YOUNG AVENGERS ~ Harley Keener

If only I could fall for you

"Ellie..." a voice called as her eyes fluttered open. She woke up in something similar to a prison cell. It was dark and damp. She was now sitting on a stone bench with a pillow and a ripped apart pillowcase that she was previously using as a blanket. "Elorea." She looked up to her left to see a red-haired woman leaning against the bars of her cell. She raised her hand and dropped a necklace, letting it hang from her index finger, "I brought you a gift." Ellie stood up and walked to the woman. She reached for the necklace but the woman pulled her hand back, out of her reach, "Now, now, little flower. If I present you with this gift you have to promise me something."

"W-what?"

"Promise you won't scream."

The scenery changed. Ellie was being pulled around by a couple of men in all black. They were taking her to a chair. Her lower arms had been restrained by straps, then her legs. A piece of rubber was stuffed into her mouth and the next thing she felt was a sharp pain, melting her already fragile brain. And then it all went black. She turned around, searching for something, anything. But there was absolutely nothing left.

She finally woke up, screaming, with heavy breaths leaving her lungs.

"Rea..." Harley jumped to her side, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine Harley." She groaned, pushing herself up so she could make sure she was safe, away from everything she witnessed just moments before, "Where is everyone? What was I doing on the floor?"

"You passed out and we didn't want to move you and they got tired of waiting and left. I stayed in case you woke up."

"And where's Bucky? Did you tell him?" she looked at him and he gulped, making her smile, "You didn't, did you?"

"It was a team decision. We're not sure how's he going to react once he finds out Hydra is back."

"What?!"

"We think that whoever shot at you was one of their agents."

"That can't be." 

"There's still hope it wasn't them," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder. She looked into his eyes and he sent her a reassuring smile. 

"I guess. Someone might've been messing with us." She tried to return his smile but grimaced as another shot of pain crossed her body, "I have to go home." 

"I called Sam to tell him that you're staying here tonight."

"He agreed?"

"Yeah, I told him you're trying to seduce Peter. He loved it," Harley laughed.

"What the hell Keener?!"

"I'm joking," he said after she glared at him, "Maybe."

"You're an idiot. Where am I supposed to sleep anyway?"

"Well, Billy wanted you to sleep in his room."

"Wiccan," she corrected.

"Wiccan. But he remembered Teddy exists and...you know. There's no room at Cassie and Lila's room and Peter's staying with Shuri. So...you're stuck with me."

"Great. I can't wait to get your head on a spike."

"Ha-ha. Very funny."

"I wasn't joking, Keener," she said as she sat on a couch and he dropped down beside her. After a couple of moments of rather uncomfortable silence, Harley attempted some small talk.

"So Elorea...where exactly are you from?"

She raised an eyebrow at him and rolled her eyes before answering, "No one really knows. They found me in Brooklyn but they have no idea if I'm from the area. What about you?"