~~~Coulson's pov~~~
I haven't heard from Catherine in over two hours. Something must've happened.
I was in the barracks area of the Zephyr when the 22-year-old in question appeared.
"Catherine! There you are. Where..." I stopped short; as she collapsed on the floor with blood covering her skin.
"Catherine!" I ran over to her and knelt down. "What happened?"
"Ward was there... He was..." She couldn't get a complete sentence out. Her breathing was erratic, and she was shaking uncontrollably. This was a panic attack. A bad one too.
"Hey, Catherine. Stay with me. Okay? Stay with me, Cat."
"Call my dad...please."
She was fading. And fast.
I found her phone in her bag, a few feet away, and called the number.
The line rang for a few seconds before someone picked up.
"Hello?"
That voice... Who is this?
"Hello? Who is this?"
"Agent Coulson! Lovely to hear your voice and not Fury's."
Oh, dear Lord.
"Loki? Where is Stark?"
"He's in the middle of a presentation at MIT. What's going on? Where's Catherine?"
I scoffed. "Like hell, I'd tell you. This is important! Life or death!"
She was getting worse, and she was barely able to breathe. Despite that, she managed to say something.
"Phil, you can...you can trust him....."
Since the phone was on speaker, Loki heard that. And her frantic gasps for oxygen.
"What's. Going. On." He asked me firmly but angrily.
I finally let up. She needs help. Not a grudge I've been holding for over four years.
"I think Catherine's having a panic attack. I don't-" I didn't even get a chance to finish my sentence because he hung up.
Wow. Just wow.
"I'm sorry, Cat. I really am. But I-"
"Where is she?"
I turned and saw the God of Mischief hurrying over to us.
Okay! I quit! Nothing makes sense anymore!
As I stood to give her room to breathe, he knelt beside her.
~~~Loki's pov~~~
I should have known something was wrong when she didn't call yesterday or today. Especially when she wasn't at the spot where we chose to meet.
And now she looked to be half dead, covered in blood, though I couldn't tell where the bleeding was coming from. Bruises were visible, and she couldn't catch her breath.
"Hey, Catherine. It's okay. It's okay. I'm right here." I tried to soothe her, rubbing her back slowly, not caring that Agent Coulson was only a few feet away.
I just needed to know what happened.
Holding her close to me, I tried the best I could to calm her. "Look at me. Everything is going to be fine." I said gently, using some magic to relieve the pain she was feeling.
Within seconds her breathing and pulse returned to normal, and she stopped shaking.
"Thank you for being here..." She whispered weakly before drifting off to sleep.
I let out a sigh of relief. She was going to be okay.
"What happened? What triggered her?" I questioned the agent, still holding her in my arms.
"Look, I don't answer to you-"
"Does it look like I care? She could have died. What happened?" I glared at him.
He sighed dejectedly. "I'll tell you, fine. But first, let's get her someplace to rest."
I nodded, brought her over to a nearby bed, and laid her down softly.
"Now, talk." I turned back to him.
~~~Coulson's pov~~~
"My team was out of commission, so I sent her into a Hydra base to extract two kidnapped scientists."
"You sent her into a Hydra base by herself!" He looked like he was about to kill me...again.
"She was the only one up for the job! I don't know what happened to her exactly. It's not like I can see her memories. And why do you care? And while we're on that subject, why did you pick up Stark's phone? Why did you appear here after you found out she was having a panic attack?" All questions I need answers to.
"As I said, Stark was in the middle of a presentation. So when I saw that Catherine was calling after months of silence, I thought something might be wrong. It turns out I was right. And as for your other two questions, it's because she's an Avenger, just like me. Why shouldn't I care about one of my fellow team members?"
I shook my head. "I'm honestly not sure you're being truthful. You are the God of Lies after all. Why should I believe you?"
"It's simple. There is nothing that I could gain from this by lying."
Solid logic, but I know there's more to the story,
Then I got an idea.
I was going to find out the truth through a small test. I need to see how much he knows about Catherine before I can be sure. In order for that to happen, I'll have to play dumb.
"I'm sorry. I've just never known her to have anxiety issues. Do you know when these started? Was it recently?"
Her anxiety started in 2009 after Hydra kidnapped and tortured her. I would know. I'm one of the people who helped Stark find her.
If Loki knows the answer to this, that means Catherine not only told him about her panic attacks but her experience with Hydra, as well. She only shares that with people she trusts. Not just trusts a little; I mean, she trusts them with her life.
"It's not my place to say. If she wants you to know, she'll tell you."
Off to a good start. He doesn't want to violate her privacy.
"I need to know now. That way, I won't trigger her by accident." I pressed a bit further.
"Fine. But I'm only telling you this for her safety." He sighed. "She was taken by Hydra eight years ago, and she still has some trauma as a result."
He does know. Catherine told him everything.
My theory is correct! Unsettling but correct!
"I know," I admitted. "But I needed to test the extent of your knowledge. If you know that much, she must really trust you."
He nodded as if he expected my answer, which wouldn't be that surprising. "You understand, sending her into that base was a mistake. From the looks of it, they got their hands on her again. But I don't think they experimented on her. At least, not before she was able to get away. This-"
He was interrupted by May, Daisy, and Mack running in.
Oh, great.
~~~May's pov~~~
"Coulson, there's unauthorized personnel on the plane..." I faltered as I took in the scene in front of me.
Phil Coulson, talking to the god who killed him.
"What's he doing here?" I raised my gun, as did Mack, and Daisy got her powers ready.
"Woah, Woah! Relax! He's here as a friend. He is an Avenger, in case you've forgotten." He assured us.
"That doesn't answer my question." I didn't lower my guard.
"Catherine was in trouble, and Stark wasn't available, so he came instead." He explained.
I groaned. He messed up.
"Stark? As in Tony Stark? Iron Man? Why would he-"
"Tony Stark is Catherine's father. Catherine is his semi-secret daughter, only known to a select few, including The Avengers, me, Jemma, May, Fury, and Coulson." Daisy explained, getting the reveal over with.
The look on Mack's face was priceless.
"She... She's a Stark?"
"Yes! Now, can we please move on? Coulson, is Catherine okay?" I interjected.
"Not really. She's unconscious, bleeding, and mentally scarred but otherwise fine. You can thank our friends Grant Ward and Gideon Malick for that." He answered. "She'll live. But right now, we need to use this new hate for Ward and Malick to fight and end them. Let's move out!"
I stopped him. "So, what? You're just going to leave her alone? With him?" I pointed to the god, who had been quiet this whole time.
"He's fine! But if we keep dwelling on this, we'll miss our shot." He pushed us out of the room.
I'm not convinced.
~~~Coulson's pov~~~
I can't believe it. He loves her. The God of Mischief and Lies loves a mortal. Granted, a mortal with extreme cosmic abilities.
That's what the little test was for. Not to see if I could trust him but to measure the amount of trust she has in him.
She doesn't tell anyone about Hydra. Not even Daisy, May, or Jemma know. The only ones who know are me, Fury, her father, and now apparently Loki.
Loki is the only one she's ever voluntarily given this information to. Ever.
She loves him, and he loves her.
Explain why else he would come running the second he knew she was in trouble! He was protective and concerned about her. That's not friendship. That's something else.
He's a god! He would never do this unless he felt strongly about her.
Despite my history with him, I think I've just found my new OTP.