Part 5: Evening Threads
Location: Avengers HQ – Common Area
Time: Evening
Riven sat with Natasha on one of the sleek couches in the Avengers HQ common room, the ambient light of the setting sun spilling through the tall windows. They were both quiet, watching the low hum of movement across the compound. Natasha snacked absently, glancing now and then at Riven.
She noticed it before he said anything—something about him had shifted. Not physically, though he looked healthier, sharper. It was in his eyes. Less storm. More sky.
"You look different," she said casually.
Riven smirked faintly. "I stayed at Xavier's school. Spent time with some of the kids. Met the ones I tried to save when I escaped... and the ones I saved later."
Natasha nodded slowly. "That'll do it."
Before either could say more, Wanda entered the room, her presence quiet but noticeable. She glanced between them, and Natasha caught the subtle flicker in Wanda's eyes. Something warm. Something unsettled.
Natasha stood, brushing crumbs from her lap. "Well, I should go check on something. You two behave."
She left without waiting for a reply.
Wanda sat where Natasha had been. Her gaze lingered on Riven.
"I heard you came back," she said softly.
"I did," Riven replied. "Just for a while."
"You went to the X-Men," she said, more a statement than a question.
"Yeah. Helped a kid who'd been turned into something monstrous," he said. "Xavier's helping him now. I figured it was a better place for him."
Wanda nodded, studying him. "You look... better. Not healed. But better."
He leaned back, arms on the top of the couch. "It was strange, being around people who weren't soldiers. Kids who laughed. Looked at me like I was something other than a weapon."
She tilted her head. "What do you want to be, Riven?"
He didn't answer right away. Then:
"Someone who doesn't need to be feared."
Wanda's expression softened, but her voice remained steady. "Then you're already doing better than most."
They sat there in silence, not uncomfortable, just present. Two people made jagged by pain, trying to shape something whole from what remained.