Imagine If You Assembled The Avengers: Volume 2

Close Your Eyes (Part 4: Natasha Romanoff)

Warning: You know it's gonna be angsty by now.

Trigger warning: Earthquake

(Versions for Bucky, Tony, and Sam also in this book)

"Does anyone see them?!" Steve yelled frantically into his comm, running towards the edge of the monstrous opening in the ground that he had just watched you and Natasha tumble over, panting and fighting the tears of pure panic that stung his eyes. "Stark, I need you here!"

Clint approached from the other side, stopping just short of the edge himself, slipping on his footing as the loose gravel shifted beneath his boots. He dropped down onto his stomach to gain security when the ground began to shake again and he couldn't stay upright. Crawling slowly forward, he slung a thin rope from his pack around his leg and tied it to a nearby tree, inching ahead to see if he could stretch far enough over the precipice to reach either of you.

"Cap, she's too far down," he grunted as he pushed his limits, "I can't reach..."

"Okay, okay..." Steve mumbled, looking around for anything that could help him, but finding nothing, and seeing that Clint was more at risk of falling in too than he was able to be of help. "Barton, pull back, you're not safe there."

"Like hell I will," he argued, still trying to stretch his arm to you. "Don't let go, sweetheart, okay? We're gonna get you."

The earth shook again as the divide widened more, threatening your hold on the edge of rock that you had landed against, giving you a small ledge for your foot and enough for one hand to grip. There was barely enough light for you to look a few feet below, seeing where Natasha had landed; there was also just enough light for you to see the dark and glistening pool that was growing around her from her injuries. Her skin looked dusky already, and your resolve was set that you had to get to her.

"Clint, I need to get down there," you grunted up to him as you tried to shift your body for the jump. "I can't leave her."

"(Y/N), don't you dare! Tony's on the way, alright? He'll get her!"

You shook your head, pushing his voice from your mind and doing your best to settle your nerves, "no, she'll bleed out before then."

"Cap, make her stop!"

"(Y/N), listen to me," Steve joined in as calmly as he could, but failing, "hold your position. I can't lose both of you here, okay? Just stay there, that's an order."

"I'm on the way, baby," you whispered to yourself, pushing your foot against the wall and springing forward to the sounds of Steve and Clint screaming your name. Your right foot planted next to her but your left was over open air, throwing your balance askew; the ground shook slightly again, and with luck on your side for the first time that day, your hand caught a ridge deep enough to grab onto to steady yourself.

"Goddammit, (Y/N)!" Clint yelled. "Why can't you listen?!"

"Nat," you called to her, scooting in just enough to sit next to her against the wall to wrap yourself around her so that she wouldn't fall. "Natasha, honey, wake up. I need you with me right now, okay? I'm just a little terrified and could use some of that indestructible attitude of yours."

She moaned when you pulled her closer, trying to be careful to not move her too much until you knew her injuries. There wasn't enough light to see for sure, but you found the general area of where all of the blood was coming from; you knew you were close when she let out a muffled yell at your pressure against it.

"I'm sorry, honey, I'm sorry," you whispered, "I know it hurts, I know. Tony's coming to get us, okay? I just need you to stay with me."

"(Y/N)..."

"Hey, shhh, don't talk, just try to stay awake. Save your strength. You're not gonna like it when he picks you up."

Her eyes fluttered slowly open but closed again quickly with a wince of pain at each breath. You ran your free hand gently over her hair, saddening at the sight of her blood matted in it, giving her vibrant red strands a dark halo around her pallid face that was hauntingly striking in the dim light. "I'm not scared," she murmured, looking at you again. "You're here."

"That's my line," you said with a faltering voice and a pained tightness building in your throat from both the dirt in the air around you and the tears waiting for you to let go. "Natasha, listen to them up there," you paused for a moment at the sounds of Steve and Clint yelling orders to the rest of the team, "they're gonna get us out of here, and you're gonna be okay."

The ground rumbled and dirt showered down on you from above; you let out a scream at the feeling of the shifting ledge that held you both, gripping onto Natasha tighter and squeezing your eyes shut so that you wouldn't have to watch if it finally gave way.

"(Y/N)!"

"Nat!"

The two men above yelled out for you but you couldn't hear them over the roar all around from every direction. The earth was shifting and growling at you, as if it were a starving beast ready to dine at any moment, wanting to swallow you both whole. You decided in that moment that if this was going to be your finality, you had to use each second carefully.

"Stark, where the hell are you?" Steve hissed with his eyes to the sky for any sight of him. "We're running out of time!"

"One minute out," came the reply that barely gave the Captain any relief. He was helpless and he hated it. He was hanging over the ledge just as precariously as Clint was on the opposite side of the crevasse, but he wanted to be sure that you and Nat could see him. He wanted you to know that he wasn't leaving, and even if he couldn't reach you, he was there.

"Faster, Tony," he whispered to his teammate with a heavy feeling building in his chest. The ground settled again slowly, allowing him to let out his held breath and to keep his eyes on you.

"When we get home, I'm going to make that Solyanka soup that you made me learn just for you. We'll settle into bed and watch movies all night until our eyes won't stay open, like we used to do every weekend. Does that sound good?"

"Hmm," she hummed in agreement, her eyes closing slowly again.

"Actually, I think Wanda picked up cookie dough ice cream yesterday. If she hasn't eaten it all, I know we sure can." The ground shook harder than ever this time, and your voice raised to compensate so that she could hear you, "I love you, Natasha. No matter what, I'm not leaving you."

Clint's body jerked above and he began to slip, feeling himself sliding towards the massive opening and no way to stop other than the thin tie around his ankle that he hoped would hold. "Cap!" he hollered with every breath in his lungs, "hold on to something!"

Steve kicked his feet hard against the ground and dug the toes of his boots into the hole left behind, hoping it would be enough to keep him from slipping as his fingers buried themselves for a tight grip. He looked across to see Barton hanging precariously by his leg over the edge, grasping out to pull himself up along the jagged wall as everything continued to shake. Billowing dirt rose from the cavern, filling their eyes with pain and their lungs with ragged coughs, forcing them away from your sight.

It felt like hours before it settled again, though it was only a matter of seconds. Steve crawled back frantically, fearing the worst and feeling panic gripping him harder than at the moment he saw you and Nat fall. He kept his eyes closed until he was at the edge, opening them with a sharp pain that was made unbearable as his body collapsed and the tears wouldn't stop.

The ledge was empty.