they say prophecy is a gift, it isn’t
Tony asks “who are you talking to?” trying to sound calm but failing. He blinks quickly, trying to make the sudden wetness in his eyes and the stinging in his nose go away.
Ikol looking just as scared as he feels doesn’t help. “I…” she trails off as her gaze flicks to Natasha “I don’t know” she admits.
Tony and Nat share a look before the latter asks “how long has this been going on?”
Ikol doesn’t look up at them, she keeps her gaze down as she blurts “since I came back”
“and you never told any of us?”
Ikol looks up at him as she says “why? so you all could pity me some more?” Ikol hates pity, especially from them because she knows that they silently judge her.
“I was gonna say so that we could help you”
Ikol takes a shaky breath, pretending the hot tears spilling down her cheeks aren’t her own “am I really sick? or are you just lying to me to make me feel sane?” because she feels insane.
Honestly, she would rather be dead.
“you’re sick” Natasha reassure “just, sicker than we thought”
So the Biologist was no help, just telling them things they already know. So they went home and once they got back Tony couldn’t stop thinking about what he said to Clint.
“I know you don’t like staying here, or being around Ikol” Tony says as he sits down, throwing a keychain at Clint who easily catches it. “so you can stay in one of my places, whichever one you want”
“even the Malibu house?”
Tony almost takes it back once Clint says that, but he did say whichever one he wants “yeah, just no going in my lab and touching my shit”
Clint nods “got ya boss”
“I’m not your bo-“ he’s cut short by the sound of footsteps coming down the hall followed by Ikol yelling “Barton!”
They turn to see Ikol coming down the hall, eyes red with tearstains in her cheeks, she walks right up to cling and says “you can’t go” she looks at Natasha “you-you too, you bo-both gotta stay” knowing that Clint was going to ask her to stay with him.
Clint asks “what are you talking about?” coldly, not believing Ikol one bit despite her crying uncontrollably.
Ikol shakes her head because they don’t want to know “You just gotta stay please”
“Ikol what is wrong?”
She tries to even out her breaths enough to get out a coherent sentence but it fails, so she tries her best “there-there’s going to-to be an earthquake” she explains, “when it happens you’ll-you’ll be driving on a bridge that collapses” she sniffles and wipes her face “so please don’t go”
“you’re crazy” Clint deadpans as he tries to go for the elevator but Ikol blocks the door. “move!”
She shakes her head wildly “no” she says through her sobs “please please just listen to me” she begs before suggesting “go tomorrow, or to a different house just please don’t go to Malibu”
And then Clint breaks, realizing that Ikol isn’t joking as he watches her take unstable breaths, her chest heaving and her body trembling from all the emotions.
“how do you know?”
Ikol swallows “I-I saw it” she lets out a breathless sob “please stay” she begs “I know you don’t like being around me but please do not go there”
He agrees, “okay” only because this is the most frightened he’s ever seen her. Even while dying or having a panic attack she wasn’t this scared.
Ikol nods, her tears still falling as she straightens up, sniffling as she wipes her tears away and Clint walks away, going upstairs to his room until he could leave.
“the Andy Warhol Bridge has collapsed after an earthquake with a 7.9 magnitude caused devestation all across Pittsburgh”
Natasha blinks, turning her head slowly to look at Ikol who looks just as horrified. Her mouth agape as she continues reading the title across the screen “hundreds dead after the Andy Warhol Bridge collapsed”
“how did you know?”
Ikol can’t explain it, “I saw it”
“so you’re Nostradamus now?” Ikol frowns at Tony because she has no clue who that is “seriously Kol, what di you do?”
“I saved them” Ikol spits “do you really think I could cause an earthquake just to prove my point? I can barely use my seidr anymore”
“so we’re living in Final Destination now” Peter says “great”
“stop making pop culture references, I don’t know what you are talking about” Ikol says sternly “some seidr users have the gift of prophecy but only if they sacrifice something to gain it, like Odin he sacrificed his eye-“ she stops and purses her lips because she did not know that. At least not consciously
Tony frowns “what did you sacrifice?”
“nothing” Ikol groans, sitting down with her head in her hands “I don’t know what’s happening to me” she whispers to herself and Tony’s heart sinks seeing her shoulders start to shake.
She’s sniffling and taking short breaths as she covers her face and repeats “I don’t know what’s happening” letting her sobs take over.
“we’ll figure it out” Tony reassures as he takes a seat beside her, he wraps an arm around her shoulders as an attempt at comfort and she instantly leans into him. It helps a little bit but somehow her sobs get louder, the thought of Tony actually caring about her eases the pain but replaces it with longing.
Because he genuinely cares about her and he doesn’t expect anything in return; and she’ll be gone soon, then no one will care about her, no one will love her.
This is all she ever wanted, to be cared for.