The common room of the Avengers Compound was unusually peaceful.

For once, nobody was trying to kill anybody.

Steve and Sam were arguing over a football game from decades ago. Tony was tinkering with one of his gauntlets while Bruce looked over the holographic display beside him. Natasha sat on the couch cleaning one of her pistols, Clint lazily flipping through a magazine.

Wanda was curled up beside him with a mug of tea.

Thor and Loki were in the middle of one of their endless sibling debates that mostly consisted of Thor being loud and Loki pretending he wasn’t amused.

Bucky sat in an armchair near the window, quietly sharpening a combat knife out of habit more than necessity.

Then Thor frowned.

“…Brother.”

Loki looked up.

“Yes?”

“My hammer.”

Loki blinked. “What about it?”

“I cannot remember where I placed Mjolnir.”

Tony snorted.

“You lost the magic hammer?”

“It is not lost.”

“It sounds pretty lost.”

“I merely… temporarily misplaced it.”

Steve laughed. “How do you misplace a weapon that weighs—”

The automatic doors slid open.

You walked in as casually as if you were carrying a grocery bag instead of one of the most legendary weapons in existence.

Mjolnir rested comfortably in one hand.

You looked around the room.

“Oh. There you all are.”

Silence.

You held the hammer out toward Thor.

“Hey, Thor. I think you left this in the kitchen again.”

Nobody moved.

Nobody breathed.

Clint’s magazine slowly slipped from his hands.

Bruce’s glasses nearly slid off his nose.

Sam stared.

Natasha actually stopped cleaning her pistol.

Steve’s mouth hung open.

Tony looked between you and the hammer three different times as though reality had simply broken.

“…Nope,” he finally muttered. “I’m hallucinating.”

Thor stood frozen.

“My…”

He pointed.

“…Hammer.”

“Yeah.” You shrugged. “It was on the counter next to the coffee maker.”

“You…picked it up.”

“Well, yeah. It would’ve been in everyone’s way.”

Thor slowly accepted Mjolnir from your hand with the reverence of someone receiving a holy relic.

He turned it over several times as if checking whether it had somehow become fake.

“It is…indeed…Mjolnir.”

Steve quietly whispered, “That’s impossible…”

Loki’s eyes narrowed with unmistakable curiosity.

“Interesting.”

Tony immediately jumped to his feet.

“Hold on.”

He pointed dramatically.

“Do that again.”

“What?”

“Pick it up.”

“I just did.”

“No, do it again! Science demands a replay!”

You sighed, taking Mjolnir back from Thor without the slightest hint of effort.

Gasps echoed around the room.

You looked confused by everyone’s expressions.

“…What?”

Clint slowly raised a finger.

“You…know only a handful of beings in the universe can actually lift that thing…right?”

You blinked.

“I thought Thor was exaggerating.”

Thor looked genuinely offended.

“I have never exaggerated in my life.”

Loki coughed into his fist.

Bucky, who had remained quiet through the entire ordeal, finally spoke.

“I was wondering when they’d find out.”

Every head in the room snapped toward him.

Steve stared.

“…You knew?”

Bucky gave a small shrug.

“Seen her carry it twice.”

The room exploded into overlapping questions, disbelief.

You looked down at the hammer, then back at everyone else.

“…So should I put it back in the kitchen?”