Now I'm settling back into my regular posting schedule. I hope you guys are still with me!
There is dialogue that I took from the trailer and IMDB, so that belongs completely to whoever wrote those lines.
Disclaimer ('cause I don't wanna get sued); Me: Thor, Loki, do I own any recognizable elements in this story?
Thor: I'm afraid not. Only my beautiful little sister.
Loki: Technically she's not related to you. She's an original character, Thor; she's not truly part of our fandom. Oh, stop giving me that look. Hannah, dear, you also own the plot.
Me: Oh yes, I forgot!
Loki: And you will send me after any, what's the word, "copycats," right?
Me: That's right; I know you'll teleport them to Jotunheim or something. Stop pouting, Thor; you'll get your turn! On with the story!
"The helicarrier is what?" Fury suddenly yelled into his phone. I jumped, startled as I was yanked from my thoughts, and turned my seat so that I was facing the couch Fury, Clint, and Tony were placed on. Coulson was sitting off to the side, looking at Fury with an arched eyebrow. I glanced over at Tony, who was fiddling with the Cube of Rubik.
"What is a helicarrier?" I asked quietly, leaning forward. The question was for either Clint or Tony, it did not matter. Clint was the one to lean forward.
"It's basically a S.H.I.E.L.D encampment mixed with an aircraft carrier...that flies." I canted my head.
"It sounds complicated." That made Clint chuckle.
"It is." Fury sighed and stuck his phone into his pocket.
"The helicarrier is malfunctioning, so we'll be staying at a hotel until it's fixed."
"Aww," Tony pouted, "I was looking forward to the helicarrier." Fury shot him a look.
"Tough." He stood and walked from the little "room" that we were sitting in. Coulson stood as well, following the Director.
"Well, we can only hope that S.H.I.E.L.D won't cheap out and we can stay in a nice hotel," Clint muttered, sitting back in his seat. I did the same, looking out the window again. The city of Hartford passed by quickly underneath us, and I found myself excited to see Thor again. I wondered if he had changed at all during our time apart. It had been almost a half of a year, perhaps more. It would be good to see him again.
"We'll be landing momentarily," Coulson said, entering the room again and sitting down at the front, just like before. Fury entered with a glass of whisky in his hand and sat back down on the couch. I hardly took notice of either of them, as we had flown over part of Boston. I saw a giant green blob draped over buildings and lying on the street. The hydra. Its heads, of course, were burned off. Thor grew smarter during our time apart, it would seem.
We landed at a nearby airport, where one of those elongated, black cars was waiting for us. Limousines, I believe they're called. There was a small TV in it, and Fury switched it on. I had sat down on the floor between the seats and the television in order to watch the news broadcast.
"Boston's mysterious red-caped savior, now known as Thor, was able to successfully defeat a multiple-headed monster, seen in this clip here." They showed a video of Thor holding a burning torch, lighting the stubs of the hydra's heads.
"That's my boy," I said, obvious pride in my voice. Tony reached down to pat my shoulder.
"Thor's current whereabouts are unknown, but a majority of citizens are convinced that he will return should another threat arise." Like Loki, I thought bitterly, but pushed those feelings down. I'm seeing Thor again, this is a happy occasion.
The limousine stopped outside of a nice-looking hotel and we all filed out, Fury checking us in. We all got the nicest rooms that the hotel could offer. Fury got the largest penthouse, so that we could use it as a meeting place, while the rest of us got smaller penthouses. They were all placed along the same hallway, and almost all the doors were open. The first one, Fury's, revealed the Director pointing at places that his workers could put the large silver table The second one, Clint's, revealed him lounging on the couch, talking on the phone. The third door was closed, as were the fourth and fifth. The six door, which was mine, was wide open.
Curious, and slightly panicked, I stepped inside the room. From the doorway, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. There was a living room in front of me, with a spiraling staircase that would lead to where the bed was placed. Turning the corner, I bumped into something. A red fabric filled my vision and I quickly scrambled back, prepared to hit whoever was intruding. Upon seeing who it was, however, my fist uncurled.
"Thor!" I exclaimed, running forward and hugging him around the waist. He wrapped his arms tight around me, burying his face in my shoulder.
"Little sister," he muttered, setting me down and holding me out at arm's length. "I've missed you terribly."
"I missed you so much more," I replied, smiling brightly.
"I like your spectacles." I blushed and reached up to lightly touch the frames. "Fitting for such a studious girl." I laughed and rolled my eyes.
"I'm not a girl anymore." He pouted.
"You are to me. Little sisters will always be little girls in their big brothers' eyes." I felt my smile dwindle until it was soft and warm.
Suddenly, it dropped and I blurted, "Loki's alive!" I clapped a hand over my mouth, my eyes wide. Thor's left foot moved backward, and he looked at me like I was crazy.
"He's what?"
"Alive. It's my fault, really. My engagement ring is charmed and-" He held up a finger.
"You say it's your fault as if it is a bad thing." I bit down on my bottom lip. "Issy..."
"Loki," I said softly after a moment, "is not himself." Thor gave me an inquiring look. "Something's happened to him. I don't know what! He's...he's Hel-bent on realm domination!" Thor looked defeated, something that I had never seen before. I admired Thor for his strong will. He never gave up. So why did he look like he was about to?
"It would explain the hydra." My eyes bulged out of my head.
"You mean that was him?"
"I'm afraid so." I plopped down into the neared chair, pinching the bridge of my nose. "I've only been in this realm for a day or two, when it just appeared out of nowhere. Until now, trying to decipher its origins has been driving me mad." He gave me a curious look. "Although, I am confused as to how he had obtained that much magic. I assumed it would be depleted after his fall from the Bifrost." I could feel my cheeks reddening.
"Right...about that..." Thor's eyes bulged.
"He bedded you?"
"Shhhh!" I hissed, leaping from my chair and clapping a hand over his mouth. "Not so loudly, you fool!" His eyes were crinkled at the corners and I could feel his cheeks pressing against my hand. "Stop smiling, it's not even a good thing anymore." The crinkles disappeared. "He asked me to join him, and when I said no he left."
"And you didn't think to call Fury...?"
"No. I'm not going to tattletale on my own fiancée, however delusional he may be." Thor rolled his eyes and I sighed. "I'm deeply worried, Thor. You know how powerful he is when his magic is fully replenished."
"I do indeed." I sat back down in the chair and he leaned against the wall. "We won't have a choice." I looked up at him. "The only way to protect this realm is to subdue Loki." I didn't speak, only nodded numbly. "Believe me, Issy; I despise the idea as much as you do."
"I just...I want to try and talk to him. Calm this down before the situation can become worse." He nodded a little.
"It would be good to try. But I have seen him at his absolute worst. And if that is how Loki is right now, then he is far beyond diplomacy." I grimaced. "You know Loki, Issy. I know Loki. Once he has a goal set in his mind, there is no stopping him."
"I know." He sat down on the arm of the chair, having to lean down in order to wrap an arm around my shoulders reassuringly. "I just wish that I were dreaming, and that really I'm in Asgard before any of this even happened. Maybe, if I had realized beforehand, I could've...oh I don't know! I could've made him better."
"Issalea." I looked up, shocked that Thor even knew my full name. "From what I can assume, Loki has been like this for a long time. Since before we met." I felt my jaw go slack. No, how was that even possible? I've known him since I was ten. There was no way that...
Then, it hit me. I have known all this time. I've just been dismissing it. All those times when Loki would seem different. Irritated, or angry. It was all those bitter feelings ravaging inside him. He must have finally cracked.
I suddenly couldn't breathe. My vision was swimming and I was vaguely aware of Thor gripping my shoulder tightly.
"I've known," I breathed. "Subconsciously, I've known this whole time."
"I'm certain that I did as well, but we cared too much for Loki to admit it." I knew Thor was talking about himself, but he knew that I felt the same. I just hadn't wanted to imagine Loki as some sort of evil being. I had unwittingly forced myself to only acknowledge the good in him, while I was always able to see the bad in everyone else. I had loved him too much to notice that side of him.
There was a knocked on the door and Clint poked his head in. "Hey, the big boss wants to meet with us all."
"Of course, please lead the way," I replied, albeit a little shakily. Thor and I stood and followed Clint down the hall into Fury's room. Tony was already sitting at the silver table that had been placed under the television. There were other figures that I didn't recognize. One was a tall, blonde man with baby blue eyes and an odd costume on. Another man with dark hair and tan skin, with brown eyes that kept shifting around. And lastly was a woman with short, incredibly curly red hair wearing a black leather jumpsuit. I found myself drifting closer to Thor as their eyes turned on us. The woman's expression flickered for a moment when she looked at me.
"Finally, the red-head I actually like!" I bit back a groan as Tony jumped up from his seat and slung a lazy arm over my shoulder.
"Tony, I do believe that we discussed the touching...?"
"Right...sorry." His arm dropped and I strode over to the rest of the group. I saw Tony mouthing, "It's this one!" while pointing wildly at me. The dark haired man was obviously fighting a smile, but couldn't hide the chuckle. Thor was at my side in an instant, while Clint dropped lazily into a chair.
"Please, follow Agent Barton's example and take a seat." I settled neatly into the closest chair, Thor plopping down on my left and Tony dropping on my right. I crossed one leg over the other and sat up straight, as was polite when in the presence of strangers. I didn't bother looking at the woman, who I knew was looking at me disdainfully. Well then. "Thor, Issalea, these are the other members of The Avengers. This is Bruce Banner," the name sounded familiar and Fury gestured to the dark haired man, who smiled politely, "Steve Rogers," the blonde man nodded, his expression firm, "and Natasha Romanoff." I attempted to smile at the woman, but she just glared at me.
"It's a pleasure," I said, only looking at the two men.
"This is Thor Odinson and Issalea Gold. Both are Asgardians, and both are now Avengers." Thor turned to look at me, but I avoided his gaze, instead plastering a small smile across my lips. "And you will treat them with the same respect that you treat your fellow teammates."
"It's nice to meet you both," Bruce said. His voice was impossibly quiet, but my Ӕsir hearing allowed me to hear him just fine.
"The feeling is very much mutual." His lips spread into a soft smile.
"I have a meeting to attend, so please try not to break anything while I'm gone." Fury promptly left the room with Coulson on his tail. Tony cleared his throat, moving so that he was leaning against the table.
"No offence, but I don't play well with others." I rolled my eyes. What a fool. I opened my mouth to scold him, but Steve beat me to it.
"You're a big man in a suit of armor," he replied, moving close to Tony, "take that away and what are you?"
"A genius, playboy, millionaire, philanthropist?" Tony replied back snarkily. Thor chuckled and even I couldn't hold back a small giggle.
"Tony," I said sharply, biting back my laughs, "be nice."
"Oh c'mon Lea, lighten up!"
"Is everything a joke to you?" Steve inquired.
"Funny things are!" Steve's face twisted and I quickly stepped between them.
"Hey now, there's no need to start a fight. We're teammates. We aren't supposed to be fighting."
"What are you supposed to be? The Goddess of Peace?" a feminine voice retorted, and I whipped around to stare at Natasha.
"What is your problem?" I demanded, stepping towards her. "I have not wronged you in any way." Natasha simply sniffed and I felt my eyes widen. She did not just sniff at me. My hands suddenly felt very, very hot. I took another step and it was Bruce, surprisingly, that stepped between us. He rested a hand on either of our shoulders.
"Issalea's right," he said quietly. "We shouldn't be fighting, or getting angry at each other." I narrowed my eyes at Natasha before turning on my heel and walking away, feeling the heat in my hands dwindling down. I paused to look down my hands. They looked perfectly fine to me. Shrugging it off mentally, I sat back down in my seat, feeling Thor's hand on my shoulder.
"So, what can you do?" I looked over at Steve, who was looking at me curiously.
"Erm...all Ӕsir, or Asgardians, are gifted with superior strength. They also usually have a title, similar to how Thor is the God of Thunder, and a power to coincide with it. But, unfortunately, my title has yet to reveal itself. For now, all I have is my strength."
"But I'm going to teach her to shoot a bow, and some sword fighting," Clint quickly piped up, making me smile gratefully at him. Save for Natasha, I liked our small group of superheroes. The Avengers. An odd name, but one I would have to get used to.
There was only one problem truly remaining: would I be able to stand against my fiancée?
Me: Alright boys, just like we practiced.
Thor: I have it this time, I just know it! *clears throat* Once again, Hannah does not own any content that might be recognizable to any Marvel fans.
Loki: She only owns Issalea and the plot, along with other small details that I don't care to go into.
Thor: Please review, if you can find the time, as she would like to know who all is following the above story and your opinion of it.
Me: Thanks guys, here is the twenty bucks I promised.
Thor: Yes! I'm off to buy ice cream! *runs off*
Loki: Does he know that he's currently holding Monopoly money?
Me: Uh...maybe...
Loki uses chiding look! It's super effective!
Me: Fine, I'll go get him. Don't forget to review, guys! And subscribe. You know, if you're into that sort of thing.
6