ＢＲＯＫＥＮ

ᴍᴇᴀɴᴡʜɪʟᴇ, ɪɴ ʀᴜꜱꜱɪᴀ

"Awfully nice to see you, Y/N." The doctor said, his accent you had been hearing in your head sending shivers through your whole body.
You nodded, swallowing hard, and trying to smile again.

But your face was locked in fear, your breathing quickening.

"Give me the ring." He stated in a commanding tone, any trace of evil smirk on his face replaced by a haunting look of anger.

You weren't giving up that easily.

"No." You simply said. You were aware of the team in the room but you kept your eyes fixed on the doctor. He chuckled a little.

"Give me the ring, or I'll kill your family." You froze then. He still had a bloody dagger in his hand, and you let yourself look at the team.

There were no restraints, no gags, just nothing.
Just them, kneeling.

What had he done without the ring that caused them to succumb to him so easily. What had he done to them?

He had just a dagger clutched in his fist,
you could fight him off.

A split second decision, as always.

And you were lunging for him, aiming for the dagger, aiming to swipe it out of his hand.
But as you leapt, you were falling.

Your knees made impact with the floor and it took you a second to even recognise the pain.
The pain so similar to this morning with Bucky.
The same pain, from your leg. Blinding you again.

just pure mind numbing, excruciating pain, racking from your leg through your whole body, freezing you there on the floor.

Then it stopped

You fell back on the floor, your head hitting the concrete with a soft thump, your eyes closing for a second.

You opened them abruptly, and without a moment of thought, pushed yourself up off the concrete, your head throbbing in answer.

You made eye contact again, he was smirking.
You were on your feet now, a little unsteady, the pain and your lightheadedness knocking you off your balance just a little.

You grabbed a dagger, strapped to your thigh, and charged for him once again, and he simply turned around to face the team.
Then he walked over to Nat, twirling the dagger in his palm playfully.

You stopped in your tracks, and walked backwards slowly.

You saw her swallow hard and raise her already bloody chin.

Fear set in and you shouted

"NO." Startling yourself a little with the volume.

He froze a little, before pivoting around back to face you, a wide smile on his face.

"Not them." You said, quieter, tears prickling at your eyes and you willing them away.

You looked at your hand then, at the ring, and reached over to grasp it, before going to wiggle it off your finger.

"DONT." A sound cut through the air, a familiar voice, causing you to leave the ring and whip your head up and around the room to where the sound was coming from. You'd know that voice anywhere, it was your father who had shouted.

You looked at him, still kneeling there, tears in his tired, already red eyes, you let him see the confusion on your face, before another voice from opposite him grabbed your attention.

"If you take that ring off, you'll die." A voice said.
Steve.

His words sunk in as you looked at him, though barely registering his face, as thoughts raced around your head.

You looked back at the ring in confusion, before looking back up at the doctor, bewildered. He was chuckling again, and you waited for him to answer you. He let out a breath as if starting to tell a long story, and he spoke in that petrifying Russian accent.

"When we... branded you."

Branded you.

Branded.
You.
The logo on your leg.

"We knew you had the ring in your possession. And so we made a connection, from my ring." He put emphasis on the 'my'

"To that mark on your leg. That's why I am able to control you, to bring you pain. I am the original and the only wielder of that ring, it's power can still be manipulated.
After you stole my property, I wanted to make sure it never happened again. That's why I forged that mark. That mark ensures that you die when the ring is returned to its master.............................me."

He said with amusement.
A strangled gasp left your throat and several members of the team lowered their heads behind the doctor.

You were speechless. Everything.

Everything came together.

"If you do not give me that ring, Y/N, I will kill your family and I won't hesitate." His smile became demonic. "I will immobilise you with pain so excruciating, while you watch your precious little avengers killed in front of you, picked off one by one." He smiled still.

"No." You said quietly, in disbelief. He couldn't-

He- he wouldn't hurt them-

Surely.

"No." You said again.

"So give me the ring, and your 'family' doesn't have to come to any harm."

The team were shaking their heads, or crying, or their faces were hidden from you, staring down at the floor.

Your father was the only one making direct eye contact with you. He shook his head in a silent warning.

You, or them.

You. Or them.

It was you.

Or them.

You reached your hand over slowly to the ring once more, and grasped it.

You stood there in the doorway, and the world went quiet.
The earth turned slower.
It was like time itself, had stopped for you.

You'd done this before, right, you smiled through the pain.

You'd once been so ready for death, you'd welcomed it in.

You were scared.

You were so scared.

But you still smiled.

You needed to do this.

Don't be scared.

You need to do this.

It's you, or them.

It's you.

Or them.

Don't think about the team-
Don't picture their faces-
Don't.

They'd forgive you.

You took a deep breath in the silence, everything around you blurred and slowed.
And when you exhaled, you grasped the ring.

And you pulled

Then.
You fell.