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E A R T H 6 1 5
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Liana wiped furiously at frustrated tears as she slammed her bedroom door closed. She was vaguely aware of the splinter of wood and how the wall shook, but she didn't care. She couldn't focus on anything except how her mind was on fire, and her body still didn't feel like her own. She was still coming back into it.
She was pacing the length of her bed, chewing on her thumbnail. Her memory kept failing as she tried to think about what had happened. Bucky had said she didn't hurt anyone, but what did she do? She remembered the sound of glass shattering, and the bandages on both hands told her she had done something.
The bedroom door pushed open, and a piece of the broken doorframe fell. Liana jerked her head up as Pietro entered the room, looking at the broken door. "What happened?"
"I slammed it. What do you think?" Liana said.
Pietro walked across the room and sat on the bed, watching as Liana paced the room. "Are you okay?"
"That's a really stupid fucking question."
"I know," Pietro leaned back on his elbows. "On the bright side, Dr. Adams got a lot of information from the brain waves. She and Bruce are working now. Bruce is a funny guy. I like him."
Liana glanced at him but didn't say anything. She remembered lying on the chair. She remembered the words, and she remembered begging them to stop. That was the last thing she remembered until she woke up in the private medical room.
"Talk to me, dreamwalker."
"What is it you want me to say?" Liana turned to him, a bite in her voice. "Can't I just get five minutes without someone wanting me to talk?"
"What are you yelling at me for? I did not do a thing to you."
"I'm not yelling!" Liana yelled and then took a deep breath to calm herself down. "I just don't know what you want from me."
Pietro stood up. "I just want you to talk to me."
"Why should I?" Liana snapped. "I begged you all to stop, and you didn't. I said no. You should've stopped. Do you have any idea what that was like for me?"
"Liana-."
"No," Liana raised her voice. "You don't get to act like just because we spent twelve years on the run together, you know me. I was alive for decades before you were even born, Pietro. And every single day of my life was torture. My very sense of self was stripped away. I had no choice, as my body was used as a fucking weapon. And I said no today! And nobody listened to me."
Before Pietro could say anything, she continued. "I am my own person now. I am working on getting my mind back. I am a person, not some weak little girl who needs you to protect me! I seem to remember us both fighting together the last decade. And now, because we're here, what? You think I need to be babied?"
"You seem so broken, Liana."
"I am not broken!" Liana screamed. "I am not broken. I am in mourning. I am worried. I am scared. But I am not broken."
"Then stop acting like you are."
"I haven't been."
"You have," Pietro began to yell. "You keep yourself in this room all the time. You don't eat with anyone unless it's me or Wanda. You haven't opened yourself up to anyone here."
"Why should I? We're going to go home eventually."
Pietro scoffed. "Are we? You have no control over your powers, and neither of us knows where to begin with the tesseract. How are we supposed to go home?"
"So you want to stay here while our world bleeds? While people who helped us get here die? How could you be so selfish?"
"I lost everything too, Liana!" Pietro yelled, stalking toward her. "I lost my parents. My sister. I-."
"You got her back!" Liana pushed Pietro backward. "You got her back, and you have your mind. You got time with your parents. You remember them. I don't have anything or anyone! And don't you dare put your losses over the fate of our world. We made a promise to each other years ago that we would do anything to stop Hydra. And now you want to run?"
"What Hydra did to you is not my fault. I am one person. If I decide to stay here because it's safe, then you don't get to make me feel bad for it."
Liana's glare hardened, and she turned to walk toward the open door. She had the sense that everyone in the compound had heard their argument. "Get out."
"Liana."
"Get the fuck out of my room, now!" Liana yelled. "And while you're at it, why don't you show a little sadness, or even appreciation, for the man who sacrificed himself to get us here."
"Just because I haven't been crying over Erik's death doesn't mean I don't feel it."
"Well, you could've fooled me. Now get out of my room. Now."
Pietro shook his head before wordlessly leaving the room, and Liana slammed the door so hard the rest of the doorframe splintered.
.・。.・゜✭・..・。.・゜✭・.
Liana spent another hour in her room, pacing around and crying in both frustration and anger. She attempted to calm herself down by taking a cold shower and working on the puzzle she'd started over the weekend. But neither helped, and she had this burning desire she couldn't place. One that was fueled with anger, sorrow, and devastation.
When she couldn't take it any longer, she pulled open her broken door and stalked across the hall. The pounding knock echoed in the empty hallway, and after a few seconds, she knocked again. When there was no answer, and her frustration grew even more, she stepped back.
"FRIDAY, where is Bucky?"
"Sargent Barnes is in the gymnasium with Captain Rogers and Miss Romanoff."
"Tell me how to get there."
After the AI system told her which way to go, Liana walked down the compound hallways with a steadiness she hadn't felt in a long time. Not since she'd been on the run with Erik and Pietro and found a new part of herself that Hydra hadn't taken nor created. The same part of her that died with Erik died.
Though, perhaps it didn't die after all. Perhaps it was just hidden behind a mourning and scared heart.
Finding the gym was easy with how steady her mind felt, and she could easily recall FRIDAY's directions. So when Liana walked through the big glass doors and into the gymnasium, she scanned the room for half a second before she found the man she was looking for.
"Barnes," She called out, catching the attention of all three of them.
Steve and Bucky had been running through their routine exercise while Natasha, who was finished with hers, had been watching in amusement. But at Liana's sudden appearance, all three of them stilled.
Liana stopped when she was just under five feet away from him. "I am not broken." She said, meeting his eyes. "And I am done acting like it. The three of you want me to train my powers, to train with you. Well, I'm in."
"What happened?" Bucky asked.
"Nothing," She unzipped the sweatshirt she was wearing and tossed it aside, leaving her in a plain black shirt and athletic shorts. "I know you've all been wanting to see me in action, so let's go." She nodded her head toward the sparring right.
"Did someone say something to you?" Natasha asked.
"It doesn't matter. I hear the things you say amongst yourselves. Wondering how strong I am with the two serums. So let's go. Which one of you wants to find out?"
"I sense someone's a little full of herself," Natasha said with a smile.
Liana glanced over at her momentarily, and it took a few seconds to realize she was teasing her. In a way that a friend would. And that realization was enough to chip a tiny piece of Liana's angry heart. "Afraid I'll put you on your ass?"
"Is that a personality I see? I wasn't aware you had one." Natasha asked, smiling. "I don't need to spar with you to know you will. Why don't you play with one of the super soldiers?
Liana glanced at Steve and Bucky and raised an eyebrow. "Which one of you wants to clean the floor with your face, then?"
"Hold this," Steve said, handing Bucky his water bottle and rising to the challenge. "Alright, Liana, let's see what you can do."
Liana let herself smile as she turned around and walked toward the ring, hearing three sets of footsteps follow her. She kicked off her sneakers, pulled herself onto the platform, and ducked underneath the elastic ring rope. The platform was rigid underneath her feet but padded as well.
Natasha called Liana over and handed her a hair tie, which Liana accepted wordlessly. As she bent over to tie her hair into a ponytail, Natasha whispered, "Go for his legs."
Liana didn't respond as she stood up, hair tight hanging from her head. Natasha and Bucky took a few feet back as Steve taped up his hands and tossed the roll to Liana. She copied his actions, ensuring another level to cover the bandages on her palms. They were already nearly healed.
"You sure you're up for this?" Bucky called from the ground.
Liana nodded, threw the roll of tape to the corner, and fisted her hands. She had enough of sitting around her bedroom, mopping, waiting for something to make her feel better. She had to make herself feel better. And using her body would do precisely that. It took her back to when she and Pietro would spar in the woods to keep themselves occupied.
And, of course, fighting the winter soldier. But he wasn't here right now, and this was just for fun.
"First one to knock the other on their ass twice wins," Natasha yelled up.
Liana raised her hands in defense position, eyes locked on Steve's movements. His stance mimicked hers, and she could practically read his thoughts, his observance of hers. Everything he did said super soldier. Every moment and flicker of expression. She could so clearly see the serum still at work after so many years.
Just like her.
Steve made the first move, and Liana dodged it, light on her feet. "You're gonna have to be quicker than that." She said.
"Just getting warmed up, sweetheart," Steve replied with an easy grin.
Liana let herself smile, cheeks sore as if she wasn't used to it.
Steve took a step forward, eyes watching Liana's feet. She moved on her toes, keeping her balance light. He recognized it as a similar pattern to Natasha's, and he wondered what kind of cross-training she had from the Red Room.
Steve attempted to strike her again, but she dodged it just like she did the first time.
"You dancing or sparring, Stevie?" Bucky laughed from below.
Liana met Bucky's eyes briefly before she looked back at Steve, right as he realized what she was doing. She was surprised it took him so long to figure it out.
"Smart," Steve smiled. "Trying to tire me out."
With him knowing her plan, she wasn't surprised when he followed her next dodge. His open hand knocked her into the ropes, but she followed that momentum with the ropes and used it to send her toward him.
Steve raised his arm in defense as Liana grabbed it and swung her legs upward, using his body to do so. Her knee collided with the side of his face as she locked her legs around his neck. Then, with that momentum still coursing through her body, she swung her body up and around his shoulders before using her legs and body weight to send him to the ground.
Having flipped over, Liana landed on her knees and watched Steve jump up as quickly as he fell.
"That half-starved girl really just put Captain America on his ass," Natasha laughed while Bucky's echoed.
"Looking good, Steve!" Bucky laughed.
"Nicely done, Liana," Steve complimented, wiping his sweaty forehead.
She stayed silent, watching the stealthy way he moved his feet like a predator about to attack. It was his giveaway when he threw himself toward her. He was too close for her to dodge, so she brought her knee up to meet his chest to send him backward, but he gripped the back of it and brought her down with him.
Before Liana could fight off his grip, he switched positions and had her pinned underneath his weight, forearm pressed against her neck. The two of them were breathing heavily, and Liana could see the light reflecting off the sweat on his face. She was sure her face mirrored his.
Liana knocked him off of her and rolled away, quickly standing up. "Nicely done," She repeated his words.
"You fight like Bucky. You two move the same way," Steve said, spreading his fingers and then fisting them.
"Trained the same," Liana replied, walking along the edge of the sparring platform. She could see Natasha and Bucky watching them attentively, enthusiastically, and it was enough to make her pause for a second. Is this what having friends was like? Cheering them on and yet laughing at them when they fall, like Bucky had mocked Steve?
She shook the distracting thoughts from her head and watched a plan of action cross Steve's features. While she wasn't sure what he was going to do, she steadied her body and prepared to act in defense.
When Steve moved, she picked defense, and blocked punch after punch with her forearms. For once, because of his strength, she actually felt like she was being hit. Though, she could tell he was pulling his punches, and she had to remind each other that they were sparring, not fighting.
Liana dodged the last punch and dropped, swiping her feet out to knock him over. He spun as he fell, landed on his knees, and then was up again and moving faster than Liana could react.
Her back hit the ropes again and she pulled herself up and over them, feet dangling on the edge of the platform as she narrowly avoided his hands. Steve chuckled as she pulled herself up corner pole that the ropes were attached to.
Steve realized her plan half a second too late, and she jumped onto him. Her legs wrapped around his neck again and his hands grabbed her forearms, keeping her from moving. But the force of her body had knocked him off balance, and they both fell.
The padded platform bit into her shoulders and then before she knew what was happening, Steve's leg had her shoulders pinned, while hers had his pinned.
Breathing heavily, Liana looked at their position and realized it was a dead tie. They both had each pinned in mirroring positions. She met Steve's deep blue eyes, parted lips as he breathed heavily, and then started to laugh.
Liana laughed harder than she had in years, tears blurring her eyes. She wiped them away as she met Steve's eyes, and then they were both laughing hard.
Her stomach ached as Steve moved so she could sit up, and she couldn't breathe from how hard she'd been laughing.
"That was something," Steve said as he stood, still chuckling. He offered a hand to help Liana up, and she didn't hesitant to grab it.
Liana wiped her forehead, her own laughter fading as she breathed heavily. Her body was sore, and her arm had a nice bruise from where he'd hit her, but she felt better than she did an hour ago.
She moved to the edge of the platform and sat down, letting her legs dangle off the edge. As she set her hands on the lowest rope, she looked between Natasha and Bucky, who looked more than amused. "I guess it's a tie?"
"I think Steve had you pinned a half a second before you did, but I have to agree it was a tie," Natasha said with a smirk.
Steve sat down next to Liana and nudged her side, "What else can you do, dreamwalker?"
I suck at writing fight scenes ugh I hope this wasn't too terrible I also have a problem with making all my female characters so powered up like I can't resist making them stronger/better than all the other characters because women are just better than men I guess