My Little Avengers: Harmony War

by Lucasnike123

Chapter 6) The Promise between Sunny and Hitch

Years ago, in a stormy and violent world.

---

A young Hitch was running like crazy, looking for his parents, while the darkness seemed to follow him like a tidal wave.

But this was no ordinary storm. More than the thunder crashing in the skies above, it was the thunder of boots marching across the ground.

Big, huge, hairy beasts in heavy black armor trampled the village, crushing everything that stood in their way, taking whatever they wanted, be it loot and other inhabitants.

Maneuvering around them, Hitch ran through puddles of water, looking for his parents.

He had to find them. He had to do it.

However, he stopped short as one of the huge beasts seemed to materialize just out of the rain, standing in front of him. He looked at him with his sinister blue eyes, but what really terrified Hitch was seeing his parents, smashed in the rain and covered in mud.

None moved or breathed. It was clear even to the boy that there was no saving them now.

"NO!"

The huge monster slammed its fist into the boy's head, hitting him so hard that he spiraled through the air to crash into a stone wall, passing out almost instantly.

When he came to, everything ached, as the rain water mixed with his tears as he stood up, unable to understand.

"Why?" he thought “Why is this happening?”.

An ominous stamping sound heralded another arrival, as Hitch ducked, preparing for another attack.

Out of the storm emerged a silhouette, an imposing man even larger than the furry beasts that ravaged his world, with dark blue skin and cruel red eyes. A pair of black horns moved to the back of his head as he looked down at the little boy in front of him.

That man was... Grogar.

Hitch glared at him, as he tried to do anything to fight him off, to no avail.

Instead of getting angry, though, Grogar found the attempt…fascinating.

"He's strong..." Grogar said, leaning down to look at the boy "We'll take him with us..."

---

What followed after that was a lifetime of struggle and pain. Hitch was alone, without friends.

The family he had was twisted and ruthless, the Sons of Grogar, the Father of Monsters.

Only one had been redeemable in any way, at least for Hitch. In his own words, he had 'hated Hitch less' than the rest of his siblings. But neither had he been a true brother to him, despite his attempts.

Hitch had been raised to be a warrior, a fighter… and an assassin.

What he lacked in precision and grace in a person, he made up for in brute strength that made monsters twice his size think long and hard before trying to fight him.

And he wins. He always won.

---

One day, after trying his best in one of his training sessions, Grogar presented Hitch with a small double dagger encrusted with red jewels.

"Look. This is beautiful, right? Perfectly balanced” Grogar explained, as he balanced the dagger on a single finger “As everything should be. Not too much to one side, not too much to the other…”

---

It was then, when he met Sunny and the other Guardians, and together they went on the adventure for protect the Power Stone, that he managed to find something missing in his life.

A life he could truly live, without being consumed by revenge and without the need to die after knowing a life of nothing but pain and hate.

He helped the Guardians destroy "Ronan the Accuser", robbing Grogar of one of his most precious allies.

---

There was a clatter in the kitchen of the Benatar, and Hitch looked up from his musings, reflecting on his past.

Sunny walked nervously into the room, trying to appear nonchalant about the bowl she had just knocked over. She was busy preparing for the encounter with Grogar, taking the time to smile at him in the loving, goofy way she always did.

She so serious and free of darkness.

Even after everything that had happened with her father, and then with her mother, she still smiled so easily and freely, as she discovered she could when Hitch was near her.

Her girlfriend was his light in her darkness.

Which made the next part much more difficult than it should have been.

"Sunny... I want to ask you a favor" Hitch said, while he touched in his pocket the same dagger that Grogar had given him.

"Yeah, sure" she answered, not really listening.

"One way or another... the path we follow leads to Grogar" Hitch explained, both to himself and to her "If things go wrong, If Grogar captures me, I ask you to promise me... that you will kill me”.

That last sentence got such a reaction from Sunny that she paused in what she was doing as she looked at Hitch.

"What?"

"I know something he doesn't" Hitch continued "And if he finds out... the entire Universe could be in danger".

“What is it you know?” Sunny asked.

“If I told you, you'll know too…” Hitch said, shaking his head.

"If it's so important... shouldn't I?" Sunny asked.

“Only if you want to die…” Hitch said solemnly, not intending to let that happen.

"Why does someone always have to die?" Sunny asked, still trying to find an excuse.

Her third choice, her ace up her sleeve.

Hitch found it endearing how Sunny, every time the universe dealt her the wrong hand (and it often did) tried to make sense and win.

But this wasn't something Sunny could do, and neither could he. Not unless they killed Grogar first.

"You... trust me" Hitch said, as he put his hand on his girlfriend's shoulder "And if he catches me... kill me".

Sunny hesitated and gasped, unable to bring herself to do it.

"I... would love to..." Sunny said "I really would, but..."

"Promise me" he told her, his hands tightening on his shoulder "Promise me... for your father"

There were few higher deities in Sunny's personal faith than her father, who was an angel and a saint (even more so after having had the misfortune to meet his biological mother) and swearing that was an absolutely unbreakable promise.

She realized that Hitch Trailbrazer really wanted to say this, she needed this, so there was only one thing she could say.

"Okay"

With that, the tension seemed to dissipate, leaving Hitch, and he relaxed. He even allowed himself to be drawn into Sunny's soft hand on her cheek to kiss him, as the two of them savored this rare, quiet moment.

The tranquility before the storm.

Author's Note:

As they prepare to confront Grogar on Knowhere, Hitch makes Sunny promise that she will kill him should Grogar capture him.

But the question is... could Sunny kill the only man she's ever loved?