Chapter Text
That is the reason why the team was gathered in their combat suits flying to Poveglia Island in Venice, Italy which is where you had the strongest pull towards to, the closer you were, the overwhelming dread of evil grew stronger and stronger, the team was feeling the same thing, most of them silent as the jet got closer towards the destination, with a glance you could already see the nervous ticks suffocate between the strong walls of the jet.
When the jet landed a ways away from the clock tower and you walked out with Wanda, while the rest of the Avengers stayed back but they had perfect view of the clearing and with Vision and Tony surveying from the sky, they had eyes almost everywhere. The team immediately froze when they saw a pale figure with red eyes seemingly appearing out of nowhere, "Well, isn't this interesting? Dear old Johnny had a kid with that women he saved. I feel the Rider's presence somewhere... or is that you? " , he questioned, pacing over the dirty pavement before he abruptly stopped in his tracks. "No- no no, I think I get it now, you have your own ghostly powers, isn't that right? " You only smiled and stopped several feet away from him before the smell of burnt flesh filled the air along side your screams. "God that never gets easier." , Clint gagged. There the Death Rider was, engulfed head to toe with the highest point of fire, metal chains wrapped around your torso now glowed red with heat. "Blackheart." , Death Rider growled and stalked towards the demon that was backing away slightly with each step Rider took. "Y-you combined your powers with Johnny's." , the demon stuttered. The Rider smirked and took the shotgun strapped behind their back into their arms, the metal immediately hissed red and shaped into a special design, shooting out possibly molten bullets with hell fire into Blackheart but it only caused the spirits inside to explode outwards like popping a balloon with confetti inside.
The team watched in horror and surprise as severed limbs and bodies surrounded by dark mist joined into souls surrounding and swarming the Rider and Wanda immediately conjured up a dome around the area, encasing you, Blackheart and the souls together but protecting the team. Death Rider gripped the chain, trying to fling it around themselves, the ghosts only laughed at the pathetic attempt of trying to protect themself, "You must be stupid, little Death. You cannot catch air! " , the ghosts taunted. The Rider gripped the chain tighter, summoning flames from their hand spread towards the whole length of the chain. With simple motion of the wrist, the chain of fire spun into a circle, successfully trapping several souls into the air bubble, the screams of burning souls was heard throughout the island. "Even though you've burnt several souls, I still have a lot more." , Blackheart mocked as more and more souls grew out of his body.
The team only saw you slicing through souls left and right with everything the Rider had. "Can we help them? " , Thor asked nervously. "We can't, we're not equipped to deal with demons, especially on that level." , Natasha gulped. The battle seemly went on forever, the team growing more worried as the Rider's movement slowed in speed, the souls used the chance of decreased stamina and knocked them onto their knees. Blackheart threw punches and hits to the tired Rider, hit after hit, soul after soul, the Death Rider's flame began to dim. When Blackheart threw you against the wall, the team yelled in protest, trying to keep the Rider conscious , begging to continue and end the fight once and for all. "Pathetic, little Death. Your father must be so disappointed at you. That little blond must be too." , Blackheart smirked devilishly. He brought the Rider onto their knees once more with his hand wrapped around their neck. With the Rider's combined power gripping his wrist with so much force that caused him to wince. "Never- Never ever talk about her like that again." , the Death Rider growled as the once dimmed flame glowed brighter and brighter, the heat rising higher and higher. Vision warned the team they had to be evacuated almost immediately because with the rate that the temperature is growing, it would burn the entirety of the island to ashes. Tony scanned for any remaining forms of life on the island to only deem everyone to be dead or gone ever since Blackheart had took over the resident's souls.
"See? Your father is no where to be felt, your lover and her team ran away, leaving you all. alone. to. die. She probably never even loved you, how sad." , Blackheart smiled through his pearly white teeth. With your hands gripped around his wrists, the Rider stood up from their knees and burned even hotter, Blackheart's arm that was wrapped around Rider's throat now burning and replenishing only to be burned away again. The chains that laid on the floor beside your knelt figure now wrapped around Rider's wrist again where they did the same movements to create circles in the air that suddenly became a portal to a humid place place where fire surrounded it. "You'll never see daylight ever again. You'll never talk to anyone again. You'll never hurt anyone. Ever again." , they howled.
"How does it feel to have all that evil inside of you? All their power. All their souls." , the Death Rider growled that sent chills down the team's back when they heard it through the crackling speakers.
"Thousands of souls to burn. Look into my eyes. Your souls are stained with the blood of the innocent." , the Death Rider said as they gripped Blackheart's throat like he did theirs. A loud 'NOO!' was heard throughout the island.
"FEEL THEIR PAIN! " , the Death Rider yelled. The team saw the sight of the black mist in the dome burn from the core, the screams of the souls were like straight out of horror movies, it sounded like millions and millions of people were screaming for help and bloody murder all at once. Wanda couldn't hold the dome any longer and fell to her knees in the jet with her hands now covering her ears, begging the scenes of the traumatic deaths of the innocent to stop. The jet could only fly further away at the now burning island that etched with demonic power.
As the distance between the jet and the island grew longer and longer, the screams grew quieter and the heat emitting from the island grew lesser, their sight on the island becoming smaller, Vision and Clint tried calming down Wanda while Natasha held Yelena back from saving her lover with either taking over the jet or flying down with a parachute and swimming towards the burnt island.
Back on the island, Death Rider stepped into the portal they opened and threw the body of the demon at a foot of another being after the portal closed. "Make sure he stays dead." , Rider demanded the man on the throne. The man only nodded "The Ghost Rider did not send him here but you did. I'll make sure he stays dead. Good job, my child." , the Devil clapped his hands. "Come, have some tea with me." , the Devil stepped off his throne and moved to the large table where another demon served 2 cups of tea and walked away after a bow.
"It was quite a brave thing you did there. Enduring 2 contracts, protecting the 'Earth Mightiest Heroes and quite a show you put on back there. I enjoyed it fairly much." , the Devil clapped his hands after a sip of tea. "I did what I had to." , the Rider sipped the tea. "You signed the contract, my child. Now only you will be dealing with my deeds for you along with the other one on the mortal realm." , the Devil questioned you. The Rider merely nodded after another sip, "Yes, I've read the contract, father. I did what I had to, to take down Blackheart and if it meant taking on the Ghost Rider's contract, so be it." , they said.
The Devil finished sipping on his tea before setting down his cup on the table, you following his lead. "You must go back to your lover and family now. Everyone thinks you're dead. Even though you cannot die nor be killed easily." , the Devil commented "Good luck, my child. I hope you visit soon." , he continued. Death Rider stood up and bowed at the figure and looked at the demons dragging the dead body of Blackheart to settle his body and soul properly. "Thank you, Father." , they said before the chain wrapped around their wrists lit up with fire once again with a twirl. The air around the chain glowed red and orange and opened up a portal which they stepped through the other side.
Time in Hell and time on Earth worked differently. Minutes in Hell equaled to weeks on Earth. That's why after 20 minutes spent in Hell sipping tea and chatting with the Devil, 2 months had passed, the team grieved and grieved, cursing at themselves for not trying harder. Your dad took it only a pinch easier because he knew what you had to do, he signed the contract himself but that doesn't mean the guilt wasn't eating him up little by little when he went home to your mom. Yelena cried every night before she passed out due to exhaustion needing her sister to carry her into her once shared bedroom with you. So when a sudden portal cut through the air in the common room where they all sat, they jumped up. At first they thought it was the wizard, Doctor Strange but this portal was different, this one radiated heat, burning almost. They gasped as they saw a burning figure in torn suit stood in front with a much more taller and bigger man than intimidated the hell out of them stood behind them. The Rider stepped through the portal and closed behind them, the skin on Rider slowly grew back with a howl, within a minute the Y/N the Avenger who thought was dead stood in front of them... or below them since you passed out with a roll of the eyes and fell on the ground.
Thor immediately carried your limp figure and ran towards the medical wing ignoring his tears of relief and pain from the temperature of your body burning his skin . Bruce concluded you had several broken bones, cuts and bruises and concussion basically exhausted from using your powers, not bad from fighting millions of souls in your opinion. The team stayed gathered around the waiting room of the surgical bay until Doctor Cho walked out and informed the group that you would be just fine and they let out audible sighs of relief. The team walked in the white room and saw your pale figure in bandages and unconscious laying on the bed. Yelena stayed the week when you were still unconscious, they had gotten the okay from Doctor Cho for Wanda to dive into your mind and project your memory to them.
They saw the taunts of Blackheart, you being attacked and fighting back. The fire that burned so hot and so big that burned the entire island into crisps. They saw the fire from Death Rider that burned the millions of souls in Blackheart's now charred eyes. They saw the portal you opened up and literally had tea with the Devil himself which it referred to you as his child and Death Rider referred to him as Father. Then the Devil addressing Yelena and the Avengers which surprised and irked them. They felt angry, they spent 2 months grieving over you but you were just spending some family time in Hell sipping tea, for God's sake. But they eventually understood, the literal Devil asked you to stay, you couldn't disobey the request.
Another week later you had finally woken up with a warmth on your left hand. You opened your eyes to see a dimly lit medical room and you clad in a hospital gown underneath the blanket and your sleeping girlfriend next to you with her hand in yours, that explains the warmth. You turned your body to face her's slowly and ran your fingers through her hair, clearing the knots in your way. Yelena groaned in satisfaction and familiarity but immediately woke up and looked at your tired smile at her. She stood up and sniffled, bringing you into a much needed hug and a much needed kiss. Your body heat and feeling of your lips on her's made her so relieved but also slightly angry.
She took her lips away and stifled a giggle wen you whined. "We thought you were dead for 2 months and turns out your were just having a tea party with the Devil?! " , she whisper-yelled. "Time moves differently there, my love. So, you want me to ask the devil to hurry the fuck up or say no? " , you chuckled. Your girlfriend huffed "Well... no and yes. We thought you were dead, Y/N. I thought you were dead, I thought I lost you." , Yelena started crying again. You scooted your body to make space for her body which she got the hint and climbed in, tucking herself next to you like she does every night when she cuddled with you. You wrapped your arms around her and pulled the scratchy blanket to her shoulders and gently wiped away the tears with your fingers. You pressed a kiss on her forehead, her nose, her cheeks, her chin then her lips, her eyes fluttered shut as you did so. She tucked her head on your chest, calming down at the steady beating of your heart, enjoying the gentle scratching of her scalp or on her back, feeling the lazy shapes being made.
"I'm here, I'm safe and alive, 'Lena." , you mumbled into her hair and pressed a kiss. Using your finger to lift her chin and her red brimmed eyes bore into your loved filled ones, you smiled and pressed another kiss on her lips and looked at her again "I love you, Yelena." , you told her. She felt her lips twitched upwards as tears threatened to fall again.
"I love you too, Y/N." , she kissed you again.