"In the Midst of Storms and Darkness, There is a Strength Greater Than Our Own."
𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 -> James "Bucky" Barnes/Original Nonbinary Character(s). Secondary Pairings; James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton, James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes/Natasha Romanov, James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton/Steve Rogers/Natasha Romanov
𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘 -> The story is told from the other side, and important decisions have to be made.
𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓 -> 2597
𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 -> (M) Mentions of Abuse, Percieved Risk to Life, Storms
𝐀/𝐍 -> Check it out below, or on AO3 here! The Masterlist can be found here!
<- Chapter Five
Chapter Seven ->
Dividers by us! <3
Prompts;
- ‘Hope is the Last to Die’, “Is This Another Test?”, ‘Storm Warning’ – @fandombingo (The Martian);
- “If We Decide Not to Help, No One Will Know We Could Have.” – Fandom Bingo (The Martian);
- “Slavery and Happiness Do Not Dwell in the Same House.”, “You Deny Reality!” – Fandom Bingo (Wonderland, 5x5);
- “I May Be Crazy, But That Don’t Make Me Wrong.” – @fandom-free-bingo (Gingerbread Edition);
- ‘Fatigue’, ‘Surprising Dispatches’ – Fandom-Free Bingo (Gingerbread Edition);
- ‘Pinned Down By a Person or An Object’ – @julybreakbingo (5x5);
- “How Long Have You Been Like This?”, ‘Struck By Lightning or Shock Collar’ – July Break Bingo (6x6);
- “How Hard Could it Be?” – July Break Bingo (7x7);
- “What Have You Done to Yourself?” – July Break Bingo (Flash);
- “Who Did This to You?” – July Break Bingo (Kofi Exclusive).
The silence that followed the great beast’s words was all-consuming, the deafening timbre making the ground beneath our feet tremble and stripping our voices in its wake.
I barely felt Mars tug their arm free, taking a step back toward the salivating creature, their head tipped up to look him in the eye. “You… You can speak?”
The enormous maw parted once more, flexing and stretching without the interminable restraint. “Without That Toothpick Between My Jaws, Yes. Though It Has Been Many Millenia.”
I saw my partner stiffen sympathetically, inching further forward, and panic coursed through me even as fear held me fast.
“Bug…” Winter murmured mercifully off to my side, but they simply shook their head without looking back.
“How long have you been like this?” they breathed, their voice cracking with pity for this shackled beast.
“Longer Than Your Mortal Mind Can Comprehend,” he replied evenly, his head lowering to lick at a raw-looking laceration along his shoulder. I frowned at the words, taking in the various stages of healing littered throughout the tattered, unkempt fur.
“Left, but not abandoned,” I whispered, nausea rising in my throat. The great creature simply nodded, and Bug hummed, taking another step forward.
“All this wounds… How have you managed to do it? What have you done to yourself?”
I reached out at last, my hand finding their shoulder. “Not himself. Look,” I murmured, pointing at the strip of flesh that was passing beneath the rasps of his tongue. “That’s not him.”
They blinked in surprise, eyes widening before they narrowed, inspecting the injury from the distance at which they found themselves held. “That’s… Not you,” they echoed weakly, brow furrowing. “Who did this to you?”
“Someone has been coming here?” Thor clarified, stepping forward at last, his usually strong voice underpinned by a subtle tremor. “To… Inflict harm upon this helpless creature?”
“Mind Who You Call Helpless, Asgardian,” the wolf spat, raising his head once more to glare at the thunder god. “We Both Know I Am Destined To Consume Your Kind.”
“You know of the prophecy?” Thor demanded, and from the corner of my eye, I saw Tem wrap a hand gently around the god’s forearm as the muscles tensed, fingers clenching on the helve of his hammer.
“Never mind that,” Mars hissed, turning their head to shoot a glare that cowed even the mighty Thor into submission. “Who did this? Was it one of them – one of the Asgardians who trapped you here?”
“No Asgardian would be so low as to-!”
Thor’s outburst was interrupted by a warning snarl from the wolf, his claws curving against the rock underfoot. “You Deny Reality! You See Nothing, Thunder God. You Know Nothing. For Millenia, I Have Been Abandoned. And He – Yes, One of Your Kind… He Has Been My Only Companion.”
Thor fell silent, digesting this revelation – the notion that his people were capable of even greater cruelty that this quest had suggested would not sit easily with our teammate.
“Who was it?” Bug whispered, moving forward once more – well within range of the mighty maw now, despite the delicate chain still wrapped around the creature.
“My Father Has Never Been A Kind Man,” the beast answered at last, his eyes shifting away infinitesimally. “And Hope Is Always The Last To Die.”
My brothers and I winced in unison, well acquainted with the cruelty of which the wolf’s father was capable. My mind, and likely that of those who bore witness, flashed with images of the Spiders’ ruined body and shattered mind, the long road of recovery – and the nightmares that still sometimes woke them in the night and left Lia, in particular, terrified of the snow. I considered the beast again, a fresh pang of sympathy washing over me, and thought once more of Sleipnir, waiting patiently on the opposite bank, an asset and a joy despite his origins. Any lingering mistrust I had held for him was eradicated when he led us to safety the night before – without the steed’s intelligence, we’d have been unable to push on, and it wasn’t safe to turn back. He had, quite likely, saved the life of my beloved.
“Loki,” Thor acknowledged, his voice low and deadly. “Of course it’s Loki… Who else?”
“He Is My Father,” the wolf growled, eyes returning to the god and narrowing threateningly. “Do Not Speak Of Him In This Way.”
“How long has it been since you’ve seen him?” Bug prompted softly, their voice quiet and kind.
“Several Months,” the creature acknowledged reluctantly. “His Visits Vary In Frequency.”
“These don’t look several months old,” Mars mused, moving closer still, peering up at the lacerations with concern.
“These Wounds Are Magic. They Will Not Heal Until Treated.”
“That’s barbaric,” Bug muttered, earning only a sideways glance of annoyance. “When was the last time you ate?”
“I Do Not Require Food In This State,” he noted with an air of annoyance. “…But It Has Been Some Time.”
With a sympathetic hum, Bug reached into their backpack, holding their tub of chicken thoughtfully. “You’re, uh… You’re a bit bigger than I thought you’d be. Sorry.”
Win moved to step forward as the great maw opened once more, the salivation increasing once more, less red as the time passed, but Greg’s hand closed firmly on his arm. “They won’t forgive you if you intervene,” he warned softly, and Winter hesitated, his eyes flickering between his two loved ones uncertainly before stepping back, leaning against the sailor’s side. I knew how he felt – the urge to scoop Mars up into my arms and run far, run fast, was almost overwhelming, and my muscles itched with it.
The pot opened with a pop, and the scent of once-warm chicken wreathed around us, making Tem giggle. “Our Bug and their chicken,” he noted, moving to stand by their side.
The motion startled the beast, and he growled, yellow eyes narrowing until Tem stumbled back. “Hey!” Bug snapped, fury radiating from their every tense muscle. “No. We do not growl at Tem – he’s just a sweet baby, okay? He’s not going to hurt you – none of us are. You can have some chicken, but only if you’re nice. You’re clearly smart; you can see reason. Use some of that higher thinking.”
“Is This Another Test?” he asked eventually, the ominous rumble sounding surprisingly uncertain and fearful.
“No more tests,” Mars responded softly, slowly extending a sliver of chicken pinched between two fingers. “Especially not ones you were never going to win.”
The enormous yellow eyes flitted between my lover’s open, honest face and their paltry offering, full of indecision. Those of us behind were helpless to do little but watch with bated breath, knowing with an uncomfortable certainty that if the great beast lunged, our own actions would be of revenge, not salvation.
He wouldn’t even need to chew, I noted with a distant horror. He could swallow them whole.
The wolf slowly lowered its chest to the floor, saliva dripping steadily, and leaned its head forward.
I didn’t dare twitch or blink for fear of startling the creature as I watched Mars carefully place their hand between the parted jaws, laying their gift upon a tongue that rivalled them in size, canines the size of their arm mere inches from their face.
But then they stepped back and the spell broke, and we all watched, transfixed, as the mighty creature closed its formidable jaws around my love’s offered morsel, chewing thoughtfully as we stood silently before him.
“Well?” Bug prompted eventually, nervousness wavering in their voice, and I fought the ask to laugh at the incredulity of the situation.
I don’t think they’ve ever asked a dog its opinion on their cooking before.
Though most aren’t likely to eat you if they don’t like it.
“Thank You,” he offered eventually, settling more fully onto his chest, his enormous paws relaxing before him. “While It Has Been A Long Time Since I Ate, I Imagine That Was Delicious By Anyone’s Standards.”
Even from my partial, side-profile view, I could see Mars light up, cheeks tinging pink at the praise. “I- I have more? It’s not a lot, but I mean – you’re welcome to it,” they clarified quickly, the tub popping open once more. Their entourage, myself included, watched in helpless disbelief as they settled themselves on the ground beside Fenris’ colossal form, their head barely reaching midway towards his shoulder. The muscles in my jaw gave up as they tentatively leant against the coarse, blood-splattered fur, gazing up at their companion contentedly. The wolf stiffened for a moment, upper lip twitching and hinting towards a snarl, and I saw Win tense beside me – but a heartbeat later the expression was gone, and Mars was permitted to gently run their fingers through the tangled strands as they slipped slivers of chicken into the great beast’s mouth.
We could only watch in awe, each of us slowly relaxing as no harm befell the curious mortal, their own posture becoming looser and more sure with every passing moment.
“They are not fully in control of their faculties, are they?” Thor mused thoughtfully, his own fingers finally unclenching from around the hammer’s haft.
Tem giggled, settling himself on the ground with his legs tucked beneath him, pride shining in his eyes as he watched his partner. “You mean they’re crazy? Yep.”
“Absolutely insane,” Greg agreed, a broad smirk across his face.
The great wolf let out a soft huff, one enormous yellow eye rolling down to consider the creature beside him. “You Are Certainly Interesting, Little One.”
Mars only beamed, petting the enormous shoulder gently, then turned their head to consider the chains that encased and encaged the creature. “… Thor? How do we…?”
The god arched an eyebrow as all eyes turned to him, jaw stiff. “I don’t think…”
Mars sighed as they stood, Fenris simply watching them with open intrigue as my love moved to stand before the towering god, arms folded across their chest. “Slavery and happiness do not dwell in the same house,” they noted, chin tipped up to meet his gaze.
“If we decide not to help, no one will know we could have,” he countered quietly, sparing a glance over their shoulder. The wolf looked on, seemingly uninterested in the end result, but the subtle flexing of his claws betrayed him, as did the infinitesimal shift of his eyes between the god’s hard expression and the tensed muscles of Mars’ shoulders.
“Look…” Bug sighed again, shaking their head softly. “I may be crazy, but that don’t make me wrong. You know the right thing to do here, Thor. And I know you to be a good man. You know I can’t do this without your approval, so… Please. Help me. Help him.”
The sight of tears pricking in the corner of their eyes made my heart speed up, an irrational, protective urge making my gaze narrow as I looked at the god – do whatever they want, or I swear, I’ll-
“There was much suffering at my brother’s hands,” Thor murmured quietly, considering the mortal and the creature behind thoughtfully. “I will never forgive myself for not intervening sooner when he sunk his claws into the Spiders – or when he moved against the Earth.”
“Thor, you didn’t-” Tem began softly, but the god held up a hand, gently cutting him off.
“Whether I could have or not is irrelevant, Little Wolf,” he replied, a sad smile gracing his lips. “I regret that I didn’t. My brother has always been my responsibility, and my burden to bear. I’ve known for a long time what he was capable of – or at least, I thought I did. He had a greater capacity for cruelty than I ever could have imagined. But I should have kept a closer eye on him. I can’t erase his past mistakes – but I can ensure that there is no more suffering caused by his actions.” His eyes shifted to the wolf once more, clouded with emotion. “Let’s let him loose.”
The chains turned out to be more complicated than we thought. Delicate and fine, they didn’t seem a worthy opponent – but even with our combined strength, my brothers and I found no give in the slender links.
“What the hell did they make this thing out of?” I huffed, sweat beading on my forehead.
“Oh, I know this! So basically, it was crafted from impossibility – the sound of a cat’s footsteps, the-”
I interrupted Mars’ excited response with a good-natured huff, shaking my head. “It was rhetorical, sweetheart,” I chuckled. As much as their reply was unnecessary, I appreciated their brightness – the futility of our act, as we strained and grunted, was beginning to wear on me.
“Impossibility,” Thor mused, growing quiet. We paused to watch him, somewhat surprised to see the burly god think. After a moment, he turned to Greg; the sailor stood leaning against a rock and watching his partner haul on the chain with an indecipherable expression. “Lieutenant Tyne?”
“Odinson?” Greg replied, snapping to attention immediately. As much as his hunger for Win was insatiable, he was professional when he needed to be, his back straightening and eyes fully focused on the god.
“I hear you’ve been practicing your weather-working.”
Greg nodded once, immediately falling back into his role as the commissioned officer. “Yessir.”
Thor smiled, eyes alight with mischief. “Would you care to help me with something impossible?”
The sailor’s own lips quirked, and he arched an eyebrow. “How hard could it be?”
Mars, my brothers and I had been made to move away, clearing the danger zone. I was quietly grateful for the reprieve – fatigue was beginning to settle in from wrestling with the chains, even despite my enhancements.
“I’ve had some surprising dispatches in my time, but this…” Greg chuckled, flexing his fingers. “This takes the prize.”
I saw Win puff with pride beside me as his partner’s feet pressed more firmly into the ground, storm clouds beginning to gather. The sailor’s hands moved slowly at first, then faster, and Thor’s hammer began to spark and pop.
Beside me, Mars slid their hand into mine, chewing on their lip. It had taken some convincing to get them to agree – one wrong move, and the wolf would be fried. But we were running out of ideas, and it seemed like combatting impossibility with impossibility was the only thing that might work; after all, what seems as impossible as the team of a thunder god and sailor-turned-headmate-turned-singlet with weather powers?
But eventually, they had murmured their reluctant consent, offering the wolf one last pat on the shoulder before coming to stand between Tem and I. Their fingers clung tightly as they laced with my own, nails digging into the soft flesh of my knuckles, but I didn’t dare ask them to ease up as they watched with bated breath. The wolf, for his part, was shrunk as far from the boulder as his chains allowed, permitting as much space as possible for the men to work, with something akin to uncertainty in his flickering gaze, shifting repeatedly between the two men near him and the Bug by my side.
Greg was taut with concentration, and the god wheeled his hammer with increasing speed, the thunderclouds condensing and darkening overhead.
“Ready?” Thor grunted.
“Ready,” Greg huffed in response, sweat beading on his forehead.
In an explosion of light and sparks, so blinding that I instinctively closed my eyes, the lighting struck where the chain looped around the colossal boulder, sending shockwaves through ground and air.
