Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver Imagines

The Man With the White Hair

Nathaniel Pietro Barton is a few weeks old, lying awake in the middle of the night and crying. His parents are asleep, a rare thing, and he won't be comforted for a while, until a man with shocking white hair walks up to him. Nathaniel stops crying, something about the man is soothing to him. In a flash, the man runs across the room to grab a bottle and bring it back, but it only takes him a few seconds. Nathaniel, once fed, stops crying and goes back to sleep. The man with the white hair looks down at him, then fades away.

Nathaniel Pietro Barton is five years old when he realizes nobody else can see his friend, the man with the white hair. He tried to introduce him to his father, but Clint just brushed it off as an imaginary friend. Later, when he asks the man with the white hair why he's the only one who can see him, the man shakes it off, saying he'll explain why later.

Nathaniel Pietro Barton is sixteen years old, headed on a course to crash and burn. The man with the white hair is pacing back and forth in his bedroom. "You were named for me, Nathaniel. I have to look out for you. How can I do that when you're headed straight for trouble?"

Nathaniel Pietro Barton is seventeen when he finally asks his father about Pietro, and why he was named after him. His father stiffens, and when he turns around again, there is a shine in his eyes that wasn't there before. "He died for me." He says nothing more, and Nathaniel stands there for a second before heading back to his room.

Nathaniel Pietro Barton is twenty when he visits Pietro Maximoff's grave. He has done so before, but he thinks this time will be different. His hand traces over the letters on the gravestone, and he stands and turns to face the man with the white hair. "Thank you." Pietro smiles, and fades away with the wind.

Nathaniel Pietro Barton is thirty when he starts researching Quicksilver. He reads Sokovian newsletters featuring his name, he looks into SHIELD files he probably wasn't meant to read, he finds clues in different places. He finds a photo with a woman in a red jacket and a man with white hair smiling up at him, the same man he saw so many times before. The woman in red comes up behind him, a bittersweet smile written over her face. They talk for hours later, mentioning every last detail about the man with white hair.

Nathaniel Pietro Barton is sixty when he starts talking about the man with white hair. His children grow up hearing stories about him, his grandchildren do the same. It's been a while since Nathaniel saw the man, but he remembers the smiles on his face and the way his hands moved when he talked.

Nathaniel Pietro Barton is ninety when he finds himself on his deathbed. He has children and grandchildren surrounding him, and when he breathes his last breath, he finds himself before a doorway. A man with white hair opens the door, smiling. "Welcome home, Nathaniel."