#marvelv

The way the bench groaned beneath his weight made her look down, muscles coiled tight for a moment in case she needed to hop up. The bench’s protests ceased and slowly she relaxed, storm grey eyes shifting to the massive man seated beside her. He was huge, sure, but to make the bench groan had her wondering a great many things about him. 

She again has to stop herself from staring, but her gaze flicked back to him at his question. His immediate answer is a shrug of slim shoulders, eyes bouncing around the landscape. It was truly beautiful, but it was too orderly. Maybe that was to contrast the chaotic nature of the students? Probably. Order from chaos.

“It’s alright…” But it didn’t sound like she really felt that way given her tone. His question had been a simple one, but her answer was far from simple. It was a twisted knot of doubt and fear that she didn’t know how to unravel.

The truth was, it wasn’t alright. She was again standing on the outside looking in, ostracized for being different by people that preached acceptance. It was funny if she really thought about it.

His comment draws her gaze again, eyes immediately sweeping over him. Gold? That certainly fits his aesthetic, doesn’t it? “I prefer silver,” which she wasn’t sure what that had to do with anything. She simply felt compelled to speak to him, wondering why she felt her guard slipping with him.

His otherness wasn’t like anyone else’s. Maybe that was why? Or perhaps it was because she was exhausted. She didn’t plan to linger at the school much longer. They were unable to help her and their doubt, unspoken or otherwise, was eating at her. She was better off on her own. It’s what she was accustomed to.

“It’s too… orderly,” she continued, looking over the perfectly cut grass, trimmed hedges, and spaced flowers. Stormy eyes cut over to him again and she sighed, gaze going to the sky.

Reconsider it? That was a silly thing to say.

Were she not drunk, she would have immediately regretted opening up to him in such a way. In fact, without the alcohol she never would have done so in the first place. She’d have harbored the secret of her affection for him like any dragon guarding a precious treasure.

As it stood, she’d regret her words later, just like she’d regret drinking. She had no tolerance to speak of and while the alcohol made her feel temporarily warm, she found herself curling more firmly into Thor’s side, absorbing his warmth greedily.

She hated the cold; it sapped her energy.

“Even when they’ve shown you other things that bring you joy? Things you never allowed yourself before… or believed possible?” she asked softly, tone somewhere between sad and curious. 

He said it wasn’t wrong to feel as she did, but then why had he told her to reconsider it? Of course he didn’t feel the same, she never expected him to. Maybe she’d hoped for a different outcome? 

Nope. She didn’t want to think about it and closed her eyes, wisps of smoke curling up from her nostrils, betraying her growing distress. However, her mouth moved against her will, more words spilling forth.

The shirt was an old band shirt she’d found at a thrift store years ago, irreplaceable and one of her favorites. She should have retired it to being a pajama shirt years ago, but had decided to wear it out today. It was the first time she’d worn it in months and somehow it felt like fate was just laughing at her.

“Fucking hell…” she grumbled, smoke rising from her mouth and nostrils as her frustration got the better of her. If Xue was alarmed she’d been shot, then she’d certainly be alarmed by the smoke escaping her. Melody fumbled for the crumpled pack of cigarettes in her back pocket, sticking one between her lips and lighting it haphazardly. There, illusion in place.

Right then, she didn’t really give a damn about hiding in plain sight. She was pissed about her shirt and more than a little aggravated about the bullet embedded in her skin. “Nah, I caught it,” she sighed, lifting her shirt to reveal a bullet crumpled into her skin as if it’d hit armor. Technically, it had, but Melody didn’t want to talk about that.

“God damn gangs…” and she used her nail to pry the bullet out of the divot in her skin. She held it between her fingers for a moment before sliding it into her pocket; she’d dispose of it someplace else.

After the excitement of somehow finding herself in Norway, Melody was actually glad to be home. She was happy to return to what had been a mindless routine of simply existing. A nice quiet life with no wild adventures or mischievous Gods was exactly what she wanted. She’d never wanted to be a hero and was terrified of being labeled a villain.

Sure, she’d always wanted to know more about what she was and Loki had offered that potential, but she’d run from it. She didn’t regret it, or so she told herself.

She absolutely didn’t mind being just a regular person. Right?

For months she happily continued her routine, living as normal a life as she could manage. The world seemed a little less bleak after her magical trip, which was a pleasant change, and that was enough for her.

Except, after a long shift, she came home to an unannounced and unwanted visitor. 

She paused in the doorway to her apartment, blinking at the sight before her. She opened her mouth to speak, realized her door was still wide open, and moved to quickly close and lock it. Heart racing she turned back to her guest, frowning in confusion.

@asgardianhammer asked - ' if you want him dead, why come to me? you seem capable.'

She frowned, averting her gaze at his response, smoke curling up from her nostrils as she exhaled. He had a point. If she wanted anyone dead she was definitely more than capable. The issue was, did she actually want him dead?

Yes.

No.

Maybe?

Fuck.

She wasn’t sure and exhaled harshly in annoyance with herself, the self doubt gnawing at her. “Have you ever killed anyone in vengeance?" she asked, sure of the answer, but still needing to hear it. Deep down she knew that killing wasn’t the answer, but it felt like the only true solution.

@asgardianhammer asked - ❛ i wish you to have all you deserve. ❜

“Thor…” she smiled softly, appreciating the sentiment behind his words. Unfortunately, she was shit at taking compliments or such kind sentiments. She could never just accept them with grace and this time was no different even as she leaned against him while seated on the couch. “I wish I knew what that was…” she admitted, looking up at the fan spinning slowly overhead.

“Used to think I deserved to be locked in a cage, chained and muzzled,” she told him. Those first few years after the accident with her parents had been the roughest. Actually, for a long time things had been rough, hadn’t they?

“As above, so below…” she muttered, staring at the wall for a moment before her gaze flicked back to him. It wasn’t exactly a religious saying, but she was familiar with its origin and it was often used in religious contexts in modern times. 

She hummed, stormy grey eyes shifting along the wall before her eyes went to the ceiling above. “Our world and theirs mirror one another,” she reasoned aloud, speaking more to herself than him as she slowly turned in place. “But things are opposite in a mirror,” per their own perception.

Operating on that logic she moved around the chamber, eyes cast upward until she spotted an area that was different from the rest. Bingo. Now she just needed to find the area underneath it that was different. Her eyes moved downward, a frown marring her features. Nothing immediately presented itself, but there was one brick that was slightly off color, just like one above. Maybe she was imagining it, but decided to give her theory a try.

She stepped on the brick and at first nothing happened, then it slowly began to sink under her weight and there was a low groan from the wall Remy was still examining and then the grinding of stone as it slowly began to slide to the side to reveal a new passage.