Written for: tracymelinda29. December 16th, 2018 Thor/Daisy "And how are you going to make it up to me?"

They were in what Darcy and Jane called a convenience store. Meant to provide quick sustenance and simple services to the denizens of this dust coated village, Thor couldn't say the box-shaped structure lived up to its name. Nothing here could help him find his way home. What good was that box of double stuffed Oreo's Darcy was brandishing in Jane's face when he was without his hammer? The very essence of his being?

"Come on, Jane, it's good for you!"

"It's junk, Darcy. That is the opposite of good for you."

"You'll drive into a tornado to take pictures of it but you won't buy one box of cookies. Incredible."

"If you want it so bad, pay for it with your own money. Otherwise, put it back."

Thor wandered into the next aisle. It was harder to hear them that way. He appreciated them both for taking him in during his time of need. Jane was a lovely woman and Darcy had her own charm about her, but their bickering hurt his ears. The pain only made his mood worse. He felt naked and vulnerable, like a newborn babe.

His reflexes were dulled as well. Otherwise, he could have easily avoided the slender, dark-haired woman barreling around the corner with an arm full of colorful bags. She slammed into his chest and staggered back, dropping her items to the floor. One landed under her foot and popped open. Bits of yellowish crumbs ('chips' he believed?) were scattered across the floor.

"Pardon me," he said, reaching to help the woman steady herself.

"I'm fine," she said, eyes down as she gathered her things. "There are worse things in life than crushed Ruffles."

Thor blinked. Her words left him with several important questions, but before he had a chance to speak, the woman was gone. She'd paid for her purchases and sped out the door by the time Jane and Darcy reached a compromise to buy one of the smaller Oreo's packages.

Back at Jane's lab, Thor listened to her explain her theories as best as he could. His mind constantly returned to the convenience store. To that strange woman and her strange words that meant more to him than they ever should have.

"Ruffles…" he muttered, right in the middle of Jane's big summation.

"So in terms of quantum dynamics, I… what? Did you say something?"

"Did I?" Thor asked. Jane gave him a look not dissimilar to Loki's whenever Thor came up with a plan he assumed would fail. Said plans only occasionally didn't work, for the record. Loki was just being sour. "Forgive me, I am a bit distracted. I had an odd encounter today at the convenience store. One I find I can't stop thinking about."

"Odd encounter with who?"

"I cannot say. I wasn't able to learn her name before she left. I know this will sound very strange, but she said something to me which resembles a birthmark I've had since my coming of age."

Thor turned around and raised his shirt. The line of text-like marks stretched across his lower back. It had been there for so long, he barely registered it as a part of himself anymore. He thought about it no more than he did his fingers or his toes. The words had taken ages to properly translate, and ever since then, they'd meant nothing to him. Just a singular oddity of life.

Or so he thought until Jane's eyes bugged out. "Was that the first thing she said to you?"

"It was the only thing she said," Thor replied, smoothing out the shirt. "Is that significant?"

"Significant- Thor, that's a soulmark. That woman was your soulmate!"

Like water to a flame, his fears of contracting some rare Midgardian disease were doused. He laughed until his stomach hurt, only vaguely aware that laughing at his dear new friend and host was the kind of behavior his mother would have scolded him for.

"Soulmates, really," he gasped. "An excellent joke. Everyone knows soulmates don't exist."

"Yes they do," Jane countered. "It's been scientifically proven. Soulmates are real and over thirty percent of the population has one."

"Even if that were true, I couldn't have a Midgardian mark." The very idea was foolish at best. "In fact, my brother has a birthmark of the same variety, and he-"

"He has a soulmate, and so do you." Jane declared. "I have one, too, see?"

She pulled back her sleeve, showing off a short line of greenish-black text etched into her skin. Thor read the sentence several times, his heart dropping into his stomach. First came the realization that he knew this handwriting. He saw it every day in Loki's private notes. Next came the sickly claw of dread reaching deep into his rib cage.

If Jane's mark was real, his had to be real as well. That meant he met the woman fate had chosen for him and let her walk out of his life a complete stranger. Too wrapped up in his own arrogant whimpering to notice her.

He knew exactly why he'd been banished now.

"Yes, I do see." He touched Jane's shoulder. "Thank you, my… sister. Thank you for informing me…"

Much as he wanted to find the nearest horse and race after his mystery woman, there were more pressing matters at hand. First, he had to stop Loki from destroying the village in a jealous rage and potentially killing his own soulmate.

Then he needed to oversee reconstruction on the bifrost while mourning Loki's death.

Then he needed to rehabilitate the very much alive Loki following his brush with villainy.

Years passed like weeks. Introducing Jane and Loki had gone… decently well. ('You! I ought to smack you in the teeth, you asshole!' 'You're very loud. And tiny.' 'I… wait, what did you just say?' 'I could ask you the same thing.') They had worked out their issues and found true love in each other. Even with the destruction of Asgard and the universe's brush with extinction in the form of Thanos, the broken remains of Thor's family held strong together.

The final battle ended in victory for the Avengers and their allies. Thanos died broken and beaten, mourned by no one. A fitting end for a monster if there ever was one. Thor almost pitied him.

When it was over, and the newly revived Asgardians refugees had made it safely to earth, Thor found himself taking long walks alone more often than not. He loved the peace of New Asgard, situated on a picturesque island in the Mediterranean. Almost as nice were the forests of Upstate New York, where the new Avengers Headquarters was located. He broke away from the group after their meeting with a very much alive Phil Coulson and his team. Dinner would be served in an hour, but until then, he needed some time to himself to think about his life.

Things were going well and he had few complaints. Loki was himself again. His and Jane's first child, a girl, was due in a few months. Thor couldn't wait to be an uncle and shower the little princess with love and gifts. Meanwhile, his new friend, Brunhilde, had found her happiness in reuniting with her people and her budding romance with Dr. Banner. Stark had married his own lady several weeks ago. It seemed everyone was at peace in the wake of Thanos's defeat.

But much as Thor wished he could breathe easy like his friends, he had never forgotten his long lost soulmate. He'd been a fool not to even get her name. Even if he hadn't known at the time that soulmarks were real, he should have reacted faster. Perhaps offered to help her carry her things or least tried to apologize again. Now he would likely never see her again.

Someone was following him. Or not, as he listened more closely to the fast tapping keys of a smartphone. Out of the bushes came a young woman with her face consumed by the screen. She stepped over a fallen log and made to pass Thor.

"Sorry," she said. She looked like one of Agent Coulson's team members. He had only seen her once from afar when their group arrived. It had been only Coulson in the meeting. He hadn't had a chance to introduce himself to the others yet.

"Excuse me," he said, approaching the woman. "Are you-"

She looked up. Her eyes, her hair, her face, everything. He knew it all in an instant. Last time, he'd had precious seconds to take in her features. He never thought it would be enough, but it was.

"Oh hey. You must be Thor." She tilted her head to one side. Her phone went into her pocket, forgotten for now. "Have we… met before?"

Thor grinned like a new warrior after his first victory. "It's you! My soulmate."

She took a step back. "What? No, that can't be. You didn't say-"

"Your words?" Thor was glad it was nice out today or the weather might respond more intensely to his mood. "But I have! Long ago when we first met. I didn't know then what my words truly meant, but you and I are soulmates."

He turned to show her the words on his back. She swallowed as her fingers grazed his skin. Her touch sent delightful shivers through him.

"That... that's impossible." She shook her head. "I'd remember meeting you. You're Thor."

"I was not myself at the time," Thor explained. "We were in the land of New Mexico where my father banished me. You ran into me in the store while buying your Ruffles. Allow me to apologize once again for breaking them. It was not my intention."

"What… but… I…" She had gone quite pale, paler than Loki. Thor couldn't help his concern and led her to a large tree stump to sit down. He knelt in front of her, rubbing her tiny hands. Both of them would fit in just one of his. "Are you telling me that all this time I was watching guys I liked turn evil or die, I could've been dating you? The you?"

"It's my own fault for not taking action when I should have," Thor said, bowing his head. "Will you allow me the chance to make it up to you?"

She was no longer pale. Instead, she'd reached the opposite extreme, turning beet red and sweating. "Uh… yeah. Sorry, I need to process this."

"It is a lot to take in," Thor agreed.

"I'm Daisy, by the way." She held out a hand, which he knew to be for shaking, then pulled it back. "Wait no, that's too formal. The handshake, I mean. I… I don't even know what I'm doing right now."

Thor offered his hand. "Then let's not worry about it and go for a walk. We have much to catch up on"