An Act of... Love? [An Avengers Polyamorous Fanfic]

Chaper 27

When the party began to break up, it was well after dark. I was exhausted and curled up on one of the outdoor couches. Stephen approached me, causing me to sit up a little.

"It's time I get going," he said, causing me to frown. I knew he'd need to go eventually, but truthfully, I was going to miss his presence. He'd done so much for me in such a little amount of time.

"It was very very nice getting to know you, Stephen," I said as I stood up from the couch so I could wrap my arms around him. He hugged me back, and I smiled to myself. I could tell that he didn't quite seem like the touchy-feely type so it made me happy he was so open to hugging me.

"You stay safe, and if you need anything, just call," he told me, pulling back. He reached out and tucked some of my hair behind my ear.

"I will, Stephen. Thank you for everything," I smiled. I watched as he stepped back and created his portal, and then he was gone. I felt a sense of sadness lodge in my chest, no longer having Stephen close by.

"Hey there cutie," I heard as I sat back down, and was surprised to see Pietro now sitting next to me.

"Hi Pietro," I said, a smile breaking out on my face despite the sadness of Stephen leaving.

"You enjoy the party?" he questioned.

I nodded, "Of course! I'm just all wiped out at this point," I responded with a giggle. "Thank you for the slippers, Pietro. They are incredibly comfortable."

"I figured you might like something cozy," he chuckled as I pulled the blanket Clint had gotten me back around my shoulders.

"Well you definitely got that right," I responded with a giggle, motioning to myself. "Cozy feels safe," I added without thinking about my words before I said them.

"Yeah... I get that. Sometimes Wanda and I just need cozy, too, after everything that's happened. I can see a lot of similarities in you two," he added with a soft smile.

"Oh? Do elaborate," I said, trying not to find it weird that he was comparing me to his twin sister.

"Well, you're both very cat-like," he said with a laugh, which caused me to giggle too. I could certainly see his point there -- especially since the both of us enjoyed curling up into balls during movie night.

"Is that the only point you have?" I giggled.

"Nah, there's more. You're both kind. And you've got very similar energies, if that makes any sense. I don't know how to explain it. I think you guys have also just been through a lot..." he trailed off, looking off in the direction of his sister.

"I can see it..." I trailed off as well, pulling my blanket around me even tighter.

"I'm always here... if you need someone to talk to," Pietro said, still staring at his sister. I was a little shocked and focused my eyes on him. Like he could sense my gaze, he turned to make eye contact with me.

"I know you and Wanda aren't exactly alike... you went through different things, obviously... but you also... didn't have anybody there. So it must be second nature for you to shut down and be unwilling to accept help... and I don't want to push you, but I do want to let you know I'm here, if you need it. I... I can't imagine some of the things you've been through," he said as he turned to look at Wanda again.

"Losing her was... one of the worst things," I admitted, knowing the subject he was talking around was my own twin, Aella. "Things after that were never the same, either..." I admitted. I didn't want to go into detail, but Pietro did look back at me with soft eyes. He opened his arms to me, offering a hug.

I leaned into his arms and let him wrap them around me. We sat like that for a while... Pietro just holding me in the silence as I thought about Aella. I was glad I had her urn back, but it didn't help the fact that I could never actually have my sister back. I also let myself think about how glad I was that Pietro and Wanda still had each other. Losing your twin should be something that a person never has to go through.

Pietro holding me was calming, and was making me rather sleepy. I drifted in and out of consciousness as I watched people start to clean up. Occasionally I would feel eyes on me, but my own eyes were too heavy to look around and find the source.

"We should probably get her to bed," I heard Steve's voice say gently, so I let my eyelids flutter open.

"Hiya Stevie," I murmured.

"Hi there sweetheart," he said, his soft eyes turning to look down at me.

"We need to get you to bed, gorgeous," Pietro whispered into my hair.

"But you're so comfy," I frowned.

"I know, printsessa, but we cannot sleep out here. You need your bed, gorgeous," he said, kissing the top of my head before helping me sit up. I frowned, looking at my gifts that were also still on the couch.

"But my gifts..." I said with a frown.

"We'll bring them down, darling, don't you worry," Steve said to me, offering a hand out to me. I grumbled as I took his hand, letting him help me up. I made sure my blanket was secured tightly around me as Bucky, Pietro, and Steve grabbed my gifts before we all made our way down to my apartment.

I was a bit grumpy, but still incredibly thankful to the boys. When we got back to my apartment, Friday granted us entry and the boys put my gifts down on my coffee table while I sat there and watched them.

"I don't deserve you boys," I said so softly that if Buck and Steve didn't have super hearing, no one probably would've heard.

"You deserve the world, doll," Bucky told me in a stern tone as he walked over to me and wrapped his arms around me.

"I forgot you have super hearing," I whispered into his chest as I buried my head in his chest. I felt Bucky chuckle a little bit, before he pulled back so he could look me in the eyes.

"I mean it, Doll. You deserve the world," he said, holding eye contact for a while before I was squirming uncomfortably from the prolonged eye contact. He then leaned forward and gently kissed me on the lips very briefly. "Stevie and I are going to go, doll. But we will see you tomorrow," he assured, ruffling my hair as he pulled away. I whined a bit as he pulled back, but Steve stepped in front of me and I just pouted up at him instead.

"We'll see you tomorrow, sweet heart, don't you worry," Steve said, opening his arms for me to step into. I did immediately take the chance to be wrapped in Steve's embrace as he rested his head atop of mine. "I'm sure if you ask him to, Pietro will stay," Steve whispered into my hair. I looked up at him, surprised. He smiled at me, kissed my forehead, and pulled back.

"Sleep well, doll," Buck said as he grabbed Steve's hand and they headed out of the room, leaving just Pietro and I.

"Should I be-" Pietro started, just looking at me. I held my hand out to him and he was in front of me, holding my hand, in the blink of an eye.

"Stay?" I whispered fearfully. My voice was so small, like that of a scared child's, that I was unsure if he heard me until he nodded. My smile widened as I sleepily headed to my bedroom and fell asleep, still in my party dress, snuggling Pietro.