come a little bit closer,

you're my kind of man.

The unfamiliar calmness of his room, quiet and dull and contained, acted as a sub-par distraction from the adrenaline bubbling under his skin. Steve could only focus on the humming of fluorescent lights for so long before his thoughts travel to the imminent battle in front of them and the pink-haired woman in the room beside his.

The battle - easy. Steve is no stranger to war, no stranger to fighting and dodging and bleeding and hoping. It is, truly, the only familiar thing in a world 70 years ahead of him. The complex mess of aliens, gods, magic, machinery, unfamiliar enemies and shaky allies… Sakura seems to be as foreign to this whole thing as he.

And while this may make her unknowingly sympathetic to his thoughts and emotions, Steve doesn't know how, or why, she plays in to this new world; this new time. There are so many things unraveling around him, Steve is a little wary of trying to unravel her mystery as well.

Blue and red is a familiar feeling on his skin - and in the mirror - as he pulls his suit on, a strange comfort in its reminder of running and punching and defending.

The conclusion Tony came to regarding the climax of Loki's plan is an unnerving one, to say the least. They know the what and the where - an alien army, Chitango, Chithona, or something, and Stark Tower - but the when and how are unknown variables. Steve can only hope they have made their grand realization on time, and that whatever is facing them isn't entirely indestructible. Something thrums idly through his bones, beating through veins and muscles - anticipation. The recent fight within the helicarrier was a spike in activity that Steve was quietly thankful for, but he knows it will pale in comparison to the fight immediately in front of them.

A fight they cannot afford to lose.

He won't lose.

There is a light tap from his door that breaks him from this thought, and Steve tugs his gloves on quickly as he makes his way to the entrance. He taps the button to open it, and it slides to the side fast enough to reveal a wide-eyed Sakura, hand raised to (presumably) knock again.

The smile that spreads across Steve's face is an easy one, seeing the embarrassed flush rise on her cheeks and the stuttered way she lowers her upraised arm. Sakura clears her throat, eyes leaving his and Steve, at once, feels a rush of gratitude.

For her to be standing in front of him (conscious and not bleeding out) seems to be a strange sort of miracle. Steve doesn't know her familiarly enough to call her a friend - but he has observed her well enough to call her a valuable ally. One person could make the difference, turn the fight, flip it in their favor, and he is grateful they have one more possibility to fulfill that destiny. Knowing that someone is just as out of their comfort zone as him, but still eager to fight for what they consider right is… another sort of strange comfort.

Steve then realizes he's been silently staring at the nervous pink-haired girl since the door has opened, and cringes momentarily, before he says, "Ah, uhm. Sakura. Glad to see you're… you're up and ready. You're, ah— are you ready to go?"

He would take the opportunity to sink into the ground if it was offered at that moment.

But Sakura - for some unknown, undefinable reason - seems to be a little less tense after his fumbling string of words, the flush disappearing from her face and a half-smile spreading on her face. She tugs on the sleeve of her bodysuit before nodding sharply and saying a firm, "Ready."

Steve smiles, a little more grimly this time, and once Sakura steps aside, he takes the lead through the hallways of the helicarrier. With every corner they round or entrance they pass by, remnants of the recent battle lay strewn about. Missing wall panels, exposed wires, bullet holes. Blood, occasionally. They serve as unavoidable reminders of the stakes of this conflict. It can feel so small, so contained, in such a space floating 30,000 feet above the rest of the world. But the moment they begin to fall, there are countless lives at risk, streets and cities and families and countries and soldiers—

A small palm rests on his forearm, snapping Steve out of the still state he had unknowingly found himself in. He realizes that he has stopped in the middle of the hallway, agents streaming around him with wary looks and hurried steps, and Sakura has moved in front of him. The moment she sees he has come back to himself, she pulls her hand back sharply, but there is still some muted concern on her face.

"Are… are you alright, Captain?" Her voice is quiet, too, an attempt to not draw any more attention than they already have. Steve purses his lips, embarrassed at his distraction, before shaking his head. "I'm fine. I apologize for that," He makes a vague gesture with his hand but can see Sakura doesn't totally take his word for it. She breaks eye contact to tug at her sleeve again and sigh quietly, and when she looks back, Steve sees the skepticism still swimming in her gaze and they don't have time for this—

"Alright. Let's keep going," The conviction of her tone is not able to hide the wariness in her eyes, but she seems to recognize as well the immediacy of their situation. Something Steve is grateful for, as he continues on to their destination, which they reach in silence.

Steve opens the door to their intended room, within which Natasha stands, tense, in front of a bed with messy sheets and slack restraints. She looks slightly caught-off-guard, a rarity for the agent, but Steve wastes little time before saying, "Time to go."

"Go where?" Natasha replies quickly, tension still thrumming through her body. He can feel Sakura's presence just behind him, and Natasha's darting eyes flicker to her as Steve responds, "I'll tell you on the way. Can you fly one of those jets?" The opening of a door pulls everyone's attention to the opposite of the room, where Clint emerges, wiping his hands with a towel.

"I can."

Steve feels Sakura tense before he does, and he quickly sends Natasha a look to silently ask if the archer across from them is… back on their side. She nods stiffly, but her eyes linger on Sakura's still figure and she nods once more, dipping her chin lower. Steve forces himself to ignore the exchange, and directs to Clint, "You got a suit?" The other man mutters an affirmative response, and Steve feels the thrum of adrenaline rise again to rest right under his skin.

"Then suit up."

As Steve departs with a small nod in her direction, and Clint follows soon after, Sakura is left alone with the red-haired agent. When they first entered the room, the other woman seemed very clearly troubled by something. That well-trained mask seemed to have been built up quickly, though, and there are very little remnants of whatever was once on her mind.

In the same way that Steve's sudden halt in the hallways concerned her, Sakura cannot help but be slightly worried about Natasha. With the little time that she has known these people, and despite their initial hesitation towards her, their willingness to allow her to fight, to place some trust in her, has meant the world to Sakura. From being used by an apparent megalomaniac green bean, to being treated as a valued ally, there forms a sense of hope within her.

Even if they are maybe possibly probably turning to her out of desperation. Honestly, Sakura will take what she can get.

Natasha, vigilant as ever, seems to sense Sakura's concern for her, and swiftly starts a new topic, telling her there is something missing from her suit before exiting the room with quick steps. Sakura can only sigh, again, as she drops the subject and follows behind the older woman. If she has an unhealthy amount of empathy for those around her, then everyone else has an unhealthy tendency to talk about anything that may be troubling them.

They reach the hallway that Sakura recognizes as holding their rooms, and can't but feel a little excitement as they stop outside what she presumes to be Natasha's room. The red-head gains access and gestures her inside with little pre-amble, and heads immediately to the storage unit as they enter.

The silence that fills the room is only a little uncomfortable, but as Natasha finds what she is looking for and turns back to Sakura, she finds her breath hitching slightly. A pair of leather gloves rest in the hands of the other woman, and that dull ache makes itself known in the back of her head once again. There are flashes of splitting rock and that green light and grey and gloves and… and Natasha's voice pulls her out of this.

Natasha's words sound muffled, somehow, as she says, "Noticed the little concrete-burns on your fingertips and thought you could use these. I don't have a red pair to match the rest of your suit but I think…" She trails off, seeming to notice the distracted expression on the face of the rosette, who steps forward and gently takes the preferred gloves.

"…thank you," Sakura can tell that the utterly serious tone of her response has only further confused the other woman, and so she admits quietly, "These… remind me of something. From before." Understanding dawns on the face of the agent, but there is a silent question that remains.

"I don't know what, exactly, but… It's something." Sakura exhales, making sure her hands are still as she pulls the gloves on. They stretch easily, fit exactly over her fingers and palm.

They feel right.

"Well…" Her attention is drawn back to Natasha, who is now leaning against the storage unit with her arms crossed in front of her. "I know everything has sort of happened all at once since you… arrived here. I can imagine how difficult this has been. But," At this, Natasha uncrosses her arms and took some steps towards Sakura, "Despite what Fury may say, or yell, I think you still deserve some sort of choice. This wasn't your battle, this doesn't even seem to be your— well, your world. If you want to stay back and lie low, I know some—"

"No." Sakura knows her tone is a little abrupt, but she cannot let Natasha keep going. "I… maybe this wasn't my battle, or this wasn't… this isn't my battle. My home. But I won't sit back if there is something I can do. I may not be as familiar with the stakes of this fight as you all are, but I just can't— I couldn't live with myself if I just sat on the sidelines while everyone else risks their lives."

Natasha is silent for a beat, the narrowing of her eyes showing her hesitation towards Sakura's conviction.

"…thank you for the offer, though," Sakura mumbles a little awkwardly, the very thorough gaze of the woman opposite making her feel as if she is dissecting her very soul. But it is with this stumbled phrase that Natasha seems to ease up slightly, releasing a silent exhale through her nose before sending Sakura a crooked smirk.

"That's a very hefty promise, I hope you know. There's no real chance to go back from this."

A hazy flash of orange, blond, blue, and white.

Sakura holds her hand out, with a returning half-smile.

"The promise of a lifetime."

"What have I to fear?"

Tony suppresses the urge, once again, to roll his eyes at the green-clad god in front of him. The dramatic accent and gold accessories and all that really make it a little hard to take him seriously. but it is the crazed look in his eyes that stops Tony from just laughing him out of the tower.

That, and his glow-stick of destiny and alien army.

Either way, Tony still uncorks his favorite whiskey and pours himself a glass, responding easily, "The Avengers." Loki tilts his head slightly, and Tony actually does roll his eyes, "It's what we call ourselves, sort of like a team. 'Earth's Mightiest Heroes' type of thing."

"Yes, I've met them," The smug note in Loki's voice is irritating as hell, but Tony knows that engaging in some hero-villain pre-fight dialogue will give everyone some time. He huffs out a laugh and sends the black-haired man a tight smile of his own, "Yeah, takes us a while to get any traction, I'll give you that one. But—" As the smile slips from his face, Tony continues.

"Let's do a head count here. Your brother, the demi-God; a super soldier, a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend; a man with breath-taking anger management issues; a couple of master assassins; an amnesiac kinda-indestructible woman who you have really managed to annoy, and you, big fella, you've managed to piss off every single one of them."

At the mention of Sakura, Loki seems to stiffen, jaw tightening and gaze darting to the side. "She lives, then?" Tony doesn't deign him worthy of an answer, and simply takes a sip of his whiskey, the burning in the back of his throat serving as a good distraction from the utter beating he wishes to give the man in front of him.

The green-clothed man is silent for a moment, eyes lingering on the scepter in his grasp, but then he speaks in a voice more subdued than before. Tony has the strange thought that the color of his eyes seem to darken for a split second but casts that aside.

"Let this be the only warning I give you, Tony Stark." Loki's gaze darts to the left for a beat, seemingly deciding something, before he says, "There are forces larger than my own that are after that girl. If I were you, I would be wary of holding her at your hip."

Tony's eyes narrow as he considers the words of the other man, his mind darting about every possible scenario that would make the megalomaniac offer such a warning. What does he have to gain, who could he be referring to, what else is even out there, why is Sakura—

Again, he casts these thoughts aside. Loki doesn't do, or say, anything without reason. Whether that reason is manipulative or not doesn't change the fact that Tony will take his words into account. This freak is a little too much of a loose cannon to even slightly trust what he says, but he can't help but be wary of them all the same.

"…Duly noted," Tony picks up his whiskey and walks around the island, attempting to distract from the uncomfortable feeling that has settled in his gut, "But when they come, and they will, they'll come for you."

Loki's eyes are crazed-as-ever as he responds, "I have an army."

Tony's voice is firm as he says without hesitation;

"We have a Hulk."

The humming quiet within the Quinjet did little to lessen the adrenaline and anticipation thrumming through Sakura's body. The strange metal machine still leaves a sense of weightlessness in her gut, a feeling of unfamiliarity that comes with soaring above treetops and through the clouds. She affirms herself to the floor of the plane without really thinking about it.

Natasha and Clint are deathly silent at the front, only speaking commands or questions quietly to one another. Beside her, the Captain cuts a figure of subdued solidity, the entire essence of his being completely switching once he dons his blue-and-red costume. Gone is any nervousness or awkward movements; in its place is a man that has witnessed enough battles to find some sense of calm in the preparation before. Sakura can't help but feel something about her past rings true with that.

In her last experience flying in the Quinjet, it was pitch black outside, dissuading any of Sakura's attempts to see this new world. But now, with daylight streaming endlessly around them, the city that Natasha has identified as "New York" is an incredible sight to behold. Buildings of silver and glass stretch till they are shrouded by cloud-cover, bridges stretching over wide expanses of water and crawling with tiny colorful boxes (that Sakura thinks are called cars). It seems to be filled with constant movement and bustle.

…Nothing reminds her of 'home.'

Sakura's moment of misplaced introspection is interrupted when Clint utters a rough, "Shit," and her attention is brought to what lies ahead of them. As they move further towards the city, what becomes extremely evident is a beam of blue light streaming directly from a tall building into what appears to be a dark hole randomly ripping through the sky. Small shapes are appearing quickly and constantly out of said hole, and Sakura can almost feel the tension rise within the Quinjet.

Agent Romanoff speaks sharply into her ear device, "Stark, we're on your three, heading northeast," and the other man makes a quip about a "drive-thru" before giving proper directions that she and Clint may follow. Sakura sends a quick glance in the direction of the blonde man standing beside her, but his gaze is set firmly on the impending battle that lays not far ahead of them.

They bank sharply around a building, and a whirring noise makes itself apparent at the same time a streak of gold-and-red darts past them. What Sakura presumes to be a group of the… things that have appeared out of the portal are quickly destroyed by a barrage of projectiles from the Quinjet. With those taken care of, they begin to ascend, swerving around rooftops and shooting down the seemingly-endless army of creatures flying around them. Something clips their right side, making the plane jolt slightly, and Sakura feels a brief pressure on her back that she quickly attributes to Steve's arm; ensuring she stays standing. Sakura feels a small swell of gratitude for the Captain (even though her feet have not moved an inch since they set off) but this feeling is quickly trampled with the exchange of Clint and Natasha in front of them.

"Nat," His tone is clipped and strong, and her response is a similarly-short, "See 'em." In front of them, on the landing of a tall tower—that Sakura quickly identifies as belonging to Tony with a mere glance at the name plastered on its side—Thor and Loki are exchanging blows with one another. The mere sight of the man in green makes Sakura grit her teeth and clench her fist. Being stabbed in the chest is a pretty good reason to hold a grudge, she thinks.

The two men fighting below them seem to notice their arrival, and Loki takes advantage of this moment to toss his brother to the ground with the swipe of his scepter. The Quinjet immediately starts firing at Loki, but their fear of hitting the blonde god makes them unable to simply release the barrages they shot earlier.

It takes no more than one second for Loki to aim his golden scepter at their plane, and no more than three for him to charge up a stream of blue energy and aim it directly towards their left side. Things happen too quickly for them to try—and fail—to stabilize the machine, for Clint to curse some more from the front seat, and for Sakura to ensure she is stuck to the floor of the jet. Steve nearly stumbles but reaches to the bars above his head to stay balanced. Sakura only hesitates for a moment before she places her hand lightly on Steve's (huge) back, ensuring that he knows she will catch him if he slips, as the Captain made apparent before.

The small tilt of his head in her direction lets her know he got the message.

Despite Clint and Natasha's desperate attempts to keep them in the air, they continue to dive towards the ground. Dragging sharply around a set of buildings, the axis of gravity within the Quinjet is thrown further off-kilter, and Steve's feet begin to lift up and to the right of him. Sakura's hand quickly darts around to rest just below his ribs, and with a little extra use of her energy, she is able to ground him once again. The nod of gratitude is larger this time, and comes with a muttered, "Thank you." She only has time to nod sharply in return before the Quinjet collides abruptly into the corner of a building and, soon after, roughly crashes into the concrete below. They slide for a brief moment before jolting to a stop, with which Sakura removes her hand from Steve and releases the breath she didn't realize she was holding.

Clint and Natasha waste no time in unbuckling themselves, and one of them must open the door behind them, for Sakura and the rest of the team are exiting the Quinjet and running through the rubble before she can even think about it. Steve doesn't turn to look at them as they continue forward, simply uttering a firm, "We've got to get back up there," that leaves no room for questions.

As they dart through concrete remains and overturned cars and smoldering fires, Sakura feels concern swell in her chest at the number of people around them. Streaming blindly through destruction, screaming and crying desperately, everything within her is telling her to STOP and run towards whoever needs her help. She knows, now, what her hands are capable of, and they're just running past all of these people who need her to healhealhealhealhealheal—

Sakura's heartbeat is pounding so loudly in her ears, and her gaze is darting so quickly from helpless person to person that she almost doesn't notice everyone else come to a halt in front of a large white building. But there is an unmistakable, foreboding groaning that is coming from the blue and black hole above their heads.

This noise is preceded by the emergence of a massive, screaming metallic beast that is quickly making its way towards the chaotic city below. Sakura feels her heart drop to her feet.

The four of them are entirely frozen in place as it descends towards them, carelessly obliterating anything it runs into before it passes overhead with a mechanical clicking. Humanoid creatures begin to burst out of its side, wires attached to their backs as they land on the sides of the buildings around them. They cannot do anything to stop these creatures as they jump through windows and shoot at the streets around them, and Sakura feels the fear in her bones quickly shift into unfiltered anger as the screams and cries around them seem to multiply. Steve interrupts the stillness of their group to ask, "Stark, you seeing this?" Tony, from the in-ear device that Sakura was given before their departure, replies without much bite, "I'm seeing, still working on believing." He doesn't wait another moment before asking, "Where's Banner, has he shown up yet?"

The confusion in Steve's voice as he responds, "Banner?," mirrors Sakura's own, but Tony doesn't persist on the topic too long. "Just keep me posted."

There is only a brief pause before Tony's voice comes through the comm again, but his tone is even more subdued, "You got Sakura there?" She can feel everyone's eyes immediately dart to her, but she ignores them with a rough exhale before saying back, "Y-yes. I'm here." Tony is quiet for long enough to make Sakura a little worried, but before she can check that he's still present, he speaks again.

"Loki. Said there's, ah—something that's after you. Or someone. Little vague, not sure if he's just tryna spook us, but… you know. Be careful, and all that." Sakura tenses at his revelation and feels a pinprick of pain at the back of her head that quickly disappears. Steve has taken a step closer at some point during Tony's rambling. The worry in his blue eyes is oddly familiar, but it is a sight that almost leaves a sour taste in Sakura's mouth.

A sudden barrage of energy hits the ground around them, and they are forced to dart behind a bright yellow car in an attempt to find some semblance of cover. Natasha and Clint are quick to take up defensive stances, and Steve follows just behind Sakura as she comes to crouch next to the wheel of the car. Creatures on strange machines soar past them overhead, and the archer points out their targeting of civilians. Steve's disgusted uttering of their enemy's name reflects Sakura's contempt for their targeting of helpless individuals. The explosions and chaos occurring all around them make Sakura want to stand up and fightfightfightfightfight.

"They're fish in a barrel down there," The Captain grits out beside her, and though the phrase is unfamiliar, watching these beasts easily attack and destroy without much resistance gets the meaning across rather well. Natasha stands quickly, drawing two guns and quickly shooting down an approaching creature. Clint darts to an overturned yellow car across from them at the same moment three of the beings jump down onto another destroyed car nearby. Natasha turns to Steve and Sakura, sending them an assure nod before breathing out, "We got this. It's good, go."

Steve holds her gaze for a moment, before directing to Clint, "You think you can hold them off?" The archer is sure in his response of, "Captain… it would be my genuine pleasure." He wastes little time in standing and drawing his bow, Natasha joining him in his attacks soon after, giving Steve and Sakura the time to dart towards the railing separating them from the further destruction occurring below. Sakura readies herself to jump, charging energy to her feet, but a firm hand on her arm stops her from doing so.

She turns to Steve, who is staring at her intensely. The grip on her forearm loosens slightly, but his hand remains where it is. He then says, in a rushed tone, "Sakura. What Tony said, I think—"

"Captain." Sakura doesn't let him get much further than that, knowing he'll probably ask her to hang back, or lay low, or whatever. And Sakura also knows that there is no part of her that would run from a fight when she knows she can be of some help. There is a deep urgency to be involved, to be useful, that she will not ignore because of the apparent ramblings of a crazed god. Or whoever else may be involved.

"…I appreciate the concern." Her gaze sharpens as it lands on a beast leveling a lane of cars just a few feet in front of them, and she feels a sense of resoluteness. "But I won't just stand back and let you guys deal with all of this." Steve's brow furrows slightly, but Sakura only takes a step towards the battle lying ahead.

The squeak of leather as she tightens her gloves is oddly comforting, and any hesitation she may have held is immediately smothered by voice in the back of her mind repeating healfighthealfighthealfighthealfight. Sakura only pauses to look back at the tense figure of Steve for a moment and allows a small smirk to appear on her face.

"I won't be watching anyone's backs today."

With that quick utterance, she darts off, dodging around car and concrete to land below amongst the alien's continuous assault on the city. There is a familiar green glow that surrounds her hands, and Steve watches, his mouth held slightly open in planned rebuttal, as she cleanly punches a beast straight into a building.

He can only exhale sharply, shake his head, and adjust his shield as he jumps to join her. Steve can't help but mumble to himself;

"…I hope that's just a saying…"

/an/

... um ... sorry!

i want to thank everyone that has been anticipating another chapter; all your encouraging reviews and follows and favorites really pushed me to start writing again. last year was kind Dumb Bad - school occupied my entire life, and sucked any essence of creativity out of me lmao. i've been trying to write this since last summer, but managed to find some inspiration and desire to write again after seeing endgame (yIKES).

i want to assure everyone i will never ever abandon this story. i don't know how long it'll take me to finish, but i intend to follow through. and i intend to follow through allllllllllllll the way until endgame ! you bet your butts this story will have arcs ! no matter how long it takes me, i will finish this gosh darn thing !

next chapter is the bAtTle of NeW yOrK so get ready for some big fights and sakura being a bad ass and all that. i hope you guys are as excited for what's to come as i am, and i hope you're entertained enough to stick around. with summer now upon us, i will be updating as often as i can (which will be very often)

thank you all for reading! your support means the world!