So… yes, I'm still alive.
This is a short chapter I know, but I haven't read the rest of my story in a long time, and now that I am looking back at it and reading it, I've gone through and tried to update/fix/most likely ruin my next couple of chapters. But yes, this is what I've got edited (that I am satisfied with) and I figured that I may as well post it and give you all something to read.
Leave a review if you like it, it would be appreciated! I like to know when people like what I write (it makes me feel so much less self-conscious about my writing).
~O~O~O~
Raegan was silent on the flight to New York.
Nobody could really tell if she was silently fuming about the refusal she had received for flying the jet, Loki escaping, finding out that she was the Lost Queen of Alfheim, the impending war, the way she had been treated by Fury, or simply all of the above.
Needless to say, they left her alone.
All of them, except Steve.
He sat beside Raegan in silence, his hand holding on tightly to hers and running his thumb over her knuckles reassuringly every now and again. The two agents on board the ship pretended not to notice this, along with the numerous broadcasts they were receiving from SHIELD about the unauthorised use of the quinjet. Natasha silently filed this information away for use at a later date, or as relevant blackmail material against either the super soldier or the alien that she had come to see as a friend over the years.
"Raegan?" Clint called from the cockpit when they were nearing the city. "Can you tell me where exactly Loki is right now? Or what he's close to?"
Raegan closed her eyes and steadied her breathing for a second as she delved through the minds of the thousands of people standing below her. A flash of somebody falling from Stark Tower appeared and she watched as Tony fell from the top of the tower before being enveloped in his Ironman suit.
"He's at Stark Tower. He has already begun the attack. Thor is here too- he's on the rooftop. I just caught a glimpse of him a second ago."
A shock ran through the quinjet, throwing Raegan into Steve, who caught her and held on tightly to both her and the seat, effectively preventing them from both moving.
"What was that?" Steve shouted as the quinjet spun out of control, Clint trying desperately to regain some form of control while things beeped, whined and flashed at him to let him know that the way he was flying was terrible.
"IS THAT A FRICKING HOLE IN THE SKY?" Clint yelled, pulling the jet up and stabilising it. "NAT, THERE'S A GODDAMN HOLE IN THE SKY! THERE ARE THINGS COMING OUT OF IT!"
Raegan stared out the windows and directly at the things flowing from the hole that had opened up in the sky.
"There is no way that they are friendly," she said, watching as a building near the hole blew up. A beam of light above Stark Tower kept it open. She assumed that this meant it was a portal. And that this was the purpose of the Tesseract.
She sighed. "They are definitely not friendly and want to blow us up. Great. More bad guys to fight."
A large, worm shaped creature came out of the portal and began smashing everything in its path. It was covered in layers of thick, shiny scales that looked like they were made of metal. They glinted in the gradually disappearing sunlight, and the beast would have looked majestic had it not eaten a commercial flight that was unfortunately travelling toward the beast.
"Is that what a Bilgesnipe looks like?" Steve said. "You know, the thing Thor was going on about."
Raegan shook her head. "Bilgesnipe have horns. I don't know what these things are, and to be honest, I'm not sure I even want to know. I think it's part of the army of Chitauri that Loki has amassed."
"Are you guys ready?" Clint called. "I'm going to land. You need to be ready to get out and fight."
"The civilians," Steve said to Raegan right before they landed.
A look of understanding flashed up on her face, and she nodded. "We'll get them underground. Probably safer."
"Have you got your earpiece in?"
Raegan pointed to her mask, which she held in her hand. "SHIELD built it in. Tony hacked it for me, so SHIELD no longer has access to the audio feed or the microphone. We will inevitably have to split up at some point, so yes, I am contactable." She slipped the mask on, fitting it snugly over her nose and pressing it into her skin, knowing that the smooth, breathable smart polymer would mould to the contours of her face and prevent it from being removed until she wanted it to be.
Steve stared at her for a moment before reaching out to readjust her mask to fit her more comfortably. His hand lingered, and she reached up to grasp it, holding it against her cheek as she stared back at him, her eyes searching his face to see the multitude of emotions and questions that remained unvoiced.
In that one moment, he saw the carefully and painstakingly hidden chink in her armour. She had let him in, and she was faced with the prospect of losing him as quickly as she had gained him. And while Raegan generally laughed these things off, he was something she always approached seriously. The same went for her. What he felt for her- it was love. Plain and simple. He didn't want to- no, couldn't- lose her.
"Please, be safe," he whispered as an explosion rocked the quinjet, throwing the pair off balance for a split second.
"You too," she murmured back.
He stooped down and kissed her hard. The kiss, while it lasted only a short amount of time, conveyed all their emotions, questions and 'what if's?', allowing the both of them a moment in which they could potentially say their goodbyes while also letting the other one know that they needed to be safe.
"Cap! We have to land! Loki shot the goddamn jet. Stand at the back and we'll lower the ramp for you."
Clint's voice broke them apart, Raegan smiling at Steve and gently caressing his cheek before leaving, strapping her boots up tightly and checking that the specially designed gun was firmly in place in her ankle holster. The gun was a security measure that both Natasha and Clint had pushed for about two years before she had finally got it done.
Her hand slipped into Steve's as they felt the quinjet hit the ground. He squeezed her hand before the ramp lowered, letting them view the scenes of destruction that were before them.
~O~O~O~
I really was not sure about this chapter. If you thought it was good, please let me know! It would be very much appreciated!
I'm trying to update my stories as often as I can, but laziness has somehow won the battle and I'm feeling really tired nowadays even though I do absolutely nothing except sit and read. All day.
I threw in a bit of Steve and Raegan… Their relationship is moving a little fast, I know, but I think that battles tend to prioritise things. Like relationships. And not dying.
So, let me know what you all thought about the chapter (I really like it when you do!), and if you have any questions, feel free to ask.
Until the next update!