Lean On Me (I Promise, I Will Not Fall)

Chapter 9

'Oh,' Perseus thought when he saw Tony tackle his student. 'Oh, that's a thing.'

--

Natasha felt, even though she could see that she was alone on the quinjet, a presence and she figured that the voice was still there. "Is he," She paused as she thought about what she was about to ask. "Is that man, the one that took Loki... What are your plans for him?"

"He plays a vital role in what is about to transpire," Came an answer after a moment of silence. "If not, well... He will certainly provide a good distraction."

Widow could hear the amusement in the voice and she fought back a smile. "I'm going to land the quinjet in the clearing near them," She told the Voice. Natasha had known the voice for a long time, the male helping her deal with the Red Room and the horrors that came with it. She never saw what the person looked like, and he could only even exist in her head for all she knew, but Natasha felt that she could trust him with her life like she did with Clint. "Is the coast clear?"

The voice was quiet, "It is clear. They are only talking now, I do believe it would wise to join in as they are now speaking about taking Loki in."

"Right," She nodded and quickly landed the jet with no problem now that the three men were done fighting like children.

Percy let the woman talk to Steve, Tony, and Thor and silently observed the god of mischief in front of him. 'Oh, Lokes...' The water god thought as he made to reach a hand out. 'What has he done to you?'

For a moment, Loki looked up and it was almost like he was staring straight at Percy. But the god of mischief looked off to his right and the spell was broken and Perseus was just left feeling drained.

—

The Avengers, and wasn't that something- to finally put a name to the ticking time bomb that was them?- were talking in the laboratory Bruce was provided when Thor spoke.

"Mortal," His voice was not unkind. It almost seemed shocked for some reason. He was looking straight at Tony, his blue eyes widened slightly, "Where did you receive the stone around your neck?"

Tony looked down at said object, smiling at the red and gold mixed in it, "My dad gave it to me."

"Howard?" Fury wondered, taking in as much information as he could for future reference.

The Stark scowled, "No, not Howard. He was never like a dad."

"Your father," Thor interrupted before the director could continue. "What did he look like?"

"Why do you want to know?" The others were surprised by how defensive the genius was all of a sudden. The only time he was like this was when JARVIS was involved.

"Because I believe that he is my teacher," The god of thunder revealed.

Tony's tense stance seemed to loosen for a moment, "I- He-"

Suddenly, everything went to shit as Steve returned with a prototype of a weapon, Natasha came in with news about Loki, and Bruce grabbed the spear in a wave of anxiety.

An explosion rocked the helicarrier and, when Bruce and Natasha fell, the scientist could have sworn he heard a third person land next to them as he fought to control himself.

"Bruce, Bruce, look at me," Natasha called to get his attention as she tried to push a piece of metal off of her leg. "It's going to be okay. Everything will be okay, I swear on my life-"

"Your life!" Bruce's head snapped up to reveal bright green eyes.

Natasha tried even harder to get the metal off when she felt it give way, as if someone had lifted it. She didn't have time to question it as she limped away as fast as she could, going on a full run when Bruce finally transformed.

"Up the stairs," The voice said, seeming to be running right next to her. If she listened carefully, she could almost hear his footfalls.

The SHIELD agent did as told, making a hard left up the metal stairs and narrowly avoiding Hulk's hand. "Help me," She panted under her breath, barely heard through all the noise around her. "Help me, help me, help me."

"I will, my ballerina," The Voice's tone was almost as desperate as hers. "I promise I will."

They ran under the pipes and everything happened in a flash for her as she shot one of the pipes and got lightly smacked by the Hulk. When she looked up, Thor had tackled the Hulk away and she could finally breathe because it was over. Her heart was pounding but she was alive and safe, alive and safe.

"Thank you," She whispered and, for a moment, she could feel someone squeeze her hand before letting go. She raised a shaky arm and clicked her com when someone spoke, swallowing, "This is Romanov... I copy."

--

"Huh... So, that's what it does," Phil tried to swallow hard even as he felt blood spilling past his lips. His grip on the gun loosened a fraction and his vision was a bit hazy but he reached inside his suit pocket, fumbling with something. In his grasp, nearly slipping out of his hand, was a smooth black and white stone, the design almost like a suit. He placed it on the ground and managed a weak twist. Phil thought, for a moment, that it wouldn't be enough until he heard a familiar voice.

"Oh, Philip," Perseus knelt next to the man, his eyes big with worry. "I'll help you, you won't die."

"No," Phil choked on his words for a moment. "I just- I just wanted to say b-bye and that I'll s-see you later."

The god's eyes turned sad but he nodded, his hands hovering for a moment, "Then I shall ease your pain and allow you to sleep until you are healed once more, yes? Will that be alright?"

"Please," The agent managed a smile. "That would be great. Percy... I'm s-sorry for-"

"Don't," The green-eyed Asgardian interrupted him. "You were not responsible for your siblings' actions. However, if it makes you feel better, I forgive you. Now, rest, Philip," He placed his hand over the other's eyes, letting his magic flow. "And I shall see you when you awaken."

--

When Fury found Phil, there were two flowers next to him, a Gladiolus and a Alstroemeria- the flowers of strength and friendship.