Okay, nice long chapter for you! Although, a lot of it is song lyrics... heh...
DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own any of the Marvel characters NOR do I own any of the songs! They belong to their respective artists. I do not make any money off of this. It is purely for entertainment.
Oh, and I suggest listening to the songs while reading the lyrics (especially if you haven't heard them before) because things will make more sense and I kind of don't describe how the songs sound...
When Thriller ended there was a mad dash for the iPod.
"GUYS!" Steve yelled, the squabbling surrounding the device coming to a halt. "That's enough! We'll take turns choosing songs, okay? Loki and Thor have both had their turns; next will be Natasha, followed by Bruce, Clint, Tony—"
"That's favoritism right there!" the billionaire complained.
"And then me," Steve finished, sending the man a glare. "So shut up and act like civilized people."
"No, but—"
"Stark!" Steve barked warningly.
"DAMMIT! I HAVE AN IDEA!"
There was a pause as everybody looked at the billionaire, expressions between bored, curious, and apprehensive.
Tony took a deep breath, plastering a smile to his face. "Right," he said. "Now that I have your undivided attention, I have an idea to offer." His expression turned more serious, and he took on a business-like manner. "So basically, we take turns picking songs, but we all have these sheets to fill out," Tony waved his hand, and Dummy rolled out from behind where he'd been hiding behind the couch, holding several sheets of paper which he then handed out to the assembled humans—and gods—er... persons. (That probably worked.)
"Looks stupid," Clint remarked, glancing over the sheet, with its little check boxes.
"I assure you, it's not stupid," the genius said confidently. "Maybe a little cheesy, yes, but such things are often necessary for personal understandings and team bonding. Which is not my forte at all, but just hear me out, okay?" he cleared his throat. "So we all, when its out turn, choose songs that are meaningful to us, and then everyone checks one of the boxes for how they feel, personally, about the song, and how it relates to them. Got it?"
Everyone glanced at the sheets in their hands as Dummy passed out pencils.
There were eight of these on the page:
Song: _ Artist: _
□ If I ever feel this way, please strike me dead immediately.
□ Er... yeah no. Not really pertinent in any way.
□ I can empathize, though I've never felt this way to any strong degree.
□ If you twists things around a little... then yeah.
□ Struck far closer to home than I'd like to admit.
Well, at least Stark had managed to make them slightly interesting, Clint figured. Slightly less stupid than it might have otherwise been.
But he was still dubious, and looked around at the others, knew he wasn't alone in that feeling.
"And be honest," Tony added. "I think it's safe to say that nobody here will judge anyone."
There were wary glances, but unanimous nods.
The billionaire grinned. "Right! Natasha first!"
The assassin strolled over to the iPod, flipping through the songs for several minutes, a hardly noticeable pursing of her lips, before she clicked on one, and the song began to play.
"Hurricane by Ms Mr," she stated.
A drumbeat started along with the woman's voice, and Thor idly began to hit an invisible drum set as he listened.
Didn't know what this would be
But I knew I didn't see
What you thought
You saw in me
Loki draped himself across the couch, tilting his head back towards the ceiling, eyebrows pulling slightly together thoughtfully. His left arm hung over the side of the cushions, paper held between two pale fingers.
I jumped the gun
So sure you'd split and run
Ready for the worst
Before the damage was done
The storm never came
Or it never was
Didn't know getting lost in the blue
It meant I wound up losing you
Clint shot a glance at his colleague and friend, but her carefully blank face was turned away from him.
Tony, seeming to sense a growing tensions at the prospect of this song—understanding-idea-thing, got up to retrieve glasses and alcohol, pouring all his guests the beverages he'd deduced to be their favorites, everything from fine wine to vodka to ale to some surely nasty and probably toxic alcoholic mixture for the God of Mischief and Stiff Drinks.
Welcome to the inner workings of my mind
So dark and foul I can't disguise
Can't disguise
Nights like this
I become afraid
Of the darkness in my heart
Hurricane
Bruce cast his eyes down to his shoes. He wiggled his toes as distraction from the creeping memories, taking a swig from his dark beer to try to drown out the taste of projectile metal in his mouth.
What's wrong with me
Why not understand and see
I never saw
What you saw in me
Keep my eyes open
My lips sealed
My heart closed
And my ears peeled
Steve listened to the song, which painted a twilight blue behind his eyes and reminded him of falling rain.
But he couldn't help finding himself more interested by his fellows' reactions, noting Tony reaching for more liquor, Clint's hand finding Natasha's and squeezing, Loki accidentally snapping his pencil in half and determinedly looking everywhere except at his brother, who was in turn watching him as if he was trying to read a book written in a foreign language that he was only just beginning to comprehend.
Welcome to the inner workings of my mind
So dark and foul I can't disguise
Can't disguise
Nights like this I become afraid
Of the darkness in my heart
Hurricane
Make ash and leave the dust behind
Lady diamond in the sky
Wild light
Glowing bright
To guide me
Loki rolled his green eyes, snorting slightly, only for his whole body to flinch nondescriptly at the next lines.
When I fall
I fall on tragedy
Welcome to the inner workings of my mind
So dark and foul I can't disguise
Can't disguise
Nights like this I become afraid
Of the darkness in my heart
Hurricane
The song trailed off, and there was a moment of stillness. Eyelashes of various colors tickled cheeks.
"Okay everybody, check a box," Tony said, his own pencil flicking once at his paper. He glanced back up again. "And now I believe it's Bruce's turn."
The doctor got up from where he'd been sitting on a bar stool and crossed over to the iPod.
He gave a wry smile as he tapped one, and the guitar riff started. "It's Never Too Late, by Three Days Grace."
This world will never be
What I expected
And if I don't belong
Who would have guessed it
I will not leave alone
Everything that I own
To make you feel like it's not too late
It's never too late
Closing his eyes, Loki suppressed the urge to groan to himself. These Midgardian songs had a knack for capturing emotion, bottling it, and distilling it until it was poignant enough to make a man cry.
Except that he wasn't a man, so it didn't really matter to him.
Still, this was a stupid idea, and he was tired of playing along with this silly little game. So he was going to stop reacting and school his face into an indifferent mask.
He was very good at it.
Even if I say
It'll be alright
Still I hear you say
You want to end your life
Now and again we try
To just stay alive
Maybe we'll turn it all around
'Cause it's not too late
It's never too late
Steve crossed his arms, tilting his chin up slightly in thought. The song had a dark feeling, and yet there was a hopeful undertone—it felt, he thought, like sunlight shining through dark amber glass.
No one will ever see
This side reflected
And if there's something wrong
Who would have guessed it
And I have left alone
Everything that I own
To make you feel like
It's not too late
It's never too late
Pushing his drink away from him on the coffee table, Bruce leaned back in his chair, letting his eyes close. He breathed in deeply, and his muscles slowly relaxed.
Tony had been right when he'd said that music makes everything better.
That man was a genius sometimes.
Even if I say
It'll be alright
Still I hear you say
You want to end your life
Now and again we try
To just stay alive
Maybe we'll turn it all around
'Cause it's not too late
It's never too late
Nodding his head to the beat, Tony had the urge to start tinkering with his gadgets; make a hat for Dummy out of LED lights or something.
Yeah, this was an awesome song.
The world we knew
Won't come back
The time we've lost
Can't get back
The life we had
Won't be ours again
Thor was looking down sadly, but when Jane came over and tilted his chin up to force him to look at her, there was hope shining in his vivid blue eyes. She could practically hear the word "Brother" settled behind his lips, and she smiled reassuringly at him.
It broke her heart to hear Thor talk so fondly of Loki, and then how his strong, deep voice would tremble with pain at what had become of them.
And it was so painfully obvious how much they both loved each other. Jane just wanted to smack the both of them sometimes.
She was a fan of bromance, she really was.
This world will never be
What I expected
And if I don't belong
Even if I say
It'll be alright
Still I hear you say
You want to end your life
Now and again we try
To just stay alive
Maybe we'll turn it all around
'Cause it's not too late
It's never too late
Maybe we'll turn it all around
'Cause it's not too late
It's never too late (It's never too late)
It's not too late
It's never too late
As the song ended, Natasha was surprised to find that somewhere during it she and Clint had ended up holding hands.
"Everybody mark a box!" Tony called, pencil poised above his own paper.
Everyone did. Except maybe for Loki.
"Well, I guess it's my turn," Clint said brightly as he got to his feet, sending her a wink as he sauntered over to the iPod. He scrolled for a bit and turned back to them all, grinning almost- mischievously.
After seeing Loki's mischievous smile, it was hard to afford the term to anyone else—the god gave the word 'mischievous' a whole new dangerous meaning.
With Clint, his grin was more... smug. And kind of cute, she had to admit.
"I think we need some comic relief!" he declared, and pressed the play button. "Behold the Men In Tights song!"
We're men, we're men in tights.
We roam around the forest looking for fights.
We're men, we're men in tights.
We rob from the rich and give to the poor, that's right!
After perhaps one too many drinks, Tony actually got up and started doing the dance. He then proceeded to pull Clint away from where he was sitting with Natasha on the loveseat and got him dancing as well.
We may look like sissies, but watch what you say or else we'll put out your lights!
We're men, we're men in tights,
Always on guard defending the people's rights.
At the series of 'la la la la's Loki gave up his resolution of not reacting, and groaned loudly, practically tearing at his hair. "What in Helheim is this?!" he demanded, at the very same instant Thor bellowed "WHAT IN ALL THE NINE REALMS IS THIS?!"
All the humans who were up to date with current movies (Clint, Natasha, and Tony) cackled.
Along with the two gods, Steve and Bruce were wearing hilarious expressions of disbelief.
We're men, MANLY men, we're men in tights.
Yes!
We roam around the forest looking for fights.
We're men, we're men in tights.
We rob from the rich and give to the poor, that's right!
We may look like pansies, but don't get us wrong or else we'll put out your lights.
"Oh no you don't," Clint said, catching Tony's hand as the billionaire tried to purposefully on accident hit him in the face.
We're men, we're men in tights
TIGHT Tights
Always on guard defending the people's rights.
When you're in a fix just call for the men in tights!
WE'RE BUTCH!
"If I ever feel this way, please strike me dead immediately!" Loki said, taking a pillow and pressing it over his face.
"Sorry Reindeer Games," Tony chuckled, as he sat back down and picked up his empty glass, taking a moment to frown at it. "But you kind of do wear tight pants."
Loki removed the pillow from in front of his face and glared at the billionaire. "These," he gestured at his black skinny jeans, "Are not tights. And also, I do not defend people's rights or steal from the rich or give to the poor or any of those 'good' deeds. Steve is the one you should be poking fun at."
"You're right!" Tony gasped, setting his glass down and leaning forward on the bar stool with a grin. "That song is perfect for Stevie!"
"Please no," Steve moaned, facepalming.
"Oh yessssss," Clint sang. He shared a glance with Tony. "We have to teach him the dance!"
In order to save face, Steve hurried over to the iPod. "My turn!" he said.
However, flipping through all the songs, he realized there didn't seem to be a single one he recognized. Sighing, he closed his eyes, scrolling and randomly clicking one.
He glanced at the screen. "The Fox by Ylvis?" he said uncertainly.
"Hell yes!" Tony cried, fistpumping.
Dog goes woof
Cat goes meow
Bird goes tweet
and mouse goes squeak
Cow goes moo
Frog goes croak
and the elephant goes toot
Ducks say quack
and fish go blub
"Do they really?" Thor inquired.
"It's not necessarily what sounds they actually make," Tony explained. "It's what sounds are commonly attributed to them."
and the seal goes ow ow ow ow ow
But theres one sound
That no one knows
What does the fox say?
Ring-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding!
Gering-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding!
Gering-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding!
What the fox say?
The expressions in the room varied from bemused to amused, and everything in between.
Jane giggled.
Wa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pow!
Wa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pow!
Wa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pow!
What the fox say?
Thor creased his brow. "So are those sounds commonly attributed to the fox?"
Hatee-hatee-hatee-ho!
Hatee-hatee-hatee-ho!
Hatee-hatee-hatee-ho!
What the fox say?
"Nah," Tony said. "That's the thing—"
Joff-tchoff-tchoffo-tchoffo-tchoff!
Tchoff-tchoff-tchoffo-tchoffo-tchoff!
Joff-tchoff-tchoffo-tchoffo-tchoff!
What the fox say?
"—There isn't a noise commonly attributed to the fox."
Big blue eyes
Pointy nose
Chasing mice
and digging holes
Tiny paws
Up the hill
Suddenly you're standing still
Your fur is red
So beautiful
Like an angel in disguise
But if you meet
a friendly horse
Will you communicate by
mo-o-o-o-orse?
mo-o-o-o-orse?
Mo-o-o-o-orse?
"You know what Morse Code is, right?" Tony asked Steve, who didn't dignify that question with a response and simply glared at the billionaire.
Thor probably would have asked what it was, only he was slightly distracted by the song. He simply assumed morse was some kind of Midgardian language.
And Tony would have said: "Well, you're not wrong."
Except he didn't, because Thor didn't say anything.
How will you speak to that
ho-o-o-o-orse?
ho-o-o-o-orse?
ho-o-o-o-orse?
What does the fox say?
Jacha-chacha-chacha-chow!
Chacha-chacha-chacha-chow!
Chacha-chacha-chacha-chow!
What the fox say?
Fraka-kaka-kaka-kaka-kow!
Fraka-kaka-kaka-kaka-kow!
Fraka-kaka-kaka-kaka-kow!
What the fox say?
A-hee-ahee ha-hee!
A-hee-ahee ha-hee!
A-hee-ahee ha-hee!
What the fox say?
A-oo-oo-oo-ooo!
Woo-oo-oo-ooo!
What does the fox say?
"Just wait till you see the music video!" Tony snickered. "Let's hear it for internet memes."
The secret of the fox
Ancient mystery
Somewhere deep in the woods
I know you're hiding
What is your sound?
Will we ever know?
Will always be a mystery
What do you say?
You're my guardian angel
Hiding in the woods
What is your sound?
At this point Loki had long since covered his face with a pillow again, and Thor kept casting questioning glances at Jane, who should shook her head and smiled.
Steve appeared to deeply regret landing on this song. Not that there was anything wrong with it... it was just ridiculous. But then he looked around at everyone and noticed that though faces revealed a slight bafflement, there were also simpers, and everyone seemed to have relaxed, since this song didn't touch and sensitive spots.
There was movement on the wall, and he turned to see that Bruce and Tony were making a shadow puppets of a foxed with their hands that were mouthing the lyrics.
Or rather, Bruce's fox was mouthing the lyrics and Tony's was trying to bite the other shadow fox.
Wa-wa-way-do Wub-wid-bid-dum-way-do Wa-wa-way-do
Will we ever know?
Bay-budabud-dum-bam
I want to
Mama-dum-day-do
I want to
I want to know!
Abay-ba-da bum-bum bay-do
"If you take off these shackles, I can show you what a fox actually says," Loki offered boredly, flicking his wrists.
"Wellllll..." Tony considered.
"No," Clint said flatly.
"I am curious, though," Tony half- pouted, tapping his fingers against the counter.
"No," Clint stated again, his tone leaving no room for dispute. "The only reason I'm okay with him being here is because he can't use his magic."
Loki settled himself back in the couch, kicking Thor off where he'd been sitting on the opposite arm. "I'm hurt, Barton," he drawled. "I thought we'd gotten over that whole mind-control business."
"Oh, I'm not worried about that!" Clint said, looking at the god with an indignant expression. "I'm worried about what you'll do the next time Thor pisses you off! I mean, the last time you two destroyed half the training room and you didn't even have your magic! And I do not want to try to imagine what would happen if you did."
The trickster regarded him for a moment. "Fair enough," he grinned. Toothily. "I can't blame you mortals for fearing such power—"
"Put a sock in it, y'all," Tony interrupted. "Stevie skipped my turn."
The iPod in his hands cast a blue light across his smile. "Ready Aim Fire by Imagine Dragons," he declared, as the song began to play and a man started singing.
Whoa
With our backs to the wall, the darkness will fall
We never quite thought we could lose it all
Ready, aim, fire, ready, aim, fire
An empire's fall in just one day
You close your eyes and the glory fades
Ready, aim, fire, ready, aim, fire away (fire!)
Ready, aim, fire, ready, aim, fire away
Fingers itching, Clint couldn't help but think about his bow. Which he'd left... over on the other side of the room. Using an imaginary bow and arrow, he aimed at the God of Mischief who was lying on the couch with those unnaturally green eyes closed, and Clint pretended to let an arrow loose.
Loki's hand shot up, grabbing air, and he opened his eyes to glare at the space between his fingers and then at the archer, snapping the imaginary in two and tossing it back at him.
Off in the distance, there is resistance
Bubbling up and festering
Hey Mr Motion, make me a potion
Shake it all up with your mystery
That sounded an awful like being Prince of the Nine Realms—there always seemed to be trouble somewhere that had to be stopped, and Thor often relied on Loki's help.
How come I've never seen your face 'round here?
I know every single face 'round here
A man on a mission, changing the vision
I was never welcome here
We don't have a choice to stay
We'd rather die than do it your way
Tony sighed, leaning back against the counter as his feet tapped on the bars of the bar stool. He resisted the urge to sing along, instead just listening and enjoying the way the music enveloped him, soft and comfortable even though as it rubbed at tender spots.
Which he'd never openly admit, of course.
But he knew which box to mark on the sheet.
With our backs to the wall, the darkness will fall
We never quite thought we could lose it all
Ready, aim, fire, ready, aim, fire
An empire's fall in just one day
You close your eyes and the glory fades
Ready, aim, fire, ready, aim, fire away (fire!)
Ready, aim, fire, ready, aim, fire away
Back in the casing, shaking and pacing
This is the tunnel's light
Blood in the writing, stuck in the fighting
Look through the rifle's sight
How come I've never seen your face 'round here?
I know every single face 'round here
Here in the heckle, holding the shackle
I was never welcome here
We don't have a choice to stay
We'd rather die than do it your way
The song painted a sunset behind Steve's eyes; one of those ones that set over the ocean with melancholy shades of orange and pink, lining the violet-tinged clouds with gold. It sounded, he thought, like that time when you're watching night come lurking over the horizon and you know that the sun might not rise again—but you're willing to do whatever it takes to burn away that darkness, or else die trying.
With our backs to the wall, the darkness will fall
We never quite thought we could lose it all
Ready, aim, fire, ready, aim, fire
An empire's fall in just one day
You close your eyes and the glory fades
Ready, aim, fire, ready, aim, fire away (fire!)
Ready, aim, fire, ready, aim, fire away
"Pew pew!" Natasha said, pointing a couple hand guns (literally—index finger and thumb sticking out and the rest curled in to her palm) at Clint, who smiled at her.
"Pew pew!"
Steve and Bruce gave her confused looks.
Whoa
"Pew pew!"
Tony fired an imaginer Iron Man repulsor at her, saying "Whirrr!" while Loki simply batted the imaginary bullets away irritable.
With our backs to the wall, the darkness will fall
We never quite thought we could lose it all
Ready, aim, fire, ready, aim, fire
"Pew pew!"
Thor didn't react.
An empire's fall in just one day
You close your eyes and the glory fades
Ready, aim, fire, ready, aim, fire away (fire!)
Ready, aim, fire, ready, aim, fire away
"Love that song," Tony admitted shamelessly. "Alright, mark it down and then it's Thor's tur—"
"Nooooooooooo!" Loki cried, leaping to his feet and confiscating his iPod, tucking it into his back pocket and then promptly sitting down, crossing his arms over his chest. "Like Steve said: Thor and I have already had our turns."
Tony stuck his tongue out at the god. "Spoil sport," he grumbled.
"Do that again," Loki threatened, voice low and deadly serious. "And I will rip your tongue out of your mouth and force you to eat it."
"Okay, geez," Tony said, raising his hands complacently. "Touchy touchy."
The billionaire walked around the room and collected everyone's papers, until finally he came to Loki.
Who didn't hand him anything.
"Your paper?" Tony prompted, shuffling the ones in his hands and folding them over so they couldn't be read. "You did fill it out, right? The contents will be confidential unless your consent is given to share the information.
Loki rolled his shoulders, lifting his chin slightly. "I'd give it to you if I had it."
"You do have it," Tony said in exasperation. "I gave you one,"
"Dummy ate it," was Loki's smooth answer.
Tony snorted, shifting his weight onto one foot. "Oh come on, you're the God of Lies—surely you can make up a better excuse than that!"
"I'm not lying."
Glancing over at Dummy, Tony saw that he was surrounded by shredded pieces of paper, and continued to cut them up as he watched.
"Dummy!" Tony exclaimed angrily.
The robot looked up at him, beeping.
"Dunce cap for you!"
Well, I hope it was somewhat amusing! This humor thing is a bit challenging for me XD My sister is better at this sort of thing. But she's kind of not helping with this story anymore, except for suggesting the Men In Tights song. So yeah, it's just me writing here, and I'm out of my comfort zone.
Please let me know what you think!