THE WORLD IS CRUEL. Not a second goes by that Eszter doesn't deny that she hates how life works. Balancing on edge between life and death, waiting for something to push you over and choose your fate. And to live in a world where violence always seems to be the answer to everyone's problem, creating chaos all around and risking too many lives.
Pietro was one of those lives.
All she wanted was to grow up and maybe become their own type of superheroes, better than the Avengers; Eszter wanted to protect her country and stand for her people, but nothing like that came true. Instead, they put Sokovia through hell. Sokovia is flying.
"Hey, kid," Clint lays the child down as he tiptoes through the puddle of darkness, contorting his face warily as he watches the way it swims around him. But Clint pauses once he glances back at Eszter, noting the glare on her face and the way her eyes began to glow a menacing purple.
Eszter could only see red. Even as the darkness surrounds her, spinning almost quickly, the enhanced huffs like a bull who sees red, glaring at the Quinjet in the sky. All she could think about was finding Ultron and making him pay for the pain he had caused. Eszter wants him to feel the same gutwrenching pain that she had to and look in her eyes while she tears his metal body apart piece by piece. His death wouldn't be realistic, but it would satisfy Eszter's burning anger. She wanted to inflict her own kind of pain.
Like a pulse, the darkness pushes another wave of energy and alerting Clint. The hero couldn't determine what could happen if he sits in the darkness of Eszter's powers, but Clint couldn't let the enhanced react the way she is. There was no telling what she can do, and Clint would rather not be there to witness the outcome.
"Kid, snap out of it! You're going to hurt people if you don't calm down," Clint shouts firmly, but he keeps his distance. Although he didn't have his electric arrow, Clint will have to prepare himself to do whatever it takes to stop Eszter. But that was the last thing the hero wanted. "We gotta get to the boat. Do you hear me?" The darkness retracts back into Eszter as the enhanced continues to cradle Pietro in her arms, her anger diminishing into grief. "Kid!"
"I heard you," Eszter growls in annoyance.
Clint swallows, nodding curtly as he continues to beckon the enhanced. "Come on. Let's head back to the boat."
Blinking away her tears, Eszter shook her head. "I can't. I . . . I have to find Wanda," the enhanced sniffles, wiping at her eyes as she twists in turns from the floor, glancing around to find her sister. And then, Eszter's solemn frown curls into a deep snarl, sneering. "I have to find Ultron."
"Look, I get that you're grieving, and I'm sorry, I really am, but we have a whole bunch of civilians that need to be taken to safety," Clint spoke softly, kneeling in front of Eszter as he lets the father side of him come through. Even if Eszter is an enhanced-being, the girl is merely a kid, and Clint couldn't imagine had it been his own in her shoes. "I promised your brother to look out for you guys. I can't let you go and do something stupid, not like this. Besides, I don't want your brother coming after me even in the afterlife."
Shakily lowering her gaze, Eszter's lower lip wobbles as she tries to keep it from doing so, but the enhanced couldn't hold back. Sniffling loudly again, Eszter lifts her trembling hand as her fingers hovered over Pietro's eyes, slowly closing them. And at that moment, Eszter knew she was letting her brother go, dead in her arms. Quite traumatizing to witness. This wasn't supposed to be the end of Pietro; he was supposed to grow and live a life better than they had.
Maybe become an Avenger or live a life where they can right their wrongs.
Who knows, maybe he could've met a girl and settled down.
Steve looks up from the distance when he notices Eszter's small figure sitting on the ground, a body hanging from her lap as Clint stood in front of her. His eyes shift between the two as he took in the sight. The hero had a feeling he knows what had happened. Steve jogs over towards Eszter and Clint, finding Pietro lying in Eszter's arms with bullet holes in his body.
When Steve and Clint met eyes, the other shook his head gloomily.
In front of Eszter, Steve kneels frowning sympathetically; he didn't want to pity the enhanced, but he could grieve alongside her nonetheless. Although Steve might've not known Pietro personally, he understands the same pain Eszter feels because he had been in her shoes before he went into the ice.
"Eszter," Steve softly calls, catching the enhanced's attention as she flinches to meet his gaze. It hurt to see her so sad, and as much as Steve would gladly take away Eszter's pain, but he couldn't. "I'm sorry."
The enhanced chokes on a sob, trying to do her best to suppress it, but it didn't prove easy. "He promised," Eszter whimpers.
Much to Eszter's surprise, Steve leans forward and pulls the girl into his arms, hugging her. It caught the enhanced off-guard, but she accepted the warmth as she wrapped her own arms around Steve's waist, crying into his chest. It was the little things that can help someone during their weakest moments, and Steve had always believed that a hug could heal a wounded heart. Not fully, but enough to give the other a feeling of comfort.
Clint steps back as he watches their interaction for a second before lifting Costel back into his arms. Turning around as he makes his way towards the boat, the man frowns. "Cap," he calls, catching Steve's eyes.
He only nods as he waves for Clint to head out first. Steve stood there in silence as he continues to console Eszter. They stood like that for only a few seconds before Steve pulled away first, holding Eszter by her shoulders as he inspects her.
"Come on," Steve purses his lips, gesturing Eszter in the direction of the boat, giving her a small nudge.
Eszter moves only a step forward as she stares at the boat with puffy eyes, almost dreading the thought of leaving as she knew that Wanda is somewhere in the city. But from the corner of Eszter's eye, she can see Steve leaning down and lifting Pietro's limp body over his shoulder. She wanted to throw up. The mere sight of Pietro's dead body dangling from Steve's shoulder was a sickening thought, and Eszter wasn't sure if she was okay.
She felt numb.
A hand softly touches her back as they help guide Eszter towards the boat, noticing the hesitancy in her steps as the enhanced couldn't bother to move her feet. Steve walked side-by-side with Eszter, making sure the girl was in his sights as he helps her back to the boat.
There wasn't anything in the world that Steve could say and make her feel better. He knows because people have told him the same thing about his best friend, yet the feeling never went away. Steve knows that this feeling will stick to you like glue and forged into your mind until it's scorched into your memory, unable to forget the feeling the moment they died.
Eszter drags her feet before climbing into the boat, but the enhanced stopped when Steve suddenly lays Pietro on the floor by Clint, near Eszter. The enhanced grimaces as her nose flare open and closed as she breathes heavily, biting her lip as it quivers uncontrollably. Ignoring the small look from Steve, Eszter takes in a deep breath before turning away from the body, making her way towards the corner of the boat. The enhanced weakly falls on the floor of the boat, leaning against the side as she silently cries, pressing a closed fist to her face as Eszter cries to herself.
💜
Wanda twirls her hands as the familiar red tendril dance all around, building the energy in her grasp as she storms into the train cabin. The enhanced finds Ultron stuck in the train, body nearly destroyed and whirling with spark flying. She felt something inside her disappear, and it was when Wanda had realized something bad happened, especially when she could feel Pietro's life slipping. It was strange, to say the least, but Wanda hated the feeling that looms over her heart. The strength and light inside Wanda felt burned out and left her just as lifeless; an empty shell that wishes to fill the void, but it doesn't.
Instead, it gets worse.
Life without Pietro would be hard, and now, Wanda fears that Eszter will be alone; no way back to the boat, Wanda knew she had to accept her fate. As much as the enhanced would find safety, Wanda was too deep into the city to be able to run to the boat. She wouldn't make it.
God, Wanda wants to hold Eszter in her arms, cradle her and tell her that everything will be okay. Even in the worst of times, Wanda wanted to tell Eszter that she loves her and is there for her during this rough moment. Even if Pietro's death was just as painful as it was to Eszter, Wanda had to be the bigger sibling to protect their younger ones.
But no. Life wasn't fair.
Eszter will be alone with no family to help her through her grief because Wanda knew that no one would be there to save her. She accepted that. She has to. But Wanda can only hope that maybe the Avengers can help turn Eszter's life around, help her get into school, or find a place for her to stay. She won't be there to take care of Eszter.
Eyes tainted with angry tears glared powerfully at the robot in distress, narrowing her green eyes at Ultron as she felt her fingers twitch randomly. Once Wanda had felt Pietro's life-force disappear, the enhanced had seen Ultron soar from the sky and land somewhere near the train, so she followed him. She had never felt worse pain than today, and the worse part is losing another person she loved.
Tears were evident on Wanda's face; the makeup smeared and trailing down her face indicated that the enhanced cried during Pietro's death; unable to do anything, Wanda regretted ever letting Pietro run off like that. Maybe if they did stick together, Pietro wouldn't have died the way he did. The pain she feels, Wanda doesn't doubt that Eszter must feel it just as much.
"Wanda," Ultron coos, spotting the young woman nearing him. His tone was different; Ultron spoke with worry as if he actually cared, but Wanda was no fool. "If you stay here, you'll die."
Kneeling beside Ultron's broken body parts, the enhanced tilts her head with the menacing glare painting her features.
"I just did. Do you know how it felt?" Wanda's irises glow a crimson red with anger, glaring at Ultron as she bares her teeth. A sudden wave pushes out from her hands as she jerks her hand, warping red energy around Ultron's chest. Wanda doesn't stop, not even when Ultron grunts as if he was in pain; she doesn't let the whirling of his body stop her because there was no stopping Wanda. Just like her own, Wanda tore out his. "It felt like that."
A heart for a heart.
In Wanda's hand was Ultron's heart, a fake metal one. Staring back at the robot, Wanda created a gaping hole in his chest with the chest pieces sticking outward.
Without realizing it, a droid had managed to crawl into the church and with its arm reached out, the robot kickstart the drill. Then, the city fell.
Eszter was quick to snap out of her depressed state as she rushes towards the edge of the boat, horrified. "Wanda!"
Wanda gasps as her body lifted from the ground as she felt her heart drop to her stomach, she knew the city was going down, meaning she was going with it. She was meant to protect the drill, but Wanda had let her emotions get the best of her--with a good reason at that. However, Wanda wasn't ready to die.
Tony and Thor were preparing to destroy the rock when Wanda felt like it was time to allow Death to seek her; however, the enhanced wasn't expecting Vision to swoop in. Wanda looks over and meets Vision's gaze; transfixed, the humanoid flies out of the train cabin. They quickly make their way out of the city just in time for the city to explode.
Vision flies up into the skip and swings around the boat, landing softly as he meets Wanda's eyes once again, entranced. It was strange how he feels almost connected to her, and Vision didn't know any other explanation other than the Stone in his head; somehow, they were connected through the power that she absorbed. Even Wanda was just as confused but strangely comfortable with the fact that they share a strange bond. Finally, Vision lowers Wanda back to her feet, to which she thanks him silently for saving her.
"Wanda!" A cry calls from behind, catching the eldest enhanced's attention as she finds a sobbing Eszter heading for her. Wanda and Eszter wrap their arms around one another as the younger enhanced continues to sob, clenching Wanda's jacket in her fist. "He saved us, but I couldn't . . . I didn't--"
"Shh," Wanda hushes, trying to calm Eszter down, but hidden from her sister's eyes, the eldest was silently crying. "It's okay."
Pietro might be gone and will no longer be in their lives, but the memory and the thought of him will forever live on. All the good times they've shared with Pietro, and all the times he made them smile and laugh to cheer up their mood. He was the best big brother that they could ask--the annoying, overprotective big brother. Who could ask for anyone better? Not once did Pietro ever leave a bad memory because he did everything he possibly could to keep Wanda and Eszter safe.
He was always there for them.
But most of all, they won't forget the love and drive Pietro had for his family. He was special. He wanted to make a difference in the world, and he did.
Pietro Maximoff died a hero, and Eszter will always be proud to call him her brother.