Happy Birthday Piet
Feb. 10th, 2016:
Wanda had come to Veronika’s room to help her with her outfit, they were talking about the birthday party. Wanda and Pietro’s 18th birthday party.
Veronika had explained to Wanda she wanted to look nice because she wanted to also give him his gift in a private space tonight.
Then Wanda’s questions started, “so…you’re going to celebrate your best friend’s, as well as your boyfriend’s might I add, birthday but not act like he’s your boyfriend until you’re alone?” Wanda asked as Veronika was scrounging around her closet for a dress.
“Precisely.”
“And how does he feel about that?”
“He said he’s fine with not being public.”
“Yeah but this isn’t public. Also Pietro can’t stand a PDA free lifestyle so you’re sure?”
“Public people, knowing Tony, will be here, I don’t want yours and Pietro’s day to be about me and him.” She said looking at her friend when she had found two options. “It’s yours and his birthday. Not anything else,” she said as she had found both her dresses. “And he’s been good about it so far,” she shrugged as she stumbled out of her now messed up closet.
Wanda smiled, “That’s fair, and oh so kind of you, what you got now?”
Veronika returned the smile before replying, “which do you think is cuter, this blue one?” She held it to her, “or this black one?” She held it to her.
“Black is your colour, but that blue one is really cute.” Wanda said thinking, “go blue, it matches his suit that Tony got him.”
“Would it be obvious though? That we’re matching?”
“Only if you’re going to be making out with one another, which I’m assuming you’re avoiding right now.” Wanda laughed, “I think it’ll be fine. My turn!” She bolted up off her bed, which had startled a sleeping Artemis, and picked up the three dresses she had brought.
Veronika petted her dog’s head as her friend presented her outfits.
She had green, red, and beige dresses and they were all gorgeous, Veronika thought long and hard, “red. Red suits you, also you’d match Vision.” She smirked which made Wanda roll her eyes
“Ha ha very funny, but I do like this dress, and FYI they’re wearing a suit tonight as well so hah.”
“They would rock a suit.”
“They are rocking the suit.” Wanda smiled as she put the other dresses over her arm, “I’m going to get dressed, okay? You should too, and I’ll come back to help with makeup and all that, the party is at 7.”
“Alright, bye, birthday girl!” She laughed and the other girl shook her head laughing as she left.
She slammed her door shut with her powers and started getting undressed to change, and once she could slip the dress over her head she did, and looked at herself in the mirror on her wall that she had taped pictures to, and painted with small flowers at the base. After about a minute or two there was a knock on her door.
“You know you can come in Wanda.”
The door opened, and closed with a swoosh that, she knew, wasn’t Wanda who had ended up next to her. He hugged her immediately and put his head on her shoulder, in her hair.
“Oh- hi Silver.” She was shocked as she put her hands on his arms, but he was shaking, “what’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” a lie. She knew it was.
“You sure?” she inquired in a whisper, no verbal answers, he just shook his head, “what’s wrong?”
“I just want a hug from you.” He said in her hair she nodded, stayed silent and slid her hands to meet around his back and hugged him. He was going to go to Wanda but he knew she was trying to make their birthdays positive so he can’t, he won’t ruin it for her.
Veronika held him and rubbed his back slightly, she sighed as his grip tightened a bit.
“Can I ask you something?” She whispered after a few minutes of letting him be. He sighed and nodded a little allowing her. “Is this about your mama and papa?” She said as she stepped back slightly, her eyes on his. He looked at her with a question on his face, and in his eyes, and she shook her head. “I didn’t read your mind, I just know, Wanda told me earlier, and plus…I don’t think anyone in their right mind can celebrate their birthday peacefully when their parents aren’t there to celebrate with them.”
He stared at her and looked down, nodding, she hugged him again. Her hands rubbing his back again. “I’m sorry Pietro,” she said and he put his hands around her again, she held onto him for a while as he let out a few cries into her neck. “It’s okay…” She would say as she let him cry.
After another few good minutes, he let go and separated from her as he wiped his eyes. “Thank you…for letting me just…”
She looked at him and put a hand on his face, “of course…” she smiled as she let her thumb run across his stubble. “What are girlfriends for?” She smirked a bit and nudged his arm slightly.
“Yeah, well I’m grateful to have you, as…” he leant down and kissed her nose, “iubita mea.”
(my girlfriend)
She giggled and leant up to kiss his lips, “you better be.” She kissed him again and held his face still. “You feeling better though?”
“A little bit, I just needed a hug,” he said as he put his forehead against hers. She sighed as she gave a tap on his shoulder of understanding. He backed up and looked at the door, you and wanda were getting ready right?”
“Yeah, a few minutes before you came in she was helping me pick the dress I was going to wear-”
He pulled back and looked at her now, “this it? The one you’re wearing, this one it?”
“Yes, you like it?” she said as she gave him a 360 look at it. His smile came back.
“You look amazing dragul meu.” He said looking at her again, she laughed and bowed her head.
(my darling)
“Thank you, the best for my krasivyy muzhchina, and my best friend’s birthday.” She winked as she looked at the shoes she was about to put on before he came in. “Wanda was going to help me with my makeup but I think she isn’t coming now.”
(handsome man)
“I can help you,” he said as she walked around him.
“Piet you aren’t even dressed-”
SWOOSH
SWOOSH
“-yet” she laughed as he was standing in front of her in his suit. “Okay, are you sure?”
“Yeah, I used to help Wanda with her eyeliner and all that all of the time when she was first learning.”
“Okay… if you say so.” She nodded and using her powers, pulled a stool up to her bathroom mirror, and sat as he followed and picked up the products.
“How much?”
“Just Mascara, eyeliner, and lip gloss, I’ll do the last one myself.”
He nodded and tilted her head up standing in front of her, he tilted his head and smiled, she smiled back, he picked up two of the eyeliners. “Purple or black?”
“Purple.”
“Best choice.” He leaned again and dotted out his outlines on each eye. “Will bring out those eyes that I think are your best feature.”
She laughed slightly as he tilted her head to get a better advantage point.
“You have a boyfriend?” he said randomly.
“Huh?!” She side eyed him.
“I want to make this funny, by pretending to be a makeup artist, makes the process easier.” He said smiling his goof ass smile, she loved it, she laughed again and gave a small nod.
“Fine, uh yeah, I do have one,” she played along.
“He cute?” He wiggled his eyebrows and went back to work.
“Yeah, he’s cute, really hot.”
“Oh really? ‘Hot’ you say?”
“Yeah, he’s tall, has a nice accent,” he smirked as she said that.
“Must pair well with yours?”
“Oh most DEFINITELY.” she said, “it’s nice, I can actually understand him.”
He chuckled, “how’d you meet?”
“Kicked his ass almost a year ago in the woods of his home town.”
He made a face and gave her those eyes he made when he thought something was exaggerated or incorrect. “You don’t say.”
“Yeah, he was adorably mopey about it.” She said as he finished working on her right eye. He turned her head.
“I bet,” he whispered as he worked, very carefully, on this side. “How long have you been dating?”
“A few months, my dog–”
“Our”
“Our dog, he adopted her when we got together, apparently, put us together.” She smirked as he was finishing the wing.
“Sounds like a pretty damn smart dog.”
She laughed, “no idea just how smart. She’s watching us right now actually.” She pointed to her bed, he looked and smiled widely as he turned back and once finishing off the under eye, leant and kissed her.
“Mascara is next,” he said as she pulled him to the kiss again.
“Thank you,” she said.
“My pleasure prinţesă,” he pulled out the mascara and started on it. That job was done quicker and she smiled when he was standing up and looked at her. “What do you think?” she looked in the mirror as she stood.
“I like it, what did you go for?”
“Siren look, Wanda used to have the cat eyes look, and all of that, she taught me, I think you pull this one off well though.” He smirked, she looked at him and chuckled.
“Well thank you for helping me with it.” she looked for her lipstick and glosses, “what colour should I use?” she held up the red she used, the purple that was like plum purple, and the dark blue.
“This one,” he said as he picked the blue, “makes you look more like yourself, dark and hot.” She laughed and shook her head.
“Thank you?”
“It was a compliment so you’re welcome.”
She pushed his shoulder and then looking in the mirror applied her lipstick, then applied lip gloss over it. “Okay I’m ready, are you?” She said looking at him, remembering his breakdown.
“Yeah, as long as I have you and Wanda I should be fine.” he said taking her hand she looked down and smiled but her heart ached, she didn’t want to be public, even among the Avengers quite yet.
“I’ll be by your side, hey and tonight I have a surprise for your birthday so you get through this by staying with Wanda and being active, I mean it, we get to do that.”
He furrowed his brows, “what kind of surprise?”
“It’s a surprise you’ll have to see.” She winked as she walked past him.
The party:
They went to the party together and when they did when the group there saw the twins they exclaimed their greetings.
Tony, “look who decided to show up, the birthday twins!”
Steve, “Happy birthday you too, Veronika, I need to talk with you.”
Natasha went with the twins leading them about the group as more “happy birthdays” came through.
Thor’s was the loudest and best, “Happy Birthday Midgaurdians, mighty heroes of Sokovia! Lady Sparkles, and Lord Speed.”
Veronika laughed at the names as she spoke to Steve who was running new drills by her. She was listening, she really was but then she saw one of Pietro’s anxietal tells.
“Dad, these all sound great but I have to go get some punch and I’m gonna ask the birthday twins if they want any.” She said patting Steve’s arm he just let her go.
She rushed to his side and she tapped his shoulder, “excuse me, can I take the birthday boy for a second his sister said she needs him.” She said to the person he was talking to. Then she grabbed Pietro’s forearm and led him away before the person could answer. “You okay?” She asked once they were alone in the kitchen.
He shook his head and moved to put his hand in hers. “I just need a break.” He sighed and leaned against the counter, she watched him. “There’s so many people out there.” He whispered and messed with her hand.
“Hey, it’s okay, you’re overwhelmed, that's normal.” She said moving closer to him, “let’s just talk for a little while okay?” He nodded and held onto her hand and she smiled at him, “you get to have cake in about an hour, that must be a nice thought right?”
He looked at her and swayed his head, “what kind of cake?”
“Your favorite, marble.”
“Who put that in?”
“Me, Tony asked me to read yours and Wanda’s minds on what cake you liked. But then we had that conversation so I didn’t have to do that, remember?”
He nodded and looked at her hand that was holding his, “yeah I remember.” He smiled at her and she smiled seeing him smile, but she still felt his anxiety.
“Do” she tilted her head, “do you think you’d like me to try and help calm your nerves?”
He looked at her hand, “it’s not nerves.”
“You feel sad, almost alone, you miss your parents, and that’s, like I said, completely normal. But what if we ease the pain by remembering them?” She smiled “tell me what they used to do for your birthdays?” She said interlocking her fingers with his, he watched and thought.
“Mama used to make Wanda and I flip a coin, whoever called it and got it right, got to pick the movie we watched that night, she somehow always knew, I would pick the dinners…”
“Go on?” She said with her other hand on his side.
“My papa, he used to bake these bread things for breakfast, and put a bean in them, whichever of us got it he’d let us pick whatever we wanted to do.” He laughed, “one time I got it and begged them to take us to the library, it was small, and had almost no books on its shelves, but I loved it…” he whispered, “Wanda wasn’t that much into it back then though.”
“Anything else?” she whispered her eyes on his.
“They baked us one big cake, put two candles on it, they used the same candles every year, but we didn’t care, we loved it. Then after dinner and cake, we watched Wanda’s movies…go to bed and our dad told us stories…” He sighed and she saw his eyes watering, but he felt comforted. “He went all out for them, princes and princesses, dragons, all of it he made up…went wild with it.”
She smiled and put her hand on his face, “they’re beautiful memories, and you’ll always have those. I don’t want to be insensitive because I have no idea what this feels like, but I don’t think they’d want you wasting your birthdays missing them,” she said and he leant into her hand almost crying.
“It’s not just that.”
“What else?”
“They would be so disappointed in me.”
Her eyes went even softer, she had a pain in them, “What? Pietro, they made an amazing son and daughter. You save lives for free, as your job, why would they?”
“I convinced Wanda to join HYDRA, I did all that shit to…” he looked down, “before you all the girlfriends I had, I just-” he huffed and shook his head, shame evident in his motions.
“Hey, look at me,” she said, her hand lifting his face again. “Your past does NOT define you, who you are now, who you will be…Look I didn’t love that fuck boy stage, cause I’ve witnessed a lot of it. And the HYDRA thing, you were tricked, they lied to you, that is NOT on you. What is on you, is who you are now. And now?” She chuckled, “you’re my boyfriend, Wanda’s brother, the Quicksilver, you are, especially, officially, today, a man who is trying to right his wrongs and that is the best you can do.” She whispered her eyes boring into his as she watched him, “you are passionate, kind, and so good, they’d be overwhelmed with pride if they knew you now.”
He looked at her and the tears in his eyes were falling now. “You think?”
“I know,” she smiled, and let her hand go to his hair and brush her fingers through it. “Hell, I’m proud of you, you are such a good, amazing person…how could I not be?”
He hugged her again, no warning, but she accepted it with more joy and gratitude. She put her head on his as he nestled into her neck. He sighed “thank you Veronika…”
“Happy Birthday Piet…” She whispered and he chuckled.
“Was that my present?”
“No, but I’m considering making it part of it.” She joked.
“If it was, it was the best.”
“You haven’t opened your other gifts though.”
“Eh, I doubt they’ll be as good as you are.”
She rolled her eyes and laughed, “you’re something else.”
“Thank you.” He said.
There he is, my Pietro… she thought and kissed his head.
“Okay, let’s go, get back to yours and Wanda’s party, okay?” She asked quietly, he just nodded and let go of her.
“Stay by my side?” he asked, taking her hand and holding it, she looked at their hands and looked at the door, she didn’t want to tell the world, but they’re holding hands…no one could notice right?
Shadows around them to cover from sight.
She nodded, “of course,” she smiled and focused on surrounding their joined hands in shadows.
After the party:
Veronika kept her word to Pietro, followed him around, held his hand, stayed by him, people thought it was odd so she explained it was to keep him from an anxiety attack, which he went with. One because he didn’t want to force her to announce their relationship, two because he was on the verge of panic with how big the crowd was.
Wanda and her had a few conversations.
Which consisted of the very ‘Wanda sister type questions’ like:
“So you’re telling people?”, or “When’s the wedding??” the usual Wanda intrusive thoughts.
Veronika just laughed them off and held Pietro’s hand because that’s what he needed, and when they were in a place with no one he whispered to her, kissed her head and hair, held onto her, he knew her, she knew him.
When the party was over he was still holding her hand but as his arm was around her shoulder and they stood on the balcony looking towards the woods.
“How was your birthday party?”
“Chaotic, but good. Just next year remind Wanda to not let Stark do the invitations.” He said, and she laughed in reply, she nodded.
“Noted, I’ll let her know.” She said as she stood up straight and looked at the moon. Not yet.
“So, when do I get my other present?” He asked finally, he’s been waiting to ask that, she knew it.
“Soon, just wait till right before midnight.” She looked at the moon again.
“Midnight?”
“Mhmm, and then you’ll get it.”
“My birthday is over by then no?”
“No, right before midnight means like 11:30 or whatever,” she smiled. “This will still be on your birthday.”
He nodded and trusted her process, she waited a few more minutes, looked at the watch he was wearing, thank you Tony. She smiled and turned from the balcony.
“Follow me.” She ran away from it and towards the stairs that lead to the roof, he followed behind her but moved slower than his super speed. It was uncomfortable but he wanted to stay right near her. She stopped at the roof and lifted her hands to the sky and in front of her, like she had practiced, a reflection, a precise reflection of the sky as it was right now appeared and below the moon in her reflection was the sun in its position of rest. Dim, but bright just not for them right now.
He was in awe.
“Wh-when did you learn to do this?” he gaped as he walked closer, and watched the sky as it was right in walking distance.
“I’ve been doing things like this since I could remember, but this I learned throughout the week,” she spun her hands counterclockwise and the sun was right at the point the moon just was again, the moon taking the place where the sun once was. “The sun,” she went clockwise, “the stars and moon, when one is up and shining, the other is still close by…” She smiled, “they remind me of us.” she said quietly as he was watching from beside her, he looked at her.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah, you’re the sun-”
“And you’re the moon and stars.” He said immediately.
“Mhm.”
“And while you’re up, I watch you shine,”
“As I you…”
He smiled and walked towards her show, looked up and around he was in the stars… he looked at her and held out a hand. “Dance with me amongst the stars?”
She watched him and focusing made the show stay as she lowered her hands and took his moving into him. He swayed with her and she smiled as she rested her head against his chest. She smiled and moved with him, a few times he twirled her around and she was laughing as he dipped her. Wasn’t the best dancing, but no one was there to judge or watch, it was just them, this moment, and that was perfect.
“Happy birthday Silver.” She said looking up at him.
“Thank you, Veronika, for everything.” He leaned his head down and kissed her.