Peyton "Thanatos" Walker

Let's try to take this down. I swear it's not a cult

Peyton monitored their progress as he guided them through their stretches, modifying the jumping-jacks so they were stretching out their wings as well. He noticed Thomas’ eagerness and Charlotte’s hesitation. “You’re doing very well,” he told them both. 

The Stormrider cont.

“ I’d hope so,” Dulcie adjusted herself, moving her legs so they were extended out in front of her and closing her eyes. She took in the fresh ocean air and the sound of the waves. It had been awhile since she and the others spent time at the spot, whenever she thought about it, and she missed it. 

“Thank you for showing me this place,” Peyton said softly, draping his arm over her shoulders as well, squeezing her arm gently. “I’ll be coming here more often, I’m sure.”

“Charles said they were maybe five or six when they came in…that would make them nine or ten now,” she told him, sighing softly as she thought about how young they had been having to go through what they did. “He had said the kids got their wings not long after they were born and their parents did their best to hide it.”

“That’s not how mutations work,” Peyton said calmly. “You are either born with them or the mutant gene is triggered at puberty or after a traumatic event. My wings grew at puberty.”

“I’m not so sure the kids know themselves. They’ve been through a lot for being so young,” she told him, watching how Charlotte skipped and jumped ahead, her wings fluttering occasionally.

The Stormrider cont.

Dulcie moved, wrapping one arm around the winged man. “You’ve got people to help you too, you know,” she mentioned, “ and even if-if you’re not the same or it doesn’t get better we’ll still be here for you. And you’re in a country full of people who could probably relate to you as well, so in no way you will you be alone.”

Peyton looked to Dulcie as she wrapped her arm around him. He smiled weakly as he sat in the sand and stretched his wing out behind her back. “I know. I also know I’m safer here than anywhere else in the world.” He also started to feel that they were safer with him being there as well, but he didn’t know how to express it.

The Stormrider cont.

“ So it’s never really going to end for you, is it?” The brunette concluded while looking to Peyton. “ I mean-that’s not a bad thing because you’ll get back what you lost, but the flashbacks. And, and Thanatos?” Dulcie’s eyes fell to the sand then.” Even if he isn’t bad anymore, but I doubt you’ll need him. That’s probably the second hardcore mission us guards have had in three or four years.”

“I don’t know,” Peyton said, crestfallen by her reaction. “The way it was explained to me, it takes only seconds to break a bone but weeks to heal it- the mind is a lot like that. I’ve experienced over a decade of trauma and abuse. It’s not going to be cured overnight, or even in a month... or possibly ever.” He turned his gaze to the water lapping against the sand. “I know at least things have already gotten a little better. I have tools to cope with what happened to me, but I don’t know if I’ll ever be what- who I was before they kidnapped me. I don’t know if Thanatos will ever be truly gone.”

“Charles said they were maybe five or six when they came in…that would make them nine or ten now,” she told him, sighing softly as she thought about how young they had been having to go through what they did. “He had said the kids got their wings not long after they were born and their parents did their best to hide it.”

“That’s not how mutations work,” Peyton said calmly. “You are either born with them or the mutant gene is triggered at puberty or after a traumatic event. My wings grew at puberty.”

The Stormrider cont.

Dulcie took seat under a tree, watching Pepper attempt to reenter the icy water. “ How much longer do you have before you don’t have to go anymore?” She asked. “ I mean, even with the information you have now, do you still want to remember? Your parents and everything, and what happened to you.”

Peyton shrugged and found a comfortable place in the sand to sit down. “I’m not sure how much longer I need to visit him. From what I understand, I might have to visit with him at least once a month for the rest of my life. I still want to remember all I can of my family.” He shrugged. “Hell, I’d be even happy if I could forget a few things from my time in Hydra.”

Peyton watched as the twins ran off to the field. He walked at a more leisurely pace to have a more private chat with Cristina. “How did I do?” he asked, grabbing her hand.

Cristina squeezed his hand and pressed a loving kiss to his cheek. “You did perfect, my love. Thomas is a little slower to warm up than Charlotte, but they’re both the sweetest children.”

“I didn’t think they’d be so young...” he admitted. “I didn’t get my wings until I was a teenager. How old are they? 8?”

Peyton watched as the twins ran off to the field. He walked at a more leisurely pace to have a more private chat with Cristina. “How did I do?” he asked, grabbing her hand.

The Stormrider cont.

“ Am I free tomorrow? Assume I’m not-I might have to go on patrol or something, “ Dulcie shrugged at her assumption, “ maybe you can work with Miranda at the ranch tomorrow. She and Alex trade days from time to time. Unless-do you still visit the psychologist?”

“Once a week, yeah,” Peyton answered as he looked for a place for them to sit down together.

Charlotte looked at Cristina for a moment before gazing over at Peyton. “I wanna learn,” she said softly. She looked to her brother. “Do you?”

The Stormrider cont.

“ Honestly? It probably doesn’t matter right now,” Dulcie replied, her head finding the winged man’s shoulder, “ we could go there another day too.” It was relaxing, just the two of them in the small area. Relaxation wasn’t something the guard sought after, certainly not when Peyton was hurt and when the issue with SHIELD occurred.

“Are you free tomorrow?” Peyton asked as he wrapped both of his arms around her- the left arm a little more loosely than the right. “We could go next time you have a day off.” 

The Stormrider cont.

The brunette blinked twice at the reaction, the mention of privacy. Suddenly she didn’t want to leave either. “ Awhile longer, we can stay just awhile longer,” she gave in, “ but I do want you to see the city-it has a lot to offer.” Her hands found Peyton’s face again. “ We can always come back. Not a lot of people know about this place.”

Peyton smiled and closed his eyes for a short moment as he enjoyed the feeling of her hands on his face, then looked back to her as stroked her cheek with his thumb. His wings wrapped around her again to hold her close. “What do you want to do in the city again?” he asked.

The Stormrider cont.

“ I doubt they are, being stuck to watch us kiss,” Dulcie joked, giving Peyton one more kiss on the cheek. “ We should get going, they’ll have more forest to roam in Silver City. The place is kinda split so, we’ll be able to leave them while we go into the city.”

“I’ve been enjoying a little privacy with you, though,” Peyton said with a slight pout, stroking her cheek and brushing a few strands of hair from her face. “Away from prying eyes and gossip.” He placed a gentle kiss to her lips before looking into her eyes again. “At the very least, could I stretch my wings for a bit before we leave?”

The Stormrider cont.

The brunette smiled and leaned in to give Peyton another kiss. She could hear one of the horses whining behind her, then Pepper and Dandy coming up around the two and onto the shore, the water likely having got to them as well.

Peyton smiled as he returned the kiss and help her close to him, then he heard the whinny and looked up at the horses as she came by. “Hello, you two. Are you having as much fun as we are?” he asked them, not expecting an answer.

Charlotte looked at Cristina for a moment before gazing over at Peyton. “I wanna learn,” she said softly. She looked to her brother. “Do you?”