Age of Darkness | Pietro Maximoff

Chapter Twenty-One: I Live Through Wars

"Since she can almost spar you and beat you, of course!" Bucky grins widely and bumps his arm against Glory's, their personal greeting to each other. "Nice one, Слава," he says, uttering my name in Russian.

"I'm going to hit the showers, you guys. Have fun sparing."

As I leave, Bucky grabs the edge of the boxing ring and throws his body over in one, swift move, motioning for Steve to follow. "Haven't you already gotten your ass kicked once today, Barnes?"

"I still have the scars from Natasha's mean right hook. Bring it on!"

Chuckling, I open the door to find Rogue walking towards it. "I wouldn't try to workout right now," I warn. "Bucky and Steve are settling some score."

She nods. "Good to know. Ah was actually planning to go for a try at the simulation that Logan made in the Danger Room. Wanna come?"

I shake my head. "Not today, thanks though. I have somewhere I need to be."

"Next time?" Rogue suggests, walking towards the doors to the front office of the Tower.

I give her a thumbs up. "Absolutely. Enjoy the Danger Room!" I jog towards the elevator, trying to get to my lovely shower in my room as soon as possible.

As you might have noticed, quite a few things have happened and changed over the past couple months. After the night I found my premonition powers, we decided to stop fighting each other and start looking for Magneto. He was the big fish we needed to catch.

We never found him. He was lost in the wind. We found Genosha was gone. The entire island just gone. Disappeared from radar, satellite, even Cerebro. No one's seen or heard of Magneto, Polaris, Ultron, of the Brotherhood since that day.

After a while, the peaceful cooperation that had been going on started to fade again. The common cause we came together for, catching Magento, was no longer the priority. Bickering started up, and Tony could only prolong the inevitable Superhuman Registration Act for so long. We were forced to leave Stark Tower once more.

Charles Xavier kindly offered us a home with him and the X-Men. All of us are here: Steve, Nat, Bucky, Clint, Wanda and Pietro, Vision, Wade, Jessica, Scott, Kamala, and I. Some of us have gotten used to the accommodations more so than others, but we all call the Mansion home now. Many of us have made - or in my case, remade - friends. Pietro and Wanda feel at home with just about everyone, Clint and Nat get along well with Scott and Jean, Kamala practically worships the ground Ororo walks on, and of course Logan can't be rid of Deadpool.

My Next Generation Mutants live here now as well. After their rescue, we sent them here for safekeeping. They fit in like peas in a pod. Kitty and Morganna get along so well, and Kurt and Morgana have become very close friends. Very close, if you get my meaning.

It feels right to have everyone here, together, despite the war going on around us. The Mansion is a place of safety, thanks to Charles' efforts to keep the X-Men neutral. So far, it's worked, but there is never a guarantee if safety.

After washing the grease and sweat off my body, I put on some inconspicuous clothing. Today is both a very sad and very memorable day, and it deserves to be both remembered and celebrated. Because if we don't remember those who have come before us and fallen, what is the point of this war?

Pulling on a pair of black leggings, a black sweatshirt with a gold star in the center, a pair of sunglasses, black combat boots, a black beanie over top of a blonde wig, and some bright red lipstick, I pull the brown paper bag that sits on my dresser into my hands and head for the door.

No one bothers me on the way out, and for that I am very thankful. Charles told them what today is for me. Of course, they probably knew already. They knew he before I came to this world. Of course they would know my best friend's birthday.