SO sorry this is late! This did not want to cooperate with me!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the Marvel Cinematic Universe or any of the characters contained therein.

WORD COUNT: 1266

No one thought it was possible for a super-soldier to get a concussion.

However, no one ever thought to test that theory by smacking one of them upside the head with a god's magic hammer, either.

Darcy honestly had to admit that it hadn't crossed her mind that her pseudo-big-brother in Thor might be a bit upset to find her in bed with one of the world's most prolific assassins when he came back from Asgard, but to be fair, if it had, she probably would have assumed that Heimdall had given him a heads-up, or something. But obviously he hadn't, because the big guy had clearly not expected to walk into her and Jane's apartment to find her topless on the couch with an equally shirtless Winter Soldier on top of her, trying to undo her bra clasp while simultaneously attempting a tonsillectomy on her with his tongue.

They'd barely even looked up when Thor had given a yell of rage and charged forward, Mew-Mew swinging. Bucky jumped off the couch, running forward to stop the advancing threat before it could reach Darcy. Before Darcy could yell out and tell them to stop, Bucky dove at Thor and tried to tackle the bigger man around the waist. Thor was knocked back on his ass, but he rallied and threw Bucky off, sending him crashing into the kitchen table.

"Thor, stop it!" Darcy screeched, but the Thunder God was already on his feet and throwing his hammer right at her boyfriend. Bucky dodged, pulling one of his ever-present knives, but neglected to check behind him. "LOOK OUT!"

Bucky was just turning his head as Mew-Mew slammed into it, throwing him violently to the floor. Thor caught his hammer and raised it again, only to stop when Darcy threw herself in front of him.

"STOP IT!"

"Lady Darcy, please move. This attack on you cannot be forgiven!" Darcy could actually feel her hair standing on end from the static buildup in the air thanks to his thunder powers.

"What attack?! That's my boyfriend, you lunatic!" Knowing that Thor would never strike her, much less with his hammer, she turned away from him and knelt down to check on Bucky. He wasn't moving, and the side of his head was bleeding. "FRIDAY, get a medical team up here, NOW!" She felt for a pulse, panic welling up in her throat when, although she did find one, she got no response from Bucky, not even a twitch at her touch. Considering she could wake him from a dead sleep with a single brush of her fingers, this was not a good sign. "Bucky? Baby, please wake up!"

"Lady Darcy, I-"

"SHUT UP!" Darcy whipped her head around and glared angrily at him. "Just shut up! I don't care what the fuck you have to say right now, just get out of my sight!"

"I-"

"GET OUT!"

Bucky didn't wake up for a whole hour. Thor was lucky that Steve was on the other side of the country, or Captain America would have beaten his head in with his shield and his bare fists. Darcy also didn't leave his side for that whole hour, not even to put her shirt back on (Clint, who'd arrived with the medical team, had thrust it into her hands and she'd slipped it on while jogging beside the stretcher).

When he did wake up, he had a throbbing headache that made him nauseous every time he moved his head, even a little. The lights in his hospital room were dimmed considerably, and everyone spoke to him in whispers, since super-senses and concussions were a hellish combination.

Bucky didn't even remember the fight. Concussions were known to have memory loss as a symptom, and since it was something Bucky had already been struggling with, no one was really surprised. Darcy had to explain it to him very slowly, since he kept zoning out (attention difficulties were another symptom). She showed him the security footage from the hallway, to try and jog his memories, but nothing worked.

He had to stay in the infirmary for three days. Thanks to the serum, he healed remarkably faster than normal, but his head was still sore and he was having more trouble sleeping than usual.

Thor was waiting in Darcy and Jane's apartment, along with Jane, who seemed to be there for supervisory reasons. In a complete contrast to their last interaction, the God of Thunder's body language was anything but hostile; his head was bowed low, his shoulders hunched, and his hands tucked behind his back.

Bucky, on the other hand, stopped dead in the doorway the second he recognised Thor, looking like he was preparing for another fight. When Darcy tried to step in, he tucked her behind him instinctively. That had Thor getting a sad puppy look on his face, knowing that he was being perceived as a threat to someone he cared very much about.

"Sergeant Barnes, I deeply apologise. I should not have behaved so rashly nor so violently."

Jane nudged him. "And…"

"And I should not have assumed that you were harming the Lady Darcy, or that she needed my assistance."

"That's right, I don't," Darcy muttered.

"And I…" Jane nudged him again. "In Asgardian tradition, such a blunder must be repaid by a weregild, as restitution." Thor reached over to the (replacement) kitchen table, and picked up a pair of fancy leather knife sheaths. He tugged one knife out (Bucky instinctively reached for one of his own), revealing a shining silver blade that gleamed in the light. "I was told that the traditional weregild of red gold would not hold the same weight in this realm that it holds in others. These blades are of Asgardian make. They are stronger than steel, will never need to be sharpened for a hundred years, and should they be lost, they will instantly return to their sheaths."

"Like Riptide?" Darcy asked curiously.

Thor grinned. "Yes, like the mighty sword of Perseus Jackson." He handed the gift over to Bucky, who inspected the unsheathed knife carefully.

The blade was a pale silver, etched with what he and Darcy assumed were Asgardian runes. The handles was wrapped with a dark, chestnut-coloured leather that felt just right in his hand, and its balance made it perfect for both close-quarters combat and throwing. "Thanks," he mumbled, before looking Thor in the eye and speaking more clearly, "These look amazing. Thank you." He paused. "Um… do I have to say anything specific to say we're even, or something?"

Thor smiled. "Nay. Again, I am truly sorry for the harm I have caused you. From what I have heard, you have been a most valued shield brother to the rest of the Avengers; they were most displeased when they learned what I had done."

Jane snorted. "Hulk was pissed. He made Thor let him smack him around for a good two hours. And he only stopped when Steve came back from whatever classified mission he was on and wanted to take a turn."

"Indeed. All of your friends have remonstrated with me, quite emphatically, that such behaviour will not be tolerated again."

Bucky smirked. "Damn straight, it won't." An idea came to him. "Say, d'you want to head down to the training gym and see what these babies can do?"

Thor's answering grin could have powered the entire Tower.

Bucky's new magic knives will probably make an appearance in other Avengers-related stories I may write in the future. I was planning on just having Thor apologise with only words, then I remembered the weregild concept at the last second and ran with it.

So, the next chapter, 'Harsh Climate', is coming right up. Consider that my weregild.