Age Of Miracles | Pietro Maximoff

Chapter Thirty-Three: We Can Rise

Music is "After The Rain" by Marcus Warner.

Picture is Anton Yelchin as Steven Maximoff.

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"There are days that tear hope down and stamp on it...but even on those days, we can stand up. We can fight. We can rise."

- Same Wilson, Falcon

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CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

I wish I could tell you that, the next morning, I wake up well-rested next to the love of my life. The latter part of that is true, but I mostly wake up because of a knock on the door and a small voice saying, "Mommy?"

I sigh, pulling the covers over my head. "Would you go see what your son wants, Pietro?"

Pietro rolls onto his side, facing me. He sighs, "'Before sunrise, he is your son.'"

"Don't you dare quote the Lion King to me before six a.m. Only I can quote Lion King this early."

Pietro chuckles, pulling the blanket down from over my head. He opens his eyes narrowly, barely showing the blue of his eyes. He rests the same hand on my cheek. "He wants you for breakfast, возлюбленная. He always wants his mother in the morning."

"Mommy?" Steven asks again.

"Coming, Stevie," I reply, just loud enough for him to hear. "Go sit at the counter, and I'll be right out!"I groan inwardly as I sit up in bed, brushing my untamed, red curls back into place. "You should go check on Wanda. I haven't talked to her in almost a day."

"You are right," my husband agrees, getting up with great speed. He pulls a blue T-shirt over his head as I pull a gold sweatshirt over my tank top. Before I turn towards the door, Pietro grabs my hand. "Hey, where is my good morning kiss?"

I shake my head, pulling his face down towards mine. Our lips meet for a moment, but as I begin to pull away, Pietro places his arms around my waist, lifting me up and kissing me again. I wrap my arms around his neck, smiling into the kiss out of surprise. It feels just as it did when we first met: my body feels lighter than air, and not for the super-powered reason.

When he places me back down, I sigh contentedly, "Mmm, what was that for?"

Pietro grins boyishly, leaning down to place a chaste peck on my lips once again. "I feel we do not spend enough time together these days. We have been all over time and space, dealing with Thanos, Killbane, and other universes. I just...miss you."

I place my hands on his broad shoulders, giving a sad smile as he leans his forehead against mine. "I miss you, too, Piet. I miss you more than anything or anyone."

A few moments pass before he asks, "Do you ever wonder what our lives would have been like if we had stayed in your universe instead of coming here?"

I pull away, taken back by his question. "I suppose. I mean, I love our life here. There's no comparison to my world. Even still..." I trail off. "I would probably be a comic book artist, like I used to be. You could have gotten a job or gone to school. We might be living in Baltimore or New York or who knows where. We'd have Aspen and Vlad, as well as my other high school friends, over all the time."

When I don't continue, Pietro whispers, "Do you regret coming through the portal after me? You gave it all up, gave it all up for me."

I meet his gaze, flashing a confident smile. "Never. Never in a million years." I give him another kiss, muttering, "If there's one thing I have always been sure of, one thing that I've held onto for all these years, one thing that has never once faltered in my mind, it's that we belong together. You and me, Maximoff. We're in this for the long haul."