OUR LIFETIME « Pietro Maximoff

32 /| savannah, saveria

•.* [chapter thirty-two]

*•*.*•.

WHEN HE WAS YOUNGER, PIETRO MAXIMOFF loved to play chess. He wasn't any good until much later in life, but he loved it because his father had played the game with him. The man had hardly known what he was doing either, but it was fun to pretend, and Pietro was glad they had.

His sister had been obsessed with sitcoms, and he'd been obsessed with chess, along with any other board games he could get his hands on. They—the sitcoms and games— were an escape from the havoc that had begun to destroy their country and any semblance of peace within it.

He'd played the game with Pepper Potts on a Sunday night, and it'd been quite strenuous, even with Morgan's curiosity and insistence for a more fun activity. Tony had taunted them both and relentlessly spoke out each of their moves in animated voice, which Morgan had found infinitely hilarious, though she didn't much understand it.

He'd been playing the game as only a pastime with no budding worry in his heart, which was quite the novelty for him. It was raining, which his sister would've hated, and Savannah would've thoroughly enjoyed. She'd loved the chaos of thunderstorms and the pure energy of them, so it was fitting that she came back in the midst of one, and Pietro had Carol Danvers— Captain Marvel— to thank for it.

A call from Natasha came in the middle of their game, and Tony had come back pale faced and wide eyed saying that they had to get back to the Compound because Carol had news. Pietro wasn't quite sure what to think because Tony had been tight lipped, even in his expensive car, away from Pepper and Morgan's ears. He'd heard him promise his wife that he'd call when he made sure everything was alright.

When they'd gotten to the Compound, everything was as it always was. The building was dark in the wings that had been closed since 2018, but the area where he and Natasha lived—along with others who tended to pass through— was lit with life and use.

Pietro slowly got out of the car but glanced at the clock before it went dark: 9:47 p.m. He used his speed to quickly find cover from the rain and waited near the entrance as Tony did the same—just a bit slower.

They entered the Compound and followed the quiet hum of voices to the debriefing room where Steve and Natasha were seated at the long table, and Carol, decked out in her usual red and blue uniform, stood across from them, her arms crossed over her chest and her face unreadable. Her blonde hair was cut just above her shoulders, a new look if Pietro remembered correctly, but that was far from the most important thing here because seated between Nat and Steve—and standing quickly with his appearance— was Savannah.

Live and well and, visibly, unharmed. Pietro halted in his steps, unsure.

Savannah looked the same, with her dark hair pulled back in tight curls at the base of her neck. Her brown eyes were flecked with blue, a telltale sign of her powers, and she still wore her suit, though it seemed to be a bit darker. Her brown skin seemed to glow in the harsh light of the room. She was a bit thinner than he remembered her to be, but she looked the same.

Nearly.

Her face, however, was pained in a way that he'd never seen before, and there were shadows in her eyes that weren't present years ago. And there was a noticeable scar— maybe three inches long— on her temple.

There were tears in her eyes.

Pietro had imagined this day millions of times and none of them began with him rooted in place, but he couldn't move. "How?" He asked into the silence of the room to no one in particular. He didn't break eye contact with Savannah because he feared that if he did, she would disappear.

Carol was the person to answer. "There were disturbances on a planet that hadn't seen activity since 2018. These disturbances were very similar to those that Thanos caused on the same planet when acquiring the stones. I thought it was worth investigating, and there she was."

"She recognized me," Savannah spoke, her voice rough, but regardless, Pietro would have to thank God for the privilege of being able to hear it again. And Carol. Definitely Carol. "And I told her everything I knew, and she did the same. Then she promised to take me home."

"And here you are," Tony said, taking a few steps further into the room. Pietro had almost forgotten the man was there. "How many? How many outcomes did he see?"

This must of been some sort of test because no one knew what he meant, but it seemed that Savannah was supposed to know.

"You don't believe it's me," she let out with a breathy laugh and a nod. There was no humor in her expression, though. Tony didn't comment on that. He only repeated his question. Savannah swallowed. "14,000,605."

A pause.

"Well if any of you had any doubts before, it really is her."

Natasha scoffed then spoke with sarcasm. "Yeah, thanks for clearing that up."

Pietro and Savannah were staring at each other now, and he felt his heart stutter in his chest. "Pietro," she murmured as the others talked on. When she said his name, the spell that had rooted him in place shattered into a million pieces and, in the blink of an eye, he was across the room, and Savannah was in his arms. He could hardly recall how it happened exactly, but all he knew was that they had their arms wrapped around each other in a tight hug, and her feet were dangling a few inches off of the ground.

There were holding onto each other so tightly that he could hardly breathe, but he didn't care. He didn't care about the eyes on them either, yet he still wanted a moment alone with her.

"Give us a second," he said, but instead of waiting for them to clear out, he and Savannah—still embracing—disappeared from the room.

•••

Savannah—Saveria, depending on whom you were speaking to— had broken many times when she was away, and she'd changed and changed and changed until she couldn't anymore. However, she never stopped believing that she would see Earth again—that she would see her family again—that she would see Pietro.

She'd prayed for death. Then she prayed for
salvation. Then she decided that she would have to be a hero for herself for once, and four years later she had her life to show for it.

She'd survived only to find that many of the people she'd loved had been willed away by Thanos and the stones— an act that could not be undone.

Not anymore.

And some small part of her was happy that he'd destroyed the stones. That selfish part of her was only concerned with her own freedom from a situation that she'd created for herself.

In the end, however, if she could reverse all that had happened, she would.

It was the one thing she knew for sure.

She also knew that they had to find a way to fix it. They just had to.

•••