Having received Sif's remarkably passionate expression of gratitude, Peter had originally planned to visit Parker Technologies for a long-overdue check-in.
He wanted to see how development on the newest Unicorn smartphone model was progressing and ask Herman about their electric vehicle prototypes.
Before he could even step out, Maria Hill's call patched through:
"Director, Wanda Maximoff is awake."
Peter stopped dead in his tracks.
"How is she holding up?"
"Physically, she's fine. Mentally, she's somewhat unstable," Hill paused briefly. "And... she explicitly asked to see you."
Five minutes later, inside an intensive care suite under strict SHIELD surveillance.
Peter walked in to find a freshly awakened Wanda, with Pietro already keeping watch by her bedside.
"You're here," Wanda greeted him without looking up, her voice cool and detached. She shot Pietro a subtle glance, signaling him to step outside.
Pietro eyed Peter with sharp vigilance, but obediently left the room.
"How are you feeling?" Peter skipped the formalities, taking a seat directly on the edge of her mattress.
The total lack of personal boundaries made Wanda instinctively shrink back.
"Not great."
She finally turned her head, a tempest of conflicting emotions swirling within her large eyes—fury, bewilderment, and an underlying fragility she hadn't realized was showing.
"Why bring me here? To Stark's territory? Are you trying to parade your war trophy before the world? Or are you genuinely not worried that I'll hunt him down for revenge the second your back is turned... or start a massacre?"
Ominous crimson wisps flared in her pupils, the subtle resonance of Chaos Magic rattling the fixtures in the room.
Facing her threats, Peter showed none of the tension she expected.
Instead, he calmly peeled an apple.
And then... held it straight out toward her lips:
"You haven't eaten in over a dozen hours. You must be starving."
Wanda froze.
She never could have anticipated that after backing him into a corner with threats, his very first reaction would be asking if she was hungry.
That kind of simple warmth... was something she hadn't experienced from anyone other than Pietro since her parents died.
SMACK!
Wanda swatted his hand away, intending to send the apple flying.
Peter anticipated the move effortlessly, pulling his hand back to catch the apple and taking a crisp bite himself.
Wanda, unable to check her own momentum, slammed her knuckles hard against the bed's steel guardrail, hissing in sharp pain.
"Small frame, huge temper," Peter teased.
He reached out, tapping her sore fingers with his index finger.
The moment their skin met, the Horse Talisman flushed away the throbbing pain, replacing it with soothing warmth.
Chaos Magic was both a divine gift and a maddening curse. Ever since she awakened to its power, chaotic whispers had echoed incessantly in her mind, constantly urging her toward destruction.
Only when Peter channeled the Horse Talisman did she experience true, long-lost stillness.
"You..." Wanda's eyes narrowed in brief comfort before she caught herself, quickly restoring her guarded scowl:
"Don't think you can manipulate me with cheap tricks."
"Think whatever you like," Peter shrugged casually, locking eyes with her.
"Since I had the confidence to bring you two to America, I have the absolute confidence to keep you from causing trouble under my watch."
"Drop the condescending act!" Wanda bristled like an agitated cat. "Or I swear you'll regret your arrogance for the rest of your life!"
"I trust you won't do that."
Those four quiet words froze the fury on Wanda's face.
Trust?
"Why on earth would you trust me?" Wanda's voice wavered, unsure whether from anger or raw shock.
Peter leaned in close, their faces mere inches apart:
"If you were genuinely blinded by unhinged hatred and wanted indiscriminate slaughter, those Hydra zealots wouldn't have lasted five minutes under your thumb."
"Besides, the girl who helped channel my Celestial energy into your mind earlier is a walking lie detector. I felt every single authentic emotion inside your heart."
"You're just a little hedgehog putting on a tough front. You raise your quills sky-high, but deep down, you're only doing it to protect your soft belly from wild beasts."
Taking advantage of her dazed silence, Peter patted her head like soothing a ruffled kitten:
"Around me, you don't need to put on that cold, misanthropic facade. Because honestly... your acting is terrible."
RUMBLE!
Snapping back to reality, Wanda's Chaos Magic flared wildly, rattling the entire room down to its foundation.
Realizing that pushing any further would turn the kitten into a rampaging dragon, Peter stepped back cleanly to give her space.
"Hydra detonated their entire base, likely to bury whatever they were hiding. If we uncover any actionable leads, I'll let you know immediately. Also, here's a small gift—I think you'll appreciate it."
A flash gleamed from his spatial ring. In the center of the spacious room, a bed carved from translucent, ice-blue jade appeared, emitting a gentle mist of soothing cold.
It was the Cold Jade Bed Peter had secured long ago, finally finding its ideal owner.
Leaving the bed behind, Peter offered a wave and stepped out into the hallway.
"Whoa~"
Pietro pushed the door open, shivering as the crisp chill hit him:
"Man, that's refreshing. Don't even need the AC."
Meeting his sister's murderous glare, he froze, pivoting his stance on a dime:
"What is that jerk thinking?! My precious sister just recovered from a critical state, and he drops a giant block of ice in her room? Is he trying to freeze you to death?!"
Wanda rolled her eyes, her voice faint:
"I'm starving. Go get me something to eat."
"Right away!" Pietro winked, vanishing like a gust of wind.
Once he was gone, Wanda bit her lip, eventually walking over and sitting down on the smooth jade surface.
The moment her skin made contact, a miracle occurred.
A serene, pure chill flowed through her meridians. Far from freezing her bones, it felt like clear mountain spring water washing over a parched riverbed, bringing soothing comfort.
The chaotic whispers that had begun resurfacing the moment Peter left vanished into absolute silence!
The world around her became quiet, her mind resting in peace.
Even more shocking, when she tuned into the Chaos Magic in her core, the wild, untamable current now flowed with docile obedience!
This... was nothing short of a miracle!
Tracing her fingers along the cool jade, Wanda's thoughts drifted into a deep swirl.
Her debt to that man... seemed to be growing heavier by the day.