"And as frightening as it can be, that pain will make you stronger. If you allow yourself to feel it, embrace it, it will make you more powerful than you ever imagined. It's the greatest gift we have: to bear their pain without breaking. And it comes from the most human part of us: hope."

-Professor X; from X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)

Darcy was a bit baffled. No, not a bit baffled; extremely baffled. Opal had explained, to the best of her abilities, seeing both an intoxicated and hungover Erik Selvig. That alone blew Darcy's mind. The two women knew that the scientist rarely ever drank, if ever. They knew that if he did decide to have a drink, it would be in small portions and not enough to even get him tipsy. So hearing that he'd been shit-faced and horribly hungover, it was like something out of a nightmare. It didn't feel real. Darcy just couldn't wrap her head around it. But then she noticed something else, something Opal had failed to mention before. Thor. Supposedly, the guy was going to go find something out of town. Some hammer or satellite or whatever. Darcy didn't think the details really mattered at that point, considering her focus was shifting from Erik's hangover to Thor's return. It added to her baffledness and brought up some confusion, as well. But, not only was Thor in Opal's company, but he was also different. Significantly different. Unlike his previous behavior - loud, obnoxious, and a bit narcissistic - he was presenting himself as quiet, well-mannered, and a bit awkward. A complete reversal of the man Darcy previously met and tased. It made her wonder what had really happened to lead to such a drastic personality change. She just chose not to ask, if Opal or Thor decided to give out those details, they would at the right time.

"Jane's OK though, right?" Opal asked. "God, I probably already asked, didn't I?"

"Actually you didn't." Darcy let out a sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. "She's fine. Nothing weird happened since you guys left. She's just stress shopping, maybe even asking around to see if anyone's seen you guys since last night."

Wincing, Opal let out a defeated sigh. "I'm sorry," she grumbled.

"With all due respect, it should be me who apologizes," Thor gently intervened. "It was because of my selfishness that everything went bad. I didn't mean to cause any harm or bad feelings."

"No, you didn't," Darcy said, before rethinking her words. "Well, maybe you did cause some problems, but no bad feelings. We're all just worried for each other; that's natural."

"Do you know how much longer Jane's supposed to be gone?" Opal asked, shifting where she stood anxiously.

"I don't know. I'd like to think she's coming home pretty soon."

Nodding, Opal tried for a smile. "Well, hopefully she does," she commented. "Thor managed to snag her journal at the crater site."

Mouth dropping and brows raised, Darcy looked between friend and acquaintance in shock. They'd traveled to the crater site? And Thor managed to get something of Jane's back?! That was risky, that was bold, that was incredibly...stupid. Darcy wanted to yell at them, to tell them that their reckless behavior could've gotten them seriously injured, arrested, or killed. And neither of those options sounded nice.

"Are you serious?" Darcy sputtered. "You got her journal back?"

Thor gave a hesitant nod. "It was the only thing I could retrieve from the location," he commented.

"Weren't there security guards and everything?"

"A few," Opal added. "It wasn't anything to worry about." She tried her best to keep out the whole Coulson part. Opal knew that if she mentioned those weird, suited men being the ones responsible for the crater site, then she'd have a thousand and one more questions. But Darcy, in certain situations, was quick to catch onto things. And she caught onto one thing Opal and Thor overlooked.

"Wait," she said, "why'd a bunch of scientists at a crater site have Jane's journal?" When neither of them answered the question, Darcy's lips pursed. "Did you see those weird guys at the site? Were they the ones running the joint?"

"I mean...," Opal shrugged a little, hoping to find a meaningful answer. "We weren't in too much trouble."

"Opal, are you guys insane?" Darcy cried. "Who knows what they could've done to you guys! They're like, government crazies, for all we know! They stole Jane's stuff. I'm pretty sure that's illegal without special papers."

"Yeah, I know. But at least with her journal, she can start her research over."

"I guess," Darcy sighed. "But that means late-night expeditions and having to check and re-check all of her stuff. I came here to finish college, not get myself killed over stars and the weather."

"I see nothing wrong with observing the stars," Thor chimed in. "Back home, I'd learn about the constellations and their history. The birth and death of stars, their uses for other planets - it was all very interesting for me."

Opal and Darcy looked at Thor in a stunned silence. They wouldn't have taken him for a stargazing kind of guy. In all honesty, they wouldn't have guessed he'd be interested in anything other than being a dick before. But, it seemed as though the new attitude he was displaying was showing more and more the kind of person he was becoming. Not only that, Thor didn't really talk about how interested he was in stargazing with Opal. He didn't really talk too much about his hobbies to her.

"Is that what Jane's studies are about?" Thor pressed, trying to get the two women to stop staring at him. "Stars and constellations?"

"No," Opal said, blinking back her initial surprise. "Well, sort of, maybe. She's been doing a lot of studying on the atmosphere. Plus a little bit on auroras."

A thoughtful look swept across Thor's features. "Auroras are quite beautiful," he murmured. "What research has Jane gathered on them, I could be of assistance."

Before either of them could really continue, the door to Jane's apartment slammed open, with the brunette standing on the other end with grocery bags in hand. A wide array of expressions swept across her features before she settled on angry, confused, and irritation. Quickly storming into her apartment and slamming the door shut, Jane nearly threw her groceries on the ground before practically sprinting over to where Thor and Opal stood. If that wasn't frightening enough, in Opal's mind, hearing her pretty much yelling was even worse.

"Where the hell did you guys go?!" Jane barked. "I've been worried sick! Erik ran off, he didn't tell me or Darcy where he was going. Not only that, but I hear he's gotten into a bar fight!"

When she took the time to breathe, that was when Opal chose to say something. "Look, we're all fine," she said, trying to calm her friend down. At that moment, Jane was red-faced and still struggling to control her erratic breathing. Her body was trembling and her hands were clenching and unclenching. "There was a bit of a disagreement between us, but it's good now," Opal tried, putting her hands on Jane's shoulders. "We've settled it, OK? Quit worrying."

"How can I not worry?" Jane exclaimed. "I couldn't get ahold of you guys and Erik wouldn't tell us anything! How can I not feel that way? Not to mention Erik was pretty much driven into a bar."

"It was my fault," Thor said quickly, taking a hesitant step forward. "I pressured Opal into accompanying me in a dangerous mission. Erik is the reason why we're both safe. I owe him, and Opal, everything."

There was a long moment of silence, the four of them anxiously looking at each other, unsure on how to proceed. The air felt heavy and uncertain, the emotions were running high and it seemed almost impossible to tone it down. After a long two minutes, Opal cleared her throat and pushed Jane's journal at her. After all, that was the point of the whole trip.

"Thor managed to grab it the other night," she said. "It was the only thing he could get."

Looking at it in bewilderment, Jane hesitantly grabbed it, as if she couldn't quite believe what was happening. Swallowing thickly, she glanced up at Thor before smiling. "Thank you so much," she exclaimed, throwing herself on Thor in a hug. "This will help me restart my research!"

Thor managed a small smile, placing a hand on the small of Jane's back.

After a minute, Jane pulled away and held her journal to her chest. The grin still on her face, she let out a shaky breath. "I, uh, I should start going over my notes," she concluded. "I'm still mad at you two...but thanks."

O.O.O.O

"That went better than expected." Opal glanced up at Thor, a hint of a smirk on her face. "Usually Jane can't be that easily distracted when she's mad."

"She claimed to still be upset at us, though," Thor said, his voice questioning.

"Maybe a little, but not a lot."

Thor and Opal chose to stay in Jane's apartment for a little while, just to enjoy spending a little time with them. Darcy managed to convince Jane to let them all have a break from any planning she'd be doing, which she happily agreed on. Considering they all had a long night, the last thing they wanted was to jump back into fieldwork. For Thor and Opal, they were residing on the couch, watching television while Jane was scurrying around her apartment looking for supplies. While she agreed to not do fieldwork, that wouldn't stop her from starting some indoor work.

"I'm happy we have everything resolved, though," Thor hummed. "I was afraid of what consequences we'd face here."

"Trust me, Jane's not one to hold grudges. She'll be mad for a little while, but that's about it."

With a thoughtful hum, Thor's attention went back to the television. He understood almost immediately how different Midgard was from Asgard. From the people to the culture, everything about the two worlds was so different. Asgard liked to marvel in its brilliance - the people, Thor's people, held themselves in high regard. They liked to view themselves as superior in many aspects. Humans, for example, had that view, but it wasn't as intense. Midgardians did view themselves with a certain level of arrogance, but they also took the time to be with each other. Thor had to admire that about them. In his short time on Earth, he came to understand how deep human bonds went. It's not to say Asgardians were incapable of bonding, but with humans, social status didn't seem to be a problem. Or, maybe that was how Thor viewed it. Opal always made time for her friends, and her relationship with Erik seemed to hold a certain level of familiarity, of an endless spectrum of emotions.

In the end, however, Thor had much to learn. He wasn't accustomed to humans, nor was he used to staying on Midgard for long periods of time. His previous adventures on the planet were always short-lived, with him using his stay to try and impress what he considered to be "simpleminded creatures". His powers were what gained him the moniker "God of Thunder". His very essence caused humans to worship him. But Thor had to wonder if any of that even mattered anymore. Did it really matter, in the long run, if humans worshiped him? Thor wasn't a god anymore. He wasn't a prince. All his powers had been taken away, Mjolnir saw him as unworthy. If Thor was going to live the rest of his days on Earth, the least he could do was learn their customs. What made humans the way they were? Obviously, connections. Thor had his friends back on Asgard, but he seemed to only be limited to them. On Earth, friendships could come from all walks of life. To many, Thor looked like an average human male. He was no different than the next person in their eyes. The only person who knew the truth about his background was Opal, and he was unsure if she even believed him or not. Looking down at her, Thor couldn't help the small smile come across his face. She had spirit, she would've made a fine warrior on Asgard. Her powers would've made her a worthy opponent. But her inability to truly see her potential was disheartening.

"Is there something wrong?" Opal asked.

Blinking, Thor snapped himself out of his thoughts. How long had he been staring at her? Was it long enough to make her uncomfortable? God he hoped he hadn't made her uncomfortable.

"Thor." Her voice, once again, snapped him out of his thoughts. Thor cleared his throat, trying to act nonchalant.

"I'm fine," he grumbled, settling deeper into the sofa.

"Are you sure?" There was a softness in Opal's voice. That softness expressed her concern, which made him let out a soft sigh.

"I know I've expressed this on numerous occasions, but thank you." Thor's admittance wasn't a complete lie. He was very grateful for Opal and her companions for being so considerate. How many people would've given someone like him a second chance? And after all the things he put them through...

"You don't have to thank me," Opal murmured, sounding almost embarrassed. "You've changed. That's what matters."

Thor looked down at her for a moment. Opal's hair was tucked behind her ears, but he noticed how the tips of her ears were a little red. Her cheeks were a soft reddish color, as well. She wouldn't meet his gaze, which was almost endearing in its own right. Thor also noticed the amount of space that was between them. It felt like such a great distance, despite it being just a couple inches. Taking a chance, Thor scooted over, hesitantly slinging one arm over Opal's shoulders once they were close enough. Her body tensed for a moment, and he wondered if he'd done something wrong. Then she relaxed. And he relaxed as a result. Thor had a lot to learn about humans, but he couldn't think of a better place to start than where he was currently at.

(A/N):

First off, sorry for the wait on this chapter. I've been working and trying to finish some homework I let pile up. If you've got ideas on how to improve this story, don't hesitate to let me know, OK? Constructive criticism is key. Also, just as a reminder for those of you who keep leaving me these reviews - when I upload a chapter, and it shows the previous one instead, I'm aware it's happening. I'm the one who's in charge of this story, so I know what's going on whenever I upload something. I'm not posting the previous chapter(s) on purpose, I promise. That's just what happens whenever I post a new chapter. So if you guys can just be patient with me and not constantly write "you posted the same chapter twice" reviews, I'd appreciate it. Again, this is not something I'm doing on purpose. The chapters will fix sort themselves out if you're patient.

I digress.

Nothing in the MCU belongs to me. All I own are my subplots, my OCs, and a growing love for Fairy Tail. If you've got ideas for OCs or subplots, PM me or leave a review. I'll add them in as soon as possible.

Question for you guys: How many of you have seen DEADPOOL 2? I know it's been out for a little while now, but I'd like to know, for those of you who've seen it, what your thoughts were on the movie. In my opinion, I thought it was a good movie, but the first one's my favorite. Leave your thoughts in the reviews.

I'll see you guys soon.

Thanks

Judith W