"Not being secure affects us as humans. It throws us off our balance. It puts us in disarray."

-Sonequa Martin-Green

Opal wasn't sure how long she'd been asleep, but it didn't feel long enough. Her body felt heavy and her eyelids even heavier. When Opal finally managed to open her eyes, she had to blink back the grittiness before she could focus on her surroundings. She was in her bedroom, tangled in a blanket. A wave of confusion washed over her before she started to recall the night before. Opal had been talking to Thor for a better part of the whole night, she did remember getting really tired, but she didn't really remember what happened after that.

That was when it started to make sense to her – Thor must have put her to bed. An almost embarrassed blush came across Opal's face. How conscious had she been at the time? Did she say anything stupid? What would he say to her once she left her bedroom? If he was still around, that is. The awkwardness he displayed after dropping Erik off had been a definite curve ball, considering Thor had been so consistent in his overly confident persona before. Maybe whatever happened between him and Erik during their drinks awakened something in him.

Slowly getting out of bed, Opal rubbed her eyes and let out a sigh. Turning to look at her clock, she saw it was midafternoon. Untangling herself from her blanket, she shuffled out of bed and paused for a moment. There was a smell she hadn't caught before. It was overwhelmingly bitter, but also a little burnt. Stumbling into her kitchen, Opal caught Thor struggling to work Erik's coffee machine, a look of complete bewilderment on his face as he tried figuring out the buttons. The contents inside were so burnt it almost looked like it had charred itself to the thermal carafe. The smell intensified once Opal reached the kitchen, and she crinkled her nose in disgust. She wasn't much of a coffee drinker, though she did enjoy the general smell of the caffeinated drink. Once it got all burnt and overdone, she'd get sick.

"What are you doing?" she muttered. Stomping over, Opal turned the machine off and removed the carafe to pour out whatever liquids remained.

"I was attempting to make that delicious beverage from before," Thor stammered, his cheeks turning a light pink. "That is where it's done, right?"

"Yes." Opal sighed and buried her face in her hands. "Don't touch it if you can't work it, OK? You'll end up breaking the damn thing."

"My apologies," he rumbled. "I didn't mean to make such a mess."

Removing her hands, Opal could see there was a bit of a mess around the coffee machine, too. A few spilt contents here and there, but nothing that couldn't be easily cleaned up. "Just...check on Erik, please?" she sighed. "I'll clean this up." With a silent nod, the tall blonde walked out of the room to go check on Erik. It was a surprise the smell wasn't making him sick, seeing as he was super intoxicated the previous night. Opal did have to give Erik credit, however, if he managed to sleep through the whole thing. But, once Thor was out of the room, the young mutant ran a hand through her auburn hair, her green eyes taking in the failed attempt to make coffee. The one thing she was impressed by was how quickly Thor seemed to understand the mechanics of the coffee machine. He didn't seem at all tech savvy, so that must be a big step forward for him.

O.O.O.O

When Thor made it to Erik's room, he quietly peaked in, seeing the older man sprawled on his bed, mumbling a little in his sleep. For the most part, it seemed as though he remained unaware of his surroundings, probably sleeping off the last remnants of the previous night. Thor had been pleasantly surprised at how entertaining Erik was when drunk, how easily he could get riled up when provoked. It was an experience the tall blonde wouldn't mind going through again. Maybe it'd allow the two men to truly bond.

Once he'd left the room, Thor made his way back into the kitchen, where Opal was scraping some of the cooked on coffee off the carafe. Her brows were furrowed and her lips were pursed into a thin line. Thor could see how her shoulders hunched a little, as if she were in her own little world. Her auburn hair was a wild mess, and there was a hint of exhaustion radiating off her.* A small smile came across Thor's face at that. He thoroughly enjoyed the chance of taking in Opal's features. Why he hadn't done so earlier didn't make sense to him. Maybe it was because she tried so hard to make herself invisible. The way she had spoken of herself, of others like her, made Thor wonder why they were feared and hated so much. Opal was a genuine person, and he admired that about her. Combined with her fiery attitude, and she seemed almost invincible in Thor's eyes. She would have made for a fine warrior on Asgard. Female fighters were a rarity on his homeworld, with Sif being among the few Thor was acquainted with. Asgardian women were respected to a degree, though they were seen in that culture to provide heirs for the rich. To be the house moms, the caretakers. Men fought the battles, brought honor to their families and kingdom.

Thor's shoulders slumped. Odin and Frigga had taught him that, one day, he'd find himself a bride who'd bear him children, the future heirs to Asgard. He believed wholeheartedly in that. He thought the ideas of women fighting alongside men was astounding – he'd always admired the Valkyries as a young boy, always exclaiming how he wanted to be one – but he knew that Asgard had certain societal expectations for everyone. But Opal...she had a warrior's spirit, Thor could see it. He could see the determination to keep her friends safe, he could see she did have a level of self-preservation, as well. Sadly, Opal, from Thor's understanding, didn't hold herself in high regards. She knew what others thought of her, what they thought of her community. Her family had abandoned her because of her powers. Humans saw her as a freak of nature. Very few people showed genuine concern or interest in her.

Squaring his shoulders slightly, Thor promised himself all over again that he'd be there for her. She deserved to have someone show her just how worthwhile her company was, how important her as a person was. Opal may not see it, but Thor would do everything in his power to make her see it.

(A/N):

What do you guys think? This chapter is significantly shorter than the previous one, so I hope you can forgive me on that. But whatever criticism you can muster up for this chapter would be very helpful. I'm always willing to read what you guys think!

Nothing in the MCU belongs to me. All I own are my OCs and the subplots I put in. If you've got ideas for OCs/subplots, PM me or leave a review. I'll try and add them in as quickly as possible.

As a side note, I've heard BLACK PANTHER has been receiving phenomenal reviews. To me, I'm super excited to see it. Lupita Nyong'o and Danai Gurira are two of my favorite actresses and they're both in the same movie. So, really hyped about that. I also am really interested in how they incorporate T'Challa/Black Panther in a solo movie. Obviously they're doing something right, because people are loving it. Anywho, I digress.

Thanks a bunch.

Judith W