How it really begun | Natasha Romanoff

Chapter 33 | Buried and ringing

Just when Raven follow Natasha into the small pit, the missile explode, illuminating the room with an orange glow, all the equipment, flying everywhere. Raven goes flying forward away from the others, but the super soldier grab a hold of her arm, and yank her back before a huge piece of concrete fall right where she was seconds ago. If one of her ribs was not broken before, it sure is now.

Rogers lift his shield above their head, unfortunately there's three of them and as wide as the shield can be, it's not enough to cover all three of them properly. A rush thought form into Raven's brain, between her and Natasha, the redhead is the one that needs to survive.

The ex soldier push the Russian against Steve as much as she can, but also under the shield even more, covering what is not protected with her own body. The rocks keep raining on them, huge blocks of concrete falling. Raven can feel the whole bunker crumbling down on them, realizing they're pretty far underground, it's gonna be impossible to get out.

Natasha immediately pick up on Raven's intention, in other circumstances she probably would've cracked a smile at the brunette's action, but not now. In the small space left, the Russian try and drag the ex soldier to safety, battling against her tone body to get her as much as she can under the Vibranium shield, but Raven is stubborn and won't budge.

Unfortunately, all this agitation expose the redhead slightly to the raining rocks, enough to get one to the head, knocking her out cold. As soon as her body fall limp, Raven bring her even closer to hers, grabbing her head to tuck it against her chest.

The dust fly everywhere, getting in her eyes, forcing them close, inhaling it, making her cough as she greet her teeth almost braking her jaw with the force. All of the commotion remind her of the building crashing on her back in Iraq, only this time no one is coming to get them.

Persuaded this will be the last time she'll ever get the chance, Raven approach Natasha, and softly murmur in her ear the last words she hope will stuck with her until they meet again.

"Je t'aime."

Saying those words and not even being able to get an answer is like a knife to the heart, but at least, even if she will probably never say them again, she said them to the most important person of her life right now. That's all that matters. Not Steve's grunts as he try to keep them safe, not the stones raining on her back, digging in her flesh, not the dust settling in her lungs, but the woman she's protecting from all of that as she lay inanimate on her chest. She's safe, and that's all that matters to her.

Slowly but surely, her mind drift into unconsciousness, the feeling of the stones on her weighting like a tone. As her subconscious realize what's happening, Raven adjust Natasha's position, so she can at least still protect her when she's out before slumping forward, mind and body giving up.

---

Raven slowly start to wake up when she feels herself being dragged, a cry escaping her lips as she suddenly feel the stones digging in her sore, bruised and probably bloody back. A coughing fit shake her whole body as her lungs try to clear themselves.

"Raven ?" Steve voice is hoarser and deeper than usual, probably due to the dust, but she still recognize it, settling her nerves a bit. It's also muffle, and barely audible over the constant ringing in her ears. "Steve ?"

"Yeah, it's me. I'm trying to get us out of here. Save your oxygen."

Right now she's trying to save her head, or at least trying to understand where the headache is coming from, feeling the side of her hairline, which is sticky and damp. Blood. Steve's grunts, shuffling, and stones moving around her, bring her back to present, also realizing they're still buried. How deep ? No one knows.