"Y/n, where is Loki? "Steve asks, kneeling beside me. Noticing the tears in my eyes, he somehow hands me a clean handkerchief, god knows where he got that from. "I don't know." I sniff. "He told me to hide here. He said he would be back in a minute. He only fought away some of the guards."

"How long are you waiting for him now?" Nat furrows her brow. Averting my eyes, I quietly mumble something. "Y/n!" Steve grabs my shoulders, making me look at him. "How long?" He insists. "About an hour." I whisper and avert my eyes. "You know you should have reported that about fifty minutes ago!" I nod, tears making my vision blur.

"Come. Let's get you out of here." He attempts to lift me up, but I smack his hands away. "I can walk on my own!" I hiss more aggressively than I intended. I get up and take a step forward. Instantly, my knees buckle under me, and if it weren't for Steve catching me just in time, I'd be lying on the floor again. "I'm sorry." I pant.

The pain that is suddenly shooting through my leg lets me see stars for a moment. "It's alright." Steve sighs and slides a hand under my knees and behind my back to carry me out of here. "What were you doing in this area? Weren't you supposed to just stand guard?" I nod.

"But we had made a mistake while planning. We forgot to think about the secondary alarm that goes off when the primary alarm is getting turned off unauthorized. Or better to say, I forgot to tell you about this." My voice gets softer as I say this until it's a mere whisper as I'm admitting the mistake I made.

"It went off, and we dealt with that as well, but crossed paths with some guards." Steve gives me a disapproving look. "You could have just used the intercom and told us." "And ruin the whole mission?" I laugh. "Steve." My voice gets more serious again. "That's my sister who is trapped in here, and we only have one chance. If Aiden finds out we are or were here, she will be dead."

Suddenly, the intercom cracks, and Tony's voice can be heard. "Need help in section B12." Steve stops and turns to Nat. Nat only nods and waves goodbye before sprinting in the opposite direction. "On my way!" She tells Tony through the intercom before the connection is being closed and Nat is out of sight.

***

I'm in the quinjet. Another hour has passed since Steve brought me here safely with the instruction to stay here and for once I've listened. I waited here patiently until Bruce and Nat arrived, followed by Tony and Clint a few minutes later. As soon as Tony's suit starts disappearing, Nat throws herself at him with questions.

"Where's Steve?" She wants to know. Tony sighs and averts his eyes, searching for an answer. "Tony. Tell me where Steve is." Nat insists, her tone getting slightly hysterical. "Listen, I don't know where he is. He was right behind me, but when I turned around a few moments later, he was gone."

Tony walks over to the control panel and starts hitting random buttons. Suddenly, I hear the intercom crack as the channel is being opened. "Steve?" Nat's voice sounds through the small piece in my ear. "Steve?" But no answer comes. Not now and not in the next twenty minutes. "I go back in." Nat finally exclaims and buttons up her vest.

"Absolutely not." It's the first time since they came back that Bruce says something. Until now, he was trying to heal my leg, and I have to say he was doing a good job. The pain got slightly less painful, and the bullet is out.

They're about to start arguing when Tony interferes. "We're all waiting here. Nobody's going back in. They know we're here, and it's only a matter of time until the building will be flooded with Aiden's henchmen. We will stay fifteen more minutes. Not a second longer." He decides. I can see the worry on his face. He doesn't want to let anyone behind, and I can see it in his eyes that it costs him everything to fight the urge to go back for Steve himself.

Time is ticking like a bomb. Loki is still missing, but I dare not say a word about it. Tony will be furious. He said it wasn't a good idea to take him on the mission. Anxiously, I fiddle with the hem of my suit, watching as the seconds turn into minutes. "That's it. We're leaving." Tony's voice finally rings through the Quinjet, making things final. Loki is alright. That I tell myself to ease the panic that slowly spreads inside of me. He has to be alright. I need him back.

When Tony is about to push the button that closes the door, Nat suddenly slaps his hand away and points out. Emerging from the dense line of trees are two figures, slowly emerging and getting nearer. It only takes me a second to recognize the tall figure, and I jump up. Forgetting about my injury, I limp down the ramp of the quinjet.

Only a few seconds later, I stand directly in front of him. A small, smug mile is plastered onto his lips, and my panic and fear turn into anger. The sound of my hand hitting his cheek fills the air, and his smile falters as his cheek turns red. "Ow." A smirk appears on his face, fuelling my anger more. "Do it again."

I can feel the blood rush into my head, making it turn as red as Loki's cheek. I think I've never been so angry. Noticing that something is off, Loki grabs my wrists, stopping me from hitting his chest with my fists like a little child. "Y/n, stop." He demands. "What is wrong with you?" He hisses when I trash around in his grasp, trying to knee him where the sun doesn't shine. And then I snap.

"What is wrong with ME?" I scream at him. "You left me alone for an HOUR!" Loki softly backs me towards the Quinjet that is only waiting for us to enter. "You said you'd be back in a MINUTE!" I'm screaming at him now, my voice getting slightly hysterical. "You could have contacted Tony or Steve to pair up with them. Then you wouldn't have been alone." Loki argues.

"That's not the point." I yell. "I waited for YOU! You could have been DEAD!" "Stop yelling!" Loki shouts back. "You could have DIED!" I scream. "Who cares?" Loki yells. "People only see the monster that was about to enslave the human race! They see the idiot god that led an alien army to destroy New York! I will never be more than that!" "I care!" Tears are forming again, threatening to fall. "But why?" Loki sounds desperate, and the sight of him no longer fills me with rage but makes me swallow hard. "Because I love you!"

The words are yelled before I can stop them, and my voice breaks. The world around me blurrs as my tears start falling. "What?" He whispers. The next thing I know is being pressed to Loki's chest as he pulls me against him so hard that it almost hurts. His scent fills my nose, and I can feel his rapid-beating heart pounding in his chest. My anger suddenly is gone, replaced with endless relief.

The tears that are already on the brim of falling start rolling down my cheek and soak Loki's armour. "You left me." I whimper, and Loki tightens his embrace. "I'm sorry." His voice sounds hoarse. "I thought you were gone." I whisper between sobbing. "I thought I'd lost you." "I'm here." Loki's soft whisper sends shivers down my spine.

Gently, he urges me into the Quinjet and when the door is closed, Loki sits down in one of the seats and pulls me onto his lap, holds me as I hide my face in his neck and cling to him until my tears have dried. "What the hell happened?" Bruce whispers. "I don't know." Clint whispers back. I don't hear them. I don't hear anything other than Loki's soothing words and his still rapid-beating heart.

Loki is rubbing gentle circles on my back, trying to help me calm down. "Shh." He whispers, and slowly I relax against him. I wrap my arms around him and pull him closer, wanting more of that comforting warmth he provides like a cup of hot chocolate on a freezing winter afternoon. The moment is destroyed by Tony's hysterical voice. "Loki?? Y/n?? What the hell?!" A dull thump is being heard and then the pained voice of Tony. "Ow!" He protests. "Shut up." Nat tells him.

"Y/n?" Nat places her hand on my shoulder, and I turn to her. "You should come with me." Worried I climb down from Loki, who gets up as well and trails behind us. On the other end of the Quinjet, Bruce is bent over something on the floor, and I quicken my pace. I let out a muffled cry when I see her.

She's laying on a blanket on the floor. Her head is in Steve's lap while Bruce is checking her vitals. Her eyes are closed, but I can see her chest moving with her breathing. Relieved, I kneel beside her and take her hand. As soon as my hand touches hers, she opens her eyes. I feel our minds connect, and I know that she can feel it too. But this time, there is no pain, unlike the last time when I broke down inside the high security cell in the Avenger's tower. "Y/n," She whispers, and I smile. "You're safe." I tell her, and she relaxes.

Opening her eyes a little, she turns her head. "Caden?" I wonder why she's asking for him. It gets quiet. Everyone is looking around for Caden, only now noticing that he wasn't here. Just Steve looks down in sadness, trying to figure out what to say."He's... He's gone." Steve says. I can see it in his eyes how hard it is for him to tell her. "He jumped in front of you when someone fired a bullet at you." Sympathy sounds in his voice, and I start realizing Caden's true motives for involving me in his plans.

Her eyes well with tears. "No!" A tear rolls down her cheek, and I can see something break in her eyes when she realizes what Steve is trying to say. "He... he got shot. I'm so sorry." Steve finishes, and she lets out a muffled cry. Before I can react, Steve has already stroked away the tear with his thumb, trying to calm her with his voice. "Shhh."

She doesn't cry. She doesn't scream. Worse. I can see her soul shatter into a million tiny pieces as her eyes go empty and the colour drains from her face. I want to do anything to make it better, but I know there's nothing I can do. "He saved you life." Steve whispers. "He was a great man, and we will remember him that way." I know he is trying to make it better. She nods, but I can see that Steve's words don't help.

The intercom cracks again and sends confusion to all our faces. Everyone is in the Quinjet. There's no one left outside. At least there shouldn't be. I see everyone counting the people in the jet, making sure that everyone is here. "Umm, Mister Stark?" Peter's voice sounds through the intercom. "Not now, kid." Tony is about to break the connection when Peter hastily continues speaking.

"There are a bunch of strange-looking people in here. They are shooting around and smashing your stuff." He gets interrupted by the sound of a gun being fired. "Holy shit...YOU MISSED!" Peter yells before continuing to speak to us. "Can you come back? I don't speak russian, but they don't sound friendly. And I can't find Pepper." He adds quietly.

"I told her to hide, but now I don't know where she is or - NOT THE VASE YOU LITTLE SHIT - if she is fine." Tony freezes. Then he suits up and jumps out of the jet, probably heading towards the Avengers tower. "Mister Stark?" Peter asks when there's no response. "On my way." We hear Tony tell him before the connection gets cut off.

Bruce starts the jet, and with full speed, we dash for our home. The ride is quiet, and the tension in the air makes it hard to breathe. The thirty minutes seem to stretch into hours. Finally, after what seems to be an eternity, the jet lands on the roof of the tower with a soft clank. "Everyone, suit up!" Nat instructs and followed by the rest, she leaves the jet, storming into the tower.

It's a disaster. Everything is broken. There's shattered glass everywhere, a big piece of the stairs to Tony's private quarters is missing, and only the emergency light is on. And it only gets worse. The ceiling, the walls, and even pieces of furniture are covered in Peter's spider webs.

Then we find the first body. There's a large hole in his chest. "Looks like Tony has everything under control." Clint lowers his weapon. "Hydra." Nat whispers when she inspects the uniform. We look at each other, worried. We find more bodies. Tony left a trail of destruction on his way to find Pepper and Peter. A low whimper comes from one corner, and when we round the corner, a barely conscious Hydra agent is stuck to the wall by a thick layer of spider webs.

As we sneak through the tower, cautious about possible Hydra Agents that Tony missed, we see more conscious and unconscious agents bound by Peters' webs. And then we find Tony. He's in the conference room, staring out of the window. Pepper is petting his back comfortingly. When he hears us entering, he turns to us with hanging shoulders, his suit disappearing. "I can't find him. I've looked everywhere."

There is silence for a moment before Bucky raises his voice. "Did you try to track him? He has a tracker in his suit, doesn't he?" "My lab is completely destroyed." Tony sounds desperate. "Not even Friday responds." "It's alright." Pepper tries to comfort the genius. "He surely is hiding somewhere in the tower. He'll be fine."

Tony nods, but it's clear to all of us that he's not sure about that. We've never seen him so upset. Our heads turn, als footsteps sound outside of the conference room. "Holy shit! Are you dead?" A voice from ouside sounds, and Tony freezes again as the door opens.

There's Peter. His suit is torn in several places, and there's blood running from his nose, but apart from that, he seems alright. "Hey!" He waves and looks up from the body he's just stumbled upon. Then he detects Pepper. "Pepper! Thank god you're okay! Oh, hey Mister St-" He gets cut off by Tony, who rushes over and almost crushes the boy as he pulls him into a tight hug. "You're okay!" He whispers, and it seems as if he has seen a ghost.

"Yup. But I'm sorry that the suit is pretty much broken." Peter mumbles against Tony's chest. "It's okay. I'll make you a new one." Tony whispers. "I couldn't keep them from smashing that expensive vase in the kitchen, though. You know, the one you always tell us to stay away fr-" "I'll buy another one." "And I don't know if you noticed, but your lab is pretty much destr- Mr Stark? Are you crying?"

The genius stubbornly shakes his head despite the tears running down his cheek, and we all decide to leave them alone. We make our way to our quarters, gathering the surviving Hydra agents and locking them into the spare cells after stripping them off everything that resembled a weapon, a communication device, or a tracker. We'll wait for further instructions from Fury and a squad to take the dead ones away.

When we reach our quarters, we can see that one side of the floor is completely blown up, reducing the quarters to half of the original amount. Where once were four apartments, is now a big black hole, granting view into the kitchen below us. Just when we start realizing the problem, the door to Steves quarters close as the super soldier approaches us.

I didn't even realize he didn't follow us outside the quin jet. "Your quarters were pretty much destroyed." Steve tells me and points to the hole that once was my apartment. "I brought her into mine. She needs to rest." I nod. "You'll stay at mine." Loki decides, and I watch as the rest teams up as well.