A/N: 10/29/14 Sorry I haven't updated in over a week. Funny story about that.

I was GOING to try and crank this out last Friday, but I was travelling. I brought my Kindle and keyboard with me anyway, but when I finally pulled it out to get some writing done (funny thing) my keyboard wouldn't work. I tried everything; turning it off and on, hitting the connect button, even messed with my Kindle to see if that was the problem. In my frustration, I flipped the keyboard over to see if there was a hidden button I had accidentally pushed or something, when I saw the problem - there were no batteries.

And so I ended up going that whole day without being able to write. Silly me.

Ghost Rider of the Aragon: Thanks for the review! It's okay. You can be nitpicky. It just lets me know you pay attention to detail ;) And woah, you're totally right! I think D: Lol to be honest I had no idea what Magneto's real name was. I knew it was Eric something but I ended up going to Wikipedia for his last name. So I guess you can blame it one them. lol.

Aliceindeepdarkwonderland: Thanks for the review! Glad to know you like it! :D

Hyne: Thanks for the review! In fact, it's what inspired the scenario for this chapter! Thor's clothes! :D And yes, capes have to flow majestically. Meh. Mind control. Freeze ray. Whatever you imagine. That really sucks about MCU. I didn't know that :/

Anyway, here's your chapter. I hope there aren't any typos :P

Disclaimer: I do not own The Avengers.

Chapter Six: Exchanging Looks~

'Number 5: Exchange looks. When the two of you are in the same room, look at him from wherever you're sitting (or standing) and when he looks back, turn away and blush. This sends him non-verbal information that you enjoy looking at him, but don't stare! You want him to think you're interested, not obsessed.'

Thor stood in the aisle of a Midgardian store, pretending to sift through the various articles of clothing on the rack in front of him as he kept an eye on his red-headed companion.

After overhearing he and Tony speaking about how the Thunder god had no Earthen garments, Pepper insisted that she take him shopping for clothing. This led to a journey for which he was largely unprepared; the mall. He had never been to one before - there were buildings within the buildings! Asgard had no such things - but Pepper seemed to enjoy educating him on all the overly large complex had to offer.

Once it was decided that he understood (which he did, but only in the most basic of ways) the young woman took him to their first stop: a Big & Tall store.

It was quickly discovered that Thor didn't like suits. He found nothing appealing about walking around all day in constricting shirts that covered his arms and trousers that restricted proper movement like Tony somehow managed to do.

So, they went to the next best thing: Aeropostale. Unfortunately, they had no better luck with this store; the Asgardian wrinkled his nose at the colors and styles and they didn't have anything in his size.

Which led to where they were now - Hot Topic.

Thor turned the hangers on the circular rack marked '50% OFF!', taking out a t-shirt with a graphic design of some man by the name of Bob Marley on it and folding it across his arm.

He looked at Pepper.

She was standing idly near the entrance, telling the male clerk for the fifth time that, no, she didn't need any help, and glanced back at the Asgardian with a lightheared but exasperated look. Thor smiled, a little embarrassed that he had been caught trying to observe her, and turned back to the clothing.

He tried to hurry through the rest of the racks; he knew Pepper didn't really wish to be there. She had expressed surprise and reluctance when he suggested they step into the 'Hot Topic' (the title of which made no sense to him) and he didn't wish to make her miserable as he bided his time.

Within five minutes, Thor returned to the front of the store to rejoin Pepper.

She turned, eyebrows raised expectantly, and her jaw fell open into a laughing smile as she took in the giant pile of jeans and t-shirts piled in heaps over his arms. He held them as though they were nothing.

"I am ready to leave, Lady Pepper," he nodded, flashing his teeth in a smile.

Pepper laughed. "Haha! Well, are you gonna try them on?"

His eyebrows pinched. "Pardon?"

"Try them on," she repeated. "Don't you want to wear them first before you take them home in case you don't fit them?"

He looked to the ground. He hadn't thought of that.

"Here." She took some of the articles from his arms and pointed to the back of the store. "Their limit is five articles per changing room. You try those on and I'll wait for you."

Thor slowly turned his head in the direction in which she pointed, gazing warily at the dark corner where the changing rooms were.

"...Shall you accompany me, Lady Pepper?" He asked, trying to hide his uneasiness. This place was big. He would hate to be separated from the only person he knew in a never-ending sea of people.

Pepper smiled. "Of course."

Thor stepped out of the dressing room, feeling self-conscious as he stood before Pepper, wearing a pair of faded blue jeans and a fitted black t-shirt with a picture of a skull with wings.

She noticed his movement in her peripheral vision, but when she turned to face him fully her jaw dropped. Thor looked to the side awkwardly, cheeks blazing in embarrassment as she continued to stare. He must have looked ridiculous. It was the only logical explanation for her blatant gawking. He shifted from foot to foot, waiting for her opinion.

"T-Thor! I-it's...you look..."

"Ridiculous?" he finished.

"...Great!" she corrected, brows shooting up as she looked him over.

He tugged at his jeans. "It's a bit uncomfortable..."

Her eyes snapped up to his. "Oh, don't worry, you'll get used to it. We'll just put it through the wash and it should take the itch away." She looked back down to his shirt, a puzzled look on her face. "I didn't know you liked Avenged Sevenfold."

His face scrunched up in confusion. "What?"

Her mouth fell comically open. "...Never mind." She held out the other clothes draped over her arm. "Do you want to try on the rest?"

Thor took the garments. "If you wish..."

She laughed lightly, shaking her head. "Oh, well, they're your clothes, so, only if you wish."

Thor glanced behind him at the dressing room.

He shrugged. "Very well."

After nearly another hour of trying things on and modeling clothes and sharing opinions on said clothes, Thor and Pepper walked out of Hot Topic with two very full bags of garments, as well as a free keychain for spending over $200.

He had to admit, he was quite proud of himself. He had feared the worst when Tony had pulled him aside and warned him of taking too long. 'Shopping with Pepper can be a very dangerous thing,' he'd said. Hawkeye had also caught them on their way out of the Tower, waving a friendly greeting and saying, 'See you in ten hours.' It had only been four hours, so Thor was quite happy. Pepper seemed to feel the same way.

"Are you hungry?" she suddenly asked, craning her neck to look up at him.

Thor's eyes landed on the many chairs and tables ahead of them. It seemed to be a place for eating. Interesting.

He glanced down at the two bags they were both carrying, suddenly conscious of the amount of money they had spent. "...I am fine, Lady Pepper."

She sensed his bluff. "Oh, please. Come on. Let's get something. It's not like we don't have the money."

Determined, Pepper strolled ahead of him, chin held high, with all the grace and air of an Asgardian woman. Thor obediently followed.

"I did not know you earned such a generous income," he said puzzledly, lengthening his stride to catch up with her.

Pepper stood in line at one of the food venues, turning to the Thunder god with a knowing smile. Suddenly, he remembered that it was impolite to ask about yearly wages on Earth, and he fumbled over himself in apology.

"I-I am sorry, Lady Pepper. I deeply apologize-"

"Don't be," She smiled. She dug inside her purse and held up a credit card. "It's Tony's wallet."

As it turned out, Thor enjoyed Subway very much.

So much, in fact, that he ended up going back through the line twice - once with Pepper and once without - to get two more foot-longs, each a different kind. He enjoyed telling the Midgardians what he wanted on the abnormally long and good-tasting slice of bread as well as watching them make it, and despite their size, he scarfed them down quite easily.

The only thing that was somewhat unnerving was having Pepper watch him while he ate. She had ordered a single cold cut foot-long sub, but was only able to finish half (which he was more than happy to finish for her) and with nothing else to do, she stared at him.

She tried to make it subtle, he could tell, but he noticed nevertheless. And even though he knew it was innocent, it was still unnerving. Quite unnerving.

He thought of saying something, but then again, maybe it wasn't a conscious thing on her part. Maybe she was just looking at him because there was nothing else to look at. Nothing interesting, anyway. Uh, not that he was the most interesting thing on the planet. It would just explain why-

"Lady Pepper, are you well?" he suddenly asked, silencing his string of piling thoughts.

Pepper lifted her face from the hand she was resting it against, eyebrows quirked up in attention.

Realizing what he meant by his question, she blushed, ashamed, blinking rapidly as she hastily replied, "O-oh, uh...yeah." She straightened her back, staring ahead at the passing shoppers before chuckling in embarrassment. "I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been staring at you like that."

He shook his head, smiling. "No, it is fine. I can only imagine how strange I look in Earthen garments."

She rested her arm across the table, eyes widening. "But no, that's the point! You don't look strange! It's...kind of weird, actually."

Thor smiled down at her, taking a bite of his sub and swallowing heartily. Earth women were cute when they became curious or enthralled by something. Like one of their pet kittens. Or maybe it was just Pepper. Either way, he had to stop himself from outright laughing due to the look on her face.

"I shall take that as a compliment, Lady Pepper."

She rolled her eyes, smiling. "Well good, because that's exactly what it was. ...God, you wear our clothes better than we do."

Thor smiled happily at her praise, swallowing down his last bit of food as a group of girls came to stand by their table. They were young by Earth standards (though it was really hard to tell with all the makeup this planet's women wore, they all looked either older than they really were or younger) and all four of them looked as though they were about to burst at the seams with fear. Or maybe it was giddiness. He had a hard time discerning Midgardian emotions.

They looked at him, blind to Pepper, as though he were an Earthen puppy.

"Greetings," he smiled brightly, gazing between them expectantly. When they said nothing in reply, merely standing there with unbridled shyness, he went on to say, "I am Thor, of Asgard. How are you faring this fine day?"

The girls burst forth in a sudden squeal, which came out more like a strangled gasp, and the loudness and suddenness of it startled the Avenger. Finally, one of them spoke.

"...Are you really Thor?"

He looked at her, eyebrows drawn together in confusion. He inclined his head towards Pepper. "Did I not just introduce myself?"

Pepper smiled, trying to keep her laughter in check. She was clearly enjoying this. "Yes, you did, Thor."

The girls' smiles simultaneously faltered at finally noticing Pepper, but they reappeared as soon as they left, focusing once more on him, and the one that had spoken before asked, "Can we get your autograph?"

They all held out their tiny little notepads and pens, looking hopefully at him. Thor panicked. An autograph? What was an autograph? He had no experience with this!

He looked back at Pepper, silently pleading for help.

"Oh, they want your signature," she explained, mimicking writing in a notebook with her hands. The motion reminded Thor of his notebook, and a heat flooded up the back of his neck in slight alarm.

"You just have to sign your name," she said, mistaking his source of panic to be from the young girls.

Feeling a sense of relief wash over him, Thor happily took each of the girls' sparkly notepads and fuzzy pens and wrote his name on each one. The girls squealed with delight (or what he hoped was delight) and jumped up and down simultaneously in (again, what he hoped) joy. Satisfied, they smiled dreamily at him and turned away, but not before sending Pepper split-second glares that they'd hoped he wouldn't notice. He did.

Waving politely, Thor waited until they rounded the corner to address what he had witnessed to his companion. "Did you not see that?"

"You mean your admiring fan club? Yeah," Pepper replied, gathering up their Subway wrappers.

He shook his head. "No, the way they looked at you with murderous intent.''

"Oooh," she said, realization dawning on her. "You mean the Rabid Fan Girl Syndrome. Don't worry about it, they're just jealous."

"Jealous?" he echoed. "Because I am traveling with you? Surely they know that-"

"It doesn't really matter what the facts are," she said, stuffing their trash into the empty sub bag. "with fan girls, nothing is rational."

She stood up and he copied her movement, watching as she dumped their leftovers into the nearest receptacle. So that's what those were for...

Looking from the trash can to the red-head, Thor caught her once again staring at him. She smiled to herself, chuckling and shaking her head.

"...I'm gonna have to drive home. I need something else to focus on."

"I think that is a good idea..." he concurred, trying not to seem too creeped out.

They began their trek out of the food court and to Sir Stark's 'borrowed' vehicle, Thor trying not to notice Pepper's staring and Pepper trying not to stare.

Pepper slammed the car trunk, having put Thor's newly bought things inside, and walked around to the driver's side and getting in, shutting the door.

"Lady Pepper?" Thor asked, and she turned her head towards him. "What is a...'fan girl'?"

Laughter burst from her mouth, loud and sudden, and for a moment, the Avenger considered having not asked at all.

Waving her hand in front of her face, as though to brush off her outburst, Pepper quieted into a chuckle, her hair slightly disheveled and her cheeks flushed with mirth.

"Oh, Thor." She started the car. "You have a lot to learn."

Two hours later, Thor sat alone in his room.

He rubbed at his eyes, tired. He couldn't believe he had ever been so blind to all the Earth women that had previously conversed with him on his various outings. It was all so clear now. And...kind of frightening.

Thor pulled out his notes from under the mattress, flipping halfheartedly through them. He hadn't really been able to observe any of these traits, but maybe he could still find a pattern.

'Occasionally look his way, and if he's not biting, don't sweat it. Send him a note or talk to him and see if he looks your way the next time.'

The god of Thunder stilled, an eerie feeling beginning to wash over him. He continued to read.

'When he turns to you, look him in the eyes and smile. Remember, if he catches you looking at him, that means that he was looking at you first, which means he probably likes you. Always keep good eye contact when talking to him, even if he's shy. Show him how pretty your eyes are, and how he makes your eyes smile with delight. Keeping good eye contact shows him he's got your undivided attention, but also that you're confident.'

Eyebrows scrunching, he brought the paper up to his face, as if analyzing it from a closer view would better his understanding of it.

It made no sense. Pepper had done nearly all of those things today. She had looked at him almost all day. She had practically done nothing but look at him all day! And none of the others were even around! This was getting strange. Beyond strange.

His clothes.

It had to be his clothes.

If it were Tony or Bruce or one of the others, she would have looked at them the same way. And if they had come along with them, she would probably stare only at them. He was sure of it.

...Wasn't he?

That same sense of eeriness continued to overcome him, but before it could get any worse, Thor took the notebook, got off the bed, and shoved it back under the mattress. He slowly sat back down, lowering himself backwards into a laying position, and stared blankly at the ceiling.

Fatigue.

That had to be it.

He was tired and worn out, and there was no other reason for it.

Eventually, Thor drifted off to sleep, but not without the foreboding feeling of having his notebook underneath his mattress.

A/N: I just had to put a fan girl or two in there. Or four. I just had to XD

I hope this chapter was to everyone's liking. I don't know about anyone else, but I think we would all be surprised by Thor's choices in clothing. Like, really. And I think he could honestly pull off the metal/rocker look. With that long hair? Pssh. He's a born headbanger.

Reviews, thoughts, faves, whatever. They're all welcome here :)

'Til next time!