X-Men Sagas: Quicksilver (Quicksilver/Pietro x Crystal)

A Day of Last Things

If he had to be described simply in spite of his greatness, Pietro Maximoff was many things. Full of himself. Easily annoyed. The fastest thing on two legs. Above all else, he was terribly, terribly impatient.
X-Factor's latest recruit waited...well, impatiently at a red light. Avengers never had to stop at red lights. Five agonizingly long seconds passed and once the light turned green Quicksilver was off. Newspapers flew out of hands, and street-goers held onto their hats for dear life. Neatly coiffed hair was turned wild by what appeared in human sights as a streak of blue. That was Quicksilver on a light jog. He came to a stop outside of the bank to catch his breath, if only for a moment. Quickly as his namesake, the bomb on the counter was defused with seconds to spare. Just another day in the life.

Except it wasn't.

Pietro woke up in an office that was stacked with far too many papers for his liking. Valerie Cooper informed him that he'd blacked out immediately after taking care of the bomb. Then, she confirmed what he knew to be true, although that did not make the fact any easier to stomach. Consistent usage of his mutant power over the years had rapidly accelerated Quicksilver's aging.

Pietro had one day left to live.

The next day, Pietro had Lockjaw transport him to Attilan. His relationship with the Inhuman princess Crystalia Amaquelin had been difficult, but the child they shared, Luna, was proof of the strength of their bond. Pietro loved them more than anything. There wasn't anyone he'd rather spend his last day with.

Morning and afternoon were spent at the funfair along with his wife and daughter. It was the most fun the three of them had ever had. Luna got a spot of candy floss on her nose and, not being able to see it, wondered what was so funny and why her parents were smiling from ear to ear at each other. She had the last laugh when they nearly threw up on the drop tower while she didn't even think it was scary.

A few hours later, Quicksilver located the creature he'd only ever refer to as "Toad" and gave him a good thrashing to remind him that even if he was leading his own Brotherhood, his idol would never see him as anything but a disgusting little man.

Then it was time for the goodbyes.

After all they had been through together, who else to bid farewell to first but his sister Wanda? Smiles were exchanged along with heartfelt gifts. He'd baked her a meat pie with the lumps on top that weren't actually supposed to be there. She gave him a photo which he was told to look at only after he was ready to, for lack of better term, go. Wanda choked back tears and promised to remain strong. They embraced one final time, and Pietro also shared a hug with the man he had only recently begun to accept as his true father. Magneto.

Next came the Avengers, who were essentially family to him, brothers and sisters he'd die for in an instant although he was too proud to admit such. Following that was X-Factor. They were more like annoying little cousins. Especially Madrox. He would miss them dearly.

By the time Pietro got home, the sun had gone down. His day was almost up. Waiting for him at home were two unexpected surprises, but a welcome one all the same. A sobbing Crystal ran towards him with open arms just as he opened the door. Tears streamed down her face and made his once white shirt damp. The two shared a kiss during a moment they wished could last for eternity. A reminder of good times too few and far between. In a way, the infrequency of those moments only made them that much more precious.
His mind flashed back to a memory long since past. When he had wed Crystal, he was still an Avenger with the heavy burden of answering the call to protect innocents whenever and wherever. He hadn't been ready to fully commit then, and he certainly wasn't ready to commit to the child she'd become pregnant with. He still hated himself for that. Now he was more than ready. Pietro was torn. His power was the very thing killing him, but if he had never used it, then he never would have met Crystal.
A stray teardrop rolled down his cheek as he pulled away. Luna took a step forward from behind her mother's leg.
"Daddy, are you really going away forever?" She looked up at him, her voice shaky and trembling, round button eyes widened. She was even more teary-eyed than her mother "Yes. Now remember Luna, daddy loves you." He kneeled down to her level and ran a hand through her hair. "Both of you." His soft gaze turned to Crystal. To Pietro, his wife didn't have to be royalty to be considered a princess. It was almost funny. He'd never felt closer to Mrs. Maximoff, closer to being a father than he did now, and here he was on his deathbed. 

Time grew even shorter. As Pietro laid down in bed, wife and daughter watching over him, he inspected the photo his sister had given him. It was a snapshot of a time he could not recall now matter how hard he thought: Lorna and Max relaxing along the beach coastline, whilst Luna and Crystal attempted to race the fastest man alive. He smiled. Pietro Maximoff drifted off into sleep and passed on peacefully, surrounded by the people he loved.