The school was surrounded in no time by black vans, courtesy of SHIELD.
All the students had been evacuated from the hall and were now standing around barriers of yellow police tape while a body bag was being hauled away. Many had their phones out and were currently filming the situation.
Quiet murmurs and frantic whispers passed through the student body before turning into shrill shrieks and yells of "I WANT YOUR BABY!" when Captain America and Hawkeye appeared in full regalia.
Natasha had quickly changed into one of the spare SHIELD uniforms and was currently flexing her reinstated body quite happily. She may or may not have flicked Kristin the bird whilst walking out of the hall beside Clint, and she may or may not have silently congratulated herself when the girl appeared gobsmacked at the gesture.
Camera crews were already present, Steve was handling the news crew by giving a detailed, and very true response of what had been going on for the past 6 months, much to the surprise of all the civilians.
Natasha leant against one of the vans watching people rush around her trying to clean up the situation as best they could. The principal was also being interviewed and seemed quite overwhelmed with all the attention his school was getting. Clint sidled in beside her, nuddging his shoulder against her own.
"Fury called" he explained, returning the soft smile she sent at him "All the girls are back to normal. They can't remember a single thing in their time of being Grannies. Apparently they're kicking up quite a fuss, demanding their lawyers and attorneys."
"That doesn't surprise me." Natasha sighed, raising a hand to fidget with the bandage on her forehead, Clint slapped it away
"Don't disturb it" he told her as though a parent to their restless child "You need stitches. I don't see why you just don't go back to HQ now and get it done. No offence Tash, but you're kind of a mess"
"So sweet."
"You know what I mean."
She sighed, touching the end of her now shorter hair, feeling the congealed blood still entangled in its strands and thinking quite plainly "eww".
There was no actual reason for her to keep standing around, the mission was done, statements were given, body hauled away. The field doctors on the scene had quickly patched up whatever they could, with a warning of getting a thorough check once returning back to SHIELD HQ.
But something was keeping her here.
As her eyes tracked the crowded premises in front of her, eyes caught on a flash of purple hair.
Monica sat with one of the paramedic personnel, a blanket drawn over her shoulders as she was asked routine questions. She looked pale and traumatised, her eyes wide as she stared at the ground with a Styrofoam cup clenched in her hand. She seemed unhurt, save a couple of bruises.
"You should go talk to her" Clint murmured next to her
"I don't think she's in the mood to talk" Natasha replied sadly
"If I were her, I would want you to talk to me. Just like that time when I was under the influence of the Tesseract, you were there as a friend" he told her, gesturing in Monica's direction "You helped me, comforted me. She's a kid who just went through a rather traumatic experience. Go be her friend, go do each other's nails and all that other teenage girl crap"
"I'm not a teenager anymore"
"Disssapointed?"
Natasha laughed then "No, relief upon relief to be absolutely honest. Once was enough." She paused looking back at Monica, still shrouded in a blanket and looking rather like a lost lamb "I should go talk to her"
"You should" Clint agreed, nudging her on the shoulder to get her moving away from her slouched position on the vehicle "Be sensitive!"
"I'm always sensitive" Natasha mumbled walking away and to where her purple haired friend was seated. She smiled kindly at the small startle Monica gave when suddenly approached before sitting down next to her with a small groan of weary limbs.
Monica was the first to speak after a few short moments of awkward silence.
"So, Black Widow huh?"
"Yep."
"That's just…" Monica started before cutting off and shaking her head, pulling the blanket around her shoulders tighter
"I know" Natasha exhaled, looking down at her leather boots "It's kind of unbelievable."
The purple haired girl snorted at that with a noise of affirmation "I always knew there was something weird going on about you. Glad to know my paranoia is as healthy as always. I mean, all your friends were disappearing one by one, Colin who is Hawkeye apparently, Stan who is fucking Captain America, Brian who is…."
"The Hulk"
"The Hulk" Monica repeated incredulously, gesturing her hands emphatically before continuing "Tim is Tony Stark. Theo is obviously Thor, freaking Thunder god. I mean, I should have figured that out sooner, who talkslike that!?"
Natasha nodded biting her lip as she spied the still young Thor currently talking to a camera crew, his voice loud and booming as he tried to explain what life was like as a high schooler with much enthusiasm. His dark haired sibling stood silently to the side of him, practically glaring at any of the reporters who tried to engage him in conversation.
"Do I even want to know who Luke is?" Monica asked wearily "I can do the math, and there are no more Avengers." She looked imploringly at the red haired assassin, who hesitated in answering. Monica cut in before she could with another shake of her purple mane "And to think I'd been making jokes about his too long eyelashes since his first day. I'm kind of surprised he didn't eviscerate me"
Natasha had avoided Loki's eyes ever since they had left the library, his suit jacket thrown over her shoulders in an attempt to cover up her sudden revealing form.
"I'm kind of surprised as well" Natasha muttered, fidgeting with the sleeves of the SHIELD jacket before looking imploringly at her friend "Monica, I'm reallysorry I didn't tell you before. We really couldn't endanger anyone and…"
The young teenager held up her hand then, silencing the Black Widow "Don't apologise. This year has been a lot of fun, youwere fun. But I take it you won't be returning next semester?"
"It's kind of pointless now."
"Nat, as far as I'm concerned High School is alwayspointless"
"I concur" Natasha agreed with a small laugh
Monica smiled, pulling the blanket tighter around her "I'll miss you though"
"Yeah" her smile dimmed as she rubbed the girl's shoulder "I'll miss you to"
"No chance of barbecue's in the Avengers Manor?"
"Maybe when you're older" Natasha joked
Monica made a scathing sound in the back of her throat, a cross between a snort and a cat spitting up a hair ball "Sucksssss. When did you become so old Rushman? Or Black Widow, or whatever…"
"Natasha."
"Natasha" Monica repeated with emphasis "Natasha, my mysterious friend who turned out to be a freaking Avenger"
"You're still in awe?"
"Do you think Captain America will let me touch his ass?" Natasha raised an eyebrow incredulously; Monica shrugged "As a friend? No? Accidently bumping my hand on his ass?"
"I'm sure that can be arranged" she laughed before noticing a limo pulling up, the same one they had come in. A rather stocky man got out, slightly balding as he smoothed down his suit and looked around pointedly for something "Is that your dad?"
Monica's ears pricked up, her neck stretching to spy the man with a small nod "Yep. Mr Winters in all his glory" she looked to Nat an apologetic smile quirking her lips "That's my cue to go and be adored, or chastised. Either way I'm getting a new pony"
"Rich kid" Natasha hissed in amusement as her friend got up. Monica winked and clucked her tongue, her hand morphing into a mock gun.
"So I'll see you around?" she asked airily, letting the blanket drop with a flourish "On the news? Ellen? Tumblr? FF net …" her face became stern as Natasha made to question "You do notwant to know"
Natasha laughed "I'll keep that in mind"
The purple haired child smiled blindingly one last time "Stay cool Nat." She made to leave, walking in the direction of where her father stood before calling over her shoulder "I'll send you LOLcats in emails!"
The assassin watched as Monica made it to her father, he cupped her face in his rough hands and started inspecting her in concern before enfolding her into a hug. A smile lingered sadly on Natasha's face as the Winters' got into the limo and drove away, her hand twitching in a small and unnoticed wave.
She sighed deeply, lifting herself from the ambulance and moving away. Most of the SHIELD vans had already gone, the news crowds were dispersing, students were being sent home by the teachers and an annoyed Principal.
"This was the weirdest year ever" Tony stated as Natasha approached the group. He was lying across the stairs that lead up towards the building as Natasha sat beside him. Thor sat at his feet, Loki by his side looking thoroughly bored. Clint sat on the hand rail as Bruce leant against it "Seriously surreal"
"It will be a year to remember" Thor declared nodding
Tony looked disgusted "What? Oh, eww, no. I intend to forget with a passion as soonas I get my normal physique back and eat a liquor store" He looked to Loki then "Anyway I can speed up the process Prancer?"
Loki shrugged "Only time will tell, but it probably won't be long now."
"Yay."
The Trickster Prince got up at that point, brushing off lint from the front of his pants with a tsk. He looked at them all with a slight smile.
"Well this has been most fun." He told them, Steve joining them silently and looking confused at the focus of their attention. "I must say Midgardian Education is quite dull and placid in all honesty, but I shall be glad to be rid of it" He paused then, pressing his lips together and rolling his eyes up as though pondering a heavy question "So, I suppose this is goodbye."
"We'll miss you" Tony replied in a churlishly sweet voice
"Brother" Thor started looking thoroughly upset "You do not have to leave…." Blue eyes met Natasha's before flashing back to emerald "I thought perhaps…"
"Thor." Loki cut in looking annoyed "Don't make this maudlin."
The thunder god opened his mouth before shutting it with a click and looking away, brow furrowing. Loki shook his head, removing the fake crown that still rested in black locks. "Guess father was right in a way" he joked, but the humour in his voice fell short as ice crept in. "We were both born to be Kings."
The Avengers looked at one another, expressions a range of bewilderment. Loki laughed coldly, spinning the crown around one finger, it disappeared into nothingness. His green eyes met Natasha's own, his features softening ever so slightly before turning and walking away.
Natasha felt something inside of her squeeze painfully.
"Try not to set fire to any puppies on your way home!" Tony called out, Loki simply made a hand gesture over his shoulder as though shooing away his words. He disappeared into nothingness as a news crew walked past. "Well, can't say I'll miss the bundle of joy His Sassiness brought to the group"
"Yes" Steve agreed lightly, looking at Tony pointedly "I think we have enough of that already"
As the group bickered Natasha's thoughts were elsewhere.
Loki was gone.
She thought he would at least call her aside and talk, talk about what these past few months had done to them, the new emotions that came with new youth. It wasn't fake and it wasn't temporary, she remembered the way he would fill her head with blind noise each time he looked her way, the way he smiled sincerely when she would speak to him; she didn't imagine this.
Did she?
She frowned, turning her gaze downcast to stare into the space between her feet.
Perhaps it was pure curiosity that had gotten them like this. It wasn't love, love is for children.
But she couldn't deny the attraction and now….
He's gone.
The next time they would probably see him is over a battle terrain filled with the carnage of his mischief.
She felt hollow.
"Tasha?" Clint interrupted her thoughts in concern, she looked up to meet his eyes "You okay?"
She forced a small smile on her face, brushing back a strand of red hair.
"Yeah" she replied, hissing slightly as her hair got caught in the orchid corsage. She untangled it, looking at the flowers. Her smile lingered only slightly as she stared at the accessory, moving her fingers against the foliage, a deep pang of upset filling her.
"I'm fine."
A/N: Hey I'm early :D No? Well shit.
I have just been caught up in some other stuff (work, school, etc) and my motivation to write for this particular story was nada. So sorry for the rather large portion of time I did not upload...ooops...
Dudes, I am also on AO3 now, so go check out my profile. Teen Spirit is also uploaded over there :points in random direction:
Also, an epilogue is going to be written, because I rekon some of you will hunt me down and shank me if I leave it like this. (this was the original way I was going to end this. I'm a sucker for bittersweet endings) But, you guys are scary, so I'm going to try and make you a happy ending.
One question though. Should I...
a) Keep it Disney or
b) PORN! PORN! PORN! PORN! PORN!
It's up to you guys. Leave a comment and I shall tally up the results :)
Thanks for reading!