Chasing the tesseract

Chapter 40

Ringing echoes throughout my ears as a throbbing sensation pounds in the back of my skull causing my head to spin. In the distance, voices shout my name, begging me to wake up but no matter how hard I try, my heavy eyelids remain sealed. A gentle hand rests against my arm as someone kneels down on the floor to the left of my body, shaking me violently and lifting me onto their knee before they wipe my hair from my face, their fingers brushing gently against my forehead.

A door slams open at the back of the room as feet scuffle along the floor, whoever it is rushing to my side quicker than a cat jumps out of water. A gasp escapes their body as they come to a halt in front of my weak body before they collapse at my side, their hands hovering over me as their breath trembles.

Using all the energy I have, I take a deep breath and force my eyelids open, light blinding me from the window opposite me as I squint. One my left, Tony smiles down at me as his shoulder relax, a sigh of relief letting out all his panic. On the other side of me sits Loki, a small smirk on his face as he looks down at me, his eyes full of relief that quickly turns into concern as I begin to pull myself up.

"What are you doing?" asks Loki as he grabs my right arm, Tony grabbing my left as they pull me into a sitting position and rest me against a small chair. Rolling my eyes and causing a shooting pain through my skull, I push them both out the way to reveal Stephen's limp body in the middle of the floor surrounded by Peter, Wanda and Vision.

"Stephen?" I shout breathlessly as me heart hammers in my chest and my eyes widen. Dragging myself to my feet, I stumble across to Stephen's body and collapse of the floor, my chin trembling as Wanda moves to the side to make space for me.

His body is weak and cold as I pull him into my arms, pushing a strand of his hair from his face as I hug him tightly to my body. I gently place my hand against his cheek, stroking it as I place the other against his neck, desperately searching for a pulse, for some sign of hope.

"Please Stephen." I beg as my tears drop from my chin onto his clothes, a wet patch forming on his collar as the cloak wipes them from my face. "Please come back to me." I whisper as I lower my head against his, closing my eyes and giving in to the tears that sting my eyes, letting them fall into his face. "I need you. You're my home now. Please don't go away."

Tony places his hand on my shoulder as I sit back up, staring down at Stephen through tear stained eyes. "I'm sorry Abi but... I think he's gone." Numbness takes over my body as I let go of Stephen, raising my hands to unclasp the necklace that hangs around my neck and pulling it into my hands. Taking a deep breath, I open the locket revealing a small photo of me and Stephen in it. Closing my eyes, I place the necklace in Stephens hand as I let go of him, turning to Tony as he hugs me tightly, my tears now soaking into his shirt.

"Abi?" whispers a voice behind me as I let go of Tony, my eyes widening as I freeze in place. Blinking once, I slowly turn around as my chest rises and falls rapidly, my breath racing as I see Stephen staring up at me, his eyes fixed on mine.

"Stephen?" I whisper as I collapse to my knees, a smile growing on my face as tears pour from my face, only this time, their happy tears. Pulling himself upright as he groans, Stephen collapses against the wall behind him as he grabs my hand, pulling my body closer to his until our lips crash against each other. His hand tangles in my hair as mine rest against his shoulders, each of us locked in the moment, the world around us completely nonexistent. Tears stream down my face but neither of us break apart to wipe them away, instead we deepen the kiss, my arm wrapping around his neck as his pull my body tighter to his. A smile creeps onto my lips as I pull away from him, resting my forehead against his as I place a hand against his cheek to check he is actually real. "Y-You're okay." I assure myself as my fast short breaths turn into deep ones. Placing my other hand on his cheek, I smile at him as I look into his eyes, now full of life as he stares back at me.