a/n: Haiiiiiiiii! Been a minute, y'all. Life has been hectic since the holidays & I apologize for the delay. I am definitely still here and trying to post. But man, there needs to be more hours in the day.
Good news: I passed my Statistics class (I was blessed with them changing my teacher three weeks in and the new teacher was amazing – ended up with a 99% which I can thank Google and YouTube for)! Hoping to be able to post semi-regularly again. We're getting into the meatier stuff now, so may be longer intervals but I'll try not to let it go more than a month – we'll see. *shrugs* Due to the delay, I made this chapter nice and long for ya (plus, there was no good place to cut it off without having a cliffhanger and that would have just been mean). Enjoy!
Chapter 14: Escape pods don't have landing gear
The shot rang out through the air, ripping a tree trunk clean in half and sending leaves and dirt flying. Birds and other wild animals that were gathered in the forested area scattered, taking flight or ducking for cover to escape the blast that came shortly after the weapon had been fired. There was a loud boom of an explosion, followed by a bush igniting.
Rocket cackled with dark joy. He rested the laser-blaster on his shoulder and turned to the group in the field with him. "Now that," he jerked his head toward the blaze several hundred yards away, "is a thing of beauty." He put two digits to his mouth and puckered, like a chef's kiss.
Down the way, near the burning bush, Bruce brandished a fire extinguisher to put out the small brush fire before it could cause any major damage. Carol had been standing next to him and started glowing before shooting forward, flying across the field and closing the distance between herself and the others. She halted right in front of Rocket and her own ember glow faded away.
Clint arched his brow at the Captain. "Well, where'd the beam land? How many points did he get?"
Carol threw her hands in the air in an overly-exaggerated shrug. "No idea." She scratched her temple. "He, uh, kind of obliterated the target board."
Rocket let out a whoop, jumping up to high-five Groot, who begrudgingly obliged. But Clint gasped and pointed accusatorily at the rodent. "Then it doesn't count and he has to forfeit!"
"No way, Robin Hood!" Rocket snarled, stomping up to the archer. With a feral grin, he crossed his arms over his chest. "If I destroyed the target then that means I get all the points and win by default."
"Those aren't the rules!" Clint exclaimed.
"Potato, Avocado," Rocket grumbled with a dismissive wave.
"That's not how the saying goes at all," Carol interjected to no one in particular.
Rocket put his paws on his hips and looked up at Clint with a cocky grin. "There's no rule saying I'm wrong."
Clint groaned exasperatedly. "Nobody ever thought we needed to specify something like that."
"Well, whose fault was that?" Rocket's tone was snide and he finished by blowing a raspberry.
Waving his arms in the air, Clint growled as he whirled around to the others. "Someone back me up on this!"
Valkyrie sauntered forward, causing Clint to grin and nod with triumph. But his glee at being backed up by the Asgardian quickly faded when she condescendingly placed one hand on his shoulder and patted his cheek with the other. "Next time, perhaps you'll draft a better rule book."
As Val snaked around the archer to fist-bump Rocket, Scott stepped up and offered Hawkeye a pitying look. "Here," he said, placing a fingertip on Clint's agape jaw. "Let me close that for ya."
Clint swatted at Scott's hand. "Get off me, weirdo!" As he stomped away, he mumbled, "Cheating raccoons from outer-fucking-space."
Rocket, Val, Carol, and the others who had been part of the target game followed Clint back to where the rest of the group was congregated closer to the grills. The food was almost ready and everyone was either milling about or sitting and chatting. The song that was playing on the boombox ended, leaving Elton John's "Tiny Dancer" to fade into the clearing.
As the synth started on the next song, Quill squawked with excitement and climbed up on top of one of the picnic tables. He held his hand up in front of his face with an invisible microphone as he dramatically started belting along with Cher: "Do you believe in li-ife after loooooooooove? I can feel somethin' inside meh say, I really don't think you're strong enough. Ooh! Do you beliiiiiieeeeeve in li-ife after—"
The music clicked off suddenly, effectively ending Quill's caterwauling.
"Aw, c'mon! I was just gettin' into the zone," Quill whined.
"Why do you think I turned it off?" Nebula groused. She cocked her hip to the side and placed a hand on it, glaring from where she stood next to the boom-box.
Quill hopped off the table, pointing a finger at Nebula. "Hey! I missed out on decades of music. Don't you dare try to take it from me now." He straightened his t-shirt, which depicted cartoon versions of many of the Avengers, while the Luphomoid merely rolled her eyes. Quill made his way over, bumping his fellow Guardian on the shoulder playfully. She let out an exaggerated but good-natured groan.
"After we eat," Quill proclaimed, speaking loudly enough that everyone could hear, "we're definitely doing some karaoke!"
At that, Happy turned to Peter with an exasperated sigh. "Remind me, why did you give Quill a Cher album for his birthday?"
"Hey, be thankful – I almost gave him an Enya CD!" Peter argued in his defense.
Happy narrowed his eyes. "And those were really your only choices?" Then he sighed, letting his shoulders sag in defeat. "It was a no-win situation."
May punched her fiancé in the arm playfully. "I happen to like Cher and Enya!"
Happy held his hands up in defense—or maybe surrender—and Peter chuckled softly. They, along with the rest of the gang, chatted and joked around for a few more minutes before they were interrupted by the sound of metal objects clanging together.
Rhodey lifted the tongs from the hood of the barbecue, where he'd just been banging them as a makeshift dinner bell. Raising the tongs above his head and waving them in the air, he shouted, "FOOD'S READY!"
The Avengers and company descended upon the BBQs and their grill-masters like vultures to wounded prey. It was almost anarchic. Everyone grabbed paper plates and plastic silverware before shouting to those at the grill about whether they wanted hamburgers or hot dogs and how many and with a bun or without and yes to cheese and if there were condiments and there better be napkins and everyone needed to stop shoving. . .
Loki stood back from the gaggle, observing the free entertainment.
"You look way too amused," Strange noted as he sidled up next to the Trickster. "Should I be worried?" he asked, arching a brow wryly.
Loki looked at him from his peripheral, a sly smile spreading across his face. Before he could come up with some witty response, a new source of commotion caught his attention. Apparently Pepper was attempting to organize everyone into some semblance of a line. The effort was valiant, but to no avail. Eventually, the woman gave up, throwing her hands in the air and letting the madness ensue.
"This is pandemonium," Strange muttered.
"I know," Loki replied, almost giddily. Turning to face the Sorcerer with a wide grin and a twinkle in his eyes, he added, "Isn't it glorious?"
Strange gave him an admonishing look that only managed to remain serious for a few seconds. Then he chuckled softly. "Of course you would think that." He rolled his eyes, but his tone was warm and undeniably fond, so Loki couldn't help but smile in response.
They stood next to each other in silence. Loki turned back to the crowd before him, which was starting to settle down a bit as everyone collected their food and found places to sit. Strange sniffed and shifted on his feet somewhat nervously. After a moment, an annoyed huff came from behind them. They both turned to face Wong, who was watching them with his arms crossed, a raised eyebrow, and an expression that said he was not amused.
"What?" Strange asked, a challenge in his voice.
Wong narrowed his eyes at the Sorcerer before finally dropping his arms to his sides and throwing his head back. "You two are exhausting," he muttered, shaking his head. Then, he stalked away toward the food.
There was a soft fluttering noise, followed by something touching Loki's leg. He looked down to see the Cloak tapping at his calf. He chuckled and looked to Strange, preparing some kind of quip about the garment's forwardness. But the moment was interrupted by Thor calling his name.
The greeting offered only a minor warning for Thor to come galumphing over and wrapping an arm around Loki's shoulders. "Brother!" Thor gestured toward the BBQ and started tugging Loki in that direction. "Come, partake in a grilled burger!"
"Or," a gruff voice began from lower, and Loki rolled his eyes as he readied himself whatever Rocket was going to say. "Maybe Loki would prefer a wiener."
Rocket's cackle was abruptly cut off when the Cloak of Levitation wrapped itself around the raccoon's face, apparently intent on smothering him. He let loose a series of muffled curses as he wrestled with the fabric. The Cloak quickly extricated itself from Strange, so as not to knock its master off-balance, and although it loosened itself from Rocket's mouth so he could breathe, it didn't completely let up its assault on the rodent. Thor guffawed as his small friend struggled, which only caused Rocket's ire to increase.
"Don't laugh!" He growled, pawing at the Cloak. "Get this—get off of me!" Rocket spun in a circle, flapping his arms and swearing profusely.
Strange snorted and looked away, trying to stifle his laughter and compose himself. Finally, he gave a whistle and jerked his head. "Come on, then."
Immediately, the Cloak relinquished its hold on Rocket and settled back on Strange's shoulders. Rocket was panting, and glared up at the doctor. "Keep that cape of yours on a leash," he said with a snarl.
Strange smirked back at him and straightened the collar of the Cloak of Levitation – which, if it was possible for apparel to look smug, the Cloak sure as hell managed.
Loki gave a nod of approval toward the garment, smiling conspiratorially when he caught Strange's eye. And if his heart skipped a beat or seven when Strange winked at him before walking off to the food, well, nobody had to know that.
*!MCU!*!MCU!*!MCU!*
The momentary chaos had been sated once everyone had their food and drinks. They'd all settled into comfortable spots around the field – be it at one of the picnic tables, blankets spread out on the dirt, or just a nice spot in the grass amidst wildflowers. Quill had somehow managed to sneak over to his boombox and turn it back on without Nebula noticing. He had Tiffany's "I Think We're Alone Now" playing. . . On repeat. Idle chit-chat and laughter abounded. It was a truly relaxing, enjoyable time.
So, of course, it would be the exact moment that the proverbial shit hit the fan.
Peter Parker was the first to become aware that something was wrong. His Spider Senses flared, internal alarms going off at full-power. He jumped to his feet, dropping his fourth hot dog and leaving May, Happy, and Carol still sitting on the ground looking stunned.
Carol watched Peter scan the area with wide eyes for a few seconds before she, too, was standing. "What is it?" she asked.
Peter shook his head. "I don't know. But something's wrong."
"Is it your Peter Tingle?" May asked with concern as she and Happy stood up.
Groaning inwardly but otherwise choosing to ignore his aunt's pet name for his Senses, Peter tapped his ear-piece. "EDITH, are you picking up on anything?"
"Actually, Peter, I am detecting the presence of an anomaly," EDITH replied quickly.
"An anomaly?" Pete repeated, giving Carol a concerned look. "What kind of anomaly?"
"Something has entered the atmosphere and appears to be hurtling toward the Earth at a rapid speed," EDITH answered far too casually.
Carol looked up and focused her superhuman vision on the sky. She smacked Pete on the shoulder. "There, " she said urgently, pointing to the distant object that was steadily growing closer.
"What is that thing?" Peter asked, his voice rising in pitch from panic.
Carol didn't answer. Instead, she tapped her arm-band, making her clothes morph from casual-wear to her Captain Marvel suit. The other Avengers, having noticed the kerfuffle and that Carol was no longer just a civilian, quickly reacted by getting up and readying themselves for whatever the hell was about to happen.
Sam jogged over to Carol and Peter. "What's happening?"
Peter flailed his arms in the air, gesturing toward the object in the sky. Sam's eyes widened. "What in hell is that?"
"Best guess?" Quill stated as he stepped up next to Sam. He was shrugging his leather jacket on his shoulders and tucking a blaster into the holster of the belt he'd just clipped around his waist. "That's a space-craft." His helmet folded down, covering his face.
"Seriously?" Sam groaned.
Carol put a placating hand on Sam's chest. "Try to minimize damage on the ground and make sure all non-enhanceds are nowhere near here."
"Oh-kay," Sam replied slowly, raising an eyebrow. "Wait. What are you gonna do?"
"I'm gonna stop that thing. Or at least try to slow it down."
"Captain Marvel, that is suicide," T'Challa told her admonishingly.
She waved a dismissive hand. "Don't worry so much, Black Panther." Turning back to Sam, she gave a smug smile. "I've got this." With that, Carol rocketed into the air, becoming nothing more than a surge of orange in the sky.
Peter let out a concerned squeak. "Sam! She's gonna get herself killed!"
"She said she's got it," Sam argued, although he didn't sound too convinced.
There was an exasperated sigh and then Loki pushed his way past Thor, Valkyrie, and the others. He rolled his shoulders and cracked his knuckles before shaking his hands out, which were beginning to glow green. "She's got that," he nodded toward the craft that Carol was flying toward. "I'll get her." He placed a hand on Peter's shoulder, patting it reassuringly before looking looked at Sam. "Do as the Kree said, Two-Point-Oh. Get everyone out of here." Then, he disappeared in a shimmer of emerald light.
Sam swore under his breath before whirling around to face some of the others. "Doctor Strange," he called out.
"Yes?" Strange said, making Sam jump because he hadn't realized that the doctor was right beside him. His brows were furrowed in concern and he was watching the sky where orange and green were intermingling. But then he tore his eyes away to look at Sam properly.
"Get some of your mandala shield things going," Sam commanded. "Have Wong help," he suggested. Strange nodded and started walking away with Wong behind him, both of them tracing patterns in the air, conjuring the Shield of the Seraphim to place a protective dome over the field.
"The rest of you!" Sam hollered out to the group of Avengers and family members. "Get back to the Compound. Now." As the group started moving, Sam glanced around until his eyes landed on two of his right-hand men. "Winter Soldier, Hawkeye – you two help get everyone as far from here as possible. Somewhere safe."
The two men nodded and started organizing everyone, guiding their friends and family away from the field.
"Sam!" an anxious voice called, making Sam turn again (and really, he was starting to get dizzy). He saw the last of the nanites closing over Peter's body, as he was now wearing his Spider-suit, save for his mask. "What can I do?" he asked, his eyes hopeful.
"Go with the others," Sam replied without hesitation.
"What? No!" Peter spat.
"Pete, man. We talked about this," Sam argued.
"Yeah, we did." Peter looked at him with fire in his eyes. "We talked about treating me with kid gloves being bullshit."
May grabbed Peter's arm and gave him a pitying look. "Peter, sweetie, c'mon."
"No," Peter told his aunt firmly. "Happy, get her out of here," he ordered the other man. Happy gave the young man a grave look but finally sighed and nodded. May started to protest but Happy tugged her away, heading away up the hill.
Sam shook his head vehemently. "Parker, I'm serious here."
"So am I," Peter retorted. His tone was resolute and he had a stony expression on his face.
Before Sam could argue further, the Guardians stepped forward, along with Thor and Valkyrie. "Spiderman can help," Star-Lord said through his mask, the voice modulator making him sound more serious than he normally would have.
"We'll keep him safe," Valkyrie offered.
"I don't need babysitters," Peter mumbled, folding his arms over his chest.
"We don't know what's in that ship," Star-Lord commented. "There might be a fight when it lands – or, well, crashes."
"Yeah, speaking of," Rocket piped up, pointing at Sam. "You're not super-powered and you don't have your fancy-ass wings with you. So you gotta leave, too."
Sam scoffed. But Rocket ignored him, marching forward and shoving at the man's legs. "Let's go," he barked. "Drax, a little help here?"
As Drax took a step forward, Sam held his hands up. "Fine, fine. I'm going." He looked pointedly at the others. "Do what you can, but don't take unnecessary risks. And Peter?" He waited for Spiderman to look at him before he continued. "If you die, I am going to kill you."
"That sounds counter-productive," Drax mused as he led Sam away with Rocket.
In the newly emptied-out field, the remaining Guardians—Star-Lord, Mantis, Groot, and Nebula—focused on Thor, Valkyrie, and Spiderman. Star-Lord's face-plate opened up and he sighed. "Okay, so, Strange and Wong are still doing their shield thingy," Quill said with a nod toward the Sorcerers several yards away. "But if that fails, we need something for backup."
Spiderman raised his hand excitedly. "Ooh! I've totally got this!" He didn't bother to explain before letting his face be covered by his mask and darting away.
"Um, okay." Quill shrugged and looked at the faces around him. "Now what do we do?"
Nebula groaned, rolling her eyes. "You took charge, but you don't have a plan?"
Quill threw his arms out to the side. "Do I ever have a plan?"
Val sighed and tugged on her ponytail. "A'right. So, the wizards are shielding us. Spidey is doing. . ." she paused, leaning around Groot to try and watch Peter but eventually just shook her head. "Well, he's doin' something. Lackey and Marvel are trying to stop that thing. Guess that means we're the ground-support if it ends up being needed."
Quill's shoulders slumped. "So, we're just supposed to wait?"
Val looked to Thor, who only shrugged. There was a disgruntled groan as Nebula dropped down to sit on the ground, resting her elbows on her knees and putting her chin in her hands. Mantis let out a quiet hum before joining Nebula on the ground.
Quill frowned, and Thor clapped his hand on the man's shoulder. "Worry not, Friend. As quickly as that ship is moving, we shan't have to wait long."
Looking up at the god, Quill's frown deepened. "Great," he drawled, but the sarcasm was lost on the Thunderer. Quill glanced in the direction Spiderman had darted off and chuckled when he saw that the human-arachnid was busy making a net out of webbing, strung up between two huge evergreen ash trees like a hammock. Hopefully, that would catch the ship when it crashed.
With that thought, Quill turned his gaze up to the sky, where the ship was still hurtling toward them, getting closer by the second. He sighed and let his face-plate fold back down, preparing himself for the inevitable.
*!MCU!*!MCU!*!MCU!*
Carol had taken only seconds to reach the spaceship. She slammed into the side of it, grunting from the impact. "Well, that hurt," she mumbled. Carol was clinging to a bar on the side of the small ship – which, she realized, looked like some kind of escape pod – and tried to steady herself. That was easier said than done because of the object's momentum.
Before Carol could even consider doing much else, though, there was a flash of green and then Loki was above her, balancing himself on top of the pod.
"Shit!" Carol shrieked, flailing in surprise. Loki's hand wrapped around her wrist and pulled her up to join him on the hood of the pod.
"What now, Captain?" Loki asked, shouting over the rush of the wind.
Carol leaned around, as much as she dared, to inspect the pod. It had no markings on it and the window at the front was blacked out. She shook her head. "There's no way to know where this is from or who—or what—is in it."
"Splendid."
"I don't know how to stop this thing," Carol admitted. "But maybe we can slow it down."
Loki nodded. "I'll do what I can. You do the same."
"Right." Carol sighed. She watched for a few seconds as Loki placed his hands on the metal beneath them, casting some kind of spell to affect the object's inertia. Then, with no other options, Carol leapt off the pod. She flew downward as fast as she could before circling around and flying straight toward the crashing ship. She thrust her arms out in front of her, slamming into the front of the ship and planting her hands on its face.
Carol grunted with exertion, which quickly turned into a prolonged shout as she put all her strength into pushing against the pod to combat its speed.
It felt like an eternity. Carol's head was tucked down into her elbow and her arms were shaking from effort. And although the pod had slowed down, it wasn't enough.
"Loki!" Carol shouted, hoping the Trickster would hear her. "It's still gonna crash!"
"I know!" Loki replied, sounding defeated and irritated.
Carol was considering what to do, trying to come up with some other plan. She considered having Loki help her push, or maybe he could get behind the pod and pull on it? Just as Carol was about to voice her only, last-ditch idea, she felt an arm wrap around her waist and then everything faded away.
In the next instant, Carol was back on the ground, tumbling across the field with Loki. When they stopped and Carol was sprawled on her stomach on the grass, she pounded a fist to the ground. She turned to glare at Loki, but he was already jumping to his feet.
"Apologies, Captain," he told her. "I'll take it from here." And then, he disappeared.
"Dammit!" Carol growled. She pushed herself to her feet and turned, watching as Loki reappeared some distance away. Carol realized that she had been dropped off behind the shields that Strange and Wong set up, but Loki had just placed himself in front of them.
"Danvers!" Quill shouted, racing up to Carol. "What happened?"
"We slowed it down, but we couldn't stop it." Carol shook her head. "The damage might be minimized, but not by much." Then, she nodded toward Loki. "I think he's gonna try to catch it."
Thor immediately turned and bolted, racing in the general direction of his brother.
"Majesty!" Val hollered, running after her King.
Quill and Carol hurried after them, with the other Guardians joining them. Nebula and Groot managed to cut off the Asgardians, causing them to come to a skidding halt. "You can't," Carol insisted from behind them.
Thor opened his mouth to object, but stopped when he heard a shout from Wong. "Strange, wait!" The Shield flickered before it disappeared entirely.
The series of events that happened next were a blur:
Strange tackled Loki, shoving him into a portal that sent them both to another part of the field some distance away.
Spiderman swung past, grabbing Wong and then swinging back by as Wong opened a portal in the air.
The pod dropped into the portal.
Wong's portal reopened directly above the web-net that Spiderman had made.
The space-ship crashed into the webbing, slowing the momentum before the ship bounced off the web and rolled across the ground.
There was a profoundly loud explosion, with a fiery blast that reverberated and sent everyone flying backward, spread across the field.
*!MCU!*!MCU!*!MCU!*
Deadpool sat on the couch in the lobby of the Avengers Compound. Dopinder had dropped him off about a half hour earlier, offering to wait for him but Deadpool had told him to go ahead and leave (because, c'mon: Dopinder's a sweetie and all, but there's no way the Merc was gonna let his friend/driver sit there with the meter running when he had no idea how long he would be).
When he'd walked in, the whole place was basically empty and the magical voice in the ceiling introduced herself as FRIDAY before saying that she would work on notifying someone of the Merc's arrival. So, he decided to make himself comfy while he waited. He'd settled in on one of the couches and pulled a Where's Waldo book out of his trusty backpack, flipping to the page he'd been working on for a couple days (it was Waldo at the beach – finding that motherfucker without his trademark shirt was a real bitch).
And in case you (yes, you, the person reading this fic) are wondering what Deadpool is doing here, seemingly appearing at random, the plain and simple explanation is this: DocWordsmith loves Deadpool and lacks self-control, so dropping him onto the scene seemed like a good way to spice things up (plus, she did mention him a couple chapters back, so it's not like you weren't warned). And DP was not about to deny the author, so here he is, at her beck and call.
Now, back to the story!
So, Deadpool was scouring the pages of his book in the hopes of finding Waldo when he heard a female voice with an accent. "Um, hi?"
Looking up, Deadpool smiled at the couple now occupying the lobby. He shoved his book back in his bag and leapt to his feet, slinging the pack's strap over one shoulder. "Howdy-ho!" he called, strolling over to the pair.
"Hi," the woman said again, still sounding uncertain. She looked him up and down, her eyes catching on the several weapons that Deadpool had in plain view on his various holsters (and if there were many others not in plain view, well that's nobody's business but his own). The dark-haired woman finally looked back to Deadpool's masked face. "And, uh. Who might you be?"
Placing his hand to his chest theatrically, the merc introduced himself. "I'm Wade Wilson, AKA Deadpool." He gave a little flourish of his hand and curtsied.
"Oh. Okay." The woman bit her lip and gave him a curious look. "I'm Wanda," she finally said, reaching out to shake Deadpool's red leather-clad hand. "The Scarlet Witch," she added.
Deadpool clapped his hands together gleefully. "Ooh, I'm so excited we finally get to call you that!" Looking down at the ground, he muttered, "Yes, I know it was because of copyright infringement. But—" He paused and appeared to be listening before he let out an annoyed groan. "Okay, okay, enough," he growled, head still turned downward. After a few more seconds, he looked back up with a sigh. "Sorry 'bout that. The Boxes don't know when to shut up."
Wanda quirked an eyebrow at the man having a conversation with himself. Then she let out an amused-sounding huff. She pointed to the man with her. "This is Vision."
Deadpool shook the man's hand enthusiastically. "Pleasure to meet you!" Leaning forward and speaking in a stage-whisper, Deadpool said, "I loved you in A Knight's Tale."
Vision extricated his hand from DP's and chuckled nervously. Wanda tucked her hair behind her ear and gave Deadpool an awkward, semi-forced smile. "Can we, erm, help you with something?"
"Ah, yes!" Deadpool smiled through his mask. "I've been sending letters, but I haven't heard anything back." He frowned, then shrugged. "I didn't have anything going on and heard that the whole gang would be here this week. So, I figured I'd just pop on by."
"Uh-huh," Vision said slowly. "What were your letters about, perchance?"
Throwing his arms out to the side and donning a broad smile, Deadpool answered, "Well, about joining you guys!"
Wanda's eyes widened and she exchanged an inquisitive glance with Vision. Looking back to Deadpool, she scratched at her temple. "So, you, um, you want to be an Avenger?"
"Duh!" Deadpool playfully shoved Wanda's shoulder. "Who wouldn't? You guys are the shit!" Then, with a grin, he added, "The good kind of shit. Like, the slang term, y'know?"
Wanda nodded and chuckled softly. She opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by the sound of a large crash – which actually was more along the lines of an explosion – coming from outside.
"The fuck was that?!" Deadpool exclaimed, the white eyelets of his mask widening in shock.
"I don't know." Wanda frowned in concern. "But it came from out in the field, where they're having the barbeque." She gave a knowing look to Vision and he nodded.
"Let's go," he told her. They started for the doors but stopped short when they realized Deadpool was walking with them. "Perhaps you should wait here?" Vision suggested, gesturing back toward the couch.
"Aw, c'mon!" Deadpool whined and stomped his foot. "Lemme come with you! Maybe I can help!"
Vision deferred to Wanda. "Leave the backpack," she decided. Deadpool dutifully dropped the bag from his shoulders, letting it hit the floor with a thud that echoed in the empty lobby. Sighing, Wanda shrugged. "Let's move, then."
And with that, the trio raced out the doors to check on the others.
*!MCU!*!MCU!*!MCU!*
Star-Lord couldn't breathe. His mask was smothering him. Why did he ever think covering his face with a hunk of metal was a good idea? He reached up to remove the mask, sending searing pain through his arm. With a groan, he used his other arm, which was partially pinned underneath something but not in as much pain. It took a few tries, but he was finally able to hit the release button so the helmet would slide up, allowing him to suck in several deep breaths.
"Ow," he whispered to himself. His lungs were on fire and his chest had a heavy weight on it. After a failed, painful attempt to move, Quill willed himself to be as still as possible and tried to take stock of the situation.
He was laying on the ground. There was something on top of him. All he could see above him were trees and a clear, blue sky, with clouds of smoke billowing through the air. There was a crackle of fire somewhere nearby, but otherwise it was silent.
"So, this is it," Quill muttered softly. He immediately regretted speaking, wincing in pain from the exertion.
A few moments passed. Then, Quill started to hear noises. First, he heard someone coughing. Then, there were footsteps and muffled voices.
"Oh, good, I'm saved," Quill cheered to himself. Then, he shouted, "Help! I'm over here!"
When nothing happened, he cleared his throat, which was burning from smoke inhalation. Louder, he let out another hoarse shout, "Help! Please, somebody!" With something like a whine as his voice gave out on him, he croaked, "Anybody."
Quill closed his eyes and was resigning himself to certain death when the weight on his chest suddenly disappeared entirely. He barely had time to open his eyes again before hands were wrapped under his armpits and he was being dragged across the ground.
Thor dropped the tree that he'd lifted off Quill – and dammit, is there anything that guy can't do?! – and approached, crouching down on one knee next to the Guardian. Then, Valkyrie's face appeared above Quill's, from where she was kneeling by his head after dragging him away.
With a smirk, she offered a friendly, "'ello, Sunshine."
"Are you hurt?" Thor asked.
Quill tried to laugh, but that only made him think that death was the better option. So, he fixed an angry glare at Thor (well, as best as he could while lying flat on the ground). "A tree was on top of me. Of course, I'm hurt!"
"Where?" Valkyrie asked, sounding mildly more helpful.
"Oh, just my everything," Quill told her.
"Quill!" Mantis shrieked. Running footsteps were followed by her appearing over him next to Val. "You're alive!"
"Barely," he answered.
Mantis frowned at his reply. Her eyes darted around as she seemed to be inspecting her friend. Her frown deepened when she poked at his side, causing him to jerk away from her with a sharp gasp. She held up a finger covered in blood.
"Well, that can't be good," Quill observed out loud.
He could see Val's mouth moving, but her voice sounded far away.
Quill's vision was turning blurry at the edges and he felt like he was only halfway there. "Are we spinning? Or is that just me?" he mumbled.
"Strange!" Thor exclaimed. And Quill was about to agree that yes, it was all very strange. But then the doctor appeared.
"Oh, you mean him," Quill managed to say. He giggled at the word-play, which made everything hurt. Then he just squeezed his eyes shut and giggled some more. Abruptly, he stopped laughing to open his eyes and look at the faces above him. "I think I'm dying." He glanced around at the group. "Is this what dying feels like?"
"He's going into shock," Strange told the others. Then, his hands were at Quill's side, making him flinch and try to pull away. "Don't move," Strange ordered.
"Don't touch," Quill retorted petulantly. "It hurts," he added in a whiny tone.
"I know, I know." Strange's voice was oddly calm and gentle. Normally, Quill would have said it was patronizing, but in that moment it was actually quite soothing.
"What's happened here?" Another voice asked. It was less familiar. Probably Thor's brother, Quill decided.
"He's dying," Mantis supplied worriedly.
"He's not dying," Strange argued. He sighed and looked back at Quill. "I can help, but I need to examine you to find the damage."
Quill tried to nod, closing his eyes and gritting his teeth as Strange's hands returned to his skin. The touch alone felt like fire – he was probably burned and scraped up. Then, Valkyrie and Thor had their hands on him, too. They were holding him down because he was squirming away from the doctor's hand which was now pressing into Quill's side where he, apparently, had a gaping hole.
Quill continued to be tortured like this for what felt like an eternity. He was pretty sure he was screaming. Just when he felt like he couldn't take anymore, he heard an annoyed-sounding exhale. Then, Loki was shoving Strange aside.
"Oh, just let me do it," the mage growled.
"Loki, I'm a doctor," Strange chided.
"And my mother taught me healing magic," Loki snapped back. He held his hands over Quill's torso and closed his eyes in concentration. There was a flash of green light and Quill let out an agonized shout as he felt like his body was ripped apart and then quickly slammed back together.
When it was over, Quill opened his eyes and blinked a few times. Then, he lurched up into a sitting position, almost knocking into Valkyrie's head before she pulled herself out of the way at the last second.
"I'm okay?" Quill asked, looking to Loki.
He nodded minutely. "I repaired the major damage to your organs." He nodded toward Quill's side, which was now sealed up with new, tender flesh. "I was able to minimize the rest of your injuries, but not rid you of them completely. Your body will still take its own time to heal, but it's no longer life-threatening."
"So, I'm not gonna die?" Quill chuckled and rubbed at his shoulder – which was still sore, but nothing like it had been.
"He's going to live!" Mantis squealed triumphantly, clapping her hands together. Thor and Val helped Quill to his feet.
"I'll get 'im up to the Compound," Val offered. She didn't wait for a response before looping Quill's good arm over her shoulders and wrapping her own arm around his waist to support his weight, helping him walk away from the explosion site. Mantis hurried after them, rallying Nebula and Groot to join.
Thor watched them go before turning to Strange and Loki. He narrowed his eyes at his brother and opened his mouth. Loki cringed, prepared for a lecture to spew from the other god. But then Peter ran up to them, panting.
"Um, hey, guys? You wanna come help with this?" He jammed his thumb in the direction he'd just come from, where the pod that had caused all the damage was on the ground in a smoking heap.
Thor nodded at the young man and started walking after him. As he passed Loki, Thor grumbled to him, "We're not finished."
Loki rolled his eyes before following his brother. Strange fell into step beside him.
"I was fine, you know," Loki told the other man in a quiet, heated voice. "You didn't need to intervene."
Strange huffed. "You were in the path of a spaceship that was crashing to earth." With a combination of concern and sarcasm, he added, "Excuse me for being worried."
Loki shot him a sideways glare, but didn't say anything else.
Then, Strange said, "You didn't need to intervene, either." When Loki stopped walking and looked at him with a raised eyebrow, Strange elaborated: "With Quill, I mean."
Loki snorted. "You were taking too long," he stated. Then, he shrugged and looked away. "And I grew tired of watching you run your hands all over that. . ." he paused, searching for the words. Finally, he finished with, "That space cowboy." He didn't bother trying to hide his sour expression.
Strange cocked his head to the side as he processed the words. Loki took a step to continue toward the ship but stopped when the Sorcerer put a hand on his forearm. "If I didn't know better, Loki, I'd think you were jealous." Strange almost sounded amused.
Loki scoffed and pulled his arm out of the man's grasp. "Don't be ridiculous." Then, he vanished, reappearing at their destination next to the pod.
Shaking his head and chuckling, Strange allowed the Cloak of Levitation to take over and carry him the rest of the way.
Carol was inspecting the pod, running her hands along it with care. The metal was shredded in parts, with jagged edges sticking out, and other spots were either sparking or charred – they had managed to put out the areas that were actually on fire.
"There's gotta be a hatch somewhere," Carol was muttering, almost to herself. "And there should be some kind of release lever." She backed up to look at the thing before clicking her tongue and stepping forward with purpose. "Right about. . ." She let her voice trail off as she ran a hand on the underside of the craft. "Here," she said as she pressed in on the metal.
There was a click, then whirring noises, followed by the groan of abused metal. Carol stepped back, standing next to the others and watching as the door of the pod opened. When it stopped, Peter immediately took a step forward. Thor placed a hand on his shoulder and pulled him back a bit, stepping up in his place and peering into the craft.
"Well?" Peter asked, a mix of nervousness and excitement.
Before Thor could answer, a grunt sounded from inside the pod, urging everyone forward to investigate. Carol peered down into the pod and felt her breath leave her in a rush when she saw the face of the being inside.
"No way," she whispered. Shakily, Carol stumbled backwards. She threw her hands out in front of her in a show of finality. "No," she repeated, more forcefully.
"What's wrong?" Peter asked, looking at his friend with concern.
Carol pointed at the pod. "It can't be. Not him."
"You know this man?" Thor asked, turning to the Captain.
"He's Kree," Loki announced.
There was another sound from inside the ship, a groan. And this time, he sounded more alert. After a small coughing fit, the voice called, "Does someone want to help me out of here?"
Carol laughed incredulously and ran a hand through her hair. Everyone was frozen and seemed to be looking at her for what to do next.
"Captain," Wong said softly from beside Carol. When she looked at him, he looked a little worse for wear, with ash and some scratches on him, but still had determination in his eyes.
With a nod, Carol looked back to the others. "Get him out," she told them. "We'll put him in the cells."
"Hey!" Wanda called from behind them. Carol was glad for the other woman's sudden appearance, allowing her to turn away instead of watching as her once-companion was hauled out of the pod.
Her relief at seeing Wanda was replaced by curiosity when she saw two figures with her – one was a blond man in jeans and a t-shirt, and the other a masked man in red and black leather.
"Wow. You guys take 'barbeque' to a whole 'nother level, huh?" The masked man joked, apparently trying to break the tension in the air.
Carol smiled, appreciative of his effort. Then, she heard Loki let out a surprised, "Wade?"
The man's smile was presented even through his mask, which was kind of eerie. "Honey bunch!" he called back, pausing as he bounced on the balls of his feet.
Loki walked past Carol, chuckling softly and meeting up with the man. They shook hands and greeted each other quietly as Wanda approached Carol.
"Apparently, that is Deadpool," Wanda told them all, nodding toward him. "He was in the lobby. Said he was waiting to talk to someone about letters he's written? Guess he wants to be an Avenger." Wanda shook her head in amusement.
"Gotcha," Carol replied with a laugh. Then she peeked around her friend to look at the other stranger. "And, is this another new recruit?" she asked teasingly.
Wanda's face flushed. "Sort of?" She chuckled nervously. "This is—"
"Vision!" Thor shouted with disbelief. Then, he was also rushing past, crashing into the man and engulfing him in a bone-crushing hug.
"Vision?" Carol repeated incredulously. She levied a questioning look at Wanda. "Um, I thought that Vision was," she paused, trying to put it delicately. "You know, gone?"
"He was." Wanda nodded. She looked back to where Thor was still squeezing the other man and laughing loudly. Turning back to Carol, she shrugged. "Now, he's back."
Carol arched a brow. "Yeah, because that just happens. All the time."
Peter cleared his throat and rubbed at the back of his neck as he said, "With us? Actually, it sort of does."
"I hate to break up the reunion, but can we get some help?" Wong called from beside the pod. Peter rushed over to help, while Carol tried to ignore the all-too-familiar voice telling the three men to be careful of his leg, which was apparently injured.
"So, what exactly happened here?" Wanda asked.
"Escape pods don't have landing gear," Carol offered with a shrug. Then, sighing, she finally whirled around, taking in the sight of the Kree as he clung to Peter and Stange.
"Yon-Rogg," Carol stated plainly, and with as much neutrality as she could manage, as she looked him up and down.
Yon's face was twisted up in pain but his golden eyes widened and his face cleared a bit, almost in relief. "Vers," the alien breathed out.
"My name," the blonde growled, "is Carol." Her curtness wiped the relieved look from Yon-Rogg's face, leaving him wincing in pain and looking down at the ground to avoid Carol's heated glare. Turning to Wong with a hopeful look, Carol asked, "Wanna make the trip a shorter?"
The Sorcerer merely nodded. With his Sling Ring, he created a portal leading to the cells under the Compound. Steeling herself, Carol stepped up and took Peter's place, letting Yon-Rogg throw his arm around her. She ignored the way he was watching her from the corner of his eye, pretending he was just anybody else, and allowed Wong to take Strange's spot on the other side as they both stepped through the portal.
*!MCU!*!MCU!*!MCU!*
Peter watched the portal close behind Carol, Wong, and the Kree. He half-wondered if he should have gone with his friend, based on the haunted look in her eyes when she'd recognized the man she called Yon-Rogg.
He was torn from that thought when he heard Loki's voice. "Spiderling!" The god was waving him over. As he approached Loki and the suited-up stranger, said stranger appeared jittery with nervous energy. His hands were hanging at his sides, where his fingers tapped anxiously on his thighs.
"This, is Deadpool," Loki said, with an amused tone as he nodded toward the man in red.
Peter recognized the name, having heard Sam and some others ramble on about the vigilante with a penchant for violence.
"Um, hi," Peter said with an awkward little wave.
"Hey. Yeah. Hi," Deadpool replied, his voice a little shaky. He let out a breathy chuckle before reaching out a hand. Peter shook it and Deadpool smiled through his mask. "I'm a major fan. You're, like, my favorite Avenger, Spiderman."
It was only then that Peter remembered he was still wearing his mask, and he was kind of glad for the anonymity. "Oh. Thanks," he told Deadpool with a nod.
Then, the Merc took a couple steps forward, until he was more in Peter's space. In a low, almost husky voice, he added, "You're also sort of my superhero crush." He made a show of dragging his gaze up and down Peter's body, before their masked eyes met again. "That suit does wonders for you." He winked and Peter could feel his cheeks burning. Then, Loki stepped forward and shoved Deadpool to the side, away from Peter.
"Down, boy," he told the Merc.
"What?" Deadpool's voice oozed with feigned innocence. "I can't be held responsible for what that Spidey-ass does to me."
Loki snorted and rolled his eyes. Peter was really glad his mask was still on, because he was certain his face matched Deadpool's suit.
"Actually, now that I think about it," Deadpool added as he blatantly checked Loki out. "Your ass could probably do things to me, too." He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Or, maybe it's more like, I would do things to your ass?" With a dismissive wave, he shrugged and turned back to Peter. "But you're still my numero uno, Baby Boy."
Peter couldn't help the nervous laugh that bubbled out as Deadpool cupped his cheek and grinned at him.
"So. You're Deadpool?" Doctor Strange cut in, appearing from somewhere behind Peter. There was a coldness to his voice and he folded his arms over his chest as he stepped up alongside Loki.
"The one and only," Deadpool replied, planting a hand on his hip. He pointed at the doctor and said, "And you're Doctor Strange." Then, he wiped at his brow. "Whew, glad we got that sorted out."
Loki barked out a laugh and Strange visibly bristled, clenching his jaw and sucking in a sharp breath through his nose. "And you two know each other?" Strange asked dubiously, gesturing to the mercenary and the mage.
Deadpool folded his hands under his chin and let out a dreamy sigh. "We spent a few beautiful nights together a couple months ago."
"I'm not sure 'beautiful' is the appropriate word for watching your limbs regenerate," Loki quipped.
"Pfft." Deadpool folded his arms over his chest. "My healing factor is bar-none the most fan-fucking-tabulous thing you'll ever have the joy of witnessing. Besides, who needs limbs when I'm such an amazing conversationalist?"
Peter smiled, but faltered a bit when he saw the stern look on Strange's face. It almost seemed as though the doctor had placed himself between Loki and Deadpool, glaring at the former. Peter glanced between the three with curiosity and mild concern. The tense moment was broken by Wanda clearing her throat as she and the newly-resurrected Vision approached. "We should probably fill the others in, and find Carol to see what the deal was with the space-ship, yes?" She suggested.
Thor stepped forward, beaming from ear to ear. "And the others will want to hear of Vision's miraculous return!" He clapped the man in question on the back before ushering him up the hill with Wanda, back toward the Compound.
Deadpool instantly looped his arm around Peter's and started guiding him after the trio. "Okay, tell me all about your powers, Spidey."
"Um, well, what do you wanna know?" Peter asked, glancing sideways at the man.
"Everything!" Deadpool gushed, patting Peter's arm with his free hand. So, Peter started at the beginning, from when he got bit by the spider that fateful day at OsCorp and how his powers gradually (read: suddenly and after an incredible bout of sickness and immense pain as a result of the mutation) appeared. As they walked, Peter found it very easy to talk to Deadpool and he'd be lying if he said he didn't like how the Merc hung on his every word.
Behind them, Loki and Strange pulled up the rear in silence. Strange was busy burning a hole in the back of Deadpool's head and Loki was watching him with his lip curled up in an amused grin. When they were almost back to the Compound, Loki chuckled.
"What?" Strange growled in response.
Just before the doors of the main entrance, Loki whirled around to stand in front of Strange and stopped, causing the Sorcerer to halt as well. Loki paused a moment, waiting for Strange to quirk an eyebrow at him expectantly before he spoke. In a soft voice and an affected Southern accent, Loki said, "I declare, Sir, I do believe you're," he broke off, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm. What's the word?" Then, he clicked his tongue as he flicked Stephen on the nose and purred, "Jealous."
Strange glared at the Trickster. "You're just trying to get back at me for what I said earlier."
Loki shrugged. "Doesn't mean I'm wrong."
"Are you admitting I was right before, too, then?"
"I did not say that," Loki argued. After another moment of awkward, yet somehow oddly playful, tension, the god softened. "Deadpool is a flirt. He hardly ever means anything by it," Loki explained. Then, he turned and watched as the mercenary held the door open for Spiderman, who was talking animatedly. "Although," Loki drawled, "perhaps we should keep him away from the arachnid. That flirtation, he just might be serious about."
Loki snickered quietly before turning to make his way to the doors, but Strange grabbed his wrist and pulled him back to face him. "Loki, I—" the mortal let his voice trail off, looking at the Asgardian with earnestness. Gulping, he rubbed his thumb along the pulse point on the inside of Loki's wrist before releasing him. "For a moment there today, I thought something might happen to you," he whispered.
Loki's eyes widened, looking genuinely taken aback. Strange looked down, shaking his head. "It's ridiculous, and I can't begin to explain it, but the thought of. . ." he paused, considering his words before finally daring to say, "losing you?" He took a shuddering breath and met the other's gaze again. "It terrified me."
"Oh," was all Loki could manage, eyes wide. They were standing close together, and Loki licked his lips before closing his eyes, rocking back on his heels, and taking a step away from Stephen. "We should go inside."
Strange understood. He had considered doing the same thing when he'd realized how their faces were just inches apart and he had been way too tempted to do something stupid—such as, kissing the Trickster until the thought of putting himself in danger wouldn't even be an option—even though almost all the Avengers were literally right there. They were being watched, and whatever was happening between them wasn't something they wanted to reveal to everyone. Not yet, anyway – if ever.
But still, despite the logic of why Loki stepped away, it stung. And that must have shown on Strange's face, because Loki stopped mid-turn and offered a warm, albeit small, smile. That gesture probably shouldn't have quelled the fear (which he swore, knew, told himself, was irrational) he felt. Jeez, when had he become so damned sentimental? Strange took a steadying breath, telling himself to focus, as he followed Loki inside so they could deal with the aftermath of what had just transpired. And some ominous feeling told Strange that this was merely the beginning.