𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 | 𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒗𝒆𝒍

vulnero

Wanda goes to turn her attention back to Pietro now that she has me under her control, but she's caught off guard by a slam to the head. I'm dropped to the ground hastily and I take a sudden gasp of air to try to fill my lungs up with air as much as I can before I begin to move. Once I'm able to breathe somewhat regularly again, I whip my head around for the source of Wanda's hit. I look up to find Bucky standing above me with Steve's collapsible shield in his hand and a deadly look in his eyes. He moves to hit her again but she's already moved far out of his reach, and Sam's voice shoots through the air.

"We gotta get out of here!" He yells, and I trace his voice to where Pietro is still lying. Sam's trying to pick him up, and I'm instantly on my feet and running toward Pietro despite my inability to breath correctly. I get to him in seconds and kneel next to him, placing my hands on him instantly.

I still feel his pulse, but it's much fainter than it should be. His body is just a bit too cold, his skin just a bit too pale. My heart slams against my chest as I place my hands over his heart and let my power seep into him. I try to keep my attention on Pietro, but I find myself looking up and around me after a few seconds. Sam stands guard over me, and about thirty feet away I see Bucky and Nat fighting Wanda as best they can. I turn back to Pietro, and I feel his breathing start to steady as his skin starts to turn back to its natural color.

Finally, after what felt like hours of waiting and wishing but probably was only a minute or so, Pietro's eyes shoot open and he takes a deep breath. He sits up quickly, his hair falling into his eyes as he does so. I keep my hands on his chest as he moves and he doesn't seem to notice for a few seconds, but once he does his eyes go wide and he pushes me off.

"Don't," he breathes out, and tries to stand.

"Woah, hey," I say, trying to coax him back down. He swats off every attempt I make to touch him, and I quickly notice that the emotion in his eyes is fear.

"Don't, Ave, I'm fine," he rushes out.

"No, Piet, you're not," I tell him, trying to hold him down again only to have my hand hit away. "What's going on?"

"Don't heal me, you'll just get hurt again," he says, his eyes darting around us as he tries to get to his feet yet again. Sam turns and holds Pietro down by his shoulders.

"Pietro, come on. Let her do her thing," Sam tells him distractedly as he keeps an eye on the two fighting Wanda, but Pietro just shakes his head.

"No. No, she can't. She'll just get hurt again, I'm not letting her get hurt because of me, not again." Pietro's voice speeds up as he talks, his words coming out more and more frantic. I vaguely notice a drizzle of rain start to come down as I tuck my hair behind my ear and lean forward.

"Hey, hey, Pietro," I start, reaching my hand out to him in an attempt to calm him down but making sure not to touch him. "Calm down, love. It's okay."

His eyes look terrified through the wisps of hair slightly covering them, and with painfully slow movements I take my hand and brush the strands out of his face. His breathing is still jagged, but he doesn't completely flinch at my touch now.

"I need to heal you. We need to get out of here." I say the words simply and leave no room for debate, but he still takes a skeptical breath and tries.

"No, no, you can't, Ave, you'll just get hurt again," he rushes out. "What i-if, what if you get po-poisoned again, and I-I can't save you, and–"

"Pietro, calm down, I'm not going to get hurt," I interrupt, but his body still shudders as much as his words did. I try one last time to reach out and try to heal him, but he still shrinks away from my reach. I let out a sigh and stand as I turn to Sam, who's impatiently bouncing from foot to foot.