Aftershock

Finite

Steve

He stood timidly in the doorway, grasping the frame like it was his lifeline, which it probably was. The pair of sunglasses that were on his face when he and the wizard arrived still sat nicely on the brink of his nose. His attire remained the same, torn and bloody, but both of his thighs were wrapped up to stop the wounds in the legs. His right hand was also bound carefully, red spreading across the canvas.

The Agent of SHIELD was completely silent, stiffly holding his own against the door no matter how hard his legs trembled. From pain or exhaustion, I didn't know, but I did know he needed to rest because he was in no condition to do anything.

I looked around me, connecting eyes with the Avengers around me. Everyone was here, both old and new recruits with the exception of Perseus' husband and brother-in-law. Speaking of them, we needed to know what happened because all we know is that the wizard that brought Perseus says he fell from the sky into his house. He also demanded he stay until everything is settled because we were not to be trusted with "His Lord".

Don't know where that came from or how it came to be, but all of us were too scared to approach the oddly quiet Agent. He was normally absent in our activities with a held tongue, but this was something else. The eerie silence around him had spread to the room and even Peter didn't dare break it or try to lighten the mood.

Wanda suddenly caught my eye, holding up her charm from Perseus years before. I got the memo and held my own, nudging the original avengers to join me. The new recruits were confused as they watched us hold various items that seemed of no importance, but with a nod of Wanda's head did we chant his name in unison.

Our gifts glowed green, filling up the room. Still, Perseus did not move, completely ignoring us. I frowned, calling out his name alone. A flick of his finger showed us he was listening, but when nothing else happened I nodded to Wanda. She pursed her lips but complied. Then we were all enveloped in scarlet, being transported through Perseus' own gift into his mind to get to the bottom of it.

***

Perseus

I could see again. But I didn't want to, not this, not his death. It was happening again, Loki's panicked eyes looking straight into mine, but I wasn't on the floor. No... I was standing to his left. I wanted to reach out and touch him, so I did.

My hand went right through him. I choked back a sob, falling to my knees. Pitiful sounds erupted from my mouth and I had to cover my lips to stifle them. My other hand came up to wipe my eyes that shed tears. I didn't want to see this anymore, I had to get out.

I stood, backing up fast. I walked through aliens, walls, people, yet Loki was still in my vision. Everything was blurred except for his face, but he was looking intently at me. Not the pathetic me on the floor, this illusion of me. His eyes were even greener than before, seemingly glowing. Then they flickered to the stone which he held to Thanos in his hand and back at me.

I shook my head, trying to keep from crying more. I couldn't deal with this, I don't care anymore. He was gone and there's nothing I could do about it. I kept backing away from the scene, his precious face fading from my view. Only his eyes remaining, vibrantly staring into my soul.

As I got farther and farther away, noises outside my physical body became louder. They all blended together making my head start to hurt. I winced as a migraine erupted, putting my hands to my head. Everything was coming back to me. I could feel the throbbing in my hand and legs, the loss in both my eyes, and the agony that continues to tear at my heart.

Suddenly a shout rang in my ears. It was so loud, I jerked harshly in response, the memory fading from my view. The avengers I knew also disappearing from my mind, where they dare set foot without my permission. The last thing I saw were Loki's sharp green eyes and the stone in which he gave.