Pietro Maximoff set his sister down at the top of the mountain on Vormir. The planets weird atmosphere casting a purple glow on everything they saw. Wanda patted her brother's back as they both stood side by side.

The two of them took slow and careful steps toward the large mess of rocks and pillars that stood before them. Snow lightly dusted most of the ground they walked on, crunching under their shoes softly.

"Welcome," a deep voice said, startling both of them.

Wanda and Pietro both had adjusted their stances into a steady one with both their fists raised. From behind a large and tall rock, a cloaked figure made its way toward them slowly. Making no noise as it moved, a result of it floating inches above the ground.

The figure moved closer to them but the twins didn't move an inch. "Wanda, daughter of Oleg," the cloaked figure said and Wanda saw its head move to face her ever so slightly before turning to her brother. "And Pietro, son of Iryna. Consider me a guide to you, and to all who seek the soul stone."

As the floating figure stepped into the light the twins saw that instead of a face under the hood, they were greeted with a human skull that looked like it had been painted red. Pietro made a move to take a step forward as he spoke, lowering his hands in the process.

"Perfect," he said sarcastically as he tried not to stare too long at what was under the dark hood. "Lead the way," he said as he and his sister followed after the Red Skull.

Cautiously, Pietro and Wanda walked side by side until they stood by the edge of a cliff. A small semi circle in the center of the ground they stood on. Carved with jagged lines around it as if it was made by hand. They looked down with their eyes squinted, trying to see the bottom only to see nothing but clouds and darkness.

Taking a small step back, Pietro grabbed Wanda's arm gently. He lead her back with him until he felt confident enough that if they were to lose their footing they wouldn't fall to their immediate death.

Wanda breathed in deeply before turning her head to the side to look at the Red Skull. "What is this?" Wanda asked with a clenched jaw.

"In order to take the soul stone, you must lose that which you love." He answered calmly, as if he's said those words before. "An everlasting exchange, a soul for a soul."

Wanda and Pietro both looked at each other at the same moment, both of them paling at the words. There was no sound from either of them, all they could hear was the whistling of the wind that rustled their hair.

Wanda averted her eyes from her brother's before turning her back on him, walking away until she found a large rock for her to sit on. She brought her knees up and rested her elbows on them as she placed her head in her hands.

Pietro stood silently as he watched his sister shut her eyes tightly as she muttered to herself. "This was not supposed to happen," he heard her mutter into her hands. "They wouldn't let us come here if they knew this was going to happen."

Clenching his fists by his side, Pietro turned away and walked towards the man on the other side of the cliff. "There has to be another way," Pietro stated confidently. "You said you're our guide, so guide us. Show us another way," he pleaded.

"It requires a sacrifice," the Red Skull simply said, unwavering. "Only one will leave with the stone."

This was it, Pietro thought in disbelief. It was set in stone and they could either follow the rules or go back empty handed. And he knew the last one wasn't an option. The real choice they had to make was who was going to go back with the stone. And who was going to stay here, forever. Luckily for the two of them, Pietro was always good at making decisions.

He rubbed his hands across his face before locking his fingers at the back of his neck. The warmth from his fingers making him sigh quietly. Pietro stared out ahead at the view of the clouds as he spoke. "We need the stone," he stated over the sound of Wanda's continuous mumbling. "We cannot leave here without it."

He hung his head sadly as he went over the choice he had made in his mind, knowing that it was the right one. It was the one that would cause him no pain. It was the choice that he was happy with being his last. Pietro knew that if it was Wanda in his position he would never forgive himself. So he was content with his decision as he lifted his head back up determinedly.

Pietro turned slowly to look at his sister with a sad smile on his face. "Wanda," Pietro began quietly.

Her incoherent words stop and she lifted her head from her hands. Wanda turned to look at him with a fierce glare, as if reading his mind. "Don't you say it." Wanda pointed a finger at him sternly as she stood up and backed up away from him. "Don't you dare, Pietro."

He smiled down at Wanda as he came to stand in front of her. "It's time," Pietro stated, making sure not to let her hear the shake in his voice. "I'm-"

Wanda shook her head frantically as she pushed at his chest, making his words cut off abruptly. "Shut up," she ordered with an icy stare despite her hand having a slight shake to it as she raised it to brush the hair away from her face.

Pietro simply closed his mouth before making a move to hug his sister tightly. He wrapped his arms around her as she fought against him. He held back the tears in his eyes as he hugged her with all his love.

"Get off me," Wanda snapped before pushing her brother away from her. Pietro stumbled back a few steps and looked up to see Wanda with her jaw clenched angrily. "You are not doing this," she said each word slowly, making sure he got them through that thick head of his.

Reaching out, Pietro moved to put both hands on the side of Wanda's face. Ignoring her moves to get out of his grasp. "Wanda, listen to me," Pietro said over the sound of her telling him to get away. "Listen, we don't have a choice."

As Pietro looked down at his sister he saw her stoic expression falter for a moment at his words. The realisation that there was nothing they could do where both of them would make it back home together. The realisation that they would no longer be twins after this, there would only be one left. And that killed them both.

"We are not having this conversation, Pietro." Wanda glared up at her brother. Her eyes glossing over when she saw the determined expression on his face. The frown on her face still there as she looked down to the ground.

"You heard the red floating guy," Pietro said as he tilted his head in the direction of the cloaked individual that stood on the other side of the cliff. "I have to do this," he brought her face up to look at him.

At his words, Wanda turned her head to glare at the Red Skull with her hands clenched by her side. She wanted to focus all of her anger and despair onto something else, so she moved away from her brother and stalked towards the Red Skull.

She didn't make it more than three feet before Pietro appeared in front of her with a gentle smile. Wanda didn't want to meet his eyes so she turned her face to the side, a silent gasp leaving her mouth when she saw the endless pit at the edge of the cliff they stood on.

Feeling Pietro take her hand in his, she looked up at him with a shake of her head. Her eyes quickly began to water as her lower lip trembled, her anger turned into sadness and sheer desperation. "Please, no." The corners of her mouth turned down as she spoke. "You are all that I have left."

She couldn't bear to think what would happen if she were the one to go back alone. The feeling she knew she would get as she sat alone, knowing that a part of her was gone forever. A part that she had never learned to live without. It would be like someone having to teach her how to walk again, she would have to learn something she never wanted to. She would have to learn how to live without her brother.

"Why can't it be me?" Wanda asked him desperately and she heard the waver in her voice. "Why can't I be the one to go?" She asked, not happy that Pietro had come to the decision all on his own. Him not even bothering to consider her in the equation.

"You did always want to be older." Pietro managed a light laugh as he spoke, remembering all the times Wanda would complain how he was merely twelve minutes older than her. "Well, here's your chance."

Wanda said nothing, merely staring down sadly as her eyes slowly traced the outline of her shoes. Anything to distract her from the pain she felt in her heart, knowing what was about to come. Before she knew it, she was full on crying.

"I'm sorry," Pietro sighed. He winced when he saw the tears fall from his sister's eyes, hating himself for being the one to make her cry. He promised himself ever since he was no older than ten that he'd never be the one to hurt her. Yet, here he is, watching as she cried silently in front of him.

"Do not cry, little sister." Pietro wiped at her cheeks with his hands as he smiled for her benefit. After all, he was doing all of this for her benefit. "We are heroes remember? And heroes must do whatever it takes," he reminded her as he squeezed her hand tightly.

"If this is the price I must pay to be a hero then I don't want it," Wanda told him as she sniffled quietly. "I don't want to be a hero. I just want my brother," she whispered with red and puffy eyes.

Pietro forced himself not to cry and he pulled his sister in for another long hug. The only difference being that this time she wrapped her arms around him as well, reciprocating the gesture. "Well he's here," Pietro muttered into her hair softly.

When they pulled away, he kept his hands on both her shoulders and he looked at her closely. Taking in how she was almost as tall as he was and how she looked so much like their mother. "And he's so, so proud of you," Pietro told her as he thought of how much he's watched her grow over the years. "And I love you, very much."

"Don't say it like that," Wanda chided as she leaned into her brother's side.

"Why not?" Pietro asked as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, letting her lean her head on his shoulder. "What's wrong with it?"

"It sounds like a goodbye," Wanda answered as she stared ahead. The purple and pink of the sky making the sick and twisted place they stood on look somewhat beautiful. At least it was one hell of a view. "This isn't a goodbye, it's a see you soon."

She felt Pietro's shoulder shake slightly as he laughed. "Should have known I was going to go first," he thought aloud. The thought of his death not as terrifying as he thought it would be. He rested in the fact that as he was sealing his death, he prevented his sister's. "I am faster than you," he continued as Wanda smiled up at him.

Wanda was about ask him why he was so sure that she wouldn't go to major lengths to stop him. She could have easily have entered his mind and made him stop whatever he was doing while she took the jump. But then it hit her.

To Pietro, dying was a better fate than living without her. She should've known it when he first said those words. And as Wanda thought about how she was going to continue life without her brother, she knew she couldn't condemn him to that. The feeling that she knew she'd get when she'd wake up every morning knowing that her other half was gone.

"Hey," Pietro called out softly to Wanda. He leaned down and kissed the side of her head lightly. "We're gonna be okay," he promised her with a firm nod of his head. Wanda nodded in agreement, despite knowing that after this, there was never going to be a 'we' ever again.

But for now, the two of them stared ahead as the sun went down on beyond the horizon of whatever alien planet they stood on. Their arms around each other as they held on for as long as they could, as if they had all the time in the world.

Sorry
Hi hi, so I'm sorry for doing this. But it had to be done sooner or later and trust me, it hurt to write this. Anyway, as per usual, I really hope you've all enjoyed this chapter and thank you so much for reading!!

All the love,
H.