Drabbles first today, then the chap! Switching it up. Today: Loki, Steve.
Loki/Corinne (Lokinne? Corki?) "Wanna dance?" and "Just once."
"You look stunning tonight." Loki smirked at her.
If it were any other person, she would have been flattered. But this was him. His charming tongue should not be trusted, that she knew. "So do you."
He joined her where she leaned on the railing of the balcony. The noises of the party were muffled from the outside, where it was more peaceful. And cold.
She shivered as a particularly cold breeze grazed her back where it was exposed by the dress. As beautiful as the dress was, it was lacking in warmth. The silky fabric showed off her collar bones, hugged her figure, but dipped down a bit on her back.
"Why are you out here?" She asked after a moment.
"Why are you?"
Corinne raised an eyebrow. "I asked you first."
"I asked you second." The trickster grinned, then shrugged. "It got rather loud in there."
She nodded. "Same reason."
The music drifted to their ears. She could hear the melodic sounds of stringed instruments. Loki hummed in approval at the song.
"Would you like to dance?"
She whipped her head around to look at him. "What?"
"Dancing." He held out his hand. "Do you know how to do it?" A challenging glint shone in his eyes.
She looked at him evenly back, unwavering. With a smirk of her own, she placed her hand in his. "Can you?"
"I was raised in a royal court. Dancing comes naturally." He said as they stepped to the rhythm.
They swayed and swung to the swell of the music. Loki lead a lot of the steps, and Corinne followed perfectly. She even occasionally danced so that Loki followed her steps, making him grin in amusement.
"You are surprisingly good at this." The demigod twirled her under his arm, making her skirt swirl in a beautiful array of colours.
"I took a dancing course to avoid gym class. Physical activity requirement." She replied as he pulled her against his chest. Her eyes looked up to meet his and she smiled. "I'm offended that you're so surprised."
"Pleasantly surprised."
The climax of the song had them dancing faster, Loki throwing out more intricate steps for her to grasp. She put all of her concentration on it, but found herself laughing lightly and feeling less cold than before. Loki was an excellent partner, though she would avoid saying those words out loud and further inflating his ego, as he danced like he didn't need to think about it. As a matter of fact, it felt like his eyes never strayed from her face.
Her heart already beating fast, it skipped a beat when she found herself falling backwards. Only a hand at her back stopped her from completely panicking. She was about to face those cunning green eyes to give a piece of her mind but stopped at what she saw.
Loki's eyes had darkened with what she would assume was warming her own body: desire. She shivered. Not from the cold, but from the warm hand supporting her bare skin. Now that he had dipped them, their faces were dangerously close. Corinne found herself drawn to him, inching closer.
His lips were only a breath away from hers when she froze. "We can't. I'm an Avenger, and you're…you! The reason why there are Avengers."
"Do you want this?" He asked, eyes intent. It did nothing to quell the feelings she had. Feelings that were so, so wrong for her as an Avenger.
She nodded and he closed his eyes. Loki breathed deeply, and when he opened his eyes, he gazed at her pleadingly.
"Just once." He breathed.
Corinne glanced through the balcony door, where the other guests were unaware of what was happening. She directed her attention back to him, and licked her lips. His eyes slid to them.
"Just once." She said just before he crashed his lips against hers.
Steve/Corinne (Stevinne? Coreve?) "Look, man, if you're going to ask her, just ask her."
"Look, man, if you're going to ask her, just ask her." Sam Wilson said to Steve, who was currently distracted by said her.
"I'm not-" The super soldier stopped at his friend's glare.
Sam leaned forward on the island counter and whispered conspiratorially. "I've seen the way you look at her. You've got it bad, Rogers."
"Corinne's my friend, and she's great. I'm fine with not ruining this." Steve replied firmly.
"If you say so."
The next time they were on a mission, they were fighting off some sludgy aliens in the icy mountains of Alaska. They weren't nearly as dangerous as the Chitauri, but they multiplied quickly. Shield agents weren't enough for these extraterrestrials, so the Avengers got stuck with the end of the stick. Luckily, getting rid of them only consisted of pushing them to a certain area to be sprayed with a melting powder. It was messy, tedious, and Steve was beyond relieved when they finished.
Overlooking the landscape some distance up the mountain, Captain America double checked for any last stragglers. As slimy and sweaty he felt, a surge of satisfaction rose within him. No casualties and an almost perfectly smooth mission was enough to make him ignore the alien residue.
"How's the view, Captain?" Corinne said as she floated up to him. She stepped off her shield, and stood beside him.
"Not bad."He shrugged. "Bit...cold for my taste." Steve grinned at his own joke.
She grinned back. "Maybe our next mission will be somewhere warmer, like-"
Steve's heart stopped as Corinne was fell backwards from the ledge.
He briefly registered the crumbling of the ice and her heart wrenching shout of panic. His hands reached out to grasp her hands, pulling her back with all his strength. Something dragged her down still, and Steve tightened his grip. A few moments later, he managed to bring her back to safety. The culprit, an alien that had been lingering on the slope of the mountain, was quickly sprayed with the small canister they were each provided with.
They both breathed heavily. Steve had moved them both as far from the ledge as possible, arms securely circling her form. His heartbeat wouldn't slow down and his mouth felt dry.
"That was a close one." Corinne laughed shakily, but frowned as Steve's arms tightly pressed her against his solid chest. Almost like shielding her from everything else. "Steve?"
Her friend was staring blankly forwards. In his mind, flashes of old faces appeared.
Peggy.
Bucky.
God, Bucky. With their current, snowy environment and her near fall, it was almost a repeat of his friend's death. If he hadn't been fast enough, if his hand hadn't grabbed her, Corinne too could have-
"Steve." Hands gently touched his face. "Hey, I'm here."
His blue eyes focused on hers, taking in her breathing and living self desperately. He brushed away a stray tendril of hair.
"I would have made a shield net or something to break my fall. Everything is okay." She gave him a soft smile. "Thanks."
"Corinne, I-" His voice sounded hoarse.
He could have lost her. She would be dead, limp, eternally cold like the rest of the land. He could see her just lying there, never smiling like she was now. What was he doing wasting his time? This could very well happen again.
His jaw clenched, and he gazed at her intensely. "Would you like to go on a date with me?"
Some distance behind them, money exchanged hands between the Avengers.
Actual chapter!
As soon as the robots burst through the walls, all hell broke loose.
The group scattered, pulling out their individual weapons. Corinne looked around in the disorder, frozen. She caught a flash of blue and gravitated towards it.
The doctor in blue, Dr. Cho, was the only civilian here without training. Corinne bounded over to her, grasping her arm.
"Do you know where the safe room is?" Corinne asked, slightly out of breath from both adrenaline and running.
Dr. Cho shook her head. She was clearly shaken and her fingers clamped down on Corinne's wrist in a death grip.
"You're going to be fine, I promise." Corinne pulled her along, to the elevator. She vaguely recalled the location of the safe room, reserved for emergencies like this.
She shielded the others from random blasts here and there as they ran. She was disoriented and confused, but focused her attention on Helen. Whatever this was, Corinne was going to worry about it later, when the civilian was safe.
"Press the lockdown button, behind the glass. It won't stop or open for anyone until you get to the underground level." Corinne heard herself explaining. She was so glad she had been curious enough to explore the Tower yesterday. "JARVIS? Can you-"
Corinne let out a grunt as she was blown away and landed on her back. There was no pain as the thin shield she had covering her skin took the brunt of it. Hurriedly, she got herself back on her feet and scanned in panic for Helen.
The geneticist was cornered by one of the bots, by the piano. Corinne covered her in shield just as Steve and Thor took care of the robot.
"That was dramatic!" Ultron exclaimed. "I'm sorry, I know you mean well. You just didn't think this through. You want to protect the world, but you don't want it to change. How is humanity saved if it's not allowed to...evolve? With these? These puppets? There's only one path to peace.
The Avengers' extinction."
Corinne exhaled heavily in relief as Thor put an end to Ultron's speech with his hammer.
"There are no strings on me." Ultron sang as oil rolled out of his head.
Goosebumps prickled on her skin at his creepy words. Only he could turn a children's song into nightmare material. She threw a shield disk through his neck to stop it.
It was enough that she had just decided which side she was on, but now there was an artificial intelligence out for their deaths.
Nobody was severely injured. Maria got some glass shards imbedded into her foot, but otherwise, it was all scrapes and bruises.
After the initial well founded frustration with Tony, they focused on finding a lead. It was a miracle to Corinne that their technology and internet was still functioning, despite Ultron's ability to be anywhere.
Intel told them Ultron had been taking resources with the rest of the legion, but also with other help. The Maximoffs. At first, Corinne had been surprised, but she realized the promise of the Avengers' extinction was exactly what they wanted from the very beginning. She wasn't sure who would feel more betrayed when they inevitably met face to face. She hoped she could convince them to see reason.
They killed Strucker, and that could be an encouraging sign if you looked at it at a specific angle.
She gazed at the photo of Strucker's dead body with a grim acceptance. The others watched her reaction closely like she would collapse emotionally any second.
He had not been a good man alive, especially to her. Corinne had not wanted him brutally killed, but a fleeting feeling of relief did go through her. She told herself she had a right to feel relieved.
They found Ulysses Klaw, the arms dealer with the vibranium, after some digging through actual paper files. As the others quickly went to suit up, but an arm got in her way.
"You got out of the med bay only a couple days ago." Bruce said, giving her a meaningful look.
She stopped herself from glowering, and pointed at Clint's departure. "Nobody's stopping him, and we were hurt on the same day. I'm cleared. I'm ready."
"I don't think he meant physically." Steve said from behind her. He had the same pointed look as Bruce. They had both been there when she had her panic attack, after all.
"You will see the twins." Bruce raised his eyebrows. The unspoken question hung in the air: Can you handle that?
"I-" She squared her shoulders. "I can do this. They're my friends, and they're just making a mistake with Ultron. If anything, it's best to have me there so I can persuade them." Hopefully.
Steve reached out then retracted his hand. He pretended he hadn't instinctively reached out to her and nodded. "I, we, only wanted to be sure you were okay."
Her indignant gaze softened, and she smiled. "Thank you."
Wanda found it easier and easier to show people their fears, as Ultron continuously made her do it. So when she rendered Ulysses' men useless, it took almost no effort on her part.
"The enhanced. Strucker's prized pupils... Where is the other pupil?" The bearded man grinned at them, unfazed by their powers. Pietro willed himself not to act rashly at the blatant condescension he showed them.
"She is busy." Pietro answered in a clipped tone.
"Or is she with the enemy?" He waggled his brows.
She will be back. They thought as the man went on about his fear of deep sea fish.
Ultron will accept her, despite her connections with the Avenger. He had agreed, and even encouraged, Sentinel's return.
"They will be weakened without a shield," he had said, "much easier to put them into extinction."
Wanda pursed her lips, patience wearing thin. The flippant way this man spoke to them grated on her nerves. "We did not come here to talk about her. Or cuttlefish. We have a deal for you."
Ulysses scoffed and stood up slowly. "I only deal...with the man in charge."
The "man in charge" showed up, like he wanted.
The shattering of the glass was dramatic as usual, but Ultron got his vibranium. The precious metal in his hands, he paid the man in return. Until he said the wrong thing.
When the robot literally disarmed the man, Wanda and Pietro shared a look. His gasps of pain echoed as they cooled their expressions. They had to ignore it. This was all part of the plan.
"Stark is, he's a sickness!" Ultron roared in anger.
"Ah, Junior. You're gonna break your old man's heart."
They turned to see the very people they were meant to destroy.
Excluding one.
Sentinel stood next to them, alive and well. The twins let some relief visibly wash over them before focusing on the task on hand. They didn't let themselves meet her pleading eyes. This was their time to take revenge, and clearly Sentinel was confused again.
They would speak later.
Ultron's and Stark's banter ended, beginning the fight. As they clashed with each other, the others dealt with the other robots and Ulysses' men.
Corinne was defending her teammates when she was lifted off her feet and tugged. She blinked and she saw that she had been moved into an alcove of pipes, with the culprit in front of her.
"You look better." Pietro said hurriedly. There wasn't much time, and the sounds of the fight went on as he spoke. "Once this is finished, come with us."
"I…" She was at a lost for words. Corinne have had a feeling this would happen, but never thought of exactly what to say.
"They have tricked you again. Think, Sentinel." He said firmly. "Remember what List told us?"
She stiffened at the name. Inhaling shakily, she shook her head. "List lied. Wanda knew he was hiding something, and she was right. He was the one who brainwashed me. Pietro, I swear. The Avengers are not the enemy."
Pietro scowled. "How do you know they aren't lying?"
"They have proof of my life before HYDRA. That journal? It is mine. My name is Corinne Lin." She told him earnestly. She sounded more sure than she had of anything back in Sokovia, and Pietro reluctantly believed her.
"HYDRA might have been…a mistake, but he is not. Ultron is going to make the world better." Pietro gave her an unwavering, determined look. "Please don't be on the wrong side."
She glanced out, and stopped a shot from hitting Black Widow with a shield. Corinne looked back at Pietro sadly. "I'm not."
She blinked, and he was gone.
"Completely disillusioned." Pietro murmured to his sister for a few seconds before speeding away, punching Captain America in the jaw.
Wanda glanced at Sentinel, where she was beheading the Ultron bots with sharp disks. The woman also got rid of the guns of the goons. Wanda breathed in sharply. It stung to see her helping Stark.
A robotic voice interrupted her train of thought. "Time to play some mind games."
With no hesitation, she set to bringing out their greatest fears. Everything went smoothly until she got to the archer. The man had stuck an arrow onto her forehead and given her an irritating, throbbing headache. It ebbed away and she waved off Pietro's concerns.
"I'm over it. I want...I want to finish the plan. I want the big one." She stared at the doctor where he was across the water.
"You can't. Hulk will destroy so much when he's released." A voice rang out. Sentinel had followed them somehow, on her shield. She knew there was no other way to shake her teammates out of Wanda's spell, but to make her friends see the truth. "He will wreck homes, families' homes. He will hurt people, if you do this."
"Sentinel." Wanda's message was clear. Don't make me do this.
Bruce had noticed her standing among the twins and had walked farther away from the safety of the Quinjet. Corinne shook her head at him and his unease, trying to communicate that he retreat.
"If you look into my mind, you will understand everything. I know you know this, so please don't do this to him."
What Corinne said was true. Wanda prided herself in being able to read people, even without telepathy. She had an dreadful inkling that Sentinel was right. It scared her.
"Our parents are still dead. The Avengers can't bring them back, no matter how good they are." She said at last. Her fingers moved just the slightest bit, and Sentinel's eyes closed.
"Is she living her nightmares?" Pietro exclaimed, catching the limp Sentinel and lowering her to the ground. A conflicted expression was on his face. He agreed wholeheartedly with Wanda, but he did not agree with subjecting Sentinel with her terrors.
"Only sleeping." Wanda's eyes flashed red, and then she stumbled back with her eyes wide. "She has terrors in her sleep either way. Of List." She glanced back at the jet where Dr. Banner was, mouth twisting into a grimace. "We need to take care of him first."
"Hey, wake up."
Someone shaking her shoulders startled her awake, and she scanned her surroundings blearily. Hawkeye crouched beside her, brows furrowed in worry.
"That was easier than I expected. The others…they still can't break out of it. You good?" He asked as she got up.
She nodded. "I think she just made me sleep."
Though it made no difference, she thought to herself.
Her mind went back to what happened leading up to this moment, and she looked at Hawkeye desperately. "Please tell me Bruce didn't…"
"Hulk's out. Stark's trying to contain him-"
"I'm going." She hopped onto the already ascending shield. "Where are they?"
"Are you sure?"
"I'm back up." The words slipped out of her mouth, and she smiled at a distant memory. Of flying alien whales, portals, and giant holes in the sky. This time it was robots out for the extinction of them.
With all these differences, she was still back up.
True to her predictions, Hulk and Iron Man were battling it out, with no care for the destruction that trailed behind them. Sentinel was kept busy shielding civilians from falling heavy debris. Chunks of cement, metal, and even cars were being tossed all over the place onto the vulnerable crowds. By the time she was close enough to the two, they had already downed a tower.
"Hulk!" She yelled as she made sure none of the guns pointed at him would be fired. Her arms were raised as she formed her own VERONICA over him. "Stop, look around you."
Hulk's eyes found hers and he grunted in confusion. She relaxed a bit at his hesitation upon seeing her face. She had removed the hood obscuring her features hoping it would deter him. He observed the city and a look of realization dawned on his face at the wreckage. An expression close to regret crossed his face as he met her eyes again. He noticed the heavily armed men behind her and roared. His fists banged against her barrier, making her wince. That was going to hurt later.
"Tony." She shouted as she dropped the shield.
He gave the final blow, ending the fight.
When Hulk shrank back to Bruce, she had him in a golden bubble and levitated them back to the Quinjet. Clint had moved the others back too. Those who had their heads meddled by Wanda were understandably down. As the jet took off, everyone kept to themselves, too consumed by thoughts caused by having seen their personal horrors.
"Here," Corinne handed a blanket to Bruce's shivering form. She nodded at his grateful response, and retreated to her own corner of the Quinjet.
There was nothing she could say or do that would stop the blank stares everyone had. She knew better than anyone that some things were not meant to be just shared and could not be fixed so easily by comforting words.
She stayed quiet, letting herself reflect on everything that happened. Her plan to bring Wanda and Pietro to their senses did not go as she wanted. She should have suspected as much. Her words against the trauma they faced and the vengeance burning in them? She felt naïve. They were probably miles away now, and she doubted the next time they encountered each other would be any better.
They landed at Clint's safe house. It was a lovely white house in the middle of a vast field. Tall trees lined the edge of the property. It wasn't exactly what popped into her mind when Corinne thought of a safe house, but it was a welcoming environment.
She absentmindedly introduces herself to Clint's family and excuses herself. She's not the only one to do so. The team separates, shaken by hallucinations and disheartened by the abundance of setbacks. Corinne passes by Steve as she treks outside, to the trees.
"Where are you going?" He asks, wood ready to be cut into logs in his arms.
"Feeling like a climb." She says, tilting her head to the forest.
She turns and continues to walk, but the concern practically radiates off of him, so she faces him again. Tapping her com, she grins weakly. "I'll let you know if anything happens. Just need some time to think."
Again, the motions feel familiar as she scales the tree she picked. She has a brief recollection of being particularly determined as a child during tag. The tree's sturdy, and tall enough to let her scan a fair amount of the ground below. Settling securely against the trunk so that she wouldn't fall, she lets the nagging buzz take it over.
The pain had been at the back of her mind ever since she boarded the Quinjet. Sometime before HYDRA, she had learned to keep it from overcoming her, putting a lid on it in a sense. Now, in private, she let the aftershocks take over her senses.
All of the action today was more strenuous than she was used to. Hulk's blows to her energy fields did not ease the paralyzing agony either. As the last of the waves washed over her, she sighed tiredly.
It was easier this way to let it happen away from everyone else. Corinne did not like having them worry more than they already did about her. She knew no way of how to stop it or lessen it as of now, so she had to endure it.
"Hurts, doesn't it?" Someone she's heard before interrupted. "If only you knew how to get rid of it."
Her hand goes out to the tree to stabilize herself as she jerks in surprise. Across from her is the same man that had been awaiting her when she awoke in Avengers Tower. Insolent smirk, smug demeanor, and an obvious fondness for green and dramatics.
"Loki?" She breathes out uncertainly.
But that can't be right.
He grins, pleased. "Ah, so you finally remember me."
"Saw you in a dream." She utters, still in disbelief.
He raises one eyebrow, eyes jokingly suggestive.
Corinne rolls her eyes without thinking. She feels like it was something she did a lot with him. "Nope, not going there. Memory dream. We were in jail together, then you had a sword go through you. So unless I'm hallucinating, you've come back to life."
Loki shrugs and leans back leisurely. "I cannot answer that."
A golden, sharp projectile flies at him. He doesn't dodge it, even though he could. It goes through him like he's a mirage.
She stares at him for a couple beats until she sighs. "You know what? I don't care if you're a ghost or a figment of my imagination. I have enough to worry about. Whatever you're here for, make it quick."
"I am actually here to help you find this…Ultron."
"Why would you-" Corinne paused. "What do you get in return?"
"Same deal I offered after our first one. Your allegiance in my time of need, and I give you magical training in return." Loki replied casually, as if he had no ulterior motives. "It's quite easy. I'll just guide you through the process of opening your mind to other applications of your power."
Her lack of an unenthusiastic response is evident enough. Without gracing her hallucination as much as a glance, she starts descending the tree.
"The twins."
Corinne becomes motionless, turning her head to regard Loki. "What?"
"You can find them if you really wanted to." He holds her gaze confidently, as if sure she would accept.
It is tempting. Corinne bites her lip as she considers it. It would benefit the whole team to find them and Ultron. Lives could be saved, and it be over so quickly. If she could find them, she could try to stop them...again.
Her hopeful expression fell. As determined as she was to bring them back, there was little chance they would come around this time. Not only on her word, anyway. Through all her disappointment, she had realized that only they could make the decision themselves. Who was she, a friend who had only known them for several months, to have the nerve to be like this? She had not gone through what they went through.
"No thanks." Corinne smiles at Loki.
He dissipates into the thin air, leaving her wondering. Was this some twisted method her brain had come up with to help her cope? A phantom visiting the living? Or was he alive, contradicting her memories, and hiding away somewhere?
Corinne walks back into the house, pensive the entire way. From the house, she can hear the bubbly laughter of children and her team conversing.
Hope this wasn't too rushed! I'm trying to balance not repeating the movie word for word but still having it understandable? Thoughts? How did you like those drabbles? ;) Guesses for what's gonna happen?
On a sadder note, school is starting up soon (like, a week). I'll try to squeeze another chapter in before that. I know I haven't been very consistent this summer, so I will try to make it up. Good luck to those starting soon or have already started!
08.28.15.