CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO:
THE STUFF OF FUCKING NIGHTMARES (AND WHY WINTER SOLDIER ISN'T THAT BAD)

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KETTI DIDN'T FUCKING EXPECT TO WAKE UP TO WITH HER ARM ON FIRE.

But shit happened.

Snow was busy fighting someone off to the right, all blonde hair and fists.

Winter was dragging Ketti by the left leg down a suspiciously long and dark hallway.

She felt like she was in a fucking fever dream. Just a second ago, she was in Valhalla and now she was back here?

"Fuck," she exclaimed, looking over her arm. "My arm's on fire."

Winter glanced at her. "It's not."

"It is too," she argued, trying to move it. "Hurts. Fuck, fuck, fuck—"

"—It doesn't." He dropped her leg and crouched down next to her face. "Look at me," he grabbed her face.

His hand wasn't gentle, it was hard and forceful and he made her meet his eyes. Blue and angry and filled with a bitterness she'd only ever seen in Logan's gaze.

"It's not real. You have got to fight it if you don't want to be a hopeless cause."

A frown tugged at her lips and she opened her mouth to respond when Winter was shoved back, Wolverine tossing him backwards.

(That's so hot. My two favorite hot men fighting each other. Ooh, just gives me the tickles.)

"I'm not your enemy," Winter said firmly and socked Logan in the face.

"Doesn't look like that to me," a voice quipped and Deadpool's mask appeared behind Wolverine.

"Woah," Ketti mumbled as three more Deadpool's appeared. (I wish, could you imagine that sex? God, I could fit inside every hole, no batteries required. Is that how Loki fucks? Probably. Lucky bastard.) "There's three of you."

"Ketti," Logan's voice was next to her then and he was cupping her face, looking down at her. His mask was askew, cut on his lip, fading bruise on his chin. "You're okay?"

Ketti nodded. "Yeah, I went to Valhalla."

"She's drugged," Winter stated, holding Deadpool up against the wall with his metal arm. (Choke me harder daddy, fuck, if you kill me, it's only hotter when I come back.) "You all are."

A scream and then a thud as Winter stumbled back, Spider-Man swinging on his web.

"Listen, man, I don't wanna fight you," Peter told him warily. "But I will. You let Ketti go or I'll let these two kill you."

"Fuck's sake!" Snow's voice shouted as she kicked Punisher back. (Ha, suck it, Castle!) "We're not the enemy. We're helping Ketti."

A burst of light flashed and Ketti squinted, trying to see her surroundings.

"Pretty, pretty kitty..."

Ketti sat up, looking around fearfully.

A man stood before her, the same as before with the gas mask. Only, now he was joined by groupies of sorts. Four more masked men spoke to her, their voices muffled and gargled by the masks.

Another fire lit around her and she whimpered, looking around with wide eyes.

Where had they gone? They were all there a moment ago — her people, her protector, her boyfriends. They were just there and now she was alone.

Alone and trapped in a ring of fire (sing it, Johnny Cash) with gas-masked men who only wanted her demise.

—

"Ketti?"

Stirring, Ketti blinked blearily, awakening to the people around her.

So many faces.

Frank, Matty, Peter...

Johnny,,Snow, Winter...

"Wade," she breathed out, (she said my name first, fuck you Johnny, fuck you Castle) seeing his face before her, his mask up to his forehead. On her other side was Logan. "Lo."

"Hey, kitten," Logan greeted softly, brushing back a strand of hair. "How're you feeling?"

"My body is so heavy," she admitted quietly, leaning into his touch. "Like fucking elephants ran me over."

Wade snorted. "Elephants?" He asked. "Not a car, not a bus, not, I dunno, fucking King Kong, but elephants?"

"Fuck do you know," she rolled her eyes. "You heal fast."

"Yeah," Matt spoke up. "About that, Skippy, your heart stopped."

A frown pulled at her cheeks. "Matt...why are you here? Who called you?"

"I did," Peter spoke up. "Uh," he glanced to Matt, hesitant, then continued on, clearing his throat. "We — we were all worried about you."

"There's so many of you," Ketti replied, eyes settling on Snow and Winter in the back. "You guys saved me, didn't you?"

Winter didn't move, simply observed them all.

Snow shrugged. "Got bored." (She's a hero.) "Figured it would pass some time."

"Yeah," Johnny spoke up, glancing at them, then to Wade and Logan. "I mean, didn't Winter Soldier kind of...kidnap Ketti? Shouldn't we, and hear me out on this, pummel his face in and burn him alive?"

"You and the fire," Wade rolled his eyes. "Such a pyromaniac."

"Fuck off."

"You okay?" Frank's voice cut through her nerves and she met his worried eyes. A soft smile pulled at her lips. "Yeah. Are you hurt?"

(She didn't ask me or Logan that. I get we have regenerative healing but fuck it would be nice to know she likes me more than Uncle Sam's Secret Wet Dream.)

"Hey," Ketti gently grabbed Wade's hand. "I do care. You're my boyfriend. Are you guys okay?"

Wade softened, smiling down at her, gloved hand brushing her knuckles. "We're okay, Kitty. You just sleep, okay?"

Ketti nodded, eyelids fluttering shut as sleep overtook her.

—

Waking up sandwiched between Logan and Wade would normally be a very enticing experience.

But for a killed-and-brought-back-to-life Ketti Kipps, it was only comforting. Snuggling her head further into Logan's chest, she felt Wade shift next to her and he pressed a kiss to her temple, still half asleep.

"I felt you die," Logan admitted softly, not looking at her, chin on her head. "You can't fucking die, Ketti."

"I won't."

"You did."

They were quiet for a moment.

"They got away," he told her. "Fisk and Mary. Johnny and I killed the fucker with the gas mask," his grip on her tightened. "I'm sorry you went though hallucinations, kitten."

"It's okay," she replied softly. "Nothing I can't handle, right?"

He tilted her chin up then, pulling his head back as he met her eyes.

"You're never gonna handle it again," he told her softly. "Let me and Wade take that shit on. You just be our pretty girl."

Her expression softened and she nodded.

She could do that.

"Good girl," he added and pressed a kiss to her lips. Softer than she'd ever tasted from him, and she pulled him closer to her.

"When you're better," he mumbled against her lips. "I'm going to fuck you until you can't walk again. Keep you from leaving me at all."

Her legs tightened at the threat, warmth pooling in her center and she nodded.

"Yes, sir," she replied softly.

His lips turned up. "My girl," he pressed a kiss to her head.

She was.

And as Wade's arms wrapped around her middle and his head nuzzled her back, she smiled into Logan's comforting embrace.

Their girl.

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I fucking hate this but I wanted to get out of writer's block so I'm so sorry for build up and then pure shit HAHAHAHAHAH okay no more plot just back to chaos if i can get the groove back but at least for now you guys know Ketti is safe & sound and we'll learn more about everything that happened with Loki & who Snow is and what she is to Bucky and all that soon okay bye