The Wings of the Broken (Avengers Fanfic)

-Chapter 8-

The Readers POV

I wake up in a bright room. I hear a heart monitor beeping at an accelerated rate. I smell cleaning alcohol and other cleaning supplies, with a hint of something else that smells amazing. I stay still, assessing my situation. I look around and see 6 people laying together on a nearby couch. 

Unsure who they are, I sit up instantly, scared that HYDRA got to me again. The heart rate monitor picks up pace, waking one of them. He gets up and walks towards me, and I scoot away, trembling a little. His gaze softens a bit and he stops in front of me.

"How are you feeling?" He asks as he reaches for me. I flinch back, unsure of his motives. No one at HYDRA is nice. None of the care.

I ignore him and look again. This doesn't look like a cell. Where is the stone walls and cold metal bars? I look back at him and timidly ask.

"W-where am I?" He give a small reassuring smile.

"You are in the infirmary in the Avengers Tower." My eyes widen in fear. Questions swirl around my head. Why am I here? What, do they want me healthy enough to fight? Are they going to kill me? My mind races at these thoughts, as does my heart. I feel a hand touch my shoulder and I shrink back. His face fills with sadness.

"Sweetheart, I won't hurt you." I tilt my head to side with a confused look, but he smiles.

"I won't. I promise." Slowly I relax and move closer.

"Y-you won't h-hurt me?" I ask, confused and unsure.

"Never" he replies. I pull him into a hug and feel a tingling in between my shoulder blades. I rest my head on his chest as he chuckles and returns the hug. I never wanted to let him go, but I had to go to the bathroom. I pull away and timidly ask where it is. With a smile he points me to a door across the hall.

In the bathroom I find a change of clothes on the counter. I look through it and find black distressed skinny jeans and a red hoodie. As I change I feel the ache of all of my mostly healed injuries. But the ache that stood out the most was the ache in my pulled in wings. I ignore it though and walk back to the room I woke up in. 

I walk into the room and see everyone awake. I recognize Peter immediately and run to him, and hugging him tightly. he chuckles, and I lean into him and sigh. 

But my happiness was quickly pushed aside by the ache in my body that is now extreme pain from the HYDRA incident. Then more pain comes from two of my soulmarks, that feel like they are burning. I grit my teeth and whimper quietly. I know Peter heard it because he was so close. And the others could have too, who knows who has super hearing or not.

I pull away and turn to face them with what I had hoped was a neutral expression, but the looks of concern on their faces told me that I hadn't succeeded. Some of them stepped forward and I stepped back, shrinking away, into Peter's chest. 

He rubs my arms and back trying to calm me down and reassure me that it was okay. The man from earlier steps forward again. 

"Sweetheart, we will not hurt you. You are our missing piece. A very important person to all of us. The pain of your soulmarks won't fade on it's own though. Will you accept it or deny it?" I look down thinking about what my move will be. He just put everything on the table. Will I do the same or will I sweep it all off. If I deny it then I will hurt them all. And I could never do that.

I timidly step forward closing the distance between us. I pull him into a hug and slide my hands up the back of his shirt until I reach my mark on his back, and I slowly rub circles over it. He does the same and the pain slowly fades to a more comfortable level. I again notice the pain in my wing area, but again ignore it.

I smooth down his shirt and pull away slowly, aware that everyone's eyes are watching me. I shyly smile at my new soulmate before pulling away from him completely. I look around again at the people around me and recognize some of them, like Tony Stark and Steve Rogers. I see the Winter Soldier and Black Widow and guilt and shame wash over me.

I look down and avoid eye contact.  The memories of my last mission, of what I almost did, filter through my head and I shudder. I then feel a hand grasp my chin gently but firmly and lift my face so that I am looking into their eyes.

I find myself looking into the Winter Soldiers blue eyes, and blush crimson. All of a sudden my knees give out though, out of exhaustion. The Soldier catches me and seats me on the nearby bed. Embarrassed and ashamed I look down.

"Doll, what is it? Did I do something wrong?" I shake my head and look at him.

"It-it was m-me, w-who did something to you both." I look at both, Black Widow and Winter Soldier, then I look down at my hands that are clenched into fist, knuckles white. He takes my hands into his and gently smooths mine flat, and I look up at him.

"What do you mean, love?" I shake my head.

"Please, please tell me." He cups my cheek and I lean into the warmth. Then I pull away.

"I-I was the one they-they sent to ter-terminate you b-both." I tense up, waiting for rejection, or disgust. Definitely a punishment of some kind, but what I didn't expect was for Black Widow to pull me backwards toward her and into a hug from behind, and for the Soldier to hug us both.

"Doll, that wasn't your fault. It's over now." He murmurs in my ear. I pull away slightly, trying to convey all of my despair in my eyes.

"B-but it is. I-I almost d-did it. B-but what about your, our, other soulmates? What would they have thought of me? They-they would have n-never forgiven m-me. I-I disobeyed HYDRA, and they-they punished m-me, for n-not finishing the m-mission." Tears fill my eyes as I speak, so I bury my head in his chest.

" They-they used every possible t-torture method they knew of on-on me. They t-tried everything to get me t-to obey." I look up at them with tears streaking down my face.

"But it didn't work. S-so they k-kept TRYING! Electrocution, Check! Starvation, Check! Daily beatings and confinement? Check and Check! A-ALL OF THEM!" My voice grows more broken as I continue. 

"B-but I couldn't. I didn't, still don't, know your names, but i still risked my life for you." My voice gets quieter and my quiet tears turn to sobs. I sob into the Soldiers chest as he rubs my back.

"Shh, It's over now, babygirl. We won't let you go back. We will protect you forever." The Winter Soldier mumurs into my ear. I sob harder, but desperately try to stop, not wanting to be weak for my soulmates. But the tears keep falling, soaking his shirt.

After awhile, my eyes begin to droop as my sobs quietly fade away.I fall asleep in my soulmates arms, hoping that they will chase my nightmares away.

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So far this is my favorite chapter! 

Thank you for reading my story! I love you all!

-The Author