Readers Assemble!

Decisions of the Numb Heart pt. 3(Pietro Maximoff x reader)

(a/n: You should read the other parts first so you won't be lost.)

When you entered the conference room in the Tower, the entire team fell silent. You gripped Pietro's arm, worried they were all going to be angry with you. Instead, they all broke out in smiles and got up from their seats one by one to hug you and welcome you back. "Alright. Welcome back. Now sit down." You couldn't help but smile at Nick's snappy tone of voice. You'd actually missed it.

Nick quickly went into the briefing for the mission you had been needed for. Another HYDRA attack. You had to steel your nerves to get through it. Pietro stayed near you the entire time. "For little Bobby, remember?" he whispered to you at one point and you nodded, giving him a small smile. "Yeah...thanks, Piet." He gently took your hand in his and gave it a slight squeeze. He was right. You had to do this and do your best. For Bobby. For the child you'd failed to save all those months ago.

When the briefing was over, Steve came over and gave your shoulder a friendly squeeze. "Welcome home, Y/N. Are-are you staying?" You didn't miss the hope in his voice. "Yeah, Steve. I'm staying. I'm sorry I left the way I did." Steve smiled a lop-sided smile and shrugged. "It's alright. I did miss my best friend though."

"HEY! I thought I was your best friend?!" Bucky and Sam said in unison, causing everyone else to erupt in laughter and Steve to blush crimson. "Alright, come on. Suit up." You rolled your eyes at the captain, but returned to your room to put on your old suit. It didn't surprise you that it still fit. What did surprise you was the feeling of nostalgia and the sense of home that you felt when you put it on. Well, that, and the fact that it didn't smell like smoke.

As soon as you had zipped your suit, there was a knock on the door. "Come in." Pietro opened the door. His eyes scanned you quickly. "I never thought I'd see you in your suit again. I, uh, had Stark find a way to get the smell out. Just in case." You smiled as you walked over to him. "Thanks, Pietro." You gave him a hug which he readily returned. "Are you sure you're ready for this, Y/N?"

You looked into his blue eyes and saw that there were full of concern. "No, but I'm going to do it anyway. I may not be able to bring Bobby back, but I can certainly try to save others." Pietro nodded and grabbed your hand again. You flushed at the contact. That was one of the things you'd missed most. Your closeness with Pietro. You couldn't help but hope that maybe, one day, you and Pietro could become something more than friends. For now though, you had other things to focus on.

You spent the entire ride on the jet in silent contemplation. You needed to be on the top of your game. You could feel Pietro's eyes on you the whole time, but you tried not to let that get in your head. When the jet finally landed, you were as prepared as you could have been. You thought so anyway. Nothing could have prepared you for what was about to happen.

You were fighting off enemy agents as best you could, teleporting every so often to help the others or to take a breather. You were fighting alongside Natasha when you saw them. One last HYDRA agent pulling a small boy beside him. It only took you a split second to recognize the boy, but it was impossible.

Pietro had seen it too and sped to your side in an instant. "It's not possible, Piet. He's dead." The fear was written clearly on your face and your knees began to shake. The frightened boy looking back at you was none other than little Bobby. "Get him," you whispered to Pietro just before you teleported over to the HYDRA agent and wrestled him away from the boy. You barely even registered the blue blur of Pietro racing away with Bobby. You were too invested in keeping the agent away from him.

You had him in a headlock, lessening his oxygen supply. "How bad is the guilt?" the agent whispered hoarsely to you, "How does it feel to look upon the face of the boy you thought was dead. The boy you left behind." As much as you tried to ignore his words, you couldn't. Your grip loosened just enough for the agent to grab you and flip you over onto your back. You felt the rubble digging into your back as the agent straddled you and moved to choke you.

The agent was quickly knocked over by Pietro, who was next to you not two seconds later. The agent produced a knife and went to attack you again, but a small voice called out, "Leave them alone!" You and Pietro both looked to find Bobby there, his tiny body growing more and more red as the fire began to engulf him. Before long, he was completely surrounded by flames and you feared for everyone present.

The HYDRA agent attempted to run away, only to be stopped by Steve's shield, while you slowly made your way over to Bobby. "Bobby? I need you to calm down, okay? I know you don't want to hurt anyone. Just, cool down. Think of something that makes you happy, or sad...anything that will make the fire stop. Think about puppies and kittens, think about playing in the mud or your favorite toy. Your parents!"

Bobby's fire began dimming and you let out a sigh of relief. Within minutes, you could see him again instead of the inferno. "My parents are dead," he informed you before he dissolved into tears and hugged you suddenly. You wrapped your arms around him and tried to soothe him.

"How is it possible?" Pietro asked, turning to Tony and Bruce, the science enthusiasts. "Perhaps, because of his unique powers, when the HYDRA base exploded, Bobby here simply set himself on fire so he wouldn't be hurt. His powers seem to be at their strongest when he's protecting others," Bruce hypothesized. No one argued. It seemed as good a reason as any. You were grateful for whatever happened.

"I'm so sorry, Bobby," you said softly so only he could here. "You didn't do anything." You began sniffling along with him. "I failed to save you." He shook his head. "No you didn't. You saved me just now." You felt a hand on your shoulder and glanced over at Pietro. "He's right, Y/N. You did save him." The little boy let go of you and gazed up. His eyes showed wisdom beyond his years. "I don't know where to go now."

Pietro whispered something in your ear and you smiled. After you nodded at him, Pietro raced around to ask the others the same question. You saw everyone nod in agreement and turned your attention back to Bobby. "Bobby, how would you like to have another family? One full of super-powered geniuses that are just unique like you?"

He cocked his head to the side. "I don't want to go to live with the X-Men." Everyone chuckled except Tony. "The X-Men have got nothing on us, kiddo. What do you say?" Bobby looked up at you and grinned. "Yes!" He hugged you again and you picked him up. "Good. Let's go home, okay?"    

(a/n: I'm not X-Men bashing here! I like the X-Men!!)