Flash fiction: The Avengers (part 2)

There’s a part of Thor which truly hates being an Avenger. Hates it because he forges these friendships, creates a new home on Earth, only to have it ripped away when he has to return to Asgard. For despite his love for Earth and the Midgardian people, Asgard must always come first.

Submitted by anon

After the Avengers saved Manhattan, Jane Foster was brought back and debriefed by Erik Selvig. Not that a lot of debriefing was required. Jane had been taken somewhere that still did have the news, after all.

The whole time Erik was talking to her, Jane was none too subtle about trying get a glimpse of Thor somewhere in the facility. So it was that several moments passed before Jane properly realised that Erik had stopped talking to her. She had the grace to look sheepish after that.

Very indulgently, Erik said in his deep and gentle voice, “Thor is with the others at Stark Towers." He knew very well that these were perhaps the first words Jane had heard him take in.

Jane didn’t need to know the street address of Stark Towers to get the first cab that pulled over to take her there. As it was, one of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s cars was made available to her. Jane didn’t much care, just so long as she got there quickly.

The pale haired man who opened the door wasn’t someone Jane had ever met, but he seemed to know who she was, for he opened the door wider for her and informed her respectfully where she could find Thor.

When Thor first saw her standing there in the living room, close enough to touch, everything else in the room may as well have disappeared. He stood up from the couch, and in five firm steps Jane was enclosed in his arms.

At the front door, Steve might have been respectful of their need for time alone, but Tony coming out for his afternoon snack was nothing of the sort.

"What’s going on in there?" he asked, starting to move in the direction of the lounge room. 

Steve put up a token resistance, knowing that anything more would stoke Tony’s stubbornness to see for himself. Knowing that anything less would probably have the same effect.

So it was that Thor and Jane had less than fifteen minutes of a reunion to themselves before Tony was standing in the doorway. “Aww, isn’t this sweet?" he said, while Steve stood sheepish and apologetic behind him. “You must be Jane Foster."

The woman in question looked from Steve to Tony and back up to Thor. “Does everyone know?" she asked.

"Oh no," Tony reassured, his eyebrows drawing down over his nose. “Your secret’s quite safe with us." Then he turned his head and called out behind him, “Pepper! We have another person for dinner!"

Pepper’s voice could be heard calling back from some other area of the house. “On it!"

"I’d call Natasha to let her know you girls have an extra number to try to equal this battle of the sexes," Tony continued, attention on Jane once again.

Steve shook his head and muttered in an undertone that Jane heard quit clearly, “There is no battle of the sexes."

Tony gave no indication that he’d heard Steve’s words. “She and Barton have been at it like 16 year olds ever since we saved the world. Well, you know how it is," he said, as though he was sharing some confidence.

Jane raised her eyebrows. Well, she might know how it is, if a certain person left them alone to their reunion. So this was the famous Tony Stark, then. She would have guessed it from the attitude alone, she thought, even had it not been for the glowing device in the middle of his chest.

With a heaved sigh, Steve walked away from them. Moments later, he came back, having called in Pepper for reinforcement.

"Alright, big guy," she said, offering a smile at both her own man and Jane standing there next to Thor. His arm was still protective around her. “How about we let these two have a little private reunion time?" She began tugging on his arm at the same time as shooting an apologetic look towards Jane.

"But…" Tony looked so affronted it was all Jane could do not to laugh. Within moments, Steve, Tony and Pepper had all cleared away and she turned to Thor.

"So, you saved our world again, did you?" Jane leaned into her beloved. “You seem to be making a bit of a habit of that.

Thor gave her a small smile, but no words. What could he say? Saving Earth once had been enough. That had been time enough to forge ties with Erik Selvig and Jane’s friend Darcy, not to mention the love that had formed between himself and Jane Foster. Coming to Earth a second time had ended in branding him one of Earth’s Avengers, had created a home for him on Earth even separate to the one he had fought against forming with Jane. Nothing had changed between this and last time. He still had to return to Asgard once it was assured that no further alien attacks would be committed against Earth.

Asgard still came first to his honour, even if Midgard came first in his heart.

~~

Flash fiction supplied in excitement of the lead up towards S.H.I.E.L.D on ABC!