Chapter 8

Kurt didn’t go back to sleep.

He’d been assigned a room four floors down, but he just changed out of his folded clothes and took a long shower.

He tried to ignore the fact that his broken arm was nearly healed. He wasn’t overly fond of that trait, which he assumed that he’d just inherited from Steve.

He sighed, leaning against the shower wall, breathing as much steam into his lungs as he could, while trying to avoid looking down at his body. He didn’t really want to see all the bruises and cuts and that one unfortunate gash. He reached up and touched his nose. Well, at least that break had healed before he’d reached Stark Tower. He scrubbed his fingers through his hair, trying to get all the dried blood and splinters out of it. 

“I’m going to have so much fun breaking you.”

Kurt’s fist made a two inch dent in the marble tile of the shower and he hissed in pain as his knuckles splintered. But it did nothing to stop the memories.

Kurt struggled underneath him, trying to shove him off, but Sebastian’s grip was unrelenting. Sebastian quickly tore the rest of Kurt’s night shirt off, grinning as he dragged his nail down the long cut down Kurt’s chest. 

Kurt’s scream was muffled by the long fingers gripping over his mouth. 

“Shh,” Sebastian cooed. “Don’t want to wake the neighbors, do you? Because if they come and investigate, I’ll have to kill them.”

Without warning, he flipped Kurt onto his stomach, placing his knee on the small of his back as he yanked his pajama pants down.

Kurt reached back, to try and grab at Sebastian, his self-preservation kicking in, but Sebastian grabbed him by the back of his head and bashed his face down into the kitchen tile. Kurt heard his nose crack.

Then he felt two fingers roughly enter him.

He screamed, but Sebastian roughly shoved his face back into the tile, grinding it there as he laughed. His knee pressed even harder into Kurt’s back until he heard splinters and cracks.

“What if all the Avengers could see you now?” Sebastian taunted. “What would dear Steve say?”

Kurt did the only thing he could think of. He went limp.

Sebastian tsked. “It’s always the one’s with the most fight that end up lying there and taking it like a bitch when push comes to shove.” He sighed and Kurt heard his belt buckle click. “I thought you’d at least be a bit more of a challenge.”

Kurt grabbed the spear next to him and twisted sharply, stabbing Sebastian through his right shoulder.

Sebastian screamed, rolling off him, and Kurt stubbled to his feet, his body doing its fastest to heal as he yanked his pants back up his hip.

Sebastian glared at him, yanking the spear out of his shoulder and throwing it.

Kurt’s body snapped back, bowing over. His hands grabbed the legs of the kitchen table and he snapped back forward, bringing the whole thing down over Sebastian’s head.

There was a flash of green light and Jesse appeared. Kurt grabbed for a chair, but Jesse grabbed him by the arm and swung him around into the refrigerator. 

There was a sickening crack and Kurt’s arm broke.

Jesse scoffed as he shoved the table off of his brother, grabbing his brother and disappearing into a flash of green.

He wasn’t broken. Well…maybe a bit damaged, but so was everyone else on the team. Sebastian thought he was a poor broken little flower and he could go on thinking that. It would just be that much more fun when Kurt would tear his head off his neck with his bare hands.

Still…he wasn’t particularly interested in lying down in the plush bed and testing his subconscious. So after sending a quick call to Pyotr, he asked Jarvis to direct him to the training center.

*The Chrysler Building*

Sam sighed, rubbing his eyes as the dark clouds above reflected his mood. He was trying to keep everything together but the truth was that he had no idea what he was doing. Now that their team was all together, he couldn’t stall anymore—he had to form a plan. 

But the truth was, he had no idea where to start. He had no idea what Loki’s objective was, or how to find him, or even defend themselves against him, or what was happening to Mercedes—

His grip on Mjolnir tightened as he did his best to refrain from taking off the needle of the building.

Lightning crackled around him.

He looked up at the sky, surprised. He wasn’t the one causing it.

Before he could so much as blink, something hit him hard across the middle, slamming into him and propelling him over the tops of buildings, until he crashed onto the roof of Stark Tower.

He looked up into the furious eyes of Aurora Monroe. 

“Where. Is. My. Daughter.”

Sam glared at her, standing. “I have nothing to say to you.”

Her eyes turned white as a blizzard set in over the tower. She flew at him, striking him with lightning which he redirected through Mjolnir right back at her. She fell to the ground before leaping back up to tackle him. Sam did his best to avoid the angry mutant’s nails, but got a nasty cut on his face. He tried summoning lightning, but she was blocking him, bending the weather to her own will.

So he resorted to grabbing a handful of her thick white hair and yanking her off of him—inelegant, but effective.

She screeched, rolling away before getting to her feet, starting towards him again.

“Hey!”

They turned. Santana was climbing up the stairs to the top of the tower, glaring at the two.

“First of all,” she snapped. “Some of us are trying to sleep. Second of all, what the hell are you doing here, Storm?”

Aurora bristled. “I’m here for Mercedes.”

“Nice try,” Santana sneered. “But she’s not here. Loki and crew got her and we’re working to get her back.”

Aurora’s eyes flashed. “How could you be so careless as to let her get kidnapped.”

Santana blew up. “Let her? Let her? We didn’t just let her get kidnapped! And who the hell do you think you are?”

“I’m her mother!” Aurora thundered.

“You gave up that right when you gave up Mercedes!” Santana bellowed, jabbing her finger in Aurora’s face. “And considering that you didn’t even try to contact her until she got recognition as a spy, you frankly don’t even deserve her! Mercedes isn’t your family, she’s ours, so we’re going to be the ones to get her back without your help!”

“Listen here, Lopez—”

Santana paled. “Don’t. You. Dare. I’m a Romanoff.”

“Well, we’ll—”

“Aurora.” 

The three blinked in surprise as the calm voice rang through their heads.

“Professor?” Aurora asked aloud.

“Aurora, I know that it pains you—believe me, I do—but the children our right. It is not your place to be there.”

“But professor—”

“Aurora. You’re needed at home, not with them. They don’t have the answers you seek. Come home.”

Aurora took a deep breath. “Yes, Charles.”

And she left.

Sam put a hand on Santana’s shoulder and was surprised that she didn’t smack it away. “Are you alright?”

Santana’s shoulders stiffened. “Mercedes is our family. No one else’s.”

Sam nodded, wrapping an arm around her. “Yeah. And trust me, we’re going to get her back.”

“I know,” Santana nodded. “It’s just…it’s just hard without her. She was always the mature one when mom wasn’t around.”

“She’s your rock. She’s all of our rock,” Sam agreed. “Honestly, it’s the only thing keeping me from going insane right now—knowing that she’s okay. Because, well…because she’s Mercedes.”

Santana released a small smile. “Yeah, same. I wish I had the same comfort for Brittany.”

“Well, it’s Britt,” Sam shrugged. “She’s infectious. She’s probably gotten them all to start singing the Thomas The Tank Engine theme by now.”

*Loki’s base*

“Would you stop whistling!” Quinn snapped.

Brittany blinked. “But it’s Thomas The Tank Engine. It was my favorite show when I was little and I want my niece to watch it too. But I’m not sure if you have TV here, so I have to whistle it to her.”

“Brittany,” Quinn said, as patiently and as cautiously as she could. “What did I say about talking about Beth.”

Brittany frowned. “You said that I shouldn’t do it.”

“Right,” Quinn nodded. “So why are you still doing it?”

“To get you used to the idea,” Brittany shrugged. “And it’s working!”

“What do you mean?” Quinn snapped.

“That’s the first time you’ve called her Beth outside of your head!”

Quinn blanched as she realized Brittany was right. “I—”

“It’s okay,” Brittany smiled. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone, I know the drill. But maybe you’ll start calling me sister outside of her head?” she said hopefully.

Quinn stared at her, mouth gaping slightly. “I have to go.” She left her room as quickly as possible.

As she walked through the hallways, she found herself whistling the Thomas The Tank Engine theme and remembering the bright flashes of a photo booth.

*Stark Tower, Manhattan*

“Um, is there anything else you need to know?” Mike asked, scratching his hair. 

Tina smiled up at him, adjusting her glasses. His heart dropped low, suddenly. “No, thank you! But you’ve been such a great help, Mike,” she said sincerely, rubbing his arm. “Thank you, Mike. Really. Honestly, if there’s anything I can do for you, just let me know!”

Well, there were several things she could do for him, the very front-most in his mind being the two of them bent over the nearest couch, making out. “No, it was no trouble,” he blushed. “I was happy to help.”

“Seriously, I owe you one,” she smiled.

He nodded. “Okay. So…are you really going to be staying up here?”

“Of course, as long as Jarvis wants me.”

Mike wanted her. He’d never thought that he’d be jealous of a computer.

“Oh, well, that’s cool. I’m just two floors down if you need me. So…goodnight, I guess.”

Her smile brightened. “Goodnight, Mike.”

Then she leaned over and hugged him.

He spent the whole elevator ride trying to calm his body down.