This is something I wrote for fun. It doesn't really follow any of the movies there may be a few things pulled from them. I'm enjoying it, hope you do too :)
When Carman woke the next morning it was to boxes and boxes of clothes and shoes. She happily spent the next two hours hanging up everything while trying on every pair of shoes. She squealed at the makeup she pulled out of the box. Make up was used often on Asgard, but her mother had never allowed her to wear any unless for big events. So, she spent another hour in front of the mirror applying makeup and brushing her hair. When her belly rumbled in hunger, Carman decided she needed to leave her treasures to find food. Pulling on a pair of jeans and a yellow t-shirt, she put on a pair of shoes with the word Nike on the sides. They felt wonderful on her feet as she bounced down the hall. The floor seemed deserted as she rummaged in the fridge for some fruit and cheese. She found a container of juice and hummed to herself as she poured a glass. Munching happily, she looked out the large, expansive window onto the city below. It was mind boggling to see so many buildings and vehicles everywhere. Popping a grape in her mouth, she turned to take her glass back to the kitchen. Wondering where everyone was, she went in search of them. Going down a flight of stairs, she found another floor. This one had strange looking equipment, one she knew was a type of bike. But it looked stationary which pricked her curiosity. A noise down the hall had her feet moving in that direction.
The two large doors were opened into a room covered with what looked like rubber. The walls were padded in the same materials. Clint and Natasha were in the middle, circling each other. Clint's hair was plastered to his head and the gray shirt he wore was heavy with sweat as it stuck to his back. Natasha's red hair was pulled back from her face with a wide band, and instead of her trademark suits, she was in a plain t-shirt and shorts. When Clint lunged for Natasha, Carman sucked in a breath. Wide eyed, she watched as he took her to the ground, but only for a moment. Natasha kicked her legs and was suddenly back on her feet. Often, Carman had watched Thor and his soldiers train. It was always entertaining to watch and Carman had often watched in envy. Oh, how she wished she was allowed to learned how to fight. Sif was able, but her mother pointed out many times that she was not a proper lady and definitely was not a princess.
"I'm done." Clint panted, using his shirt to wipe his face.
"Wimp." Natasha managed to get out between her own deep breaths. "You're quitting before I pin your ass to the ground."
"Hardly!" Clint barked, spotting Carman at the door. "Who was winning that?"
"Um…I have to pick?" Carman stepped into the room, smiling at them. "It was hard to say, but…the momentum was started to swing towards Natasha."
"Ha!" Natasha bragged, smirking as she chugged water.
"Really?" Clint slowly shook his head. "I thought you were my friend, Carman."
Carman smothered a laugh with her hand. "I was simply stating what I saw."
"Which was me starting to beat your ass." Natasha added from across the room. "It's okay, Barton. Very few men can take me down."
Clint put up a finger as he walked out the door. He heard Carman rushing to catch up with him. "What have you been doing this morning?" He asked, wiping his arms with a towel.
"Putting my clothes away." Carman fell in step beside him. "It's really too much."
"Nonsense. You needed stuff while you're here." Clint grabbed another water before spinning around. "I'm going to shower. I'll be back."
Carman watched him disappear down the hall, a little lost on what to do now. At home, she would be reading or working in her flower garden. She often visited the children in the villages, reading to them and playing. So now she felt unsure what to do with her time. She didn't expect Clint or the others to entertain her all the time, so she needed to find something to occupy her time. "Um…Jarvis?" Carman rolled her eyes at how silly she felt talking to thin air.
"Yes, Ms. Carman?"
"Is there a library or somewhere here that I can find books?" Surely in a building such as this Tony had books.
"Yes. I'll lead the way."
Carman let Jarvis direct her down to another floor and down several hallways. Just as she turned to follow Jarvis' last direction she hit a wall, sending her staggering backwards. She would of fallen if not for a pair of strong hands gripping her arms.
"Are you okay?"
Carman swallowed then looked up to swallow again when she realized the wall she had hit was in fact a man. A wide shoulder, tall, blonde man. He looked down at her in concern, still holding her arms. "Um."
"I didn't see you. Sorry." Steve stepped back, dropping his hands as he eyed the woman in front of him. This had to be the Asgard princess Nat had told him about.
"It's…quite…alright. I wasn't looking where I was going." Carman breathlessly told him. "I was looking for the library."
"Stark has a library?" Steve smirked, watching a slight smile move across her face. Nat had told him she looked like a princess and he had laughed at her, thinking Natasha was just being funny. But looking down at her, she did look the part of a princess. She reached his chest, just barely. Her hair fell down in dark curls down her back and her eyes were the only similarity of Thor that he saw. But it was the way she held herself that screamed royalty.
"Yes. Jarvis…was leading the way." Carman explained, her eyes bouncing off the wall, the floor…anywhere but him. He made her nervous and she wasn't sure why. He seemed nice as well as friendly. His eyes were a kind. But there was just so…much of him. Her eyes kept betraying her and moving over the wide set of shoulders, then down his arms to the hands that were just a moment ago holding her upright.
"I'm Steve, by the way."
Carman bowed slightly in greeting. "I'm Carman."
"From Asgard." Steve filled in the blanks. "Well…I'll let you go. It was nice meeting you."
"You too." Carman softly replied before stepping around him to find the door Jarvis was directing her too. Stepping inside, she took in the shelves full of books and sighed happily as she looked at all the books.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Carman looked up from her book as Clint strolled into the living room. Carman had been reading most the afternoon, sprawled out on the couch. Clint was the first person she had seen for hours and she smiled when he plopped down next to her making her quickly fold up her legs.
"Hey."
"Hello."
"Whatcha doing?"
Carman held up her book with a grin. "What have you been doing? I haven't seen anyone for hours."
"Meetings. Training. Being all Avengery." Clint kicked up his legs on the coffee table and laid back closing his eyes. "It's exhausting being a hero."
Carman threw back her head, laughing. "I can see that. I don't even know how lucky I am to be sitting here with such greatness."
Clint opened one eye, a slow grin moving over his face. "Sassiness. I'm liking it."
Carman hid a smile behind her book as the others started to file in. Natasha came in with Bruce close behind her. Marie made her way to the other couch as Steve strolled in, his eyes going to hers before quickly looking away as he moved to sit on the far end of the other couch.
"So I've been trying to think about what food to introduce you to next and I've decided we'll go with Chinese." Clint announced, smacking her leg with his hand.
Carman jumped slightly at the friendly contact, but eagerly shook her head. "Is it better than pizza?"
"Nothing is better than pizza." Clint quickly countered as he started to talk to Jarvis.
Carman listened as he told Jarvis what to order everyone and when that was done conversation started back up. As she loved to do with this group, she sat and listened, soaking in everything they were talking about. They were talking about some sort of mission. In another country if she understood right. Russia?
"You'll be okay? Right?"
Carman pulled herself from her thoughts to look towards Clint. "I'm sorry. What?"
"When we leave tomorrow. You'll be okay?" Clint asked cautiously. Honestly, he was a little hesitant to leave her so soon, but they had gotten orders from Fury earlier in the day and in the morning they would be leaving. "Marie will be here."
"Oh. That's good." Carman chewed on her lip, trying not to show how much the thought of them leaving bothered her. Especially Clint. "I'll be fine." She wanted to assure him since he looked concerned. Talk started back up around her, but she was lost in her thoughts. She had more questions about them leaving, but felt silly asking. What right did she have? When the food arrived everyone moved to the kitchen and Carman let Clint fix her plate like he had done all the previous times. Carman was hooked on her first bite and decided that she could stay on Midgard just for the food. Not that the food at home wasn't delicious, it was. But all the different types and flavors she had tasted over the last few days had been so much fun. And so good!
"Here." Steve pushed his plate in front of her as he sat on the stool next to her.
Carman wiped her mouth, laughing some. "I can't eat anymore."
"You haven't tired this." Steve insisted with a grin.
True, she had ate off everyone's plate wanting to taste it all. So picking up her fork she speared the orange looking chicken off his plate, making sure to get a fork full of rice also. "Mmm…this may be my favorite." Carman mumbled around her mouthful.
"It's mine." Steve watched her, smiling at her delight. It had been fun watching her try new things tonight. It had been like watching a child, all excited and up for anything.
Carman ate more off his plate, her eyes bouncing between the food and him. "Thor spoke of you. Called you the solider."
"That's what I am." Steve folded his arms on the counter top, looking at her.
"He spoke highly of you."
"I think highly of him." Steve quickly replied. "We're a team. We tried to talk him to staying her more often."
"Yes. But Asgard needs him. Now more than ever. He's our king. But he loves Midgard and you all." Carman pushed the plate away, her stomach full. Her eyes moved over everyone in the room. "The mission….it's dangerous?" She hadn't wanted to ask, but couldn't help it. She couldn't help but feel anxious at the thought of them leaving.
"They usually all have some sort of danger attached. But nothing we can't handle." Steve saw the fear in her eyes. He reached out, lightly laying a hand on her arm. "We'll be fine."
"I know." Carman tried to laugh it off. "I just worry. Just like I worry over Thor when he goes off to fight. I'm a worrier." Carman explained, her cheeks feeling warm. "Silly of me, I know."
"No. It just shows how caring you are." Steve replied quietly as he slowly moved his hand away from her. "It's a good trait to have."
Carman met his gaze and held it for a moment. Until Clint appeared in front of her and wanted her attention.
"Ever play pool?" Clint asked around the mouth of his beer bottle.
"Um. I don't think so." Carman's face scrunched up as she tried to guess what he was talking about. "Like in water?"
"Come on."
Carman hopped off the stool, always up for learning new things. She felt Steve come up behind her. They followed Clint to a wide table covered in some sort of felt. Carman eyed the balls on the table and looked at the stick that Clint held out to her. "We use this."
"Just watch me and the Cap, first." Clint suggested, as he walked around the table. "Of course, I'd watch me the most. The Captain's skills aren't that great."
"If I recall, I won thirty dollars from you last time we did this." Steve cut in with a smug look as he grabbed his cue stick.
"I was having a bad night." Clint fired back.
Carman watched in fascination as they started to play. As they played Clint would tell her what they were doing and she soaked it all up. When Steve beat Clint, again, Clint went on a tirade of bad words, Carman smothered a giggle behind her hand.
Clint flopped onto the stool next to Carman, disgusted. "He cheats."
Carman laughed, jumping to her feet with her own stick. She was excited to try it. Steve gathered all the balls and got them ready. Carman moved, mimicking the stance she watched them do with their cue sticks.
"Here."
Carman jumped slightly when she felt Steve's fingers move hers. He was right there and she tried not to stare at his arms as he repositioned her hands and fingers on the stick.
"Feel better?" He asked, close to her ear.
Carman nodded, not sure if she could speak. Something felt better, that's for sure. When Steve moved back nodding for her to go, she took a deep breath and concentrated on the end of her stick and the balls in front of her. Hoping she was doing it right, she pulled back and hit the balls. Then watched as the balls broke and headed all over the table. Two went in. "Oh! That's good. Right?"
"You're a natural." Steve winked at her as he rounded the table. "Better than Barton already."
"Bite me, Captain." Clint tossed back, giving Carman a grin. "Not too bad for a newbie."
Carman bounced around the table as she watched Steve go, he managed to move the balls around the table for her. When it was her turn again, she quickly got into position and aimed for the ball in the far corner. It was going in, she told herself.
Steve watched as she cleared the table in awe. "You sure you didn't play this in Asgard?"
"Nope." Carman chirped with a smirk. "This is fun."
"It's always fun when you're winning, princess." Steve taunted in her ear as he walked behind her and around the table.
Carman fought a smile as she put her cue stick up. She had won and was having so much fun that she wanted to pout when everyone called it a night. But they were leaving early in the morning and needed rest. She told the guys good night as she walked with Natasha and Marie to their hallway. They parted ways and Carman quickly changed for bed and slid under the covers with her book.
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
Carman watched as supplies were loaded into the jet, her arms wrapped around her middle. She always hated this part, watching Thor and his men prepare for battle. It always made her uneasy. The same feeling was floating in her stomach as she watched her new friends prepare for their mission. Natasha was dressed in her catsuit, guns strapped to her waist and leg. Clint was in his "work" uniform, loading his bow case and quiver onto the jet. Tony was in his lab, going to fly out after the jet took off. Dr. Banner hovered close by, helping Natasha with large boxes. Marie was there too, tablet in hand as she briefed them on their job as they fluttered around her. Carman swallowed a gasp when Steve walked in wearing his Captain America suit, shield in hand. It was amazing to see the team that Thor spoke so highly off in actual superhero mode.
"That's it." Clint called out, stepping off the jet. "We're ready to roll."
Marie moved back, standing next to Carman. "I've sent you all the coronates and intel. So please check your phone." She gave Steve a pointed look. "Check in on arrival."
"Yes mom." Clint snickered, moving to Carman. "Behave." He teased.
"I will." Rolling her eyes, she tried not to worry. "Be safe."
"Always." Clint promised with a wink before he headed inside the jet. He was flying it, so he had to get ready.
Natasha gave Carman and Marie a nod before disappearing into the jet with Bruce. Carman's gaze moved to Steve's who putting his shield on his back. He looked over his shoulder at her with a long look before dunking his head and disappearing into the closing door. Carman watched as the jet slowly moved and soon was zipping out of Stark Tower and into the sky. A flash of light showed Ironman flying close by as they disappeared into the horizon.
"It will be hours before they check in. Wanna help me work?" Marie asked, as they walked back into the tower.
"Yes. Please." Carman was so grateful for something to do to keep her busy. So she followed the woman up the stairs and to the towers command station.