***BOOK TWO OF THE ELENA MAXIMOFF SERIES***
Elena's whole world had shattered. They had won against Ultron, but at what cost?
Struggling with her grief, Elena closes in on herself, cutting herself off from her friends, her family. Yet, nothing seems...
How do you fall in love? Harder than a bullet could hit you.
River, Bishop Briggs
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"My name is Elena Maximoff, and I am a part of the Avengers." The silence after I speak the words is deafening. Peter having being shocked into stunned silence. I shift nervously after a few more moments of the silence.
"Peter?" I prompt, hoping to get any form of reaction out of him. Feeling of regret begin to swirl in the air, and it takes me a moment to realise that the emotions are emitting from me. "Oh crap. I shouldn't have told you. Now you're never going to want be associated with me because I've put you in danger!" My breathing quickens and it's not long before I feel like I can't breathe. All I can think is 'it's all my fault'. 'Etro flashing through my mind, both dead and alive. Then from elsewhere I feel arms wrap around my torso squeezing tight, and a voice whispering.
"I'm here, Lena. Breathe." The soft and caring tone make my thoughts falter enough for me to recognise that Peter is holding me, that Peter is bringing me back, that Peter is keeping me together.
"In through your nose, hold it, release." He guides and I do as he says, the constricted feeling lessening and lessening each time, until it completely fades. Taking my surroundings, I notice that we are sitting down and I'm leaning against Peter's chest. My cheeks flush at the positioning, though Peter makes no act to move me away, perfectly content to hold me in his arms. It's almost like Peter acts like a sort of gravity for me. Pulling me back down to Earth when my mind spirals out of control.
"Thanks Red." I whisper, snuggling a little more into his arms. He chuckles behind me.
"Red? Last I checked, I wasn't a red-head." He says, laughing at my nickname for him. Sitting upright, I turn to playfully glare at him.
"It's not my fault I couldn't find a good enough nickname for Peter." I chastise him, he only shakes his head, laughing slightly at my dramatics.
"Pete is a perfectly good nickname." He contradicts. I humph in annoyance.
"Yeah, I totally want to call you by the most generic nickname for Peter." Rolling my eyes, I try to stand up, Peter gets up with me, resting his hands on my hips to make sure I don't lose balance and fall over. He looks into my eyes, an undecipherable emotion in his eyes, I didn't want to use my abilities to peak into his mind or emotions and ruin the moment. Heat flares in my chest, and a blush travels up to my cheeks.
"I think I'm good now." I say slightly breathless, in an attempt to get him to move his hands from my waist and cool down a bit.
"Oh yeah." He answers, but makes no attempt to move away. Reluctantly, I move his hands away for him, hating the separation between us.
"So we're cool?" I ask, referring to my earlier revelation.
"Lena," He starts, the tone doesn't sound promising, as though he is at war with himself. "Lena, I don't care if you're a secret superhero, I wouldn't care if you were an alien, you're my friend, probably my best friend, don't let ned hear that, and I couldn't shove you aside for keeping the same secrets as me." He explains and the weight on my chest lifts fully. A smile graces my face as well as his and I embrace him in a tight hug. The recurrent red line makes an appearance then, snaking it's way around us, but I couldn't care less. Peter accepted me for who I was, and that was something that filled my heart with joy.
