Never Said It Got Easier
“…the Regeneration Cradle could do this in twenty minutes,” you heard Dr. Cho drone on, explaining to Hawkeye how this advance technology was helping his body heal. “Oh, he’s flat-lining. Call it. Time?” Tony added, entering the room with a tray of black drinks. “No, no, no, I’m gonna live forever. I’m gonna be made of plastic,” he joked, taking a sip of god-knows-what that Tony handed him. Shifting your weight to your other leg, you casually took in your surroundings, wishing you were anywhere but the Avenger’s Tower.
What would happen if you threw yourself out the window? You were like what- thirty something stories up? You could totally survive that, probably, maybe- you were really tempted to find out.
“And, Helen, I expect to see you at the party on Saturday,” Tony’s words brought you back to reality. “Unlike you, I don’t have a lot of time for parties… Will Thor be there,” the doctor asked hesitantly. Oh the poor girl, she had a thing for Thor; she should know that he was smitten the moment he saw Jane Foster. Shaking your head, you turned to leave, only to feel a hand grip your shoulder.
“Same goes to you, (Y/N).”
***
Sitting awkwardly on the sofa, you let your eyes wonder around the massive room, not used to such luxury buildings. Tony definitely knew how to live, though his personality doesn’t say much. You watched as the various Avengers busied themselves with small talk, the rest of them waiting for word from Tony and Banner. Even being an entire floor above the scepter, you could practically feel your body absorbing bits of the energy it was radiating.
Whoever wields that amount of power is dangerous, and Tony shouldn’t be left to his own devices. Hopefully Bruce will keep him in check, though your judgement of both weren’t exactly solid. Sure, you had heard of them before, but up till a few days ago you had never fathomed the idea of even talking to them.
“You did well out there (Y/N),” Steve commented, obviously having no idea about your mini breakdown over your first kill. “I am impressed you managed to survive,” Thor laughed, not realizing how blunt his words were. “Surviving isn’t the problem,” you scoffed, shaking your head. The less they knew, the less they had to worry about getting stabbed in the back. It seemed easy enough.
Tony and Banner emerged from below, claiming things were going well, just having some difficulties breaking into the advanced technology. Jarvis, the oh-so famous program would handle it; or so they claimed. Yet, despite their smiling faces, a red flag went off in your head. Something in their eyes said there was more to it than they were letting on.
Before you could comprehend what was happening, you stood in front of a mirror, in one of Tony’s numerous guest bedrooms. A tight black dress hugged your form, complimenting your curves, yet not revealing too much skin. Slipping on a pair of black stilettos, you completed the look and made your way towards the party.
“I’m, like, “Boom. You looking for this?”” Rhodey finished telling his story to a group of clueless rich folks, smiling at their laughter. It was like watching a kid seek attention from his mother; for a grown man it was quite pathetic. Averting your eyes, you bounced from conversation to conversation. There was no need to make small talk; to the rest of them you looked like a dumb (h/c) that only got into the party by some sleazy underhanded tactics.
As you watched Tony and Thor bicker over their significant others, a sense of uneasiness filled your entire being. Something wasn’t right; the energy from the scepter was unnerving, coming in waves. Quickly standing up, you made your way towards Banner and Steve.
“Don’t worry (Y/N), you get used to Stark’s parties after a while,” Steve commented, gesturing to the mass of people. “That’s not it-” “Oh, bathroom? Down the hall and to the left,” Banner waved, his mind elsewhere. “Would you just listen? Something is wrong, the scepter is acting up,” you blurted out.
“Did Jarvis tell you?” “No-” “Than you’re just being paranoid,” Banner scoffed, obviously not going to trust you after one day. “It’s hard to explain but… It’s not normal,” you muttered as chills ran up your spine. The waves of energy were becoming more frequent. “Jarvis will inform us if anything goes wrong (Y/N),” Steve chuckled, before walking away with Banner.
“Are you kidding me?” you muttered, going back towards your seat. You didn’t have access to the lab and with all the guests here you weren’t in the mood to cause an unwanted scene, otherwise you would check the scepter yourself.
Busying yourself, you listened in on various conversations once more until the crowd began to disperse. All but the Avengers, Agent Hill, and the young Korean named Doctor Cho remained. All of you lounged around; Mjolnir sat on the table as the conversation flowed.
“Ah, whosoever be he worthy shall haveth the power. Whatever man, it’s a trick,” Clint mocked, after Thor insisted lifting Mjolnir wasn’t indeed a trick. “Please, be my guest.” “Really?” Clint scoffed, walking towards the hammer. “Clint, you’ve had a tough week. We won’t hold it against you if you can’t get it up,” Tony smirked, adding his two-unwanted-cents to the conversation.
“You know I’ve seen this before, right?” Clint states before attempting to lift Mjolnir. His grunts of effort soon turn into laughter, “I still don’t know how you do it!” “Smell the silent judgment?” “Please, Stark, by all means,” Clint insists, gesturing towards the hammer.
“Never one to shrink from an honest challenge. Its physics,” Tony claims, wrapping the strap over his wrist. “Physics,” Clint scoffs, reclaiming his seat. “Right, so, if I lift it, I then rule Asgard?” Tony asked in all seriousness. “Yes, of course.” The look on Thor’s face revealed that he had no faith in how worthy Tony was; not that you would blame him.
“I will be reinstituting primanocta,” he stated, before lifting Mjolnir up to no avail. “I’ll be right back.” As Tony disappeared for a moment, you silently sipped your cocktail. Honest challenge my ass. He’s totally going to use his suit.
You watched as Tony gripped Mjolnir with a metal hand. Totally called that, you thought as you chuckled to yourself. Moments later Rhodey was right there with him, adding another arm into the mix. “Are you even pulling?” He breathed, as both metal attachments strained to lift the notorious hammer. “Are you on my team?” “Just represent. Pull.” “All right, let’s go.”
A smirk splayed itself across your face as the two men sat back down in defeat. Raising an eyebrow, you watched as Bruce walked over.
“Argggggh,” Bruce yelled dramatically as he pitifully tried himself. He had the strength of an average human in his current form; you wouldn’t be surprised if even as the Hulk he wouldn’t be able to do it. As Banner sat back down, you gave him a worried look. He squinted at you, as you gestured to the floor. The energy had continued to rise since you had last warned him, by now you were extremely concerned what was to come.
“Go ahead, Steve. No pressure,” Tony taunted, hoping to see his fellow Avenger fail as he had. “Come on, Cap,” Clint cheered, as Steve rolled his sleeves up. You watched as the Mjolnir slightly gave way, leaving Thor with a priceless expression. As Steve gave up, Thor broke into a grin. “Nothing.”
“Worried there Thor?” You chuckled, finishing off your drink. “Not in the slightest.” Giving him a knowing look, you leaned farther into the plush sofa. “And, Widow?” Bruce asked, directing everyone’s attention on the red-head. “Oh, no, no. That’s not a question I need answered,” she laughed, returning to her beer.
“All deference to the Man Who Wouldn’t Be King, but it’s rigged,” Tony declared. “You bet your ass,” Clint laughed. “Steve, he said a bad language word,” Agent Hill pointed out. “Did you tell everyone about that?” “The handles imprinted, right? Like a security code. Whosoever is carrying Thor’s fingerprints is, I think, the literal translation,” Tony continued, ignoring Steve completely. “Yes. It’s a very, very interesting theory,” Thor muses, “I have a simpler one. You’re all not worthy.” “Wait, what about (Y/N)?”
“(Y/N)? Want to give it a go?” Glancing up you realized all eyes were on you. “No, no, no, hell no. If, and I’m saying if, I managed to pick Mjolnir up, I have no intent of ruling anything,” you stammered out. “Just for fun, give it a try,” Steve insisted. Slowly leaving the comfy sofa, you stood before the hammer that was causing everyone so much trouble.
Just as you gripped the handle an ear piercing noise filled the room.