Burning Bright: An Avengers Fanfiction

A Familial Moment

I can feel the words on the tip of my tongue, begging to come out. But, I then think of the faces of my grandmother, uncle, friends. They're lives hang in the balance right now, and I will not betray them. I refuse to be a coward.

"Go to hell," I hiss. Thanos gives me a eerie smile, and presses the tip of his boot to my throat.

"My dear boy, we're already there."

My world is suddenly nothing but a bright flash of blue and unending pain.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

"Ple-please don't," I stutter out in a whisper. I know I'm on a rooftop in New York City, I know that it's Thor holding my hair, but the two worlds keep blurring together. One second I'm in the present, and the next I'm trapped in my own twisted memories. All I know is that the person hovering above me, whether Asgardian or Chitauri, is very angry and can snap my neck.

"Don't do what?" Thor asks, the fury still evident in his voice, but a note of confusion also there.

"Please do-don't kill m-me!" I cry out, tears pooling in my eyes. I'm desperate to stop my shaking, so I grip my knees to my chest as best as I can in my current position. The grip on my hair suddenly releases, and I fall to the ground, trying to control myself. My breath is coming in gasps now, the tears dangerously close to spilling.

"Fenrir..." Thor breathes.

Fenrir. My name. The name I was born with. The monster boy playing prince. The shame of the royal family. His father's most prominent mistake.

I'm not Wolf. I'm not what he stands for. I'm not good, or courageous, or a protector. I gave in to Thanos because I was too weak to keep silent until death. I should have accepted my fate with valor and bravery. I could have had the last laugh, walked into the halls of Valhalla with the honor of a warrior who died for his people, and finally have been the prince everyone had wanted. But death scared me. Like a child, I gave into my fears and let Thanos use me as a weapon. I do not want to be Fenrir, for he was a wolf in sheep's clothing, but I don't deserve to be Wolf, because he is righteous and everything I am not. I'm no one. 

"Fenrir...I would never...I didn't plan to..." Thor sighs as he runs a hand through his hair. The thunderer gazes at me with the saddest look I have ever seen.

"What happened to you?"

I think of a way to answer. How do you put into words your own personal hell? So I slowly reach down for the hem of my shirt and peel it off, gritting my teeth as my shoulder gets stretched a little too far. I had taken off the bandages this afternoon and was heading towards Lila to ask her to put on fresh ones when I had heard the conversation happening in the gym. I never had a chance to reapply them, so every single scar, bruise, and burn was on display. Even with my advanced healing, it was still a gruesome sight. I lowered my head to the graveled roof,  trying not to drown in the sudden urge to simply cry and give up on everything.

"Oh, by the Norns," I hear Thor whisper, his voice laced with horror. I feel so exposed, so trapped under his gaze. I curl into myself tighter. Maybe if I make myself small enough, I'll simply vanish and I can finally cease to exist.

Suddenly, strong arms surround me and pull me into something warm and solid. My vision, although blurred by unshed tears, is filled with shining silver and ruby red. Thor is on his knees, head bowed as he grips me to his chest.

"My little nephew, I am so sorry. I was just so worried about you. Your father finally returns to us, and then you are missing. Huginn and Muninn said they saw you leaving the palace in the dead of night holding a piece of Chitauri technology. Then, Heimdall tells us about all of these attacks happening all over the galaxy, and every time the attacker matched your description. By the time we had finally arrived there, you were gone and Heimdall could not find you again. We...assumed that you were working with Thanos," Thor says, a pained expression crossing his face.