My Glorious Purpose

Home (Edited)

(Tera's POV)

The Avengers, Dr. Selvig, and I walk to the center of a footbridge in Central Park. Tony is carrying a briefcase, Thor has Loki in a muzzle and handcuffs. Clint, Nat, a de-Hulkified Dr. Banner, and I walk from our cars. Steve joins us from his motorcycle.

Dr. Selvig takes a glass cylinder out of a truck. Tony opens his case, which is on the ground. Dr. Banner holds the Cube with some tongs and puts it into the glass cylinder Dr. Selvig has. Thor gives a nod to Steve, Tony, Clint and Dr. Banner. He takes Nat's hand and kisses it. He turns to me and pulls me into a hug.

"I have enjoyed fighting with you." He tells me. "You are a brave warrior for such a small child."

I smile at him. I decide to let it slide this time.

"It was an honor to fight by your side," I say.

He gives my shoulder a squeeze and smiles as he turns to shake hands and say goodbye to Dr. Selvig. I walk back towards Nat and Clint. Clint is currently staring Loki down. As Loki looks at Natasha, she whispers something into Clint's ear that makes him smile. Loki looks away from her and starts looking at me instead. I stare back, but he keeps looking. Feeling uncomfortable at his stare, I feel myself blushing again. I detect a smile from under that muzzle. I quickly turn away to find something else to look at. I see Thor holding the cylinder that has the Tesseract in it. He gestures it to Loki, who grabs one end of the cylinder and Thor has the other. He nods to us and twists the device, which lights up. We watch the two brothers vanish into the sky. As we turn to leave, I see Tony and Steve shake hands. Nat takes a duffel bag out of the backseat of a S.H.I.E.L.D. car. She hands it to Bruce as Clint heads to the driver's seat. I realize I don't have a way back home. Steve wants to travel, Bruce is moving in with Tony, and who knows where Clint and Nat are going. This isn't the first time she's left me - I'm used to her disappearing for days on end and then suddenly showing up again. But this time, I'm not on the helicarrier. I walk to Nat to ask her if she can somehow tell Fury to come pick me up, but she's busy rummaging in the trunk of the car with Clint. Steve left already, so I turn to Tony. He's sitting in his car, with Bruce next to him.

"Hey Mr. Stark, I uh, I was wondering if I can ask for a favor? Do you- do you think you can ask Fury to pick me up? I don't really have any way of contacting him, and I kinda wanna go home."

He lowers his sunglasses at me and raises an eyebrow.

"You don't have to," I quickly say, realizing that I might've annoyed him. After all, who would WANT to actually call Fury. "It's okay, I'll just, um, I'll-"

"Wait."

I shut my mouth.

"You're telling me that the helicarrier is your home? You actually live there?"

I nod.

"What about your family? I thought you live with them?"

I clear my throat. "No sir... I don't have a family. I've been living on the helicarrier since I was 16."

There is a long pause.

"Get in."

"What?"

"Get in. You're coming to live with Bruce, Pepper and I."

I take a step back. "Oh, no Mr. Stark. I - I can't do that. I don't want to be a bother."

He rolls his eyes, steps out of his car, and opens the back door.

"Get your butt in before I push you in."

But I still don't.

He walks to me and puts a hand on my shoulder. "You won't be a bother. Have you seen my building? And besides, Bruce is coming to live with me, and you know how he gets when he's mad."

"Hey!"

I laugh.

"Just c'mon kid. I don't want you living in that flying hunk of metal your whole life. You're still a kid, for crying out loud! You shouldn't be up there all the time. Plus, you don't really have a choice. Everyone left."

I turn around. Sure enough, Nat, Clint, and Steve are gone.

I turn back to face Tony.

"Okay," I answer quietly.

"Good, now c'mon. Let's go home."

We both get in his car, he turns the ignition, and he drives to Stark Tower.