Forever

47

Down in the common room of the Avengers Tower, the news plays at a reasonable volume, not too loud, not too quiet, taking in most eyes of the heroes. Wanda has her arm hooked with Pietro's to attempt to calm him while Bree sits alone at the end of the couch and picks her nails, staring at the floor in front of her.

"More news on the newly out couple, Bree Stark and Pietro Maximoff." The anchor lady starts, snapping Bree out of her trance as a few slowly look at the tense pair. "By now, we should all know of this and I'm sure most of us have seen Bree's latest interview." She nods and Bree locks her jaw while shaking her head. "Overall, the feedback recieved that day has been wonderful. There's people wishing the pair a great future together and praying that Bree finds the happiness in herself that she needs. But, of course, there is the select majority of the public that disagrees with the love and more agrees with Bree and what she has stated about herself. They seem to hate her." She breathes.

She continues on about how she and the general public respect Bree and what she decides to do with her life, but all of that is blocked out in her mind. Morphing into something she should never hear from anyone, something no one should hear.

She hesitantly turns to Pietro and her breathing picks up as her eyes fill with tears. He goes to say something, but she shakes her head and jumps up to exit the room. She starts heading fast up her steps as it all becomes too much for her.

He rubs his face in frustrated anger and races after her to bring her exactly where she needs to be. She forces herself out of his hold and tosses her phone on the counter before setting her head in her hands.

"Bree."

She ignores him while shaking her head with tears streaming down her face, damn near having a full blown panic attack.

"Bree, it's oka-"

"Don't." She furiously turns to him. "Don't say it's all gonna be okay." She points. "It's not okay, I can't handle this." She cries.

"Bree, please?" He slowly walks towards her.

"No, Pietro!" She backs up and he stops with shock. "Oh, God." She covers her mouth. "Sorry."

"It's alright." He shakes his head with furrowed brows.

"No, it's not." She turns away. "It's not okay. It is never okay." She hits the counter. "I can't do this shit anymore." She takes a difficult deep breath. "You need to leave."

"What?"

"Go away."

"What? No." He shakes his head. "I'm not leaving you to deal with this alone."

"Yes, you are because, I need you to leave." She turns back and points to the elevator with heavy breaths, avoiding eye-contact for the moment. "Pietro, please, just go." She cries. "I'm done."

"Done?" He takes a step back.

"Yes." She sobs.

"You're breaking up with me?" His brows relax in dreaded realization.

"Get out!"

"Are you breaking up with me?"

"Yes, leave me alone!"

"Why, because of what a bunch of random strangers you'll never meet have said?" He shakes his head with furrowed brows.

"I can't handle it." She cries while looking into his eyes. "They're hurting me and-"

"Then, why can't I be the one to heal you?" He steps closer.

"Because I don't want you to be anymore!"

He goes quiet with a locked jaw and she takes a deep, howling breath while turning away.

"Fine." He nods with tears in his eyes. "I'll go. But when you realize that what you just did is the stupidest fucking decision you have ever made," he shakes his head firmly, "come get me." He races off of her floor and she looks at where he was before taking a deep breath.

"Oh, God." She sobs.

Her knees hit the floor and she covers her mouth, losing every bit of control she has ever had. Quickly, this turns into the most painful panic attack she's ever had and, before she can collapse, she stands with legs of jello and arms as heavy as the moon and hurries to the bathroom. She gets down in front of the toilet, unable to calm enough to stop the projectial leaving her body.

Eventually, she's able to stop, though she's still in so much pain. Her back slams against the cabinets behind her and curls into a tight, rocking ball.

-

Pietro ran to his room when he left and slammed his back into the wall with his hands over his face. He breaks into silent sobs while gripping his hair with his hand over his abdomen.

The heartbreak he had never thought he would ever feel smacks him hard in the face with the force of Hulk's punch. Before Bree, he would do whatever he wanted and see any girl he could, but when Bree showed up and became the love of his life, he abandoned everything about his past for her. He left it all behind to be able to be the best he could for her, but he lost her. She lost herself and he can't get her back.

He had been terrified that maybe he wasn't enough for her or that his past would really just come storming back into his life and it would be too much for her, but he had been worried about the wrong thing. He should've done more to help her. He should've silenced them, pulled her away from her phone, taken her away from the hardships of this world. They could've been happy. They should've been happy. What's so wrong with that?