fourteen 

(—three hundred and one)

The princess startled when the witch appeared. Months had passed and not once had the witch come to visit. But there she was, looking worse for the wear. She'd lost weight and looked... tired, drained, but where there once was the weight of the world on her shoulders... that was gone. So she may be tired but she was free from her bonds.

The witch ate the food given to her and offered short answers to the princess's inquiring questions. A little bit of color returned to her cheeks and only then did she finally ask the question gnawing at the back of her head.

"How much longer?"

The princess paused, not wishing to crush any hopes she had, but also not wanting to give her a false answer. "A few more months at the most," she finally answered, "I want to get this right, I want to make sure everything is perfect."

The witch nodded, a faraway look in her eyes.

"You know, you're always welcome to stay here. Now that my brother is king and the world is learning more about Wakanda, you don't even need to hide."

"I—" she cleared her throat as the words got stuck in her throat, "thank you for the offer but it would be... difficult to be so close and not..." She was unable to finish her sentence and instead tightened her grip on the mug clasped in her hands.

"That's alright," the princess said, "but just know, if you ever do need it, there will be a room here for you."

For the first time in months, the witch felt warmth bloom in her chest, "Thank you."

They sat in silence, the witch finishing her meal and the princess explaining everything she'd done so far. The witch found comfort in the teenager's words, even if she didn't quite understand half of the scientific terms she was using.

Before she left, the witch wandered deep into the lab, pausing outside a door and peering inside at the large tank that rested inside.

Soon. She promised herself. I'll be back soon, even if you remain asleep.

Then, she faded away leaving behind no trace, just a rustling of shadows that quickly quieted once more.

The witch stood, her hand wrapped around a handle as her body shifted from the movement of the train. Wandering was nothing new to her, but this time she had no purpose to guide her, other than that she needed to keep her mind busy. When the train came to a screeching halt she let the crowd lead her out and upstairs, spitting her onto a busy street.

Queens, New York was a busy place. Everyone had someplace to go and refused to let anyone stand in their way even as the sky started to fade from a gentle blue to a deepening orange softened by swirls of pink.

As she walked her magic shifted her blood, humming softly. So, she let it guide her through twisting alleyways and busy streets until she finally ended up scaling a fire escape. She stood on top of a building, confused by the location. Unable to find anyone there she started descending, only to nearly fall off the fire escape as a figure crashed into the wall courtesy of three men.

Ah, she slides down the rest of the stairs, muggers.

But before she could even move a muscle thick webs encase their hands and the figure that had been thrown moved quickly, knocking them out. Then they straightened up, brushing her hands on jeans.

"Aunt May is going to kill me," the teenager mutters, examining the holes in the jeans she'd bought him less than twenty-four hours ago.

"You're bleeding." The witch called out softly, causing the boy's head to whip up. In the dying light of the day, she could make out brown curly hair and matching eyes that widened in recognition.

"You—" he jumps back, holding a hand out, "stay back."

The witch tilted her head, confused as her hand strays to her pocket. She withdraws a bandaid and simply holds it out, "Have we met?"

He doesn't move for a minute, weighing his options, before slowly moving forward to accept the bandaid, using it to cover the small cut on his hand. "No, you just looked like someone I knew. Thank you, by the way," he says, a bright smile appearing on his face.

She nods, stuffing her hands into her jacket pocket, "You're welcome." She moves to walk away only to stop as the boy suddenly appears in front of her.

"I'm Peter." He holds out his hand and she slowly reaches out, shaking his hand.

How long had it been since someone had introduced themselves to her? How long had it been since someone so pure-hearted had approached her?

"I'm Maev." It was strange to say her name out loud.

A loud noise emits from his stomach and the boy flushes pink, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Sorry 'bout that, haven't really had the chance to eat lunch yet."

Her eyebrows furrow as she casts a look at the sky. "It's nearly time for dinner." With a sigh, she starts walking, "What's there to eat around here?"

He bounces slightly as he keeps in step with her, "Lots of places, what kind of food do you like?"

Maev looks at him, "The food isn't for me, it's to feed the monster in your stomach."

Peter nearly trips. He was positive this was the woman he'd seen nearly a year ago when Mr. Stark took him to Germany but she was so different it was hard to believe. And while he knew, logically, he should just text Mr. Stark and let him take care of her, she seemed pretty nice and he was almost positive she was offering to buy him food.

Peter Parker never turned down free food.

So he leads her through the streets, chattering away and receiving polite responses from the woman.

They ended up at a diner tucked away between a large clothing store and a sketchy building that Peter was positive housed a bunch of drug dealers. He even managed to convince the woman to order the same thing as him— a double cheeseburger with a large side of fries and a mint chocolate chip shake —and he was nearly bouncing in his seat as he waited for it to arrive.

Maev watched him in mild amusement as he inhaled his food, pushing her own fries towards him when he finished. He glanced at her to double check they were for him before inhaling those as well.

What the hell are they making kids out of these days? She mused as she ate her burger. It was good, really good, and she had to stop herself from following Peter's example and shoving it in her face.

Then, she paid and stood up, ready to walk out and keep wandering. However as she left the diner, Peter once again caught up to her, a conflicted look on his face. And she waited patiently for him as he shuffled his feet until he finally blurted out the words, "You're not here to like, terrorize the city, right? Cause you seem really nice but you were different in Germany and I just—"

Maev blinked, "I don't terrorize cities, what on earth gave you that idea?"

"Well at the airport you were super scary and I just wanted to make sure." He mumbled, staring down at his feet.

Realization hit her as she thought of the webs and the massive amount of food he'd consumed. And so Maev just reached out and ruffled his hair, "As much as I love to cause chaos, I wouldn't dare face off against Spider-Man. He seems scary."

Peter looked up, only to realize that Maev was already walking down the street, humming softly. Then, he smiled widely, turning around to walk back to where Aunt May was certainly waiting for him.

And Maev, who hadn't felt like smiling in a long time, let the barest hint of one on her lips as the heart of the city swallowed her whole.

Maev started healing again. She walked from city to city, coast to coast, offering her services to any and all who would accept it. She let her magic lead her where it deemed necessary, wandering through busy cities and rural areas alike. She avoided witch communities, usually hidden right in plain sight, refusing to see any of her brethren.

It would be a long time, perhaps an eternity before she set foot in witch territory again.

She found herself in Italy, enjoying the simplicity of the town, letting the warmth of the people seep into her, observing their joy and wishing it could be that easy. That she could just let everything go and feel light-hearted once more.

Maev stood on a bridge, leaning against the stone railing and looking at the people walking below. She pushed the thoughts from her mind as two familiar faces appeared below. She knew they didn't see her, and she didn't bother to alert them of her presence. They looked alright. Healing in hiding was hard, especially when you don't know who's hunting you. She watched them as they walked underneath the bridge before straightening up, walking away.

When Steve and Sam returned to the dingy hotel room they were staying in, an envelope rested on a desk. Two thousand dollars rested inside along with a note.

Take care of yourselves.

Underneath it was a quick drawing of a voodoo doll.

Sam laughed.

Maev didn't know when it started, but at some point, she'd started counting the days. It had been two-hundred and ninety-one days since she'd last talked to James when she found herself back in Bucharest. Her heart ached when she climbed the stairs to her old apartment, her eyes lingering on the poorly fixed doorway on her way up.

It didn't take her long to pack up the few possessions she wanted into her bag, leaving the rest for whoever moved in next to have.

She stayed the day, walking through the streets and running careful fingers over trinkets in the markets. It took her a few hours to find what she was looking for, but once she did she quickly bought it and tucked it away in her backpack for safekeeping.

Maev was on a train before the day ended, watching as the city where everything started, fade in the distance.

On day two-hundred and ninety-eight she found herself staring at her reflection. Her eyes, those were hers once more. Her face seemed human once more, though it had lost a bit of pallor, and the only inhuman thing about her was the way she walked— too quietly and lightly as if she was a wraith moving through the world.

But, Maev recognized herself, and that is what mattered most.

Still, she touched the ends of her long hair, pursing her lips. Debating. Considering. A few hours later she walked out of a small building, her hair a few inches shorter, her shoulders incredibly lighter. A small change, but a much-needed one.

The next few days passed without incident, Maev occupying herself by visiting places she'd always wanted to go to, staring for hours on end at art pieces that were created hundreds of years ago, dealing with blistering heat and sand to see buildings built by thousands of hands, and trying food that required her to immediately drink milk afterward, the spices too much for her. And every place she visited she made sure to buy something, nothing too big or too small, something just right. Maev always knew what she needed to get upon setting her eyes on it.

Day three-hundred and one found Maev laying in a hotel room on the outskirts of Thailand, her eyes watching the rain run in rivulets down lush greenery. The sound was soothing and her eyes were half-lidded, her body in a state of relaxation as she let the sound encompass her, drowning out her thoughts.

It took her a moment to realize that a buzzing wasn't coming from outside, but rather from the phone cradled gently in her hands.

Maev bolted upright, answering it right away. Her other hand gripped the bedsheets, a high-strung mixture of anxiety and eagerness thrumming in her veins.

"He's ready to be woken up."

Maev threw her scattered belongings into her bag within seconds, slapping cash down onto the desk, and quickly securing all the straps of her backpack across her chest. Then she closed her eyes, lips slowly curving into a smile as she thought of her destination.

She was going home.

"Cestovat."

And even the shadows seemed lighter as they tugged her through time and space until she appeared before Shuri.

The princess offered a mischievous smile. "Let's wake lover boy up, yeah?"

Maev didn't bother to correct her as she nodded, her smile widening. "Let's."

yes, james will be in the next chapter so don't worry ;) just wanted to give maev some growth while he was under and also give you guys a bit of time to get to know her better

also the time period is a little less than a year after civil war. homecoming and black panther have both happened and there's approx. a year left until infinity war so there's going to be some au stuff before we hit that 

let me know what you think!