One-shots/Short Stories

Pietro Maximoff

His Saviour
He remembered her before everything went downhill in Sokovia when he was ten. She lived across the road from him and his family, and was a quiet girl, never hung around with kids their age. She just kept to herself, reading book after book. They never even spoke to each other - but despite that, Pietro Maximoff knew she was special, and that he would one day talk to her.
   Wanda Maximoff, his twin, would tease him about his 'small crush' on her. "Come on," she teased him, "just talk to her already!"
   "No!" he shook his head rapidly. "What am I supposed to say to her?"
   "Talk to her about books." she motioned to the girl who was reading another book of hers outside her house. Everyday, at exactly four in the afternoon, she would be outside of her house reading a book of hers. It became a pattern for them all; she would go out, and Pietro (and occasionally Wanda) would secretly watch her. "Ask her what her favourite book is."
   "Okay." he nodded determined. He made only a step towards the girl for only to freeze in his spot when the girl suddenly looked up, their eyes connecting. Quickly, he looked away and faced his sister again. "Tomorrow I'll go and talk to her." Pietro said instead. "We're having dinner soon anyway."
   "Wuss." Wanda rolled her eyes, walking back inside their house. "I don't know how it's possible that you're older than me by twelve minutes."
   "Oh, shush!"

***

They were finally rescued by their people, still shaken up at the death of their parents, and how they almost died themselves if it weren't for Stark's missile not working. The twins vowed to get revenge on Stark, the man they waited to kill them with that missile.
   Pietro glanced around with a disheartened look, only for his eyes to widen when he realised the state of the house across from theirs.
   "No!" he gasped. The state of the girl's house was way worse than his. Basically the house was open to the world, revealing the inside of the house being burnt, all furniture and clothing. Pietro spotted the rescue people pulling out two limp bodies into body bags. "The girl!" He looked around, seeing no sign of her. She must still be somewhere in the house.
   "Pietro, no -!" but it was too late. Before Wanda could finish her sentence, Pietro escaped from his spot at the back of the ambulance, making his way towards the house. He pushed away the people that tried to stop him, landing himself in the ruined living room of the girl's house. He looked around with a sad look, spotting a family portrait of a mum and dad and daughter. It was the girl and her parents. He shook his head quickly to snap out of his thoughts and looked around.
   "Lucita!" Pietro called out, using her name for the first time. "Lucita!"
   He started stumbling around the ruins, calling out her name. "Lucita!" Pietro went as far as to move the rubble away, earning some cuts and scrapes on his hands. "Lucita, where are you!"
   "H. . .help. . .me. . ." Pietro looked around madly, having heard the voice. "Help. . .so. . .much. . .pain. . ."
   "Lucita!" Pietro breathed out, spotting a weak hand waving around underneath a broken table in the dining room area. Pietro stumbled his way to the hand, lifting some broken pieces away, only to be stumped at a huge piece of a wall. "Hang on!" he told her. "I got you!"
   "My mama. . .papa. . ." he heard her whisper. Instead of answering her, he turned to the people that were watching him, cupping his hands around his mouth.
   "HELP! SHE'S STUCK UNDER THE RUBBLE!" he screamed out.
   Soon the rescue people came, helping him remove a huge piece of a wall, revealing the girl in a lying position. She had soot all over her face and any revealing skin, her hair covered in ash. She clutched tightly onto a teddy bear and photo album, looking to be almost unconscious. "Don't worry, I'm here." Pietro cooed, going to her side when she was placed on a gurney. "I'm here."
   "Promise?" she asked weakly. Pietro gave her a small smile.
   "I promise." he said.

***

Pietro was laid gently on the floor of the carrier, eyes closed peacefully. Clint laid on the chairs above him, exhausted from battle. "Ugh, it's been a long day." he sighed, resting on his side, facing the fallen body of Pietro. He thought about what Wanda's reaction might be when finding out about her brother's sad fate, when he noticed a woman around Pietro's age, staring at him sadly. Clint tilted his head slightly to get a better glance at her. She had blonde hair that was covered in ash, her brown eyes staring at Pietro's fallen body. She slowly made her way towards him.
   "Wait -" he noticed the purple psionic energy flying around her hands, that were coming towards Pietro. "Wait-wait-wait! What are you doing?" Clint yelped, sitting up straight, moving to grab his bow and arrow. She saw what he was doing and sent her hand flying in that direction, making the weapon fly away from his gasp. "Guys, we have an enhanced on the carrier." Clint said into his comm. "She's heading towards Pietro. I repeat, she is heading towards Pietro."
   "What?" he heard Steve exclaim. "How - why - protect him at all costs!"
   "I can't, she took my bow and arrow away from me - hang on. . ." Clint froze when all she did was hover above Pietro's face and cupped it in her hands that were still glowing. "She's doing something to him - I-I don't know what -"
   "Hang on, we are on our way." Steve told him sternly. "Stall her."
   "Um, you should really not be doing this." Clint told her, for some reason unable to move any limb. She must be telekinetic. "That's my friend you are touching. And when I get my hands on you -"
   "Pietro. . ." he heard her whisper. "Pietro Maximoff. It has been years, old friend."
   "W. . .what?" Clint then realised she had a similar accent to Pietro and Wanda. "You Sokovian? You know Pietro? Did you get your powers from Strucker?"
   "You were my saviour all those years ago." she said, ignoring Clint. "Now let me be yours." The woman bent down, her lips connecting with Pietro's cold, dead ones. Purple psionic energy started surrounding her and Pietro, making other people on the carrier finally notice them. Whispers and murmurs of fear started going around them, watching as the purple energy flew around the two faster and faster. Clint saw Pietro's hand twitch, feeling his breath hitch in his throat. She was resurrecting him! She was bringing him back to life.
   "Guys!" Clint barked eagerly into his comm. "It's okay, she's not a threat! She's bringing him back to life! I repeat - NO!"
   Unexpectedly, the woman was stabbed from behind, making her lose focus. She gasped in shock, her body moving away from Pietro at the sudden pain on her abdomen. She looked down and saw blood soaking into her clothes - her blood. She collapsed on her side, facing Pietro.
   Clint looked behind her and saw a person on the carrier, holding a bloody knife in his hands. He was staring down at the woman in fear and disgust, hand shaking with the knife. Now able to move, Clint got up and tackled the man to the ground, and took the knife away from him, handing it to a SHIELD agent that was on board helping the injured. "No one touches the girl or boy!" Clint yelled to the people in distress. After making sure the man was taken away by more agents, Clint turned around to aid the woman, only to see Pietro up and alive, holding the woman in his arms tightly, tears sliding down his face.
   "Pietro!" Clint breathed out in shock. Pietro ignored Clint, seeming to be in an intense conversation with the girl. "Guys, Pietro is alive! She brought him back to life!"
   "What?" Steve said in shock.
   "I'll go tell Wanda and Vision." Tony added. "What about the girl?"
   "She's injured." Clint replied. "We need all the help we can get -"
   "No." Pietro said from his spot on the ground. He was still staring down at the girl in his arms when he spoke, caressing the side of her face gently. "It's too late." he croaked out. Clint moved closer, wanting to hear what they were saying.
   "Where were you?" Pietro had asked her. "After that day when the missiles came -"
   "A man called Strucker took me, and gave me these powers." the woman said. "The power to heal stuff and bring people back to life - I was an important asset to him."
   "I volunteered for him." Pietro said confused. "Wanda and I volunteered. How come I didn't -"
   "Strucker kept me in a room." she said. "I wasn't allowed to go out. It wasn't until the base was invaded by people -"
   "That was us." Clint butted in, kneeling beside Pietro. "We invaded the base, looking for Loki's sceptre."
   "Thank you." she whispered, wincing in pain from moving slightly. "If it wasn't for you people invading, I would have sill been locked in that room for the rest of my life, preventing me from saving Pietro here." Pietro stared at her with a pained look, resting his forehead on hers.
   "Can't you heal yourself?" Clint asked her worriedly. She shook her head.
   "I'm too weak." she whispered. "Besides, I used up most of my energy in saving Pietro."
   "This is all my fault." Pietro mumbled, a tear falling on her cheek. "If I came in time -"
   "Shh. . ." she whispered. "Don't think that."
   "Clint!"
Clint stood up and saw Steve, Thor, Iron Man, Wanda and Vision heading their way. "There's still time." Clint told her reassuringly. "You can still live -"
   "N. . .no." she mumbled. "I-I'm tired. . ."
   "Lucita. . ." Pietro whimpered. "You can hold on -"
   "Lucita?" Wanda stared at the woman in shock. "Oh my God -"
   "She needs medical help!" Steve yelled out. "Ma'am, it's okay -"
   "It's too late." Clint said gravely. Wanda gasped, her hand covering her mouth in shock.
   "Lucita. . ." Wanda murmured, kneeling beside Pietro.
   "It's funny, yes? We've never spoken to each other before until that bomb day." Lucita coughed out weakly.
   "If only we spoke sooner." Pietro said. "We could have spent so much time together - I should have told you my feelings sooner -"
   "It's okay." Lucita murmured, her eyes threatening to close. "I knew your feelings from afar. And I am happy that you saw something in me." She lifted a weak hand to Pietro's face, lightly caressing the side of his face. "I return them feelings." she whispered. "I found you -ugh- interesting as well from afar." Lucita started to struggle breathing, making them know that she only had a small amount of time left. Pietro choked on a sob, holding her closer to him, his chin resting on top of her head.
   "Don't go." Pietro said childishly. "I only just got you back after all these years."
   "It's okay," she whispered, pulling away to look into his eyes, "I will look out for you and Wanda with our parents, yes?"
   "But -"
   "I love you." she said, her form starting to relax, her eyes closing. "Live on for us."
   "No, Lucita -"
   "Pietro." she hummed. She blindly grabbed for his hand, giving it a squeeze.
   "Lucita. . ." Pietro whispered. Everyone watched with sad looks on their faces, their hearts breaking at the sight of their love being separated. Wanda rested her head on Pietro's shoulder, giving him a side hug in comfort, though it did little to him.
   "I love you." Pietro croaked out. "I always have. To when your blonde hair shines in the sun, when you read books at four in the afternoon. . .that day when the bombing occurred - before we knew about it, I promised myself I was going to talk to you the next day. Start a conversation with you."
   "Really?" Lucita murmured with a small smile. "What were you going to say? Come on, tell me like you're doing it. Like the bombing never occurred."
   Pietro released a small sob, trying to hold it in for her. "What -" he broke off, needing to calm down to speak clearly. "W-what book are you reading?" he asked her. Lucita gave a small smile at his question, imagining the ten-year-old Pietro looking so innocent, asking her that question.
   "I'm reading The Great Gatsby." she answered.
   "Really?" Pietro choked on a laugh-half-sob. "What kind of books do you like reading?"
   "Romance." she hummed, her grip on his hand loosening. Pietro grasped on tightly to her hand. "I have a soft spot for romance. I need new books."
   "I-I'll buy you a new book, yeah?" Pietro told her, resting his head on her forehead. "A nice, new, romance book."
   "I'd. . .like. . .that. . ." she barely got out. "Cold. . ."
   "It's almost time." Thor said gravely. Pietro closed his eyes tightly, planting a kiss on Lucita's forehead.
   "I love you." he whispered. "I love you."
   "You. . .too. . ."
   "Say the words to me one last time. Please?" he begged. Lucita willed her eyes to open, giving him one last breathtaking smile.
   "I. . ." she whispered, pointing weakly to herself, "love. . .you. . ." she lifted her hand up to his face, booping his nose. "So. . .tired. . ."
   "Go to sleep." Pietro whispered, giving her a small smile. "I'll meet you soon."
   "Mmh, I'll be. . .waiting." she closed her eyes. Pietro leaned down again, planting a kiss -their first and last kiss- on her lips. When he pulled away, she was limp in his arms, her breath used in the kiss.
   "Lucita. . ." Pietro hid his face in her hair, finally releasing out a guttural yell.

***

"And to try out my new invention, is Mister Pietro Maximoff." Tony Stark introduced. "So please welcome, Mister Pietro Maximoff!"
   Pietro walked out to the stage with a small smile, standing beside Tony. "Are you sure about this, kid?" Tony asked him quietly. "You can always back out -"
   "No." Pietro interrupted. "I want to do this. I need to see her one last time."
   Pietro walked to another stage, where his memory was going to appear. "Now, like I explained earlier, Mister Maximoff is going to remember a memory that he would like to change and see the way it turned out. Ready?"
   "Ready." Pietro nodded. Tony dimmed the lights, turning on his new invention.
   The stage that Pietro stood on turned into the outside of his house, showing young Pietro and Wanda standing outside, staring at young Lucita.
   "Come on," young Wanda teased young him, "just talk to her already!"
   "No!" he shook his head rapidly. "What am I supposed to say to her?"
   "Talk to her about books." she motioned to the girl who was reading another book of hers outside her house. "Ask her what her favourite book is."
   "Okay." he nodded determined. He made only a step towards the girl for only to freeze in his spot when the girl suddenly looked up, their eyes connecting.
   But instead of running away from her gaze, Pietro made his young self continue walking on towards her.
   "Hello." he said shyly. "What book are you reading?"
   "The Great Gatsby." she answered with a small smile.
   "Really?" Pietro mused. "What kind of books do you like reading?"
   "Romance." she hummed thoughtfully. "I have a soft spot for romance books. I need new books."
   "I'll buy you a new one, yeah?" Pietro grinned. "A nice, new, romance book."
   "I'd like that." she grinned. She held a hand out. "I don't think I have introduced myself yet. I'm Lucita Puella."
   "Pietro Maximoff." Pietro grinned happily, shaking her hand.

The End