time lapse ⇒pietro maximoff

XIX

Third Person

Eden was led outside, and into the freezing air of the forest, and Pietro urged her to walk with him. They walked for a few silent minutes while the speedster gathered his scrambling thoughts, the only noise filling the silence was the crunch of foliage beneath their feet.

"I- don't know what that was, do you? Because I thought we survived all the pain and left it behind us." Pietro asked, never deterring his gaze from the side of her sculpted jaw.

You can't tell him. Lie.

Michael said in Eden's head, and she listened to her older brother obediently.

"It must've been a late reaction- I'm just as confused." Eden lied, feeling Michael nod in her head.

But Pietro didn't buy it.

"You were talking, you called out a name."

Eden visibly tensed. She hadn't know she'd spoken aloud during- the growth of her barbs.

Repeat what I say: The name I called out was my brother. I saw him in my head. A flashback.

"The name I called out was my brother. I saw him in my head. A flashback." She speeds out, not too quickly, but her eyes cast away from her lover.

Pietro scanned her over twice, and scoffed to himself.

"Sure, sure. Put that down with the other things you've been coveting too." Pietro added, and Eden whipped her head around, staring into Pietro's eyes that seemed to be glaring at her with contempt.

"I heard you. Earlier today. You were talking- upwards. And you spoke as if someone were responding to you and carrying on a tangible conversation."

Pietro's face was pained. You could learn so much about a person from just kissing them. Eden liked it when he tilted his head slightly, and placed his hands firms on her hips, and preferred to have her hands in his hair at any given time.

"Don't lie again, I can see it. I care about you too much to not trust you." Pietro said pleadingly, and Eden bit her lip.

Against all rational thoughts and rage from her brothers, Eden caved in. The habit of honesty that her vessel's soul had left behind wasn't going to vanish. It had attached to her grace.

"I-I'm an Archangel of the Lord. And I have several celestial brothers and sisters. My two other Archangel siblings, Michael and Gabriel have been guiding me as I learn and adapt. The growing of my barbs and wings are apart of who I am. And I'm stuck here, in this dimension. I can't get to heaven because the gates have been seals to all angels that want to get in or out. Only human souls can enter." Eden explained as throughly as she could, and Pietro nodded slowly, his eyes sharply fixed on the snow beneath his feet.

He didn't seem to be throwing a tantrum, or freaking out.

"It falls into place. It explains a lot of who you are." Pietro muttered, clenching his fists until his skin stretched over his knuckles so tight, they were white.

Eden cringed. She loathed herself for lying. She had no right. Pietro saved her. She owed him more than this.

"It's selfish and immoral to withhold this information from you. But with this knowledge, you could be killed." Eden spoke, her brothers taking note of how selfless and how she was becoming more and more like them each passing minute.

Pietro glanced at her for the first time in 15 minutes, and his hand found hers in a flurry.

"Tell me more of what it's like to be an archangel." Pietro asked calmly, and Eden was taken aback. She didn't want to push her luck, so she did as she was told.

"I don't get cold, or hungry. I lost that human trait. I have a universal understanding. I have energy augmentation, and several other gifts I have yet to utilize."

Pietro snickered, and squeezed her hand for good measure.

"You're seriously an Archangel? How did you allow Strucker to capture you?"

"I was human, technically. I had been thrown down from heaven as a full fledged archangel when lucifer fell. My human vessel had contained my true grace." She explained, listening to Michael explain to her the situation was behind her rebirth.

Pietro's eyes shifted from anger, to sheer admiration.

"By luck, the serum that was injected into my vessel reacted with my dormant grace. This overwhelmed my soul's vessel, and had unfortunately killed her slowly. I've retained about 45% of her human like qualities."

"Those quirks make up who you are, my darling Eden. To think you have all the power over everyone on this earth."

Pietro's mind was swirling with the idea that Eden was capable to take down Ultron.

"But I'm only a newborn Archangel- I haven't developed all of my qualities or my powers yet. Or my title."

You've said enough Eden. Gabriel said rigidly, all this information could've gone through the wrong ears.

"I can't say that I relate, but, I'm sure it'll come to you, darling."

It took tremendous effort to stay angry at Eden. She was just so naive and innocent. She is young and has so much to learn.

~~

Eden and Pietro settled down on a fallen tree trunk, sitting down on the layer of snow it had provided.

"This fight- it's going to find us. One way or another." Pietro said grimly.

Eden shook her head, her shoulders were now up and filled with purpose. She was an archangel. She wouldn't back down from a threat such as Ultron, who was clearly affecting Pietro. She wouldn't allow that.

"Or maybe- we should find it."

~~