revels and the hammer
THE party downstairs was loud, the music vibrating Marlene's bedroom walls. She was lying on her bed, a book in her hands as she tried to focus on the words. As she read, her mind wandered to Steve—wondering if he was wondering where she was. She frowned, letting out a groan as she dropped the book next to her. Eyeing her closet, she let out a scoff. Tony's words about a dress for her was ringing in her ears.
Looking at the ceiling, she rolled her eyes when someone knocked on her door. "Jarvis," she called, but Jarvis did not answer. Getting up, she padded to the door and opened it to see Natasha standing there with a small smile. She looked beautiful as Natasha always did.
"Come on, Marlene," she whispered, pulling her in for a hug. "I'm sorry," she said seriously once the woman held her back. "Let me do your hair, and you can wear that dress Tony got you specifically for tonight. Come downstairs and have a good time."
Marlene shrugged. "I'm really not in the mood."
"What if I said Steve is pouting because he wants you there? I saw you two kiss," Natasha said with a wiggle of her eyebrows. Marlene laughed as Natasha pushed her way into the room. "Did you know I kissed him to hide from Rumlow in the mall? I had been trying to set him up with someone, but he kept refusing. He told me after that he liked you on our way to New Jersey. You should go see him."
"You kissed him?" Marlene asked with wide eyes. "What?"
Natasha shrugged. "No feelings. It was before he kissed you. So can I doll you up, beautiful?"
Marlene bit her lip, shrugging. "I don't know."
Natasha walked Marlene over to her vanity area. She sat the woman down, pulling her hair from the messy low pony tail Marlene had it in. She plugged in the curling iron and smiled at the woman in the mirror as she leaned her chin on Marlene's head. "Just let me do my thing."
After about ten minutes, Marlene's white hair was in waves that had Natasha gushing over. She twisted Marlene's body around, grabbing the makeup bag that Pepper had bought the witch. She only did a small bit of eyeliner before adding the darkest red lipstick Marlene had ever seen. With a dramatic opening of the closet door, Natasha grabbed the navy blue knee length dress that she handed Marlene. Turning, Marlene slipped into the tight material, realizing the back was open. She felt Natasha's eyes on her when she turned.
"Steve is going to lose his mind when he sees you," she said with a smirk.
When the elevator door opened, Natasha kept her arm looped with Marlene's as the woman tried to act confident, though she felt anything but. Her silver heels clicked on the floor as Natasha led her out, and almost immediately, she could hear many thoughts enter her head from her friends and others at the party. Pushing them out, she blinked to make her eyes normal and searched around the room until her eyes met Tony's. The billionaire grabbed two drinks from the bar and made his way over to the women.
"Got to say, I have exquisite taste, Elsa," Tony said, leaning over to kiss her cheek.
Natasha squeezed her arm and said, "Captain at nine o'clock. I'm going to get a drink. Have fun!"
When Natasha walked off, Tony said, "You really do look beautiful. I'm glad you came out of your lonely room. Drink?" he asked, handing her the glass.
"Thanks, Tone," she said with a smile. Drinking the liquid, she scrunched up her nose. "Strong."
"You'll need it," Tony promised. "Now, I'm going to walk away so the old man can make his move. Behave, little witch."
Marlene watched him walk off just as two other bodies replaced him. She smiled at Steve and Sam as Sam reached over to hug her. "Hey, I wasn't sure you were coming."
Marlene smiled at Steve over Sam's shoulder. He bit his lip to bite back a smile when she said, "I had an incentive that dragged me out here."
After Sam released her, Steve took his place. "Feeling better?" he asked into her hair.
"Ask me after a few more drinks," she said seriously.
And after three more of Tony's concoction of drinks, Marlene was being twirled by Clint as he laughed at something she had said. When he grabbed her waist to steady her, he said, "You know, Laura wants to meet you since you know about her."
"Yeah? When can I?" Marlene asked with a beaming grin.
"Soon, hopefully. Now, that this scepter shit is done," Clint said happily. "Now, I may be overstepping, but why are you dancing with me and not your Star Spangled Man With a Plan?"
Marlene laughed at the nickname before her smile fell. "He—" she shook her head to rid the dizziness. "He doesn't like to dance."
"Doesn't like to dance?" Clint repeated with a roll of his eyes. "Then, why has he been glaring at me since I began?" Marlene snorted, backing away and tripping over her heels a bit. Clint caught her. "All right, time to sit down."
For a while, Marlene sat with Clint as he told her about his family while she told him some memories involving the quick little bastard and his sister before people began to leave until it was just the Avengers left. Smiling at Steve as he sat across from her, she placed her glass down on the table in front of her before resting her tired feet on them. Leaning onto Clint's shoulder, they watched as Thor rested his hammer on the other end of the table with a smirk their way.
Clint twirled the chop sticks he had found, eyeing the hammer before proclaiming, "But, it's a trick!"
Thor smiled and shook his head. "Oh, no. It's much more than that."
"Uh, Whosoever be he worthy shall haveth the power! Whatever man! It's a trick," Clint said dramatically, raising his arms. Marlene moved from his shoulder as she laughed.
"Well please, be my guest," Thor offered.
Tony clapped his hands together, a mischievous smile on his face. "Come on."
"Really?" Clint asked as Thor agreed. He stood, handing Marlene his sticks to which she rolled her eyes and placed them aside.
"Oh this is gonna be beautiful," Rhodey said cheekily.
"Clint, you've had a tough week, we won't hold it against you if you can't get it up," Tony said with a wink as everyone laughed.
"You know I've seen this before, right?" Clint said as he placed his hand on the handle. Trying to lift it, he struggled immensely. It did not even budge. "I still don't know how you do it," he said to Thor with a laugh as he let it go.
"Smell the silent judgment?" Tony asked.
Clint gestured to the hammer. "Please, Stark, by all means," he said as Tony stood up. Clint fell back next to Marlene.
"Oh, here we go," Marlene murmured, and Tony gave her a look.
"Never one to shrink from an honest challenge," Tony said.
"Get after it," Clint called.
"It's physics," Tony said simply.
Bruce scoffed. "Physics!"
Tony grabbed the handle. "Right, so, if I lift it, I... I then rule Asgard?"
"Yes, of course," Thor said with a mocking smile.
Tony nodded. "I will be re-instituting Prima Nocta." Trying to lift it, he strained a bit. Letting it go, he said, "I'll be right back." When he returned, he was wearing an Iron Man hand. He used his thrusters, and it still did not work. He motioned for Rhodey to help him. Both wearing their armored hands, they tried to pull it.
"Are you even pulling?" Rhodey asked.
"Are you on my team?"
"Just represent! Pull!"
"All right, let's go!" Tony yelled as they tried and failed to lift it. Next, Bruce tried, faking a roar as if he was transforming. Everyone eyed him oddly, but Marlene laughed softly at his expression. Steve stood next, placing one hand on the handle before his eyes met Marlene's.
"Let's go, Steve, no pressure," Tony said, "only the woman you like judging you."
Rhodey hit Tony's arm with a laugh. "Come on, Cap," he called.
Marlene sat up a bit, biting her lip as Steve began to pull. Her eyes widened as the hammer budged a bit, and she saw Thor's eyes widening as well. Steve let out a breath, letting go when he could not move it anymore.
Thor laughed with relief clear on his face. "Nothing."
Tony's eyes went to Natasha and Marlene. "And?"
"Widow?" Bruce asked.
"Oh, no no. That's not a question I need answered," Natasha said, but she hit Marlene's knee. "Go after it, Little Miss Witch."
"Oh, no, I couldn't," Marlene tried to back out of it as she read Thor's thoughts. There was a possibility she would be able to.
"Come on, Marls," Steve called. "You know you want to."
Marlene laughed, standing to which the Avengers cheered at. She approached the hammer warily, placing her left hand on the hammer. Shutting her eyes, she said put the least amount of effort to lift it, feeling it budge a bit. Gulping, she released it.
"Nope," she said with a laugh as she approached Steve's side. "Guess not me either."
Thor smiled at her, as if he knew she faked it.
Tony stood and shrugged. "All deference to the man who wouldn't be king, but it's rigged."
"You bet your ass," Clint said with a laugh.
Hill pointed at Clint. "Steve, he said a bad language word."
Steve eyed Tony. "Did you tell everyone about that?"
Tony ignored him. "The handle's imprinted, right? Like a security code. Whosoever is carrying Thor's fingerprints is, I think, the literal translation?"
Thor stood with a smirk. "Yes, well that's, uh, that's a very, very interesting theory. I have a simpler one." Reaching out, he lifted his hammer and flipped it as if it weighed nothing. "You're all not worthy."
Everyone began to boo him as Steve wrapped an arm around Marlene's waist subtly. Marlene leaned into his chest with a content smile just as a loud screeching noise went through the tower. Marlene groaned as she covered her ears from the noice.
Marlene's eyes widened as one of Tony's Iron Legion suits, though messy and full of wires stood in front of them.
"Worthy... No... How could you be worthy? You're all killers."