"I do not understand why you do not wish to talk to me." Steve lifted his head from his hands and glared at Thor.

"What is so hard to understand? Tony basically opened his stupid mouth and told you everything anyway, what else is there to say?" Thor looked slightly puzzled at this; he could not understand Steve's aversion to talking about something like this, as if it were a horrible secret.

"Do you just wish to ignore this now, after I know everything?"

"Well what is it we can do from here? I'm not like you; I don't have women constantly waiting to fall at my feet when I return. All I have got is what is here right now, I lost everything, I am out of time and have nothing left, everything grew old and started to disappear around me and I couldn't do a damn thing! Sometime you are going to have to go back and I will have to stay here. One day you will have to leave so what's the point?"

"Is that truly what you think of me? You do not know me at all if you think me so shallow that I would go back to Asgard for something such as the women or that I would leave something important. If you had spent the time to properly talk to me then you would know I do not even prefer the female form. You are so stuck in your old fashioned ways it does not mean it is that way on Asgard and it should not be that way here. Why can you not let go of your old world ideals, is it that wrong to you? Do you think me vile for it?!" Half way through his small speech Thor had stood and leant over the bar, his hands were balled into fists pressing into the bar top. He did not know whether to be angry at Steve for thinking that way or hurt that he did. Steve stood up and moved around the bar to face Thor, he did not want to turn this into a confrontation but it seemed tempers and emotions were running high.

"You have no idea what this is like for me! I was brought up being taught a man is with a woman and anything else is just not right. You are asking me to forget everything I have been taught and you are telling me what I know is wrong." They both turn towards the door at the same time as they heard Tony muttering under his breath before he left, something that sounded suspiciously like I am not getting any more involved in this. Steve was glad for the momentary interruption as it seemed to give him time to calm down slightly before he continued. "You just can't understand what it's like being asked to unlearn everything. I want to try I just don't know how! Why does everything have to be so complicated! Why can't it just…"

Steve was shocked into silence when he felt a pair of soft lips on his, firm but not forceful. Before he could mentally respond his lips were already moving against Thor's, they moved to be closer; their bodies almost flush before they broke apart. Steve's voice was quiet before he finally got to finish his sentence,

"Be simple." The small smile on Thor's lips was all it took before he was letting himself be led by the hand to Thor's room. He certainly needed to re-evaluate his position on things.

Thor woke up slowly; the sheets on his bed were tangled around his waist exposing his back to the now cool air, one arm was thrown over Steve's torso, a hand splayed out on his chest. He started to shift slightly and the movement had Steve waking up not long after. Once he had opened his eyes and took in his surrounding a sleepy grin presented itself on his face as he pulled Thor towards him, his arms wrapped around his shoulders, and Thor's arm moved down so he could rest his hand on Steve's waist. After a few moment of simply letting their eyes roam over the other Thor made to move,

"Perhaps we should get up, the hour seems quite late." Steve stirred and stretched his arms over his head,

"I suppose so." They both started to get out of the bed both of them in small parts slightly disappointed at the fact they felt they needed to get up in the first place. Steve was silently wishing they could waste the day away in bed, a day where he could for once be totally selfish and get everything his way. As if he had read his thoughts Thor turned to him as he was slipping a t-shirt over his head,

"Perhaps another time?" Steve merely grinned at Thor and the general prospect of getting to do that before getting dressed himself and following Thor out of the door.

Thor and Steve entered the bar area to find Tony nearly clinging onto a cup of coffee obviously chasing away the remnants of a hangover, although he did perk up considerably when they both walked into the area. Both of them were obviously coming from the direction of Thor's room.

"Well good morning sleeping beauty and oh look there is the prince." Steve looked at Tony with a withering glare, not even wanting to think who he was calling sleeping beauty. Thor merely ignored it and replied with a good morning of his own.

"Hey, I'm not gonna say anything except thank god that's sorted." Tony took another drink of his coffee, draining the cup and placing it down on the table top before his phone started ringing. Tony rolled his eyes at the thought of having to talk to anyone else but answered the phone nonetheless,

"Yeah? Mhmm, yes okay, yes, for god's sake yes I will tell him. Okay! Right, bye." Tony hung up and put the phone back in his pocket before turning to Thor, an amused look on his face.

"Happy has told me to let you know you have to stop wearing his t-shirts because you are stretching them." Tony was stifling back laughter as he was saying this, as he could obviously hear the jealousy in Happy's voice when he was on the phone.

"It is not my fault I cannot wear Asgardian clothing here on Midgard."

"Well," what could only be described as a shit eating grin spread across his face as he narrowed his eyes at Thor, "Looks like we will have to go shopping." Steve had to swallow his laughter at the thought of Thor being dragged shopping but the look on his face was soon one of utter resent as Tony spoke again.

"Don't think you're getting out of it either Cap'."

They were already laden down with bags and yet Tony still insisted that they needed more clothes 'just in case' was his reply every time Steve protested at entering another store. But possibly the worst (or most amusing) thing about it was that Thor was completely enjoying himself. The entire idea of a mall like this, with nearly everything in it, being unfamiliar too him. He was acting like a huge child and Steve never thought he would ever call Thor cute but there he was; he was mostly putting up with carrying bags and walking round just so Thor could stay in the mall longer. Although, at one point Tony and Steve both had to stop Thor from buying more than a few garish Hawaiian shirts which he seemed enthralled with. It also seemed that at some point during their 'trip' they were being followed by a group of women who still must have been in their twenties; he assumed they were following because they 'fancied' one of them or all of them or some strange reason. It was only after he noticed they were looking at him and Thor in what could only be described as a predatory way he started to get slightly defensive; he made sure they could see them at all times and started getting really close to Thor. He started with small touches on his arm and then the small of his back, letting his hand linger. Thor didn't seem to know what was going on with the women but he leaned into the touches quite readily, replying with a few of his own; at one point he even grabbed Steve's hand and gave it a slight squeeze before letting go. The women had soon disappeared and all was well but Steve, Steve was utterly worn out. He could have cried with relief when Tony suggested they sit down and waited for Thor while went off in the search of 'one of those Midgardian snacks'. He and Tony sat down next to each other, in what appeared to be the centre of the mall, next to an unnecessarily huge feature for a seating area. Both men sat in comfortable silence merely watching people pass by, a few stalled when they saw Tony but carried on when they saw how tired he looked obviously thinking better of bothering him.

They had been sitting there for about five minutes, both in their own worlds, before everything seemed to get eerily quiet. Each thought it was only because they were lost in their own world watching the people go by and merely observing; this explanation would have been favoured unfortunately nothing seemed to ever go completely their way. They both stood up immediately when they heard the first scream. Of all the places, of all the times, when they were normal, happy even, it had to happen now. One scream turned into a cacophony of screaming and shouting echoing through the mall. Tony was on the verge of rolling his eyes in irritation, if this was one of those stupid idiot 'villains' that just liked to annoy people like him and Cap' he was going to be so pissed, he just wanted a day shopping for god's sake! The thought was soon literally knocked out of him as a strong painful blow landed on his stomach and sent him flying back; he hit the wall with a nauseating crack. Tony lay on the floor bleeding and blacked out as people ran around him, trying to get out of the mall and save their own skin.

Not instants later Thor came running towards what seemed to be the centre of the chaos, he heard the ruckus and immediately knew something was wrong and had to get to Steve and Tony. He immediately stopped in his tracks at the sight before him; Steve had a stream of blood running down his face, a dazed look as if he had been concussed. Thor's concern increased tenfold when he saw the glinting dagger that was being held tight against Steve's throat, his concern was instantaneously replaced with bitter anger as he saw the person holding the knife.

Loki merely smirked at him as he his other arm snaked its way around Steve's waist before they were gone. A blaze of green light and they were gone.