Smoke clung the air, covering the battlefield and wrapping everything in a dark shadow. Visibility was pratically impossible; the team relying on their communication systems and weapons.
The wet, marshy land slightly gave way under their feet as they trudged out of the base. Suddenly, Serbian cries were heard and the team took off running.
Grabbing and hiding behind trees, sprinting in the soil, kicking up dirt with their boots, the Avengers escaped the HYDRA base with all the strength left in their tired limbs.
Gunshots broke out and were answered with others. More pops rung out in the hazy forest as the team struggles to regain the Quinnjet. Natasha roughly punches a man in the guts and stabs the other one who tried to creep up on her, in a daunting calm. The Serbian HYDRA members were stalking them in the woodlands like hounds picking up on a scent.
Hawkeye climbed to the second lowest branch of a tree and, covered by the green leaves, started firing precise arrows who sliced the evening air. More and more opponents fell to the forest floor as the team retreated carefully to where the jet was dissimulated. Tony blasted off the last few men and breezily jumps into the jet; the doors sealing shut a few instants later. All of the Avengers let out a collective sigh of relief as if they had all held their breath the entire time. They started removing gear, stretching, groaning, cleaning and letting themselves fall comfortably in the seats.
This had been the second base destroyed. For the last one, they would have to call Loki. But all of them were too exhausted to even think straight.
Everytime the mission included HYDRA, Bucky became cold, emotionless and silent, retreating to a world only accessible by him. He thought of Y/n again; her thought dancing in his mind like the flame of a candle and shining just as bright. She had that beautiful peaceful smile on her face, the one she always bore around him or whilst enjoying the sunset. He silently prayed and hoped in his soft heart that she was safe, alive and still free minded.
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YOUR POV:
You stood up, tired. You didn't even know what tiredness even was anymore. Barely sleeping, barely eating, barely drinking, barely living almost. Barely anything. Days had fanned into other ones and slowly the warming glint of hope and freedom had receded like a candle dying out; no longer was it's warmth or light any use to you. You kept fighting to try and survive with all the might in your frail body but slowly felt it leaving you. You knew you couldn't die and that you wouldn't; your stubborness had kept you alive so far.
The floor was rough concrete with odd tiles hapzardly placed about. The room was quite small but for the amount of time you spent in it, it did the job. No windows, no carpets, no friends, no mirrors, no clock, nothing. Nothing to indicate the flow of time or the fact that you were even still alive, not having turned into a wispy ghost.
Silence shrouded the base, only broken by the regular clinking of rough boots on the hard floor. You went back to lying on the battered mattress spread on the floor, the light covers protecting you from nothing except perhaps being coverless.
Soon you started drifting back off to soundless, emotionless sleep.
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"GET UP! WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!"
Two guards pulled you up by the armpits and dug their strong grips into your forearms. In the tucks of your greyed, destroyed, ripped dress from that gala lay a piece of metal you had managed to sharpen over the weeks, just waiting for the perfect moment. Now it was upon you, finally basking you in its golden light.
Once again you felt yourself being dragged through the corridors; they had become familiar to you. Shouts and screams pierced the usually silent and stale air.
The candle had ignited once again.
The guards looked around worried as gunshots echoed around them; it was impossible to determine who or where had they been fired from. Grasping the opportunity like a writhling snake, you stepped harshly on both the guards' feets before spinning round and stabbing them with your rudimentary blade. They fell to the floor in groaning pain and you kicked them repeatedly in the ribs as a payback for all the times they did it to you too. Their withering cries soon melted into silence. You stole one of the men's keycards, swiped it on your retainer bracelet -falling with a statisfactory clonk- before tucking it away in the pouch under your dress. You were so buying another one of those.
You were sprinting along the corridors, getting closer and closer to where the commotion was from. A HYDRA coat hung from a peg in the corridor; you swiftly pulled over you bare shoulders. No boots in sight so you'd have to continue barefoot for now.
Your powers were now free and stronger than ever; you felt it's silk ribbon running through your veins.
As soon as you had gotten your powers back, something pulsated inside of you. Like a connection, a magnet. The gold thread materialised once again in front of your tiring eyes but you pushed it away, scared it was a hallucination.
Bricks started to fall from everywhere and you could just hear the tiles splitting near you. You needed to leave quick. A few men tried to bar you from leaving but you flicked your wrists and in a burst of energy, sent them flying into the wall, skulls cracking with a thud.
The noises were getting closer to you now. You recognised some voices. Was it your tired mind playing tricks on you?
You continued down the alley, avoiding the sharp rubble. The voices were definitely familiar but maybe it was an illusion due to exhaustion. However, Steve's blood and dust covered face wasn't one as he shouted into his earpiece
"I'VE GOT EYES ON Y/N! I REPEAT EYES ON Y/N!"
He ran towards you, slamming his shield left and right into assailant's ribcages until he reached you. Steve grabbed you into his arms firmly and caressed your hair softly. Silent tears were falling from both of your faces, clearing away the dust covering them.
"Took you long enough." you mumbled, making him chuckle against your hair. He grabbed your hand and started taking you back from where he came so probably the exit.
Alarms were blaring everywhere, men rushing from every single pore of the facility. You stabbed anyone who came even relatively near to you both; the blade proving more useful and sharper than imagined. Hit after hit, followed by kicks, uppercuts, punches and jabs, you tore and fought your way through the crowded place, solely leaving bodies in your wake. Steve's hand kept a firm grip on yours, even through the tsunami of people he didn't let go, his grip close to hurting you.
"You've got an extremely angry God coming your way Captain." Tony notified through your earpiece. Steve had given it as soon as he was done hugging you but didn't tell the team you had one.
As soon as he said so, great beams of green light ricoched off the white walls and burst from the direction you were heading in. It couldn't be?
Shadows of horns appeared on the cracked stone floor. Sprinting footsteps. The light reflecting off bloody daggers. An angry voice you'd never think you'd hear again.
"WHERE IS SHE? Don't make me repeat myself you mewling quim!" the voice boomed accross the corridor and you sprinted towards it. A wet sound was heard followed by the one of a body falling to the floor. "Anyone else? Well then, OUT OF MY WAY!"
You could hear the impacts of bodies against floor, stone or wall and those of footsteps coming closer.
There, under the flickering neon lights stood Loki in full Asgardian armor; his daggers dripped in blood; a few small cuts were on his porcelain skin, piercing green eyes looking at you and a gold horned helmet resting proudly on his silky raven hair.
"Loki..." his name escapes your lips like a gasp, a dream, a wish, a desire.
As you head to hug him, you go right through. A mirage. Your heart fluttered but dropped a bit when he wasn't finally in your arms. That moment you had been awaiting for days on end.
Steve caught up with you, wiping blood off the rim of his shield; he grabbed your hand again and you continued speeding through those awful, clinical white walls.
The real Loki appeared a few seconds later, seething, his eyes blazing like two fiery green embers. Tony wasn't kidding when he said Loki was furious. His golden armour had blood splattered all over just like his two long daggers, one in each hand. He looked identical to his previous illusion except that he also had a cut on his upper arm now.
As soon as his eyes linked with yours, a softness overcame them.
He rushed towards you, checking every inch of you for hurt and with every wound or bruise, his anger intensified. You could hear him counting the wounds, his breath softly fanning over your skin. He held you tight in his arms, his piney scent entering your lungs once more, comforting you with its familiarity.
"My darling, my darling" he repeats into your dirty hair, cradling you. Without a second's hesitation, he blasts all of the men rushing towards you and smoothly picked you up in his arms, bridal style, carrying you out of HYDRA.
Even in his arms, he sent blasts left and right smoothly, destroying and harming whatever came your way. Suddenly from behind, a man tried to stab him; Loki turned around angrily and plunged the sword in his chest all the while holding you close with the other arm. He scoffed.
"I'm not letting you go again." he assured
Your head started spinning dreadfully. By what it was caused you didn't know. The world surrounding you became blurs; voices, slurs. You could feel the blood draining from your paling face. The strength was leaving your mind and body. You stopped fighting little by little. Loki was glancing hastily at you, panic covering his perfect features; he pressed you even closer to his muscular chest. You could feel his heartbeat but after a minute or so, it became indiscernible. But he wasn't paling or looking like he was about to die.
It dawned on you, your heartbeats had synched up.
"Stay with me my darling! I'm right here." Loki whispered, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear.
The light at the tunnel had taken a literal form. HYDRA's compound doors were wide open and S.H.I.E.L.D agents were quickly filling up the place. Loki and Steve hopped into the truck that Nat was driving; she hit the gas violently and the car skidded off. The swerves and speed were sending you even more over the edge on the tightrope of consciousness.
"Darling. Darling. Stay with me." his voice kept tugging you back. You had to fight at least for him.
Gunshots were being fired around the pickup.
"Like the hell you do." answered a fuming Captain. He picked up the first gun he could reach for and fired shot after shot vehemently. More trucks were revving behind you, the chase intensified.
"Hang on Y/n." Nat shouts
"What do you think I've been doing for the last two weeks Nat?" You whisper, slightly coughing
She laughed out loud but still kept an expert hand on the steering wheel; Steve kept shooting at the tires and people in the pickups; Loki blasting his magic at everything behind him. Dirt exploded around you, showering everything in dry earth. The world was gradually disappearing around you.
Wind ruffled your strands of hair; caressed your skin. It lowered your eyelids softly as you gave in to the tempting arms of abyss.