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Thor steps back from the notice board, blinking rapidly.

This wasn't possible, It couldn't be... could it? He vividly remembers swerving off the road, his car crushing itself against that tree, crushing him. Thor finds himself looking at the hallway clock, mouth slightly parted. He was in an accident a few minutes ago... that he knows and yet, standing here, feels so real.

The bell rings as Thor continues to stare, its sudden sound doesn't even make him flinch.

He'd seen something... before he crashed. He looks down to the floor, thinking hard. The classroom doors fly open as students rush out to freedom. Even amongst the hallway crowds Thor finds himself unable to move.

Why am I here? He asks himself, lost for answer. He pinches himself and feels the pain.

This isn't a dream then...

Realising his hands are clenched painfully he smoothens them against his jeans. He had wanted another chance, hadn't he... in his final moments? Was this it given to him?

Did he even die?

"Earth to Thor!"

Thor blinks stupidly at his name and searches among the bodies to the one who called him. Play it cool, he thinks frantically, it's not like you've magically travelled through time.

He eyes someone squeezing themselves through the crowd waving and Thor cannot help how his smiles grows . Tony... seeing his old friend rush towards him stirs an emotion in him.

Thor blinks away the sudden longing that swelled in his heart and rubs his face.

"You alright?" his friend asks as he reaches him, huffing with his winning grin. Thor had forgotten how it made people grin with him. "Heard you spazzed out of History what's up with that?"

A sharp slap on his back breaks his thoughts.

"I uh." He stutters shifting on his feet.

Think of something!

"I felt... sick." He shrugs, knowing Tony doesn't buy it for a moment as his friend narrows his eyes.

For now all Thor could think about was to play it safe until he could figure things out. If people begin to think you're crazy...

"hmmm, wanna hang before home?"

Thor's widen like saucers...home.

The thought suddenly fills his mind at what he would find there... who he would find there.

"Okay now you're making me worried here." Tony deadpans.

"C-can." He starts hands shaking. "Can you take me home?"

He watches Tony raise his brow with a confused look.

"Thor you picked me up this morning in your car."

Thor blinks. That's right, I used to pick Tony up most mornings...

"Um then can you drive?...I'm uh, still feeling sick." He starts patting his pockets trying to find his keys.

"Your keys are in your bag where you always put them."

"Right..." Thor says lamely. " Where do I always put them?"

Tony leans his head back crossing his arms as Thor feels himself being studied. "In your locker." He says carefully.

The hallways were clearer now, the rush of students dissipating with the need to escape the school. Thor eyes the few stragglers as they grab their bags. He licks his lips and tries his best smile. "Where's my locker again?"

He is met with silence, something Thor knows from experience is never a good thing from Tony. Okay, he steels himself, I just need to get home, then...then I can figure things out. Taking a few steps he moves down the hallway, hoping his old friend would follow until he hears a cough that stops him in his tracks. Thor finds himself turning around as Tony points behind him.

"It's that way."

"Right." He says, embarrassment blushing his cheeks as he storms past. How was he supposed to know? It had been years since he was at school. Thankfully after a few moments he follows Tony to his locker, and remembers the trick hit in the corner to bypass the lock. Grabbing his old backpack he slings it over his shoulder awkwardly.

He was so out of touch with this stuff.

Tony puts his hand in his face.

"Your keys, gimme gimme." He says with quick motions.

Thor fumbles through his pack and waits for Tony who has leaned against one of the many cars in the parking lot for students.

"I assume you've also forgotten where you parked your car?" He hears Tony says with some strange tone of amusement.

Thor blinks stupidly.

Crap.

"Wow, you really are hopeless." Tony says and with a press of a button the car he leans upon unlocks.

Double crap, Thor thinks but is sidetracked by his train wreck of a car. Whatever crash he'd been in was sure to look better than this...

"God I never thought I'd see this piece of crap again." Thor mutters.

"The heck are you on about dude?"

"Ah, nothing." Thor waves him off and promptly sits in the passenger seat. He looks around at apparently his own mess. Was I really this lazy? he thinks dejectedly. Tony pulls out of the parking lot as Thor stares out of the window. The town passes them by as he takes in the whole thing with a sense of displacement. The streets were busier, shops open and bustling. It was like a whole new town He tries to calm his breathing as the familiar route to home presses against his mind. He doesn't notice how Tony looks at him in the corner of his eye, holding his backpack closer.

They park in his driveway as Thor leans forward to stare out the windshield at his house. It's different, starkly different from where he had been last.

Mom's flowers, he sees as his eyes blur.

"You sure you're okay?" Tony asks with more concern.

"Fine, uh, just a wave hit me you know?"

"Okay." He says, "I'm going to steal your car to get home, I'll pick you up tomorrow. Hopefully you will remember where I live to drop me home, right?"

"Of course I will."

He really didn't remember.

Thor watches Tony leave with his car with a strange numbness before turning to his house, clutching his backpack like a lifeline. Swallowing deeply he steps forward, finding the key easy enough, at least some things never changed with time. His hands shake as he opens the door, leaving it to swing open as he stands in the archway. Throwing his bag in the corner he steps in, feeling the warmth surround him. The place is cleaner than when he had left it. Moving a few steps in Thor stands in front of photos adorning most of the entrance wall and feels his lips perk.

Turning his attention back down the hallway he hesitates. He was scared of what he would find but... he was filled with so much longing. He wanted to see her once more, to feel her embrace. Even if this was a dream, he would gladly take it, if not for just one more moment with her.

"M-mom?" He calls out leaning to the side. He hears something in the kitchen and his feet move for him. He quietly stands in the doorway, hand on the frame as he exhales with disbelief. He watches for a moment of his mother chopping vegetables, the sound something he'd thought he would never find he missed until he had heard it again. He grips the door frame. She was cooking dinner, as she always had at this time of day. Thor blinks slowly, hoping the image wouldn't fade in the second of darkness.

"Mom?" He dares to ask again.

She turns then rubbing her hands on the tea towel beside her.

"You're back early." She begins to say with a smile until it falters.

It's him, he realizes, that has caused this concerned look on her face. He is crying, deeply.

"Honey, what's wrong?" she asks as he moves to her, arms outstretched before he has even met her. He closes his eyes as he wraps his arms around her, and he feels her do the same.

"Did something happen?" She asks softly.

Yes, He thinks as he grips harder. Her perfume is soft, he notices as he inhales deeply. His heart aches.

"No... I just..." He gets a grip quickly, "I really missed you is all."

"Come now, school is only for a few hours, surely it wasn't that long."

He hears her trying to make light of the situation and he pulls back, reassuring her with a smile.

"Felt like a lot longer." He says quietly pulling back. "I'm okay, don't worry. I'm a teenage emotional wreck. Blame my raging hormones."

Good one. He thinks lamely.

She smiles, wiping under his eyes with her thumbs.

"Then would my emotional son want a warm drink?"

Thor nods and sits down by the table, watching her intently as she goes about to make his drink. He doesn't want to look away, not even for a second. She hands him his cup as she sits down beside him. He takes a sip, smiling at her as it soothes him.

"The school called." She said after awhile and Thor lowers his drink.

"I'm sorry." he says quickly. "I really did feel sick."

Frigga tilts her head as she regards him quietly.

"Thor. If there is truly something wrong you would tell your mother, wouldn't you?"

He hesitates. He knows what day it is, he'd found out from Tony in the car ride home. Thor finds himself finishing off his drink and fidgets with his hands. He knows what will happen... of course he knows, and with that knowledge he never wants to experience it again.

This is my second chance.

"Thor?" His mother presses gently.

"Mom." He begins, looking away for a moment. "Please don't drive at all this week."

Frigga creases her brow.

"I have to go to work." She says.

"I just, um." Thor exhales shakily. "I want to do more around the house. So, if you need groceries or stuff like that tell me and I'll...I'll get them."

"Thor..."

"Please?" He begs.

Frigga leans back, an odd look on her face

"Just for this week?"

"Only until Friday, I promise."

"Deal." She smiles taking a sip of her own coffee. "What's brought this on?"

"I love you mom." Thor finds himself saying, not answering her question.

"I love you too."

He closes his eyes at that, his hands still feeling the warmth of the cup.

"That won't get you out of apologizing ,you know." Frigga says with a knowing look. "I want you tomorrow to go and apologize to Mr. Dudley. If you ask for extra credit I'm sure he won't flunk you either."

He sighs deeply, forgetting how bad he was at school back then.

"I will, I promise."

Frigga regards him quietly before nodding.

"Good. Now go wash up before dinner, your father will be home soon."

Thor nods and pulls away from the table. He stops in the doorway as his mother returns to the bench and looks at her. He smiles, closing his eyes, living in the moment. Walking up the stairs he almost doesn't recognise the place. Thor heads for his old room and closes the door behind him. He leans against the wood, letting his head fall against the hard surface and sighs deeply. Something buzzes in his jeans and he fumbles to get it out. He eyes the message Tony had sent him and replies quickly, assuring him he was still sane.

Thor looks around his room nose wrinkling in distaste as he looks on to the bombshell of where he slept. I was a slob, he admits dejectedly. He moves around the area, inspecting the place. His hand brushes along his sporting trophies and photos of his friends with mild interest. Reaching his desk he turns a few pages of his school textbooks and taps his fingers against them worriedly.

"School." He says with the thought dawning on him finally. "Right..."

It had been years since he had attended school. Gazing at the problem before him he finds himself at a loss. Sure English and History were going to be easy but Math...Science? Growing up he'd forgotten it all.

What classes was he taking again?

He groans, and opts to fall backwards onto his bed. It's only when he falls does his heels hit a hard surface. He slowly sits and leans forward, looking at what his feet hit. Thor knew he was never one to keep things hidden under there. Frowning he slips off the mattress and onto his knees, sliding out a cardboard box.

He flinches backwards, eyes widening.

His father's old case files. Lifting the lid and placing it beside him slowly he peers in. His fingers brush against each file until he reaches his yearbook. He pulls it out, resting it on his lap as he stays still. He had thrown these out.

No, he thinks, these were in the car with me.

He didn't understand. How where these here with him. There was no way, unless...

Thor looks up from his stupor as he hears his mother's call.

"C-coming!" He yells back quickly, stuffing it all back into the box and sliding it under his bed again before heading downstairs. Nothing was making sense, why did these items come with him?


Thor had barely slept at all that night, thinking if he closed his eyes he would return to a dying body. There had been no point trying and instead he scoured his school books trying to remember everything about his schedule. In between breaks he had cleaned his room and eyed the place under his bed with worry and suspicion.

As the morning broke he readied himself for school, ensuring he had everything he needed. He had looked at himself in the mirror as he finished, tracing his features with awe. His hair was longer than what he had been used and had found the need to tie it back. He smiled at himself, mother always wanted him to have a haircut. He stares at the foreign face before him for a moment longer.

You're still you. He nods at himself firmly, the anxiety of the oncoming day creeping up on him.

Heading down the stairs he sees the list his mother had made for him, keeping her promise. A small sense of relief fills him. All he had to do was ensure she didn't take the route to the grocery shop, and that day was only two days away.

Until then, he would make sure she only used the car for work.

He turns, hearing Tony use the horn to sound his arrival.

"Just another day at school." He whispers thinking how unfamiliar the words sound to even him. "I can do this."

Turns out, school was harder than he thought it was going to be. Many of the teachers were keeping an eye of him, thinking he'd run out of their classes too. Keeping his head down Thor spent most of the morning following along, answering questions as best he could, against the small huffs of laughter at his attempts. He'd found small relief when Tony had pulled him out of an embarrassing apology to Mr. Dudley after his class. Thor had supposed the only good thing was that years of experience in adulating gave him a one up on how to handle it professionally.

You're over thirty years old, pull it together, he chastises himself.

He find Tony waiting for him outside, leaning on the wall with an odd look in him. Thor follows Tony as they head towards the cafeteria, the frown never leaving his friend's face. His own thoughts are sidetracked as soon as he sees his friends all together for the first time in years. Thor cannot stop his smile as he sits next to Steve eagerly. Sure, he had kept in touch over the years when he had moved away but still.

He missed this, the gang all together.

He missed his friends.

"So did crazy guy over here suck up to Mr. Dudley?" He looks over to Clint who wears the biggest shit eating grin he'd ever seen.

Thor cannot stop himself from laughing.

"No more than you." He replies, earning a bark from Tony.

"Big man's got ya there birdbrain."

"Shove it." Clint replies with a rude gesture.

"You're okay though?" Thor turns to Steve, an honest expression of concern on his face.

"Yeah," He replies easily. "Totally fine."

His eyes move to Tony, sitting on top of the table, legs crossed and looking at him oddly again. Thor had found himself starting to worry. He wasn't sure what Tony was thinking and even then, how would he play it cool? Thor questioned whether it was even the right thing to do, confide in his friends.

No, you know how it plays out in the movies. People start to think you're crazy and..

Thor didn't know what would happen but he was sure the less people suspected the better.

This is your second chance. Don't screw it up, Thor repeated in his mind.

He had tilted his head back to take a large sip of his drink, trying to calm his worries. It is only when his head is back does a blur of dark green catch his eye. He lowers his head, silent amongst his friend's loud chatter and laughter and finds his heart stilling.

That's...

Thor watches, mouth agape as a face he recognizes walks past him.

Loki.

The boy from the yearbook, he'd forgotten all about it. Thor stands suddenly, earning the confused look of the others upon him. He's stepping out his seat without thought, moving quickly around Steve who tries to get his attention with a quick squeeze of his shoulder. The hand falls away as he moves towards where he last saw him.

The chaos of noise around him turns on deaf ears as Thor nears Loki's table slowly, his eyes wanting to simply see. They fall on him, sitting alone on a table with naught but empty chairs around him, his fork picking absentmindedly at his food. Thor turns his head slowly, waiting for anyone to sit next to him... but he soon realises that no one is coming.

"Thor?"

He spins, coming face to face with Tony and far behind him his table stare at him with worry.

"Seriously, what is wrong?" Tony raises his hands, "You looked like you saw a ghost."

Thor blanches. I have...

He wants to say something, but Tony is pulling him by his arm away. He walks backwards, keeping his gaze on Loki as he disappears amongst the crowded space. Tony, he knows, won't let this go. Thor curses himself silently as he is dragged into a hallway away from the noise. He should have tried harder to be like before, back when he was young.

But it was hard to be someone you had so clearly grown out of.

"Okay, spill." Tony says, pushing a finger into his chest and ultimately a wall.

He inhales to spill lies but Tony is quicker than he gives him credit for.

"No bullshit Thor." Tony says seriously. "spill."

He turns his head to almost where he thinks Loki is, eyes lost for a moment before focusing on his friend. Thor licks his lips before nodding in surrender.

"You won't believe me." He murmurs.

"I'll be the judge of that." Tony says.

"After school?" Thor pleads, "Please, my house?"

Tony considers this for a moment before sighing.

"Fine." He says, turning to leave but points at Thor. "But you will tell me"

Thor looks to the ground in thought. If Tony thought him crazy so be it, but... in the back of his mind he thought how bad it could be? If someone believed him, maybe they could help him make sense of things.

Maybe.

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