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Months of training had finally gotten you into the actual, real life, corporeal Avengers headquarters. At first, the email seemed fake, an anonymous sender referring to you as 'special' and 'one of a kind.' Yes, you were special, but you sent the email to the Avengers Apprenticeship team months ago, and some people even said Stark had shut the whole thing down after all that stuff with those crazy alien guns. But alas, there you were, standing awkwardly at the door to the grand, pebble-grey building. Glancing to the right, a butch but relatively slim man in a suit punched a code into the keypad on the wall, and the doors opened. On the spiralling glass staircase in the centre of the building was Tony Stark himself, galloping cooly down the stairs, his classic black aviators resting on the bridge of his nose. A pang of nervousness shot through your heart; this was the real Tony Stark- it was the real Ironman! you shot him a nervous smile, your palms becoming increasingly clammy."Uh... (y/n), isn't it? The shape-shifter lady?" He mumbled, extending his index finger to point at you nonchalantly. Rude. "That's me," you chimed back, making the effort to exhale a little harder to show you made some attempt to laugh at his overwhelmingly large ego. "Hmm," He replied, snaking his arm around your back to escort you back up the stairs he had just descended from, "I must admit, I had closed the apprenticeship thingamajig just after you applied, but your audition video was really something." He laughed, letting go of you once he had reached the first floor, "Can you really turn into Lion?" He asked curiously, his dark shades slipping slightly down his nose. "I can turn into anything as long as it exists and has a respiratory system." You stated matter-of-factly, a cocky grin on your face. Tony hummed in surprise, leading you to a large glass room where several figures stood. The Avengers."It's essential that you get to know the team, just in case some crazy purple alien wants to try and kill half the population all over again." He jested, holding the thin glass door open for you, allowing you to step into the room.The whole room went silent. All eyes were on you.You lifted your head stiffly, waving a clammy hand at the people in the room. It wasn't the full team, but it was good enough. Bruce stood in the far corner, looking out across the plains of grass that surrounded the building after he had lost interest in you, his hands in the pockets of his dull grey jogger bottoms. Steve, although out of costume, was settled in a seat almost smack-bang in the middle of the table that occupied the cold room, his large hands clasped together, a judging stare heading straight your way, looking rather formal for an informal event. Peter was there too, beaming at you with the sparkliest set of teeth you've ever seen. You flashed him a smile, causing him to leap up and pull you into a "nice to meet you" sort of hug, introducing himself as Spiderman. Of course, you had no idea what spiderman had actually looked like before this, but you weren't surprised by the fact that it was the youngest member of the team. Ana sat on the right side of Steve, her less judgy set of eyes scanning you over quickly. Tony made his way over to the table and leant against it with a smile."This is (y/n), the newest member of the team." He announced."It's like Peter all over again," Bruce huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. Tony swung his head around to him and gave a little tut, before turning back to you. Peter threw one of the 3 small, black pens on the table at Bruce, but accidentally missed and hit the window behind him, causing the pane of glass to whine. Tony whipped back around to Bruce, who pointed at Peter."Hey, hey. Watch it, this kind of glass is expensive, you know," Tony barked, sighing as he once again turned to face your awkward figure, the two other men bickering quietly."So, tell us what you do." Tony finally asked, and the whole team had turned to look at you again."I'm a shape-shifter." you said, "I can turn into anything as long as it is living.""Woah, no way! do one right now, a shifty thing, I mean." Peter sputtered, practically falling out of his seat."Well, what do you want to see?""A dog! turn into a dog-""I would much prefer to see a lion," Tony interrupted, shrugging cockily."Please turn into a dog, please? Like, just any type of dog.""Uh, lets not. Lion, please." You sighed, realising that the argument would escalate if you didn't do something soon, so why not completely disappoint them both? You pressed your palm against your middle finger- your trigger finger- and pushed down until it cracked. Then, in an instant, you were on the floor. The Avengers all came huddling over to see what you had done, and like God had performed a miracle in front of their eyes, a pretty white cat, covered with clothing sat licking her paws happily, a knowing look on her face.
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"Gamora! Mercy, holy shit!""If you cant take this, then how the hell are you gonna defeat anything stronger than a four-year-old?""You're literally a fucking killing machine- I'm a human !"Gamora sighed and let you slip out of her iron grip reluctantly. Carefully, you pulled yourself out of her chokehold and rolled over the floor, away from her. A shot of pain struck your neck, causing you to groan."Oh come on, it wasn't that bad." the alien testified, pulling her arms across her chest to crack the bone. You rolled your head on your neck slowly, relieving the tension as Gamora continued to stretch."Uh, yeah it was.""Just be lucky," She argued, "I was trained by Thanos, and every day I feared for my life. Every day. My sister, Nebula, could never just quite beat me in a match- he used to make us fight. When she lost, he replaced a body part with robotics until she was almost completely metal, so that she could become my 'equal'." She mumbled dismally, letting her arms fall to her side. A comfortable silence fell upon you both, a knowing look on each of your faces."Is that how you're so strong?" You asked curiously, and she nodded with a huff."I'm sorry..." You said, shuffling over to hug her. She embraced you with a smile, letting her arm drape across your shoulders.After a short hugging session, both of the girls left the training stadium and headed back up to headquarters, where the rest of the guardians were catching up with the Avengers in the lounge."And then he said 'well, if you'da pushed it in any further god knows wha'dda happened!'" Rocket howled, the whole room burst into laughter. You and Gamora took seats at the table everyone was sat around with a smile. This room was used for Tony's decadent parties (which was a common occurrence) but was also a breakout zone from all of the stress of being a superhero. The day went on pleasantly, with a few drinks shared between everyone and plenty of stories to tell; but you were the main attraction- it's not every day a new avenger is employed."So," Thor hummed, swirling the whiskey in his glass with a smug look on his face, "How did you discover your powers?""Well, one day I was writing an essay, right? and usually, I have a phobia of cracking bones and stuff, but my hands were in so much pain I couldn't resist the temptation, so I bent my fingers back and next thing I knew I was a 30-year-old lady- you see, I was thinking of my philosophy teacher at the time and-""You transformed into her..." Thor interrupted, eyes fixated on the golden liquid in his glass."Sort of, yeah.""Impressive," He grumbled, his thick accent making it hard to understand the context of what was so impressive- the story or the power."Does it hurt?" Quill asked, cracking his fingers on instinct."Nah, not really. It's kinda instantaneous, I don't feel the pain but I just transform the second I put enough pressure on my middle finger.""Do you know what kind of stuff you'll be doing?""To be honest, no. I've been on really small missions for Tony so he can get a feel for what my skill level is, but nothing that is substantial." You admitted, shrugging and leaning back into your seat. The group soon moved on to a new subject, giggling and making jokes for hours into the night, The joyous moment was only disrupted when Tony came darting through the door looking rather distraught, the melanin in his skin fading slowly, his hair strewn against his forehead."Thanos has the Tesseract." Tony had given the whole group a quick brief of what had happened; after the war, the tesseract was passed around the universe until it finally landed in a pawn shop, where Thanos's remaining 'children' stole it from the owner. Although unlawful, he was even more powerful than before. The gauntlet, which was still in use, was one of the most destructive devices known to man, and Thanos wore it with pride even after the war had finished, but now he had the Tesseract, and things were about to change.After the frantic encounter with Tony, you opted out of the rest of the talk to sleep. You got into bed slowly and pulled the duvet up to your chin, rolling to face the darker side of the room. it was 9:17 PM. The blinds shut out most of the summer evening sun, but still, on the opposite wall, there were rectangles of light projecting from the gaps. You tried your hardest but you could not sleep, tossing and turning in the night, the bed that had been so neatly made hours prior had mangled into a pile of loose rags. A lingering haze sat in thw back of your head, but something was keeping you from properly falling asleep. 11:36 PM. With a grunt, you pulled the duvet over your face in a final attempt to fall into a deep sleep, but Hypnos, the god of sleep, didn't seem so generous on that particular evening.You were paranoid.Why?You gazed up at the colourless ceiling. It was Gamora. As brief as it was, Gamoras story hit you hard, and with the new knowledge that her father may be coming back to Earth, rest was hard to find. There was too much to think about. Thoughts danced in her brain for hours and hours, a never-ending stream of words and queries taking chunks of the late evening energy away from you until you fell into sleep at last.The next morning was peaceful; Rocket was outside, being loud as usual. Everyone else was presumably doing something productive, and Peter was probably dancing in his room. Peter lived on the floor above and was the 'loud neighbour' that nobody really wanted. Fortunately, he was young like you and was one of the first members to accept you into the family, so you decided to let him dance to "TOP 100 ROCK HITS" until he dropped dead- the boy deserved it anyway. Pushing the tangled covers from your body, you stretched your weak limbs until a socket or two popped before heading downstairs in your pyjamas. Tony sat talking with somebody on the phone, but instantly ended the call when he saw you."(Y/n), listen," He began, a hand stretched out to grab your shoulder. "I need you to do a really big job for me," Gamora was in shock.Tony had set up a plan for you to infiltrate Thanos's warship as an alien maid, get the key to the box that the tesseract is in and escape in one piece."It's impossible," Gamora squawked, eyes wide."Its completely possible, (y/n) can change into any breed of alien, so she will transform into a maid of another war leader and take the key. Near the key is an exit, and I will wait for her there. It sounds like a completely reasonable and do-able plan." "No, she isn't going. It's too dangerous. He's extremely intelligent, you think he won't have guards swarming the whole damn ship? (y/n) doesn't have any other fighter powers, and is only average with her hands.""Guys I'm still here-" you stuttered, trying to get a word in."Be quiet, the grown-ups are talking." Tony barked "Gamora unless you want to do it yourself, I suggest you pipe down.""If it means that (y/n) doesn't get hurt, ill do it.""You're crazy,""Says the man who's sending a completely defenceless lady up to steal from the most powerful being in the whole universe!" Gamora snapped, stepping into Tony's personal space. The atmosphere was so stiff you could cut it with a knife. You could fight. You had weapons; good ones, too. You didn't need to be able to be fast if you had guns."I'll do it," You stated, earning a 'yes!' from Tony, who seemed like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders."Are you insane?!" Gamora screamed, grabbing your sides to shake you "He will kill you where you stand, you don't know him like I do.""If i die then fuck it, one death is better than millions. I need to do this." You mumbled as you stalked away, pushing the fogged doors open and sitting on the cold concrete steps outside, the warm summer breeze washing away any bad feelings with its radiant glow.
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After the war, a replica of the Tesseract was produced. Although it wasn't as powerful, it did the exact same thing as its stronger counterpart. Naturally, this caught the attention of Thanos and he sent his children to fetch it. He was the most feared creature in the universe so there was no issue for his children to collect the tesseract- everyone was terrified of him and his gauntlet; nobody dared fight against his 'merciful' wrath.The Avengers were aware of the Tesseract but never imagined Thanos would be bothered. He was powerful, and his mission was complete, so why did he need more power? Apparently, he did, and now everyone was in danger once again. You were the only weapon Earth had against the Mad Titan, and Steve and Tony had every intention to use you to the best of your ability. With the help of Bruce, they modified the tissue in your muscles and organs to give you more stamina and strength, but not an overwhelming amount. You were trained viciously by Gamora who taught you to fight with your hands, guns and various other weapons, your personal favourite being a flail. The training was brutal, but you knew it was for the best- who knew what Thanos was thinking? They had turned you into a war machine, but you still had a soul. Weeks of experiments had finally come to an end, and now you were ready for your mission."Let's run this through one more time," Tony grumbled, shifting in the stool that he sat in as you fiddled with the ugly maids dress he'd provided you with. "You'll sneak onto the warlord's ship as one of his Xandarian maids, right? Then, you will land on Thanos ship. At any given time, try to get away and grab the Tesseract- it's in a blue box near the throne room apparently, and there's a key that should be hidden near it, but I don't know where. Then look for the nearest exit, ill be waiting on top of the ship for you. Be quick, the ship is probably crawling with soldiers."You nodded, processing the plan for what seemed like 100th time. You were nervous, to say the least. Tony bowed his head at you and stood up, inhaling slowly. He was nervous too. Everything hinges on what you do now, and once it's done it can never be undone. Today, it could be the difference between saving millions or ending up in a shallow grave that many had fallen into before you. Your hands spread like pale starfish across your crumpled dress, trying to find comfort in the scratchy cotton. Tony escorted your shaking figure into his standard issue jet, jumping into the cockpit and dropping you on the planet that the unnamed warlord originated from. You clicked your middle finger and watched as your skin peeled back to show a new salmon layer, your hair changing to a dark ultramarine flow of silk-like locks. You noticed your vision had sharpened with the new Xandarian form you had adopted. Fear swam through your veins."Goodluck," Tony choked, a solemn look on his face. Your eye twitched involuntarily as Tony took off, leaving you on the unknown planet. Large grey structures reached up into the mauve sky, vehicles darting around like blind flies searching for sugar. The landscape was bright like a child had taken a handful of glitter and thrown it as far as the eye could see, a flash of all the colours of the rainbow coming from every fathomable direction. You stood outside the city, just far enough that nobody would notice your approach. You swallowed thickly, dragging your feet through the long grass that was beneath your feet, your flesh as heavy as lead.The ship was parked outside of the city according to the plan, so you continued on the outskirts until you saw what appeared to be a ship and headed straight for it. You kept your face stoic as you approached the other maids who looked at you with suspicion. You bowed your head at a small herd of them as you boarded the ship. Another Xandarian maid stood awkwardly nearly the entrance of the ship, her eyes cast down at her plain black shoes, her bottom lip between her teeth."It's not good to bite your lip," You cautioned with a soft smile."W-what?" She whimpered softly, looking up to meet your gaze."If you bite it too hard the skin will split." You advised. She nodded awkwardly and shuffled on the spot."Thanks." She mewled, a slanted smile on her swollen lips."My name is Kliho, yours?" You lied. It felt terrible to lie to such an innocent person, but what could you do about it? You needed to pull this mission off."Arlyse" She replied. You smiled at her and pulled your hand out for her to shake. She stared at it awkwardly. Shit. Xandarians don't shake hands."Sorry, that's something my previous master taught me. It's like saying hello." You lied again, causing her to raise her eyebrows and nod quickly. That poor girl, she seemed so vulnerable, and it broke your heart to think about the things she'd been through to get here. Nervously, she followed what you had done, her fingers twitching as they reached for you. You glanced at her hand. A brand. You swallowed and shook her frail hands softly, causing her to smile. Maybe you were her first friend?"What is that mark on your hand?" You asked curiously, causing her to twitch."It's from the war... I got separated and taken from my family, and this was the only way for the soldiers to identify me as Xandarian."Oh, how you wanted to go home and pretend this didn't happen."I'm so sorry," You croaked, shaking your head."Its ok, most the maids have the same mark." She chuckled softly. She didn't laugh because it was funny, she laughed because it was normal. It was normal for her and her kind to get branded. What was up with this universe? You were deep within space, a brittle silence blanketing the ugly ship you were boarded on, flashes of whites and yellows in all different sizes painted the sky, splashes of purples, blues and reds swirling into masses with the inky blackness that seemed to stretch on forever and ever. You sat at a small table, below deck, with Arlyse. Although you had only known each other a few hours, it was obvious that she was the kind of person that wouldn't kill you if you suddenly said you were human. The other maids had something that humans called 'Stockholm syndrome', a syndrome where a person falls in love with their captor. Was it weird? Yes, it was. On Earth, the syndrome was romanticized as 'dangerous love.' Hollywood loved making innocent girls fall for mafia members that, if given the chance, would kill them in an instant; a fabricated, mechanical, one-sided kind of love. It was sickening, heartbreaking even, to know it was a universal issue. The girls glared at your quiet figure as you and Arlyse discussed things like home life and family- Arlyse was the 'runt' of the maids but caught their masters attention mostly because of her timid personality. Suddenly, the large metal door that separated you from the ship opened to reveal a male soldier, a silken cloth hiding his face, a glowing blue spear in hand."We are approaching the mighty Thanos's warship, and require the attention of two chambermaids." The figure boomed, his tense body unmoving. The girls leaned out of their seats eagerly. The figure took no time noticing the eagerness of the maids; except you two. His dark eyes cast themselves on your duo."You two, follow me."Arlyse bit her lip and glanced at you as you both stood, the other girls mumbling curses under their breath as you followed the sturdy figure through what resembled a gateway at a human airport- the type that connects a plane to the terminal, except it was made of thick iron sheets and pulsed with electricity. Suddenly, your surroundings changed. The ceiling stretched on for what seemed like miles, bridges connecting each side together. The dark, silver room was illuminated by small blue lights that were dotted here and there. Guards, armed to the neck, stood at every corner and turn, their unseen eyes gazing at you as you walked behind the unnamed person."Your master is conciliating with the mighty Thanos as of now. I have been given strict instructions to lead you to the chamber that they are in, and that you must serve them as they wish." He stated robotically, tuning on his heal as he pushed a door open with his right hand. You clenched your jaw and walked straight into the room, your head held high, despite wanting to feel as though the floor could give through at any given moment. You hadn't seen Thanos yet, but the men had stopped talking as you and Arlyse took your positions at the end of the room, hands crossed in front of your torso. They spoke in a tongue that was foreign to you, the hum of both voices together was endearing to listen to, each voice having its own vocal range, but how could you judge someone by the way they speak? You mustered up the confidence to glance at the mad Titan, to feel your blood freeze in your veins.There he was, in all his glory. Clad head to toe in gold trimmed armour, he slouched in his immense throne, one of his huge fists holding up his head, his eyes lazily watching the man at the other end of the table speak. His lavender skin was embroidered with multiple indents and scars that would be classed as war tattoos back on Earth, but the way that the lines seemed a part of him told you they were something more than just random etched shapes on his exclusive shade- with skin as beautiful as his, it would be a shame to ruin, even a psychopath would know that. His eyes where a dark shade of mulberry, his lips curled into a resting frown. His biceps twitched as he began to talk, each one of them about the size of your head. The hand with the gauntlet reclined between his thighs, each crystal glimmering in the dim lighting of the room. It was hypnotizing, but knowing that the glove he wore killed millions sent a shiver down your spine, and you felt yourself deflate slightly at the thought. You gulped and focussed back on your shoes again. You did not want to cross paths with a being that had as much power as him."Girl," The unnamed warlord howled, capturing your attention. You glanced at Arlyse to see if he was talking to her, but she was still staring at the floor."Yes, my lord?""Bring me the gift I have brought for Thanos." He scoffed. You bowed slightly before padding out of the room. "Arlyse, my pet, would you mind monitoring the new maid?" Arlyse nodded before following your footsteps quietly.Your footsteps pattered gently down the hallway as to not cause a scene. This was the only chance you may have to capture the Tesseract. With the grace of an angel, you snuck around the ship until reaching what seemed like a throne room, and there was the blue box that Tony promised. A surge of confidence overwhelmed you as you sprinted towards it, its glow bathing you in a blue light. Frantically, you looked above, below, next to and around the box for a key. Without the key, you couldn't gain access to the Tesseract. A flap in the floor revealed the prize; they key. You reached for it, only to hear a gasp escape from somebody near you. "What are you doing?!" Arlyse cried, her shoulders wound up tight."Arlyse, wait-"But it was too late. A guard from nearby had heard the conflict and alerted Thanos. You cursed through your teeth and grabbed the key and leaving the Tesseract before sprinting for the exit nearest to you. Arlyse followed hopelessly, unsure of what to do. A deep red hue washed over the ship, a horrific wailing sound burying itself in your ears."Arlyse, come with me," You shouted, popping the small glass hatch open."I cant!""They'll kill you if you stay!""They'll kill me if I go!""But at least you can die with dignity if you come with me." You pleaded with an outstretched hand. Arlyse glanced behind her before shaking her head and jumping at you. You pressed the button on the side of your hip and initiated the temporary space suit before jumping out of the hatch, seeing a blur of violet skin trudging towards you. You felt your weight spread into space when Tony suddenly grabbed you and sped away to a nearby ship that he would use to transport you home. Once aboard, you passed him the key. Arlyse looked around nervously as Tony took off."A new friend?" Tony asked, glancing at her shaking figure."Yes," You replied quietly "Just let her stay for a while.""Sure, as long as she doesn't set HQ on fire or something." "Master, they took the key to the Tesseract!" A guard hollered frantically as Thanos smiled to himself."You thought I wasn't smart enough to put a tracker on it?" He mused, his eyes following the small ship that flew toward Thanos's least favourite planet; Earth. "I'll get it back," He declared, a devilish smirk on his face. "All in good time."
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You spent the next few weeks acclimating Arlyse to Earth. After the success of the mission, you began to feel yourself relax into a normal lifestyle again. Quill and his team had left Earth to do what they do best, while the rest of the Avengers stayed on Earth to take up petty jobs like delusional crackheads who think they've developed the worlds most dangerous bomb. Gamora called you every other night to check how you were but always steered away from the topic of the mission when Arlyse was in the room. Arlyse and Mantis also became friends and spoke quite frequently, and now that Arlyse was finding her place in the team, Thanos's threat levels had decreased- everything and everyone was at peace.A knock on your balcony door woke you from your sleep. With a grunt, you pushed your body out of the comfort of your bed, letting your head adjust to the sudden movement. You pushed back the thin curtains to see Peter sitting on a chair, his feet resting on the tabletop. You sighed and opened the door, the warm air flooding your cold room."Morning sleepyhead~" Peter teased with a grin,"What do you want?" You droned, wiping the sleep from your eyes haphazardly."Well, I thought I could treat you to lunch, do some wandering around the city then catch a movie? Its been so long since we've hung out, man." You hummed in response, stretching your arms above your head as you yawned."Sure, whatever, let me get ready." The city of New York was urban, its unfathomably tall buildings set out in grid-like structures, huge billboards coat the city in bright colours, the forever present hum of electricity flowing through the city's core. A happy harmony of voices and the beautiful aromas of street food filled the air above the citizens and tourists alike, smiles on the faces of almost everyone. There was nothing like New York City."Where do you wanna get lunch?" Peter chimed, wallowing through the crowds of people."Somewhere small,""Like Mcdonalds?""Definitely not Mcdonalds." Peter huffed, scanning the area for anywhere 'small' to eat. His eyes locked on to a small restaurant on the corner of the street."What about there?" He asked as he pointed to the restaurant with a hopeful smile. You nodded and followed him across the road before pushing open the beige door. The tiny restaurant huddled itself between the humungous skyscrapers, hundreds of people passing by its welcoming "OPEN" sign, a smooth jazz record pouring out of its small windows, the smell of freshly baked pies lingering in the air around it. You smiled as you entered the small establishment, families, businessmen and couples alike tucking into some food or enjoying a coffee. You and Peter made a bee-line for the booth at the back of the restaurant, taking your seats quickly and pulling the menus from their cold, metal holders with the eagerness of a child. After a few moments of discussion, a pretty young girl came to the table with a notepad in hand."Are you ready to order?" She chirped, her bright red lipstick giving off a sparkly sheen as she smiled sweetly. "Yeah, uh, I'll have the... Bacon and egg omelette with uh... A cheeky monkey chocolate milkshake and... 3 pancakes with syrup, please." Peter said with a smile, closing the menu and putting it back in the holder he took it from. The girls' smile faltered as she eyes him. All that food, just for him? She nodded quickly and noted it all down before turning on her heel to you."And for you?" "Pancakes with syrup, and a vanilla milkshake, please." The girl nodded before scurrying off to the kitchen to give the order to the chef. Once the food had arrived, Peter took no time scoffing the entirety of his order down his gullet in what seemed like record-breaking time. You, however, took your time slowly slicing the pancakes and delicately drizzling the syrup your food came with over them. After the food, you and Peter wandered around the many shops in Times Square before heading to the movie theatre to watch some action film that Peter wouldn't stop raving about called "The Revengers; Endless War.""Imagine if Hollywood made a film about us, that would be so cool." Peter jested, settling down in his seat with a popcorn box. You laughed and leaned over the armrest to grab some of the sweet and salty popcorn as the film began. The film was decent, but it was obvious that Peter had more contextual knowledge about the film than you because he wouldn't stop talking about it all the way home, it was only when Tony had a late night task for Peter to complete that he finally shut up and let you have some alone time. You wandered up to your room slowly, tired from the day. You hadn't done much, but Peter sucked the energy straight out of you. You opened your bedroom door to find the balcony window still open. You stared at it confused, you could have sworn you closed it. You shook your head and slid the window across its frame until it was properly closed, the cold evening air slowly turning warmer. You quickly got undressed and into pyjamas before flopping into your soft sheets, only to be disturbed by the familiar tone of your phone ringing.It was Gamora.With a groan, you picked up the call and connected it to the TV so that you could see each other properly."I was about to sleep," You croaked, faking a frown."Oh boohoo, you barely sleep anyway." She scoffed. It was true, you were plagued by insomnia- it was horrible, but you'd learnt to live with it."What do you want?" You finally asked, sitting cross-legged on the bed. "Well, I haven't been to Earth in a while, I was just wondering how things are going with that key situation.""Gamora, as you sure you wanna talk about this? I mean, I don't wanna upset you-""I'm a big girl, I can handle it." She smiled, crossing her arms over her chest."Okay, so Tony gave me the key." You pulled the necklace you were wearing from under your PJs to show Gamora the small blue key when a horrible metal-on-concrete sound erupted from outside your room. Instinctively, you whipped your head to the balcony to see... Nothing? You analysed the balcony briefly for another few seconds before turning back to Gamora."Anyway, like I was saying, I have to wear this key for a while until Tony can get me back onto the ship again and unlock the Tesseract, except I cant go back in the same disguise." You mumbled, fumbling with the key."What did you go as last time?""A pink Xandarian lady- let me show you," You clicked your middle finger and felt the melanin in your skin reveal the same salmon skin you had completed your mission in, the dark blue locks flowing down your back. Then, another scrape, the sound lasting a little longer than the previous one. You stood up abruptly, a swirl of what looked like blue smoke lingering in the air before diffusing completely. You shut the curtains quickly and tucked the key back into your clothes."Is everything ok?" Gamora questioned, her eyes squinted together with worry."Yeah, there's a bird or something on my balcony." You tried telling yourself. You stood next to the balcony for a few more moments before making your way back to the bed, paranoia eating at your brain. You and Gamora continued to speak for hours about little things that had happened since last time they spoke, and how hot Thor was. Over time, you forgot about the strange blue smoke outside your room and immersed yourself in your best friend, until eventually, you both had to sleep. You said your goodbyes and turned off your electronics before cocooning yourself in your blanket, falling into a deep slumber. Ebony Maw smiled to himself seeing how you'd fallen asleep so quickly."Terrans truly are pathetic creatures," Maw mumbled, using his telepathic abilities to slide the balcony window open and lift you from your bed before teleporting you both back to Thanos's warship. You were gone, and nobody would know for several more hours.
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Drip, drip, drip...
It's cold.
You can't open your eyes.
Why?
Wake up.
Drip, drip, drip...
"You belong to the stars under your skin, (y/n)."
"What does that mean, mama?"
"There's a light yet to be awakened in you yet. Don't forget who I am."
Its dark, so dark.
A gentle breeze bites at your cheek.
You cant open your eyes.
Why?
"Promise me something (y/n),"
"Yes, mama?"
"Promise me you will stay true to yourself? Stay true to your blood?"
"I promise, mama."
Your limbs flex as you suddenly awake, your lungs swallowing up whatever oxygen they could find, blood burning from the sudden wave of sensations. You were breathing the air, but it just wasn't going in, like your airways had been blocked with concrete. You let your hands search the slimy floor for something to hold onto to steady your lethargic body, torso heaving unevenly like an angry storm on the sea. You let your body relax, despite the frantic breathing, to allow it to reach its recovery naturally. Once your body had adjusted, you allowed yourself to open your eyes properly. You pushed yourself of the cold rock floor, prepping yourself on the backs of your elbows.This was not your bedroom.A pang of fear shot straight through your chest. You jumped to your feet, eyes twitching. The room had architecture like no other building. Large, winding pillars holding up the softly illuminated ceiling, strange light fixtures that seemed to move hung from tiny blue orbs overhead. The room resembled that of an old roman battle stadium, intricate designs and details etched out of what seemed like vibranium. The air was thick and moist, the humidity of it almost suffocating you. The oval-like shape of the room echoed any and all sound that was produced- if you so much as exhaled too hard, the room would come to life with sound. You did a full take, breath still shaky, turning slowly on your heel, knees bent. You were on a podium of sorts, raised just a few inches higher than the rocky floor below your feet, an 'X' shaped runway on their side of the circular podium, inky black water surrounding the 4 runways. At the end of each leg of the 'X' was a large metal door, each of them locked. Above the doors were what seemed like viewing stations, the glass barrier stretching across the circumference of the room. You began to slowly tiptoe towards one of the doors, to find a sword on the floor. You raised an eyebrow at it before kneeling down to pick it up.Picking up the sword was your first mistake.The sound of cogs whirring from all angles caught your attention, the boom of electricity causing the water to ripple. Your eyes widened to see the viewing boxes light up sightly, the previously locked doors opening slowly. You scurried back to the podium, sword in hand. From the darkness came the sound of heavy limbs being dragged across the stone floor. Whatever it was, it was massive. A shift in the viewing box caught your attention; two silhouettes both standing, the larger one with his arms crossed over his broad chest, the much scrawnier one with his arms by his side. Could be it be-"Hear me and rejoice," a sinister voice gently teased "You are about to die at the hands of the children of Thanos." The growling noise coming from the darkness got louder, a horrific gargling sound coming from the other doors. "Shit," you croaked dryly, readying yourself with the sword. The creature stepped out from the darkness and into the dim light. Its white scales shimmered with hot anger, its vitals covered in a black carbon fibre sheet of armour. His horns were polished and sharpened, his dark, cold eyes fixed on your figure. He roared before bearing his yellowing teeth, running at you with all his might. He swung a fist at your torso, followed by a blow from his blunt battleaxe. You dodged both attacks by the hair on your chin, using the filthy floor to slide under the legs of the creature and giving him a blow to the back with the sword you had been given. He grunted before turning to face you. He swung his weapon again, this time allowing the head of his battleaxe to detach itself, flying at you. Lucky for you, you were skilled when it came to flails. You grabbed the thick iron chain that the head of the battleaxe was attached to, and pulled it towards you, almost dislocating your shoulder in the process. The creature tripped up, allowing you to latch your legs around his neck and use your weight to flip him onto his back. Thank god for your muscle implants. he was huge, but he was slow and didn't move like humans do. You took your sword and positioned it above his head, bringing it down to his face. His hand caught the blade, a fountain of blood flowing from the open cut on his hand. You swallowed thickly, feeling his fist collide with your ribcage, sending you flying into the glass dividers, sliding shamelessly down the cold surface and into the water below. Thankfully, it was only a few inches deep, but freezing cold. You crawled back onto the podium where the creature stood, seemingly unwavering, blood pooling at his feet due to the cut you had given him, your sword in his hands. He snapped it with one hand before letting a nascent wail fill the arena, speaking straight to your own primal centre. Your adrenaline was really pumping now, and something had changed, a searing hot white light took over your vision, and what you did next was out of your control. You clicked your fingers and felt your bones rupture, popping and shifting into a new position. You had decided to morph into the creatures own species, but stronger. The creature's eyes physically widened as you swung a fist at him, sending him crashing into the same divider you had collided with, cracking the glass. You morphed back to a human and ran at him, grabbing his weapon and releasing the head, using the flail option. You swung it with all your strength before bringing it down on his stomach, a horrific stream of curses rolling off your tongue. The sound of gargling behind you caught your attention, 6 or 7 mindless guards where coming at you from the other 3 doors. You ran full speed, using the enemies weapon to knock them all off of their feet. The larger creature dragged itself back through the door, and the mindless guards showed no sign of getting up.You heaved yourself onto the podium, your blood boiling, an involuntary smirk plastered on your lips."I survived," You observed, pulling the head of the battleaxe back onto the handle.Maw glared at you through the thick black glass, a look of disgust on his face."May I?" He glanced at Thanos, who simply hummed in response. Maws cracked lips curled upwards, teleporting himself out of the viewing box and into the area, just above where you stood."I wouldn't get your hopes up just yet, Terran," He taunted, using his telekinetic abilities to raise the water out of the hollows of the floor, tendrils of swirling aqua to forming at his side. "Your fighting style resembles that of Gamoras," He sneered, a sadistic grin on his long face. "It's a shame I fought alongside her for almost 20 years, analysing her, studying her movements..." He chuckled, bringing the water to surround him like a cage. "Too bad you're just a weaker version." "Fuck you, you Squidward looking-ass bitch." You snarled, eyebrows knitted tightly together. He let a long sigh leave his mouth before rolling his eyes, returning his eyes back to you with a sweet smile."How adorable,"With a flick of his wrists, he sent gallons of water your way, entangling you in its grip. It was so cold, it felt as though a thousand daggers were digging into your skin. You screamed for all it was worth, thrashing about in the liquid, the lactic acid eating away at your muscles until black spots began to form on the surface of your eyelids, your limbs going numb. Once Maw was satisfied, he dropped your body onto the hard floor, causing a rock to slice your cheek open. He flipped your body to see you unconscious, blood trickling from the wound. Maw narrowed his eyes at the wound... Your blood was not red... It was purple, like Thanos's. Thanos strolled over to the scene, his face stoic. He gave a lazy glance at your body before turning away with a huff. "Get rid of her," He commanded, heading for the exit."But, master, her blood runs purple, not red.""Don't try to deceive me, boy. Only Titans bleed the noble colour purple." He protested, turning back to Maw who was now holding your head above the floor to inspect the blood. Thanos leaned down, using the glow of his gauntlet to highlight your face.Maw was right.Your blood was purple.
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Thanos's eyes had gone black, his mouth pressed into the palm of his hand as he stared at you through the glass pod he had placed you in. Maw stood beside Thanos, watching as the small robots cleaned the wound on your cheek. "She cant be from Titan," Thanos mumbled dryly, his form tense. Maws eyes didn't leave your figure as he sighed."There have been no other records of species with purple blood, master-""Then you haven't looked hard enough." "Master, with all due respect, you were once a scientist yourself, you should know that only the people of Titan have purple blood. Take my word, we have done all we can." Maw informed with an easy tone. Thanos's eyes flickered over to meet his sons with a light chuckle."Of course," He taunted, shuffling on the spot. "Did you do a background check?" "Yes, we only have the name of her father-""Find him, then.""He's dead."Thanos was becoming irritated."Then run tests on her. Do anything you must; poison her, beat her or even kill her. Prove to me she isn't one of my people. Do not come back empty-handed." Thanos stormed out of the room, his footsteps causing the floor to shake. Maw closed his eyes and bowed his head at Thanos as he stomped away. He turned on his heel back to your pod, punching something into the keypad that was attached to it. Soon, you would be landing on Xeilia, a new planet that Thanos had hoped to colonise. He had taken the richest, most powerful families and invited them to live on his new planet. Most of them agreed, being promised a decadent new life. The others, however, refused because they didn't believe in Thanos's inhumane ideas. Either way, Thanos would be protected by powerful people for the rest of his life. Maw set the pod's temperature to the median temperature for Xeilia, watching as an opaque layer of gas filled the small pill-shaped pod. You were in the infirmary, Maw's favourite place on the warship. He was a torturer, taking after Thanos's past self. He was good at biology and science, meaning he could inflict the worst sorts of pain on people without actually killing them; he could reverse that too, using his knowledge to help heal his siblings and master after battles. He walked over to a small white cupboard, pulling out a clean scalpel and a syringe. Walking back over to the pod, he popped the glass lid and lifted your body from the cushioned bottom using his telekinetic abilities. Without so much of a flinch, Maw sliced into your skin, using his abilities to restrict the blood flow to that specific area. Using the syringe he had grabbed, he took samples of blood and placed a small tracker under your skin. He noticed your skin was a lot thicker than the average humans but decided to keep that to himself until he had finished his experiments.He didnt want to kill you.With a hum, he placed his hand on top of the wound and applied pressure, removing it seconds later to reveal a fresh layer of skin. He placed the blood samples into a machine that allowed him to explore your blood type and any other key information related to your blood. As the scans continued, he flicked his wrist towards you, lifting you further into the air and walking with you down the airy halls. He eventually reached a small square room with an oval-shaped bed and one small window next to it. He dropped your body onto the soft foam surface and locked the doors, preparing food that had Titan delicacies inside of it, to check and see if you would gain any nutritional value from it. If you did, you were from Titan, if you didn't, you had a blood disease. Only then would he would indulge in seeing you die; he hadn't forgotten about the battle, and he was a sore loser. Once he had reached the infirmary, he looked to check the results from your blood. You were an O- blood type, but that was all the information the machine could give. Maw stared at the screen with a sigh. Thanos would have his head if you were from his home planet. But why? Shouldn't he be happy that someone from his home planet survived? Maw scratched his rubbery cheek with his bony hand, leaving the infirmary to retrieve food for you and leaving it on the small table near the bed before heading toward Thanos's quarters to tell him what had been done so far. Arlyse stretched her arms above her head, her blue hair matted against her rose skin. She hadn't slept that well in years! With a happy yawn, she flung her legs out of bed and slipped her feet into her fluffy white slippers before jumping up. Pushing open the curtains, she smiled as two birds danced around her balcony before taking off into the air. Still in her pyjamas, she left her little room, tying up her hair as she made her way to your bedroom."Good morning!" She sang happily, using her foot to open your already unlatched door. "I just had the most amazing dream-"Your bed was empty."(Y/N)?" she called, entering your cold room, the wind from the open balcony door going straight through Arlyse, sending a shiver through her soul. She tiptoed to the ensuite bathroom, knocking three times before entering.Your bathroom was empty.Arlyse giggled slightly, putting one hand on her hip before diving onto the bed."C'mon (Y/N), we're too old for hide-and-seek!" She laughed, ducking her head under the bed. You were nowhere to be seen. Your phone was still on charge, sitting quietly on the small bedside table. Your clothes from yesterday were strewn across the room and all your shoes were still there- not to mention it was 9 AM, and you refused to get out of bed until at least 11 AM every morning. Arlyse took a second, connecting the dots. Dread consumed her, her blood turning to ice as she slowly turned toward the open balcony window. Arlyse belted downstairs, one of her slippers falling off along the way, her breath shaky, beads of sweat rolling down her skin."(Y/N) has been taken!" The sound of something whirring woke your lethargic body, a streak of sunlight coating your silk blanket in a warm orange tone. You pushed yourself out of bed with a grunt, turning your head towards the window that cast the light on you. The memory of the battle came flooding back, causing you to cringe. How did you lose to an alien?"Gamora is gonna kill me," You groaned, flopping back down onto the bed, aware of your new surroundings. The silk sheets draped across your thighs, its warmth oddly comforting to you. You didn't expect such hospitality from the mad titan. You rolled over onto your side, noticing a small plate. You grabbed it, pulling it down to eye level. A small platter of foods in every colour sat on the plate, each delicacy having its own unique texture. You played with your food for a while before taking a bite out of the golden coin-sized sweet. It was like a ball of soft dough, doused in a heavenly sugar-like liquid. Your mouth erupted with flavour, having been deprived of food for several days, this was the best thing you'd ever tasted. You took another one of the treats and chewed it up thoroughly, the sweet liquid dancing on your taste buds. Soon enough, you had finished the whole plate of strange foods, the soft golden balls being your favourite. You stood up and headed for the small window. Long grass stretched as far as the eye could see, little flowers blooming on top of the green blades. You could see guards out in the grass, communicating amongst themselves. You continued to watch for a while longer until you heard your door open. "Miss (L/N), the mighty Thanos requires your presence." A skinny guard said, dropping a pile of clothing on your floor before exciting. You stared at the pile before shrugging, picking up the clothes. It was a knee-length kimono style dress-shirt in a light shade of purple. You slipped off your old clothes and pulled the garment over your body, the soft fabric hugging your figure tightly. You walked toward to door to find the lanky guard had been waiting outside the door. He then proceeded to escort you off of the ship and onto the new planet. A large, castle-like structure reached high into the sky, its surprisingly vibrant colours reflecting the light of the 3 suns that orbited the new planet. The bridge that connected the mighty structure to the mainland was formed of a shiny metal, beautiful patterns etched into the railings that held the bridge above the cerulean water below it. trees surrounded the castle like great armies defending their citadel. Their armoured trunks reached out in the air protectively, keeping the great structure safe. Everything was polished and glimmered in the bright sun. Nothing ever got dirty. A chorus of birds filled the air, the fresh scent of flowers entering your lungs. The setting surprised you, where you really going to see Thanos?The large metal doors opened to reveal a throne room, where Thanos sat in his humungous throne, his children either side of him, a scowl on his lips. The room seemed to freeze on tour arrival, each of his children turning their heads away from you and Thanos. The titan lifted his head slightly, cracking a half-formed, sadistic grin, his dark eyes fixed on yours. Something told you that you weren't exactly welcome here.
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Two guards stood either side of you, your palms becoming increasingly sweatier. Thanos's glare was cold. You could see the cogs turning in his head, different thoughts and ideas pinging about inside his brain. In one swift movement, he was standing, the hand with the gauntlet pointed at you."You," He boomed, narrowing his eyes at you. "Who are you?" "My name is (y/n) (l/n)-" Thanos rolled his eyes, using the purple gem on his gauntlet to pull you closer, his teeth gritted together."I mean, who are you?" He asked again, his voice an octave lower."I... I don't understand what you mean." you cried in a panicking voice. The purple electric-like tendril wrapped itself tighter around your weak form, squeezing the oxygen out of your body. Thanos growled, looking towards Maw for an explanation. Maw shook his head at Thanos, using a subtle hand motion to signal to let you down. Thanos eyed Maw for a second before retracting the purple tendril, dropping your body to the floor. Thanos allowed himself to sit back down, his dark eyes slowly becoming softer.
' If I'm correct in assuming so, I don't think she is aware of her own heritage.' Maw began, using his telepathy to communicate with Thanos
'What makes you say that?' Thanos replied, his eyes scanning your panting figure, your chest heaving.
'She has most likely ever seen her own blood- she has the same skin density as you.'
"Girl," Thanos said with a sense of excitement "Do you know what you are?""I'm an Avenger," You spat, using one hand to support your body, tilting your head to look at the large man."Yes, but I mean by blood. What are you, by blood?" He crossed his legs, causing the heavy armour to make a loud clunking sound."I'm (nationality)," You replied, beginning to get confused by all the talk about your ethnic background. Thanos looked at Maw with a knowing smile, before turning back to you."Who told you that you were (nationality)?" "My father," "Not your mother?"Then something clicked.Your eyes widened at Thanos, who took the time to read your mind, the yellow gem on his gauntlet firing up.
"Promise me something (y/n),"
"Yes, mama?"
"Promise me you will stay true to yourself? Stay true to your blood?"
"I promise, mama."
"My mother..." You whispered to yourself. Thanos's lips curled, watching your mind rack through years of memories to find the one of your mother. Eventually, you had found it. Your mother held you in a tight embrace, her hands protectively holding your cheeks as someone wreaked havoc behind her. She kissed your forehead before running in the opposite direction to you, while a human man- your father- grabbing you and running onto a ship of sorts... After that, it all goes fuzzy. You swallowed thickly and looked back up at Thanos."I'm not sure about my mother," You croaked, your body deflating on the spot. Thanos leaned out of his throne and towards you."What if i could tell you who you really was?" He exhorted, using one of his large fingers to tilt your head upwards."What do you mean?" You faltered, searching his eyes for any hint as to what he was getting at."You believe you are a human, don't you?" He noted, pulling his hand away from your face, standing up and kneeling next to your tiny body. You nodded nervously, turning slightly towards him. He chuckled before using one of the joints in his gauntlet to slice your arm, your blood spilling out of the wound. You yelped, using your hand to apply pressure to it- you had never been cut before, and you had no idea how to treat the wound. Rivers of dark mauve liquid ran down your arm and stained the pretty dress you had been given. The blood flowed thickly over your fingers, cold. Your hands had become slick with blood, loosening your grip on the fresh cut. Thanos stared at the liquid, in awe. He dared to touch liquid that pooled at your feet with one of his fingers, bringing it up to his face to observe it with a hum.Proxima shuffled uncomfortably in the spot she was in, nudging Maw with her spear slightly. Maw glanced at her before looking back over to the scene that played before him. Thanos had cut you too deep, and although you were in a state of shock, the blood loss would probably have an effect on you. Maw looked over to the other side of the throne to meet eyes with Corvus, who nudged his head towards Thanos. With a sigh, he gingerly stepped towards you, one of his hands outstretched. He reached for the open wound, grimacing at the lukewarm liquid that dribbled over his hand."Disgusting," He spat, pulling his hand away quickly to show the wound had disappeared. "Thank you," You croaked, wiping the blood off your hands and onto your dress. Maw gave no reply, ordering a guard to fetch him something to clean his hands on. Thanos pointed at the purple blood, his eyes fixed on yours."Do you still believe you're human?" He jested, standing up and leaving the throne room, leaving you speechless."What the fuck, Tony?" Bruce cried, rummaging around on his desk to find his phone. Steve took no time accessing the headquarters CCTV, scanning through hours worth of footage for your face. Tony leaned against the glass table, biting his nails out of fear."What? How am I supposed to know when someone gets kidnapped?" He snapped, causing Bruce to roll his eyes. Steve shook his head when the system told him there was no footage of you, shutting the system off. Bruce opened his phone to call you, only to hear a buzzing from upstairs. He groaned and put down the call, stalking around the room nervously."What are we gonna do?" Arlyse asked nervously, her eyes wide and glazed over. Tony looked at the Xandarian for a brief second before taking a deep breath."We need to contact SHIELD." He stated robotically, leaving the room to find his phone."What? Why?" Bruce stammered, following behind Tony like a lost puppy."Because this clearly wasn't a human's doing! Call SWORD or any other organisations that deal with space stuff- hell, call fucking NASA if you have to." Tony huffed, stepping into his office and slamming to door in Bruce's face. Bruce groaned, allowing his head to bang against the door. How do they allow and avenger to get kidnapped so easily? Arlyse sighed and made her way to the kitchen to get a drink, biting her cheek as she poured the specially made water into a small glass cup. A whirring sound caught her attention, causing her to look outside. It was the guardians."Oh dear," She wailed, leaving the drink on the side as Gamora stormed over to the HQ. Arlyse scuttled upstairs to find Bruce resting against Tony's door."Bruce... That scary green lady and her friends are here..." She pointed out, tapping him on the shoulder gently."Oh shit," He whispered, hearing the door almost smash against the concrete walls downstairs.
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Over the next few months, Maw analysed how you seemed to get stronger after eating Titan food, further supporting how you were in fact, from Titan. Although Thanos didn't want to believe it at first, seeing such a vast amount of your blood proved to him that you were one of his people, and it made him want to protect you. Why? You stole the Tesseract from him and severely hurt one of his children, there was no reason for him not to just murder you where you stood. But he kept you around- but not directly. He barely came near you, and only gave you access to the palace's garden and a quarter of the palace itself. Proxima had taken a keen interest in you, and sometimes Thanos would watch you two battling in the garden.His planet had yet to be lived on by anybody but him and the Black Order- there were things he had to prepare before other people would live on his decadent planet. He groaned and stood up from the seat he was in, popping his joints into place with a half-finished yawn, using one hand to massage one of his shoulders. His armour was heavy, and the days where he wore casual clothing were painful for him because of the lack of pressure from the said armour. He rolled his shoulders before exciting his office-gone-lab and strolled down the freshly decorated halls. The distant cry of victory could be heard to his left, catching his attention. You were straddling Proxima with a smile, her spear above your head. She was laughing. A rare expression from her. Thanos felt a smile forcing its way onto his face as he strode towards the 'lounge' on the 4th floor of his palace, where Maw was standing by a window, reading a book in a different language."Maw," Thanos mumbled, reaching for the dull pain in his shoulder once again. "What do you recommend I do about a sore shoulder?"Maw almost laughed. The mighty Thanos was asking him about what to do about something as futile as a sore shoulder."I can recommend an ointment, or perhaps you need to relieve some stress? I can fetch you a harlot for a nearby planet-""A whore isn't going to get rid of the pain," Thanos laughed, rolling his head on his neck as the muscle began to burn."Not unless you ask her to," Maw teased, causing Thanos to smile slightly as he removed his hand from his shoulder.Maw closed the thick book with one hand before placing it back where he had found it."I can schedule a hot spring for you, with the ointment I mentioned. I can have it prepared for two hours time, is that sufficient?""That's fine," Thanos leered, taking a seat and letting his eyes close, allowing his head to fall onto the headrest. Giggling could be heard in the distance, causing him to open his eyes abruptly. He could see you with Proxima, joking about something. He noticed that you looked tired, but you had definitely gained muscle mass. You were dressed in an open leg grey dress, similar to that of what Maw wears over his clothing. You had probably borrowed it from Proxima, or she had stolen it from what was left of Nebulas capsule wardrobe and given it to you as a welcome present. Whatever the case, you looked fierce, and for a second Thanos even thought you looked quite enticing. He only managed to rip his eyes away from you when you both walked through the room quietly, both thinking he was asleep.Thanos made your blood boil. You hated him. Everything about him was vile; his face, his personality, his voice, his palace. AYou despised all of him. The only part of him you could deal with were his children. Maw helped keep your body up-to-date, he hadn't actually told you who or what you was, but you knew something wasn't right. Proxima was just like Gamora, and you found her to be good company, despite her ideals and dedication to her father. You hadn't had much time with the others, but they didn't seem to have a problem with you. You passed through the room quietly, your eyes boring holes into Thanos's forehead. Once you were out of the room, you took a deep breath, causing Proxima to shake her head."You should feel blessed," She vouched, fumbling with something on the side of her dress. "He has killed trillions of beings, but he chose to spare you. Doesn't that say something?"You bit your lip. She was right. He had spared you, but for what? You hadn't been given any role or name, you just walked around the palace doing nothing all day and eating weird food. You hummed, staring at your shoes. Proxima felt for you; she understood your pain, but she could not put herself in your position- she was happy to be so well protected, and thought it was rude of you to take the protection for granted. Proxima began to outstretch her arm for a hug, only to find you not there. You had fallen, and you were clasping your thigh while a long hiss sound left your lips. Proxima stared, dumbfounded."I think i pulled something," You cried wryly, trying to relax the muscle in your leg. Proxima lifted you from the floor and walked toward the room where a hot spring had been installed, opening the door quickly. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw a bath had already been run and helped to undress you."Your body has been in the wars lately," She joked, helping you into the water."Give me a break," You laughed, the steam turning your cheeks pink."I'll let Maw know what's happened, stay put." She commented, leaving you to soak in the water. You slid down into the liquid, feeling the head creep into your soul and relax you from within. The bath smelled amazing, like rose water and chocolate mint mixed together. This was the first time you had felt so warm, so loose in a very long time. You don't know how long you had been in there, but Proxima was taking a while. You closed your eyes for a brief moment to enjoy the silence, only to be disturbed by the door opening.But nobody spoke."Proxima, I think my leg is fine now." You sang in a soothing tone, all rigidness towards the girl had dissolved with your worries.But there was no reply.You cracked your eyes open with a prolonged sigh, only to feel your heart almost stop.It wasn't Proxima at the door.It was Thanos.He stood, leaning one shoulder against the door frame. Once he caught your eyes, he raised an eyebrow at you with a half-formed smile. A heavy silence settled over you both, thicker than the now uneasy tension in the atmosphere. Your unsettled eyes glanced unceremoniously around and tried to avoid catching his eyes again pushing your dampened hair behind your ear, starstruck. You were mortified, frozen on the spot. You watched in awe of the expression on his face. You saw nothing short of wonder on his face, almost curiosity, as his lips curled further. Your body refused to move, too shocked, too embarrassed to make an excuse. You had broken a rule; don't leave the part of the palace you been assigned to- but it wasn't your fault, it was Proxima who brought you here."I'm... sorry?" You stuttered, only to be waved off by Thanos, who opened his lips to speak, only to be interrupted by Maw and Proxima. He stepped back, allowing them both into the room, both of them eyeing him awkwardly, reading the flustered expression on your face. Gamora slammed her fists on the glass desk, sending a vibration through the floor. Quill stood beside her, Rocket standing on the table itself."This is why everyone hates the fucking Avengers!" Gamora hissed, turning away from the table, her eyebrows knitted tightly together."I can't believe you have no idea where she is." She exhorted, turning back to face Tony."We are just as shocked as you, darling. We're doing everything we can-""Do you have any idea why someone would take her, darling ?" Gamora snapped back, getting in Tony's face. The team all shared glances, a few of them visibly shrugging."The Tesseract," Thor declared, one hand supporting his chin."She doesn't have the damn Tesseract, smartass-""No, but she has the key. She showed me the key yesterday, somebody wants the key!" Gamora exclaimed, smiling to herself."But who would really want the key? Isn't the Tesseract on Thanos's warship? Nobody wants to fight that guy." Bruce chuckled, taking a sip of his coffee."Thanos would want the key. Whats the point of having something if you cant have access to it?" Tony mumbled, causing Gamora to laugh."Tony, this is all your fault. I told you not to send her on that damn mission!""She had the right to refuse to do it." He replied quickly, standing up and leaving the room to draw up plans, leaving a furious Gamora to deal with the rest of the team.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Thanos stood with his back against the wall with one of his large, muave hands cupping the base of his chin, eyes wide. He knew you hated him- despised him even- which was why he was so shocked to see you in his own private hot spring, reclining against the smooth rim of the tub, stark naked. Usually, Thanos was good at coming to a logical conclusion on things of this nature, but it was as if you had rammed a spanner into the cogs into his head and watched as his heat-oppressed brain sparked with discomfort.What was your goal? Were you trying to seduce him? Was it all a trick to get him into close proximity so that you could murder him and escape without anybody noticing? Were the Black Order, his own children, in on this, too? Or was it all a mistake? A mishap on your behalf? He traced the lines on his chin, eyes fixated on the floor as he racked through all of the possible outcomes, but gave up with a sign when he could not reach a conclusion. What were you up to?Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the wall, you were a mess. With flushed cheeks and a rounded expression, you climbed out of the tub as Proxima and Maw mumbled amongst themselves. You slipped around the wet room desperately trying to dry yourself and get dressed as quickly as possible as to not upset Maw- he was a very impatient man, and you knew he would rather be doing literally doing anything but this right now. Once you had haphazardly dressed you finally allowed yourself to breathe, rubbing your eyes with the back of your hands."I'm dressed," you croaked, pulling the grey tunic off of your still damp body, wriggling around in its uncomfortable confines. Proxima swallowed a chuckle at the state of you; Your face was blotchy and swollen and your eyes were scarily round, your lips curled into a half convincing smile. The grey tunic Proxima had leant to you pinched at the curves of your body, twisted awkwardly around your limbs. Your hair was still dripping wet and was now puddling on the floor, soaking through your shoes. Maw grimaced at the sight, kissing his teeth as you watched the siblings reactions. "Thanos will not take this lightly, human. I have never failed him, but alas... Here I am. There will surely be judgement," He took a long, deep breath before turning on his heel and walking towards the door, opening it and taking a step outside before turning back to you. "For the both of us." Proxima had agreed to escort you back to your quarters just in case you ran into Thanos again. You had no idea how he was feeling- was he mad? Did he think you were trying to seduce him? You cringed at the thought as you rolled onto your standard issue bed and dug around in your pile of pillows for your bootleg phone that Proxima had snuck you a few days prior. It wasn't great, but it had human apps and wasn't too hard to understand- it even had Spotify. You scrolled down your Spotify feed before hitting play on your heavy rotation playlist, letting your phone hit the bed as you sunk into the duvet you had been provided with. Your favourite song came on shuffle and you couldn't help but nod your head to the beat, your mind filling with memories of you and Peter having dance-offs on your balcony at 3 am to this song. Your mind quickly moved on though and lead you straight back to your captor, his deep eyes taking you in, his heavy eyelids twitching as you cowered beneath him weakly, unable to move like a deer in headlights, your hands spread across your chest like a pair of pale starfish in an attempt to salvage your modesty- The song suddenly changed.It was a cheesy 70's rock song that Peter used to love to listen to and would always force you to listen to it whenever he got the chance. You smiled to yourself and picked the phone up from the other side of the bed, bringing it to your face. How did it get into your playlist? You two shared an account but he always kept his playlists separate unless he accidentally added this song into your playlist? Or maybe he did it to piss you off? You clicked back onto the song you were listening to, flopping back down into the bed. Just as the song was about to hit its climax, it changed again, back to the 70's rock song. With a frustrated sigh, you closed the song and put on an entirely new playlist, but just before you could click it another one of Peters favourite song came on. Wait... was he on the account?Hurriedly, you began to create a playlist labelled "OPEN ME!!" and filled it with a short message made up of song titles, hoping to God Peter would see.
1.) Hello
2.) I'm Stuck
3.) Outer Space (Ft. lil Alien)
4.) Purple
5.) Warlord // Fight4Love
6.) S.O.S
You watched nervously as the 70's rock hits continued to play. You were about to give up, about to accept that you were most likely going to live and die under Thanos' rule when suddenly the names of the songs you had added to the playlist came up on the screen of your phone for a few seconds each. Peter had seen the playlist! 'S.O.S' continued to play for about a minute before you noticed a new song at the bottom of the playlist.
7.) Ill Save U (PROD. YXNG DOG)
The music has stopped. You stared in disbelief at your phone, excitement creeping through your veins. You were going to be saved! You felt giddy with joy. You wanted to run, wanted to shout, wanted to tell Thanos that she was about to escape, but you couldn't. You had to wait. A knock at the door ripped you from your trance. You jumped up to open it, greeting the guard at the door with a grin."Thanos requires your presence over dinner." He stepped aside, allowing you room to step out of your quarters. You cooperated and walked in front of the guard, feeling confident enough in yourself to know where the dining hall was located. Even as you approached the great chrome door of the dining hall, you couldn't hide your toothy grin, the feeling of electric pulsing in your skin. You were going to be saved. "Mr Stark!" Peter roared, cutting about HQ like a headless chicken, phone in hand. "Mr Stark this is really, really important!!" Tony sat in the kitchen, a mug of coffee resting in his hands. He looked tired. He was tired- he had been putting all of his energy into looking for you, and he most definitely didn't care about whatever meme Peter was about to show him on his phone. "Mr stark-""Call me Tony, please kid. It's killing me.""T-Tony I need you to see-""Listen, buddy, I don't care about your super cool memes or funky fresh twitter screenshots- go show Arlyse or something." "What?! No, Mr- I mean- Tony, this is really important. It's about (y/n)."Tony shot up out of his seat, lunging himself at Peters phone screen. On it was an ordinary looking Spotify playlist labelled "OPEN ME!!" and it had 6 songs which when sounded out loud formed a message. A very, very clear message."(y/n) has been taken by intergalactic, anthropomorphic grapes-""Wh- Peter, what? Are you stupid? Thanos has her.""Oh yeah, no yeah that makes more sense I guess-""I need to get this to Bruce, get him to read the telecommunication signals from where the playlist was made and pinpoint her location, then we can go get her.""It's not gonna be that easy." Gamora snapped, emerging from her dark corner of the room, causing Tony to jump, spilling his lukewarm coffee all over the floor."Ah jheeze lady, you scared me-""Thanos knows we'll be coming for her. He will of already thought of whatever plan you are about to think up and will already know how to get rid of you. Let me go, I know him better than anyone and ill be able to get her out of wherever she is in a matter of minutes.""You keep going on about how you know him better than all of us- But what does that matter? He's killed half of humanity and taken our newest recruit, knowing him doesn't change that.""But it does give her an advantage." Peter chips in, shuffling nervously as Gamora flashes him a trusting grin."Oh, come on, Peter! Don't start ganging up on me now.""I just think it would be a bit smarter to let her go instead of you."Tony rolls his eyes before swishing the remainder of his coffee around in his mug before downing it, choking on the bitter taste of the undissolved granules. "Fuck it. Come to me tomorrow with a good plan and maybe I'll let you go," He sets his mug down on the countertop before taking a step toward Gamora, a serious glint in his eyes."If not, I will go and save her. Do we have a deal?""Deal."