"Come on!" Steve shouts as he spots the three running towards the group. They're stopped by Vision cutting through the ground in front of them.
"Captain Rogers...I know you believe what you're doing is right. But for the collective good, you must surrender now." He announces as Tony's team assembles.
"What do we do, Cap?" Sam asks.
"We fight." He answers, walking towards the others.
They start to run and meet Tony's team. Dahlia sticks near Bucky, helping him fight T'Challa. He manages to separate them and toss her away.
"I didn't kill your father." Bucky tells him as they each hold the other's throat.
"Then why did you run?" He replies. He tosses him into a stack of crates and lunges for his throat, claws out.
Dahlia knocks his hand away and raises her hands, pinning him in place with her magic. Wanda's magic wraps around him and tosses him away before moving to help others. Dahlia helps Bucky to his feet, and they try to get to the hangar.
"We gotta go. That guy's probably in Siberia by now." Bucky says as Steve joins them behind cover.
"We gotta draw out the flyers. I'll take Vision, you get to the jet." He replies.
"No, you get to the jet! Both of you! The rest of us aren't getting out of here." Sam tells him.
"As much as I hate to admit it, if we're gonna win this one, some of us might have to lose it." Clint adds.
"This isn't the real fight, Steve." He says.
"All right, Sam. What's the play?" Steve asks.
"We need a diversion. Something big." He replies.
"I got something kinda big. But I can't hold it very long." Scott announces. "On my signal, run like hell. And if I tear myself in half, don't come back for me."
"He's gonna tear himself in half?" Bucky asks.
"Scott, are you sure? I've got something I've been working on that we could do instead." Dahlia offers.
"It's fine. I do it all the time. I mean, once. In a lab. Then I passed out." He replies. He laughs as he grows giant, grabbing Rhodey as he chases Sam.
"I guess that's the signal." Steve says.
"Way to go, Tic Tac!" Sam cheers. He goes for Tony as Scott throws Rhodey.
Steve and Bucky run towards the hangar as Dahlia runs to help the others. She avoids Tony as best she can, not wanting to face him. She groans when Scott is knocked down, knowing she'll have to do it now.
Dahlia runs to the center of the runway and raises her hands. Tendrils of magic emerge from them, flying out to swirl around Tony's team. Her magic keeps them in place as they try to chase after the jet or fight her team.
"I can't hold it much longer!" She warns as she stumbles, falling to her knees from the effort. Her magic dissipates as she loses consciousness, the magic draining her energy.
***
Dahlia wakes and sits up. She tries to use her magic to sense her surroundings, but nothing happens. She feels an odd weight around her neck, raising her hands to feel the collar around her neck.
"Hello!" She yells, raising her hands and feeling her way around the cell. Her hands meet glass, and she begins pounding on it as she panics. "Where the hell am I?!" She shouts.
"Dahlia?" Sam calls.
"Sam?" She asks, calming at the familiar voice. "Where are we?"
"We're in the Raft. It's a prison." He explains.
"Prison? You can't be serious." Dahlia says.
"It's not like you'll be in here long." Clint scoffs.
"Clint? Who else is here?" She asks, ignoring his bitterness.
"Scott and Wanda are here too." Sam tells her.
"Why are we here?" She asks.
"We broke the law. We're criminals." Clint says.
A door opens and footsteps near Dahlia's cell. The door opens and two men grab her arms, chaining her wrists together.
"What the hell's going on?" She asks as she's dragged out of the cell.
"Quiet!" One of the guards orders as they pull her across the room.
"Where are you taking her?" Sam calls. They ignore him and leave the room.
"Where are you taking me?" Dahlia repeats.
"Quiet!" Another guard orders. She rolls her eyes and easily breaks free from the chains around her wrists.
"Tell me where you're taking me." She demands, pressing her back against the wall and focusing on the sound of the guards.
"It's confidential." A guard tells her.
"Is that code for you're not important enough to know?" She scoffs.
The guards don't seem to like that because two rush forward to pin her arms as another prepares an injection. She feels a sharp pain before she loses consciousness.
***
Dahlia wakes to a familiar weight across her legs. She sits up and reaches down, her hand meeting fur.
"Thor?" She says. The dog barks and jumps up, excitedly licking her face. She groans and pushes him off.
"Look who's finally awake." A voice calls. She winces and puts Thor between them.
"How mad is he?" She whispers to the dog.
"Very." Tony says. She sighs and stands, moving past him to walk into her living room so they can sit and talk. They sit in awkward silence for a while before Tony speaks up. "Why? Why didn't you sign?"
"Tony, I already told you-" She starts.
"I know. But if you had just signed, I could've stopped this. You wouldn't have to be stuck at home for the foreseeable future. You'd have the freedom you've always wanted." He interrupts.
"I couldn't sign it. And I couldn't not help Steve and Bucky." Dahlia replies.
"Oh, really? You couldn't not help them?" He scoffs.
"Don't you dare judge me for helping my friends." She tells him, glaring at him.
"You're friends now? When did this happen? In the week you've known Barnes?" Tony asks incredulously.
"Shut up and listen to me." She tells him. He scoffs but stays silent. "I looked into Bucky's mind. He needs help, Tony. Not a cell. I will not apologize for helping someone."
"Were you helping out of the goodness of your heart or were you expecting something in return? Because I'm sure it's been lonely-" He replies, saying the first thing he can think of that will hurt her.
"Don't finish that sentence. Don't you ever imply that I'll care for anyone the way I cared for Loki. I'm not like you humans, I don't fall in love with someone new every five seconds. Tell me, where's Pep-" Dahlia says, wanting to hurt him back.
"At least she's alive!" He shouts, immediately regretting the words.
"Get out." She tells him quietly.
"Lia, I-" Tony starts to say.
"Out! Get out!" She yells.
"Fine." He snaps. He storms out of the house, slamming the door behind him. As soon as it shuts, Dahlia bursts into tears, angry but devastated that she just lost her best friend.
Pietro enters the house, sitting next to her on the couch. He wraps his arms around her as she cries, having heard the entire argument from his spot on the porch. He holds her until she cries herself to sleep, then lays her on the couch, tucking her in.
YOU ARE READING
Lady Dahlia | Loki Odinson
FanfictionDahlia was adopted by Heimdall after being abandoned by her parents for being born blind. Growing up with Heimdall meant she grew up with the Odinson brothers. It was mostly fun, but also came with some challenges. Now that she's grown up, she must...
