Avengers fic: A Letter To My Hero
Title: A Letter To My Hero
Characters/Pairing: Avengers
Rating: Soft R
Word Count: 2944
Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers, though I'd love a Tony!
Warnings: Trigger (non-sexual child abuse)
Summary: Thor receives a letter from a little girl asking him to save her from her abusive father
Related to this earlier fic: Fanmail
“Deer Mr Viking, I tink you are reli speshul. I watchd yor show on teh tellivson and I tink you our teh bestest. Mi dadi sez you r not adn he beets me wen I am rong. I wish I hda a sooper hero lik you to lok after me wen mi daddi gets mad at me. He hurtz me, btu he sez thats what daddis are sposed to do. I wnted to tel you how I wsh you wer mi dadi and tht I wish yuo wud sav me. Luv Jenni adn Flopi age 6”
Thor could feel the rage building through his system as he re-read the large letters written in pink crayon, with the hearts drawn by her signature. He was so angry he didn't even want to move for fear of exploding. The corner of the paper began to crumple in his shaking hand as he let out a roar of rage. He put the paper down on his desk to smooth out the creases, before walking out of the room with it clutched in his hand, as dark clouds began to gather above the tower.
Thor exploded through the door of the kitchen where Tony, Steve and Natasha were sitting around the table having coffee. He walked over and slammed the letter down on the table.
“Is this how fathers treat their offspring in Midgard?!” he shouted.
The others looked at him with a mixture of confusion and fear. After a moment Tony reached over to look at the letter, while Steve and Natasha moved around to read it over their shoulder. Each of them seemed to scan it multiple times before Natasha spoke in a low tone.
“Poor little girl.”
Tony looked up at Thor, “No. No it is not.” His eyes were stinging.
Steve stayed silent, though his knuckles were white on the edge of the table.
“We need to call CPS...” Tony began, but as he looked up he saw Thor had already left.
Jenni sat by the window, looking out at the storm which had come on so suddenly. She gripped her toy dog with it's long ears and worn nose to her chest, resting her cheek against it's head. Her father was upstairs doing something, but she knew better than to turn on the television without his permission. Instead she happily watched the world go by. The first lightening strike made her jump, but she enjoyed watching them light up the sky. Thunder storms were unusual where she lived and she always loves seeing new things. However, when the figure of a tall, blonde man holding a huge hammer punched it's way into the front lawn she was truly taken by surprise. She heard her father shout from upstairs and the door slam as he made his way down the stairs. She tried to curl herself further into a ball hoping that he wouldn't blame this one on her.
Her father ripped open the front door to find the tall man standing in front of him, anger on his face and lightening flashing all around. He was too stupid to be intimidated.
Thor said in a slightly too calm voice, “Are you the father of Jenni?”
The man's face drew into a scowl as he disappeared for a moment, reappearing with Jenni alongside him, her wrist caught in a vice like grip being twisted painfully. She tried not to wriggle and show the pain, as that would only make things worse.
“What have you done now, you little bitch,” he spat at her, holding her as if to display her to Thor. He turned to look at the God of Thunder, “I swear, if she's done anything I'll make damn sure she gets punished.”
Jenni looked at Thor, and he saw the recognition flicker across her face. She couldn't stop herself from speaking.
“It's Mr Viking!” she said, excitedly. She seemed to realise her mistake instantly.
“Shut your mouth!” her father shouted, and backhanded her across the face. Her hand instantly flew to the red mark coming up on her skin and her eyes filled with tears.
“ENOUGH!” Thor bellowed, a crack of lightening hitting the car behind him, melting the rubber of the tires into the driveway. The father was so dumbfounded he released his grip on his daughter, allowing Thor to bend down and pick her up. He held her against his chest and she wrapped her arms around his neck tightly.
“I knew you would save me and Floppy,” he heard, quietly.
The father's face was beginning to redden, but before he could speak Thor cut him off.
“You are not fit to call yourself a father!” he hissed at the man, his voice dripping venom and disdain. “Men like you should not have privilege of raising a child! I will not let any more harm befall this innocent.”
With one last glare and a crack of lightening he was gone, leaving the man standing in his doorway staring at the sky.
Thor landed gently on the balcony of the tower, Jenni and Floppy safely held against his chest. The Avengers had been in various states of concern in the office, trying to figure out where Thor had gone, talking to Nick Fury and trying to find a way to get through to CPS in a timely fashion. Natasha was the first to notice he'd returned. She stopped talking and took the phone from her ear, staring at the spot where Thor had appeared. The others saw her face and all turned to stare. He was walking towards the door, his face stern.
“He brought the kid here?” Clint said, surprise evident in his voice.
Natasha walked out to Thor, “Thor, do you really think this is the right place to look after a child? What did you do?”
Jenni turned to look at Natasha, “Mr Viking saved me and Floppy! He is a real super hero!” She beamed.
Natasha couldn't help but smile, “You like super heroes then, huh?”
“Oh yes! I wanna be a super hero when I grow up!”
They walked into the office, where Jenni asked Thor to put her down. He knelt down and allowed her to release her arms from around his neck. She took a moment to stand and look at each of the team in turn, apparently deciding which ones she could trust.
She walked over to Tony, who stood there looking slightly awkward, not quite sure what to do. He looked at her as she held her stuffed dog out.
“You are the iron man, you are Floppy's favourite,” she said, a smile on her face. She shook her toy.
“Uhh, thanks I guess,” Tony replied, shifting uncomfortably.
She stood patiently for a moment, obviously waiting for Tony to do something. He was obviously finding the entire situation more and more awkward so Natasha whispered over to him that he should pet the dog.
“Ohh!” he said, before leaning down and petting Floppy on the head, “Uhh, good dog.”
Jenni hugged his knees before walking back over to Thor, still kneeling on the floor, and asking to be picked up again.
“I'm tired Mr Viking.”
Thor stood in the office with the other Avengers, with two suited men trying to explain to him who the CPS were and how they, under law, needed to take the child under their custody.
“What will happen to Jenni if I let you go with her?” he asked, his voice stony.
“Well first we have to assess whether the father poses a legitimate threat, the family wasn't on our radar-”
“A legitimate threat?! I saw that man hit his daughter for simply showing emotion! Does my word as a Prince of Asgard mean nothing? How can you send this little girl back to a father who believes she is nothing more than an object to be beaten at his whim?” Thor slammed his hand into the bar top. The CPS men flinched.
“And if he is seen to be a threat, as he likely will be, she will be put into a care home and entered into the foster system where she will be looked after by people who know how to look after children from backgrounds such as hers.”
“Care homes? Explain these to me.”
“She will share a home with lots of other children who don't have families to stay with, and people can come through and see if they want to foster her for a time, or possibly adopt her.”
“Why must she be removed from a place she is safe? I shall protect her here, and I will attend to these foster parents of which you speak.” Thor looked as it he had solved the matter there and then, crossing his arms.
The CPS agents started to talk, but seemed to understand that they were not going to make any more leeway, so instead they decided to leave. “We will be back at a later date to determine our course of action in regards to the child.”
Jenni wandered into Tony's workshop, dragging Floppy by a leg behind her. Steve was standing behind Tony as they looked at something important on his computer screen. Neither of them noticed JARVIS powering down any dangerous items near her as she approached. She tugged on Tony's trouser leg and looked up at him.
“Ohh hey!” he said as he lifted her up onto his lap, “How're you and Floppy doing today?”
Jenni beamed at him, “We're good, Uncle Iron!”
“Oh, do you know Mr Bruce?” he said, a twinkle in his eye.
“Uh huh!” she said, nodding her head enthusiastically.
“Well you know, I have a really good name for him. You know how I'm Uncle Iron? And you know Mr Viking?”
More nodding.
“Well, Mr Bruce would like to be called Uncle Green!”
“Tony!” Steve hissed as Tony grinned.
“Oosah, why are you angry at Uncle Iron?” Jenni said, her beaming smile turning to an upset frown.
“Oh no sweetie, I'm not angry. I was just being silly,” Steve replied, soothing her.
“Good,” she replied, curtly nodding her head, her smile returning.
Tony looked at her, “Why is Steve Oosah?” he asked.
Jenni gave him that look. That look all children know. That look that says how can you still breathe with the level of stupidity you contain within your head. It was a look Tony was familiar with, he'd been on the receiving end of Pepper's many a time. Jenni reached over to the keyboard and pressed a few letters.
USA.
She pointed at the letters on the screen, “Oosah!” she said, matter of factly.
Tony and Steve had to give it to her, she was good.
“BIRDY BIRDY BIRDY BIRDY BIRDY!”
“What?”
Jenni pulled at Clint's wrist over and over as they were sitting watching a movie with Natasha.
“BIRDY BIRDY BIRDY BIRDY BIRDY!”
“What, Jenni?”
She paused before beginning again, “BIRDY BIRDY BIRDY BIRDY BIIIIRDDYYYYY!”
“What is is Jenni?!”
“Do you kiss Nasha?”
The other Avengers nearly choked on various beverages. Clint glared at each of them.
“Alright, who put her up to this?”
Thor and Bruce were sitting around the pretty little pink plastic table, in their pretty little pink plastic chairs having tea with Jenni and Floppy with pretty little pink plastic teacups.
Tony was idly browsing through the various camera feeds he had going across the tower, fiddling with the settings and installing updates when he just happened to come across this. He zoomed in slightly and turned on the microphone.
“Unky Green, you're not drinking it! Drink it properly!”
“Ok ok!” came Bruce's response, obviously having been put in his place by the six year old, and he took a better sip of the imaginary tea.
“Ahh yes young child!” came Thor's voice. He waved his hand in a flamboyant gesture (which would have sent the tea flying) and Bruce ducked. “I am greatly enjoying partaking of your delicious beverage!”
Tony almost fell off his seat in breathless laughter. He phoned Clint.
“Birdy. Birdy get down here.”
“I'm busy Tony.”
“No, you have to see this. Get down here now.”
A minute later Clint was standing behind Tony and they were both giggling like ten year old girls.
“This would make the best blackmail material ever,” Clint said when he could get the air.
“Oh no no no,” Tony said, a mischievous look coming over him as it did so often, “I have a better idea. JARVIS!” he said, nonchalantly. “I would not be terribly upset if this footage were to find it's way onto YouTube.”
Clint looked at him for a moment before laughing again and forwarding the link to Natasha, “My god Stark, you are evil.”
Thor sat in one of the smaller offices of the Stark Tower. He sat leisurely in the corner of a soft sofa, Jenni sitting beside him, cuddled into the crook of his elbow. Of course, she had thought that what Thor really needed when interviewing prospective foster parents was a hat made of Floppy. Who was he to deny a young child their wishes?
The first couple began by cocking an eyebrow at the resting place of the stuffed animal, before sitting on the sofa across from Thor and Jenni.
“Hello Midgardians!” Thor greeted them. “I have been appointed the task of deciding whether you are fit to be the guardians of this lady whom I protect.”
The couple looked at each other. “Hello,” they both chimed in unison.
The interviews were not going well. The first couple had stated that they believed in rigidly enforcing rules, and that their word was law because they knew what was best for the child. They would be heavily reprimanded for rule breakings and being able to go out with others and socialise with other children outside of school was a privilege that could be removed for any violation of a contract they would ask the child to sign.
The second couple were almost the opposite. They didn't believe in boundaries as that would stunt the emotional and mental growth of the child, and so they would be allowed to do what they wanted. They would not be forced to do chores and they would not have a set bedtime. They would have free reign of the house and be allowed to socialise whenever they wanted. They knew the interview was over when Thor chimed in, “A Prince of Asgard I may be, but even I was punished for my foolishness.”
More couples were interviewed, each unsuitable. Some Jenni plain didn't like. Some were scary, some were too quiet, some were too loud. Some were too boring, some were too crazy. Some were too smart and treated them like idiots, others were a little less so and couldn't hold their own. All in all, the interviews just weren't working.
Days of interviews turned to weeks, and it became clear that even the best suited couples couldn't bring to the table enough to break the bond that had formed between Jenni and her Viking knight in shining armour. She'd even managed to persuade Tony to make her a mini-model of Mjolnir which she had somehow, with the infinite resources of a six year old, managed to attach to Floppy's leg, so she could drag them both around at once. She had become a major hit around all of the Avengers, not one of them could resist her pouts or requests to play tea-party. Tony had gone from shy and awkward around her to constantly playing hide and seek and ticklemonster.
So, when the CPS agents turned up again, the mood became sombre.
“It has come to our attention that you seem to be rejecting all of the suitable foster parent options,” they said to Thor.
He crossed his arms, “None of them were adequate.”
“Surely there must be some-”
“None of them were adequate!” Thor said, louder.
The two agents looked at each other, “Well then.” Thor looked at Jenni nervously, who pulled herself tighter into his chest. “We have reviewed all of the information available to us for this case.”
Each of the Avengers shifted nervously, none of them wanted to give up this little girl, especially to a care home.
“We have decided, should you feel this is the best course of action for the child, that the Stark Tower would make a good home for Jenni, and that you Thor, would be suitable to sign as the child's legal guardian.”
It took a moment for it to sink in across the team. As they realised what was happening they all broke out into sighs of relief, laughter and cheers. Thor looked bemused.
“I do not understand, friends.”
Natasha hugged him, “We can keep her, Thor! She's allowed to stay!”
Huge smiles broke out across the faces of both Thor and Jenni and they hugged each other tightly.
“I better start designing a permanent bedroom!” said Tony as they all crowded around Jenni in happiness.
Jenni pulled on Thor's beard, “Mr Viking, Mr Viking!” she said.
Thor looked at her, “Yes, little one?”
“You're going to be my daddy!”