I squared my shoulders as I stared down an approaching Chitauri leviathan. Enemy soldiers sprang forward from inside it onto nearby building, terrorizing the citizens inside.

My hair swirled around me, and the sky above the block I stood turned grey and dull. Power built up between my fingers as I summoned Frost Bites, and readied my feet I to a sprint.

Captain America and the two agents were behind me, watching, but I had to focus on the task at hand.

Finally, when the beast was in range, I charged forward. Dodging the blasts of other Chitauri warriors, I sent a wave of ice spikes into the nearest enemy squad. With my speed and momentum, I leapt of a toppled cab car, and into the mouth of the leviathan.

A furious shriek escaped my lips as I brought down my swords, sending a flurry of snow and ice through the creature.

I felt its hot breath on my body, and darkness blinded my vision, as I let go of everything I had just built up.

For a second I thought I was dead. I thought I hadn't been able to conjure enough energy, but then a rumbling roar split through my eardrums and I landed on cold concrete with a thud.

The ground broke into cracks upon my impact, and I was definitely covered in something gooey and sticky.

I turned back to see the now sliced in half Chitauri leviathan beached onto the street, leaning up against the neighbouring building. The trio of heroes stared at me in astonishment.

Jogging over to where they took cover behind a car, I shook myself down of the beast's saliva.

"Thank god you're on our side," Barton, the archer praised, before he gestured to the skyscrapers around the block. "But we're got civilians still trapped up there."

As the words left his lips, a pack of Chitauri flew over us, led by non other than the god of mischief himself. I mentally cursed Thor for letting him escape, as Rogers breathed, "Loki."

Destruction laid waste in their path as they blasted people and exploded cars below us.

"They're fish in a barrel down there." Rogers added, at the cornered mortals. I didn't understand his phrase, but I could've guessed it wasn't good.

Barton and Natasha both moved from our cover spot, aiming and taking down newly arrived aliens.

"We got this." The redhead remarked. "It's good. Go."

"Are you sure?" I questioned, as Cap asked, "Do you think you can hold them off?"

"Captain, (Y/N)," Barton nodded, pressing a sequence of buttons into his bow. "It would be my genuine pleasure."

The Captain and I glanced at each other as the agents rose from their cover again and took aim. I smiled, before following Rogers over the railing of our bridge, and onto the lower part of the street.

Explosions sounded at our feet as we landed on the back of a car, only for it to be launched into the air. My powers fired up automatically, creating a slope of ice to soften my descent.

We continued running until we halted on top a cop vehicle in front of a line of officers.

Rogers handed out instructions without hesitation. "You need men in these buildings." He pointed up with his hand. "There are people inside and they're going to be running right into the line of fire. You take them to the basements or to the subway. You keep them off the street. I need a perimeter as far back as 39th."

"Why the hell should I take orders from you?" One of the cops questions wearily,

We flinched at the sound of an explosion as more Chitauri landed next to us. The cops shrank away, but I formed my swords ready for battle. Rogers fought the one of his right as I took on the two on my left.

I ducked under their swipe, and punched the nearest straight into the building over, whilst I sliced the other with my weapon, cleanly taking their head from their body.

When I turned back to Rogers and the officers, he had a Chituari blaster in his hands, and the police hurriedly rushed to obey his commands.

Once that was finished, Cap gestured in the direction of Natasha and Barton, so we quickly sprinted to their aid.

Rogers knocked two incoming enemies with his shield to protect Barton's side, and I swung my hands out to take down a row of Chitauri with one ice blast.

In front of us, lightning rained down onto the remaining aliens before Thor landed shakily next to us.

I bolted to support him with my shoulder, noticing the blood gushing from his abdomen. Loki, I knew for certain.

"What's the story upstairs?" Rogers asked.

"The power surrounding the Cube is impenetrable." Thor announced grimly.

"Thor's right. You gotta deal with these guys." Stark's voice called out from up ahead.

Natasha frowned. "How to we do this?"

"As a team." Rogers replied.

"Without dying." I said, more quietly.

"I have unfinished business with Loki." Thor declared. "And I know you do too, (Y/N)."

"Yeah?" Barton mumbled, adjusting his arrows. "Well get in line."

"Save it." Rogers ordered, circling around to face us as a group. "Loki's gonna keep this fight focused on us and that's what we need. Without him these things could run wild. We got Stark up top, he's gonna need us to—"

The sound of a looming motorcycle stopped the Captain's speech. We turned to see Banner, dusty and disoriented, get off his vehicle and walk towards us.

Meeting him halfway, the doctor gestured around us. "So, this all seems horrible."

"I've seen worse." Natasha commented, keeping her eyes on Banner.

"Sorry." He said sincerely.

"No, we could use a little worse." The agent clarified.

"Stark, we got him." Rogers said through his earpiece. "Just like you said."

"Then tell him to suit up. I'm bringing the party to you."

In the distance, the small figure of Stark rounded a street corner followed by another Chitauri leviathan. My earlier take-down of the first had left me a bit tired, but it was nothing I couldn't handle in case the Hulk didn't show up.

Thor snarled by my side, readying his hammer as Natasha muttered, "I don't see how that's a party."

Banner glanced once more at our group, and turned towards the charging creature.

"Dr. Banner," Rogers interrupted. "Now might be a really good time for you to get angry."

Banner grinned, while he continued walking and said over his shoulder, "That's my secret, Cap. I'm always angry." As he turned around his skin stretched and lengthened into that massive familiar green form. His clothes ripped and fell away as he sent a mighty punch to the leviathan's head, causing it to flip over from the collision.

"Hold on!" Stark shouted, firing a small bomb into the exposed skin of the beast. We swiftly took cover from its collapsing body.

The bomb detonated in a fiery outburst, leaving nothing but the leviathan's skull to tumble onto the street. Chituari screeched and snarled from where they hung onto the sides of buildings.

Roaring back at them, the Hulk took his place in our team circle. I formed an icy longbow into my hands and shot an arrow into the first enemy I could spot.

Stark was hovering over us, Natasha was to my left, and Thor was to my right, providing me with a sort of comfort I hadn't felt in a long while.

"Guys," Natasha warned, staring up at the hole in the sky. More beasts and seemingly the rest of the army began to descend down from it.

"Call it, Captain." said Stark.

"Alright, listen up," Rogers addressed us, bringing his attention up to the sky. "Until we can close that portal our priority is containment. Barton, I want you on that roof. Eyes on everything. Call out patterns and strays. Stark, you got the perimeter. Anything gets more that three blocks out, you turn it back or you turn it to ash." The Captain gestured with his thumb.

"Can you give me a lift?" Barton asked.

"Right." Stark agreed. "Better clench up, Legolas." He grabbed the agent from behind and took off with a burst of his thrusters.

"Thor," Rogers turned in our direction. "You gotta try and bottleneck that portal. Slow them down. You got the lightning. Light the bastards up."

The god of thunder nodded, sparing me a final glance before he spun his hammer and flung himself up into the air.

"You and me, we stay here on the ground. We keep the fighting here." The Captain told Natasha. "(Y/N) find Loki or help Thor whenever you can. And Hulk..."

The Hulk turned towards Rogers with a sneer.

"Smash."

Grinning, the monstrous side of Banner leapt away, jumping from building to building as he completely demolished the Chituari.

I smirked, and let the wind carry to me to the top of the high, pointy tower where Thor sent a surge of electricity into the portal. Every Chitauri that tried to get close and stop him was fried to a crisp.

"Don't mind me, just here to help!" I announced, spreading my fingers out widely, and letting a tsunami of snow flood the incoming enemies. "By the way, Odinson, didn't I tell you not to let Loki escape?"

Thor huffed, using the last of his lightning and turning to stare at me innocently. "He... he didn't escape. I let him go."

"You let him go?" Somehow, I didn't quite believe him, so I laughed instead. "Sure. Well, I'll just go get him back then," I quickly pointed down at the Chitauri squadron on 6th street. "Those are all yours though. Enjoy."

Thor rolled his beautiful blue eyes and flew off towards my suggestion.

From this high up, I could easily spot Loki, and the number of Chitauri flyers flanking and following him. By the looks of it, they were chasing down one of their own.

I dove down, and as I got closer, I realized they were actually after Natasha, who was merely riding on a Chituari vehicle.

Noticing Barton take aim at Loki from his rooftop, I decided to give him a little extra breathing space.

The enemy turned the corner, as I rolled midair, bringing my foot down onto the nearest Chituari, before I bounced off to take out another with my fist. I shot the others out of the sky with a jolt of icicles, impaling each at the centre of their chest, leaving Barton with one final target: Loki.

I hated to admit I was impressed, but that beautifully calculated arrow from Barton was intercepted by Loki himself. Even so, a second later the tip of the arrow exploded, sending the god of mischief crashing towards Stark tower.

Landing gracefully beside him, Loki jerked upright, and his green eyes widened at me. Grinning mysteriously, I took a step backwards from him.

Loki's brows furrowed in confusion, and he only understood why I moved away when a roaring, thunderous figure charged him into the building.

I meandered inside with them, flashing the Hulk a soft, amused smile, and he snarled as he readied himself to strike Loki again.

"Enough!" Loki hissed, getting up from where he had fallen. "You are, all of you," he cast me a stern look, "beneath me! I am a god you dull creature. And I will not be bullied by—"

Legs grabbed from under him, Loki fell into the clutches of a very angry Hulk. The "dull creature" as Loki had called him, threw the god around like a mere ragdoll and continued to slam him into the floor then back up, then into another spot on the floor.

When he finally finished, Loki stood motionless in a newly created ditch in the ground.

Hulk walked towards me, spitting out, "Puny god." In a deeper voice than Banner's.

"You did great." I praised, keeping a good length away from the green figure. I didn't know for certain if he remembered Thor and I's battle against him, but if he did, I didn't want to end up like Loki had.

Thankfully, the giant nodded and left on his way.

I approached Loki, who was quietly whimpering to himself, and reached down to comb a stray strand of hair out of his face. It was almost like an impulse. "You'll see your mother soon." I soothed. I knew he liked his mother better than anyone else in his family. "It'll end, okay? Whatever you're going through, it's going to get better."

He didn't answer, so I wasn't sure if he even heard me. Even so, my attention was quickly captured elsewhere.

Two squadrons of Chitauri on their flying vehicles pulled up in front of the tower, ready to fire or take back their leader. I wasn't going to let that happen.

Like a storm brewing in my chest, Frost Bites resolved before my hands as I sauntered out to meet the enemy. Using my powers on the leviathan, helping Thor, and carrying myself via the wind had made my muscles sore from lack of practice with my newly-found strength.

I wasn't used to using such a degree of power, and as a result was experiencing a burn-out. Which was not very favourable for me. But I couldn't just let them take Loki again. No, he wouldn't escape this time, I promised.

The Chitauri screeched in their native language and blasted me from all different angles. I groaned, absorbing just enough ice to deflect their attacks.

Cracks formed along my skin, and vapour poured out of them, like I was made of actual ice. As cool as that sounded, I did not want to find out what happens if I shattered.

Gathering up whatever strength I had left, I threw my hands out in front of me, letting a bomb-esque effect of snow and wind throw the Chitauri flyers into the surrounding buildings.

I sank to my knees from exhaustion, and tried to catch my breath, but it seemed like the universe wouldn't let me catch a break.

Stark's steadily approaching figure connected to the underside of what looked to be a missile was heading straight in my direction. He struggled to lift it up towards the sky, and suddenly I knew where he was going to put it.

As he flew past me, I sent a gust of wind into him, launching him forward so that he only just scraped the Stark tower upon his incline.

Only a few moments later, Stark was gone; lost into the deep, dark abyss of space.

From above me on the roof Stark tower, the beam of energy from the Cube diminished, and the portal began to close.

"Come on, Stark." I whispered softly.

Then, like a lifeless weight, the armoured man slipped right back into our world, tumbling down without making any intention of stopping.

I took a breath in, preparing a head-first dive after him, but Hulk caught him before I had a chance to. I sagged in relief once they placed him on the ground. He didn't move for a couple of moments, and my worry skyrocketed again because of it, but one loud, heart-stopping roar from the Hulk seemed enough to wake Stark from his slumber.

My face erupted into a wide smile as I pumped my fist in the air and cheered. We did it, I realized, feeling a sense of prideful happiness rush through me. As a team.

It wasn't long before everyone had gathered back at the tower. I hugged Thor immediately as he landed, almost leaning all my weight onto his.

He patted my back like good friends did to each other, and supported me over to where everyone else was, looking down at Loki's crawling silhouette.

His breath was heavy as he turned to face us, and he said so confidently I wanted to smack him, "If it's all the same to you, I'll have that drink now."