Steve

"I don't understand, why are we just standing here?" I growled.

Natasha, Clint who returned, Tony, Loki, Peter Quill, Thor, Nebula, and I were all subtly hiding in the corner watching Perseus getting beaten up. We were all at SHIELD checking in and coincidentally, all walked in on Perseus being surrounded by his unfriendly SHIELD buddies. They did the usual ganging up on the Agent, but the surprising thing was that Natasha, Nebula, and Loki of all people stopped us from interfering.

"If we interfere, how do you think it'll make him feel?" Nebula hissed.

I narrowed my eyes, getting cut off by Clint, "Glad to know we've got his back!"

Loki sneered at us all, "Then you clearly don't know him. Especially after Thanos and without his powers, he feels vulnerable. If we go to his aid, it'll make him feel even more weak."

"Come on, man!" Peter Quill protested, "You're just going to watch your husband be pummeled?"

Loki's eyes flashed dangerously, "I would never do such a thing, but Perseus can handle himself."

Before Peter Quill could protest more, Thor cut him off with a clap on the shoulder, "Nay, friend. My brother-in-law is mighty, he will not be harmed."

"Zip your pretty lips, guys." Tony hushed us, "The uglies started talking."

We all turned to the center of the room which held the most respected Agent and his jealous coworkers. Perseus was shorter than all of them, but I saw no reaction as one of the taller ones stalked up to him. The guy held an intimidating aura, but Perseus has faced worse and no change was displayed.

"There's been a rumor going around." The guy stated nonchalantly, pulling a small knife from his sleeve.

Perseus didn't answer, merely watching the other Agent. Said man just continued to flip the blade in the air, throwing it and catching it while his friends stood more securely around Perseus. The only movement from Perseus putting a hand to his hip, touching the handle of his sword briefly before going to hang from his pocket.

Someone from behind Perseus spoke up, causing him to turn his ear slightly towards that man and look at the ground, "They say you've lost your powers. That you're entirely human now."

The entire group held their breath, waiting for Perseus to confirm or deny the alleged statement. They were disappointed when Perseus simply stood still in the same position for the wait. The one on the first guy's right frowned, stepping up to get in Perseus' personal space.

"Answer, freak!" He sneered, "Do you or do you not have the powers that you used back in the day to cheat and get ahead?"

Loki and Thor both growled at the name call, reacting with barely controlled anger. I myself clenched my fists, this was unnecessary, watching and doing nothing. Bystanders are just as guilty, but Natasha's hand on my shoulder stopped me from taking another step. Nebula glared everyone into submission as they sought to surge forward and protect the young, green-eyed man. I took a deep breath and refocused on my teammate.

This time Perseus did react, leaning slightly back from the guy spitting in his face. I saw him raise his eyebrow before rolling his eyes and pushing past the two in front of him. His reflects protected him as the first guy suddenly swung right at Perseus who whipped around and caught the fist in his hand. However, Perseus wasn't prepared for the knuckle sandwich coming from the other guy.

He hissed as the punch knocked him sideways, the surprise attack not effecting the rest of his skills as he dropped to the ground. His action let him avoid the slice of the first guy's knife and his next roll took two from the circle out. His attacks were graceful and his defense smooth and calculated. Within two minutes, the whole group of previously angered agents were all rolling on the ground regretting their choices.

Perseus flipped one of the Agents still standing over his shoulder, taking him down just as smoothly as the previous. What we didn't notice was the first guy that had the knife crawling towards his blade, keeping the wrist that Perseus broke to his chest. No one had time to call out a warning before the Agent embedded it hilt deep in Perseus' right hip.

Our friend let out a cry of pain, his whole leg buckling as his body went down with it. We all surged forward, but yet again, were stopped. I could feel my body shake in anger, not being able to stop this advanced form of bullying take place.

"Move another muscle, Steve and I'll tase you." Natasha warned.

A frustrated grunt drew my attention back towards the fight. Perseus right wrist was pinned under the foot of one Agent, as was his left bicep, making him immobilized. The first guy still had his hand on the knife and was twisting and digging it even deeper into Perseus' hip. When I glanced in disbelief at a motionless Loki, I saw the underlying fury swimming in his eyes and realized how much he was restraining from blasting the Agents.

"So it's true." The second Agent smirked, "Your powers are what made you strong, now you're weak."

Perseus gritted his teeth before acting faster than I've seen before. His left hand sliced at the popliteal of the leg holding his left arm down. The man buckled, freeing his left arm to which Perseus used to pull the man into the Agent pinning his right wrist. When both went down, Perseus put the first guy with the knife in a leg lock, bridged, and flipped him underneath the Guardian of the Gems.

Without seconds to lose, Perseus went juijitsu style and got into a side mount, flattening his hips against the ground, ignoring the irritation it caused to his wound. He then put one of his arms underneath the first man and then the other over the Agent's neck, pushing down until the man frantically slapped the ground to tap out.

Perseus paused for a second before pushing himself off of the Agent and getting to his feet. The two agents who he use against each other were still on the ground staring at him in anger and embarrassment. Perseus backed up until all of the Agents were in his sight before reaching to grab the hilt of the knife and pull it out of his hip without so much as a flinch.

Completely stone faced, he gave them all a once over look while tracing the edges of the bloody knife with his finger. He looked down at the smear of color on his skin, rubbing it between his thumb and pointer, not saying a word. The Agents were all frozen, waiting in anticipation on what the higher level Agent would do.

I could feel their anxiety sky rocket when Perseus flipped the knife in the air once before catching it and suddenly throwing it hard and fast right at them. There were some gasps, some muffed screams, and a couple let lose their bladder control, but when the shock died down, I found the knife not even a millimeter from the side of the first guy's neck.

"Weakness is a mindset." Perseus declared softly, but firmly, "Learn yourselves or leave SHIELD. Now get out."

They scrambled away faster than I could blink. Once the room emptied though, Perseus' mask broke and he fell back against the wall, clutching his hip which was spurting more blood than I've seen in awhile. That Agent must have severed a couple arteries or veins when he was twisting and stabbing Perseus.

As said person slowly slid down the wall, his husband was there in an instant and caught him, bringing him gently to the ground. His small movements to make sure Perseus was comfortable were endearing, but the color in the Agent's face was rapidly paling so I decided we should do something. I stripped off my shirt, pulled down Perseus' pants until I could see the wound in his hip, and pressed the cloth against it to staunch the blood flow.

Perseus chuckled, "If you wanted to get into my pants, Rogers, all you had to do was ask."

I shook my head in exasperation, pressing down harder until I heard him hiss in pain, "I'm sure Loki would not appreciate that gesture, but why would you put yourself in that position."

Loki scoffed, taking my place, "I already said, don't you mortals ever listen?"

"Go get a first aid kit." Natasha ordered Clint, Nebula, and Peter.

"We listen." Tony answered Loki, holding up Perseus head that was beginning to dip, "But we just don't understand."

"Sounds like a you problem." Loki quipped, "That's the problem with being mortal."

"Brother, Perseus is technically mortal as well. They should understand." Thor countered.

I interrupted them all, "We understand the reason, just not the concept. Not wanting to be weak, but why that group specifically?"

Perseus rest his head against the wall, watching the other 3 reappear with the first aid kit and a healer, "They've always been suspicious of me, but I wasn't originally going to engage in physical contact."

Tony let his hand that used to hold Perseus' head fall, "Why did you?"

Loki lightly caressed the forming bruise on his husband's face, "Do your mortal eyes not work either? They attacked him."

Perseus just smiled, letting out a soft laugh, "No, I think it was finally time to really face those past fears. I worked way too hard to overcome their actions against me before, but I never got past it if you know what I mean."

"How did I know that, but you all didn't?" Nebula asked, annoyed.

Natasha raised an eyebrow, "I did, but the boys tend to catch on a little later."

I rolled my eyes at her tease, "Anyways, we're proud of you, Perseus for going through that by yourself."

Perseus smiled tiredly, ignoring the healer working on his hip, "It's been awhile since I've heard that. Thank you."

Loki looked offended, "Do you not remember the other day when I complemented you?"

Perseus squinted at his husband, "You said I would look good in lingerie, along with multiple other inappropriate topics. That's not a complement, more of a desire."

Tony snorted, trying to hold in his laugh with Clint, "I don't think Perseus loves you that much, Reindeer games."

Loki raised an eyebrow, smiling mischievously at his husband that had the lightest blush rising to his cheeks despite the loss of blood in his hip, "Shall I Perseus?"

"Don't you dare." Perseus hissed, trying to grab at his husband who danced out of his reach.

Loki winked, "You brought it up, love."

Perseus frustrated scream was heard throughout the building as he tried to spring up and attack his husband. Nebula, Natasha, and Thor had to hold him down as the healer stitched him up. Peter Quill, Clint, and Tony were basically at Loki's side trying to get the "deats" on Perseus' slip up.

"So..." Peter Quill nudged Loki pointedly, "What's the deal with your naughty husband, Loki?"

Loki made the mistake of grinning at the three eager listeners, turning his attention away from Perseus. In that moment, the Agent broke free of my three teammates, the healer who barely managed to finish, and lunge at his husband, taking him by surprise. The instant the two touched, they both disappeared into vapor, taking a yelling Norse god and clearly flustered Agent away.

"Dam it." Clint huffed, "So close."

"I know." Tony whined, "Maybe it had to do with the vibrator Loki got him that one time! I was looking forward to the secrets behind Agent Jackson."

"Do you realize how creepy you all sound?" Natasha questioned them.

Peter Quill grinned, "Nah, it's fine. Everyone dances their own dance, and sometimes it's a bit of dirty dancing."

"Idiot." Nebula mumbled.

"And we were so close to hearing about them!" Clint frowned.

"Usually Loki refrains, but since Perseus unintentionally brought it up, I think Loki saw his chance to brag." Tony deducted, shrugging.

"I do not wish to know of my brother and his husband's bedroom activities, or the ideas you have, so I will take my leave." Thor loudly stated, quickly leaving.

I shook my head amused, "We'll stop, let's go."

The healer watched us leave, but right as we were exiting, he spoke up, "I can't help but inform you that when I was stitching Agent Jackson up, a hint of their sexual activities were revealed to me."

We all looked at each other, daring one of us to ask. Thor and the women slowly exited the rest of the way, leaving Clint, Peter Quill, Tony, and I. It was silent, all of us debating on whether to breach the silence of the immortals bedroom habits or not.

"Well?" Tony finally asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

The healer smirked, looking side to side to make sure no one else was in the room, "He was wearing lace underwear..."

Tell me what you think...
12/12/18