It is a beautiful day in St. Barth's, as was the day before and as will be the day after. The sun hangs at mid-day and Thor and Tony Stark are hidden from it by a festive umbrella. Scattered about the beach are other Avengers. Clint Barton is absent, away on a solo mission for SHIELD. Natasha reclines beneath another umbrella with Pepper, both of them speaking animatedly about some topic or another. Tony quips that he is grateful he cannot hear them. Bruce is alone in the sun, asleep with a large tome on his chest that he believes he has seen on one of Jane's shelves. A poultice has been applied to his nose, but judging by the redness of the skin surrounding, it has not been very effective. Steve is in the water practicing his stroke, enjoying his recreation with the same sense of duty he applies to all things. Scott Lang mumbles and pleads into a mobile telephone ("Janet, come on. Just a few more days?"). The siblings Maximoff seem to be in the middle of some sort of debacle, also in the water. Pietro runs across the waves, laughing, while Wanda causes the water to splash up violently behind him, intentionally missing. He watches their horseplay with a dull ache of remembrance. It is a peaceful day. They are all bonding in relaxation, and it is important for brothers (and sisters) in arms to bond.

He desperately wishes Jane was with him.

In this part of the world, the climate is always hospitable but in the United States of America, it is winter. This means that Jane is gone to parts unknown, just as she has been for the past five years. This is her sixth departure. Thor knows very well that all things grow easier with time and this is no exception. His initial fury has dampened to a sense of loss that leaves him feeling hollow, but it is bearable, especially now that he is being somewhat proactive in the solution. For the last few weeks, he, Tony, Scott and Bruce have been collaborating on a scientific device, or as they call it, a "long-distance tracking beacon." Collaborating is actually an exaggeration. Tony, Scott and Bruce have been collaborating and Thor has been helping to supply magical energy, via Mjolnir. Even so, it was his idea initially and it will be him alone that goes to wherever the device indicates when it is finished.

They are drinking very sweet alcoholic beverages, served in ugly brown fruits he has learned are called "coconuts." They are refreshing in this moderate heat and Thor has put away at least twice as many as Tony, but they are not potent enough for his Aesir metabolism to feel any effect. Tony, however, is extremely inebriated. When Thor comments as such, Tony corrects him by saying he is "shit-faced." It is a colloquialism he has grown very familiar with, being friends with these wonderful people for as long as he has.

"Look...Thor. Can I talk to you about something? Something personal?"

Thor is wary, but he answers in the affirmative anyway.

"You may."

"You can't get mad."

Now, he is more than wary.

"Speak your mind, friend, but I will make no promises."

Tony exhales and bows his head, looking at him dubiously from atop his ridiculously costly tinted spectacles.

"I just...want to talk to you about Jane. Can we talk about Jane?"

Thor can feel himself bristling as he always does whenever she is mentioned during the winter. His jaw tightens and his hands clench slightly around the coconut. Only recently has Thor told anyone the truth of where it is Jane goes every year and it is only Tony and Bruce who know. Early on, he and Jane had recognized the importance of having a story at the ready for her absence and so, they had spun a tale wherein she went to Asgard at his father's behest once a year to monitor any lingering after effects the Aether might have left. It is public knowledge that Dr. Jane Foster is an intergalactic traveler, now, which gives credence to her work. The deception was - is - well-received, but Thor is no liar. That is his brother's expertise; he has no talent in it. Falsehoods make him uncomfortable, but he respected Jane's wishes until he could bear it no longer. Sharing the secret has lifted a great burden from him, which grows even lighter every time he discusses the possibility of the tracker with his colleagues. Of course, he cannot discuss this with Jane, though he wants to dearly. Her contribution would be invaluable, he knows, though Tony's arrogance insists her expertise is not strictly necessary. More over, he wants Jane to know that he is not sitting idly, that he plans her rescue. The project must be kept secret, though. If Loki has such a fool-proof way to shut her mouth, it stands to reason that he would have the key to opening it as well. This lie of omission is the most difficult to keep.

Tony rushes past the silence as he often does, anxious to pour sound into any hole in the conversation. This is, Thor realizes, Tony's best try at sensitivity. He can relate to his friend in that he, too, can stumble over delicate subjects. Delicacy is not in their nature.

"It's cool if you don't," he slurs quickly, "I'm just worried about you. And her. And you know, that hot mess you call a relationship."

Though Thor is not appreciative of his life with Jane being called a "hot mess," he is touched by Tony's concern, even if it is misplaced. Had he used those same words ten years ago, he would have broken the poor mortal's nose, but Jane's influence and his friendship with the well-meaning scientist have given him patience. The man has a habit of forgetting Thor's age and attempting to dispense worldly (unasked for) advice when he is intoxicated. His appearance is very youthful by Midgardian standards and Tony is who he is, so a lack of due deference to an elder is forgivable. The last time Tony had attempted to drunkenly advise him, it had been on the topic of anal copulation. They had not been discussing anything remotely near that subject and yet Tony felt it appropriate to broach it anyway. Thor had to gently remind him that he had probably taken more lovers than all the other Avengers in their combined lifetimes. That had quieted him - or perhaps it had been Pepper's sound slap at the back of his head that did it. At any rate, he wasn't sure either tactic would distract him now.

"The situation will be rectified soon enough. We have our project, do we not?"

"Yeah, see, about that. Have you ever thought that maybe, just maybe, she doesn't want to be found?"

No, he hadn't. His lips twitch into a frown and Tony takes that for his answer.

"Look, I know she loves you and everything and she probably hates being away from you as much as you hate being away from her, but she's exploring the cosmos. It's the wet dream of every person in her field. The leaps she's made in astrophysics are huge. I know you haven't read her papers or anything, but she's completely changed the way we think about the universe. She's bigger than Stephen Hawking."

It is difficult for him to keep his voice even, but he his attempt is valiant. Even in his upset, he bursts with pride for his lady. She had found a way to translate her bespelled notes into academia, the so-called universal language only he seemed not to comprehend: mathematics. Exploring the cosmos, indeed. She should be doing that with him.

"She is Loki's captive."

"Uh-huh. I get that. Really, I do. Psychopathic mass murderer, believe me, I get that. But he hasn't hurt her. Not once, you said."

"...Yes."

"Then...I mean...if she's 'immortal,'" Tony curls his fingers around the word, "As you say, then three months a year isn't such a huge deal, is it? I don't think he's out to do her harm. Do you harm, probably. But not her."

Thor sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose.

"You are suggesting that I leave things as they are."

"Kind of."

"'Kind of'?"

"What I'm saying is...what I'm trying to get at is..." He takes a deep pull from his straw before continuing, apparently needing the courage. "Okay, so you don't tell her anything about the Avengers anymore, right?"

"Right."

He doesn't. She rarely asks, but when she does, he skirts the subject, perhaps indelicately. It is through no fault of hers that he cannot share that aspect of his life with her.

"So you don't trust her."

"I don't trust Loki. You had best reach your point, my friend, as I am coming very close to breaking that promise I didn't make."

He raises his hands in placation, but it does nothing to soothe his growing irritation.

"Her, Loki, whatever, it's basically the same thing. You can't share things with her. You can't even tell her you're trying to save her. Honestly, and please don't hit me for this, please, please don't, but who knows exactly what she's doing out there, without you? To quote a million hokey Facebook posts, how can there be love where there is no trust? Maybe you should just...throw in the towel. Let her go. Quit losing at his game."

Thor straightens from his reclined position and turns to face his friend, feet sinking into the sand. He would like very much to hit him - his right hand even clenches into a fist and Tony is flinching as he speaks - but he reigns in his anger with a few deep breaths. There is no offense intended and he must remind himself of this, even if his friend is attempting to question Jane's chastity in so many words. It may not even have been what he was implying. Thor is unfamiliar with insecurity and how easily it can be plucked and sharpened, even unintentionally. He is dismayed how quickly he is learning this.

"Tony, what is Pepper to you?"

He looks confused at the question.

"She's my rock. No, she's my boulder. She's my everything."

Thor nods. "And as she is to you, Jane is to me."

Tony sighs and concedes.

"Right. Sorry." A pause. "You know this thing we're working on...it's a long shot, right?"

"I have perfect confidence in you three."

"That makes one of us..."

Thor rises to his feet and walks toward the shoreline, tossing his coconut aside. He has suddenly lost his taste for overly sweetened and processed liquers.

He has always been very free with his feelings, but he lacks the eloquence to say exactly who Jane is to him and why he cannot release her. It is not enough to say he loves her. He needs her. She is his teacher, his friend, his lover. She was the catalyst to his enlightenment. When he holds her, the storm settles, the clouds part, the thunder quiets, and he is at peace. She is his refuge. His love his a strong one, but not particularly proud. It is able to withstand an innumerable amount of betrayals. The fact that affection still dwindles in his heart for his brother is perfect evidence of this. At any rate, there is no solid indication that he is being cuckolded, even if the conversation had during her "pregnancy scare" still haunts him. She loves him. He knows this and his certainty of it strengthened every time she holds his face and whispers his name. It is his duty to liberate her from his brother's mischief. He is bound by honor to rescue the woman who would be his mate, and Thor is nothing without honor.


a/n: Yay Ant-Man.