Like A Bullet [P.M.]

Chapter 66

"Morning, honey." I whispered, gently helping Laurel sit up.

"What the hell... God, my head hurts." She cringed up, bringing her pale hands to her temple and slowly moving her fingers in circles.

"That is a common symptom of what is known as a hangover." I smirked, playfully running my hand up and down her back.

"I couldn't have possibly..."

"Oh, but you did."

"I didn't say anything bad, right?" She giggled, full of worry. "Not that I'm hiding anything from you."

"Um, no." I paused, "well yes."

"This seems serious."

"It is, and I put a lot of thought into it while feeding you chinese food last night."

"Chinese food... Nevermind, just go on."

"Last night, while we were in the limosine on our way here, you said some things that left me in, well, quite the shock really."

"Get to the point, Pietro." I then stared at her intently. "Sorry." She muttered.

"You started talking to me about our future wedding and what our children would be named, and baby showers, and a lot of other stuff." I sighed. "That got me wondering, Laurel wants to have a life with me. She wants to get married and have kids, and..."

"Pietro, I was drunk. I... I didn't mean those things entirely."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, yes, I love you, and it'd be amazing to share the rest of my life with you," she bowed her head down, "but look at our lives, Pietro. Don't you think that being an Avenger and being a father at the same time is impossible? Don't you think that these lives that we lead aren't what is best for our children, if we even decide to have any?"

"Laurel, I think about this all the time. I think about how the hell I would raise a child with the life that I have right now. I think about how many responsibilities I have and how little time I will have for you when we return to New York. I think about leaving the Avengers for good and dedicating my life to you and to our future. I think about all these choices that will conflict with each other and that I will never appease to everyone, and that at one point in my life, I will have to choose between our relationship and my role as an Avenger." I paused and took deep breath. "And the truth is, I have already made that decision, Laurel."

"You have..."

"Yes." I slowly stood up and walked to the end of the room. "I chose you Laurel. Isn't it obvious that I chose you?"

"Pietro, I've told you this already. I don't want to be the reason you stop being a hero. I don't want to be the reason you stop helping and saving people. I don't want to be reason you stop trying to make a goddamn difference in this broken world."

"But you won't, Laurel! This is a choice that I will make! A choice that if anything bad happens, it will be on me because I decided my own future for once. I will not have HYDRA, or Ultron, or Wanda, or anyone else influencing me into doing what serves them best!"

"Pietro, don't you understand that we will never have normal lives?! Our children will probably not be normal, and no matter how far we run away, or how hard we try to step back from the conflict, we will always be pulled right back in, because that is the world we live in now! That is the environment that we have been sucked into! These past few weeks have shown me that! I thought HYDRA had been done in my life when Katrina was arrested, but no! My own father was a part of them the whole fucking time! How do you think I felt when I found out about that?!"