Shatter Me (LokixReader)

Chapter 23

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

***

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

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

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

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

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