"Cap."

He could hear it in her voice and she wasn't pitying him—far from it. She was scolding him and at that point, Steve didn't feel like being scolded.

"I'm fine."

Two words that were far from the truth, but if it even gave him a chance to be rid of her, he'd gladly take it.

"No, you're not."

Natasha walked over to his side as he watched the footage again and again. The day had ranged from normal to strange to absolutely weird to dreadful. Steve knew the hero gig would play out as long as he accepted it and he couldn't see himself giving it up—not as long as he could fight for what was right in the world. That's what it had all started out as until he'd fought his own doppelgänger who told him Bucky was alive, woke up to find the scepter gone and even worse, was delivered the news that Loki had kidnapped Willow.

The last thing he'd wanted to do was drag his little sister along, but she stuck by his side from the very beginning.

Supported him in anything he took up.
Fought for him.
Did what she could to take care of him.

Steve had no idea where she was or what would happen to her, but he hoped with everything in him that she was still alive.

"You're not fine. And that's okay."

Natasha was a little abrupt with the super soldier. She never did have the patience for sympathy, but she was working on it and she didn't want Steve to be so distressed.

It had been a trying day for all of them.

After everything, the Tesseract, the scepter and Loki had vanished into thin air along with Willow Rogers so she couldn't blame him for sitting in the lab and watching the security footage of his sister being shackled around the throat and transported away with the Asgardian over and over.

It was all he could do for now.

Bruce and Tony had scoured the Earth for the Tesseract's signature, but when nothing showed up, they ruled out the possibility of the cube still being on the planet.

"You don't think..."

Steve sighed, unable to finish his question as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. Nat perched against the table and crossed her arms.

"No," she said, reading his face, "I don't think he killed her. This is his way of getting back at us. What I think is we're in for a longer ride than we bargained for."

"I don't understand why he took her. Disappearing with the Tesseract would've been enough cause for us to go after him. He doesn't necessarily need Willow."

"He doesn't. But, she's insurance. One wrong move on our part..."

Steve glared at her.

"That's real comforting."

"I'm not usually the one to comfort."

"You came to me."

"I'm trying. And that's truth."

"Oh, the truth?" Riled by his anger, he pushed back his chair and stood to tower over the redhead.

"What do you know about the truth? What do you know about anything?" He hissed.

Nat's eyes darkened. She knew it wasn't her he was actually angry at and she kept her cool as she raised her chin in a stiff manner.

"I've been in this kind of situation many times. So yes, I think I do know a little something about anything." The last bit came out a little more harsher than she expected and Steve lowered his head.

"I'm sorry. It's just..."

"I know," she patted his arm comfortingly, "it's okay."

She really wish she had more to offer than empty words for him as he sat back down wearily, but there was nothing she could give to him but that.

And for Steve, it just wasn't enough.

"Hey."

Both Natasha and Steve turned to see who the newcomer was as he tapped the doorframe.

Bruce gestured with his head.

"We're good to go."

Steve didn't know what he was expecting to happen as the team gathered in the laboratory of Stark Tower. Tony and Thor were standing near a three dimensional globe, the latter with an expression of deep concern and sadness on his face.

"Anything?" Steve managed to ask.

Tony shook his head.

"There's nothing here, Cap. No tracks to follow, no digital footprints."

"Meaning?" He pressed.

"Meaning either they've disappeared off the face of the earth or Loki has an amazing talent for hide-and-go-seek."

"Thor?"

"I cannot say. I have thought my brother dead until now. No doubt he has many places he could hide from me."

Steve didn't hear when Tony began to talk, asking questions about spots Thor could possibly find them, how far they'd have to go, more and more conversation he tuned himself out of. There was an enormous rage building in him at the thought of what could be happening to his sister while they just sat there. It boiled and bubbled, overcoming his senses until—

"Steve."

Nat's voice managed to break through and he looked down. His hands were shaking and he clenched them into fists, lowering them to his lap.

"What do you suggest we do, then?"

Thor took a moment to think, reading the utter desperation in Steve's eyes.

"We go to Asgard."

"Asgard?" Bruce echoed worriedly.

"Asgard is our best hope."

"Our best?" Tony asked.

"If she isn't here on Earth...it might be our only hope."

——————

Darkness was all that greeted Willow as she slowly opened her eyes, struggling to adjust to her surroundings. Her whole body felt like it was on fire and she tried to relax her muscles in order to assuage the intensity, the pins and needles slowly fading as she regained feeling in her limbs.

With a groan, she slowly rolled onto her stomach and pushed until she was on her hands and knees.

The floor felt gritty and cold under her skin and as her body swayed, she leaned up against a wall—metal, it felt like, as she ran her hands over the space accompanied by a slight clinking sound.

She slumped against it and pressed her throbbing forehead to the cool metal as her eyes finally got used to the weak light that flickered behind her. She was dirty, sweaty and sore—all things Willow was used to, but absolutely hated.

"Well, it looks like someone's awake."

The aching exhaustion seemed to fly from her mind at the sound of Loki's voice and Willow turned around on her knees to see the god of mischief about as banged up as she was though he didn't look particularly bothered by it.

He was sitting cross-legged, leaning against a shelf full of tool boxes with a half-annoyed, half triumphant expression.

His eyes flitted down and then back up to her face, a gesture meant for him to gloat when Willow noticed the thick shackle around her ankle attaching her to the floor. Only then did she also realize her wrists were bound by the chains Loki had on when they were about to take him in.

The room was long and wide with similar shelves lining the room before cutting off into a winding tunnel on either side of her that didn't seem to have an end. About three big light fixtures overhead were working, but it was just enough for the both of them to sit in a tense silence, staring at each in shared hatred.

"Where am I?" She demanded.

Loki tilted his head.

"And why is that so important to you?" A Cheshire-like smile crossed his face. "Isn't it of greater importance to still be alive?"

Fear stabbed her right in the heart at his words knowing how true they could be, but the young woman only glared at him. Forgetting she was bound, she tried to stand only to collapse back to the floor with a cry as her knee buckled underneath her.

"You've injured yourself. Quite bad, in fact," he said gleefully before looking at his own leg in disgust. "Unfortunately, you've also managed to injure me in the process. Your little stick stabbed me when we got here."

She looked to where her spear lay at the mouth of the tunnel, much too far for her to stretch and grab.

"How did we get here? I don't—"

Loki groaned and leaned his head against the shelf.

"If all you're going to do is ask questions, I might as well take the initiative and kill you now."

Willow wanted to wanted to scream and shout and thrash all over about the unfairness of her situation, but for one, she was locked up. For another, Willow couldn't do anything if her knee protested every little movement she made. And for the last (which really should be the first), she was a grown and dignified adult.

She was looking at the green sparks crawling over Loki's thigh, sputtering in and out of existence as though it was having a hard time keeping up when she noticed how pale his face was and the dark rings under his eyes that seemed to brush the top of his cheeks as he scowled at her.

"They'll find me, Loki."

"Whether you're alive when they do is up to how you behave." He smiled again, that infuriating grin of his that made Willow want to rip his face off.

"You can't keep me like this," she growled.

"On the contrary," he sighed in relief and patted his thigh for confirmation that his wound had healed, "I can do whatever I want with you."

He stood up and stretched like an exhausted cat before strolling over to Willow and kneeling beside her.

"And I can't kill you," he whispered, "because I need you."

He grabbed her by the chin, delicately at first until she tried to pull away, causing him to tighten his grip and force her to look at him.

"So it doesn't matter where we are, pet. It doesn't matter what you think." Loki purred, his eyes shining with triumph as Willow swallowed the rising bile in her throat.

"What matters now is life or death. And I'm the one who chooses for you."

——————
☀︎ celine's corner ☀︎

a short one, but i hope you guys enjoy!
and happy holidays! xoxo