✔𝚨 𝚸𝛐𝐞𝐭'𝐬 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐞 ➳ 𝚩𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐲 𝚩𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐬

Chapter 27

People who are overly enthusiastic about patterned socks.
The way that puppies walk when they haven't really figured out how their legs work yet.
Music that fills your veins and leaves you with no choice but to dance.
The fact that someone put the words;
whippersnapper,
cattywampus,
and hullabaloo in the dictionary

The way that coffee smells in the morning.
The way that leaves crunch when you step on them.
The way that love finds his way to the lonely,
and kindness finds his way to the broken.

The way that you have the capacity to be both love and kindness for someone else.
If your heart has been running on empty,
if you haven't found one in a while

I hope this poem gives you a reason to smile,
to remember the little things in life,
because even on the darkest of days,
 they will always be there

Melora poured herself a glass of whiskey from Tony's bar as the other Avengers poured into the room. She was celebrating. Loki was moving, trying to get up the few small steps, but he was obviously in pain. They all wandered over, staring down at the man as he slowly turned around.

"If it's all the same to you," Loki said, glancing fearfully at her. She was loving it. "I'll have that drink now." Hulk let out a grunt which seemed to be enough of a response.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. soon came into the tower as well, Tony had already cuffed Loki and given him a muzzle. People passed in and out while most of them stayed in the tower, catching their breaths and relaxing, as much as they could.

"So, you really didn't see my big moment?" Tony asked as she rested in the seat, sipping at her whiskey.

"Don't recall you having a big moment," she shrugged, knowing what he was talking about, but with how many times he had called her Bloom or Bloomie, she wasn't going to give him the pleasure.

"She's just mad you called her Bloom," Clint said, getting cleaned up by a medic.

"Where did that come from anyway?" Steve asked, a smile on his face as she shrugged, glancing towards the agents moving through the tower.

"Did a lot of spy work during the Cold War and the two sides agreed on a name for me at least," she said with a smile on her face, standing up as the cuts on her hands had been healed up.

They eventually all cleaned up, handing off the sceptre to other agents while Thor held onto the tesseract. By Tony's request, they found their way to the only shawarma place still open, they all deserved a nice lunch.

They ate in silence, watching as the workers cleaned up the mess. Melora had put her pilot jacket back on. Staring down at her food. A lot of the same thoughts were back in her head. There were a lot of things she wished she hadn't seen, things she had done she wouldn't mind taking back.

And she wondered why she was thrown into all of this in the first place, thrown into the thick of it. It was funny really. There was one decision she kept going back to, one she wouldn't ever change even if it got her into this mess that her life seemed to be.

Saying yes to a dance that first night on Earth.

There wasn't a reason why she had to suffer the way she did. To be fair, she did most of it to herself, always going too far, too hard. Even if it never worked out as she planned. Doing something half-heartedly just wasn't an option.

Life wasn't designed to be in between, toeing every line. At least hers wasn't. But really, how else was she supposed to remind herself of the pen in her hand. The world had given her poetry and she would do her best to give it back.

Goodbyes were always interesting. Thor and Loki had to return to Asgard with the Tesseract. Tony had to rebuild his tower, and the rest of them needed to get back to work. Whatever that might mean when tomorrow arrived. The sun was bright and shining, settling on them with a burning victory.

They were out of their uniforms, back to their normal clothes, but Melora continued to stand like a lieutenant. There was something about the stance that gave her confidence, made sure she always had her chin up.

"And you're settled on not coming with us?" Thor asked, putting a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up at the blond man. A year ago, she might have said yes, but not now, not today.

"No," she brightly smiled. "But see if you can get this letter to my mother... Do say hi to everyone from me – tell them I'm doing great."

"With the Tesseract, we could rebuild the Bifrost, and I am sure Father would allow you to come back," Thor said, squeezing her shoulder, but she shook her head. "Heimdall misses sparring with you."

"I might visit sometime in the future," she smiled, striding after him as they continued over to the rest of the group. He removed his hand.

"Very well," Thor said, sending her a nod as he walked back over to Selvig, talking with the man for a bit.

"So?" Steve asked, standing beside her shoulder to shoulder. He glanced down at her while her eyes were locked to Thor and Selvig.

"So?" Melora said with the same tone, hands in her pockets. There was nothing but calm in her, and it felt like the first time in ten years she had felt so relaxed.

"Are you going home?" He asked, nodding up towards the sky.

"Come on, Steve," she said, nudging his side with her elbow. "My home is just a small drive away, and I got a citrus cake there waiting."

"You think Mrs McKinnon is doing alright?" He asked, a small smile on his face and she nodded.

"Resilient woman."

Thor walked over to where Loki was still standing, he and Clint seemed to be having a staredown. He had the Tesseract locked into a device, able to take them back to Asgard. Loki looked at her as she walked closer, and to her dismay, she wasn't sure what he was saying.

His eyes were back to normal, looking more as they used to, and he raised his eyebrows. Maybe he was smiling underneath the mask. It didn't matter too much to her, so she chose to send him a small smile.

Thor turned the handle on his side of the device, and the two men were swallowed by the blue light, disappearing from the Earth.

"So, about that cake?" Steve asked, making her smile.

"I got another album you should listen to as well," she grinned and he nodded, walking over to Tony and shaking his hand while Natasha and Clint came over to her.

"Don't be a stranger, alright?" Natasha said, bringing her into a hug.

"Well, I think it's time to admit I might be out of retirement," she replied, and Clint brought her into a hug as soon as Nat let go.

"Does that mean I get to call you Bloom Stalker without you getting mad?" He asked as she rolled her eyes.

"You should speak nicely to your elders, Barton," she said, watching as Tony and Steve walked over to them. Tony stretched out his hand to her, and she shook her head, bringing him into a hug instead.

A last wave was sent between them before Melora sat down int the driver's seat of the old chevy Impala. Steve got on his motorcycle, and they both drove off towards the Brooklyn apartment. Time was more than overdue for that cake after all.

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