The Girl Who Held the Universe in her Hands | marvel [1] ✔

THREE

CHAPTER THREE
' YOU GUYS ARE HAVING
A PARTY IN HERE . '

Ash sat on a wall, already changed into a loose black dress with a silver chest plate covering the top half of her body. Her eyes focused on the ground, and her hand tapped a steady beat. A mixtape sat next to her, blasting music through her ears, blocking out the hustle and bustle of street life.

She had put all her effort into trying to block out the part of her which was more uneasy than usual. That little part of her had sprung into overdrive when she protected the others from Jane's outburst on Earth. She could help but find the energy that surged from that human, so familiar but so different. The explanation was at the tip of her tongue, and the fact one part of her brain knew the answer but held the information ransom drove her to the edge of insanity.

One of Ash's hands fell to her side, taking the blunt curve of the brick wall around her palm and tightening her grip. Her eyebrows narrowed further on her forehead, and she clenched her jaw. Indignant words spewed out of her lips, and she fell from her position to turn and kick the wall. Her actions sent the mixtape flying, headphones ripping from her head and allowing the shattering to shriek through her ears.

"Fuck!" The words fell from her lips as she dived to kneel before the shattered remains of her mixtape. The tape was still turning slowly, a distorted version of 'Ace of Spades' spasming from the rubble. "Shit-shit-shit-shit-" she mumbled to herself, hand briefly touching writing on a label:

Ben's Lesson of Culture #5.

She fell back on her knees as the music died slowly. Her eyes didn't move from the mixtape, her face shifting to lose any emotion. A sharp breath escaped her, and she moved to sit on the ground, pulling her knees to her chest and resting her back against the wall. Her hands reached up, and she rubbed her face before pushing her hair back and tugging the roots.

"Oh, Astrid, what are you doing down there?"

She didn't look up at the Queen, remaining in her position with her head buried in her hands. "If you're going to declare we need a lesson, I'm going to kill you." Her voice was muffled and initiated with a crack. Silence followed her words, and Ash lifted her head enough for her eyes to flicker up at her.

Frigga had an expression on her face that almost slapped Ash across hers. May wore that look so often. Like when she and Ben accidentally set a pan on fire when they were trying to cook dinner, or when Ash was teaching Peter to wrestle, and they managed to knock the sofa over or when she caught Ash staying awake too late whenever she was absorbed with a new thing. It was exasperation. May's was always fond exasperation, but she couldn't pinpoint the Queen's variation.

"That was a euphemism," Ash added quietly after the silence. "For like... I don't want to-"

"-I know," Frigga cut her off softly. She made her way to the broken mixtape.

"Wait!" Ash jumped to her feet, eyes widening as she stood protectively in front of it.

"Astrid, it's sharp. You're going to hurt yourself. What is this anyway? I have never seen anything-"

Ash pushed her hand away before the Queen could pick up a piece. "Please. Please don't touch it." Her voice was quiet, and her eyes pleaded.

Frigga looked down to where Ash clutched her hand tightly and then back at her. She suddenly noticed herself, and Ash stepped back, lowering to a crouch in front of the mixtape and staring at it quietly.

"This meant a lot to you, hm?" Frigga copied her movements.

"Yeah," she replied quietly. "Ben gave it to me in the first few years I spent on Earth."