On the Run (An Avengers Fanfiction) ✔️Completed (under editing)

Quiet Christmas Eve

Astrid's p.o.v.

When morning finally came the sun rise was beautiful to watch. Although the winter sun was weak it still blunted the sharp blow dealt by the icy morning air. The ground below us looked like it was covered in patches of powder icing sugar where the long shadows of the trees had blocked the sun' rays from touching it so that the frost there hadn't melted yet. Norman had fallen asleep again soon after our brief conversation but Loki didn't seem too friendly so I stayed where I was. I tried to convince myself that it was a good thing; I couldn't have feelings for him for numerous reasons...

He was a 'god', he was possibly the most untrustworthy being in the nine realms, Fury would kill me, my friends would disown me, he would outlive me... He was quite a lot older than me too, and when I said quite I meant an awful lot older, probably over a thousand years. Besides, even if all of that wasn't true it still wouldn't work because I was sure that even if by some miracle I came out of this alive, SHIELD would lock me up too.

I decided we needed to move on and, without thinking, slipped out from the rope preparing to jump down from the tree. Just as I pushed myself forwards and began to drop from the branch, I remembered how high up we really were. I tried to stop myself as I fell by reaching out for a branch halfway down but I failed to get a good enough grip and only managed to slow myself down a little. With a yelp I landed flat out on my back with a thud. I continued to lie there in shock, for exactly how long I didn't know. Then I heard Loki and Norman's voices. They were out of my view but I didn't need to see them both to deduce from Norman's angry tone and Loki's snide and sarcastic remarks that they were arguing again. I sighed and tried to return to my temporary state of calm and stay oblivious to the constant threat of SHIELD or someone else finding us at any moment.

When this failed utterly, due to the shouting up in the tree above me, I made an attempt to get up. I put a hand out to lean on the tree trunk and was surprised to find that it hurt considerably less than it had a few hours earlier. I took a good look at my palms and was both relieved and slightly concerned that they had almost healed completely. My thoughts were interrupted by an escalation in the hostility between my two companions. Norman's voice cut through the serenity of the distant birdsong around me first;

"No one likes you! Especially not Astrid and Amy, Daken and everyone else hates you. Don't you get it?"
"It is not me who fails to understand the gravity of our current situation. You have proved to be a liability and completely useless so far, if I have observed recent events correctly." Loki spat.
I began to climb the tree again finding a lower branch to perch on and observe things from a safe distance.

"I'm Useless? Okay, well since I'm the one with the medical knowledge who had to perform the unpleasant task of setting your bones back in to the right positions so they wouldn't fuse together wrongly then I won't be doing anything like that for you again." Norman shouted, starting to go red in the face.
"I didn't need your help you... pathetic mortal. I could easily kill you, be glad that I show such restraint." Loki retorted still perfectly calm.
Norman narrowed his eyes and said plainly;
"I can't see why anyone would want to adopt you or how they could feel any sort of affectionate emotion for you."

My breath caught in my throat briefly before I suppressed the notion that I should stop him there and defend Loki. Glancing up at the scene once more I was hardly surprised to see Loki attacking Norman in his rage.

"Stop it!" I yelled as they continued struggling and punching each other repeatedly.
"Stop fighting!" I tried again louder. There was still no reaction.
"IF YOU TWO DON'T BLOODY WELL STOP FIGHTING I'LL COME UP THERE MYSELF!" I shouted in frustration.
This time I was certain they heard but completely ignored me.

I was dangerously close to the edge, being so exhausted and under immense pressure meaning I had a short fuse. I pulled myself up on to a higher branch and then another and soon caught up with them, though they were too involved in trying to kill each other to notice. Norman was defending himself as best he could but in the process was taking a lot of hits from Loki. I stood on the other end of the branch watching unsure of what to do until Loki lifted Norman up by his throat like he had done to Clint once before.