The days following the "snap" were organized chaos. Everyone had been helping with the immediate fallout in whatever way they could. Crucial steps. Facilitating communication to help keep the world from collapsing into panic. Helping those who lost loved ones. It was tricky, as Thanos had not been picky about who stayed and who disappeared. Many world leaders and people of power were simply gone, leaving their communities to pick up the pieces. Many companies struggled with severe losses in employees, families struggled with immense loss, and the world generally was thrown off balance (ironic considering Thanos' obsession with the concept). But the Avengers did what they could.
Bruce and Rocket worked together to create a space communications device to try and locate survivors, mostly having Tony and the Guardians in mind. So far, they had received no desired response; it was mostly distress signals from unknown planets who had no idea why half their population had disappeared.
Natasha and Steve worked in the city and on finding the rest of the Avengers, managing to contact Clint. Clint had been distraught about losing his wife and a son, ensuring Natasha that he would join them as soon as he could, but what was left of his family came first for now. They also remembered the other brave father on their team that put aside personal gain to help them in Germany- Scott Lang. However, they could not get in touch with the Ant-Man or any of his known associates. They both held on to a vague sense of hope, but the bitter truth was left unspoken. Scott most likely didn't make it through the snap.
Rhodey had helped around the city and then returned to America to take care of matters there, begrudgingly working alongside Ross, half-heartedly joked that Ross would be the one ash pile he'd be happy to see. Shuri had done an excellent job stepping up and creating a plan for her people, even after several somber, resigned protests from herself that her brother should be alive and leading it instead. After things had been taken care of in Wakanda, several of the Avengers utilized the Wakandan technology to make trips to other suffering nations. Needless to say, it had been the busiest few days they've had in a while.
Thor was silently helpful, doing whatever was asked of him. But they begin to notice his growing restlessness and his eventual absence more and more. He would summon the Bifrost and return hours later with a haunted look in his eyes. There seemed to be a storm brewing within him; he was taut with unused energy and every so often lightning would flicker from his skin, threatening to spill over and never stop. They didn't blame him, and no one asked what he was doing. Not that he would tell them anyway. He was very tight lipped about the past two years, and the only one who seemed to know anything was Bruce. But when questioned he would just shake his head and say, "that's for Thor to tell." They knew Thor well enough to assume he was doing something helpful. And with how busy they had all been, they had little time to grieve and really feel their loss, so they let him do what he needed. There was too much to get done, and they couldn't let themselves fall apart when so many still depended on them. But now that things were beginning to calm down as the world slowly began to adapt, the want for avenging was beginning to creep up on the broken group.
And that was how, a week after the dreaded event, the survivors sat in a misshapen circle early in the morning. While still obviously shaken, they all understood they needed to discuss what their next step was and had agreed to meet out on a grassy cliff back in Wakanda. Steve, Banner, and Natasha sat closer than they normally would, as if subconsciously thinking if they too far from each other, something else would happen. Rocket sat opposite of Steve and the rest. Shuri sat at the "head" of the group, Okoye standing dutifully behind her, spear grasped tightly.
Standing off to the side near the edge of the cliff, his fists held tightly at his side, was Thor. His cape shifted gently in the wind and his head was held level, staring out at the mostly healed field where the battle had taken place. His new weapon was nowhere in sight.
Natasha glanced at him, hoping he would join their circle, and let out a sigh. She shifted her position to bring up one of her knees and rested her arm on it.
"So…" she began, "What now?"
She was met with a somber silence, everyone casting their eyes to the ground, except Shuri. She straightened her back a little and spoke clearly, but not quite with her usual muster.
"I appreciate all of your help, Wakanda remains strong because of it. We will continue to rebuild. We will move on. We must move on."
The other gave small smiles as a sign of accepting her thanks.
"Seriously?" Rocket scoffed, "we're just gonna accept this and forget it happened?"
"We will not forget it," Shuri snapped back, "They're gone. Many of my people are gone. My brother is gone, but what else can we do?" Okoye nodded in approval, even though she was still grieving her W'Kabi, who had disappeared along with the rest.
"There has to be something we can do." Steve spoke up, "We can find Thanos, we can fix this."
Natasha laid a hand softly on his shoulder, "Steve…I don't know if this is something that can be fixed. You saw what happened. They just turned to dust. How do they come back from that?"
Steve dropped his shoulders softly, "I don't know."
Shuri shook her head, "I've worked with advanced technology my whole life, but never have I dealt with something like this. A glove that can be used to make half the universe disappear? Aliens? This is all new to me. I do not know if we can turn this around."
Bruce was deep in thought, the corners of his lips pressed together. "What if…what if there is some way to use the stones like Thanos did? In the hands of the good guys, who knows what we would be capable of."
Rocket snorted. "Yeah, you guys haven't tried to control one of them stones. They'll kill you. Nearly killed Quill."
"Quill?" Bruce blinked in confusion.
"Uh-nobody." Rocket sighed. "Point is, those stones aren't just toys for anyone to play around with."
"But if we found someone who could." Bruce urged, "There's a time stone that one of our allies seemed very knowledgeable about. We could fix all of this."
"Even if that was our plan, we have no idea where Thanos or the stones are." Natasha remarked. "Or any idea where to start. He could be anywhere in the galaxy. For all we know, Thor's wound could have killed him after he left. Or he could have destroyed the stones."
Rocket gave a what she said gesture to the rest of the group, who now contemplated this hard truth, suddenly feeling very burnt out. Steve stared at nothing for a few moments, before raising his head to look at Bruce. "Any word from Tony yet?" He was always so good at plans. Steve was their leader, but Tony was their backbone. Even though there had been a glaring rift formed in their friendship, Steve wished he was there with them now. He would be inappropriately cracking jokes and would strike the wrong cord with everyone, but he would also be intelligent and helpful and…he would have a plan.
Bruce shook his head dejectedly without a word.
Steve sighed and put his head into his hands.
"This Tony guy…he's Terran, er-human, right?" Rocket asked.
Bruce confirmed his question with a nod, so Rocket continued, "It's been like a week. You guys ever think maybe he wasn't so lucky?"
"You don't know him," Steve breathed evenly. "Tony's smart enough to get himself out of any no-win situation."
Rocket raised his hands in surrender, "Hey, no offense, I'm just saying. Thanos is the toughest there is. He's human and went to a foreign planet to face him. Even if the purple idiot didn't finish him off, whose to says he wasn't one of the unlucky ones who-"
"Enough." Okoye demanded, "you speak so freely of his death because you didn't know him. Have some respect, raccoon."
Rockets fur on the nape of his neck rose as he snarled, "Don't call me that, lady! I'm just being reasonable! All of you ain't the only one whose lost someone."
No one really knew this newcomer that well, but they quickly picked up on the fact that he had an attitude. Tensions were high at the moment and everyone had a reason to be upset, but they shouldn't be arguing. And Rocket knew that, but he could feel himself getting angry. And he knew it was because he lost his oldest friend, he knew it was because he didn't know what happened to the rest of his family, and he knew he was covering up his loss with feigned animosity. But he didn't stop.
"I'm sitting around, wasting my time with people I hardly know, when my friends are still out there! I could get a spaceship and be out there looking, but you got me playing with radios all day and helping people who never did a thing for me!"
"No one is stopping you from leaving." Shuri retorted, narrowing her eyes.
Rocket looked hurt for a split second, the loss and hopelessness briefly leaching into his expression, then he opened his mouth to fire back when suddenly a drop of water splashed onto Rockets' nose. The hair on his neck settled, as he glanced up at the sky. Shuri blinked and held out her hand, palm up. Several more drops came, very slowly, like a slight drizzle.
"Strange…it does not rain in the city." She pondered the anomaly out loud, eyes still to the sky. The others knew she was alluding to the strong barrier surrounding their walls. The sky grew darker as storm clouds rolled in.
Before anyone could offer an answer, the storm broke, and the rain turned into a heavy downpour. All of them perked up in surprise, their nerves still shot from the battle earlier.
"What is going on?!" shouted Okoye, looking around in confusion, her hands in a defensive position.
Steve squinted his eyes at the pouring rain, and then turned around towards their one friend who had a special connection to the weather.
With his back still to them and standing completely still, was Thor. The rain seemed to be coming down around him, slightly missing him and keeping him dry. The wind had picked up, whipping Steve's hair in their faces and making it even more difficult to see. While Thor remained frozen at the center of the intense rain, his cape whipped wildly around him.
"Thor! Stop!" Steve shouted over the storm, his voice barely carrying. Worry gnawed at his stomach, wondering if something was wrong. The others barely heard Steve over the wind and rain, suddenly realizing that Thor was at the center of the sudden storm.
He motioned for Bruce and quickly made his way over to the unresponsive God, bracing himself against the blistering wind and rain. "Thor!" he shouted again, this time close enough to be heard, "What is it!?"
Bruce stepped in and waved his head slowly in front of Thor's face, shouting so his voice could be heard, "Thor, buddy, I need you to calm down." Thor diverted his attention towards Bruce, but the storm didn't let up. Bruce hesitantly placed his hand on Thor's back, praying he wouldn't be shocked. Even though there wasn't any lightning flickering about, he still hesitated. To his relief, he wasn't hurt. "You're freaking out the others, what's going on?"
No answer, just more rain and distant thunder, and a devastated God. Bruce took a deep breath and pushed gently on Thor's shoulder, guiding him to his knees slowly, getting him into a comfortable sitting position. He kept his hand on his shoulders as a notion of comfort, so Thor would know someone was there.
"We're here Thor. It's alright."
Immediately, as if a flip had switched, the sky cleared itself of the dark, harrowing clouds, the rain ceased, and the persistent rumble dissipated. Bruce watched the skies clear with awe, and then returned his attention to the man in front of him. Thor was staring at him, his different colored eyes clouded with confusion.
"I….I'm sorry." Thor whispered, his voice sounded broken and overwhelmed with grief. "I don't know what came over me." Thor took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Bruce waited, wondering if he would say anymore. Instead, Bruce noticed tears forming in the corner of Thor's one-real eye. As the silence stretched on, he resorted to slowly moving his hand in comforting circles on his back. He didn't need to explain himself right now. Bruce cast a glance at Steve, whose eyebrows were furrowed with worry, and made a gesture towards the rest of the group. Steve opened his mouth as if to ask something, but Bruce mouthed later and started to whisper to Thor in a hushed tone.
The others all looked at each other, completely confused at what had just happened. Rocket shook himself, splaying rain drops everywhere as he groaned in distaste at the sudden shower. The rest had their arms wrapped tightly around their bodies as they were now completely soaked to the bone. Although they were worried about their friend, they appreciated the break in the tension. No one had liked where the conversation was going.
Steve headed back to the group, throwing up a weary hand signal to stay where they are as they started to move towards him.
He returned to them and whispered low out of respect for Thor, "I don't really know what's going on, but Bruce is talking to him. Maybe it's best we just leave the guy alone for now. It seems like he didn't mean to do that, but uh-" he scratched the back of his head, "I think he's pretty overwhelmed and hasn't been releasing any of that pent-up energy. I think some of it just escaped."
"He did that by accident? Because he was feeling upset?" Rocket guffawed. Natasha rolled her eyes and Steve shot him a look. "What's with the look? I'm just glad he's on our side." He shrugged.
The others frowned slightly, glancing at the two hunched over forms near the cliff in sympathy. No one, except Bruce, knew exactly what Thor had been up to the past few years. But it had certainly been a shock when the Asgardian joined the fight with a tree and raccoon to turn the tide: Mjolnir nowhere in sight and instead gripping an axe, blonde locks cut off, a long scar on his face, and mismatched eyes. He was almost unrecognizable; and some of them wondered if they would have even made the connection that this was their close friend if it weren't for the unmistakable deep voice and lightning he wielded. It was so easy to forget how powerful and alien Thor was. Maybe because he looked so human, they could disassociate from that fact. The fact that they had an actual Norse god among them who could create storms from nothing. An immortal who had been around for over a thousand years. An immortal who was obviously hurting more than he was letting on. Natasha and Steve exchanged determined glances, an unspoken agreement between them that they would get to the bottom of Thor's small breakdown.
"We have a lot to think about." Steve muttered. "We'll talk later today…I think collecting the stones might be a good idea."
The group decided to stick around Wakanda for the rest of the day. Which consisted of Rocket throwing the device him and Bruce had made away in frustration when they still couldn't get it to pick up anything important, Thor politely skirting everyone's attempts to talk to him by throwing himself into working with the citizens, and Nat and Steve assisting Shuri with her virtual diplomatic calls.
Around midday, Natasha and Steve were in a large room Shuri had designated as a place they could hang out in. Even though they hadn't stayed in Wakanda every day since the event, they often found themselves coming back here to recuperate. It felt homelier than the empty Avengers facility. It was new and beautiful and not full of memories of Vision cooking terrible food, Wanda's laugh, or Falcon's smart remarks, like the facility was. They were exhausted, having gotten very little sleep the last few days. Even if they did not have duties, neither were sure they would be able to sleep anyway. But the human body could only hold out for so long before exhaustion set in (even Avengers have to sleep). So, they found themselves laying on the couches, dozing off and occasionally mumbling to each other, about anything they could think of that didn't have to do with current events. It was nice and even though Natasha knew she couldn't constantly be out there, she felt guilty laying around.
Steve was in the middle of recounting a fond story about Bucky when he noticed her sudden quietness. And by now, he knew her well enough to notice when the former-spy was off. He smiled to himself, wondering when her hard to read expressions became the opposite of that.
"Nat, it's okay. We've worked nonstop the last few days, we can relax for a few hours."
Natasha let out a breathy laugh, shaking her head in surprise. "How'd you know I was thinking that?"
"I'm your friend." He shrugged and smiled warmly.
Suddenly, someone cleared their throat, causing both of them to whip their heads around, instantly on the defensive. They both relaxed when they realized it was Thor, his large form leering in the doorway. He had Stormbreaker in his grasp, an unusual sight since he didn't wield it as often as he had with Mjolnir. He walked over to a table and set the axe down, which made the wood creak, so he could join them by the couches. He remained standing though when he addressed them.
"My friends, I must apologize for earlier. I have been…unwell. I only recently discovered my full power within and am not fully in control of it yet. I did not mean to scare you." He sounded so sincere.
Natasha laid her head on the couch rest, "It's fine Thor. We can handle a little shower. Some of us needed it."
Thor shook his head, "No, it was more than that. I have not been assisting you as I should. I've been…distracted by other matters. Matters of my people. In my absence, I have been looking for them. And I let my emotions get the best of me, one of you could have gotten hurt. But the people of Earth are mine to protect too and I would like to offer my complete services now."
Steve furrowed his brows, "Thor, you've been helping. I mean, yeah, you disappear every once in a while. But like you said, you've got 'other matters.' Just yesterday, I heard a mother talking about how you comforted her son who lost his brother. Ironically, you've been providing a lot of the human touch. They need stuff like that, we can handle the politics and technicalities. You don't need to explain yourself."
Thor smiled, despite feeling just as guilty. It was a very small smile, barely reaching his eyes, but a smile none the less. He clapped his hand onto Steve's shoulder, his eyes conveying his thanks that words couldn't express. Steve couldn't help but feel somber at the fact that such a small notion of kindness seemed to touch the God so much. But emotions were certainly amplified at the moment, so he understood.
"What do you mean powers within?" Natasha pondered out loud, breaking Steve from his thoughts.
"Ah!" Thor took his hand off of Steve's shoulder and put it in front of them, crouching down a little so his fisted hand was at their eye level. His positioned his palm towards the ceiling and slowly uncurled his fingers. "I've always been able to make rain, but…" As he uncurled them, small sparks of electricity traversed his skin. "I always thought my power came from the hammer. My father informed me it was always been inside me. I am not the God of Hammers after all." He laughed a dry laugh at that statement.
Steve and Natasha watched his hand carefully in wonder.
"Whoa…" Steve breathed, almost wanting to reach out and touch it.
"That's great, Thor." Natasha said genuinely, but unable to stop a small yawn from escaping her mouth. She covered it and apologized quietly. But Thor just closed his hand into a fist again, causing the sparks to flatten out and he rose to his full height.
"I'll let you continue your sleep!" He said understandingly and turned to leave. "We shall speak later!" He waved them goodbye and made his way out the doorway.
Steve and Natasha watched him go, offering a small wave in return to his retreating form. They both looked at each other, feeling a little less worried about the God, and then nuzzled into their respective couches to get some much-needed rest.
When Steve and Natasha awoke, it was 3 hours later, and the sun was beginning to creep low in the sky, with washed out sunlight creeping through the windows. The voices that had awakened them belonged to Rocket and Bruce, who were loudly discussing something in the hallway. They both entered the room, and the half-asleep Steve caught some science-y words he didn't understand as he rubbed his eyes, letting out a yawn. Natasha was awake instantly, snapping her head up and narrowing her eyes at the two intruders.
Bruce stopped at her burning gaze, smiling sheepishly, while Rocket kept obliviously talking as he made his way to the corner of the room that housed a small kitchen.
"I'm telling you," he insisted, as he struggled to open the large door on the fridge to peer inside, "we'd have a much better chance if we start from scratch- "
"Rocket, Jesus, can you keep it down." Steve groaned.
"Sorry sleeping beauty, this is a public room." Rocket reached for the milk carton, grabbing it and lugging it over to the table. He nabbed the box of open cereal someone had left out and hoisted himself up into a chair and placed his "meal" in front of him. "Did Bruce tell you about Paprika yet?"
Natasha immediately changed from annoyed to curious as she shook her head, "What?"
"You know, Tony's girlfriend. She contacted Bruce since you weren't picking up." Rocket raised his eyebrows at her as he noisily poured the breakfast food into a bowl. She cursed and glanced at her phone laying across the room. She was normally diligent about keeping in contact and always being on alert, but these past few days have put her a little off her game.
"I was just about to tell her that." Bruce huffed. "Pepper managed to get through the communication barrier. She's alive." He sounded pained, even though it was happy news. They could all assume it wasn't fun having to explain that Tony was still missing.
Behind them, Okoye and Shuri entered the room. Shuri looked more tired than she had that morning, but she hid it well, still taking her strides confidentially. Okoye stood to the side, her signature spear gripped in her right hand. Shuri took a deep breath and looked around the room, taking in the overworked group of people in front of her.
"Thank you all again for your help." She shifted a little uncomfortably and looked around the room again as if she was looking for someone. "I think it's time we continued our conversation from earlier today before we were…interrupted."
Rocket dropped his spoon into his bowl, "Yes, thank you. I would very much like to continue the conversation about getting off our asses and doing something that actually matters- like kicking Thanos's-"
Before anyone could say anything else, an alarm sounded.
"Oh, come on!" Rocket groaned.
Okoye and Shuri shifted their attention to their bracelets that were making alarm sounds. They opened the bead, and Okoye grunted in fury. "There are unidentified ships approaching." She frantically tapped her bracelet.
Immediately, Natasha's' stomach dropped. The last thing they needed was another fight. The other Avengers shifted into defensive stances, looking to Steve out of habit. But before anyone could start making a fight plan, a soft voice spoke up.
"Do not worry." They all jumped, swiveling around to see Thor standing in the doorway. He walked towards the massive window, his boots echoing off the walls. The others followed his gaze and noticed three medium sized ships landing outside the barrier. They were…ugly, in a loose sense of words: square shaped and solid purple and red in color, looking like a 5-year-old had painted them. They landed roughly, looking like they had been through the wringer multiple times.
Shuri stepped forward, demanding answers "What is the meaning of this? Who are they?" as Okoye turned away to call off any attacks or alarms from the rest of the city, mumbling something about outsiders.
"Thor…?" Natasha asked softly, eyeing the spaceships with apprehension. She expected him to turn to her, looking weary and tired. But instead, he turned to her wearing the biggest grin she had ever seen on him. And after days of broken, lost Thor, this was quite the sight. In his hand was the device that Rocket and Bruce had been working with to no avail, the same device that Rocket had angrily tossed in the trash earlier that day. He widened his grin, barely able to contain his excitement.
"I found some friends."
"Which friends?" Steve questioned, unable to hide the little bit of excitement starting to blossom.
"Why did you not tell me someone was coming?" Shuri crossed her arms angrily, cutting off Steve's inquiry, "I could have blasted them out of the sky, silly man!" She was scolding him, but it was a soft scolding that she didn't actually mean anything by.
Thor lowered his head in respect, "I apologize, fair Queen. I only recently arrived and came immediately to inform you."
Shuri groaned, knowing that meant there was yet another circle filled with strange symbols burned into her grass somewhere. She turned on her heel, "I am making you a phone!" she called over her shoulder as she walked out of the room to gather some of the council to greet the newcomers. Thor grinned in return, whispering to Natasha, "I would never use it."
"Um- which friends?" Steve spoke up again, waving his hand to get the attention back on him.
Thor gestured for everyone to follow Shuri out of the room, "My people. And someone special." He winked.
Steve looked back at Natasha, a little besmirched. Why were his people here? He glanced at Bruce, who also had a grin plastered on his face, meaning he had an idea who was here. Thor had done a complete 180° since they'd last seen him, meaning it must be something pretty good. Of course, nothing could ever mask the immense loss and pain they all felt, but they could all use some good news right now. A small drop of excitement stirred in Steve's stomach as he also left the room, Natasha following closely behind.
"So dramatic, just tell us who it is, I swear…" grumbled Rocket, as he followed the rest of the group.
When they caught up to Shuri and Thor, they were engrossed in conversation as they stepped onto a levitating vehicle, similar to the ones that had been used for the battle. It contained several other extravagantly dressed people, all who were excitedly chattering in their language. It seemed like the ships had caused quite a stir among the city, several citizens peeking out to see what was happening.
"This is one of the finest Midgardian places I've ever seen! Truly amazing!" Thor grinned widely, clapping his hands together. "Truly worthy to call home."
"Oh no, you're not buttering me up!" Shuri smirked back.
"I would be forever in your debt if you allowed my people to stay here, only for a little." Thor continued earnestly. "They would be of great help; my people have suffered but they are strong."
Shuri twisted her lip and looked up in thought. "Hmm. I don't know, I don't think we have enough room."
Thor frowned, worry tugging at the corners of his lips. "But, this city is huge-"
"She's playing with you." Okoye rolled her eyes fondly, "of course she won't turn people in need away. It's what her brother preached."
Shuri snapped her eyes towards Okoye, a little taken aback by the comparison, but then smiled in thanks. "Yes, of course your people can stay here." She addressed Thor, lightly touching his shoulder. "They can stay as long as they need."
Thor broke out in a grin again. "Great!" He resisted the urge to crush her into a hug, "I guess I should mention that we Asgardians eat a lot."
Steve, Natasha, Rocket, and Bruce carefully hopped onto the floating vehicle. Steve craned his neck to look into the distance, noticing that the ships doors were beginning to open and people filed out. It wasn't a large amount of people, but enough to look like a small crowd. He couldn't imagine that this was all of Asgard, wasn't it an entire planet? The vehicle groaned to life and after a shout of "Steady!" began to barrel towards the outer barrier.
Bruce made his way to the front, placing a hand on Thors shoulder to both indicate his presence and brace himself from the moving vehicle. Thor grinned at him, "Bruce!" this time he didn't stop himself from the urge to hug, and enveloped Bruce, causing his feet to leave the ground for a few seconds. He dropped Bruce who let out an oof and steadied himself. Thor put his hands on both his shoulders and leaned down slightly. "Valkyrie made it…she made it." He grinned. Bruce smiled back at him, excited to see the beautiful, strong warrior again.
Natasha, Steve, and Rocket were feeling very out of the loop and looked at each other in confusion. The vehicle hummed to a stop, and Steve was able to squint his eyes through the dimming light of sunset, trying to identify the 'special person' Thor had mentioned in the crowd of people.
The group respectfully let the Wakandan royalty off first, as Shuri spoke into her bracelet, ordering the barrier gate to be opened. After a groan, the blueish barrier began to form a passage for them to pass, in a chillingly similar fashion to when they had to focus the Outlanders attention. As it became more open, they noticed a woman step forward though the crowd. She was dressed in grey and gold, with a blue cape billowing behind her. Her long, brown hair hung loosely on her shoulders. She had recently been in battle, as evident by the small tears in her cape and the flaws in her armor. Behind her was a large blue man who seemed to be made of rock, who was holding a slimy looking creature in his arms. All around them, a variety of people who looked like humans dressed in medieval clothing stood nervously, taking in the strange forest they had set foot in.
"So…these are Asgardians?" Steve thought aloud, as he took in the mostly normal looking group of people in front of him.
Steve and Natasha watched with curiosity as Thor and Bruce stepped forward, several feet between him and the woman. For a few seconds, they simply stared, as if not believing they were really in front of each other. Then, Thor and the woman strode forward in long, quick steps, and embraced each other. They exchanged some words, then Thor began talking excitedly to the rock man, as the woman moved to Bruce to hug him tightly too.
Shuri cleared her throat. "Welcome to Wakanda, Asgardians. I believe you are in need of a home, and Wakanda has opened its borders to those in need. Please, come in." She gestured to the group that still hung wearily outside the barrier, not yet passing through the opening like the woman and Rock man had so eagerly.
The woman with the blue cape raised her hand halfway, as if in a classroom. "Thanks Queen. It's me, uh- Valkyrie. If I may, we have a few who are injured, and this hunk of space junk didn't have many useful supplies. Also, I need several drinks because it has been a long week." She spoke with an accent similar to Thor's: strange and hard to place.
Shuri twitched her lip, suppressing a smile, obviously liking this girl already. "Of course, you'll find our healers to be the best in the world."
"In all the nine realms!" Thor agreed, throwing her a thumbs-up.
Shuri let the smile form, forgetting that these normal-looking people were from a different planet all together, and that aliens did in fact exist.
"Good!" Valkyrie cheered. "'Cus he really needs it" she jabbed her thumb backwards, to bring their attention to the creaking bed that was being rolled out of the ship by a strange looking, blue person. An unmoving figure was laying on it, their face turned away from the gathered group. They heard Rocket exclaim in surprise, taking a step forward and then stopping himself. His eyes widened as he choked out the name "Nebula…really?" But Steve and Natasha were too frozen to really care why he was so taken aback or who he was talking about. Steve's stomach twisted, feeling suddenly nauseous. Even with the face turned away, he and Natasha couldn't mistake that glowing light in the center of the bodies chest.
"Tony…" he whispered.
