Angrboda felt her stomach drop when an unmistakable tall silhouette with perfectly groomed strawberry blonde hair walked in.
⁂
"TONY? Oh my God, you should've told me you were here!" her shrill voice exclaimed.
He froze in surprise, his eyes diverting to the newcomer "Pepper?!"
She quickly walked over and threw her arms around Tony "Thank God you're okay."
Angrboda watched silently. She hadn't budged a millimeter although she wanted nothing more than to walk right out. Tony must've sensed her discomfort; he was clearly uncomfortable too, although she couldn't possibly imagine why.
How in the nine realms had she forgotten about Pepper? In all fairness, Loki's stunt and being forced down memory lane had drained all her energy these past few days. Only now did it dawn on her that she had been a huge and complete idiot.
Pepper pulled away and her eyes finally landed on Angrboda. Her mouth hung open, recognizing her instantly.
"You're the one that came to my rescue the other day!"
The Harpy cleared her throat, praying to the Allfather that she wouldn't have to make a conversation with this woman. The worst part was, she seemed like a pleasant person; so sharp and put-together, a stark contrast to how she had been the other night when Loki's man came for her.
"Tony," Pepper jabbed his side "Introduce us!"
He was glad to have an opportunity to clear the initial awkwardness and so he stepped back, allowing them to stand face to face "Pepper, this is Angie. She's also part of the Avengers initiative."
Angrboda glanced at Tony, it only lasted a second but he could read the disbelief in her eyes like an open book.
Are you kidding me?
Pepper pulled out her hand "I'm glad we're finally meeting properly. I never got to thank you for saving my life!"
Angrboda managed to have a good look at her face. She was smiling politely, yes, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. In fact, there was something else there, some sort of uneasiness that mirrored hers and Tony's. She was definitely not oblivious to the awkwardness of the situation.
But when Angrboda extended her arm to shake her hand, she could practically feel Pepper's gaze land on her arm band... and this time the surprise clearly shook her composure.
"Angie, this is Pepper, the CEO of Stark Industries."
This time around, both women glanced at Tony and their wrath was frankly terrifying. As it turned out, even the great Iron Man wasn't immune to the chill of two pairs of eyes digging holes through him.
Of course, Pepper had instantly recognized the arm band. Tony had spent a full week in the lab making it, right after they learned of Phil's death. Back then she hadn't asked what it was or what it did. She simply thought it was his way of grieving. After all, Tony had a habit of sinking deep into his work when he wanted to clear his mind.
The last thing she expected was to find it around the arm of someone else. This woman, Angie, who is she really? And more importantly, who is she to Tony?
⁂
As soon as Pepper left the lab, Angrboda barely said two words before hoping on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s jet back to the Helicarrier. Tony had some things to take care of and said he'd get back in a few hours... but it wasn't like she was listening at that point. He could go to Hel for all she cared.
Yes, she was furious, livid even. If there was one thing she could never put up with, it was people making a fool out of her... and right now, Tony Stark humiliated her like no one had ever dared.
He should be thankful she had left so quickly after Pepper because God knows what she would've done to him otherwise.
The worst part was, she had to keep all this anger to herself... because giving Tony her two cents would mean admitting many, many other things... even things she still couldn't admit to herself.
One thing was for sure though, Angrboda was in dire need of blowing off some steam... And so she did it in the best way she knew how. As soon as jet took her back to the Helicarrier, she stomped over to Steve's room and banged on the door.
He opened, looking slightly worn-down and invited her to come in. But she declined, being only interested in one thing.
"Do you want to spar?" she asked him sternly and straight to the point.
"As in, now?"
"Yes."
"Erm... okay."
She was upset, he could practically read it on her face; but Steve knew better than to comment. Angrboda was glad he wasn't asking questions. She must've looked like an absolute fury storming into his room, basically asking to punch the crap out of him. It was a wonder he actually accepted.
⁂
Steve ducked just in time to avoid Angrboda's kick. He jumped to tackle her to the ground but she managed to dodge, sending a strong elbow jab into his back. He stayed on the ground for a second, recovering from the searing pain rushing down his spine, but it was a second too long because the Harpy was already sending a forceful boot kick into his shoulder.
The training room resonated to the sound of their huffs and growls. Any outsider would've probably ran for their lives. It wasn't often you saw two super-warriors fighting what looked like a battle to the death even though it was all just friendly sparring.
Her kick sent him tumbling a few times. He had the good sense to grab her leg before she could do it again, pulling her to the floor. They rustled on the ground fiercely, each trying to best the other.
For Angrboda, every punch was cathartic. She just hoped Steve wasn't taking it too hard. After all, she had a tendency not to mind the strength of her blows once she was well into a fight. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing when the opponent happened to be an enemy but she certainly did not want to hurt Steve.
As she wrestled against him, Steve managed to fend her off. He immobilized her with his arm pressed painfully against her windpipe, although not hard enough to block her breathing... and then, against her own expectations, Angrboda felt her strength faltering.
Steve had restrained her in the exact same way Loki did the day he escaped, the day he killed Phil.
A spark, a small reminder... that's all it took to push her over the edge.
Everything she managed to forget during the short while they'd been fighting came rushing back. It felt like a volcano erupting in her chest, a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions just ramming against each other in the chaos of her mind.
Everything that had been piling up in the past few weeks hit her all at once, harder than any blow Steve could give: Jötunheim, destroyed... her father, dead... Grimolf lying to her for years... Phil dying because of her stupidity... Loki's escape...the impending Chitauri attack... being constantly scorned by S.H.I.E.L.D... her newfound love for Earth and fear of it getting ravaged... her grief over Fenrir and the pain of carrying his memory... and of course, Tony... Tony and all the conflicted feelings that came with him... Tony turning her into someone she hardly recognized... Tony making a monumental fool out of her...
It was all too much.
"Woah, are you okay?!"
Steve's voice snapped her out of her trance. He quickly pulled his arm away from her throat and pulled her back into a seating position. Only then did Angrboda feel the tears pearling from her eyes.
She wiped her cheeks feverishly, feeling more humiliated than ever.
"Oh my God, I'm sorry, was I going too hard? I didn't think—"
She shook her head furiously "It's not you."
He helped her back onto her feet, a deeply concerned look on his face. It wasn't everyday you saw someone like the Harpy tearing up in the middle of a fight.
"Angie, what's going on?" he asked on a much softer tone.
"Just... please forget it, it's nothing, I'll..."
She tried to turn on her heels and walk away but he grabbed her firmly by the elbow "Hey, don't do this," he muttered and tried to ease off the tension "I know a wreck when I see one."
Angrboda didn't have the strength to push him away. She had just enough willpower not to break down again. Her knees felt like they could buckle at any moment and it drained her to even think about taking another step.
"Tell me," he demanded.
She felt her hands shake feverishly and the tears well up in her eyes again. Even breathing came uneasily, like a weight was pressed against her chest "I just... I, I..."
"Hey, it's alright," he quickly reassured, pulling out a chair and making her sit on it "I think you're having a panic attack... you're okay."
It took long minutes to finally get her composure back. Her hands stopped shaking and the heaviness in her chest lifted a little. She had kept her eyes shut tightly through it all. It took a lot of effort to open them again and face Steve's deeply worried expression.
"I shouldn't have pushed you to speak, I'm sorry," he told her softly.
She swallowed the lump in her throat with difficulty "Do... do you know what it's like not to recognize yourself anymore?" she finally managed to mumble.
Steve took a long breath. He knew the feeling better than anybody.
"Believe me I do."
Not knowing who she really was might've seemed like the tip of the iceberg for Angrboda, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized it was at the core of it all.
She was the Harpy of Jötunheim, it's the only thing she's ever known. The Harpy of Jötunheim would've never gotten so attached to people and a planet that wasn't hers... The Harpy of Jötunheim never got scared or restless or miserable... She certainly would never, ever feel jealous either...
She had landed on Earth and began feeling everything with so much more intensity. Now, there was more apprehension in her than she knew what to do with.
She missed her old life. She missed Jötunheim and Fenrir... she even missed her father.
⁂
Sleep came with difficulty that night, if at all. She lied in bed, unable to calm the hurricane of thoughts blowing through her mind.
She hated herself for breaking down in front of Steve but all her willpower hadn't been enough to prevent it. Nevertheless, Steve had handled it seamlessly, with no pity, no sugar coating and no fuss. She was more thankful to him than she could say.
She wished Fenrir were here... His name brought back the image of a skinny, pale, dark haired child; it was heartbreaking that this image got fuzzier and less focused as the years had gone by. It had been so long since Fenrir died... She thought she had learned to live with it. She thought she had forgiven herself... but now she wasn't so sure.
To make matters worst, Tony had also come back to the Helicarrier, not very long ago. Now was the worst possible time for a confrontation and she had avoided him like the plague. Even thinking about it made her sad and angry.
She was definitely losing her mind... There was an impending Chitauri invasion and all she could think about was this...? What a mess she was.
Angrboda shifted to her back, staring at the ceiling of her dark room. She rubbed her eyes tiredly and rested her palms against her face.
But when did this happen? When did she start feeling this way about Tony Stark?
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Whadduuuup Angie coming to terms with her feelings #Tongieison
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-L