A Turn, a Beam

"Pietro!"

Wanda lunged at him at once, dust staining her black thigh-high socks.

She cupped Pietro's head in both hands.

"You're okay? You're alive? You're really alive!"

Wanda was overwhelmed, studying Pietro in disbelief as her deepest grief instantly soared into overwhelming joy.

Pietro was already her last remaining family in this world.

If even Pietro had died—

Then there would no longer be a single familiar corner of this world left for her.

She could imagine herself walking alone down the street someday in the future.

Hearing a familiar voice in a hallucination, she would suddenly turn around.

Yet there would no longer be anyone to argue with her over who was the older sister and who was the older brother.

Tears welled in Wanda's eyes. She was nearly crying with joy.

But Pietro was different.

The kid wore a thoroughly bewildered expression. "What do you mean, alive? What are you talking about? I just went to save Hawkeye... Then it seemed like, seemed like I suddenly appeared here."

Leon had reversed time and removed the bullet casings from Pietro's body.

In truth, he had reverted Pietro's time to before he was shot.

All Pietro remembered was the instant he shoved Hawkeye away.

"Right, where's Hawkeye? Is he still alive?" Pietro forcefully swatted Wanda's hands away and tried to get up.

Hawkeye, who was firing arrows at Ultron's mechanical army, turned to glance back.

Shock filled his eyes. "I'm alive... Kid, I didn't see that coming. You... coming back to life is what matters."

Because of their former hostility, Hawkeye and Pietro had a catchphrase they used to compete with each other.

Whenever one of them bested the other, he would ask: Didn't you see that coming?

Pietro had saved Hawkeye, and before collapsing to die, he had asked