Readers Assemble!

Learn to Swim (Pietro Maximoff x reader)

Pietro knew he shouldn't have been going so fast. He knew it, but he didn't care. He loved the feeling of the wind through his silvery hair as he ran. The adrenaline rush was something he could only get when he ran. He didn't expect to have to try and avoid a rather large lake. He'd been going too fast to avoid it. Knowing he couldn't swim, Pietro panicked.

In his panic, Pietro stopped running and ended up falling in the lake, right in the deepest part. Lucky for him, someone was around to see him fall in. You. Also lucky for Pietro, you had lived near that lake for years. You quickly through of the light jacket you'd been wearing and dove into the water after him.

Using your own super speed under the water, it didn't take you long to get to him. You wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him up to the surface. Once you broke through, he started thrashing about. "Hey! Pietro, stop!" you yelled, afraid he'd pull you both back under. You got close to his ear and spoke calmly. "Breathe. Don't panic. I've got you." The sound of your voice soothed Pietro and he stopped fighting against you. You were able to swim to the shore.

"Now, what on Earth possessed you to dive right into a lake when you can't swim?" you asked, panting slightly. Pietro caught his breath and mumbled a response in Sokovian."Piet..." Pietro sighed through his shivers. "One moment." He took off running and was back in an instant, completely dry. "I didn't mean to, Y/N. I was running too fast to stop. I saw the water and I panicked." Your gaze softened. You often forgot that Pietro didn't always have control over his speed the way you did.

"It's okay, Pietro. Maybe I could teach you how to swim. That way you won't panic next time," you offered. Pietro looked at you like you'd told him he'd won the lottery. "Please?" You smiled. "Of course. We can start tomorrow. Now, I'm going to dry off and we can get some hot chocolate."

The next day, Pietro met you out by the lake. He wanted to dive right, but you stopped him. "Piet, this is one time where super speed won't help you. Not yet anyway. You have to learn to tread water first and you need to be slow." Pietro nodded reluctantly. He hated doing anything slowly these days. Still, he followed your instructions.

He kept a firm grip on your arms as you lead him into the cool water of the lake. "Good. Now just lightly and slowly kick your feet." He did as you asked, making you smile. "Now, let go of my arms and move yours." Pietro's icy blue eyes widened in fear, but he had come to trust you. "It'll be okay," you assured him, "I'm right here. I won't let you go under." He exhaled slowly and let go of your arms.

At first, he fumbled and almost sunk under the water again, but you gently grabbed his arm and lifted him up a little. Then, he moved the way you showed him. When he realized he was staying afloat, a wide grin appeared on his lips. He looked at you in amazement. "Told you."

You spent the rest of the afternoon in the lake. Like most things, once Pietro started, he didn't want to stop. Now that he knew he could do it, he learned as quickly as you expected him too. When the day grew too cold to swim anymore, you both got out and headed for your nearby home. "Thank you, Y/N." You gave his arm a pat. "Anytime, Piet."

"We should do this again." You laughed boisterously. "We should. You should see it in the summer. I'm out on the lake every day." Pietro's face lit up. "Can we use our speed under the water?" You nodded. "Yeah. I used it yesterday to get to you. It just takes practice." Before you could protest, Pietro picked you up and darted back to the lake. "Pietro!" you cried with a chuckle.

He dropped you with a SPLASH in the water and tried to use his speed to swim away from you. Instead, he ended up spraying you in the face with the water, causing you to cough. "Piet!" He stopped and looked back at you with a sheepish smile. "Sorry, Y/N." You didn't reply. You simply gave him astern look, making his smile fall. Then, you bit your lip and splashed water right in his face.