cut
"Don't lower your spear!" Haruven snapped and attacked Sif again, making the woman take a step back. Haruven moved away from her a little and spun his two short swords in his hands before he raised them and crouched. "The Chitauri won't give you a chance to gather your wits."
Sif nodded blinking away the sweat stinging her eyes, and took a firm hold of her spear, ready for Ven to attack again.
"They won't wait for you to be ready. There will be many, they will be quick. This is not your usual battlefield!" he attacked her again.
Volstagg, Hogun and Fandral stood to the side, their faces pale and mouth slightly open. Behind them were Teddy, Neville, Dean, Sam, Castiel and Thor. The others were somewhere in the tower, keeping an eye on everything going on outside.
Sif growled and swiped at Ven's head with her spear only to have it kicked out of her hand. In the next moment one blade was under her throat, and the other was pointed at her stomach, and Ven's eyes were burning into hers.
"And you're dead." Sif frowned. Ven moved back and lowered his swords. "You can't falter. Just because it's me you're fighting now, and just because you know I will not hurt you, doesn't mean you should hold back."
Sif sighed and shook her head, gifting Haruven with an apologetic smile. "I apologize, Mage Haruven. I simply cannot make myself imagine you as my enemy," she said and Haruven hummed. He turned away from her and looked at the others.
"Fandral, Volstagg, Hogun. Join Sif. It will be the four of you against me." Everyone besides Teddy, Neville and Thor gaped.
"You can't be serious!" Sam exclaimed and Haruven spared Sam a glance, rotating his shoulders and spinning his blades expertly while the Warriors Three joined Sif's side.
"I know I'm stronger than each of them separately. I'm holding back instinctively. If I want to put my point across they need to experience what they'll be facing." Haruven spoke glancing at his opponents to see if they were ready. Haruven took a few steps back and his swords disappeared.
"Should you not face Thor then? If I remember correctly he can push you to reveal your true power," Castiel said and Haruven smirked.
"Thor can fight. He fought against the Chitauri before and won. While The Warriors Three and Sif fought against them, they had Loki working behind their backs, so they couldn't experience what it means to fight an army of ever coming Chitauri."
"Neither have you," Hogun said. "We were all together when they first attacked and we fared well."
"That was a small group and there were many of us. I was there when they first attacked Earth," Haruven countered. "Trust me. What we faced at the Cheyenne Mountain was nothing compared to what happened then." The four exchanged wary glances as Ven took another step back and his magic started manifesting around him. Everyone's eyes widened when the tendrils of magic wrapped themselves around Ven's legs only to actually crawl under his pants and vanish.
His two swords appeared in his hands again, his eyes snapped open and he crouched. "Fight!" he snapped and disappeared.
"I wonder where he picked that up." Neville spoke casually as they watched Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg and Sif struggle with fighting Haruven, who was moving at a god-like speed. Sam and Dean looked at them with wide eyes.
"It's his control over magic." They were surprised when Castiel spoke up. "He probably focused it in his legs, making it possible for him to achieve god-like speed. It is actually a very good tactic when you have many opponents and you need to either kill them quickly or get away from them."
"How's it helping now?" Sam asked and Dean frowned, while Castiel looked at Thor, Teddy and Neville. They were watching the fight, trying to keep up with what's going on.
"It's the ultimate element of surprise." Dean said and looked at everyone. Sam looked at him in surprise while the others nodded and Thor nodded in confirmation.
"But how is that – oh!" Sam figured it out and Dean shivered.
"He's too fast for them to see him. Since they can't see him they might as well be fighting a shadow. Fighting a shadow is like fighting millions of opponents at once because you never know from where the attack will come."
"Correct." Thor said and the two brothers looked at the ongoing fight again. The Warrior Three and Sif stood back to back with their eyes closed and listening.
A low chuckle resonated through the room and Ven appeared a few meters in front of Sif.
"Good job," he said. "You finally got it."
"Yes, but now we know how we must fight when we are together. What do we do when we are alone?" Hogun asked.
"The principle is the same." Haruven relaxed his stance and his blades disappeared. "You listen, you protect yourself; you kill whoever tries to hurt you, you stop for nothing." His eyes darkened and he swallowed audibly. "As much as this pains me, out on the battlefield there is only one rule you should follow. Those who stay behind are left behind." He raised his head and looked at them harshly. "Make sure you are not left behind. We will be greatly outnumbered. If everything goes as planned, we will be the first line of defense. Under no circumstances will we allow the Chitauri to pass beside us."
"Sounds as though you've led an army before," Hogun commented and Haruven nodded.
"I have. Although we were almost equally matched in numbers and we had territorial advantage, our enemies were not just wizards. There were Werewolves and Vampires and Trolls, and our opponents held no qualms about using Dark Arts, while most of my comrades never used a Dark Spell in their lives. We were children who were forced to protect a place we called home. We won, but many lives were lost. We weren't ready; we were nowhere near ready. I will not make the same mistake again." Everyone bowed their heads at that.
"Dad?" Haruven looked at Teddy and the Werewolf took a few steps forward. "Want to train with me? I'm a bit rusty."
Haruven smiled at him and nodded. "Sure," he said and Teddy took his jacket off to spar with his dad.
"You know how I complained about how I didn't want to be one of the Archers?" Dean muttered to Sam as the Warrior Three and Sif made place for Haruven and Teddy.
"Yeah?" Sam glanced at his brother.
"All of a sudden I don't mind all that much," Dean pressed out, hopping in his place, and Sam snorted while Castiel smiled.
"I hear ya," Sam said.
"We'll do more good that way." Dean stated, taking a deep breath.
"And you won't be in the middle of the battle, which will make it easier for Ven." Thor spoke up and the three hunters looked at him. "He doesn't want anyone to get hurt. Yesterday night he and I talked about strategies. Even if the Armies of Men join the fight they will be stationed along the borders of the cities and outer buildings with your guns and machines, while we will stand as the first line of defense." The three nodded.
"Ven will do everything he can to lower the risk of anyone dying." Neville commented. "He already lost enough friends and loved ones." They looked at Teddy and Ven and a shiver passed down their spines when they saw the determined look on Haruven's face.
It was enough to confirm Neville's words.
Haruven would risk everything to keep as many of them as safe as possible.
Everything.
cut
"I can't believe this," Clint pressed out through his teeth. They were all gathered in the living room of the Avengers Tower, watching the evening news. "This is fucking unbelievable."
"Son of a bitch!" Dean spat out and exed his drink. Haruven turned the TV off with a flick of his wrist and the phone rang.
"Jarvis, put it on speaker," Tony said as he walked over to the window.
"Did you see that?" Jack O'Neil spoke over the line.
"We did." Haruven stood up from where he was sitting with Thor in an armchair and crossed his arms over his chest as he walked into the middle of the room.
Cas, Dean and Sam took the couch; Teddy and Neville were kneeling around the tea table with a chessboard in front of them. The News broke their game. Natasha and Clint were at the bar, while Bruce and Steve took their places in other armchairs. Tony was by the window and Thor stood up to approach Haruven, who was looking at the ground with a frown on his face.
"I can't believe they are telling the world that there's nothing to worry about." Jack grumbled and Ven hummed.
"Wouldn't you?" he asked and everyone looked at him. "Even though they are going around it the wrong way they are trying to stop mass panic."
"It will only be worse once the attack happens," Natasha said and the others nodded.
"Let me guess." Sam said. "They aren't mobilizing the armies."
"Right at once, kid," Jack said. "Like Mr. Wizard said. They don't want to risk mass panic."
"Then we're on our own," Haruven concluded.
"Seems so. General Hammond ordered mobilization of everyone who was part of the Stargate Program. We're still with you." Jack spoke in a dry tone, and Haruven's lips tilted up.
"Thank you, Jack,." Ven said. "We'll stay in contact."
"Over and out."
"We're generally screwed." Tony muttered and rubbed his face with his hands.
"Did Pepper reach Fury?" Bruce asked.
"Yeah. Wayne called in that they are on their way back. He said Fury would station the Helicarrier a little outside of New York. They've gained control over every Satellite in Earth's orbit. When they come, we'll know." Tony reported and the others nodded.
"We must inform everyone," Thor said. "Haruven, did you receive word from your people?"
"Not as of yet. Wizarding ways of communication take a few days." He sighed and rubbed his forehead with his fingers. "This would be so much easier if we knew when they'd attack," Ven muttered and walked over to the closest free armchair. He took a seat heavily, rested his elbows on his knees and bowed his head, rubbing his temples with his fingers.
"You okay there?" Dean asked.
"Just a headache, Dean." Ven raised his head and offered Dean a small smile. "I haven't had this much stress since I've resigned from the Force. I can't think of anything that would make this easier on all of us."
"You're not supposed to," Bruce said. "We'll take care of this."
"Together." Steve added and Haruven smiled at them slightly.
"Maybe you should get some rest." Thor suggested. "You hadn't slept well last night and we have been training for the good part of today."
Ven sighed and leaned back in the armchair, closing his eyes. "I will not be able to rest until this is over," he murmured. "Tony, did Daniel send you the information he has on the Goa'uld?"
"Jarvis?"
"The information was received and it is ready for you, sir."
"Jarvis, please send it to my Tablet. I'm going to study it in my room. Maybe I'll figure something out," Ven said and stood up. The others exchanged worried glances when they saw the slight dark circles under his eyes.
"Maybe you should leave that to us," Natasha said.
"You get some sleep." Clint agreed with her and Ven looked at them.
"There's no…"
"I don't mean to sound harsh but you are of no use to us half dead," Castiel said and Ven winced.
"I'm sorry," Ven pressed out, rubbing his forehead with his right hand, his left fisted on his waist.
"Don't be sorry," Bruce said. "Get some rest. Tomorrow is a new day. We'll make it out of this situation."
Ven nodded and made his way over to the elevator. "I'm coming with you," Thor said and nodded at everyone.
The moment the elevator closed, Tony moved away from the window. "He's going to get himself killed before they arrive," he grumbled.
"You should have seen him during the Second Great Wizarding War." Neville muttered and looked back at the chessboard. "He didn't sleep. He didn't eat. We thought he would collapse. And yet somehow he survived it all, faced Voldemort and beat him. He'll be alright."
"There's something strange though," Teddy said and everyone looked at him.
"What?" Bruce asked.
"His scent; it's somehow different." Teddy murmured into his chin, crossing strong arms over a well defined chest.
"The last time you've seen him he wasn't married to Thor," Castiel spoke helpfully and Teddy shook his head.
"It's not that. I can smell Thor on him and I can smell dad's scent on Thor, but there's something else; something I can't define. Besides, he's been having a headache ever since the meeting at Starborn, which has been what – three days ago? And just this morning he completely bypassed breakfast. I know for a fact that ever since Grandma Molly chewed him out after he war he hadn't missed breakfast once."
"He doesn't look sick," Sam said.
"He doesn't smell sick either." Teddy looked at Sam. "Doesn't mean there's nothing wrong with him."
"Maybe he's just really stressed and tired." Steve suggested.
"It is a possibility," Neville said and Teddy looked at him. "Leave him be for a few more days. If his condition gets worse we'll take action."
Teddy sighed but nodded. "Alright."
"Don't worry, Ted," Sam said and Teddy looked at him. "We're all watching over him."
"Yeah!" Dean said. "He watched over us for a long time. We're just returning the favor." Teddy smiled and nodded.
"Besides, with how Thor's been dancing around him ever since Ven was taken by Loki, it will be good if Ven ever catches the flu." Tony grumbled and everyone besides Teddy chuckled. The wizard frowned and looked at the Chessboard.
"He's really good to dad, isn't he?" he asked and looked around.
"You haven't seen them when they think they're alone," Natasha said and the others nodded.
"Thor loves your dad, kiddo." Tony smirked. "He'll go through Hell and back for him if need be."
Teddy nodded and looked at the board again. A small smile tilted his lips and he moved his bishop. "Check-mate."
Neville winced. "Damn."
cut
Thor woke up when the sounds of retching reached his ears. "Ven?" he called out when he realized he was alone in bed. He quickly got up and hurried into the bathroom. "Ven!" he fell to his knees beside Haruven who was kneeling in front of the toilet puking his soul out. "Heavens..." Thor muttered and pushed Haruven's hair out of his face.
"Sorry for waking you up," Haruven pressed out while Thor cursed under his breath.
"You are supposed to wake me up if you are not feeling well." Haruven chuckled weakly. Thor grabbed a towel from a hanger and stretched to open the cold water. He squeezed the excess water out of the towel and lifted Haruven's hair to place the towel on the back of Ven's neck. Haruven groaned lowly and rested his forehead on the edge of the toilet seat.
"Must be something I ate," Haruven muttered and Thor frowned.
"Hardly. You barely ate anything yesterday," he said and Haruven snorted. "We should take you to a healer."
"It's fine." Haruven swallowed difficultly before he pushed himself away from the toilet and rested back against the bathtub. Thor stood up, took the cup they kept on a shelf and filled it with cold water.
"Drink." Haruven smiled at Thor and accepted the cup of water. "And I would not say you are fine."
Haruven sighed, closed his eyes and leaned his head back on the tub. "I'm alright, Thor," he said and looked tiredly at his husband. "Like I said yesterday, I hadn't been under so much stress in years. It must have caught up with me. I'll just try to calm down and take it easy, one day at a time. Trust me. Teddy would have smelled it if I were sick."
Thor frowned and looked to the side. "I do not know," he muttered and Haruven chuckled.
"Help me up." Thor nodded and the two slowly stood up. Haruven quickly washed his teeth and tied his hair in a high ponytail. He then turned and smiled up at Thor. "Do not worry so much about me, love."
Thor wrapped his arms around Haruven. The wizard raised his arms and wrapped them around Thor's shoulders, tucking his head under Thor's chin. Thor kissed the top of Ven's head and rubbed his back lovingly. "I cannot help but worry. You are giving everything you have. I do not wish for you to get sick. I do not wish to lose you."
Haruven moved back a little, entwined his fingers in Thor's hair and pulled him down into a kiss. "You will never lose me, my God of Thunder." Haruven whispered and Thor kissed him again. Haruven smiled against Thor's lips when he pulled him closer.
"Are you feeling better?" Thor asked and Haruven nodded.
"Just a bit queasy still." He moved back slightly. "I will be fine." Thor nodded hesitatingly. "Let's go. The others must be awake already and Wayne, Pepper, Barbara and Dick should have already come back."
Thor nodded and watched Ven leave the bathroom.
He would have to keep a closer eye on Ven.
No matter what the raven haired man said, there was something wrong with him.
And Thor would get to the bottom of it.
cut
"What is that?" Thor asked lowly and looked up. The lights were flickering in the living room and everyone tensed up and stood slowly.
"Take it easy. I don't feel anything coming," Haruven said and looked out the window. The skies were clear.
"Then what's going on?" Teddy asked and took a step closer to Haruven.
"I don't know," Haruven said and looked at Thor. In that moment the TV flickered on and Haruven's eyes widened. "Yu – Yusuke?!" the man on the screen grinned at him.
"Hey-ya there!" he waived at everyone enthusiastically.
"Who is this?" Natasha asked with her hand on her gun.
"Spirit Detective Urameshi Yusuke, at yer service, lady!" he saluted everyone teasingly.
"Yusuke, how – how is this possible? How are you…?"
"For a Wizard you lack some imagination, mate." Yusuke grinned and Haruven smiled at him fondly. "We're all gathered at Koenma's office here in Spirit World. Kurama was at a Bar when he heard your call so he rushed over to tell us you need some help over there." Everyone looked at Haruven whose eyebrows met the line of his hair. Yusuke moved back a little and a tall, white haired man waved at them.
"Now he's HOT!"
"Teddy!" Haruven exclaimed in shock and Teddy grinned at him while Kurama chuckled.
"Yoko Kurama, King of Thieves; at your service." Kurama bowed at them and Teddy winked at him, making almost everyone roll their eyes.
"What's the situation in Ningenkai?" another voice spoke and a short man with raven hair and striking red eyes came into the picture.
"Ningenkai?" Fandral wrinkled his nose slightly.
"Human world." Wayne supplied and others looked at him in shock.
"Didn't know you spoke whichever language that's in," Dick murmured.
"It's Japanese and yes, I speak it," Wayne said.
"Hiei, I thought you were with Mukuro," Haruven greeted the short demon who scoffed and looked to the side.
"The Detective summoned us all here," Hiei drawled and Haruven smiled fondly at him.
"I'm glad you answered."
"Don't you worry, hot-stuff!" Yusuke said with a huge grin and Haruven chuckled. "Whatever yer problem is we're gonna kick its ass!"
"As loud as ever, Yusuke." Haruven looked at Thor when the man walked closer and placed his hand on the small of Haruven's back and the wizard smiled at him before he looked back at the screen again.
"Wait, you're really all demons?" Sam asked. Yusuke's grin turned shark-like, Hiei snorted and looked to the side while Kurama winked at them.
"Born and raised!" Yusuke cheered before he tilted his head to the side, blinking big brown eyes thoughtfully. "Well they were born and raised. I was born human but became a demon when I died for the second time and that triggered a dormant gene." Yusuke rambled and Dean, Cas and Sam exchanged slightly confused glances.
"You have really strange friends, Ven," Dean said and Ven chuckled.
"If you think we're strange wait till you meet the others!" Yusuke grinned brightly.
"Others?" Natasha, Sif and Pepper spoke at the same time.
"Sure! If Ven-chan needs help then we're bringing in the damn cavalry!"
"This brings us to why we need your help, Yusuke," Ven said. "We are expecting an attack from an army of Chitauri."
"Chitauri?" everyone looked at Kurama.
"You know about them?" Bruce asked and Kurama nodded.
"They are a demonic race long banished from Makai. I thought they died out around the same time as the Goa'uld."
"I hate to break it to ya, but the Goa'uld ain't dead," Dean drawled and Kurama hummed.
"What are you thinking, fox?" Hiei asked.
"Just that you have a pretty big problem on your hands. The Chitauri were banished for a reason. They are great warriors, but a rather parasitic race. You can think of them as grasshoppers. They kill everything in sight, waste whatever natural resources they can find and move on. They were the main weapon of the Goa'uld."
"That just means that we must try as hard as we can to beat them," Hogun said and the others nodded.
"And you'll need all the help you can get," Yusuke grinned. "I'll summon a meeting of the Makai lords. I suppose they'll be using standard battle tactics," the cheerful demon turned to Kurama who nodded gravely, golden eyes focused on the floor.
"Cut off a snake's head and the body will die." Kurama and Ven spoke at the same time and Kurama smirked while Ven raised an eyebrow at him. Teddy snickered beside his dad, making Haruven glance at him with a small smirk.
"You can count on us, Ven-chan."
Haruven smiled and nodded. "I'm happy to hear that."
"One more thing," Another voice appeared and the screen turned towards a handsome young man with Jr written on his forehead and (at that everyone gaped) a pacifier in his mouth. "We've registered a dramatically high increase in spell-weaving all around the world." Haruven's breath hitched in his throat. "I've looked into it and found wizards secretly putting runic shields around every single town in the world. Do you have any idea about this?"
"Lord Koenma." Haruven bowed his head at him. "I asked my fellow witches and wizards to do that. We need to protect everyone. We don't know when the Chitauri will attack and we don't know where. This was our safest bet."
Koenma nodded. "I can't get involved but Yusuke and the others can. I hope you succeed."
Haruven smiled at him and Yusuke and the others appeared on screen again. "I'll hear from ya later, Ven-chan! Take care!" Kurama wiggled his fingers at Teddy. The young werewolf blushed, and then the screen went black.
"Can someone explain to me what just happened?" Tony asked.
"Trust me, Tony. No one but them can explain it, and I don't think they ever will. They are demons and they like to have secrets and appear mysterious." Haruven rolled his eyes and looked at Thor. "I know for a fact that a lot of demons will follow Yusuke. They can travel anywhere faster than wizards can which means we have a lot of pretty powerful allies waiting for our signal."
"That's a relief," Pepper said and took a seat.
"Are they any good?" Sif asked and Haruven snorted.
"I've seen a tree crack because Yusuke sneezed." Everyone raised an eyebrow at that. "Kurama is a Fox Demon, what you've seen now is his basic form, and Hiei is a Hybrid between a Fire Sprite and a Koorime, a Water Demon. Yusuke is a Mazoku, his specialty is pure Energy. Trust me. Put these three on a battlefield and take cover, because they'll wreak havoc wherever they go." He spoke as he took a seat. "Having the Makai demons on our side will make this a lot easier." He rubbed his temples.
"Another headache?" Bruce asked and Haruven looked at him.
"I'm fine," he insisted and Neville groaned.
"Not that again."
"What?" Haruven asked, narrowing his eyes at his friend.
"Ven, no offense, but during the Second Wizarding War, 'I'm fine' was your catchphrase. If something's wrong say it now so we can fix it."
"Neville. I haven't been sleeping well, alright? I'm constantly worrying, constantly trying to think of a way to stop this, how to gather more people; how to protect this world without losing anyone. I'm under stress and I'm getting tired, alright? I'm fine. I'm better than I was during the War. I'm not going to break."
"Even a tree with the deepest roots can break under a strong enough wind," Castiel spoke and Haruven sighed, stood up as he rubbed his face with his hands and started pacing.
"What do you want me to do?" he asked tiredly and stopped in front of everyone, arms crossing over his chest. "Sit aside and wait? I've been getting as much rest as I can."
"But not as much as you need, dad." Teddy said and walked over to Haruven. "Go to your room. Relax a bit. There's nothing you can do right now. We're all getting ready. We're practicing. We're gathering allies wherever we can. If there's an emergency we'll call you, alright?"
Haruven stared in Teddy's eyes for a good long moment. The younger man sighed and placed his hands on Ven's forearms, giving them a reassuring squeeze. "Daddy, please…" he brought out the big guns, it appeared, because the corners of Haruven's lips tilted down and his eyes filled with something no one had ever seen before.
It has been a really long time since Teddy had called Haruven 'daddy', and even though Ven had never even asked Teddy to call him dad or any variation thereof, he wasn't ashamed to admit that having the young man consider him his parent did things to Haruven's heart.
Calling him 'daddy', was an underhanded move, but one glance in Teddy's eyes told Ven that while Teddy knew what that did to Ven, it wasn't done with an intention to hurt him.
"Alright," Haruven murmured in a tight voice, and a smile tilted Teddy's lips although his eyes were full of sadness, "but promise you'll wake me up if anything happens."
"We will." Thor placed his hand on Haruven's shoulder, attracting the wizard's attention, and he gifted his loving husband with a smile and a reassuring gaze, "Come now." Haruven sighed as he looked back at Teddy, offering his son a loving smile before he nodded and followed Thor out of the room.
"He worries too much." Wayne commented once the elevator closed.
"Maybe we are the ones who do not worry enough?" Sif said and Wayne looked at her. "Maybe we should be in the same condition as he is?"
"Don't say that," Neville spoke up offering Sif a reassuring smile. "Worrying won't bring us anywhere."
"But what if she's right?" Steve asked. "What if we're taking this too lightly?"
"Ven worries because he doesn't know otherwise," Neville said. "He's used to making sure everyone is fine. He's used to protecting everyone. He's not used to working with people who can take care of themselves; people he can count on not to get killed the moment he turns his back on them."
"Sounds like his former partners were incompetent," Barbara muttered.
"They weren't necessarily incompetent." Neville wrinkled his nose, crossing his arms over his chest before he raised his right hand to rub his chin. "But during the War, we were children. There were few among us who could actually fight. The Dark Side was stronger and we lost a lot of people. Ven remembers that, and he doesn't want to feel that again."
"So he's really just stressed out?" Pepper asked and Neville nodded as he stood up and dug through his pockets for his wallet.
"I know I had it in here somewhere." He murmured into his chin as he opened his wallet searching for something. "Here it is." He grinned and pulled out an old, wrinkled photo before he walked over to Pepper and showed it to her. "This is Harry two weeks after the last Wizarding War. He's on the far right." He gave the photo to her and she squinted as she took a look at it only to gasp a moment later and cover her lips with her left hand, eyes filling with tears.
"Heavens…." She whispered and looked at Neville, her gaze begging him to tell her that she was seeing wrong. "He looked-…"
"Devastated, right?" Neville spoke with a sad upturn of his lips, eyes darkened with shadows of painful memories.
Tony walked over, took his phone out of his pocked and took the picture from Pepper's hand, eyes narrowing as he glanced at the photo and held his phone over it, pressing a button on it. "Jarvis, enlarge this."
"Right away, sir."
In the next moment a holo-screen appeared in front of them and everyone gaped. The only way to recognize Ven was by his emerald eyes, although at this photo there was hardly any life in them. His cheeks were slightly indrawn, his shoulders were hunched, there were dark circles under his eyes and his clothes hung on his thin frame. Even his hair seemed lifeless. He was holding a small baby in his arms and his gaze was pointed at it, his thin, pale lips pulled into a hint of a smile. It was hard to believe they were looking at a 17 year old boy.
"That's me he's holding," Teddy said and everyone looked at him. "My biological parents were killed in the war. Dad took me in without a thought and raised me to the best of his abilities."
"What happened to him?" Dick asked, staring at Haruven with narrowed eyes, mentally trying to compare this image of a 17 year old Haruven with the one he had met.
"He fought." Neville spoke as he took a seat heavily, his eyes pointed at the enlarged image of his best friend. "Ever since he was 11, he fought and survived. Then his mentor died and he and these two, Ron and Hermione…" he pointed at a tall, gangly red-head and a pretty, brown haired girl, "set off to find the Horcruxes. They were constantly on the run; constantly hiding. Then they came back to Hogwarts and – how do you Americans say it? Shit hit the fan and the fan was on high." He chuckled as he shook his head and everyone frowned at him. "Voldemort attacked. Hogwarts was breaking down. He called Harry out; said he'd spare us if Harry came to him willingly." Neville's eyes darkened with memories, Teddy crossed his arms over his chest and looked to the side, eyes slipping closed, while the others stared in utter horror at Neville.
"There was something none of us knew," the wizard spoke in a heavy tone, hands fisting on his knees, "none of us but Hermione, Ron and Harry. Harry was the last Horcrux. Voldemort made him one when he killed his mother. For Voldemort to die, Harry had to die as well."
"Oh God..." Pepper whimpered and Tony wrapped his arms around her.
"Don't tell me he went." Clint said, and Natasha leaned on him.
Neville snorted and shook his head, laughing quietly. "What else do you expect of him? Of course he went. He walked right in front of Voldemort and took the Killing Curse head on. He died so that Voldemort could die. I don't think Harry ever expected to survive that war. But he did." Neville looked at Teddy and his lips tilted up into a small, sad smile. "Many say that it was Ginny who helped him survive, but she wasn't the one. When she died a year later, Harry was sad, but he had a reason to live." Teddy licked his lips as he looked at the image of the man who sacrificed his all to give life and peace to those he cared about. "You, Teddy," Neville sighed and rubbed his eyes with his right hand. "You were the one who kept Harry alive. Not Molly's mothering, not our insisting that he should take care of himself. You." Teddy nodded and smiled weakly, rubbing his eyes with his left hand to wipe away the tears that wanted to fall.
"Who – who are the others in the photo?" Sif asked after she cleared her throat, her eyes suspiciously glassy.
"Next to Harry are Ron, Hermione and Ginny. Then there's me and my wife, Luna, then the Weasleys and a few of our school friends." Everyone nodded and for a few moments continued staring at the picture.
"So, I think it's pretty safe to say that until he starts losing weight and looks like death warmed over, we don't have to worry too much," Tony said and the holo-screen shut down.
Neville chuckled and nodded. "Yes. Until then we practically have nothing to worry about."
"Good," Bruce said. "Let's just make sure he never becomes like that again." Everyone nodded and Steve placed his hand on Bruce's shoulder.
"Agreed."
cut
"You should be sleeping." Thor murmured lowly and Haruven chuckled. Thor opened his eyes and looked at his beloved, who was looking down at him with love filled eyes.
Ven was lying on his side, leaning on his elbow and his tender fingers were dancing over Thor's eyebrows, nose, lips, the line of his hair and the sharp line of his chin. "I can't sleep." Haruven whispered and Thor frowned.
He raised his arm, beaconing Haruven closer and the raven-haired man moved closer to Thor, turned his back on him and nuzzled back into his chest, sighing when Thor wrapped his strong, muscled arm around his waist and pulled him close.
The God of Thunder buried his face in the back of Haruven's neck, breathing in the fresh scent of his hair, taking in the warmth and subtle waves off power rolling off of Ven in steady waves. "What is on your mind, sváss?"
"A lot of things." Haruven closed his eyes. He shivered when Thor kissed his naked shoulder, and he felt his god's need awaken against his behind.
"Then stop thinking. You need rest." Thor spoke as he littered kisses and nips along Ven's shoulder and neck, making the wizard moan lowly and roll his hips. Thor hissed and a small smirk pulled on Haruven's lips.
"Make me." Haruven gasped when Thor thrust against him in a slow, teasing manner. His callused fingers played over Ven's chest, his thumb brushing over pebbled nipples as he bit into the junction of Ven's neck and shoulder. Thor pushed one leg between Ven's legs and dragged the arm he wasn't using as a pillow down Ven's side.
He completely bypassed Ven's straining need and dragged his hand over Ven's thigh, pushing his hand lower and raising Ven's leg as he rolled on his back, taking Ven with him so that he practically lay on top of Thor. He wrapped one arm securely around Ven, parting his beautiful lover's legs with his own. Ven moaned lowly as he threw his head back, resting it on the pillow beside Thor's head, eyes slipping closed and a moan leaving his lips when Thor latched his lips onto Ven's neck, thumbing the Wizard's right nipple as he tugged on the straining member in a slow rhythm.
Ven arched into Thor's touch as pleasure overwhelmed him. Breathless moans left his lips and Thor grunted lowly as he thrust his hips slowly, rubbing against Ven's ass. He looked to the side and let go of Ven's member to open the small jar of oil he used to relieve Ven's pain a few days back. He dipped his fingers in it and rolled over, trapping Ven underneath himself.
"Thor…"
"Hush…" Thor whispered as he teased Ven's entrance with his fingers. Ven moaned and arched closer to Thor when the God of Thunder pushed his index finger inside Ven. He kissed down Ven's spine as he prepared his beloved Wizard for something much bigger than his fingers.
"Gods, Thor – please – please…"
"Tell me what you want, sváss. Tell me." Thor murmured against Ven's heated skin.
"You! I want you! Please!" Thor growled and coated his cock with the oil. He raised his hand, and cupped Ven's cheek, leaning closer and kissing his raven haired Angel as he slowly pushed inside him. He swallowed the moan of pleasure that left Ven's lips as he slowly started to move. He lowered his hand on Ven's stomach and Ven entwined their fingers there.
Thor growled lowly and turned on his back. Ven moaned and arched off of him when Thor's cock hit his prostate. Ven threw his arms over his head, entwining his fingers in Thor's hair, while Thor spread his legs with his own and took a firm hold of Ven's thighs, biting into Ven's shoulder as he thrust into him slowly, holding back as much as he could.
Haruven could hardly breathe under the constant assaults of pleasure coursing down his body. Thor was barely moving, but he was constantly rubbing against that sweet, sweet spot inside him, hardly giving him enough time to breathe.
Thor grunted when he felt the slight tremors shaking Ven's beautiful body. He took Ven's member in his hand and tugged. Ven's breath hitched in his throat and he moved in time with Thor's thrusts and tugs. His mouth opened in a breathless scream after a particularly hard tug and he came into Thor's hand.
Thor grunted and buried his face in Ven's shoulder, filling him with his seed. He wrapped his arms around Ven, kissing his shoulder lovingly. Ven moved and turned his head towards Thor's, their lips meeting in a soft, sated kiss. They turned on their sides and Thor pulled a blanket over them, but when he wanted to pull out of him, the wizard tugged on Thor's hand and stopped him.
"Don't. I love the feeling of you in me."
Thor chuckled lowly and rolled his hips slowly, making Ven gasp and arch closer. "As you wish." He murmured and Haruven nuzzled back into him. Thor kissed Haruven's shoulder, hugging him tightly to his chest.
"Love you," Haruven whispered as his eyes started to close.
Thor's lips tilted into a small smile as he buried his nose in Haruven's hair, hugging his wizard to himself as tightly as he could without hurting him. "I love you too, min líf. I love you too."
cut
Urd frowned in confusion as a small white light appeared in the dark sky. "What?" she whispered, taking a small step forward and raising her delicate hand to her chest.
"You have seen it as well, my dear sister."
Urd looked over her shoulder at the smiling Verdandi. "Was that…"
"A new star was born," Skuld said, appearing beside Urd out of nowhere. A small frown was on her young face, and the three Norns looked at the sky. "Figures..." Skuld muttered. "They are gods after all."
"But he is not…"
"He is Starborn, Urd," Verdandi said and Urd nodded with a small frown. She sighed, her eyes focused on the weakly glowing newborn star in the sky.
"The time couldn't have been worse," Urd whispered and shivered when Verdandi wrapped her arms around her comfortingly.
"We can only hope everything goes right," she said and Urd nodded.
"Yes," she whispered. "We can only hope."
cut