All that I want
Is to wake up fine
Tell me that I'm alright
That I ain't gonna die
All that I want
Is a hole in the ground
You can tell me when it's alright
For me to come out

-Hard Times; by Paramore

Opal chose to take her time getting ready. She already dealt with a chaotic morning, she wasn't in the mood to deal with worry-crazed friends. Which, for one, Opal couldn't understand why neither Jane nor Darcy decided to call and check in on them. It seemed out of character for those two. Unless they tag-teamed and flooded Opal's phone with calls and texts, which would probably make sense. Considering Erik hadn't received anything, the mutant would probably be the likely choice in having her phone ambushed. With a sigh, after she finished dressing, she chose not to brush her hair. Pulling it back into a ponytail, Opal walked out of her bedroom with her keys in hand and tennis shoes in the other. Thor stood just outside the kitchen, looking a little unsure on what he should be doing.

"Are you ready to go?" Opal asked.*

Thor nodded. "I was waiting for you," he mumbled.

"You're gonna need shoes if you're planning on coming with me."

Looking down at his feet for a moment, Thor gave a sheepish chuckle before going to find his shoes. Opal couldn't help but smile a little. Someone as big as Thor was so uncertain with what to do, with how to approach things. Sure, there were a lot of things about him that didn't make sense, but he was really trying. Opal could say that it was his upbringing that made him behave so oddly. The man claimed to be a prince from another world, that he'd one day "rule the Nine Realms", whatever that meant. Certainly Thor's family impacted him enough to make him behave obnoxiously before the crater site, but it was obvious he loved them. But whatever went down with him and Erik had the biggest impact of all. It actually gave Thor a taste of humility. He wasn't sauntering around like he did before. He wasn't demanding things be given to him and he didn't have the same attitude as before. He was being respectful, patient. It was almost like the new Thor was something he wasn't accustomed to. Like he wasn't used to people treating him a certain way. All Opal could really think of, at that moment, was whether or not Thor would remain how he was, or if he'd revert back to how he was before.

When Thor came back with some tennis shoes on, Opal chuckled a little. They weren't on properly, and she motioned for him to sit down while she helped adjust them.

"When I'm putting on shoes, I find it better to untie them first, and then put them on." Opal glanced up at him for a second. Thor was observing what she was doing intently, his brows furrowed a little. "That's just how I do it."

"I'm sorry for any trouble I've been causing," he sighed. "This is something I'm not very used to."

"Putting on tennis shoes?" With a chuckle, she finished what she was doing and did a quick double-check on her work. "It's not that hard, honestly. Some shoes are easier to put on than others."

"On Asgard, we don't have the kinds of attire Midgardians have." Thor stood up, his mouth thinned to a straight line. "I rarely ever left the palace to come here before my banishment."

"Well, I'll be sure to help you adjust, your highness," Opal muttered playfully.

"You don't have to call me that. I'm not a prince anymore."

Looking up at him, the mutant's eyes narrowed a little. He seemed genuinely upset. His eyes were clouded over a little and his brows seemed more furrowed than before. With a nod, Opal finished putting her shoes on and stood at her full height, letting out a sigh.

"I think it's about time we start heading out." Opal's comment snapped Thor out of his thoughts. He frowned at her for a moment before nodding in return.

O.O.O.O

The journey to Jane's apartment seemed to take longer than usual. Maybe it was Opal, who still, possibly on a subconscious level, didn't want to deal with her friend's reaction. As much as Opal appreciated her friend, she knew Jane had a habit of blowing things out of proportion. That was part of Jane's personality. For Opal, she found it to be completely frustrating. However, her friend may be justified in any freak outs she may have. So would Darcy. While Darcy wasn't exactly as outspoken, in some situations, she knew when to speak her mind. That was something Opal liked about Jane's assistant. Regardless of their reactions, the feeling of time going slower to the apartment building was odd. It felt almost difficult to describe, although Opal wanted to believe it was her subconscious trying to slow her down. Either way, she was taking her time.

Thor, on the other hand, seemed rather antsy. He didn't seem to care so much for the leisurely walk. For Opal, she deduced his restless demeanor was something he just couldn't shake, no matter the circumstance.

"What's gotten you all riled up?" Opal asked. She glanced over at him for a minute, seeing how he'd occasionally wring his hands in front of him. It took him a moment to answer, however.

"I'm just worried," he murmured.

"About what?"

"I haven't been the most respectful person here, for starters." The humorless chuckle that accompanied Thor's words made Opal frown a little. "And I also fear what Jane's reaction will be once we return her journal."

"I can understand why you feel that way," Opal sighed. "But I can assure you that Jane will be more than pleased to have her journal back. It's the foundation for her research." For a moment, Opal swore a look of brief reassurance swept across Thor's face, but he still looked a bit antsy. "As for how you were before, does that really matter at this point? You've changed. We can put all of what happened before behind us. How does that sound?"

Letting out a breath, Thor nodded. After his discussion with Erik, and his late-night talk with Opal, he'd been so worried on how he could better himself as a person. Obviously behaving like the arrogant prince he'd been on Asgard was unacceptable. It was that kind of behavior that got him banished to begin with, that and his recklessness. After everything that's happened, everything he's been through since his banishment, Thor was going to do what he could to be the kind of man he needed to be. One who wasn't so obsessed with war and violence; one who didn't attack first and question later. To think it only took him being banished to realize how much of a fool he was.

"Feeling a little better?" Opal pressed. Again, Thor nodded. "Just remember, Jane'll be ecstatic to have her journal back. OK?"

O.O.O.O

The rest of the journey to Jane's apartment went by smoothly. Thor did his best to keep himself calm. Part of him still worried about Jane's reaction to her journal's return, and another part of him was unsure on how the townspeople would think of him. He'd certainly made an impression of himself upon his arrival, and he came to know it wasn't a good one. Opal had done a good job trying to keep him calm, and for the most part it was sort of working. Thor wasn't as concerned as he'd previously been, but it lingered for what felt like a lifetime. All he wanted was for it to stop, for him to feel a true sense of calm and relaxation. If Midgard was going to be his new home, he wanted to make the best of it.*

Once the duo made it to Jane's apartment, they were met with Darcy, whose eyes became as big as saucers.

"Holy crap, what happened to you two?!" she exclaimed. "Jane and I were worried sick!"

"Seriously?" Opal scoffed. She and Thor made their way into the apartment. Darcy's eyes were still wide, an expression of disbelief and worry etched on her face.

"Yeah seriously." The assistant's eyes narrowed slightly, a scowl appearing on her face. "Erik was about to have a heart attack by the time he dropped Jane off last night! He told us not to leave, under any circumstances."

"Where's Jane?" Thor asked.

"She went out shopping. It's like she's incapable of listening sometimes."

"Do you mind if Thor and I stick around for a little bit?" Opal asked.

"Do you have to ask?" The sarcastic remark caused Opal to roll her eyes. "I don't know when Jane's coming back, but I'm assuming it's soon. She left over half an hour ago."

"You don't think she's doing anything stupid, do you?"

Darcy seemed to think about the question for a moment, her shoulders stiffening before relaxing. She and Opal knew that when Jane got upset about something, she'd get a bit impulsive. Once that mindset set in, there was no way to really get it out.

"God, I hope not." Rubbing her face, Darcy let out a frustrated sigh. "I don't think I can handle anymore craziness."

"I can assure you, everything should be fine from here on out," Thor promised, sounding more sure of himself.

With a nod, Darcy crossed her arms over her chest. "That's good." There was a moment of silence between the three of them. They just wanted to appreciate a moment of normalcy. It seemed like that feeling was becoming increasingly harder to find. It was almost unfortunate. "Can either of you at least tell me if Erik's OK?" Darcy asked.

(A/N):

First off, I'm so sorry for the wait on this chapter. I've been so overwhelmed with school and work that this was pushed to the very bottom of my to-do list. Hopefully you guys can forgive me on that. Second, I can assure you that this isn't my best chapter. If you see anything that could use improvement, don't hesitate to let me know, OK? I'd appreciate it. Constructive criticism is always welcome.

Nothing in the MCU belongs to me. All I own are my OCs, my subplots, and a lot of emotions from INFINITY WAR. If you've got ideas for subplots or OCs, don't hesitate to let me know, OK? I'll be sure to add them in as soon as possible.

Just out of curiosity, how many of you guys have seen INFINITY WAR? I don't now if I mentioned this in the previous update, but I've seen the movie, twice, and it honestly fills me with a lot of emotions. Other than that, I don't know what else to say.

I'll see you guys soon.

Thanks.

Judith W