Pietro woke with a gasp. His body was slick with sweat, his chest tight and his lungs burning. He could still feel them, the bullets, piercing his body, ripping into him as if he were nothing. He could still hear Wanda's scream, echoing through his mind and tearing him apart from the inside out.
He wasn't sure how they had done it. How they had brought him back from the dead, but when he came back something had snapped. Something was different and he wasn't sure what it was. Something didn't feel right. The doctors and scientists had told him that he wouldn't remember anything about being gone. But they were wrong. He remembered everything. He could remember the feeling of floating weightless in dark nothingness. He remembered the constant static that filled his ears with white noise. He remembered the feelings of regret and pain and helplessness. Pietro especially remembered the feeling of his heart being ripped from his body and forced back into it, fractured and incomplete.
He would relive these memories every night. His dreams becoming nothing but his memories of death and they would weigh heavy on his chest throughout the day. The enhanced male didn't dare tell anyone of them. Especially not Wanda — although he suspected that she knew everything and refused to bring it up first. They were his atonement for what he had put his sister through.
The silver-haired male sat up and swung his legs over the side of his unkempt bed — his sheets and duvet in a pile on the floor. He needed to move in order to clear his head. Pietro ran a hand through his tousled hair before changing out of his bed sweatpants and into another, clean pair, a tee shirt, and a hoodie with an embroidered 'A' on the chest. He looked at the digital clock on the table beside his bed. It was still rather early in the evening, but late enough that most restaurants were closed. Without hesitation, the enhanced male sped through the compound. He would run around Manhattan until he came across something open.
Before long he came to a stop in front of a 24-hour diner. "Saucy's Diner?" He scoffed. "Who names their establishment that?" The building wasn't anything impressive, in his opinion. In fact, it looked rather old and beaten up. If the inside looked anything like the outside did than the food wouldn't be that impressive either. Heaving a small sigh, Pietro opened the battered door and walked into the restaurant. He blinked against the harsh fluorescent lights that gave everything a sickly hue before making his way to an empty booth. The enhanced male looked around the diner for the first time, noticing that it was there were a handful of people scattered throughout booths and sitting at the counter. Some, if not all, of the customers, were older men and he assumed that he was the youngest person in the entire establishment. That was until a small blonde waitress walked out from the kitchen area carrying a fresh pot of coffee.
She leaned against the counter for a moment, coffee pot in hand. She was surprised by how dead the diner was for a Friday night. Usually, they were swamped with bar hoppers and those who partied a bit too hard. But none of those customers were around, yet. In a way, the blonde was thankful that the rowdy crowds hadn't appeared. It saved her from sexist comments and receiving illegible phone numbers.
"Hey, blondie, booth 10 has been sitting there for a while. Why don't you make yourself useful and get him a coffee." Larry grumbled as he leaned forward to glare through the food window.
Blair looked towards booth 10. "But that's Rita's side... and I've already got my hands full." The last part was a fib and they all knew it. She puffed out her cheeks and grabbed a mug, pouring a cup of coffee. On her way to the corner booth, Blair stopped to give one of the few customers his bill. Finally, she stood to the side of the table and placed the cup down in front of the young man. She smiled and pulled out her order pad, "Hi, what can I get for you?" She asked. "I hope you wanted coffee, if not, I'll bring you something else." She looked at the male closer, noticing the embroidered 'A' on his jumper. "Say, do you live in that god awful tower in the middle of town?" She asked curiously. Blair cleared her throat realizing that she had gotten off topic. "You don't have to answer that." She mumbled, embarrassed at her prying curiosity.
The silver-haired male looked up at the young woman and smiled. "The coffee's just fine, thanks." Pietro took hold of the cup and lifted it up, taking a sip. Burning his tongue on the fresh beverage, he placed the mug back down. Eyebrow cocked, the male waited until the blonde woman was finished rambling. "You sure talk fast for it being so late in the evening." Pietro joked, his smile never wavering. "As much as I hate to admit it. Yes, I do live in the gaudy tower in the center of town." Licking his lips, the enhanced male picked up the mug again, "It is not so bad once you get used to it. Quite fancy if you ask me."
"Really? I always thought it would be cold and lonely." Blair said placing her hand down on the table and leaning slightly. "Are you sure there isn't anything else I can get for you?" The blonde smiled and waited. She knew it was coming. The 'I'll get your number' line. It always came even if the person didn't look like the sort. They were always the sort, especially if they were coming to Saucy's at this hour.
But it never came. Instead, the male grabbed a menu and surveyed it before nodding. "Apple pie with Vanilla, I feel like something a bit sweet." Blair gave the young man a look knowing what he was trying to do. He had said the words so innocently that if she hadn't been looking at him, at his cocky expression, she would have never guessed that he was flirting.
She smiled and nodded. The blonde placed her order pad into the large pocket of her black apron and stood straight. She placed her hands on her hips, "Coming right up." She turned around and began to walk back to the counter. "Hey Larry, I need a slice of apple pie, with vanilla." She called to the clearly agitated cook as she entered the swinging doors to the back. Leaning against the scuffed wall, Blair too a minute to herself. She dealt with these arseholes every night and yet this one just so happened to get under her skin. Maybe she was tired and needed to take a vacation. Maybe it was because he wasn't intoxicated, or so he looked. It could have been a million reasons as to why her neck burned from embarrassment. Except that it wasn't because the man was particularly attractive or that he as one of the heroes that resided in town. No, she decided, it's because I made a slight fool of myself and brought up that stupid 'A'.
Taking a deep breath, Blair wiped her sweaty hands on her black apron before making her way out to the front. She stopped to grab the apple pie and ice-cream before making her way to the young man. Placing the plate down, she smiled. "Let me know if you need anything else." The blonde turned and walked off before the male had a chance to say anything. She had other customers to deal with, though they were far and few between.
Pietro watched as the young waitress walked away, a grin on his face. Perhaps not being able to sleep was a good thing. He had stumbled across this place and the small blonde after all. If there was anything else in the world that the silver-haired male loved more than running, it was pushing buttons and it didn't matter whose buttons he pushed, so long as he got a reaction from it.
Still grinning, the enhanced male looked down at the dessert in front of him and began to eat it. The coffee had been average, but the pie was a pleasant surprise. Bobbing his head in satisfaction, Pietro finished the pie and sat back, sipping his coffee. He watched groups of people walk and wobble outside of the diner, laughing quietly when women would stumble out of their too high heels. He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but if the growing noise around him was any indication, it had been awhile.
"D'ya want more coffee?" An older woman asked, holding a pot of dark brown liquid and snapping her gum loudly.
Pietro nodded and as she was pouring him another cup, he looked around the now full diner. All around them were groups of 4 or 5 people, some mixed gender while others were strictly made of men or women. Each group was in varying states of intoxication and rowdiness. He thanked the older woman and continued to scan the booths until he found what he was looking for. Across the room from where he was sitting stood the blonde, a scowl etched on her face as she dealt with a particularly touchy group of middle-aged men. Pietro's grip tightened on the mug as he watched one of the men reach for the young woman's arse as she walked away, laughing. Flirting was one thing, but harassment was another and it was disgusting.
The silver-haired male about to stand but stopped himself. The blonde was no longer serving the touchy group of men. In fact, she was now on his side of the restaurant, soothing a group of young women who had been loudly ranting about cheating boyfriends. He sighed and took a gulp of his freshly poured coffee. What would he have done to the touchy men had she remained their waitress? Given them a stern talking to? He snorted. If it had been Wanda, he would have beaten the guy to a pulp, no words necessary. Hell, if it was any woman he would have done the same; beaten the asshole until he begged.
Lost in thought, Pietro jumped slightly when the young waitress appeared in front of him. "So, how did you like the pie?" She asked, placing her hand on her hip and cocking her head to the side.
"I-it was good. I really was not expecting much, but I'm glad that I was wrong." He stuttered, trying to regain his composure. Looking up at the blonde he gave a half-hearted smile. "Do you get them often?" He asked, motioning towards the group of men.
Blair sighed, "Unfortunately all the time. Especially on nights like tonight. But it's okay, nothing a little switch-a-roo won't help." Looking over her shoulder at the older woman as she served the touchy men, the blonde smiled. "Rita's good at dealing with the assholes." Blair turned back to look at the silver-haired male and shrugged. "You've been here an awfully long time."
Pietro chuckled. "You caught me. I couldn't sleep." For the first time that night he looked at the name tag pinned to the left side of the blonde's chest. Blair. It fit her. Now that he knew her name, he couldn't picture her having another one.
"You're not alone. Most of the older men are here for the same reason. Or their wives kicked them out for the night." She shook her head. "A lot on your mind or are you an insomniac?" Again he chuckled and Blair felt her neck warm at the sound. She knew that there were other things she could be doing, but she couldn't pull herself away just yet.
"Definitely too many things on my mind and they seem to be there for good." Looking down at his coffee, the enhanced male gave a small sigh. "I'm alright for now..." Realizing what he had said, Pietro jostled his cup, "just got a refill."
Confused, Blair nibbled her bottom lip. "Okay, well let me know when you need another." Without a second thought, she pulled out her order pad and scribbled down her number, ripping out the yellow lined notebook page. She placed it down on the table beside his hand and without missing a beat she mumbled, "In case you want to talk about all of those bothersome things." Stuffing the notebook back into her black apron, the blonde walked away to make her rounds of the other booths.
Glancing at the piece of paper, Pietro picked it up and held it, memorizing the 7 digit number. He licked his lips before watching the young woman once again. Was she just being kind or did she want an inside look into life at the tower? He slipped the piece of paper into the pocket of his hoodie. Did it matter to the woman that he was different — that he was enhanced? That the things constantly on his mind were breaking him and turning him into a shell of the man he used to be?