Steel Hearts

- 37 -

Slinging my backpack over my shoulder, I take a few tacos for myself before following Bruce outside to join Rocket on his ship.

"Nice of you to join us!" Rocket yells when I walk up the ramp into the ship.

Rolling my eyes, "Laugh it up, fuzzball. I'm here aren't I?"

"I'm just saying, we were supposed to leave five minutes ago," he shrugs, turning his chair to pilot the ship.

"Bruce isn't even here yet."

"Right here!" He calls after me, entering the ship behind me.

"Right, buckle up morons we're going for a ride," Rocket calls from his chair, lifting the ship into the air. I drop my bag onto one of the seats before planting myself in one and strapping myself in. Bruce does the same.

Several hours later, Rocket and I are in the cab of a truck with Bruce hugging his knees in the bed as we're riding up the bumpy road to New Asgard. The ride to the coastal town was fairly short and when the truck comes to a stop on the docks, all three of us hop out onto the waterlogged boards.

Dove
We made it safe and sound!

Spangles
Good, now come back. I miss you! <3

Dove
We'll be home soon! I love you <3

Spangles
I love you

"Kind of a step down from the golden palaces and the magic hammers and whatnot," Rocket observed as the chilled and salty air flooded our senses.

It had taken almost a year before Thor had opened up to me about what had happened to Asgard, his people, and his family. The pain in his voice broke me and I don't know how long I had shared an embrace with him, but it was long enough for the two of us to get emotional.

Bruce shakes his head as he steps down from the bed of the truck, "Hey, have a little compassion, pal. First, they lost Asgard, then half their people. They're probably just happy to have a home."

"You shouldn't have come," Valkyrie calls from the other end of the dock.

Bruce turns around, happy to see her, "Ah! Valkyrie! Great to see you, angry girl!"

"I think I liked you better either of the other ways," she states and I stifle a laugh.

"This is Rocket," he motions to the raccoon standing between us.

"How ya doing?"

She side-eyes him with a confused look as if she were silently saying 'What the hell?'

I wave hello to her and she smiles at me. The two of us had met on the few times Thor had allowed me to visit New Asgard, which was fairly often considering he never left. Judging by her facial expression she knew exactly why we were here.

"He won't see you. He'll only see Ella."

"It's that bad, huh?" Bruce questions and my face falls. I had been the only person he had wanted to see over the past five years.

"We only see him once a month when he comes in for 'supplies," she glances over to the barrels of beer and ale that presumably were empty, seeing as they were discarded in a not so orderly fashion.

Bruce and I both sigh and he puts two and two together, "It's that bad."

"Yeah."

"He's been that way for a while now," I tell him before the three of us make our way up to the top of the hill where Thor's house sat. It wasn't large, modest at most.