You were on your way to the train station, so you could get to the Avengers Headquarters, which was based upstate. You thought to yourself, today began quite wonderfully. For once, you didn't struggle to rise out of bed, thanks to the dapples of sunlight that assisted you. And deciding on your attire was a breeze as well, you wore your favorite pieces: a well-fitting lilac blazer (perfectly folded at the lapel), a matching pencil skirt that stopped right above the knee, and lilac heels, so your choice of garments matched perfectly. It goes without saying that your favorite color was, unequivocally, lilac. Your hair was affixed into an up-do, a few stray strands fell across your face, but it was nothing a good swipe from one side of your face to another couldn't solve.
Manhattan was your walkway, you sashayed down each block, compelling attention from everyone who passed by. Or so you thought, until your heel caught onto an air vent in the ground, and you lurched forward suddenly, not only spilling your coffee onto your shoes, but showcasing your off-white panties to the whole block as well. Wonderful. You let out an exasperated scream, as if all your sense of rationality just ran away and took your sanity with it. Not that anyone cared, though. Although you didn't fail to catch the stares of many people on the sidewalks as they strutted by, after a few moments, the attention dissipated.
Feeling defeated, you decided you would just go home and call in sick for today. Besides, who wants to congregate with the Avengers with coffee stained shoes? That would be a disgrace. Just as you were about to turn your heels and head in the other direction, something caught your attention. It was a man on a Harley-Davidson. That haircut, with the articulate design on the side of his head. His profile seemed awfully familiar. Could it be…? You sped towards him as he was stopped by the light and you caught him just in the nick of time. It was indeed Thor, the God of Thunder. With an eyepatch. He turned to look at you, not recognizing you, though.
"Thor!" You exclaimed as you came to a halt. His features changed when he finally placed a name on your face and a label on your voice. "(Name)!" The Son of Odin brightened, and wasted no time parking on the curb to exchange words with you. "What brings you here?" you inquired. Before answering, his gaze fell to the ground, as if he was searching for an answer that would just magically appear in the asphalt. It was quite odd, the man who always maintained eye contact with his listener was making eye contact with the ground. His eyes quickly shot up to yours in an intense stare. "I was just on my way to the Avengers Headquarters. I wanted to converse with everyone and inform them of the recent events I have witnessed." His voice trailed off, and once again, he averted his gaze, likely to think to himself.
At this point, you began to wonder what was bothering him so much. You were so used to being engrossed in his rambling, speaking of his allegiance with Lady Sif and the Warriors Three, about how they endeavored on such magnificent tasks throughout the Nine Realms, about how he would enjoy slaying beasts with them, and about how Volstagg could eat an entire provision of tortes if he wanted to. Not to mention, as well as how inherently mighty he was and how he was born to inherit the throne on behalf of his father. Half of the time he would brag about these things for hours on end if you let him, but secretly, you revered his confidence, his bravery and his passion for such things. You wished you could talk about it just as he did.
"Why didn't you just fly there? Take the easy way?" you asked him, but maybe you shouldn't have. His brows furrowed, and a profound frown tugged at the corner of his lips. "Don't you think I would have?" You sensed a hint of woe in his voice, so you put an end to your questions to prevent propagating his negativity. With a shaky and nervous voice, you stated, "Well it's pretty far from here, it's upstate. If you really want to get there quickly, I suggest we head there now." His features brightened a little. "Sure, hop on." He patted behind his bottom. "Hold on, because this brand of Midguardian motorcycles isn't made for the faint of heart." Oh, he couldn't have been more right. The hum of the engine sent a tingle up your spine, and the roar erupted in your ears. You liked this ride already, and it hadn't even started yet.
First, it was the usual sight. You rode past the same buildings you strode past every morning during your usual commute to the train station that lead to the Headquarters. After a short while, you descended into a dusky tunnel. You were sure that without the blotches of light emitted from each car's headlights and the installments near the ceilings, it would be pitch black. You wondered how they even constructed it in the first place, and you scorned them in your head as you remembered how this structure was submerged under the Hudson River. At that moment, the fear haunted your every thought, and until you saw daylight, you rubbed your teeth together abrasively to force yourself into oblivion. Once you did reach that moment, though, you were astounded by the greenery on the other side, the tall trees whose leaves swayed liberally in the crisp breeze. That same breeze glided across your face. The temperature change from warm and damp to cool and refreshing was wonderful.
Needless to say, it only took a few hours to reach your destination. It would have taken even less time if there was no traffic, of course, but that would likely never happen in your lifetime or the next. That was what New York was known for, bustling cities and angry mobs and begging homeless people and trifling hustlers.
Along with Thor, you got off the bike. The large man busted through the doors as if they were the same ones that lead to the throne in Asgard. "Hello again everyone! The strongest avenger has returned!" Not to mention, his face dropped, and so did yours, because no one was there. Or at least, that's what you both thought, until Tony walked into the room, along with Natasha. Steve and the others weren't around. Maybe you missed something…? Tony, of course, showcased his usual demeaning smirk as he glanced at your shoes for a moment, before he removed his right earbud, then pressed a button on his touch screen. "I know, the whole team isn't here. We kinda… uh…" He trailed off.
"We split up. We still contact Steve every now and then to check up on him, though." Natasha interrupted. "But never mind that. We waited for you to come back after everything died down, Thor. What the hell happened? You were gone for like… longer than 2 years."
Thor's face dropped considerably. "It's quite a long story. We should sit down and discuss it." He scratched his head full of thatches and plopped on the couch, and everyone else reciprocated the action. At first, you were too ready to hear what you missed from Thor, but as the stories progressed, you became progressively more confused, and not to mention, upset. Thor spoke of his father's death, his long lost sister Hela (that Odin mentioned only moments before his death) crushing Mjolnir with her bare hand, and how he basically ended up in a trash can with gladiator matches after she shoved him out of the bifrost. That's also how he found Hulk. Somehow, they got out of there with Loki's help along with this Valkyrie girl he spoke of. He said she and her battalion were to exterminate Hela long ago. They did so in vain, as practically every Valkyrie died, with the exception of her, of course. Not to mention, Hela also attempted Thor's life when he finally returned to Asgard, but thankfully, she failed. However, her attempt included her slashing his eye from the socket and Thor allowed Ragnarok. In other words, the total destruction of Asgard and the death of Hela along with it.
Before he got to share his story though, the team also explained the reason for Steve and the others' absence. The Avengers had apparently been reprimanded for causing so much damage in the past few years, so the government established the Sokovia Accords to allow them to continue their work, but under a strict and watchful eye. Tony agreed, Steve didn't, and this whole situation got worse and worse as Bucky was "activated" and became the Winter Soldier again, and some man named T'Challa was involved too, because he thought Bucky was responsible for his father's death. However, it was one unnamed figure behind the scenes, consumed by vengeance, who planned this whole thing after his family died in the attack on Sokovia. If it weren't for him, Tony would have never found out that Bucky was responsible for his parents' deaths. That is what ultimately separated Tony and Steve, as well as the Avengers themselves. Personally, you decided to yourself that you supported Steve's point of view on the Accords, but you disagreed on how he went about it, and how he kept the deepest darkest secret from one of his closest friends and causing the demise of the "World's Mightiest Heroes."
Later that evening, you decided to make a trip to Thor's room to provide comfort for him in any way you could. You two were good friends, so he wouldn't have felt great if you didn't show your face after listening to the tragedy he shared with everyone. It was obvious in his voice that he was reluctant to tell it, and you knew it was a great onus he had to bear, but he felt as though he should have, and he did.
Silently, you arrived at his door, which was slightly ajar, so you peeked through the crack. He was sobbing. His eyepatch was on the bed beside him, and his body was shivering. You had never seen him like this, not until now, of course. Not wanting to be intrusive, you knocked on the door softly, pretending you didn't see what you just saw or hear what you just heard. "Thor, are you alright?" you asked almost silently, barely above a whisper. You saw him quickly put his eyepatch on and head for the door, causing you to step backward hastily.
He swung the door open and took a deep sigh. He didn't make eye contact with you, instead he chose to scan the ground for his answer yet again. "(Name), I think I need to be alone for tonight." Well, so much for trying. You didn't even get to speak before he denied you. He said, "I appreciate you checking up on me, but we should both get to bed. Who knows what Tony will ask of us tomorrow morning. You know, he is still adjusting to the new status of the team." You didn't want to admit it, but Thor was right. It was late, you both were tired, and he already knew that you cared enough to talk to him and confer your troubles. So why not just call it a night?
"Alright, Thor. Have a good night." You both nodded to each other as you turned on your heels and headed to your room. It had been a few weeks since you last stayed in the Headquarters, so your memories of its facility weren't too keen to begin with. But the moment you stepped into the hallway, your memories were instantly procured. Even now, the details still do not fail to impress you: the sleek and modern gray flooring which you could look into and stare at yourself (props to Tony for keeping them so pristine), the same colored walls which were much more matte, and the white ceilings with light fixtures installed. Quite simply designed, but you figured that was essential to making a space look tidy and clean. And not to mention, your room wasn't very far from Thor's.
At least got to enter the room and close the door behind you, but you barely sat on the bed before you saw him sitting in your chair. He was reading a lengthy book like he always does, with his legs crossed, dressed in those emerald and black drapes. He lifted his gaze to you, with those sky-blue eyes and that sly grin, framed by those raven black locks.