𝟏-𝟖𝟎𝟎-𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐕𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐎𝐔𝐒.

≫ YOU HAVE ME ≪

warning: fairly angsty, with mentions of anxiety, and a good amount of deepest fears

author's note: there's a good amount of angst in here (i tried but it's not my strong suit so don't come for me) but still! read at your own sad risk, and enjoy :)

word count: 1,031

≫≪

"Don't look at me like that," you muttered. Pietro watched closely. He was wrapping your arm in a bandage. The soft cloth twisted around your limb, covering up the healing bullet wound underneath.

"Like what?" He asked. His face portrayed worry and concern, and you hated it.

"Like I matter to you."

You watched Pietro's nimble hands abruptly stop wrapping your arm. "What?" he whispered. "Y/N, hold on— are you insane? You do matter to me. Where is this even coming from?"

"Don't say that to me, Pietro. Not you, of all people," you said, standing up from the hospital bed you and Pietro were sitting on. A hot, burning pain shot through your arm, and you hissed through your teeth at the feeling.

He stood up as well, sensing the anger that was radiating off you. Still, when he noticed your wince, he lightly touched your arm in an attempt to do something to help.

"Don't touch me," you growled, pulling your arm away from his grasp.

"Y/N, I don't understand why you are acting this way," Pietro was getting angry now, too. "What the hell happened to you?"

"That fight happened to me," You were pacing now, quickly walking back and forth across the small hospital room. "And, you know what? You could understand, but you just don't want to."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

You watched him closely. His fists were clenched at his sides. If you just looked close enough, it was obvious that every muscle in his body was shaking. Vibrating, if you will.

"Was it the Readers?" He asked when you didn't respond. "Did they do something to you?"

The Readers were an elite group of psychics that you and the rest of the Avengers had first confronted yesterday. They were able to read your deepest fears and anxieties and build a reality in which all of those fears came true. The only way you could escape the visions forced onto you was if the Reader creating the reality was knocked unconscious or killed.

Yesterday, they launched an attack against the Complex, and the Avengers were forced to confront them. This was how you snagged that bullet wound. Wanda was able to hold off most of their psychological advances, but they still managed to get through to you.

You were trapped inside one of their realities, filled with everything you ever feared, for what felt like three days.

Wanda said it was just three minutes.

In the span of those three minutes, you were faced with every anxiety you had ever encountered. However, the worst by far was having to deal with the Readers' sick, twisted portrayal of Pietro.

With him being your boyfriend, of course they would target any concerns you ever had related to him.

There were a lot of those.

He told you that you weren't good enough. As an Avenger, as his girlfriend. He said that you worried too much, and that it suffocated him. He mentioned that all the Avengers actually hated you, and they only kept you around because of your combat skills; making sure to add that those 'skills' were incredibly meager, and that they really amounted to nothing.

But what was worst of all, was that he said that he didn't love you. That any love, or concern he had shown for you before was just pity.

Pietro didn't love you.

"Y/N?" Pietro called, dragging you out of your thoughts. His voice softened. "Whatever they made you see, it wasn't true."

"You don't know that!" You grabbed the ends of your hair and tugged, and you felt your jaw groan underneath your clenched teeth. Something hot was running down your face.

"Y/N, please, don't—don't cry. We will get this sorted out, my принцесса, I promise."

"Why don't you just admit it?" You said, looking up at him. A film of water covered your eyes, making everything blurry. "I know you don't love me."

Pietro's mouth gaped. His body was shaking more, now, and his strong gaze burned into yours. "What? No, are you kidding me? Вы прекрасно знаете, как безумно я вас люблю."

"Pietro, don't give me that shit. If anything, the Readers helped me see what was really true all along."

"So, they did give you visions when they attacked! I knew you weren't fine."

"Maybe you would've noticed sooner if you actually did care," you muttered, pulling your arms in close around you.

"I— seriously? Don't turn this on me, Y/N. This is about whatever problems you're having. You don't get to tell me I don't care!" Pietro yelled. He moved closer to you, putting a hand on your cheek. "Just stop telling yourself these things. I don't care what the Readers might have made you think. You know damn well how much you mean to me."

"Really? Cause it was pretty goddamn hard to tell when you were screaming at me, and pointing every single flaw I have!"

"But, you know that wasn't actually me."

"Do I?" You asked, your turning voice softer. Looking up into Pietro's eyes, you noticed now that he was crying too. "How—how do I know that you don't hate me? How do I know that you aren't going to turn on me any second now and tell me how much you wish I was dead?"

"I don't know how I can convince you that I care," he muttered. "And even if you don't believe me, or if you want hate me for the rest of your life— that's fine. Just, please, know that you have me. If you ever need me, you have me. If you want a shoulder to cry on or someone to vent to, you have me. Until every last star in the galaxy dies, you have me."

Both of you were crying now, but you rushed to his lips, closing the distance. You weren't sure how long you kissed him, but when you pulled away, you were smiling.

"Thank you," it came out a whisper, and there was so much left unspoken. You didn't need to say how much you loved him and how thankful you were for him, because he knew already.

"You have me."

≫≪

"i love you with a deeper love than any human heart has ever known. i love you with a soul that has lived a thousand lifetimes, always waiting to meet you again, so i can promise to be yours forever."

- christy ann martine