Wanda/Peter Parker 2

*** I own nothing. I'm just having fun. ***

A/N: Spoilers for Endgame, but if you haven't seen it yet, what the hell are you waiting for?

He was so tired. His entire body hurt, and looking at himself in the mirror, it was no wonder. There was more of him that was bruised than not. Dark purple splotches marred his chest, ribs, stomach, legs. He twisted around, hissing at the pull, and his back was no better. From head to toe, he was just a mess.

But that wasn't the only color painted on him now.

"Don't worry."

Peter traced the words inscribed over his heart, red as blood. Red as the blood spilled on the battlefield against Thanos. His mind flashed to Mr. Stark, his ruined body in his last moments of life...

He wiped the bitter tears from his eyes and dabbed at the blood on his face with a wet washcloth.

He wanted Aunt May. He wanted Ned. He wanted all his classmates, hell, even Flash. He wanted his bed, and his things, and his life back, but most of all he wanted this whole crazy mess to have never happened.

But life didn't work that way. No take backs. No do-overs. Mr. Stark was dead, and he was never coming back. Peter knew all too well what death was. Hadn't he lost enough? Why did it always end like this?

He bent his head and sobbed as he wished for Aunt May to be there.

He went home.

The Avengers made it clear he was welcome to stay, he'd more than earned his place, but he just didn't want to be away from home any longer. He needed to get away, clear his head, not see people around him mourning Mr. Stark. He didn't care if it was selfish. Grief was selfish, and he just wanted to be a kid again, even if he didn't feel like one anymore.

He didn't ask about his soul mate. She hadn't come searching for him, and he hadn't gone searching for her. Hell, he hadn't even gotten to say his words to her yet, so she probably didn't even know he was her soul mate. Better to leave it that way for now, in his opinion. He was too emotionally spent to even think about it.

Peter knocked on the apartment door, his key long gone. May cried when she saw him, wrapped him in a bear hug and sobbed against his chest. His bruises protested but he didn't care. He hugged her back and never wanted to let go.

He told her everything that night, how he'd gone to an alien planet and fought and lost, and he'd turned to dust in Mr. Stark's arms and he hadn't been ready to go, and how being faced with his own mortality had made him feel. He told her about coming back, and the final battle, and the amazing things he'd seen. And he told her about Mr. Stark's sacrifice. It hurt, so much, but he managed to get the words out, and she held him and rocked him and they got through it together as they always did.

He didn't tell her about Mr. Stark hugging him, though. That was personal, and special, and he would hold that moment in his heart forever. He'd wanted acceptance, and he'd gotten it, and maybe it was only relief on Mr. Stark's part, but he liked to think Mr. Stark had been happy to see him too.

He glanced at his soul mark in the mirror as he got ready for bed that night.

"Don't worry."

"Yeah," he muttered. "Don't worry, be happy, Peter."

Ned wanted too many details. Peter couldn't give them. He'd already exhausted just about all his ability to talk about it going over things with May. He had nothing left. Ned was disappointed. He couldn't hide it. But he knew when to back off, too, and Peter was grateful.

Instead they did stupid kid things. They put together the LEGO Super Star Destroyer Ned had gotten his hands on. They listened to music. They ate pizza. Maybe he was too old for goofing around like he was still fifteen, but it helped. And Peter slowly started to feel like himself again.

There was no way he would miss Mr. Stark's funeral. May helped him get ready, helped him with his tie when his fingers couldn't manage. She held his hand in the car Happy sent for them. And she stood close during the funeral itself, her hand grounding him. He'd never been so grateful for her.

It was weird, having all of the Avengers there. Nice weird, though. Captain America wasn't on the run anymore, they weren't fugitives. They'd saved the world, after all. A little appreciation and forgiveness was long overdue in Peter's opinion. The Avengers has never been the bad guys, and there were enough bad guys in the world that the Avengers were needed.

Admittedly, Captain America hadn't been on the run in five years, but still. Peter hadn't been there for that, so it was all new to him, and he was still adjusting to the new world order.

His soul mate was present at the funeral too, and he knew he had to talk to her.

Peter approached Wanda when Mr. Barton walked away. She was standing at the edge of the lake, looking out, hands tucked into her pockets.

"Excuse me, uh...Wanda?"

She swung around, eyes wide and hand slapped to her chest where he knew her mark was. Then he realized what he'd said.

"Oh, jeez. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean that to be the first thing I said to you." He was mortified.

"Peter, right?" she asked slowly.

"Uh, yeah. That's me." He gave her a smile, but it didn't feel right on his face. And judging by her expression, it didn't look right either. She stared at him with slightly narrowed eyes, obviously trying to remember when they'd spoken. "It was during the battle," he volunteered. "You told me 'Don't worry.' I don't blame you for not remembering. There was a whole army coming down on us at the time." Recognition settled on her face.

"I do remember you," she said. "You were so injured. You look much better now."

"Yeah," he blushed. "I heal fast."

"I knew my soul mate was out there," Wanda said, eyes distant, "but I loved Vision and I didn't want to wait around for something I wasn't sure would ever come. Something maybe I didn't feel I deserved. The other half of me. And now you are here and he isn't..." Her voice trailed off, but Peter stayed quiet, waiting. "I miss him," she said finally.

"I'm not gonna try to replace him," Peter said. "I know it doesn't work that way. And hey, I'm only seventeen. We've got lots of time, you know?"

"Yes. We have lots of time now," Wanda said, wiping tears from her eyes. "I've lost my other half twice already. My brother, Vision... I need things to be different this time."

"I'm not going anywhere," Peter told her, taking her hand. "Mr. Stark gave us all an opportunity. I don't want to waste that."

"Yes," Wanda said with a wry smile. "Stark saved us all." She looked out over the lake once more, her expression unreadable. "I respect him for that."

They stood there silently for a while, each lost in their own thoughts, until she squeezed his hand, bringing Peter's mind back to the present.

"Come home with me and Aunt May," he said. "I want... I need to have you close." Wanda raised an eyebrow.

"Your Aunt would allow that?" she asked incredulously.

"Yeah, she's cool. And she understands," he told her. Her eyes searched his face for a moment before she nodded.

"Okay."

"Okay," he said, and the next breath he released felt lighter.