Thank you everyone for simply reading my story! I have a lot more coming that I'm excited to share with you guys.

Nik1804: I'm glad you liked it and I hope you like this update too :)

"Gum?"

Saniya shook her head and Dorie drew her hand back. Her co-worker took out a piece and smacked it against her teeth.

"Just let me find my phone and we'll leave. I always lose that stupid thing right when I need it." Dorie ran into the kitchen, no doubt to search for her cheap phone behind the piles of stolen library books. Saniya took a seat in a spot that wasn't covered in tattered literature.

She and Dorie weren't exceptionally close, but Saniya knew that she could figure out what was going through the woman's head based on the type of books she was reading. The pile with the least dust was psychology and mental disorder textbooks; books that may have belonged to the nearest university. These were definitely not Dorie's normal reading material, as she preferred books that 'didn't bore her to death'. But since Dorie was always soaking up pages like a sponge, Saniya should be proud that it was something educational instead of another mystery novel.

Normally being well-read and intelligent skipped hand in hand. Dorie was smart in the sense that she could recall an entire book word for word at a drop of a hat, but not in the academic sense. Apparently a photogenic memory did not automatically equal genius. She had flunked out of high school and failed to earn her GED several times. Dorie had to ask for help in adding up the tips and couldn't name the first five presidents if she wanted to. But if Saniya wanted to know what the third customer last Saturday ate for breakfast, Dorie would remember in a second.

If Dorie put her mind and a little more effort into it, Saniya knew that she had the potential of being the smartest person in New York. Maybe as smart as Tony Stark. That woman with a college degree would be downright dangerous in the best kind of way.

There was a loud pop of a bubble and Dorie showed up two seconds later. "Ready?" she asked.

Saniya tried to rub the dark circles away from her eyes. "Ready enough." She forced open the apartment door. The wooden frame threatened to crack apart. "Do you think today's the day that boss will hire someone else to help out?"

Dorie snorted. "No. It's cheaper to have two waitresses working for reasonable pay with unreasonable hours than three."

Their feet hit the sidewalk pavement. The two women made a wide turn around an alley that was the block's illegal dump and kept their eyes towards the ground as they passed two smokers leaning against a brick wall.

Saniya cleared her throat once they were past the men. "Maybe I can put up a sign and find someone so good that he will have to hire them."

Dorie shrugged. "Go ahead, but I won't cover your ass when he chews you out for it." She kicked her shoe at an imaginary pebble. "Saniya?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I ask you a favor?"

Saniya nearly stopped in shock at those words. Dorie was not the type of person to willingly give or accept help. Saniya wasn't much either, so she appreciated the effort it took to ask.

She played off her surprise as a shrug. "Sure, I guess. Depends on how big the favor is."

The gum smacked in Dorie's mouth, faster this time. "I know he has you closing up again tonight, and I was wondering if I could wait behind until you finish. We should walk back together. We live on the same block and do this every morning, anyways."

The favor wasn't anything Saniya couldn't manage. It was more of an inconvenience for Dorie than her. "That sounds fine. There had been more muggings lately, so I think we should just do that every night," she reasoned. Dorie blew out a deep breath. Saniya frowned. "Are you okay? Did something happen?"

Her co-worker fumbled to unlock the restaurant door. "Probably just someone messing with me," she muttered.

Saniya's dark eyebrows drew together. It must've been a big enough deal to break their daily routine, but Dorie would not like her commenting on that. So she just nodded and kept her worry bubbling underneath. "Okay. But remember, we're teammates." She playfully punched Dorie's shoulder. "You can count on me."

Dorie rolled her eyes. "You're so cheesy." She kicked the door in the 'sweet spot'. It flung open, rattling against the frame.

"It's true, though."

Dorie stood still for several moments. She bit the inside of her mouth. "Thank you," she said so quietly that Saniya almost didn't catch it. "Now, let's get to work."

The morning trudged along at a pace slower than a snail's. The breakfast rush wasn't much of a rush, even for them. Dorie abandoned Saniya two hours after opening in favor of her new passion: psychology. She was curled up behind the counter with her nose in the textbook. Occasionally she wrinkled her nose, then flipped back a couple pages. But the turning of paper was always a constant, no matter which direction she was going.

Saniya swung her feet back and forth while she sat on the edge of the counter, right above her co-worker's head. She was silently begging each passing person to come into the restaurant, just so she could have something to do. Saniya considered jumping off the roof to pass the time, but she remembered how much trouble she got in after her boss caught her picking the lock on the roof door. No, she was not going to go through that again. Her fingers unconsciously passed over the tally mark from yesterday. Maybe she could break more glass over her foot. That seemed like a more appealing idea than doing nothing.

The door chimed. Saniya was immediately on her feet. Standing in the doorway was Thor, in the same outfit as yesterday, carrying a bouquet of roses. He lumbered towards her with the biggest smile.

"Oh, crap," she whispered in horror. Dorie didn't even look up.

So many things ran through her mind. Was he stalking her? Did he fall in love with her and that's why he bought her flowers? God, she hoped that wasn't the case. Thor was an attractive man, but not the type of guy she wanted as a boyfriend. If he was here to ask her out, she vowed to let him down with all the kindness buried in her bones. Thor was respectful enough for her to crush his heart as softly as she could.

He looked like a crier. Saniya did not want to make him cry.

"Hello, Lady Saniya," he greeted.

She tilted her head up at what felt like a ninety-degree angle. "Hello... Thor, right?"

He bobbed his head. Thor handed her the bouquet, which she quickly set on the counter. "I came to explain and apologize for my actions."

"Lady Darcy once mentioned that Midgardians all across the land have different cultures, and it was ignorant of me to think otherwise." He slapped a hand on her shoulder. All of her bones rattled like a xylophone. "As an official, complete apology for all of my past and future misdoings, I wish to give you these flowers and offer to pay for a lunch of your choosing." His blonde eyebrows furrowed. "I do not know many dining options in this city you call New York, so I was hoping we would dine here."

Her stomach rumbled. Lunch would be nice. Plus, there wasn't much risk eating here with a man she barely knew, not with so many witnesses. Dorie was here to watch out for her and hopefully the lunch rush would be coming soon.

"You're paying, right?" she clarified.

His face lit up at what he perceived as a yes. Thor nodded.

"And," she hesitated, "this isn't a date."

He frowned. "I do not know what a date is, but I assure you my advances are platonic."

Saniya felt a tension leave her shoulders. That was all she needed to hear.

Saniya stuffed a piece of bacon in her mouth. The man before her stared with admiration.

"You have an appetite of a warrior," he proclaimed.

A smile graced her lips. Once again, Thor was growing on her. Saniya shrugged. "I don't usually have lunch and all I had was an apple for breakfast."

He swished chocolate milk around his mouth in thought. Thor swallowed loudly. "And... you mortals need much more food than that, correct?"

"Correct."

"Then why do you not eat more food? I understand that it is unhealthy for one to not have enough nutrition."

Her cheeks threatened to set themselves on fire. Saniya casually stabbed her pancake. "It's because I am almost falling below the poverty line. The stupid alien invasion made everything super expensive here! The city needs to milk all the money out of us to rebuild the precious buildings that I'll never set foot in," she ranted, her voice getting louder and louder. "My rent for my crappy apartment shot sky-high and I can't afford to eat three meals a day. God, I am such a failure at being an adult!" Her face fell into her hands.

Everything froze. Not literally, though she wished. Saniya considered going back in time and reversing her passionate outburst. It was embarrassing enough to get into one of her 'moods' in front of friends, but a stranger? The rant itself didn't mortify the woman —as she did that a lot about many different topics— but what embarrassed her was that with one question all of her economic woes spewed out of her mouth like a faucet. Thor didn't want to hear about her money problems, like most people, but she unleashed her baggage nonetheless.

Thor's eyes dropped to the table. Suddenly, he pulled out a wallet that looked like it was bought that day. His huge fingers removed two crisp hundred dollar bills and slid it into her palm. If her skin was pale like his, her face would be a tomato. Saniya was quick to shove the money back.

Thor blinked. "Lady Saniya, I am giving you this money to help you feed yourself," he stated.

She forced a grin. "I know, and that's really sweet, but I can take care of myself." Saniya gestured to her body. "I'm still alive, so I must be doing something right. Just forget I said anything."

His face screwed into a strange expression, as if thinking almost hurt. Thor rubbed the side of his neck. "If you do not want to take my money," he started slowly, "then I propose you dine with me every lunch." Saniya opened her mouth, but Thor must have sensed her about to decline his offer since he was quick to interrupt. "All my friends are away. My only companion here in New York cannot leave his home. You will be keeping me company while we feast on New York's Best."

The booth groaned as she shifted her weight. "I don't know."

Thor's face softened. "Let me help you. Allow me to do a small part in aiding those who were wronged by the Chitauri."

Saniya twisted her fingers together. All he was asking for was company during a meal, not proposing marriage. One should never turn down an opportunity for free food. "Okay," she conceded. Thor beamed and shouted for another round of waffles.

Little did Saniya know that her tendency towards potentially dangerous situations and Thor's deep-rooted desire to protect every living creature on Midgard would blossom a great friendship between the two. The next weeks were spent laughing in between bites of breakfast foods and talking about trivial facts, such as what was on television the night before or celebrity gossip. Each conversation was light hearted. Without Thor, she would not have been nearly as enthusiastic about going to work. It also helped that she got free food out of the deal.

It wasn't until three weeks and two days into their new relationship that they burst the thin layer between acquaintances and friends.

She generously poured syrup on her pancakes while keeping one eye on Thor. Something was bothering him. Thor had a far off look to his normally sharp eyes. His shoulders slumped somewhat and he was less energetic. This crumpled appearance was worse than normal. Saniya noticed his deteriorating energy from the first week, happening more and more as the days went on. The duty of speaking up fell to her.

"So, who's the lady?"

He looked up with wide, innocent eyes. "The lady?"

"Yeah, who's the lady that you're so in love with?" she asked. Saniya shrugged. "Or man." She shook her fork at him. "All I know is that someone stole your heart."

Thor ducked his head. "How did you know-?"

Saniya held back a snort. "You look exactly like I did after my first boyfriend moved away to Chicago: heartbroken." Her body unconsciously leaned forward, eager for information. "What's their name?"

His face turned wistful; he reminded her of an old man recalling fond memories. Thor's eyes brightened several shades of blue. "Her name is Jane Foster. She is the smartest and loveliest Midgardian I have ever met in all my years. I have not seen her in months though I hope to see her again soon."

She stared at him for several seconds. This was the first personal fact that Thor had shared with her. The confession instantly made their relationship feel more... intimate. Not in a romantic sense, of course. Thor was too much of a teddy bear for her to ever think of anything more than friends. But the newfound intimacy made their friendship more secure.

"I believe you will," she said after several moments.

Thor smiled at her. "I believe so too."

The last of the bacon found its way to her mouth. "Do you want to talk about her?"

He shook his head. "I cannot."

Saniya deflated under the rejection. But she shouldn't have expected anything in the first place. That was Thor's business, and the only person that needed to know about it was Thor.

He placed a gentle hand on her arm. "Talking about her will only make me miss her more. I thank you for the offer. You truly are a caring friend."

Thor's confession of a long-distance relationship with Jane Foster allowed the two to share more openly with each other. From then on, they talked about more and more personal matters. Saniya briefly described her time in the homeless shelter and aspirations of becoming a mechanic while Thor narrated stories of his childhood. They shared all the details they could while actively avoiding the topic of family. That was the one thing that neither wanted to talk about. Not once was it brought up, and both were happy with that.

Other than family, no subject was taboo. Though Thor actively skipped around certain subjects, most of the time he was open. Saniya noticed whenever he was thinking of a lie (he was terrible at lying; his voice was too high and his fingers twitched), but never called him out on it despite how obvious it was.

In return, Thor didn't force information out of her. He was naturally curious, but his mentality was the same. If Saniya didn't want to talk about something, he wasn't going to ask about it. Perhaps it was the mutual understanding that allowed them to get along so well.

Whatever it was, they were grateful for it.

Saniya peeled off her uniform top in favor for a white tank top. She used a stack of menus as a makeshift fan. Air conditioners were not perfect, so it was not surprising when it broke before closing yesterday. What was unexpected was their boss refusing to hire a repairman. He insisted on fixing it himself, but he needed more prodding than Dorie to do something, so no one expected it to be fixed for at least another three days.

Dorie placed a bag of ice on her forehead. "It's too hot to concentrate," she moaned. The woman threw her book to the ground.

Saniya was tempted to peek into the kitchen. "Do you think the cook skipped out on us?"

"I would. It's like ninety million degrees in the kitchen." Dorie turned over to her stomach. She unabashedly laid on the counter. Good thing no health inspectors were around to see. "You're from India, right?"

She stiffened. "My parents are. I was born here."

"This must be what it feels like to live there," Dorie complained.

Saniya gulped down a glass of lukewarm water. "I think it's more of a humid heat," she guessed. "This is just dry and hot."

The door chimed open. Neither woman needed to see who it was. Only one person came around this time like a loyal golden retriever. Saniya popped up and practically ran to the door. Thor was confused when she dragged him back outside.

"Bring back some more ice," Dorie requested. She held up her half-melted bag as evidence. Saniya called back that she would then rushed out the door.

Oddly enough, it was cooler outside than in the restaurant. She basked in the summer breeze. The sweat lifted off her body, leaving behind a cool and refreshed woman. Saniya could not wait for August to be over with.

She looped her arm around Thor's much larger one. "The restaurant is a sauna. We will die of heatstroke if we stay in there," Saniya explained.

Thor nodded. "Yes, it is best for Midgardians not to exert themselves." He glanced back at the door. "Shall we invite Lady Dorie to join us? She appeared quite warm."

Saniya shook her head. "Someone has to take care of the customers and she's taking her break after I get back. Dorie will be fine. Let's go get some lunch somewhere else for a change."

Thor glanced up and down the street. His eyebrows drew together. "I do not see any other dining establishments in the vicinity. Perhaps we should try our luck in New York's Best." His large hands reached for her arm.

Her dark hair flopped back into a ponytail. Saniya wiped her hands on her pants after touching her sweaty locks. "Don't worry, I know a cheap hot dog cart guy that gives out free ketchup. He's usually down two blocks on the corner," Saniya reassured. Thor still appeared somewhat stressed, which was understandable. They weren't in the nicest part of the city. "If someone tries to mess with us, I'll defend you."

That sparked something in his eyes. "As the stronger and the one with more experience in combat, that job will fall unto me. I, Thor Odinson, vow to protect you with my life."

She rolled her eyes. "You're always so dramatic."

They walked down the long stretch of sidewalk, side by side. Nobody paid them any attention. Even Thor, who was a walking skyscraper, didn't get any second glances or wide-eyed stares. And with him by her side, the usual cat-callers left Saniya alone, which she was immensely grateful for. Maybe she should walk with Thor more often.

Thor was less than amazed with the lack of attention. His eyes darted everywhere, maybe looking for hidden dangers. She didn't know. He walked with half of her hidden behind him.

Saniya paused when she passed a newspaper stand. One article caught her eye. The title stood out in bold letters: The Meteorological Phenomena of the Century. Below were several pictures of rain clouds with red puddles underneath. She vaguely remembered this being mentioned on the news last night. In Texas, it rained blood in part of the city. Scientists said that it was a compound that resembled blood, however, conspirators were quick to cry aliens and government cover-ups. She prayed that nothing like that would happen in NYC. They already had their fill of crazy.

"Thor, isn't this weird? Blood raining from the sky, imagine that." She pointed to the newspaper.

He blanched. His fingers twitched by his sides. "I know nothing about that," Thor declared.

She was used to Thor saying odd things, so she let it go.

When she spied the small cart in the distance, she pointed it out to Thor who proclaimed his doubt of such a small cart holding enough food to feed a city. There was a small line, but it was moving fast. Saniya dreaded the fact that she soon would be back in the boiling restaurant. This thought made her move her legs a little slower.

Suddenly Thor perked up. He almost jumped in the air with joy. "Bruce! My friend, Bruce! It is me. Thor!" Thor waved his hand wildly. The hammer attached to his belt loop shook with the rest of his body.

A man who was patiently waiting in line looked over. He squinted his eyes and stared at Thor in surprise. Bruce walked over to the two, gaze still on Thor. The top buttons of the man's shirt were unbuttoned to compensate for the hot summer day. The sleeves were also rolled up to his elbows. But other than that, he was still dressed in a nice shirt and pants. Poor guy must had been melting.

"Wow, I didn't recognize you in normal clothes," he commented.

"It is truly fortunate to see you here in such a large city." Thor flashed a toothy smile. "Friend Bruce, I was not told that you were back."

"I was flown in last minute by..." His eyes flashed to Saniya and the other people nearby. Bruce let his sentence drift off. Thor nodded with understanding. "From what I heard, Natasha and Clint are finishing up in Texas and will be back by the end of the week. Steve cut his road trip short soon after I was called in."

"I am glad!" he boomed. Several people turned around at the outburst. "I cannot wait to see my friends again. I have missed them all dearly." Thor smacked his hand down on Bruce's shoulder, probably in what meant to be a friendly tap. "I have also missed you, Bruce. Not just the others."

He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I've missed you too, big guy." Bruce tried to pry Thor's hand off his shoulder. He winced as Thor's grip never faltered and the 'big guy' was blissfully unaware of his friend's discomfort.

Saniya swayed on her feet. The small movement was enough to catch Thor's attention. He removed his hand from Bruce, who rolled his shoulder back and forth, and latched onto hers. Her knees almost gave away. That man was just too strong.

"This is Saniya. She has grown to be my friend as well," Thor introduced. Bruce's eyes roved over to her. For a second she could have sworn she saw suspicion, but it faded away to a friendly gaze.

She smiled with fake enthusiasm like she often did as a waitress. "It's nice to meet you."

The corners of his mouth lifted up in a small response. "It's nice to meet you too."

Saniya lightly slapped Thor on the chest. "I'm going to go buy some hot dogs while you two catch up."

As she got in line, she barely made out the words of Thor inviting Bruce to eat at New York's Best with them. A sharp pang —that could only be described as jealousy— stabbed through her. Thor was her friend, and now she had to fight for his attention.

Everything about her jealousy was wrong. She wasn't his owner. If Thor wanted to bring other people with him into their tradition, that was fine. He had that right, especially since he was paying for the meals.

Despite that, Saniya was not happy with Bruce. Not at all.