Animo - Avengers {Completed}

Chapter Fifteen: Surgical Procedures

*Hello! So, there's another chapter after this and then the epilogue. The entire book should be finished on April 25th, if everything goes according to plan. My Animal will be completed that same day, and the first three chapters of my new story, Asylum, will be released that day as well. As for now, enjoy the chapter! Love you all!*

Chapter Fifteen: Surgical Procedures

My face paled. I looked at Banner with terror-filled eyes. He wasn't kidding when he asked about my eyes, then. I guess I'd just never noticed that they really did change color. "Yellow?" I breathed, my voice barely above a whisper. They all nodded at me. "So what do we..." I trailed off, looking helplessly around the room.

"We won't know how to get rid of it until we get to the helicarrier and run some tests," Banner replied, putting his hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry. Everything is going to be okay."

Natasha and Thor smiled warmly at me, like they were agreeing. Stark nodded. That's what he thought, too. For some reason, I felt like they were lying to me. I lifted my eyes up from the belt around my wrists and gazed at Barton, searching for the truth. "Are you going to lie to me, too?" I murmured so only he could hear.

He stepped forward and wrapped his fingers around mine, unable to do much more because of the makeshift handcuffs. "You know I'd never lie to you." He glanced down at his shoes and then back up at me. "We don't know what's going on with you, or how to fix it. I don't know if you'll be safe or not. But you know us; we'll do everything we can to make sure that you are."

I swallowed the lump forming in my throat. "I'm sorry about your face. You shouldn't have tried to provoke me."

Barton chuckled. "Personally, I think it's an improvement." The smiled vanished. "You know that I had to."

"Doesn't mean that I like it."

He gave me a half smile. "Don't worry about me. Worry about yourself for once."

I returned the expression, my eyes still reflecting sadness. "I don't think I know how to." That was the absolute truth. Ever since I'd been in New York, I'd done nothing but show concern for everyone but myself, completely disregarding the value of my own life. But I was nothing more than a sixteen-year-old girl pretending to be a hero in a world where real heroes already exist. Why would I not try to preserve their lives by risking my own? The world needed more people like the Avengers team.

To my surprise, Barton kissed my forehead. "You'll figure it out. You always do." He looked away after that, addressing everyone else. "Rogers should be waiting in the helicarrier, correct? We should get going. The sooner we get there, the sooner we get this mess sorted out."

Because my hands were a little tied up, he kept a firm grip on my elbow. Stark and Banner led the way to the elevator and out of Stark Tower, Natasha and Thor bringing up the rear with Barton and I in the center. I felt like I was a criminal being escorted to prison. Maybe Loki felt like this before he got stuck in that cell in Asgard. Was he panicking? I doubted it. He seemed too indifferent for that.

I wasn't sure why I suddenly thought of the black-haired god. I hadn't seen him since Christmas, almost an entire year ago. I never did figure out what it was that Loki had said to me that made me cry. The bastard probably wiped my memory so I wouldn't remember it. An involuntary growl escaped my throat and everyone tensed like they thought I was going to go bat shit crazy and attack them all again. "I'm fine," I snapped, forcing the irritation back down. Looking a little unsure, they resumed walking. Barton shot me a worrisome glance, to which I returned a glare. "Stop looking at me like that."

"Sorry," he muttered back, staring at his shoes. "Just try to keep calm, all right?"

I winked at him. "And carry on?" He nudged me with his elbow. "Sorry, bad joke. Trying to diffuse the tension..."