#INY Chapter One Hundred Forty Six

[evien-stark]

✧I Need You✧ Chapter 146

[Please be advised that there's light um... I guess gore (it's severed limbs) would be the word? Look, Netflix wrote it, okay. I tried not to go too far into detail as always. Just be safe! And thanks as always for reading!]

The first thing you did before leaving was ask Happy to make sure the staff switched Tony’s doctor. You’d figure out what to do with that one when you returned. If you returned- though you were pretty sure you would. You’d promised Kilgrave death, and you were going to give it to him.

 Perhaps the doctor had been right. Maybe that was what he was used to doing for SHIELD, and either you or Maria had hired him- so he must have been some sort of good at what he did. But… overly sedating Tony Stark… that was out of the question. 

Something needed to be done about it, you just weren’t sure what yet. 

The last thing you did was… stand by his bedside for a long few moments. Moments you didn’t own. Time was slipping through your fingers. The longer you waited, the worse this would get. But you felt terrible. If you’d been here or conscious enough you would have seen the nurses and the doctors pumping him full of meds. You would have been able to stop it. It was a surprise, when you brushed your fingers over his forehead and then leaned in for a kiss that his consciousness stirred just a little beneath you. 

That soft little light that always drew you in so completely. Your lips drifted to his temple, and you pressed one last apologetic kiss there. No voice escaped you, but you passed the thought between the two of you. 

I love you. 

It was too early to be too bold. You were going to end this. But you’d also promised Jessica that either of you would do whatever it took to make this all stop. If you were put in a compromising position… better not to think about it. You’d come back to him. You would. 

Every last ounce of personal strength you had got put to use as you turned away from his bedside and went to the door. -at least that’s what you thought. But when that feeling bounded back in the shape of his voice- I love you more. 

-it really did take everything you had to leave. To exit his room and shut the door behind you. While you would have liked a moment to breathe, Jessica was waiting on the other side of it. So you got no time to heal. Or think. “Let’s go.” Not wanting her to even dare ask how Tony was again. She probably wouldn’t have, considering how you’d dug into her before over it. But you still wanted no risk. 

She followed at your side. “Justin lives in his top floor penthouse with his boyfriend Frank. They’re probably being used to help whatever Kilgrave is doing- and they’ll be collateral damage if it means Kilgrave can use them to escape.” 

“If they’re even there at all.” Outside the hospital you took a deep breath and ignored her stare full of ire. “There’s a strong possibility he left already. He’s not that stupid.” 

“But if he got all the power he was looking for he might think he can use it. In which case we’re walking into a trap that involves him.” 

There was just no point in arguing with her. Really. Truly. This was a lead either way. No matter what she thought or how wrong she thought you were. You double tapped the Reactor to suit up. “So what’s your plan, exactly?” 

“You bring me up there and we smash in the balcony window.” 

With the helmet up you didn’t even bother trying to hide the roll of your eyes. “Fine.” Then the short awkward standing around ensued. And you had to be the one to ask- “How do you want me to carry you?” 

“Why don’t you just hold me by my wrist and throw me through the fucking window.” Her tone was dry. But. That was an option. A very viable option, so far as you were concerned. 

And so you reached forward to latch on to her arm. “Fine by me.” And then jumped off with a boost of your jets to lift. Jessica’s shouts were thoroughly ignored.

                                                             --- 

At least the two of you had the cover of sudden (by your count, anyway, as the understanding of time slipped further and further away from you) darkness while you carried her by the arm over the city. At the top of the building this Boden guy lived in, you stopped just short. While it would have been amusing to stick to the plan of chucking her through the windows, the curtains were drawn. It would be entirely too sloppy to just toss her into unknown danger. 

Instead you killed your jets a little short on the farthest point of the balcony and dropped the both of you down as quietly as possible. One heat signature lit up inside the penthouse. Which was… troubling. And then as you looked… there seemed to be a much dimmer one on the floor. “If he’s in there, he’s alone. I think somebody’s hurt.” Which meant he wasn’t- 

So it shouldn’t have surprised you when Jessica leaped forward and rushed a punch right through one of those windows, shattering it completely. You followed hot on her heels inside, taking stock of the place. It looked like someone had set up an entire chemistry lab, vials and needles and chemicals strewn across various tabletops. One man was on the floor- no heat signature at all, a syringe in his hand- and- 

And- 

“Oh my god-” 

There was another man. Feeding an arm into a blender. Spattered with blood. Mindlessly shoving it in as the blades whirred and protested- your eyes went anywhere but him- and that’s when you saw the man those arms used to belong to. Kilgrave’s father. Lying face up on the floor in a literal pool of his own blood, eyes open and empty. 

You couldn’t remember the last time you’d eaten. It was too long ago. Maybe you shouldn’t have even been standing right then- but it was all you could do to quick release the helmet and lurch over to the kitchen sink which was near enough, retching up nothing but painful bile. 

“Jesus Christ! Stop!” Jessica was fighting with the man currently trying to win a war with the blender. 

You barely heard his response over another upheaval from your stomach, “I have to remove dad from the face of the earth-” 

“No you don’t! Stop!” 

“But then we have to kill ourselves!” 

Jessica was shouting- she was calling your name. Over your dizzying fog, feeling like you might pass out, you cast a look up at her. When she saw she had your attention, “Make him stop! Do something for fuck’s sake!” 

A full tremor rocked your entire body and your head went down to the sink again. You had to get past yourself. You had to do something. She was right. But you couldn’t move from your station. Locked there in an iron grip to the stainless steel as another bout of bitter bile rocketed out from you. Instead you reached up a hand, body going into a panic- 

You had to do something but you couldn’t move. But you did do something. As another painful retch escaped you projected outward. Without moving. Without seeing. And it must have hit its mark. Somewhere beyond your ears you heard that telltale shatter. One you were all too aware of by now. 

The blender stopped whirring. Deep, unhinged wailing started. That was exactly the noise you would have expected from someone realizing he’d just been using his kitchen appliance to grind a man to pieces. Then it stopped very suddenly after the sound of a hard smack. Jessica had silenced him. 

Energy escaped you and shaky knees sent you down to the floor. You tried to find any space to breathe as a gasp shot from the remaining heat signature you’d seen in the room. The weak one. The dying one. “He’s stronger. Don’t listen. Don’t look at him. He’ll make you kill.” 

“Albert.” Jessica’s haunted frustrations were reaching an all time high. She had a much better poker face than you. “Albert.” Calling to him. But it was too little too late. “God damn it.” 

You had seen worse than this, right? People exploding- aliens- multiple accounts of attempted murder- but this was so… it was so sick. So terrible and wrong. Maybe Jessica was more used to this. A strange thing to think, really. Then again. She was stronger… it was why you expected, as she came over, that she was going to yank you to your feet and tell you to pull yourself together. Maybe she should have. Maybe you needed a slap across the face too. 

But that’s not what you got. Instead, you felt an all too strange hand on your shoulder. “Give yourself a minute, alright?” Maybe it was pity- though… you didn’t sense that. Instead you sensed… sorrow. At least that was something you shared. The relief was short. “You’ve got people that’ll clean this up, don’t you? Can you work on that? I’m gonna take a look around.” Giving you one more out. Something to focus on that wasn’t so immediately the situation you found yourself in. 

So you took it and ran. Not quite literally, but you put yourself on the balcony and made the necessary calls. Damage Control was used to being stationed in multiple places at once when there was an incident. Of this you had no doubt. But you still felt bad for utilizing them so much so quickly. And to see such horrible things, too… There was no apology in the world you could give for this. 

Once a few agents arrived you tried to direct your attention their way. It was a hell of a mess you were asking to clean up- after the last mess you’d asked them to clean up not too long ago. Jessica was on the phone with somebody- ...Jeri, of all people, it sounded like. You just didn’t have the energy to care about why. Or what now. 

After giving out orders that they were to bag bodies and tag evidence to still be withheld until this was over, you went back onto the balcony to breathe in fresh air by gulps. Holding onto a railing with too tight of a grip- still in the suit, too- accidentally crushing it underneath your steel. It was too short a time to find any real relief. Jessica was coming up behind you. 

She stuck a picture out in your peripheral and you half turned to take hold of it. The man who’d been… busy with the blender was standing outside of a yacht. Very obviously at the Hudson Yards Terminal. There was something else obvious about this, too. But she had the good grace to point it out. “That picture was on Albert.” 

Of course it was. “That’s where he’s headed then.” 

“And he wants us to know it.” When you turned fully to her she gave you a hard-set stare. “I need to know I can count on you. Because if what Albert says is true- and all the shit I just found in there- Kilgrave is stronger now. This ends tonight. Only one of two ways.” 

Kilgrave was luring the both of you out to a yacht. To take you to international waters? Maybe? Not that it would matter if your team found out about it. He probably very seriously didn’t care. Either way, the both of you would be under his command for sure. Clearly emboldened. Clearly he thought whatever this power boost was, it was enough to take the both of you back under his heel. Then maybe his plan was just to disappear with the both of you and torture you for the rest of your lives. 

“Well…” You said this on a breath out. “If we get to decide. It ends with him being dead.” Meeting her, then, in firmness. “I can’t take this anymore. I don’t think anyone can. So if it’s him or anyone else-��

“It’s him. I get it.” Agreeing. Agreeing with you again. Doubling down, even. “Don’t save my ass and I won’t save yours.” There was a little bit of a grin on her lips. Drawn and terribly tired. You felt that for sure. “Agreed?” 

You nodded. “Agreed. Do we have a plan here? Or are we just walking up on him and hoping for the best?” That wasn’t a plan. And in the event that he was stronger, it was an issue. You couldn’t come out of this on the wrong side. Tony would never forgive himself- ...and you’d really rather not be trapped with Kilgrave for the rest of your life. 

She seemed to think for only a moment and then asked the strangest question of the night, “How’s your improv?” 

                                                            ---

You took her by the arm again and flew over the city and to the docks. Up ahead LUNA started counting off just how many bodies were on that pier. All standing in front of Kilgrave like a bullet proof vest. When the number totaled you let her know, “He has a hundred people.” 

“Your magic act that good?” Shouted up to you. 

“I guess we’ll find out.” Not like you had a choice. This was it. It was now or never. Kilgrave was literally waiting for the both of you. You dropped her first and she ducked out of a roll, and you stood in front, landing with a hard clank of metal on wood. 

Kilgrave started the show for the both of you. “I wanted this to work out. Needed a little bit of assurance. But we can play nice. And no one has to get hurt.” 

Jessica found her place at your side. “There’s no way this ends well for you.” 

He rolled his eyes with a duck of his head and a little amused sigh, shrugging his shoulders. “Can’t blame a man for trying. Alright.” Lifting his voice with a wave of his arm. “Start killing each other!” 

All bodies present on the pier turned to one another and absolute chaos erupted. Jessica slipped slightly into a panic, turning towards the couple nearest her to pry them off of each other and throw them in opposite directions. This was too many people. You weren’t sure you could stand up to this. You weren’t sure you could do this. 

But if you didn’t… 

“Any fucking time now!” Jessica brought you back full while she had two more shirt collars in her fists. 

It was dangerous to show this to him. But you had no choice here. Reaching both hands up you took a steadying breath, a wide stance, and then found a position familiar to you. One you hadn’t used in a long time. Spreading your palms out, like pleading- pleading for somebody to stop. To listen to you. To give their attention to you for one second so you could change them- you cast that furious storm out. Just like you had in the apartment. You let it all go. 

The sound of breakage was overwhelming. A veritable tsunami wiping over the whole crowd and casting that control out to sea. It almost sounded like the audio system in the helmet had gone haywire. Looping on feedback. But the sounds of fighting stopped. Right as a blossom of surprise and a little touch of fear rocked through Kilgrave. In as authoritative of a voice as you could, you told his shields, “Run. Now.” It took them approximately three seconds to listen. Most of them shrieking as they fled. 

 Someone knocked by you on their way out, and it was almost like they’d hit the release button on your muscles. You went down to one knee, planting your fist down on the pier to keep from collapsing completely. Inside the helmet you could barely breathe, and you felt the telltale drip of blood leaking from your nose.

Kilgrave stuck his hands in his pockets. “Well now. Isn’t that something. I’ve had the idea for a while, that you were my antithesis. My father brought it up, last we spoke… but I rather like to think you’re the yin to my yang.” In another clean move he put one hand out, gesturing. “All in all not too bad. Tony Stark’s not the only one who can do a bit of math.” A terrible little laugh came out of him. “Jessica. Come here.” 

You picked your head up sharply, perhaps a little too telling in how quick. Silently demanding she did not listen to him. She looked back, unmoving- until her feet moved for her. But one quick glance and you knew. You knew what he didn’t. She wasn’t infected. 

Still, smart man that he was, he scoffed as disbelief warred inside of him. Because he wanted to believe. He wanted it so badly it was almost choking you. When she stopped in front of him, he stared her down. “Don’t insult my intelligence. You’re faking, aren’t you?” 

She just stared up at him. “Faking what?” 

At this he made a face at her. “Obviously you have a plan. Otherwise I’d be dead. So. Let’s be a little cautious, shall we?” Taking her around the neck by his arm, he pulled a knife from his pocket and jammed it into the side of her neck, just short of piercing her skin. “Puppy! Take that ridiculous thing off. Or I’ll kill her. Right now.” 

Part of you doubted this. This entire show had been to obtain her. But. You steadied the hammering of your heart, and double tapped to release the suit entirely. Jessica struggled without warning- “Don’t be fucking weak- you promised! End this!” Her fear was real. Taking off your only protection- it could be really over. Whether or not for whatever reason she was no longer infected-

 If he took you-

Kilgrave pulled her tight. “Shut up.” And just like that her struggles died. And that was all it took to spring that hope inside of him. Shakily you got to your feet. Just as he pointed a finger at you- “Stay where you are.” So you did. 

But not because he told you to. Jessica’s question finally burned a bright spot in your mind. 

What I’m saying is- you took off. Both of you. When Kilgrave was screaming up a storm. How?

You had your answer now. You were free. The night you’d freed that poor woman… maybe that had been enough to break you out of it, too. And in one glance between you and her- you projected what little hope and understanding you had left.

 It cycled back.

“I’ve been asking the impossible of you.” Kilgrave pocketed the knife and took Jessica’s face in his hands, redirecting her gaze, and you had to try and not drown in her disgust. “I asked you to love me, over and over. And I know now. You can’t. You’re incapable.” His head turned to you. “Puppy, come here.” You timed your steps in a slow, aching march as you trudged forward. His grin spread. In his mind this was it. He was at the goal. The finish line. It was all over. His eyes returned to Jessica just as you stood at his side. “But she can make you love me. You’re mine now. No more fighting. No more of these ugly displays.” 

He was welling up with giddy satisfaction. It was truly revolting. Casting his glance your way, “Puppy, I know things have been difficult between us, but I’ll give you the chance to make it up to me. One day… one day soon you won’t remember anything else but me. Like it should be. I know it. Let’s go now. Let’s get on the boat. We’ll start our lives. Let’s start with a smile.” 

Despite it all, you found yourself doing exactly that. Smiling. And it made his heart soar. For only a moment. Until reality set in when you found your voice, “I have waited for this. For so long.” 

“Shut up.” 

“No.” Upon your single, strong utterance of this word, fear and panic bolted through him. His mouth opened to say something- command something- but Jessica stopped him as she lifted her hands to take both of his, twisting his arms- probably right out of their sockets. She then kicked his knee out, maybe literally, and he crumbled to the ground. 

You stepped in closer while she held him through his writhing, directing her aching pain- the pain he’d inflicted on her and countless others, his way. Straight into his heart. “You really thought you’d get away with this, huh? That we’d get on your fucking boat and sail away into the sunset with you? So you could rape us forever? Torture us like everyone else you’ve ever come across? You’re pathetic. You’re disgusting.” Spitting the last parts at him.

“Get off me- I’ll kill you both- I’ll ruin your lives-” He bounced back and forth between anger and fear. “Wait- please- you wouldn’t- this isn’t right-” Mocking you. Even now. 

Or maybe forgetting himself and seriously trying to appeal to your sense of mercy. You double tapped the Arc, suiting up again but released the helmet. You wanted to see his eyes. You wanted him to see you. Then you sunk your fingers into the back of his hair and yanked his head back. “You’re a monster. And you’ll never be anything else.” 

His eyes burned into yours. “That’s what you’ve decided then, eh? Honest and truly? I thought you were better than this.” 

“You were wrong.” 

Jessica held him still. Quieted his attempts to flee or to quiver in fear, or to do anything. Forcing a bolt of panic through his veins, clenching your hand in the back of his hair, gazing deeply at him, you settled a hand over his heart. “LUNA, full power.” The charge of the repulsor lit up the night air, but not quite as loud as his screaming. A drop of your blood rolled off your chin, splashing his temple.

 “Puppy- please-”

 With a push of your hand you released. You did to him what he’d done to you. You took it all away. A shot burst right through him. In through his chest and out through his back. And you made sure to watch. Watched him like he was watching you. You watched the widen of his eyes before they went glassy and then empty. You watched that light fade from existence. You stayed until there was literally nothing left. 

It wasn’t your place. To judge people. To decide who got to live or who got to die. But you’d started doing it more these days. Not comfortable yet with the idea. Hopefully you never would be. But you’d promised this man beneath your grip death. Deserved death. And you’d meant it. 

It was strange. To be standing there. Breathing hard. Holding on to a body that had long since given up. There was nothing in there anymore. But you still held on. Too long. Until Jessica put a hand on your arm- and said something. You weren’t sure what. And when you looked up at her- for a brief moment- a tiny sliver in time- you thought you saw him.

Standing there. Hands in his pockets. There but not there. Staring at you. Watching. And then… then he was gone in the next blink of your eyes. Jessica’s voice was garbled, hard to understand. Not that it mattered, as the sound of police sirens drowned it out. 

You let him go, finally, and his body collapsed into a heap on the pier. Jessica’s hands were up in the air. The cops had their guns drawn. It’d be one more mess to clean up. One more thing to do. Yet- you felt like you weren’t there anymore. Kilgrave was gone and it felt almost like… he’d taken a part of you with him. You felt untethered. Unhinged. Like someone had cut your puppet strings. 

Jessica was asking you to do something. The world was rocking on the edges. No- no it was rumbling- or was that a roar? 

A gust of wind hit the both of you as a jet flew by and then came to a heavy land on the pier. Not just any jet. The quinjet. The ramp opened up- 

And as soon as you saw Tony descend it, arm in a sling, wearing an inappropriate suit for the occasion, no less- whatever last bout of energy you had suddenly belonged to him as you bounded his way. It really felt like the world was playing a trick on you, when he stopped, and just before you collapsed into him you saw the rest of your family break out into the pier. 

Your head was already buried in his shoulder, your hands in his chest. His voice lifted as he raised his one good arm. “Excuse me, fellas. Avengers business- maybe it’s too dark. Didn’t recognize her. We’ll call it even if you lower your guns.” The cops probably followed that order immediately. You weren’t looking to check. But he eased just a little. Though there was an immense mountain of hurt, as he put his good arm around you. “We’re gonna be alright.” Promising you that even though he probably had very little idea what the hell was going on. 

“How are you here?” Not quite sure. So unsure, in fact, that you were almost more sure that you’d slipped into insanity. Maybe Kilgrave had taken you on the yacht. You also only just realized that you were sobbing, as you asked. 

“I mean- I think thank you comes before asking how I got here.” His mock offense drew a weak, wet laugh from you. He held you a little tighter. “Team came back. Interrupted my unintended naptime. Cho patched me up a little more on a proof-of-concept type deal, but JARVIS caught a bunch of 911 calls that indicated you were trying to hop on a boat and skip town. Thought I’d try and talk you out of it.” 

It was hard to tell which side of the line you were riding. Laughing or crying. Really it was both. But more than anything, you allowed yourself to slip head under a deep pool of relief. Words weren’t working. And all too soon you realized, a little later than he did, that you were leaning on him as your body was very slowly giving up. 

He nudged you to the side. “Let’s sit down, honey. Come on.” 

The steps between his spot on the pier and the bench on the quinjet lapsed immediately out of your memory. You were in one spot and then the next pretty instantly. You had a bottle of water in one hand, and were holding a handkerchief to your nose. No idea where they came from. People were talking. Lots of people were talking. There was a hand on your back- Tony’s. And when you realized, you slid to the side, resting your head on his shoulder. 

You didn’t really have it in you- you didn’t have anything in you- to answer anybody’s questions. And as Steve walked up the ramp and took a knee in front of you, reached out to put a hand on your shoulder, you felt yourself drifting off. “You did that? You killed him?” 

It was unreasonable to ask yourself to work out why he was asking you that. And why now. ...probably something to do with the cops. Though you were looking at him, you weren’t really looking at anything. “I did.” 

His eyes lowered. You were too out of it to begin wading in someone else’s feelings for a change. Tony pulled you closer, putting his arm around you. “It’s over now. That’s what matters. If they have a problem with that, they can take it up with me.” 

Steve stood. “Or any of us, I imagine. I was just asking. Because they’re asking.” A little defensively but apparently still on your side. 

You reeled back your selfish need to be left alone when the pieces clicked into place. “Jessica didn’t do it. Don’t let them take her away.” 

At this he turned away. “A little late for that.” 

But before your frustrations could flare, Tony gave you a soft squeeze. “We’ll spring Jones. Don’t worry about it. Just relax.” 

Relax. What a concept. What a thought. 

Your body gave into the idea almost immediately, your head landing hard on his shoulder, fading out completely. But it wasn’t darkness you basked in. It was a blanket of that light- his light- that kept you safe. Even from yourself.