Hidden

There was nowhere to go, nowhere to hide. I was a dead man. I wondered what Pepper would think of me -- the first time I go out on my own and I mess up so badly I get myself kidnapped and ultimately murdered -- I couldn’t help but think I’d failed her.

Would they rape me first? Probably, although It would depend on whether they shot me before they caught a whiff of what I was.

I curled further into myself and wondered if there was any chance, at all, that they’d just kill one another. Steve was some sort of super badass -- maybe they’d all go to town and I could just waltz out, grab a car and run for the hills. Crazier things had happened.

There was yelling but no gunshots. That was a good thing, right? Unless they wanted to save the bullets and were just gutting Steve and Bucky. And yup, there went the guilt. Bucky was helpless because of me. Despite everything I didn’t want him to die.

“There were three of you,” someone growled out and I had to bite down on my fist to stop from whimpering. I suddenly realised what being scared shitless really felt like. “We saw him. An undefined male. Where is he?”

“There wasn’t a third,” Steve rasped, sounding absolutely wrecked. What were they doing to him? Why was he lying for me? “It’ just-just us.”

“I saw him,” a second voice argued, the timber unmistakenly female. “Small, bearded and dirty. He’s been travelling with you for days.”

Fuck, fuck!

“You’re wrong.” Steve said steadily, “It’s just the two of us.”

A gunshot rang out and Steve muffled a scream. So much for them not using bullets. Was he dead? Dying? Was I next?

“Look for him,” the first voice snarled. “He can’t have got far.”

I’m closer than you think, I thought a little hysterically as half a dozen pairs of feet rush past my hiding place. I help my breath, sure they were going to hear my panicked breathing.

Seemed I was worrying about the wrong thing.

“Hey, do you smell that?” someone piped up.

I had about three seconds to panic before a granite-like hold clamped onto my ankle and I was being dragged out from underneath the truck. A dirty, bearded alpha loomed over me, his craggy face morphing into a grin as I stared, frozen, back at him.

“Holy fucking shit,” the man boomed, twisting his hand in my shirt and dragging me to my feet. He fisted a hand in my hair and pressed his face against my neck, inhaling deeply before pushing me back and hoisting me up onto my tiptoes. “They’ve got a goddamn omega.”

I could feel sweat break out on my skin and an uncontrollable whimper break free. The alpha grin widened in response as he abruptly pulled me against his side and shoved his face back against my throat. “I can’t remember the last time I had me an omega,” he breathed wetly against my neck.

My hindbrain told me I needed to stay still and quiet. Don’t be a problem. They won’t hurt you if you don’t make them angry. Except I knew better. I knew exactly what they would do to me.

“Hand him over, Dames,” the woman said, sounding bored. “You know you can’t keep him.”

Damnes snarled, drawing back and dragging me with him. “Fuck you bitch. I found him. He’s -”

Damnes dropped before the sound of the gunshot registered. I fell to my knees next to his dead body, unable to tear my eyes away from the hole in the middle of his forehead. I hadn’t had cause to see too many dead people before. I couldn’t honestly say I liked it.

“Avery, get the omega checked out,” the woman said. “We’ll handle his boyfriends.”

I felt wiry arms wrap around my waist, dragging me to my feet and pulling me back into the van. I started to panic when I was forced onto my back. All the beta had to do was snarl in my face and I went limp.

Fucking biology. Stupid fucking goddamn motherfucking biology.

I watched through half-lidded eyelashes as she loomed over me, pressing her hands over my body in a perfunctory manner I quickly realised wasn’t sexual. I felt myself relax minutely when I realised what she was doing. “I’m not hurt,” I said, my voice raw but steady.

“Hush,” the beta said, pressing her hand against my chest despite the fact I wasn’t struggling. “The alpha out there. Is he yours?” I pressed my lips together and then felt my entire body stiffen in shock as the beta pressed her fingertips against my mating gland. “Huh, I didn’t expect that. Aren’t you quite the find.”

“Get the fuck off me,” I said, my voice surprisingly calm despite how terrified I felt. I knew I had my answer -- they were going to rape me, that much was obvious. I wasn’t as sure what would happen to me after that, would they kill me, or pass me around first? Maybe they’d go down the Steve and Bucky route and try to knock me up. Choices choices.

“Calm your ass down,” the beta said, sounding distracted as he looked out the windshield. Much be nice, I thought as the asshole continued to pin me down. “Your boyfriend strong, huh?”

I didn’t bother to correct her assumption. “I want to get up.”

She smirked. “You’re fine where you are.”

I saw her smirk turn into a frown as she reached for her gun. She pointed it in my face and I instinctively showed my throat. “Stay here,” she commanded, waving the gun at me. “If you move I’ll shoot you in the goddamn leg. You hear me?”

“Yes,” I croaked, genuinely concerned she would accidentally shoot me in the face if she didn’t stop thrashing the gun around.

She seemed satisfied that I would do as I was told and got out of the van. I stayed flat for a little while as I tried to overcome the biological need to stay small and hidden. I sat up slowly and felt my jaw drop.

Seemed like Bucky was up and back to fighting fit. He and Rogers were literally tearing the bikers apart. Even as I watched, Bucky tore the arm off the annoying beta woman. She fell to the floor in a pool of her own blood, screaming hysterically and crying for help. The other bikers fell back after that, leaving her to die as they made a break for the bikes.

I expected Bucky and Steve to give chase but they just stood shoulder to shoulder, watching the retreating pack. They had their backs to me so I couldn’t see the look on their faces but after the remaining bikers fled and those on the floor stopped moving, both men turned to look at me.

Should have hotwired the car again, I thought a little numbly as they walked towards me. Bucky didn’t look too great -- his face was covered in blood and he had a huge gash in his forehead. Every inch of available skin looked shredded. How was he even walking?

Steve opened the car and took my arm in a surprisingly gentle hold. He pulled me out until I was standing between them. His hand reached into my waistband and he pulled out Bucky’s gun -- the gun I had forgotten about in my terror -- I was such a fucking idiot. Both men looked me over, assessing and deadly.

“Are you OK?” Steve asked, which was just about the last thing I expected to come out of his mouth.

“Why, worried about your broodmare?” I snapped automatically.

“Tony,” Steve said, sounding all kinds of exasperated. “Are you hurt?”

“No,” I said, turning to look at Bucky. Fuck, how was he still standing?

“Good, you can help us move the supplies between the vans. Don’t leave my side.”

I did as I was told, helping to move the gear from the destroyed van. I wasn’t sure I was too much help, considering the ridiculous loads both men could carry. Once we were done I was ordered back into the van. Steve entered a few minutes later with a long strip of cloth in his hands.

“I gotta say, we’ve never had to do this before,” he noted, grabbing my wrists and tying them together. He tethered them with a short rope, which he tied around his own goddamn wrist/ “I think it goes without saying that I don’t want you to try anything like that again.”

I nodded quickly but Steve just frowned.

“Somehow Tony, I just don’t believe you.”