Story #1: Child

We pulled up into the drive of my best friend's house. I shared a smile with my husband before we climbed out of the car and waved at the kids running out the front door. "Auntie Y/N!" cheered the two as they rushed to hug me. A smile split apart my face as I leaned down and wrapped my arms around them both. "How are my most favorite kids in the whole wide world?" I asked, and they immediately began talking over each other to tell me that Lila had won her class spelling bee and Cooper was learning how to swim and so many other things I could barely keep up- but then Lila spotted my husband and gave a shout of joy. "Uncle Steve!" she cried. The kids abandoned their chatter with me and dashed to hug their honorary uncle (just as I was their honorary aunt). He lifted both children onto each shoulder, which delighted them, and I grabbed our bags from the car as he carried the kiddos to the front porch. Clint, my close friend, and his wife Laura (my best friend) stepped out to greet us too. 

Soon enough, Laura and I were seated on the porch swing with glasses of ice tea and caught up with each other while our husbands and her kids played on the front lawn. Soccer/Football seemed to be a favorite, and I was tempted to join them- but in my current condition, I thought it best not to. I was itching to share the news, so as soon as I could, I steered the conversation to Laura's pregnancy. She was in her seconds trimester, almost third, and admitted she was having odd cravings more and more frequently. Some of the stranger ones made us both laugh as she told me about them. A sly smile crept onto my face and I went silent for a long moment. Laura immediately noticed I wasn't telling her something and demanded I fess up. I set down my drink, stood up, and walked to the railing to lean against it, still smiling secretively. She followed me and nudged my arm, wanting to know my secret just as bad as I wanted to tell.

Steve kicked the ball to me and I easily caught it with both hands, passing back to Cooper before turning back to Laura, my hand coming to rest on my stomach.

"Any tips for me on how to survive childbirth?"

Laura paused and then gasped, moving to hug me. "Congratulations!" she cried, just as elated as I was when I found out. "Boy or girl?" "Too early to tell." "How long?" "Nearly three weeks." "And you waited this long to tell me?!" I laughed softly and replied, "We wanted to tell you in person." Laura nodded and glanced back at my wonderful husband, now sitting on the grass, patiently letting Lila braid flowers as well as she could into his short, blonde hair. "Steve will be an amazing father, and you'll be an incredible mother," praised my best friend, and I smiled thankfully at her. "That means a lot, Laura, thank you, really." She laid her hand over my own, resting on the railing and replied, "I only speak the truth." She looked back out at the kids (and husbands- but they can count as children, right?) and added, "Do you want to tell them now?" "Sure, I'd love to." 

"Come over here, all you troublemakers!" Laura teasingly called and Lila and Cooper came running right over, followed by Clint and Steve. I reached out and grabbed my husband's hand. We shared a knowing smile before I turned back to the waiting three, wondering what I was about to say. "So, Steve and I have big news," I began, but before I could go on, Lila gleefully shrieked and exclaimed, "You're having a baby!" I blinked in surprise for a moment before nodding and asking, "How did you know that, Lila?" She grinned and pointed at me, replying, "Your hand is on your tummy so it means there's a baby there!" I glanced at Laura, who shrugged, so I simply responded to the little girl, "Yes, well, more or less. Anyway, that means you're going to be big cousins, both of you!" Lila cheered and so did Cooper after he thought about it for a moment. Clint came forward to hug and congratulate Steve and me.

I smiled wide at my husband, the love of my life, who was also beaming, and kissed his cheek. "I love you," I told him, and he immediately replied the same before leaning in to kiss me on the lips. The Barton children 'eww'ed and looked away as Laura and Clint chuckled at them, smiling at us. Steve crouched down and placed his hands on my abdomen. "And I love you, too," he mumbled, gently kissing my stomach, and I smiled down at my husband. He stood again and took my hand in his. Laura led the way inside for dinner, Clint immediately following her at the idea of food, and their kids bounced through the door too, chattering excitedly about our big news. I tilted my head at Steve, soon to be a wonderful father to our wonderful child, and he kissed me again. I couldn't wait for our pair to become a trio, a real family complete at last.

Story #2: Tall

Let's cut to the chase: I'm pretty tall. 'Giraffe' was my nickname all through middle and high school. So creative, huh? My neck isn't even that long... It's not that I don't like being 6'6". I enjoy being able to reach things many others can't. I love basketball and can make killer slam dunks. And it's nice to be able to see over most of the crowds, and where I live - NYC - there's plenty of those. But still, there are quite a few disadvantages to my height. Doorways are often a problem. Railings and banisters rarely come up past my waist. Don't even get me started on all the times I've walked headfirst into a stop sign because I wasn't paying attention and forgot how tall I am. And, well, I'll admit I'm a hopeless romantic, and annoyingly, there aren't many guys who want to date a girl taller than them. My options are, unfortunately, slim...

Or so I thought.

Then one afternoon, just a normal Saturday at the Mediterranean restaurant I've worked at while looking for that breakthrough job, I go to serve a new group of customers. Lo and behold, it's the freakin' Avengers and they want shawarma- stat. So I take the order to the cooks, trying to keep my cool as they just about lose their minds over these famous surprise customers, and suddenly I see a head poking through the kitchen door. Thor meets my gaze and strides right in with a smile, casually requesting for a tankard of mead, or ale, or "perhaps a tankard of this 'champagne' Stark seems to favor." One of the younger waitresses faints on the spot, so I step forward and take care of it. Thor is (not surprisingly) unfamiliar with the different brands and flavors of Earth's beer, and so I set up a little tasting area at the end of the bar for him.

As we make our way through the (sort of) beer alphabet, from the Brooklyn Brewery Lager to the Widmer Brothers Hefeweizen, I can't help but notice how polite - if not kind of loud - he is. He's incredibly handsome as well, and the same height as me, so maybe I've got a shot there... Nah, there's no way I have a chance with this dreamy god of thunder, right? So I just keep handing him pint glasses of beer (he called a shot glass 'puny') and describing each as I'm trained to, while adding my own little comments: "Very hoppy, this one..." "Very scratchy on the throat, I'll warn you..." "Now this is definitely one of my favorites..." By the time we've gone through all the beer the restaurant carries, Thor and the team's food is ready, and he graciously helps me carry the steaming plates to their table before digging in, a pint of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale resting beside him.

I barely make it five steps back toward the kitchen before I hear a confused, "Kind Y/N, are you leaving so soon?" I turn with a small smile, amused, and reply, "I'm simply going to fetch the hot sauce Mr. Hawkeye requested." Thor beams and lets me go, turning back to his meal as I head into the kitchen. The moment I step into the cooking space, I am swarmed by my coworkers, all swooning over the god of thunder. I brush them off and leave with a shake of my head at their ditzy behavior. The moment I return to the Avengers' table with the hot sauce, Hawkeye promptly grabs my arm and pulls me into the empty seat between him and Thor, declaring, "Let the tall-people-flirting commence." The archer, who is only 3 inches shorter than me, then smothers his food in hot sauce as I blush at his antics and glance at Thor, who doesn't look embarrassed at all, even a bit like he agrees with Hawkeye. 

I ask the god of thunder as he tucks back into his dinner if he likes the food and sends me a grin, strips of meat and veggies half-hanging out of his mouth in a rather comical manner. I smile in return and tap the shoulder of a passing waitress. She like me, is more seasoned and less easily surprised by the appearance of superheroes at our place of work, and only nods calmly when I tell her, "Thor sends his compliments to the chef." "And so do I," is the chorus of add-ons from the rest of the team as she heads away, shooting back an "I got you," to let them know she heard. When I turn back to the table, momentarily distracted by the golf game on one of the tv's, I'm surprised and a bit worried to see three of the Avengers staring at me as if they're plotting something. 

Hawkeye, Black Widow, and billionaire Tony Stark all begin whispering to each other as Captain America and Dr. Banner (as he requested to be called) just look confused and mildly uninterested. Thor just keeps happily munching away on his shawarma. I'm a little concerned about what those three are up to, but then Thor slams his fist on the table, slightly scaring me, and declares, "A delicious meal- now another!" I start to stand, ready to deliver this new order to the kitchen, but Thor frowns and grabs my wrist, forcing me to stay seated. "But Y/N, you mustn't go!" "If you want more shawarma, I'll need to tell the kitchen-" I try to explain, but he cuts me off, shaking his head, "Then I shall be without it. Stay, I bid you." Hawkeye snickers and I shoot him a brave glare. He startles, surprised at my nerve, and stops. I smirk.

The night goes on with pretty much the same things happening. Thor often declaring something he likes about the food (Dr. Banner gave the rest of his food to the god of thunder), the three plotters whispering on and off while staring at me otherwise as I pretend to not notice them, and Steve and Dr. Banner making quiet small talk. I feel out of place and a bit awkward, not sure what to say most of the time, but once Thor finished eating, he strikes up a friendly - and somewhat flirty - conversation with me. We converse for a while until Tony Stark demands it's time to go because he needs his beauty sleep - I tried not to laugh at that, but caught Black Widow's eye and we both burst out laughing. Mr. Stark was not amused.

I follow the group to the door and wave as most of the superhero team climbs into a limo waiting outside. Thor waits by my side, just outside the door, until the all except him are inside. He suddenly places his hand on the back of my head, pulls me close, and lands his lips on mine. I've heard of being forward but wow... Not that I mind, of course. I lean into the kiss, which doesn't last all that long but still feels perfect to me, and wrap my arms around his neck. When we break apart, my cheeks are pink and I'm slightly embarrassed by the cheers of Mr. Stark, Black Widow, and Hawkeye as they lean out of the open sunroof of the limo. Thor smiles at me, takes my hand and kisses it, and says quietly, "I will see you again." Before I know it, he's gone, the limo pulling away, and I'm left with a dizzy feeling and a team of coworkers just as astonished as I am to deal with. There's going to be quite the load of gossip around here for the next few weeks... But honestly- I could care less. 

I was just kissed by a hot thunder god. How was your Saturday?

Story #3: Death

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, steadying my mixed, whirling emotions. This would be the first time I'd seen him since... Since his imprisonment. So much had happened since then. Frigga, our wonderful queen, was murdered in a terrible invasion. She was always like the mother I'd never had, so caring and forgiving... She will be sorely missed. I was afraid this awful event would have hurt him more than anything else that has happened as of late. My nerves finally settled down and I began down the staircase, looking to my left, where I was sure to find the one I so sorely missed and yet knew his crimes. Sure enough, there he was, standing calmly behind the see-through walls of his cell. He watched my approach with a steely gaze, hands held behind his back, he stood tall and silent. 

I sighed, immediately seeing through this deception and said coolly, "You're showing me twelve tables in that space. You must be in worse shape than I thought." My serious expression melted into one of concern as the illusion disappeared and I saw a disheveled, wretched Loki sitting amidst a chaotic mess of a room. It was as if a hurricane whirled through the cell and then faded in an instant. I knew exactly what this force of nature had been: his sorrow, pain, loss, fury at our queen's death. She was always like a mother to him, as she was to me. He still spoke not a word as I stepped up to the orange barrier and raised my hand to the small button on the white pillar. "I do not know if this is another mind trick... But I want to trust you again," I admitted, and with a trembling hand, hit the button.

The barrier faded out, but Loki made no move to leave, only watched me take a step into his now-open prison. I slowly crossed the room to where he sat leaning against the wall and crouched before him. "Are you even real?" I asked softly, a single tear falling down my cheek. At once, his hand came up to wipe it away. I could feel his fingers' soft touch on my face. He was real, and right here before me. I sat down, crossing my legs, and broke the gaze we'd shared, dropping my head into my hands, but I did not cry. I only sat there and tried to unearth the right words. Long moments passed before I could finally find the strength to say, in a rough, angry tone, "You disappeared. I was told you were a traitor, dead, and I mourned for months and months after... And then Thor told me you were alive... but now a criminal. A-a murderer. That is what they told me, but I wish it wasn't true. I wish you hadn't made those mistakes-" 

"Mistakes?" The first word from his mouth was hoarse from prolonged disuse of his voice, but as he continued, I could hear that same fire, passion, brilliance, and charisma I'd fallen for so long ago returning to him. "I didn't make mistakes, I created disasters. I killed people. So many. I-I hurt... her, the last time we spoke before-" And then he was crying and I quickly wrapped my arms around him, a hug, which he - to my surprise - returned, his tears falling onto my shoulder. My own eyes welled up and together we cried silently, for so long I could barely recall the concept of time. When the last tear was shed, I gave a shaky sigh and whispered, "We're going to make them pay." Loki leaned back and I dropped my arms as he raised his head and hissed, "I will kill every single one of them alone if I must."

"You will certainly not be alone," I promised and he gave me a nod in silent, rare thanks. His gaze flickered away from me, to someone standing close by, and I looked as well. Thor stood there, arms crossed, jaw clenched. "How can we trust you?" Loki glanced once at me, but I simply tilted my head at his adoptive brother and gave what I hoped was a small, encouraging smile. He looked back at Thor and stood, his anger and grief burning steely bright in his gaze.

"Trust my rage."

Hey there! Thanks so much for choosing to read these 3 short stories! Hope you enjoyed! <3