"Oh great, look who's outside." Tony mentioned, making Arden look up from her phone as they pulled up to the compound.
"Not great." Arden scolded him, pushing her sunglasses up further on her nose.
Tony pulled up to the building, passing Steve slightly to be dramatic, reversing and putting his window down. Steve looked at them both before looking away out onto the distance.
"Why the long face?" Tony teased him.
"Let me guess, he turned into a baby." Arden added, leaning onto the middle console.
"Among other things, yeah. What are you two doing here?" Steve replied.
"It's the EPR paradox." Arden explained, getting out the car with Tony.
"Instead of pushing him through time, you might've wound up pushing time through Lang. It's tricky, dangerous even. Somebody should have cautioned you against it." Tony added, pulling a conceited tone.
"You did." Steve gave into his ego.
"Oh, did I?" Tony kept it going. "Well, thank God I'm here."
Arden rolling her eyes, walking around the car to stand by them.
"Anyways, we fixed it." Arden jumped in, holding up her hand with a wrist gadget around her palm.
"A fully functioning time-space GPS." Tony announced. "I just want peace." He added, holding up two fingers.
Steve gave in, smiling at Tony's sarcasm and egotistical comments.
"Turns out resentment is corrosive, and I hate it. At least that's what she had me practice saying. Did I say it right, princess?" Tony looked over at Arden.
She pushed him as she walked towards the trunk of the car, opening it.
"Me too." Steve agreed.
"We got a shot at getting these stones, but I gotta tell you my priorities. Bring back what we lost, I hope, yes. Keep what I found, I have to, at all costs. And maybe not die trying. Would be nice." Tony pleaded, taking a step towards Steve.
"Sounds like a deal." Steve agreed, holding out his hand.
Once they shook hands, Arden smirked to herself.
"Now that you boys made up." She announced, pulling out Steve's shield, handing it to Tony.
"Tony, I don't know." Steve sighed.
"Why? He made it for you." Tony reassured.
"Yeah, if we don't get it out of the garage, I might take Morgan sledding on it." Arden joked, making Steve snicker. As Steve held the shield once again, she could see the light come back to his face. Like he got back a part of him that was missing.
"Will you keep that a little quiet? Didn't bring one for the whole team. We are getting the whole team, yeah?"
"We're working on it." Steve answered Tony.
Tony smiled, patting Steve on the shoulder, walking past him to go inside. Arden shut the trunk, beginning to follow him but a hand grabbed her arm, stopping her in her tracks.
"Arden." Steve pleaded, looking at her with his very blue eyes.
"I know you don't owe me anything, but thank you for coming with Tony." He thanked her.
"Who do you think convinced him to come?" She countered with a small smile, pulling her arm back gently. When she made it inside, she said her hellos to Scott, Bruce and Nat, catching up with them quickly as Rocket, Rhodey and Nebula joined them.
"You sure you don't want me to go with you?" Arden asked Nat. Nat had informed her that she was going to Tokyo to pick up Barton.
"No, I'll be okay." Nat reassured.
"Can we talk?" Steve walked up to Nat and Arden as they were talking.
"Hey, princess. You coming or what?" Rocket asked after Arden.
"I gotta go." She answered.
"Where are you going?" He asked, calling after her.
"To get my brother." She replied, giving Nat a small smile before running after Rocket to the ship headed to to Thor. Rocket, Bruce and Arden squeezed in the bed of a truck that gave them a ride the rest of the way to New Asgard.
"You shouldn't have come." Valkyrie shouted, grabbing their attention as they hopped off the truck.
"Ah. Valkyrie, how are you angry girl?" Bruce greeted her, smiling.
"I think I liked you the other way, either of them." Valkyrie replied, looking at Bruce's new combined look.
"This is Rocket." Arden introduced Valkyrie, pointing at Rocket.
"How ya doin'?" He greeted, but she just stared at him.
"He won't see you." Valkyrie pleaded.
"That bad huh?" Bruce asked.
"We only see him once a month, when he comes in for 'supplies'." She answered, looking behind her at the tons of empty kegs.
"Drama queen." Arden whispered to herself, and Rocket snickered.
Arden led them to Thor's place, Rocket knocking on the door with no answer. He opened the door for himself, leading them inside as the three of them cringed at the sight of mess and smell of combination of beer and food.
"Whew! Something died in here." Rocket groaned, pinching his nose.
"Thor!" Bruce called out.
"Are you here about the cable? The Cinemax went out two weeks ago and the sports are all kinda fuzzy and whatnot." Thor's voice grew closer.
"Thor?" Arden repeated, walking into the living room, spotting her brother that had grown fat, with long, dreaded hair and a disgusting beard. Thor slowly turned around with a beer in his hand, smiling.
"Sister! Boys! Oh, my God!" He exclaimed, pulling her into a hug, but she politely pushed him off.
"It's so good to see you." He added, turning to Rocket. "Oh, come here you little rascal."
He pulled Rocket in for a hug, but Rocket tried to refuse as his stomach rubbed against Rocket's head.
"Hulk, you know my friends Miek and Korg, right?" They all waved at them.
"Beer's in the bucket. Feel free to join the wifi. No password, obviously." Korg welcomed them, continuing to keep his eyes on the tv.
Korg began to whine to Thor that the same kid was back on Fortnite, making Thor take the headset, threatening a little kid.
"Buddy, you all right?" Bruce walked up to Thor, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Of course. Don't I look all right?"
"You look like melted ice cream." Arden cringed.
"You just here to hang?" Thor asked.
"We need your help. There's a chance we can fix everything." Bruce explained.
"Like the cable? Thing's been driving me bananas for weeks." Thor obliviously asked.
"Like Thanos, brother." Arden answered, and it shut Thor up quick, dropping his playful smile.
Thor put his hand on Bruce's jacket, pointing at him.
"Don't you say that." Thor cried.
"Yeah, we don't say that name here." Korg pleaded, standing from the couch.
"Please, take your hand off of me." Bruce politely demanded.
"Look, I know that guy scares you, but, you need to come with us." Arden insisted.
"Why would he scare me? I'm the one who killed that guy, remember?" Thor reminded them. "Anyone else kill that guy? Nope. Didn't think so."
"I know you're in a tough spot. I was there too. And guess who helped me out?" Arden walked up to Thor.
"Let me guess, Steve?" Thor chuckled.
"You, brother." Arden answered, ignoring the sting in her stomach.
"Why don't you ask the Asgardians down there, how much help I've been. The ones that are left anyways." Thor walked past, dropping his body on a chair.
"We can bring them back." Bruce reassured.
"Okay, I'm done being nice." Arden let out, swiping the beer out of Thor's hand.
"Get your ass up." Arden demanded sternly, but Thor didn't budge.
"There's beer on the ship." Rocket bribed.
"What kind?" Thor asked, standing from the seat.
"Drunk idiot." Arden rolled her eyes, walking towards the door.