"I learned it for a very long time, starting from a very young age. Mother taught me."
He paused.
"But not everyone can learn this; it requires Talents and patience."
Wanda's fingers curled slightly.
She thought of her days in the HYDRA laboratory — no teachers, no books, only cold instruments and ceaseless commands.
When they told her to release her power, she released it; when they told her to stop, she stopped.
No one taught her how to control it, how to use it, or how to understand that power.
She was simply used as a weapon.
"You..." Pietro's voice interrupted her thoughts. "That Asgard, are there many people like you?"
Thor grinned. "Many. But not everyone can fight as well as I can."
Loki glanced at him indifferently. "Where is your modesty?"
Thor said righteously, "What I said is the truth."
Loki sighed softly and did not refute.
Pietro watched the brothers bickering, the corners of his mouth involuntarily curling up slightly.
He thought of himself and Wanda — they also bickered frequently, though most of the time it was him being lectured by Wanda.
"Then you," Pietro continued to ask, "why did you come to Earth?"
The living room fell silent for a second.
Thor's smile turned a bit subtle. He scratched his head and glanced at Loki, who looked back expressionlessly.
"Um..." Thor weighed his words, "we came to... travel."
Pietro frowned. "Travel?"
"Right," Thor nodded, "travel. See Earth's scenery, eat Earth's delicacies, and by the way — check on Eldest Sister."
He motioned towards Mavuika with his mouth.
Mavuika was sitting on the sofa, holding a strawberry in his hand, eating it in small bites. Hearing this, he looked up at Thor, the corners of his mouth curving up slightly.
Wanda's gaze shifted back and forth among the three of them.
She could feel that there was a deep, long-stewed tacit understanding among the three siblings.
It was not the kind of tacit understanding that needed verbal expression, but a more essential, intertwining connection like tree roots.
"You..." Wanda looked at Mavuika, "how long have you lived here?"
Mavuika thought for a moment. "A few hundred years, on and off."
Wanda's hand trembled slightly.
"A few hundred years?"
"A few hundred years..." Pietro muttered, repeating, "then wouldn't you... have seen a lot of history?"
Mavuika smiled. "Seen some, but most of the time, I'm just an ordinary person living an ordinary life."
Pietro didn't quite understand.
If he had such power and such lifespan, he would never be satisfied with an "ordinary life."
But he didn't say it out loud, just silently looking at Mavuika, looking into his amber eyes.
In those eyes, there was something he couldn't read.
Not arrogance, not indifference, not a high-and-mighty overlooking.
But something deeper, calmer, as vast as the sea.
"Your powers," Wanda suddenly asked, "have they ever gone out of control?"
The living room fell silent again.
Thor's expression turned serious. He put down the fruit in his hand, leaned back against the sofa, and looked at the ceiling.
"Gone out of control," he said, his voice low, "many times."
Wanda looked at him.
Thor continued: "When I first got Mjolnir, I couldn't control it, always failing to gauge the right force, smashing things and hurting people. Father said it was because my heart wasn't calm enough."
He paused.
"Later, I learned. Not learning to control the hammer, but learning to control myself."
Loki sat to the side, listening quietly without speaking.
"What about you?" Wanda looked at Loki.
Loki was silent for a second, then chuckled softly. "My magic has never gone out of control."
Wanda frowned. "Never?"
"Of course. Thor couldn't control it because he was too stupid. Being unable to even control your own power just shows you haven't mastered it at all."
Wanda was stunned.
She walked into the kitchen, and soon the sound of chopping vegetables and the clashing of spatulas came from inside.
In the living room, Thor picked up the remote control again to continue changing channels, and Loki continued reading.
Wanda and Pietro sat on the sofa, quietly watching all this.
Pietro leaned close to Wanda's ear and lowered his voice. "Do you think they are trustworthy?"
Wanda thought about it. "I don't know, but at least for now, they haven't harmed us."
Pietro nodded. "True, if they wanted to harm us, they would have made a move long ago."
Wanda was silent. Pietro was right — with those three's strength, if they really wanted to do them harm, they wouldn't need to go through so much trouble at all.
At the moment the helicarrier crashed, they could completely have handed the siblings over to S.H.I.E.L.D., or killed them directly.
But they didn't.
When Mavuika said "Come home with me," Wanda saw his eyes. In those eyes, there was no hostility, no calculation, only a calm, certain warmth.
Wanda didn't know if that was true. But she thought, perhaps she could try to trust them once.
Dinner was ready.
The dishes were simple, but the portions were very generous. There were both Chinese and Western styles, steaming hot on the dining table, and the aroma filled the entire dining room.
Thor was the first to sit at the dining table, but didn't reach out to grab food like before.
He picked up the knife and fork, and then started eating only after everyone else sat down.
Wanda sat opposite, and Pietro sat next to her, forking a piece of food into his mouth.
His eyes widened slightly, not because he had never eaten anything delicious, but because this meal was completely different from the ones he ate in the HYDRA Base.
Hot, fresh, each dish had its own flavor, rather than that uniform, ration-style tasteless paste.
"Delicious," he said, his voice a bit muffled.
Mavuika smiled. "If it's delicious, eat more."
Thor had already eaten more than half a bowl of rice and looked up at Pietro. "Do you like spicy food? That Mapo Tofu is very spicy, but I love it."
Pietro looked at the bright red plate of Mapo Tofu, hesitated for a moment, picked up a small piece, and put it into his mouth.
His face turned red instantly.
Not from shyness, but from the spiciness.
That numb, spicy, burning sensation spread from the tip of his tongue to his entire oral cavity, and his tears were almost coming out.
Wanda handed him a glass of water. "Drink some water."
Pietro took the cup, gulped down half of it, then let out a breath and looked at the plate of Mapo Tofu with a complicated gaze.
"This thing... is too spicy."
Thor grinned. "Spicy food is the best! You'll get used to it after eating it a few more times."
Pietro shook his head. "I don't think I'll ever get used to it."
Loki gracefully picked up a piece of tofu, chewed slowly, and didn't change expression. "The flames of the Eye of Skadi are much spicier than this."
Thor glared at him. "The Eye of Skadi is magic flame, not food!"
Loki shrugged. "Close enough."
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