Flower - Marvel Fanfiction

Thirty

E D E L W E I S S

The sun was beginning to set, releasing a blanket of darkness over the landscape. The shadows slithered out of their hiding places, and they cast a protective shield around Elena's form, wavering when she moved and mingling when she stilled. The moon was barely visible in the sky, a waning crescent that would soon become a new moon, a black moon.

That was who Elena felt like as she pressed her back against a wall, straining her ears for any trace of Lieselotte. Not Elena, the bright halo, but Heiyue, the darkest night that the world had ever seen. A predator hunting another predator, prowling through the dark in the midst of murky lights. She was a blooming flower, releasing her petals from the tight bulb it had been stuck in. She was the fire that would finally burn the ice.

Her steps were quiet, her breathing slow. A bird cawed in the distance, but silence still had the overpowering presence. People talked about hearing a pin drop or a fly buzzing past, but here, Elena could have heard the dead whispering. Deathly was the only word she had for it.

Slipping her knife out of her boot, Heiyue gripped the hilt. Her knuckles were white in the dark, blinding even compared to everything else. Swallowing, she took a long breath before continuing her way.

She had never been to the Alamo before, and sneaking inside like a thief was probably not the best first impression she got of it. Every wall could have been hiding an enemy, every door could have been concealing a soldier, and every corner could have had a lurking Lieselotte. She could be anywhere, waiting with her pale blue eyes and golden crown. Heiyue could just imagine the malice in her voice and the sneer on her fair face of lies.

A stretch of stone, vulnerable to the moonlight faced her. It was probably the only place where moonlight could make such an appearance, and it was located conveniently between Heiyue and the waiting arms of the next length of shadows. Heiyue narrowed her eyes, building up the strength to run past to the other side.

Her feet twitched in anticipation, and her fingers only grasped tighter onto her knife. Again, it was the perfect time for Lieselotte to strike. Heiyue sucked in a breath and nodded once before sprinting past the moonlight. To her relief, Lieselotte didn't pop out from behind her own shadow. But it was a shame, really. She was ready to end that monster and get the heck out of there.

"Elena," a voice called out to her. A hand reached out to touch her shoulder, which went cold with her heart that stopped for a second.

Heiyue spun around, knife at the ready. Just what was Lieselotte playing at.

A surprised yelp sounded, and this time, the sound broke the silence. It shattered like glass, and the shards fell over them like rain. Heiyue paused, staring at the form in front of her. Not Lieselotte. Will.

"What are you doing?" Heiyue lowered the knife, her glare hard like rock. "Are you telling me you're actually in Hydra?"

"No!" he gasped, his hands still raised in surrender. His face was white, and it made his eyes look more like ice, but it never quite reached that level of freezing. And it was a different ice. Not the stone cold, indifferent pairs that Lieselotte had, but a creeping fear that chilled her deeper than the bone.

"No," Will repeated. "I'm not Hydra, not like them. Not like Swi—Lieselotte." His voice cracked at the change, and Heiyue could have sworn she saw tears in his eyes before he blinked.

Her voice still didn't waver though, her stance still strong when she spoke. "How do I know if you're telling the truth?"

Will couldn't answer that. He only shook his head, shrugging his shoulders in defeat. He couldn't seem to form any words, but Heiyue didn't blame him. She couldn't either, and she could feel herself breaking the longer she watched him.

Elena looked away, her grip on the knife loosening. She let out a breath, swinging her head back over when Will spoke.

"I asked her about everything," he said quietly. "I'm sorry about everything. I just—I had no idea, Elena. That she was doing all of this."

Elena closed her eyes and sighed when Will couldn't hold in his tears any longer. She gulped, releasing her hold on the knife. Crouching down, she leaned against a wall, rubbing her wrist. "Why is she doing this, Will?" she asked.

Will slid down next to her, wiping away his tears. His breath was shaky as he spoke, voice uneven. It took all of his strength to utter his words, and it hurt to have him in this state. Elena wanted to stop him, but she needed to know.

"It's all my fault," he whispered. "It's because of me she's doing all this."

Will leaned back, letting his head loll to the side. He looked at his hands as if they were engulfed with hot blood. As if he was the villain all along. His eyes dulled. "Dad... I've already told you he isn't the best father. I don't even know if he knows I exist."

He took another breath, shivering at a gust of wind. The sun had completely set now, and the small light of the crescent moon wasn't enough to break the darkness. Will closed his eyes. "Dad's always been crazy about this thing that turned the living into stone. He'd come home in the middle of night talking to himself about it. Sometimes, he even came screaming in frustration that he couldn't figure it out."

The Obelisk. Elena didn't doubt that it was what Will was talking about it. Tentatively, she placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her touch, not bothering to suppress his surprise. Will met her eyes, forcing a smile.

"Lisa—Lieselotte, she hated him for it. For not being a dad like he should have. She still hates him." He cleared his throat, letting another blanket of silence settle over them before continuing. 

"She wants to make something better than the Obelisk," he said. "To get his attention for us. For me. I'm—I don't know. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Why are you sorry?" Elena murmured. "None of it was your doing."

"But I exist," Will sighed. "And it's selfish."

"Will?"

He glanced at her, blinking. "What?"

"You're not selfish. You never have been."

"You know that isn't—"

Elena stopped listening when a shadow caught the corner of her eye. She grabbed the knife, pushing herself up. "Lieselotte," she called out.

The Hydra agent walked into the moonlight. She scowled. "Wilhelm," she said. "You're not supposed to be here."

Will didn't answer, still on the ground. His bleak eyes stared at Lieselotte, processing. Or trying to process everything. Elena stood in front of him.

"Lieselotte," she repeated. "Lisa. You don't have to do this. You don't need—"

"Shut up," she snapped. "Will, come here."

"We can talk this out," Elena said louder, embedding her knife down into the ground. She raised her bare hands, gulping. "There are—"

Lieselotte fired the gun, and Elena froze at the bullet that was going straight for her.

...

It is midnight as I write and post this chapter. I have already finished drafting the next chapter, and I just wanna warn y'all. You aren't ready for it. I wasn't even ready for it. I legit stared at the first two paragraphs for half an hour just tearing up over it. I'm sorry. 

The angst is real. 

Also, my outline has compressed to 36 chapters plus one epilogue. Whoops. Knowing me, it'll probably keep on changing. Just know this is all going to be over very soon. 

Hang tough.