Frostbite

Six

Tony and Steve were still working on the tunnel, everyone was becoming more anxious as we waited. Scott had been busy designing the time travel suit, making it similar to his own. I had helped mostly in that area, steering clear of the harder stuff. Rhodey and Nebula had been helping wherever they could.

There was a loud crash that caused me to jump in my seat. My head whipped toward the common area's door, searching for the source. I gasped in excitement and threw myself forward, racing to the smiling mess of a man standing there.

"THOR!" I cried, throwing myself at him for a hug. God, I had missed him.

"I missed you too, Melanie," he chuckled, wrapping his arms around me, careful not to spill the contents in his beer can.

We broke apart, and I eyed the can questioningly. He shrugged and chugged the rest of it, tossing it in the nearby trash can. He had changed drastically. The depression that had set in had never released its hold on him. Guilt swept through me. I should have pushed harder for him to let me in. The last five years had obviously been hard on him.

"It's a little early for that isn't it?" I teased, swatting at his long beard. It would take a while to get used to his new look.

"It's never too early for a drink," he scoffed, taking long strides across the room to plop in one of the chairs. I followed behind, my lips pursed in disagreement.

"As someone with a former alcohol problem- I have to disagree."

He took off his sunglasses, rolling his eyes as if he'd heard the speech before. I knew not to push with that kind of approach.

"Hey-" I said, placing a hand over his, "If you need anything, just say the word. I know it's been difficult, and I'm not going to lecture you on how you chose to deal with your trauma. But you're not alone; I want you to know that, Thor."

"That's the nicest thing anyone had said to me in years," he breathed, flashing a meek smile, "but I'm not worthy of it."

For a moment, I was taken aback, "What happened wasn't your fault. It didn't make you any less worthy."

From the look on his face, I knew he disagreed, but I wouldn't push it. Honestly, I was just glad Bruce and Rocket had managed to drag him back here.

We stayed put, talking and laughing like old friends did. It was nice. The carefree smile that I was sure hadn't been seen in a long time appeared a few times. After a bit he began raiding the kitchen for more alcohol and I didn't let it faze me, even if I wanted to intervene. Thor had to make that decision for himself.

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Natasha and Clint finally arrived, both of them looking a tad rough. I hadn't seen Clint since the raft; I was dying to see him. He had done unspeakable things, but so had several of us here. I'd never hold his worst mistake against him. Steve took in the sight of him and tensed, unsure how to respond.

Clint had cut his hair into a mohawk, a tattoo sleeve now covering his left arm, but his face stood out the most. Gone was his softer, sarcastic normal expression; in its place was a hard, unforgiving one. My eyes met Nat's, posing the unspoken question. She gave a slight nod, a small smile tugging on the corner of her lips.

I moved to approach him, but Steve held onto me. He released his grip when he noticed the glare I gave him, not wanting to face the wrath I would unleash at his unnecessary protectiveness. Clint had been my friend and mentor long before the Avengers had been formed; he didn't scare me. I dashed forward, not caring how long it had been.