Avengers RP Lost Souls Brought by Forgotten Memories - ABANDONED

Kerica waved them off, turning and walling away, yawning as she did so, "I'm going to go talk to Tessa about tonight, then," she said as she went though the door, leaving them alone.

Pietro stared at Jayden curiously, "Is there something I missed? What's going on?"

J.J ran his hand through his hair again and took another breath. This nerve wracking. More so than when he told Kerica. Kerica just took it with a nod. He understood that she didn't really get it, but she was supportive about it and that's all that mattered. He could only imagine what everyone else would think. He was most definitely worried about what Pietro thought. Sure, he made that bet with Bucky, but...it wasn't like he wanted to scare him away or anything. "Do you know what genderfluid means?" Best to be direct in times of doubt.

"No...not really. I don't recognize a lot of the American slang for things yet. I've been trying," Pietro scratched the back of his head, "You'll have to explain."

J.J nodded, this made things a bit harder. He took a breath inwards and outwards. It's okay, it's okay. He chanted mentally. You're safe, you're safe, you're safe. He had to be safe. Bucky wouldn't stay here if they weren't. If they weren't. "I flow between being a female and being a male is basically what it means." He said after a moment. "The day we went shopping I was more female than male so I used the "she/her" pronouns. Today, I felt more like a man so I'm going by the he/his. Bucky knows about this. He didn't really care so long as I tell him that I changed my pronouns and that I do it either in the morning or before one of us passes out." He shifted. "I understand this is weird, Kerica doesn't get it either, but it's...me." He finished off lamely.

"Wait...what?" Quicksilver blinked at her and then his expression dissolved into a really, /really/ confused one, "So...today you're a guy?" he asked and at her nod he shook his head, "That's really weird. You're actually a woman, though? Is it more...a mental thing? 'Cause it's not like...ya magically grow a cock." He shifted uncomfortably, "I'm very sorry...that was really crude. I'm just trying to make sense of this."

Pietro stared at her long and hard. She had the same face, same body structure...her breasts were just pinned down. But she was still calling herself a man. She did move differently...stiffer like Bucky would, not fluid with a bounce. What was she trying to get at?

"My body is a female's body." J.J was highly amused. "Though if I could grow cock and have my breasts disappear for a couple of hours or days, I'd be happy." He shook his head, his smile was bright. "Today I'm male. I don't know if I want to be a belle tomorrow or if I want to stick with the he/his pronouns. I'll figure that out by tonight most likely or tomorrow morning. It is a mental thing though, ya got that right." He affirmed. "Of course that comes with it's own set of issues like me sometimes liking and not liking my body, but that's also from the numerous scars I got from nearly dying 17 or so times. I swear I'm a Patchwork Doll." His smile lingered, though his eyes became sad. "I'm very thankful my parents chose a unisex name for me, otherwise I'd go crazy looking for another name every time I switch." He paused and looked at Pietro directly. "It's also why I asked Kerica to come with me and Bucky. I didn't know your reaction and I didn't...I didn't want to make you uncomfortable."

"I'm not...really all that uncomfortable, it's just confusing, and will take some getting used to. I'm not going to stop watching over you, either," he closed his eyes and took a very deep breath, letting it out slowly, calming himself and his body the best he could. His every-present smile was replaced with a very serious expression and he held his hands out, "I know you can't affect me, but you can still read my feelings, right? Touch me. I want you to know nothing's changed."

J.J was shocked as he offered his hands to him. He took a breath and took his hands in his and closed his eyes. The moment that he touched him, he could feel the hyperactivity. It was being calmed down though, so it made him wonder if that was Pietro trying not to overload him or not. He also felt confusion and resolve to go through with whatever decision he made. He smiled, relieved and he wasn't sure if it was on his side or if it was on Pietro's side, but he could swear he was feeling...a swell of affection rise. He gently pulled his hands away, already missing the warmth of them. He kept his eyes closed and breathed for a little bit before he opened them. "I trust you." J.J assured him. "Though I have to admit, now you know many secrets about myself, I know none about you. I won't pressure you into telling me any secrets, but...tell me something about you."

"A secret about me..." Pietro bit his lips harshly and looked to the side, "Um..." he took a single step back before he wrung his hands, "My sister and I...you could say our relationship isn't normal of siblings. It wasn't always that way, it just...got that way because...of our time in Hydra's hands. We only had each other. Now she has Vision, though, so...things have changed." He looked...ready to shrink and hide away, "That's the biggest secret I really have...Vision doesn't really care as long as we don't act upon it."

J.J knew that he shouldn't be surprised to get Pietro to tell him something about himself, but at the same time he wasn't sure what he was expecting. "That explains why she's able to calm you down. I think that I speed you up or something, your hyperactivity affects me a lot more than anything else." He admitted. "It's okay. I don't mind. You forget I traveled. I've seen some strange things, and sibling stuff isn't the worst. Hydra though...Bucky's mentioned you and your sister a few times during our travels together. You were...experimented on to?" He was hestiant on using the word, afraid to bring up bad memories. "The Avengers is becoming more and more like Neverland."

"Dat's an understatement, Jay..." Pietro's smile was lopsided, his accent thicker since he wasn't bouncing off the walls and hyper, he was calm, "I'm glad you trust me and yes...I trust my sister the most. We were experimented on, you're right. Wanda...she's terrified of needles. I don't like dem, either, but I'm able to reason dat Dr. Rivera doesn't mean me harm. I have nightmares instead. I had to be the strong one, the big brother...so I don't have any...outward pain, or triggers. Bucky doesn't either, it's all internal. I can see it...because I understand."

"You're the older twin?" J.J asked curiously. He knew that he wasn't telling the whole truth, but he knew better than to push. He had seen Bucky writhing with nightmares, he knew what that was like. It was a scary thing, when someone woke up and didn't know where they were or if the person next to them could be trusted. He swallowed, shifting his weight from a different side as the thought came to him. This was probably a safer route. "That makes alotta sense. I would've guessed it, but...I didn't know. For all I knew, Wanda could be the older sibling and I would've guessed wrong. You're a good big brother, ya know."

"You think so?" Pietro was slowly relaxing from the tense posture he'd taken up, "I am older than Wanda by twelve minutes." He looked around, "So, do you have anything you were doing or are you free? It's a nice day outside, we could go for a walk around the facility or play some games. There's a basketball court."

"I was mostly just punching and kicking a punching bag. I'm pretty free other than that." J.J agreed, shifting a little again. "I still don't know what I'm going to do for S.H.I.E.L.D. The options are pretty good, but..." He scratched his chin, "I don't...I'm...let's go ahead and take that walk, you can show me the basketball court." He smiled. "You know how to play? We could do a one on one."

"Steve and a few of the others taught me. One on one sounds fun. I'll keep myself in-check and not cheat with my speed, I promise!" Pietro beamed, a lot brighter than he had been and he grabbed Jay's arm, dragging her...him with him as he jogged over to the door to leave the gym.

~*~

"Take care of yourself, Jay," Pietro waved to the black haired person as he left with Natasha, Teresa, and Kerica. Bucky and Steve had been watching from the side, and he didn't miss how the two men /admired/ the lady's outfits. Bucky held more of a...hungry wolf look in his blue eyes as he watched Dr. Rivera, and Steve was more...speechless at Kerica's chosen party-wear. While the three women wore sparkly dresses, Jay had a simple pair of jeans and a graphic t-shirt.

Once they were gone, the oldest Maximoff quickly departed. Today had been a long day and he just wanted to go to bed. Switching between her to him was confusing, and his head hurt. At least Jay'd been understanding when he slipped up.

Getting comfortable and climbing in bed, he didn't even wait for his sister who had declined accompanying the others on their Lady's Night. It certainly didn't take very long at all for him to conk out.

Tonight was not going to be an easy one, however.

He could hear his sister's screams as they did what they wanted with her in their torture room. In order to make his sister not worry about him, he would use one of their biting sticks as they poked and prodded. Before he and his sister were separated, he would smile at her and while bleeding and out of breath he would say, "Everything's alright, sister..." and then he'd pass out with his head on her lap, her stroking his hair and crying.

Then after they were separated and he was being tossed into his glass cage with no escape, nowhere to run, nowhere to hide...he would dash back and forth between walls and he could feel them closing in on him. Wanda couldn't reach him, either, could only watch helplessly and call out to him...he was trapped...he couldn't breathe...

"Pietro, Pietro, you have to wake up." Wanda said urgently as she watched her brother writhe around in the bed. His forehead beaded with sweat and his feverishly warm. He was shaking, almost as if something was holding on to him. "You have to breathe, please." Wanda pleaded, running her fingers through his hair, hoping it'd calm him down. She waited on baited breath as his eyes opened. Her own were starting to fill with tears. "Frate, ești bine, ești cu mine. Nu mai suntem acolo." Brother, you're okay, you're with me. We're not there anymore. She wiped away the sweat that was on his forehead and gently kissed him there. "Respiră, suntem în siguranță acum." Just breathe, we're safe now. She glanced at the clock and saw that it was about 12:30 in the morning. She let out a long breath. At least it wasn't somewhere closer to the middle of the night.

((Language is Romani. I used google for it.)

Pietro jerked as he fully came to and he immediately started hyperventilating, tugging at the blankets wrapped around his body, panic in his eyes. Wanda helped him tug it off before he ripped it and once his limbs were free he bolted out of bed and his back went hit the wall, the cold plaster on his bare back woke him up and shocked him back to reality, but he got dizzy with how irregular his breathing was and he slipped down until he was sitting on the floor, "Wanda..." he wheezed, "Soră..."

"Shhh," Wanda quickly got to his side, staying within his line of sight so he wouldn't think that she disappeared. "Respira." She said soothingly. "În și în afara, respirații adânci." Breathe, in and out, deep breaths. She slowly approached him and gently brushed his cheek with her hand. The fever skin was now as cold as ice. "Ești în siguranță aici, cu mine." You're safe here, with me. She wanted to hug him tight, but she knew better than to restrain any movement from him. "It vas a nightmare." She switched back to English. "Just a nightmare. A bad dream. You're vith me, and we're safe. Breathe, or you'll pass out."

Pietro nodded, running his hand through his hair, a deep breath in and he let it out slowly, tilting his head into her hand, "I'm sorry, sister, I didn't mean ta vorry ya..." He took another breath and gripped her hand in his, "I need ta get out of 'ere fer a little vhile. I'm going ta go fer a valk." Struggling to his his feet, he grabbed a shirt off of the bedpost and slipped it on as he headed for the door. She'd been wearing that pretty red gown, too...so she had been asleep. Now she'd be awake until he came back...tomorrow was going to suck.

He walked up to the top floor and jogged up the stairs so he could get to his favorite place after a nightmare like that. A balcony that looked over the main floor. It was amazingly wide and open and there was fresh air from the front doors and windows. He folded his arms over the railing and put his head on them, breathing deeply, feeling how his body shook...still wound up from the nightmare.

The girls walked through the main room, laughing and having their heels click against the tile.  J.J's eyes went up towards the balcony for some reason, and he saw Pietro leaning over, head down and placed on his arms. It was a weird sight to see, but Teresa who was walking next to him, clicked her tongue. "A nightmare again." Teresa said softly, "Poor thing's probably not getting any sleep."

"I'll go talk to him," J.J offered. "You guys can go ahead and go down." It was a conversation that they had just earlier that day. That he was prone to having nightmares. He jogged up the stairs towards the balcony and taking two at a time. He nearly tripped a few times while going up, but thankfully didn't fall flat on his face.

But once he got up the balcony, he had to take a breath. He couldn't affect him. J.J remembered that. He had to try though, he had to do something. He walked closer towards him and leaned against the balcony. "A nightmare, Sunshine?"

Pietro looked up, surprised, "I didn't hear ya come in..." he glanced down and saw the girls all getting into the elevator to go down to the housing center of the facility. "I must be out of it more than I thought. I am sorry...you're right. I had a nightmare. It was with me and Wanda in captivity. Her screams...and trying not to scream myself when it was my turn so she wouldn't be scared." It wasn't the whole thing, but most of it. They'd already talked about his relationship with his sister, and him being a big brother.

~

Vision didn't really need a lot of sleep, so he usually took cat-naps and slept in spurts. He saw Wanda walking from the cafeteria with a mug of coffee in hand. Following her, he watched her find a spot to climb up and look out a window, curling up. Watching her for a few minutes from the dark, he slowly came out, "Is there something on your mind?"

J.J nodded, pushing himself a little further against the railing, his eyes watching the main room. He knew most of the story. Knew better than to ask for further details too. The last thing that he wanted to do was trigger him. He rolled his shoulders back and moved so that he could cross his ankles, the ball of his foot digging into the ground. What did...someone say to that? "Don't be sorry, you had a nightmare. Everyone's terrified of something." He got bored with the position pretty fast and pushed himself up, turned so that he was leaning on the railing with his elbows, his back pressed against it and his head tilted towards the ceiling. He let the wave of vertigo go down his body as he held this dangerous position. "My nightmares are mostly demons I created myself...so I know most of it is bullshit. Bucky on the other hand has a gun. You can imagine how that works out when he has a nightmare. He shot me at least twice. Better me than him, though no one else sees it like that." He paused and then looked at Pietro. "You didn't...try to hurt yourself, did you?"
~
Wanda looked over at him and smiled a little. She was exhausted, but she knew that her brother needed time. She wasn't surprised to see Vision because in a way she already knew that he was there, just waiting for a right moment to talk. "A nightmare." She explained. "Pietro went off to calm down." She looked at the coffee that was sitting in her hands, warming her up even though the building wasn't all that cold. "I...had thought...had hoped...dat when we were here, all of our nightmares, all of our fears would just...disappear." She shook her head sadly. Her exhaustion was making her accent thicker, "I don't get nightmares dat often, but dey plague Pietro. I'm vorried about him."

"No, my nightmares don't usually go dat way," Pietro didn't like hearing that Bucky and shot him, but it was obviously they had talked about it so he kept his mouth shut, "I am fast enough to get away from zeh problem so I don't physically feel the need to punch or hurt someone, let alone myself. I do...usually feel bad because on zese nights my sister doesn't sleep well, either."

~

"I find it hard to believe you don't have nightmares," Vision told her honestly, "I think you just hide them better. You have been expected and allowed to show your pain. Pietro has always kept it inside, to appear strong for you. That is why he always seems so happy, as well. If he's not scared, then you aren't." He floated up to get closer to her and gently put his hand on her shoulder, "I think you're not the only one anymore who can calm him down, though. J.J. has been getting closer to him. I'm pretty sure she's back from her night out with Kerica and the others. He should be okay."

"Understandable." J.J was relieved to hear that he never hurt himself. That he was able to get away. He was so incredibly thankful for it. "You can't help that you have nightmares, and I know that she understands them. It doesn't take away the feeling of guilt, but...it's something Sunshine. If it's not her, it's gonna be someone else that's willing to stay up with you. I know I teased Tony about putting him to sleep, but I pull of chronic all-nighters myself sometimes so I'll be awake. Maybe next time I'll grab a tablet or my ipod and we can listen to some comedy podcasts I found or we could watch something on youtube or I could find a movie on Netflex and we can just...binge watch until you tire yourself out. We'll have drinks and have popcorn." He paused. "I could do that now, sneak into our room and grab the stuff and we can huddle somewhere. Ooooh! That's a cool idea. Blanket forts!"
~
Wanda nodded her head, a ping of jealousy hitting her. She didn't want to feel jealous over J.J. She knew her brother deserved happiness and whatever that entailed. She looked up at Vision, taking a little time to admire his eyes and how his hand felt against her shoulder. She sipped on her coffee and sighed a little. "It is selfish of me to not vant her to be able to. Pietro deserves someone special, and J.J is very special in his heart. I've tried to talk to him about it, but...the vords dry up. I'm confident that I will not lose him, but at the same time I'm saddened that I am not the only, does any of this make sense?"

"Could we...do a blanket fort another time?" Pietro asked gently, not wanting to burst her bubble too much, "Instead, we could camp outside. Tony installed a pretty powerful internet system so you could still bring your stuff out. I would imagine you have one of those external power sources in case you need to plug it in, don't you? Watching things with you sounds like a lot of fun...I just need air, ya know? Which is why I'm out here. There's a designated camp area 500 yards out, deeper into the surrounding forest but close enough in case we need help."

~

"Yes, you make more sense than you think you do," Vision nodded, reaching up and brushing her hair from her face, he gave her a gentle smile, "I don't think Pietro is aware of his feelings, but he does like her enough that he accepted her quirk. Give him time. He might even come to you to talk about it. If you'd like, Wanda, I can stay here with you while you enjoy your coffee, and then escort you back to your room?"