Maxim and Katerina stood in that quiet embrace for a decent while, enjoying each-other's company as the breeze brushed against them.
Eventually however, Katerina pulled back slightly, though she kept holding one of Maxim's hand as she stared at him
"You're thinner," she murmured, peering up and down at him curiously, "Don't tell me you've been skipping meals again."
Maxim raised an eyebrow, mock offended, "I'm more fit than before, look at these guns." Maxim said, raising and flexing his arms and kissing his biceps cockily.
Katerina snorted. "You're impossible." She finally let go, though the warmth of their shared presence lingered between them, "Come on. Let's sit before you vanish again like a moody shadow with unresolved trauma."
"I don't vanish," Maxim muttered as he followed her through the estate's shaded garden path. "I just walk through dimensions."
"Semantics." Katerina said with an eye roll.
They reached a wide, curved bench built from obsidian and crystal glass, overlooking a softly flowing stream filled with bioluminescent koi fish, an idea proposed by Katerina herself during the construction phase, a reminder to a trip from their childhood.
She came to this place alot, like a comfort spot. She slumped onto the bench with a sigh and patted the spot beside her. Maxim sat without a word, elbows resting on his knees.
For a moment, there was only the chirping of insects and the water's soft flow.
"Y'know," Katerina said eventually, "I was walking through the Madripoor markets the other day. The new ones. You really outdid yourself."
Maxim gave a hum of agreement, "Oh you're complimenting me now? Well thank you, I think I've earned a Nobel Peace Prize or something." he said.
"Definitely," Katerina said dryly, "if that Peace Prize also includes letting that underground fight club happen every weekend."
"It builds character."
"It builds concussions."
They both laughed, soft and genuine. The kind of laugh that came only when shared with someone who knew you better than anyone else in the world.
"I remember when we were little," Katerina said quietly, "and we used to pretend our room was a spaceship. You'd grab the edge of the bed and go, 'Brace for impact!' like some low-budget Star Trek captain."
Maxim chuckled. "Hey, I was a great captain. We survived every crash landing."
"You always made us crash-land."
"More dramatic that way."
( who else is a Star-Trek fan here? )
The duo continued chatting for a bit, but as a bit of downtime appeared, Katerina's smile faded, though not in a painful way, more like an old memory returning with gentle weight.
"How often do you…think about them?" she asked softly, "Mom and Dad?"
Maxim's expression didn't change, but his eyes darkened slightly as he looked out toward the sea.
"Every day."
Katerina nodded, her own gaze turning distant. "Sometimes I wonder what they'd say. Seeing us now. You with your big city and war council and secret plans. Me training these abilities"
"They'd be proud of you," Maxim said instantly, firmly. "You're strong. You're kind. You held on, even after everything. I know they'd be proud."
She tilted her head at him, "And you?"
Maxim hesitated. "I… I don't know," he admitted. "I've done a lot of things. But if they saw who I am now… I hope they'd understand why I became this."
Katerina looked down at her hands, quietly threading her fingers together. "Sometimes I wish they could see this place. Madripoor. The gardens. The city at night. They used to talk about wanting to go to Sweden, remember? They'd love it here."
Maxim's lips curved faintly. "Yeah. Dad would've tried to renovate the whole neighborhood. And Mom… she'd be furious I didn't plant her favorite flowers in the central square."
"Lilies," they said together, and both smiled.
A long silence followed, but it was a comfortable one. A silence filled with shared grief that didn't hurt quite so much anymore.
Then Maxim turned, studying her quietly. "You've grown."
Katerina rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I do that. It's called puberty. You should try it sometime."
"I mean your power," he said, ignoring the jab. "I can feel it. Stronger. Calmer."
"Miss Jean's helped a lot," Katerina said, her voice softer now. "And Logan's been teaching me hand-to-hand. I'm not some defenseless kid anymore."
"I know," Maxim said, "But if you want… I can help accelerate it."
Katerina looked at him, eyes narrowing slightly. "How?"
"I've learned a-lot of things that can help you. I can awaken your potential without forcing it. Think of it like removing training wheels you didn't know you had." Maxim responded.
She didn't answer right away. "Will it hurt?"
"A little," Maxim admitted. "But no more than you can handle. I'll be there the entire time."
Katerina studied him for a long time, then finally nodded. "Okay. But only if you let me punch you in the shoulder afterward."
Maxim grinned. "Deal."
They fell into silence again, but this time it was brimming with things unsaid—gratitude, love, history.
Then, as though summoned by the moment, the estate's chimes sounded gently from the distance.
"Professor's ready to meet you," Katerina said, standing.
Maxim rose with her, brushing invisible dust from his coat. "Time to talk about the future, huh?"
She looked at him sideways. "Yours or everyone's?"
He smiled faintly. "Both."
Maxim stood up and hugged Katerina one last time before going off to meet Professor X, his thoughts swirling in his mind about her.
Katerina was getting stronger and smarter, but it wasn't fast enough for his liking. Though he had reached this level of power, Maxim would never let his guard down, he had to be aware for anything since he changed the events of the MCU.
Compared to people like Thor or Wanda, Katerina still wasn't ready. Maxim needed her to at least reach that level where she can defend herself against serious threats.
He reached one of the private side corridors, away from student eyes, and let his mind drift, just for a moment. The shadows around him thickened ever so slightly, the light bending. His body stilled, and the world blurred.
He stepped into the Astral Plane where threads of power moved like rivers through a void. The estate shimmered as a translucent structure, its walls held together by the collective psychic impressions of every mutant living inside.
But he wasn't here to admire the architecture of thought.
He followed the familiar thread, crimson and silver, Katerina.
He found her presence, bright and thrumming with potential. She laughed beside her friends in the garden, creating psychic images in the air, simple constructs: birds, floating ribbons, an echo of a memory shaped like a fox.
Maxim used his power to analyze her abilities. Her psychic energy was vast, and they pulsed like a storm kept barely contained by a dam. Her subconscious still guarded the core, an instinctive defense.
Maxim continued analyzing for a couple minutes before leaving the Astral Plane, having understood what he needed to do to improve Katerina's power, to make himself confidence she could defense herself.
With that, he narrowed his eyes and walked off, heading to meet up with Professor X.