What Makes Us Different

2

"Do you think they would leave the base?" Natasha asked as the two Avengers exit the room from which the singers had disappeared. 

"Not without the other two," Steve said, bringing his wrist up to his mouth to make sure coms hadn't been disconnected during the fight. "Stark, do you copy? Stark!"

"Yeah I copy, and I've got eyes on two of our boyband members out on the runway," Stark replied sounding slightly garbled.

"We're coming to you."

Zayn had warned Liam and Niall of their plan to escape, and a helicopter was the only thing on base that any of them knew how to fly. Although getting to it undetected would be difficult because standing between them was the Avengers. Liam had dreamed of one-day meeting them ever since Iron Man came into existence when he was twelve years old. This is not how he'd hoped it would happen. 

Liam reached out towards Niall, pulling him tight to his chest, "Ready?"

"Ready for what?" Niall questioned wide-eyed, taken aback at the sudden movement.

"I'm going to try something," Liam said but continued at Niall sceptical look. "Do you trust me?" He asked. Niall nods, and Liam smiles before throwing Niall over his shoulder and taking a running start. He full forcibly leaps off the ground and successfully lands on the other side of the aircraft carrier, over the three Avengers.

Natasha and Steve arrive just in time to see this and are growing more confused the more they learn about these kids powers. Stark powers of the ground landing directly in front of the two One Direction members, holding up his charged hands. Niall flinched at Tony's sudden movement throwing his hands up in front of his face, as ice shooting out of his hands throwing Tony backwards. 

Both Niall and Liam look at the Irishman's hands in shock. "What's happening to us, Liam?" 

"I don't know, kid but we can help you," Stark said groaning, pulling himself up off the ground. "I'm a genius we can help you learn to control these abilities of yours." 

"But right now you need to help us. Where are your friends?" Steve asked, walking up behind Tony. Liam and Niall look at each other nervously, as if having a full conversation with their eyes alone. Niall sighs before turning to face the Avengers.

"ZAYN!" Natasha and Thor seem to be the only Avengers who did not react in some way to Niall's method of contact; Thor even laughed afterwards.

"I like this one." Thor chuckled. 

"Niall...Is everything okay?" Zayn asked tilting his head to study both his friends and his the heroes in front of him. 

"I want to go home. Back to civilisation, tell my parents that I'm okay. The only way we can do that and be safe is with the Avengers." Niall's accent gets thicker the more he talked, and Steve found he had a hard time understanding him. Zayn turns to Liam to ask,

"Do you trust them?"

"I want to, Z," Liam says smiling hopefully. Niall had clearly rubbed off on him. Zayn nods in seeming to understand before he disappeared like vapour. Liam's face falls for a split second before Zayn returns, this time in the company of Harry and a conscious Louis. 

"We have a lot to talk about then," Stark said as he lifted the front of his helmet.

-----

All five One Direction members were sat together silently on the jet as the Avengers productively moved around. They'd just taken off from the abandoned military base when Steve took the seat next to them. Not speaking immediately.

"What happened when the five of you went missing?" He started, his eye flickering back and forth between the group.

"It was after the Stockholm show and our bus had to stop for repairs for the night so one of the new hires drove us to our hotel. Usually, two of our bodyguards rode with us but this time it was only the one while the others rode in the car behind us," Niall spoke first.

"We never made it to the hotel," Liam frowned. "Next thing we know we were all waking up in separate rooms. Windowless with only a metal slab in the centre; our arms and our legs strapped down to the tables" 

"Everything else is kind of difficult to put together. I remember the pain and how scared I felt but I have no idea why." Their expressions were all very sombre as they all recounted what they had been through, what they could remember at least.

"You've been missing for six months. Do you have any idea of who could have had you all this time?" Steve asks, but Louis shook his head and pinched his eyes closed.

"They always wore these intense gas masks," Louis mumbled.

"We can pick this up later if you happen to remember anything else. You don't have to worry about them anymore. Not where we're going." Steve assured. Liam nodded in appreciation; Steve could tell that Liam felt a certain protectiveness over his band members just by how little he'd observed of them.

"I don't want to remember," Harry whimpered. Steve wouldn't have even heard him if he hadn't been playing such close attention. Zayn promptly pulled the younger boy into his side; Liam throwing his jacket over the rest of the boys to Zayn, which he wrapped around Harry's shaking shoulders.