Song to listen to while reading the second half of this chapter;
Cornfield Chase by Hans Zimmer
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Leia licks the last of the ice cream off the wooden stick chucking it onto the wrapper on the table. She leans back into the couch sitting beside Tony to continue their conversation.
"So did you ever find out why Diego targeted us?" She asks.
"You know I'd rather not talk about it." His face drops and changes to a pale shade. The drink in his hand trembles as he goes to take a sip.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have bought it up."
"No, can you feel that?"
"Feel what?"
"It feels like something shifted." He explains.
"Like what?" Leia asks but Tony doesn't answer. Instead he looks around the room and makes eye contact with Bruce. They share a knowing yet quizzical stare, both unsure of what they just felt.
"Would you like this?" Loki offers his winning ice cream to Wanda.
"You don't want it?" She gives him a questioning look.
"No, go ahead, you have it." Loki smiles sweetly handing it to her and Wanda smiles and thanks him profusely.
Their conversation continues until there's nothing left but the wooden popsicle stick.
"Do you recon you could throw this in the trash for me, I really need to use the bathroom." Wanda requests.
"Of course." Loki smiles and takes it from her grasp.
He walks over to the kitchen and disposes of the stick. Aura sits on the island stools by herself.
"What are you doing sitting by yourself?" He asks, sitting down to join her.
"Oh Bucky was here but he left just a second ago." Aura discloses.
"Sure." Loki says jokingly.
"Hey! I promise." She laughs lightly and he does too.
"So... Goddess of Celibacy." Loki raises his eyebrows.
"Yeah.. it didn't seem like a good fit." Aura mutters.
"Why's that?" The tone of Loki's voice is cheeky.
"What can I say, I like to have fun." She smirks.
A beeping from Aura's Olympian wristband device interrupts their conversation. She hasn't heard that kind of beep in almost a year. Aura shifts her body away from Loki to mask the screen as she inspects the notification.
She turns back to Loki looking back up from the wrist device. "Something's not right."
Loki grabs her hand subconsciously, seeing her concerned facial expression. "What is it?"
"Its like reality's shifted.." Aura says, nervousness clear in her voice. "Have a look."
Loki pulls her hand towards him so he can see the small screen upon her wrist. Its hard for him to comprehend. There's grids and numbers and almost like a message board on the left side and on the right lists her vitals. Loki's eyes are drawn to the small pulsating circle at the top right of the small screen.
"Tell me thats a good thing?" Loki questions.
"I don't know." Aura is slightly breathless.
A smaller high pitched beeping sounds from the device and Loki jumps slightly still holding her hand. Aura subconsciously jumps too and another beep of the same nature emits.
"Oh its just my heart rate." She sees the small box pop up on the screen.
"Are you okay?" Loki notices the abnormally high number.
"Yeah I'm fine." Aura laughs a little.
Aura quickly turns her attention away from the wristband. "Tony, come check this out!"
Upon hearing his name the billionaire gets up and walks over to the pair sitting by the island. "What's up?"
"I've just got this weird feeling-"
"You felt it too!" Tony exclaims.
"What? Huh, I just got this notification." At that moment she realises that Loki's hand still holds hers. The pair share a quick look and pull their hands back. "Yeah, um, here.." The goddess shows Tony her wristband.
"Well that's strange." Tony's mind is an utter whir right now.
"What exactly did you feel?" Aura tries to get some answers out of the baffled man.
"I'm not sure, just a shift. Bruce did too."
"Strange." Aura fades off. "Well it couldn't be the same thing.. right?"
"Yeah of course not.. just a coincidence." The lack of belief in Tony's voice is evident.
"Well, I have to report this back to Zeus, and then its my responsibility to follow the signal, my duty if you will. I'll get the Guardians to take me home and Thor and Loki can come too, seeing as you accompanied me here." Aura explains, standing up into action and Loki follows suit.
"Here's a thought.. what if I came too?" Tony pipes up quickly.
"Why?" They both say. Simply put.
"Call it an instinct, aand I'm the curious type, I gotta know." Tony smiles.
"Alright, I suppose so." Aura shrugs not thinking at all about what could possibly ensue.
"Let's talk to the Guardians then and prepare for the journey." Aura breezes past the men and across the room to where Thor mingles with the Guardians.
"I would like you to take me home please Quill. Thor you are welcome to accompany us, Tony is coming too, we have a new mission." Aura says.
"A new mission, now I like the sound of that!" Rocket says and Mantis and Drax both nod in agreement. Though there's hesitancy in Quill's face upon hearing the amount of passengers they intend him to transport but Aura just looks at him, having a silent conversation between their eyes. Moments later she smiles knowing she'd bested him and he offers a giving in gesture.
"Brilliant." Aura grins. "We leave in the morning."
"Excellent." Loki adds and Aura walks away to collect her things.
"I'm gonna take Peter home." Tony too walks away to find the spiderling.
-
"Hey Blue!" Rocket's accent is strong capturing Leia's attention instantly.
"Hey Rocket, what's up?" She asks but Rocket is otherwise occupied staring at Bucky's vibranium arm. "Rocket!"
"Yeah sorry, so we're taking Aura back to Olympus tomorrow and going on another mission, you know saving the world and stuff, wanna come?" The raccoon's eyes sparkle with adventure.
"Oh I don't know Rocket..." Leia's hesitancy is certainly not misplaced.
"To Olympus?" Sam pipes up.
"As in space?" Bucky adds.
"Yes tweedle dee and tweedle dumb, I just said that." Rocket rolls his eyes.
"I'm so in." Sam's eyes hold the same sparkle as Rocket's did moments ago.
"Me too." Bucky jumps in quickly, the idea of going to space making him giddy with excitement.
"Bucky.." Leia is instantly filled with fear and uncertainty.
"Come on Blue!" Rocket says encouragingly.
"I'll think about it." She says quickly just wanting the fur ball off her back.
"Great, we're leaving in the morning!" Rocket bounds away back to his own business.
"Leia, you've got to come with us."
"Bucky I don't know." She intwines her hands in her lap.
"I'm just gonna... yep." Sam gets up quickly gesturing out the room feeling as though he has no place in the conversation to come.
"Why not? Why won't you come?" Bucky wants nothing more than to experience this with Leia. She just looks at him not exactly sure how to express what she's thinking. "Come on, what is so unappealing about space?! We get to go on a mission, like old times, albeit in a better situation but I digress!"
"You really want to know huh?" The excitement behind Bucky's eyes is unmistakable to Leia.
"Yes, please tell me, that's how this works right?"
"Its not the going to space part that worries me. I- I just can't lose you again.. not you, not Sam, Wanda, anyone. If this mission brings that upon us once again I will literally die." Leia realises some of her words may be a tad over dramatic but its how she feels.
"Nothings going to happen to me, to anyone. You all managed to save the universe once, we can do it again. And there isn't a shadow of a doubt in my mind that you wouldn't be able to handle anything thrown at you." It's as if Bucky's words come out like waterfalls.
"I just- I don't know..."
"We get to go to Olympus, its a real place Leia, think about that rather than the mission!"
"I suppose you're right." She had heard stories of the seemingly mythological city when she was very little. Her and Eveline shared a children's book following the adventures of the gods.
"Just come with me.. please." Bucky's tone changes completely from that of excitement and drive to persuasion but mostly love filled as he leans forward closer to her.
"Okay."
"Yes! We're going to space! We're going to space. We're going to space..." Bucky goes through three different emotions in the space of ten seconds.
"It really is extraordinary!" Leia whispers and only then does Bucky remember she's actually been before... twice.
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"Steve!" Sam runs into the common room where his friend sits uninterrupted until this moment. He just looks up at him expectantly not saying anything.
"New mission. We're going to space!" Sam cheers.
"Woah, details Sam, details."
"Sorry." He takes a breath. "The Guardians are taking Aura home tomorrow and then going on to a mission and you gotta come with us."
"What's the mission?" Steve questions.
"Some big peak Aura picked up on her radio receiver." Sam's explanation if brief because he too knows very little of the mission.
"Sounds important if a goddess needs to follow it up."
"You know what I mean!"
"Okay, I'm in. Save the universe one more time." They both laugh light heartedly.
-
"Wanda, suit up! We've got a new mission." Steve knocks on her bedroom door.
"What?" She sits up in her bed.
"We're going to Olympus."
"Who's coming?" Wanda asks.
"A few of us, we leave in the morning." Steve goes to leave the door way.
"Steve, I think I'll just stay here." She fiddles with the corners of the book she holds.
"Loki's coming." Steve grins.
"How do you know about...?"
"It's kind of obvious. See you in the morning!" He smiles brightly and closes the door. Wanda laughs beneath her breath shaking her head slightly.
-
"What the fuck?" Quill says looking at the entirety of the Avengers suited up to board the Benatar. "What is going on?"
"Word seems to travel quickly in the Avengers." Steve pipes up. Everyone looks around the group not realising that they'd each passed the invitation around to everyone on the team.
"So all the Avengers are coming?" Mantis asks.
"No, Rhodey had some secret government thing and Bruce was adamant on holding up the fort down here. I think he's scared but that's just me." Tony shrugs.
"And what about Peter?" Leia pipes up.
"Mr Stark, I'm here, I'm ready to go." Peter comes running out onto the grass to meet them.
"No."
"Yes." The teen fights back.
"No! You are not coming, May will kill me!" Tony says.
"What she doesn't know won't hurt her." Peter tries to persuade.
"No, absolutely not, what ever happened to 'I've got homework'?" Tony's tone is utterly serious.
"Aw cmon Mr Stark, please!"
"Come on Stark, let the spiderling come along, its an adventure!" Thor wraps his arm around the boys shoulders.
"Ugh!" Tony rolls his eyes and turns back around to face the ship.
"Look you all can't come, you wont fit." Everyone's eyes turn to the ginormous spaceship that sits idle before them.
"Shut up Quill, come on!" Rocket waves them on board from the top of the steps. "Let's get going if we want to make good time!" Everyone pushes past Quill's persistent person. The team piles on board, most of the first-timers ogling at the sight of the ship.
"Okay fine, but listen up! This is my ship, so my rules! Now everyone sit down and strap in so we can get this shit show on the road." Quill huffs taking his seat.
There aren't enough proper seats at the front of the Benatar for everyone so those who don't occupy one of them, they sit in the tiny seats that line the wall, secured by a well constructed but tiny seatbelt.
Bucky and Leia sit beside one another and as they strap in, Leia notices Bucky is slightly distant.
She reaches over and tightens the belt over his waist and her actions draw his eyes to her.
"You okay?" She whispers to him. Everyone else is in their own little world to revel on their interaction.
"Yeah." He nods slightly but Leia knows him better than he gives credit.
"It's fun, I promise." She intwines her hand with his metal one, a subconscious action that soothes Bucky every single time.
The Benatar roars to life and Bucky sits up straight and rigid. Leia runs the pad of her thumb along his finger as the craft loses contact with the ground. There's yells of excitement from both Sam and Wanda but Bucky's blocked them out totally, focusing on the soft friction between his and Leia's hands.
"Just look out the window." Leia whispers pointing it out to him. Bucky looks out over the slowly disappearing city that he's known for his whole life. The sky gets darker and darker as they leave the Earth's atmosphere. Leia can't help the smile on her face in the moment. Her worries about the mission ahead disappear from her mind and are replaced by the excitement of going somewhere knew. Somewhere not discovered by many mortals, as Loki would say.
As the Benatar zooms through the sky only then does Bucky look down at Leia. She's looking up at him with shining eyes. Even though no words are spoken, their love for one another is evident. Bucky grins and turns back out the window quickly, but Leia doesn't turn away. Her gaze remains on her love while he enjoys the new experience.
"Approaching jump.. 3.. 2.. 1.." Rocket announces all too quickly.
The boom caused by the jump rips through the space and Bucky's eyes widen worriedly. He looks at Leia with sheer fear in his eyes and clutches her hand tighter. She reaches up to grasp his cheek gently. Grazing her thumb over his stubble before turning his head to face out the window. Bucky's eyes grow wide for another reason all together. His eyes land on the galaxy that moves as they zoom past. It's beautiful.
There's a jolt and the Benetar slows down having cleared the jump.
"Welcome to space bitches!" Quill announces getting up from his seat.
"Alright morons follow me!" Rocket jumps up and walks through the craft. "Let's sort out these sleeping situations."
Rocket walks with the Avengers in tow through the different wings of the ship.
"Alright Blue and Bucky this is yours." Rocket presses a button on the wall and the doors part to reveal a small pod which holds just a queen bed.
The pair grin and Rocket continues onto the next one.
"Loki and Wanda, whatever you are, this is yours." He opens another of identical nature. Rocket proceeds to assign the other teammates to other rooms, some consisting of bunk beds while others normal.
The Avengers wander around the massive ship exploring their temporary 'home' for the next few days. It's like the Stark cabin all over again, everyone on top of everyone.
"Bucky, come with me!" Leia grabs Bucky's arm and pulls him through the bustling space. She finds the small staircase and he hurries after her quickly. The flight of stairs leads up into the common area of the Benatar. "Come on." Leia giggles excitedly.
She bounds up to the control box and punches in a few numbers, but it denies her access. "Oh come on, what was it." She hums slightly biting her lower lip.
"Leia what are you doing?" He holds her hand gently.
"Got it!" She grins and the door and glass screen to their left opens up. "Come on." She pulls him into the pod and both screens close behind them.
"What are we doing?" Bucky looks around the small space slightly suspicious of what could follow.
"I want to show you something." Leia taps the control by the pods drivers seat and the once blacked out back window fades to clear, showing them the whole galaxy around.
Bucky drops her hand, eyes locked on the scene before him. Leia watches as he steps away from her closer to the window, barely blinking at all.
He halts before the glass window utterly in awe. Never has he seen anything like this before. There's blues, purples, pinks, reds, oranges and even yellows, all entwining together littered with diamond specs, massive stars in the far distance. The colours reflect on their faces casting rainbow hues throughout the small space.
Leia slowly approaches his side but her presence goes unnoticed to him, his concentration averted.
"It's beautiful isn't it." Leia says barely above a whisper and all Bucky manages is a nod. The peaceful, comfortable silence falls upon them once again as they just watch the passing colours.
"I never thought I'd see anything like this in my life." Bucky finally speaks up.
"Me either." Leia wraps her arms around Bucky's torso hugging him gently. She leans her head against his chest and Bucky wraps her up leaning his head atop hers.
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