Three Weeks In

[Pietro Maximoff]

::Pietro shook his head and forced himself into a semi-sitting position. It strained his stomach muscles, but it was the best he could do at the moment. He could not accept that; he had so little pride as it was...he was falling apart and all he wanted was his dignity. He spoke quietly, earnestly.:: "Wanda, I beg you."

[Wanda Maximoff]

"Pietro, lie still," she pleaded. She had never expected to have to argue with Pietro when he had finally burned out. She honestly hadn't.

[Pietro Maximoff]

"Wanda, please," ::Pietro said quietly. All he wanted to do was walk under his own power. That was a pittance in the scheme of the world. He did not lie back down, but he made no further move.::

[Wanda Maximoff]

She shifted closer to him, and pulled at the buttons of his shirt, revealing his chest. It, too, was scratched and bruised, like his face. She withdrew her hand from his silvery locks, and ran her fingers across his ribs, ever so gently.

[Pietro Maximoff]

::Pietro squirmed against the touch. His chest ached, and he believed he had broken his ribs. Worse than that, her fingers ran over the dead flesh of that hideous scar. He brought a hand up, caught Wanda's, and moved it away.:: "Please, don't."

[Wanda Maximoff]

She leaned in and kissed him on the forehead, before pulling the hand he moved away back, and resting it against the side of his face. She saw the scar, how could she not? She knew what had happened, had been there, so why was he trying to act as if she'd never seen it?

"Pietro, I love you and I don't want you to cause yourself unnecessary pain."

[Pietro Maximoff]

::Pietro knew that she meant well, but his sister simply could not experience life the way he did. It took all of his patience to relate to the rest of the world. He was agitated all the time, and he had been particularly guarded these past weeks. This had been a shameful error, and he wanted to forget it. He had suffered enough already. All he wanted was to be a man.:: "Wanda, let me have my dignity, please."

[Wanda Maximoff]

She paused, contemplating his plea. "I will let you walk up to the room only if you lean on me," she told him. The second he tried to do it himself, she would pull him to the ground and force him to lie still if she had to. Better for her to help shoulder his weight.

[Pietro Maximoff]

::Pietro agreed readily. Anything was better than being carried by Hank. Forcing himself to sit up, he unlaced his boots as he had promised to do, and pulled them off.::

[Wanda Maximoff]

She took the boots from his hands, and stood, pulling him up with her, gently. "Up we go," she said gently, making sure she had an arm around his hips, because his ribs were injured, most definitely. And waited for him to wrap his arm around her shoulders.

[Pietro Maximoff]

::Pietro steaded himself on his bare feet, and wrapped an arm around his sister. This would keep him from running, surely. Balanced, he glanced at the tree, then at the mansion.:: "Can we go inside now?"

[Wanda Maximoff]

"Yes," she said, making sure he was putting his weight on her. "Baby steps, Pietro," she warned him, as they began walking, ever so slowly, towards the mansion.

[Pietro Maximoff]

::Pietro leaned on her, although not fully; he weighed at least forty-pounds more than she did, and was a half head taller. Slowly, agonizingly slowly, they began to walk towards the mansion.::

[Wanda Maximoff]

"Let me know if you need to stop," she said softly, still making their way across the grounds with extra care.

[Pietro Maximoff]

::Strike him down, the day Pietro Maximoff needed to stop in the middle of a simple walk. The pain was intense, but he put it aside, focusing on the complete and utter lack of grass beneath his feet as he walked. That had been his doing.:: "I am fine, Wanda."