, a small gathering where they talk and laugh and discuss their previous teams. Captain America tells them tales of his time fighting Hitler — tales they all already know, but that are much more endearing when it is the Captain himself who tells them, from his point of view — and Hawkeye tells about his circus stunts, while the twins tell how their life before the Brotherhood were. Then, they exchange gifts.
Wanda accepts the coat with great happiness and gives Pietro two tickets for a Broadway play that Pietro was already planning to see, but had not had the time to obtain any sits. From the good Captain, his sister is gifted a beautiful necklace with a scarlet bird on it. It looks like a phoenix and its eye is one small precious stone. “And here I was thinking you had bought it for Sharon!” She exclaims, surprised. When Captain America tells her it was all part of his plan, they both laugh like good friends.
Wanda kisses Clint on the cheek after he gives her a collection of short stories written by Edgar Allan Poe and the First 49 Stories by Hemingway at the same time Captain America gives Pietro Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and wishes him, once again, for a good birthday.
After this, they each go their way: Captain America goes to Sharon Carter’s house as Wanda explains she will retire to her room to read and to try her new coat. Pietro has intentions of going to read his own book and then go to sleep when Hawkeye calls him. “Pietro.” It echoes around the living room and Pietro looks back at this teammate, curious. Then, the man throws him something, not as fast for Pietro to miss it, but enough so the average human eye has trouble to catch.
Before the object falls on the ground, he catches it. It’s a black velvet box with the symbol of a shop they passed by for a moment, while looking for Wanda’s gifts. When Pietro opens it, there lies a watch, beautiful and quite expensive. Underneath it, there is a small note that says: “Happy birthday, Pietro.”
When Pietro looks up, ready to thank his fellow Avenger for such consideration, Clint Barton is not there.
Pietro assumes Hawkeye is embarrassed or uncomfortable, so he tells the man nothing, only wears the watch whenever he can when he is not on missions, for he wishes not to damage it with their dangerous stunts. On Barton's birthday, however, Pietro makes sure to buy his teammate a beautiful statue of an amazon whose legend says she cut her own breasts so she could become a better archer. Inside the box, there is also a note:
Happy Birthday for you too, Barton, it says.
02/08/2013