Unbreakable Bonds

Alive

I feel as if I'm floating, my face just above the surface of a vast, black ocean dimly lit by a dreary night sky. I could drown any minute. I don't know where I am, I assume it's somewhere between life and death. It's not painful, it's quite peaceful but I feel trapped. My body is exhausted and I want to stop treading the water that I float in but I know if I stop, I will never see my chosen family again. I will never see Loki again. Those thoughts are the only things keeping me afloat at the moment. I started to sink at one point. I gave up and accepted my fate only to be painfully pulled back to the surface by a strike of lightning that pierced the waters surface and plunged through my heart. That was my sign to fight, they weren't ready to give up on me so I needed to keep fighting, for them.

***
I don't know how long it's been. The sun never rises here, I'm surrounded by a constant cover of darkness. There's only enough light to see the ripples of water around me as I try to keep myself afloat.

***
I feel as if the sky has brightened some lately but that could also be this world playing tricks on me, getting my hopes up only to push me back under without a seconds notice. There have been a few close calls where only my nose was above the water, each time I've been ready to sink I've thought I've heard my name being called. I thought that I could hear that one voice...

***
This place is changing, the sun has started to rise on the horizon. I can now make out shapes that I'm hoping is some form of land. I feel paralysed, I can't move my arms or legs. I hope my body drifts closer to land.

***
I made it to land two sunsets ago, I don't know how time works in this place. The days have slowly been getting brighter and hotter, I'm hopeful that means I'll find my way back soon.

***
I wake up one day but cannot open my eyes or move, I'm paralysed again. However I am no longer in that strange place. I can hear the steady beep of a monitor and I can feel my body laying on an unfamiliar bed.

***
"Brother you must eat something. You're wasting away here. Go, I'll stay with her. You need a shower, you don't want to smell of trash mixed with rotten bodies when she awakens. I'll let you know if anything happens." Thor's usually booming voice is quite soft for once. I will my eyes to open or for my hand to move but nothing happens. I hear a chair move and someone sigh before cold lips are pressed to my forehead. I hear footsteps exit the room.

"Lady Raven, I'm unsure if you can hear me but I need you to come back as soon as you can. I'm afraid Loki is not fairing well, he will not leave your side. We all miss you, we all need you to come back. I'm proud of you for calling on Mjölnir, I wish you had of thought about it sooner..." his words fade away as I fall back into unconsciousness.

***
I can hear the steady beep of the monitors again.

One month. She's been like this for a whole month. I need her to find her way back to me, I won't stand to be on any realm without her. Those vial Hydra agents are lucky that Fury got to them before me. If it were up to me, I would have made each and every one of them suffer the same fate that they had given to y/n. Their lives would have met a brutal ending. I yearn for the day that the blush creeps across her skin again. She loves me...

I block out the rest of his thoughts. One month is one month too many. I want to be back, to feel alive. I want to hold Loki in my arms and tell him everything is going to be okay. I try to force my eyes open, they feel as heavy as lead. I fail the first few times but after the third try, I crack them open. I blink a few times but have to squint as the lights are bright after being in such darkness for so long. I look to my left and see a very uncomfortable looking Loki curled up in a leather hospital chair, his eyes are closed and his rubbing his temples clearly stressed about something. His face looks gaunt, his clothes look disheveled. It looks as though he hasn't slept in weeks. "What's got you so stressed Loki?" I question, my voice croaking from the lack of use. I start trying to sit up and am glad to find that I'm not overly sore, just weak.

Loki's head snaps to the side so fast I'm worried he's going to get whiplash. "Y/n?" He whispers and quickly jumps out of his chair to come over to me. "No I'm Clint" I say back sarcastically, rolling my eyes in the process. The biggest smile I have ever seen graces Loki's face as he gently wraps his arms around me. "I thought I'd lost you. You were out for so long..." he stops hugging me as he says this and holds me at arms length. "I'm so sorry darling! It's my fault that they got to you, if only I'd come to bed when you-" I place a finger over his lips. "Loki, this is no ones fault but my own. If I hadn't been so distracted I could have stopped it from happening. I'm glad that you didn't come up with me. I don't even want to think of what they would have done to you had they caught you too." A tear slips from my eye and Loki pulls me back in for a hug. "I'm not letting you out of my sight again" he declares. I sigh and gently push him back wanting to take a better look at him. As I do, he grabs my face in his hands and kisses me on the lips. This kiss is different, it's slow and full of passion. When he pulls away, he rests his forehead against mine. "I love you too" his whispers to me as I remember the last words that I said to him. I smile and wiggle over so he can jump in bed with me, he carefully joins me not wanting to pull on any of the tubes that I'm hooked up to. I snuggle into his side and fall into a peaceful sleep. Who knew being unconscious for a month could be so exhausting?

***
I open my eyes again to see Loki deeply asleep next to me and a quick glance at the clock tells me that it's the early hours of the morning, or one could argue very late at night. I look to the leather chair and see that Thor has taken over the seat, he's staring intensely at Mjölnir. "Hey there big guy" I whisper. Thor looks up shocked to hear me speaking, he's about to say something and I hold my fingers to my lips not wanting to wake Loki. Come and help me get out please. He obviously needs his sleep and I'm in desperate need to stretch my legs. I quickly link him. He nods and walks over and helps me detangle myself from Loki's grip before gently lifting me out of the bed and setting me on my feet. I rip the IV out of my hand, I can't stand needles anymore. Thor doesn't question my decision and offers me an arm to keep me steady as we walk down the hallway.

"Thank you" I say as we walk into the lounge area. Thor looks at me clearly confused. "Thank you for holding on when I summoned Mjölnir that is, I wouldn't have made it much longer had I not been rescued that day. I'm sorry that I did, it was my last hope. When Mjölnir came crashing through the roof and into my hand I was ecstatic to say the least, hope blossomed in my chest especially when I seen the flutter of your red cape over the hole that it created. I owe you my life for coming Thor." He blushes. "Lady Raven I only wish that you had called for Mjölnir sooner" he said kindly before his face turned serious, his eyes glazed over as he remembered what happened that day. "There was one moment where we thought we had lost you after the battle. I was on the surface making sure that no other guards got back into the compound when all of the sudden a wave of colour came out of no where and knocked out all of the agents I was fighting. A short while later, Loki came running from the old building with you laying limply in his arms. He was distraught at the thought of loosing you. When he got you to the quinjet, he placed his head over your heart as he couldn't find a pulse. In that moment I seen his world shatter, I seen it disintegrate in his arms. Banner looked as if the other guy was going to bust out, the whole team was broken. I used Mjölnir to restart your heart. That is the only reason you are here today. If anything, I owe you. You saved them all down in that corridor, you gave your life for them. That is why you're worthy." He finished, shaking his head and coming back to the present.

I smile up at Thor, this man is like a brother to me. I hold out my hand in a gesture to shake his, he's clearly thinking I'm loosing my mind but grabs my hand anyway. "I'm y/n, it's only fair that the God who saved my life knows who I am" I say smiling. As he pulled me in for a hug, we hear Loki yelling like a maniac.

"THOR! SHE'S GONE! THEY HAVE HER AGAIN-" he stops yelling as he comes sprinting into the common area and his eyes land on mine. I can't help but giggle, he's in his full armour and has his daggers out ready to kill. The relief on his face is instant and he makes his armour disappear. "I'll bid you goodnight Lady y/n, you're in good hands" Thor says smiling. He claps Loki on the back as he walks to his room. "Sorry to scare you, you clearly needed to rest and I needed to stretch my legs and get out of that hospital room. It was starting to remind me of..." I let my sentence trail off, I don't want to think about it.

"Come darling, let's get you back to your bed" Loki says holding out his arm for me. He guides be back to my bedroom and doesn't let me go. I fall back into one of the most peaceful sleeps I've ever had.