RICOCHET (Captain Marvel//The Avengers) [FINISH]

Chapter 12

I helplessly watched as Tony caught the nuke and headed up towards the wormhole. Aliens came flying towards him but he managed to dodge them all.

"Tony," I whispered, tears filling up my eyes.

"Cheer up, Dan! I'll be back before you know it."

I waited and waited for him to come back. But he wasn't. I curled up into a ball and cried, but didn't give up hope. He had to come back to me. He couldn't just leave me here all alone.

"Tony!" I called again.

"Oh, don't you know, Carol?" said Steve, turning to me with an evil look on his face, "He's never coming back!"

I startled awake, sweating. It took me some time to adjust my vision and found myself in my apartment. It was dark apart from the city lights streaming in through the window. I checked my phone for the time. 9:21pm. Tears stung my eyes when I saw my screen saver. 16 year old Tony and I smiling brightly at the camera.

I decided to call Rhodey, because the last person I wanted to tell about my nightmares was Tony. He already had a lot going on and I didn't want to burden him with this.

"Hey Rhodes," I said when he answered the call. "How ya doin'?"

"Carol? Oh my God! It's been so long!"

"It has."

"How are you?"

"I've been better," I sighed.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes... No."

"Hey, what's the matter?"

"Rhode, it's been more than a month since the incident in New York. But my nightmares wont stop."

"Nightmares? What nightmares?"

"I usually see Tony going in through the portal and then never coming back. I haven't slept properly in so long."

"These are temporary, Carol. They'll go away. Besides, you aren't the only one who hasn't been able to sleep."

"What do you mean?"

"Tony's been having anxiety attacks. Whenever someone talks to him about the wormhole, he has trouble breathing, and he sorta gets panicky."

"Oh my God! Why didn't he say anything to me?" I sat up straighter in my bed.

"Same way you didn't say anything to him. He doesn't want you getting worried."

"But this is so much worse! I'm coming over to Malibu tomorrow, I don't care."

"Please don't do that. He'll kill me then. And that's not how I want to die."

"But Rho-"

"Anyways, things are bad over here right now. Happy met with an accident just yesterday. He's in coma."

"Oh! Is he going to be okay?"

"As far as I know... Yes. He'll recover soon."

"Are you sure I shouldn't come over? I could head over in the morning, really. I'm very worried for you guys."

"Carol, really. It's all fine. You need to stop worrying. Okay, I have to go, duty calls. You take care." And saying that, Rhodey cut the line.

I knew I couldn't sleep after that conversation. I had anyways slept through the evening and that was enough for a day. I walked over to the kitchen and made myself a cup of coffee. I could tell that it would be a long night.