“Where is he?!” Brown eyes narrowed as Doreen Green pulled the phone away from her ear, and she could still hear muffled yelling coming from the small rectangle. Her first question, poised right on the tip of her tongue, was to ask how Stark got her number. Then she remembered that it was Tony Stark on the other end of the line, which was an answer in and of itself.

“Take a breath, genius!” The incoherent ranting stopped, and she listened to the heavy puffs of breathing for a few moments. “Now, please explain what the hell you’re on about.”

“That little heathen of yours made off with my suit!” Again, her first reaction was to correct Stark’s word usage. She knows he’s talking about Monkey Joe, who is her absolute best friend, but she knows it won’t do any good. Stark’s clearly in a tizzy and won’t listen to reason.

“Like, your whole suit? Because that’s impressive. I’m high-fiving him for that.” There was a frustrated sounding scream over the line, so she pulled the phone away and counted to three. After that, she brought the little thing back to her ear and waited for Stark to explain a little more.

“It was a piece of my suit, and I want it back!” There was a time when she looked up to this man. Thought that he was a great hero and worthy of all the praise. (Okay, so he is a hero. She may also occasionally praise him. Doesn’t change the fact that he can sometimes act like a giant five year old.)

“Can’t you do that thing where you call it to you, Mister Tech Genius?” There was a silence over the line, possibly an uncomfortable one, and Doreen was suddenly filled with glee. It’s not often that Stark feels uncomfortable. At least not when talking to her.

“He was wearing a piece of it when he escaped the Tower. If I call it back, he could be hurt.”

“Aww! You really do care!” It slipped out of her just as her mind processed it, and Stark huffed. Not angrily. Exasperatedly? Is that a word?

“Where is he?” Stark asked again.

“No idea. He’s allowed to have a life of his own. However, I could be persuaded to track him down for you.” She looked down at her bare feet and wiggled her toes to watch the light in her apartment bounce off of her yellow nail polish. Bright yellow too. It looks cool against her tan skin.

“What do you want?” Stark sounds resigned. Good.

“A great big Stark Industries fundraiser for Save The Squirrels.”

“Is that even a thing?”

“It will be once there’s a fundraiser for it.”

“Deal. Now go get my suit!”

---

The couch shifted a little as Darcy threw herself onto it, and Thor turned his head to look at the mortal girl that he considers to be his closest friend in Midgard. She was dressed in what she referred to as her casual clothes, which just consisted of very tight pants and a loose tee shirt with a red outline on it. Iron Man’s face. As he watched, she twisted around on the large couch and nudged her bare feet against his thigh. She wasn’t smiling, which was uncommon for the usually happy young woman.

“When was the last time you left the Tower?” He opened his mouth to reply, but her foot pushed against his chest before he could answer. “Fighting bad guys doesn’t count.”

“It has been some time since I last enjoyed the sights that this world has to offer,” he admitted quietly.

“Is it Jane?” Darcy’s voice was quiet, and her hand gently settled on his shoulder.

“I miss Jane Foster, but she was right. We are better as friends.” He will never forget Jane Foster, but he does not begrudge her reasoning for leaving. Before him, she had plans for her life. Those plans changed after meeting him, grew and expanded, but her goal remained the same. Despite her fondness for him, she is not ready to give up her pursuit for science.

“Then why are you moping around?” Darcy’s voice was louder now, more questioning and curious, and his brows drew together as he studied her. He is glad that Darcy chose to remain at the Tower with him, even took a job at Stark Industries to stay close, but she confuses him sometimes.

“Moping?” She bit the corner of her bottom lip as she thought, and Thor used the quiet moment to wonder where the others were. The Tower is quiet today.

“When you’re not with the others saving the world or whatever, you’re just sitting around here and watching TV. You should be outside, enjoying life. Go for a run. Find an awesome ice cream shop. Pet a dog. Just, something.” Darcy’s arms waved as she spoke, nearly hitting him in the face once or twice, and Thor took her words to heart. He knows that she is speaking from a place of caring, and she is right. He has confined himself to the Tower. Perhaps some fresh air would do him good.

“You are right, Darcy. I will go out today. Would you like to accompany me?” Her cheeks flushed a dark pink as her eyes widened, but then she blew out a breath and smiled at him.

“I kind of made plans with C—someone. Nothing big. Just a little thing. Maybe we can go out later this week? But you should definitely still go out today too. Fresh air and sunshine are good for your health,” Darcy said quickly. So quickly that some of her words ran together, but Thor was still able to understand her. He placed a hand on top of her head, slightly ruffling her wild hair, and then smiled as she lightly swatted at his arm.

“I will tell you all about my adventures when I return.” Darcy’s smile was bright and even shone out of her eyes, so Thor knew that he had made the right choice. He moved off to the room assigned to him to change his clothes as he decided to go for a run. The Captain always seemed a little more relaxed after a run, so he thought it would be a good place to start.

---

“He’s a squirrel in a hot-rod red metal suit. How hard could he be to find?” Doreen muttered under her breath as she walked through the city. That’s what she thought before leaving her apartment to go looking for her little buddy, but it’s been two hours now! Two hours of nothing! Not even one little lead. She’s already checked most of his favorite hiding spots, but it’s like he’s completely disappeared.

Wait…what if Monkey Joe took off with a flying part of the suit? He’s definitely smarter than the average squirrel, but can he fly a suit? If he can fly the suit, he could be anywhere! He could already be out of the state! Then, once he’s out of state, something could malfunction! He could be lost, in a completely different state and in unfamiliar territory, and she has no way of tracking him! Tracking…Stark should be able to track his own technology, right? If he can’t, she’s revoking his genius status. Since she was already frozen on the sidewalk, she fought to get her phone out of her pocket. Maybe skinny jeans aren’t the best idea, but they’re really stretchy. Just little to no pocket space.

She’d just given a cheer of accomplishment when something barreled into her side, and her own screech echoed in her ears as she rolled against the rough concrete. First she regrets her skinny jeans. Now she’s regretting her cute, strapless, top. The pavement scraped against her skin but didn’t manage to draw blood, and she quickly glanced down to make sure that her top was still in place. Yep, everything was still all covered up. She let her head thunk back against the sidewalk as she sighed in relief, but she yelped again when a face appeared above hers. Right. The thing, person, that had run into her.

“I am incredibly sorry! Do you require assistance?” She didn’t really recognize the accent, and she blinked as the blurry face came into focus. Thick blonde hair pinned back, the clearest blue eyes she’s ever looked into, a strong clean shaven jaw…Her eyes wandered down to take in the way his black tee shirt stretched across his shoulders and chest, and she listened as her teeth clacked together as she forced her mouth to close. Did she get run over by a Greek god or something?

“Uh, yeah, I could use a hand getting up.” She stretched her arm up, palm turned upwards, and smiled as the guy straightened up. It’s a small lie. Okay, it’s a total lie. The tail that she’s currently squishing under her body weight could easily push her back into a standing position, but she wants to touch him just to make sure that he’s real. A warm palm clapped against hers, and the muscles in his arm barely tensed at all as he pulled her up. Definitely some kind of god.

“You are uninjured?” She had to tip her head way back just to look at him, which isn’t super unusual for her, but she normally doesn’t have to look this far up. This guy is over a foot taller than her and looks like he was carved from marble. (Yeah, she knows that description is probably way overused, but it fits this guy.)

“Yep! See? Not a single scratch.” She held her arms out and stretched around to show the bare part of her upper shoulders, which also went skidding across the ground, and she noticed the way that his eyes ran over her bare skin. Not, like, in a checking her out way. He really was looking for injuries.

“Is your tail supposed to be at that angle?” Right. Her tail. She moved it around to the front of her body and carefully ran her hands over the bent part. It was completely fine, just a little ruffled, and it twitched as she brushed the fur down. She waited for the guy to run off or question why she had a tail, but he was just waiting patiently when she finally looked back up.

“It was just a little ruffled, but it’s all good,” she said with a tentative smile. The guy smiled back, but it was wide and showed his teeth. That’s not the reaction that she’s used to. Even the people who have heard of Squirrel Girl look a little shocked when they notice the tail, or when they realize that she’s actually talking to the squirrel on her shoulder. “Monkey Joe!”

“Pardon?” She didn’t answer because she was busy looking around for her fallen cell phone, and she cheered as she noticed it just a few feet away. The screen was thankfully uncracked, and she realized that she’d been talking while she moved to pick it up.

“So, you see, now I gotta call Stark back and ask if he can track whatever Monkey Joe ran away with before the little guy winds up in a whole other state and—Stark!” She was distantly aware that the stranger who’d knocked into her was standing beside her as she spoke into the phone, and she raised a brow at him in confusion. He knocked into her, she fell, he helped her up, saw that she was uninjured, and is totally free to go now. Completely off the hook.

“Squirrel Girl. Have my suit back yet?” There was a really loud sound in the background, something definitely mechanic, and she rolled her eyes.

“Not exactly. Did he steal a flying piece? Can you track it? What if he tries to fly across the ocean, and the suit crashes?! He hates swimming!” She was getting close to panic mode now, but she could hear Stark already rambling about tracking algorithms so she took a slow deep breath. It’s going to be okay. Stark is a genius.

“Okay. Looks like he’s still in New York. At Beaver Creek?” Doreen quickly searched her memory of all the forests in New York and groaned.

“That’s, like, four hours away! In a car! Which I don’t have! Hey, can I borrow a jet?” The man still standing next to her laughed, loudly, and it was a nice sound. It’s too bad she’s too worried about what Monkey Joe is doing to appreciate it.

“Do you even know how to fly a jet?” Damn Stark and his rationality!

“Well, no, but how hard could it be?” As Tony started ranting about safety protocols, which was hilarious coming from the King of Unsafety, the man next to her hummed a little.

“I could help you retrieve this Monkey Joe.” His voice was deep and he spoke at a loud volume, not exactly yelling but louder than her usual indoor voice, so Stark was able to hear him.

“Is that Thor?! How do you know Thor?! I thought I was your favorite Avenger?!” She ran her eyes over the guy next to her, and he looks normal enough. He’s wearing gray basketball shorts and a black tee shirt; he’s even got sneakers on! Then again, his face does look really familiar. Huh. Looks like a god really did run her over.

“He, uh, kinda ran me over on the sidewalk? Didn’t realize it was Thor though. You are Thor, right?” The guy smiled and nodded, so she’s standing next to a Norse god. “So, can he safely get me to Beaver Creek?”

“If you were a human, I’d say no. Your mutant genes make you a little tougher than the average person, right?” The guy, Thor, must be able to hear Stark because his head tilted to the side a little when Stark mentioned her mutant status.

“A little bit, sure. I wouldn’t say I’m on a god’s level though. Also, why does he want to help me? Does he usually help the people that he accidentally knocks into?” Thor wasn’t smiling now, and she felt a little bad about asking.

“Because Thor’s a decent guy. He likes helping people, and you need help. Get my suit back!” The line went dead, and she rolled her eyes as she stuffed her phone back into her pocket. She turned to fully face Thor and looked up, and she realized why she didn’t recognize him at first. Besides the lack of battle armor and whatnot. He normally had a little bit of scruff going on when the news caught sight of him, but he’s all clean-shaven right now.

“You are a friend of Iron Man’s?” Now, that’s a loaded question, isn’t it?

“We met when I was younger, and I saved his ass from some Big Bad. I was too young for the whole superhero thing, but we’ve kept in touch over the years.” She’s twenty-two now, but it feels like it’s been a century since her sixteen year old self ran into Iron Man.

“Do you accept my offer of help?” Well, she can always rent a car and drive over four hours to reach the forest on her own. There’s no guarantee that Monkey Joe will still be there though. On the other hand, she can accept help from a literal god and get this mess over with a little sooner.

“Eh, why not?” Thor’s smile was bright, a truly beautiful thing, and she found herself smiling back. “So, how are we traveling?”

“With Mjolnir, of course.” She’s gonna get to see the Hammer! Yes, capital-H, because she’s about to see something from legend! Thor already had one arm outstretched with his hand open, and it didn’t take any time at all for Mjolnir to rest in his palm.

“Wicked,” she breathed out.

“I will have to hold onto you.” Now there’s something that she can get onboard with. Although, she’s back to regretting her wardrobe choices. She’s got a feeling that flying through the air in a strapless shirt is going to be both tricky and cold. It’s gonna be worth it.

“Yeah, sure, okay,” she said in an attempt to sound nonchalant. He wrapped his free arm low around her back, just above where her tail emerges from her spine, and pulled her in tight against his body. She actually managed to brace both of her sandaled feet on top of one of his sneakers, and she watched as the hammer spun through the air before streaking through the sky.

It was a little hard to talk once they were in the air, which made Doreen a little sad because she wouldn’t mind having a conversation with the god that’s being nice enough to help her out. Instead she had to yell out directions to be heard over the rushing sound of wind, and she kept her tail curled around her bare shoulders to keep from getting too cold. They made it to the forest in record time, a truly impressive feat, and she directed the blonde behemoth to sit her down on top of a tree. Yeah, Beaver Creek is pretty good-sized, but she’s got a feeling that this won’t take long.

“What are you—”

“Ssh. ‘m concentratin’,” she mumbled. She knows that cutting people off is rude, but she needs to focus. Some people think that she talks to the squirrels telepathically, but there ain’t nothing telepathic about her. She can just understand them, and they can understand her too. She knows the language. So she stated her reason for being in the forest and waited for word to spread.

“Tony has attempted to explain mutants to me, but I am still unsure about the difference. You are still human, correct?” She’s been quiet for the past minute or so, just waiting, so she can answer him. It’s a sore subject for most mutants, but Thor isn’t exactly human himself. Or at all.

“Technically, yes. Mutants are just humans with extra abilities. Our DNA is different, but we’re not that much different. We can just…do stuff.” It’s hard to explain, and she doesn’t fully understand it herself. She knows that some mutants believe that they’re better than humans; that mutants are more evolved, but she’s not so sure about that.

“But every mutation is different?” He sounded genuinely curious, which was nice. Most people just ask to be nosy.

“Pretty much. My mutation is squirrel related, in case you haven’t noticed. That’s why I have the tail, and why I’m looking for Monkey Joe. He’s been with me since…forever, really. I found him when I was about twelve, and he’s been with me ever since.”

“You were born with these abilities?” She could hear chatter, getting closer now, so Monkey Joe will be with her any moment now.

“Sure was. Even the tail. Bit of a shock for my parents.” The laugh that followed the statement sounded flat and hollow to her own slightly enhanced ears, and Thor was frowning when she looked over. The god looked completely at ease standing at the top of a tree, so she’s guessing that he’d be completely fine even if he did fall. She waited for him to say something, maybe something about how any parent would be surprised about their child having a fluffy tail or maybe something closer to pity, but he didn’t.

“I believe your friend has found us.” She looked down just before something metal crashed into her ankle, and she easily scooped the metal gauntlet up into her hands. She could just see Monkey Joe’s tail peeking out of the end of it, and she lightly tapped a finger against the twitching tip.

“You’re in big trouble, little guy! What possible reason could you have for stealing Iron Man’s gauntlet?” Muffled sounds came from inside of the metal, and she hummed a little at the response. “I’m sure there are easier ways to impress your friends. Also, next time, you should try for the whole suit. That would really impress the others.”

“He must be very skilled to have even escaped with the one piece,” Thor said as he bent down. Monkey Joe made quiet noises as he finally pulled out of the gauntlet, and he looked up at the new person.

“That’s Thor. Yes, God of Thunder Thor. He’s the one that flew me here, so you owe him a thank-you.” Monkey Joe made some more noises while looking intently at Thor, and the god clearly interpreted what the sounds meant.

“You’re welcome.” Monkey Joe had actually thanked him for ruining the perfectly good time he’d been having with some of his friends, but the god looked so happy that she didn’t want to clearly interpret for her sassy little friend.

“Alright, little guy, you might wanna get back in the gauntlet. It’s about to get super windy.” Monkey Joe disappeared back into the gauntlet, and she made sure that the hunk of metal was held securely between her body and Thor’s. She closed her eyes once they were back in the air, and she didn’t have to yell out directions this time because Thor already knew where they were going.

In no time at all, they were back in Manhattan. She stumbled a little once she was back on solid ground, and Thor reached out a hand to steady her. Her tail helped her keep her balance better than the rather large hand gripping her elbow, but she smiled up at Thor in thanks anyway. Huh. It looks like he returned them right to the front door of Stark Tower. Well, Avengers Tower. Looks like it’s time to deal with Stark. She sighed heavily, which must have caught Thor’s attention because he looked down at her.

“Is something wrong?”

“Tony’s been in a yelling mood all day, and I don’t really feel like dealing with him. I don’t really have a choice though, so it’s time to suck it up and go face the music.” She squared her shoulders and took a step towards the tower, but the hand on her shoulder stopped her. She looked over her shoulder and up, and Thor smiled at her.

“I will return the armor for you.” This guy is just way too nice! He’s definitely not a human, because most people just aren’t this nice.

“What are you doing after that?” He’s a god. A superhero. He probably has a million things that he could be doing, but she wants to do something nice for him too.

“I was thinking of finding a place that serves ice cream.” Okay, not what she was expecting. She can roll with it though.

“I know a place that’s pretty good. If you don’t mind my company.” She shrugged at the end like his answer didn’t really matter, but it does. She still hasn’t really had a chance to talk to the guy, and she wants to thank him for helping her out. Getting ice cream together is one way to do both.

“Your company would be most welcome, Lady…” Oh, yeah. She never really told him her name.

“It’s just Doreen.”

“I will return shortly, Doreen.” You know, she used to dislike her name. It seemed outdated and odd when she was growing up, but she’s learned to accept it. Learned to accept all of who she is. Her name on Thor’s lips? Made her feel like a queen.

“We’ll be here waiting.” She pulled the gauntlet off of Monkey Joe and handed it to Thor, and she watched his back as he walked into the tower. Just his back though. Honestly.

---

When he stepped back outside of the tower, Doreen was still standing on the sidewalk. The young woman is different. Not her tail or the fact that she remained unharmed after sliding across the rough ground for several feet, although that was different than most Midgardians. She talked openly, quickly, with a smile. She had no problems meeting his eyes, which is something that most Midgardians avoid doing. She is also the first person that he has met, outside of his team members, that has not asked him any questions. Not about himself or his brother or where he’s from.

“Hey! How’d it go? Was Tony mad?” The small creature that she’d retrieved was sitting on her shoulder now, and they were both looking up at him.

“I left the armor in his partner’s care.” She smiled again, wide enough to dimple her cheeks and show an even row of teeth, and propped her hands on her hips.

“Went the Pepper route, huh? Smart. So, still up for ice cream?” She shifted a little on her feet, moving her weight from one foot to the other, and her smile dimmed a little as she waited.

“I am. You know where to acquire some?” Her full smile returned, and her companion ran across her bare shoulders so that he was propped on her left shoulder instead of the right. Her right arm extended so that she could grip his wrist and start pulling him, so her companion must have anticipated the movement and relocated accordingly.

“It’s a small shop, not part of a major chain or anything, but you can order literally anything! Oh, and they have these sprinkles that are to die for! Wait, what does that expression even mean? I won’t die without them, but I do think life would be a little less complete. Seriously, they’re that good. Oh! There’s also this chocolate sauce that…”

Thor listened to the small woman talk quickly about all of the different flavors that the shop carried, up until they entered the shop. She bounced on her toes as she moved around the mostly empty space and looked at everything that was offered, and Thor caught himself watching her more than actually looking at what he was meant to be looking at. In the end, he told Doreen that he trusted her judgment to choose for him. Her eyes instantly lit up, and he could barely make out her words as she ordered two giant ice cream cones. Complete with chocolate sauce and sprinkles.

“Where are we going now?” he asked as they exited. He had to admit, the giant ice cream cone was good. It was cold and sweet, but the sprinkles and nuts made it crunchy. The texture was interesting.

“To the park! It’s the best place to enjoy ice cream, and Monkey Joe can roam free. But not too far, because he’s on probation.” She cut her eyes over at the small animal on her shoulder, and he leaned forward to butt his head against her cheek. It made her smile, so she wasn’t truly mad at the little thing. Within minutes, they were both sitting on a bench with their treats while the small animal ran free across the grass and up the trees.

“This is very good. I like it.” Her eyes widened, and she raised her knuckles up to quickly lick away the dripping ice cream.

“Is this your first time trying ice cream?” she managed to ask. He was nearly done with his and she was only about halfway done, but she didn’t seem to be in a hurry.

“Yes. A friend suggested that I try it.” He’s sure that Darcy will smile when he tells her of his day. He went running, helped a friend of Tony’s, and even tried ice cream.

“Smart friend you got there. I’d like to meet him.” Her eyes widened again, and she quickly raised her free hand to start waving it around. “That’s not me saying that I’m some kind of Avenger groupie! I like Stark and all, most days, but I’m not like that. I’m not hanging out with you because you’re Thor…well, yes, because you are Thor so there’s really no way around that, when you really think about it, but—”

“Be at ease, Doreen.” He pressed a hand against her shoulder, and his arm moved as she took a deep breath.

“Right, sorry for rambling. What I’m trying to say is, I’m hanging out with you to say thank-you for helping me out. Not just because you’re a superhero or a god. Does that make sense?” She was looking up at him with clear eyes and a very serious expression, and he slowly nodded.

“You are a good person.” She smiled again, and he lightly squeezed her bare shoulder before letting go. “You also have ice cream dripping off of your hand.”

“Shit!” She immediately pulled out the napkins given to them, after some more light cursing when she struggled to get them out of her tight pocket, and then began mopping up the slight mess. His laugh was loud at her hurried gestures, and she pointedly rolled her eyes at him.

“What are those creatures on your shirt?” The mess was finally clean, and she was back to devouring her treat before it could to drip again. At his question, she looked down and furrowed her brows.

“It’s a flamingo. A kind of bird.”

“Are they truly that shade?” Her actual shirt is a dark blue, but the small pictures on the shirt are a bright shade of pink.

“Pretty much. Maybe you should try the zoo sometimes. They’ve got some cool looking animals.” She’s not always on board with zoos, unless they actually take care of the animals. The New York zoos are pretty good though.

“Would you accompany me?” She looked a little surprised for a few moments, but the smile that he was coming to think of as her natural facial expression quickly spread.

“Yeah, sure. Zoo time with Thor. Sounds like a good time to me.”

---

The zoo was a great idea. Until it wasn’t.

Okay, it started out like this. She woke up Saturday morning to the sound of her phone going crazy, and it took her a minute to actually located the thing. (It was under some dirty laundry. She suspects that was Monkey Joe’s doing because she forgot to leave the window open for him.) The screen had said Stark, but it was actually Thor on the other end. It’d been three whole days since their first meeting, so she was a little surprised that he called her. Her surprise only increased when he asked if she had time to go to the zoo that day. Who says no to a god?

So, an hour later, she was fully dressed and pacing in front of the tower. Monkey Joe opted to spend the day doing his own thing, he even promised to come back home before ten, so she was looking forward to spending the day with Thor. Then he walked out of the tower in a pair of jeans and a white tee shirt with his hair up in a man-bun, and she tried to wrap her mind around how one guy could make something so casual look so good. Not that going to the zoo was a date or anything. Just two friends hanging out.

The first hour was pretty great. Thor didn’t just glance at the animals before hurrying off to the next exhibit, like some people did. He actually stopped and studied each animal, and he asked her every question that came to mind. She was able to answer most of the questions, but she did have to rely on google a few times. It was fun. They laughed and looked at everything, and it still amazed her just how genuinely nice the guy was. She does her best not to judge, but everyone’s heard stories of Thor. Even before finding out that he was real. A warrior. God of Thunder and Ass-Kicking. She expected him to be a little rough, possibly jock-like (not that there’s anything wrong with jocks either), but he was surprisingly sweet.

Then, around the start of the second hour, things started to go downhill. She’d noticed the group of people behind them, occasionally staring openly at them instead of at the animals, but she’d ignored it. She just assumed they were looking at Thor, because, you know, god. She’d been having such a good time that she forgot who she was, just for a minute. The whispers got progressively louder, until her enhanced hearing was able to pick up a few words. Tail. Not human. Circus. Escaped attraction.

“Doreen?” She had to force her jaw to unlock as she looked up at Thor, who was looking at her instead of at the wide array of fish in front of them.

“Hmm?” Inside this room, the snickers seemed to echo. Every time she heard another laugh, her body tensed up a little more. She was so tense by now that she felt like a ball of knots.

“Are you unwell?” Thor was trying to be quiet, but his voice naturally carried. At the question, the group of people behind them laughed louder. She flinched and hunched her shoulders forward, and she turned her eyes back forwards. They’re here so that Thor can experience the zoo. She can ignore a bunch of rude humans.

Well, she could have ignored them. It would have been easier if they’d just stayed behind them, but they didn’t keep their distance. They were leaving the fish attraction, had just stepped back out into the sunlight, when she felt something graze her tail. It didn’t hurt, but the unknown touch made her jump and spin around. A guy was standing behind her, early twenties maybe, and his eyes were wide as he watched the way that her tail curled around her middle.

“Guys! It’s real!” The guy had twisted around to yell at his friends, who were now laughing all over each other, and he turned back around to face her with a wide grin. “Are you some kind of experiment? Or are you one of those weird mutants?”

“I…I’m…uh.” She stopped talking as Thor stepped around her, and he bent down enough so that he was eye-level with the guy who had touched her tail. She leaned to the side and watched as the guy’s face turned from maliciously gleeful to confused.

“It is considered rude to touch people without their permission.” Thor’s arm snapped out, and the guy was suddenly dangling several feet off of the ground because Thor had the front of his shirt clutched in one fist. The guy’s friends had stopped laughing and were looking on with shock now, and the guy’s face had gone completely pale. “It is not fun being touched without permission, is it?”

“N-no, s-s-sir,” the guy stuttered out.

“My friend is a person, no different than you are, and you should treat her with respect. Am I understood?” The guy looked like he was ready to pass out as he jerkily nodded his head, and Thor let him drop. The guy fell to the ground and then quickly scrambled to his feet, and Doreen watched as he and his friends literally ran away from the area.

“You just…Why’d you do that?” she asked as Thor turned around to face her. His brows drew together as he looked down at her, and she could feel her hands shaking as they lightly gripped the part of her tail wrapped across her stomach.

“I don’t understand.” He definitely looks confused too. Doreen licked her lips as she gathered her thoughts, but she wound up just spewing whatever popped into her head. So, her usual way of speaking.

“You didn’t have to say anything to him. I’m used to dealing with assholes like that. I mean, I’ve only done it my whole life. I tried the violent reaction when I was younger, but it doesn’t change anything. Doesn’t change their opinions or the fact that I’m weird. Things like that are always going to happen. I’ve accepted it, so you don’t have to stick up for me.” She was breathing a little harder when she finished, but Thor doesn’t look confused anymore. Good. She got her point across. Thor’s hands settled on her shoulders, and she looked over at the hand on her left shoulder. That’s the hand that just held a six foot dude in the air like he weighed nothing. After that thought, she turned her head and looked up into Thor’s clear blue eyes.

“You are my friend, Doreen. What kind of friend would I be if I stood by and let strangers hurt you like that? I would do the same for any of my other friends, so why would I treat you differently?” The words were said so earnestly that it kind of hurt, and she tried to ignore the hot burn of tears in her eyes. All of her words got stuck in her throat, which was very unusual for her, so she did the only thing she knew how to do.

It took very little effort to jump into the air, jumping is one of her specialties, and she locked her arms around Thor’s neck. He just rolled with it and moved his arms to wrap them around her back, again right above where her tail was, and then stood to his full height. Her feet dangled in the open air as she tightened her arms around his neck and hid her face against the neck of his shirt, but she had a feeling that he could feel the (very) few tears that slipped out. When he sat her back down a minute later, her eyes were completely tear-free and she was smiling again.

“May we see the penguins before we go? Darcy said that penguins were necessary for this to be a successful outing.” She knows that Darcy is Thor’s friend, because he mentioned her the last time they hung out. She’s the one that told Thor he needed to try ice cream. Doreen is really starting to like this girl.

“She’s not wrong. Let’s go see the penguins.”

The zoo was a great idea. Until it wasn’t. Then it became the best idea.

---

“Should we stop the movie?” Doreen blew her nose, loudly, and then looked over to the other end of her couch. She lives alone in her apartment so the couch is pretty small, which means that Thor takes up a cushion and a half, but he looks comfortable enough.

“Absolutely not,” she said quickly and rubbed her sleeves against her eyes.

“But you are crying,” Thor pointed out. So she is. She stopped wiping her face and then turned back to face Thor, who was looking at her instead of at the screen.

“Everyone cries when Mufasa dies. It’s just how it is. Don’t you feel sad?” Thor mentioned after their zoo trip that he would like to watch the moving pictures that his other teammates seemed to enjoy, which somehow led to Doreen inviting him to her apartment to watch movies. He’d gotten sidetracked by an attempted takeover that was dealt with pretty quickly, so here they were four days after the zoo.

“It is sad, but it is life. I do not understand why the young lion is leaving.” She paused the movie, because she is not missing out on singing along to Hakuna Matata, and faced Thor head-on. Which is a little harder to do than someone might expect. He’s like unfairly handsome.

“He feels guilty over his father’s death. He believes that it’s his fault, and his uncle didn’t help any. Don’t worry though. It has a happy ending.” Thor looked skeptical but nodded anyway, and Doreen grinned as the movie started playing again. It was nice to have a friend, even one who had never seen The Lion King before.

---

“’lo?” She realized that her phone greeting was incredibly lazy, but she’s busy. Kind of.

“Doreen?” The sound of her name was quiet and maybe even a little tentative, which is nothing like the boisterous god that she’s come to know over the past…Damn, they’ve been hanging out a few times a week for the past three months now.

“Thor! What’s up, buddy?” It’s, like, two in the morning. A part of her wants to ask why he’s up at this hour and calling her, but he’ll tell her if he wants to.

“Would you mind terribly if I…stopped by?” He always says the phrase like the words confuse him, but he stuck with it after she casually told him after their viewing of The Lion King that he could stop by whenever he wanted. Which he’s done, several times, since then. He always calls first though, since she finally gave him her number. It was easier than him calling her through Stark.

“Of course not. I’m, uh, up on the roof though. I can go back inside to meet you though.” Her apartment is on the top floor, so it’s easy to get onto the roof.

“The roof is fine. I will meet you there momentarily.” The phone cut off, and she sat it back down beside her after she got her music going again. The music was quiet though, so it wouldn’t disturb any of her neighbors, but she liked hearing the gentle music as she looked up at the sky. Of course, the light pollution makes it hard to actually see the stars, but she likes the fresh air.

Around fifteen minutes later, Thor landed on the roof a few feet away from her. She’d seen him coming, so she didn’t jump or anything ridiculous like that. She just waved after his eyes met hers and then watched the way that his bare feet shuffled against the rooftop as he moved over to her. He’s just dressed in a pair of gray sweatpants and a white undershirt, but she doesn’t have any room to talk because she’s in her own dark blue sweatpants and a white sweater. She’s pretty sure the bun her hair is in sloppy though compared to his neatly tied back locks, which just isn’t fair since he just flew here.

“You okay?” she asked after he was sitting next to her. Mjolnir was between them, but Thor was leaning back on his hands and looking up at the sky. She’s noticed that he smiles a lot, and he’s really good about maintaining eye contact when they talk. He hasn’t looked over at her since he sat down though.

“Do you ever have nights where sleep evades you?” She snorted out a laugh and then shifted so that she could mirror his position. Her stretched out legs weren’t nearly as long as his, so her foot brushed just under his knee. It was the only point of contact between, her bare foot against the soft cotton of his sweatpants, but she had a feeling that the big guy needed some kind of contact right now.

“Sure, I do. Everyone does. Do you want to talk about it?” A therapist she is not, but she wants to be a good friend for Thor. His entire upper body moved as he pulled in a deep breath and then released it, and she could see how tense he was. Poor guy looked so tense that she was sure it had to hurt.

“Perhaps, one day, but not now.” She hummed as she processed that, and she gets it. Repression is bad and everything, but sometimes people just aren’t ready to talk. Sometimes they just need to get their minds off of whatever is bothering them. With that thought, she quickly catalogued everything in her kitchen.

“Have you ever made a pizza? Not, like, a box pizza that you can just pop in the oven. That’s cheating. I’m talking a made from scratch pizza.” Thor was looking at her now, with only some slight confusion, and the corners of his lips twitched just a little.

“I cannot say that I have ever had the pleasure of creating a pizza from scratch.” Now he was actually smiling, and Doreen easily jumped to her feet. She extended one hand down, even though she knows that Thor can easily stand on his own, but he grabbed her hand anyway. She used her own slightly-above-average strength to pull him up, and he smiled at her in thanks before bending down to pick up Mjolnir. Once they get into her apartment, he’ll probably put it on her coffee table in the living room. It’s where he usually places the thing.

“Then you’re definitely in for a treat tonight.” She said it as she pulled him towards the roof door, because they’re still holding hands, and she did an internal victory dance. Operation Distraction is a go!

---

“Okay, let me see if I’ve got this right.” Darcy paused and looked at him, and Thor nodded his head at her to continue. “The girl that you’ve been meeting regularly for months, the one who’s been introducing you to the modern age and even cooked you a pizza because you were having a bad night, wants to meet me?”

“She says that you are the true genius of the Tower,” Thor said with a happy grin. Darcy was happy to see such a happy look on the god’s face, and she knows that this Doreen person is the one who’s been making him so happy lately.

“I like her already. Okay, let’s do it! I’d love to meet her. Today okay?” Thor quickly got to his feet and started walking off, but he slowed down enough to answer her over his shoulder.

“I shall go inquire immediately!” As soon as Thor was out of the room, the couch bounced as someone joined her. She yelled just a little and then turned to smack Tony with a pillow as he started cackling. Evil genius is what he is.

“You’re such an ass!” Tony pouted at her, which was ridiculous but still somehow endearing, and she crumbled almost immediately. Tony whooped and then twisted around to lay his head in her lap, and she rolled her eyes. “You shouldn’t be so likeable. It does not compute.”

“I’ve taken to calling it the Tony phenomenon,” Bruce said quietly as he joined them. He’d probably been right behind Tony, but Bruce is nice enough to not jump out at people. Or lay all over them. The quieter scientist moved to sit in an arm chair nearby while Tony just grinned up at her, and she flicked the end of his nose.

“What do you want?” Darcy likes Tony. She wasn’t sure how he was going to react when she first showed up with Thor, after Jane decided not to join the god at the Tower, but Tony had been completely cool with it. He even introduced her to Pepper, who put her to work almost immediately. Living with a bunch of heroes took some getting used to, but she loves living here now. Thor’s still her favorite though.

“I couldn’t help but to overhear that you’re going to meet Squirrel Girl,” Tony said with a wide smile. She lightly hit the top of the billionaire’s head, just enough to let him know that her next words meant business.

“I think Thor really likes Doreen, so no making fun of her. One, it’s just rude and completely wrong. Two, Thor might hit you if he hears you say something not nice about her. Three—”

“Calm down! I like Doreen, and I don’t like most people.” Bruce laughed, quietly, but managed to look completely innocent as Tony paused to glare at him. “Doreen is good people and cute as a button. It’s about time Thor moved on too.”

“Cute as a button? You’re starting to show your age, but you do have a point. I’m glad that Thor has found someone to spend some time with.” She said the last part quickly before Tony could spout out a comeback about his age, and it must have worked because Tony just hummed when she was through.

“Yeah, it would have been sad if he was the only one around here without someone special. I have the beautiful CEO of the best company in the world, you have your not-so-secret rendezvous, and even Bruce has a girlfriend,” Tony listed off. A part of her wanted to argue, but no one wins an argument with Tony Stark. Except for Pepper Potts.

“I don’t have a—”

“Tall leggy brunette? You can’t call her a colleague, because she hates science, and I know she doesn’t drop by just to train with Hulk.” Bruce stopped talking and blushed, which was kind of adorable, and Darcy laughed quietly as Tony continued. “Doreen is sweet and quirky. You’ll like her.”

“I just want to see how her and Thor act around one another. You know, they might just be friends.” A part of her hopes not though, because Thor’s whole face lights up whenever he talks about the woman. And he’s talked about her a lot over the past six months.

“Darcy! Would you like to have a picnic?” Thor was back in the room with his phone pressed to his ear, and she watched as his brows drew together before straightening out. “An indoor picnic, because of the cold.”

“Sounds like fun,” she answered honestly. The picnic thing had thrown her off because it’s winter and snowing outside, and she’s still a little confused about the whole indoor picnic thing. Thor said a few more words into the phone and then hung up, and he smiled over at her.

“Ready to go?” Thor’s in black jeans and a long-sleeved gray shirt, with a vee neck that shows off the right amount of skin, and Darcy smiled as she got to her feet. She’s also in jeans and a dark sweater with a cat’s face on it, so she’s about as ready as she can get.

“Let me just put on my boots and grab a jacket. You should wear that new jacket we bought you.” Thor nodded seriously before she walked off, and she looked down to see that Tony had his hands clasped over his mouth to keep from laughing. She huffed and rolled her eyes, and she met Bruce’s amused expression as she got to her feet. She’ll let the Tower’s other resident genius deal with Tony for the rest of the night.

Twenty minutes later, she was following Thor into a nice looking apartment building. It wasn’t the nicest apartment building in town, but it was clean and decently sized. Thor took the stairs easily, and she only huffed a little as she followed him all the way up to the top floor. Once there, he knocked on a door and then rocked back on his heels as he waited. Darcy could hear muffled shouting coming from inside, just one voice from the sounds of it, and then the door sprung open. All Darcy could see was wavy brown hair because the woman was facing the inside of the apartment, but she was wearing a red and white plaid shirt.

“Get down from there, Monkey Joe! No cookies until after dinner!” The woman whipped around, and Darcy finally got to see her face. She was tan, like she spent a lot of time out in the sun, but her cheeks were a little flushed. Her eyes were a light brown and wide, and she was tiny. Darcy’s height is average, but this woman is shorter than her. She has a really nice smile though.

“Doreen, I have brought Darcy.” The woman immediately held a hand out, and Darcy reached forward to grab it with her own. The woman’s hand was small but her grip was tight, and she was still smiling when she let go.

“It’s so awesome to finally meet you! Thor talks about you all of the time so I feel like I kinda know you, but it’s cool to finally put a face to all of the great advice. Sorry, I’m blocking the door, aren’t I? Please, come in.” Doreen talked fast, kinda like Tony did whenever he got a new idea, so Darcy was able to keep up.

“Thor talks about you a lot too, so it’s cool to finally meet you. Thanks for looking after this guy,” she said and jerked a thumb in Thor’s direction. Doreen’s cheeks turned a darker shade, but Thor just kept on smiling.

“He’s fun to hang around. Oh! You can hang your coats up next to the door and kick your shoes off. I know it’s a little hot in here, because I baked cookies, and I didn’t want to crack a window because then it’d get all cold in here. Not that the cold really bothers me, but I want to be a good host. Do you like cookies?” Thor had already shrugged out of his maroon jacket and was hanging it up, and he turned to Darcy to help her tug off her thick black jacket.

“Yeah, I love cookies!” she answered. Doreen grinned at that and turned to walk farther into the apartment, and Darcy noticed her tail for the first time. She knew that Doreen had a tail. Thor told her after their trip to zoo, because he’d been really upset about the guy who’d actually touched Doreen’s tail. (Darcy had been upset on Doreen’s behalf too and told Thor he’d done the right thing.) She’s surprised that she missed it, because the tail is about four feet long and a fluffy brown.

“I made some with nuts and some without, because I know some people have nut allergies, and I don’t want to send Thor’s best friend to the hospital at our first get-together. Or ever! Sorry, I think I’m nervous.” Darcy and Thor are in the kitchen with Doreen now, and the woman was zipping around all over the small space. Thor caught her as she passed by with a bowl in her hands, of cookies, and Doreen froze with Thor’s hands on her shoulders.

“You have nothing to be nervous about. Darcy wants to meet you, and you want to meet Darcy. Now, tell us about this picnic.” As Darcy watched, Doreen took a big breath and then slowly let it out.

“Monkey Joe and I like picnics, but we don’t really like snow. So we decided to just have one here. You picked a perfect time to come over. Come on!” Doreen zipped out of the kitchen, not like she was in a hurry but more like she had an overabundance of energy, and Thor followed behind her. Darcy walked in last, and she whistled as she looked around the living room.

“Wow, Doreen, this place looks amazing.” The middle of the living room was covered with pillows and blankets, and there were fairy lights everywhere. A few artificial Christmas trees dotted the living room too, and the ornaments ranged from the ordinary to…were those nuts?

“Thanks! I had most of this stuff just lying around, so I thought to myself, why not spruce things up? There’s also the fact that I broke the couch and haven’t gotten another one yet. Speaking of, oops, I forgot to move the couch out.” As soon as she finished talking, Doreen gently placed the bowl of cookies on the checkered picnic blanket in the center of the room and then moved over to the couch. The couch was broken cleanly in two, right down the middle, but Darcy wasn’t sure where she was going to move it to. There wasn’t any other open space in the apartment that she could see.

“Do you require assistance?” Thor asked. Doreen grabbed one half of the couch and easily lifted it into the air to rest on her shoulder, and years of witnessing weird things was the only thing that kept Darcy’s mouth from dropping open.

“Open the door for me please?” Doreen asked as she picked up the other half.

“Of course.” Thor held the door open for her, and the small woman disappeared out of the door with the couch across her shoulders. She’s used to seeing Thor and Steve pick up giant things like they weigh nothing, but she wasn’t expecting it from the tiny woman. Darcy jumped nearly ten feet in the air as something brushed across her ankle, because she was still looking at the open front door, and she squinted down at the squirrel sitting next to her foot.

“You must be Monkey Joe.” Thor’s talked about Doreen’s constant companion, and she’s even heard Tony rant about him a time or two. She bent down and extended one hand out towards the squirrel. “Nice to meet ya. I’m Darcy.”

“He is very friendly,” Thor said as Monkey Joe jumped into her open hand. She stood up while carefully holding him, and she lightly scratched between his ears.

“Aww, he likes you. He’s a great judge of character too.” Darcy didn’t even hear Doreen come back in, or close the door. She smiled at the other woman before looking back down at the squirrel, who looked as happy as could be as she continued to pet him.

“He’s adorable.” The squirrel seemed to preen at the compliment, and Darcy watched as Doreen moved over to where the picnic blanket was. She sat down in one smooth motion and smiled up at them as she spread her arms out, which Darcy took as a sign to join her. Thor must have too, because they moved at the same time to sit down.

Their picnic dinner was many things. It was delicious, because the food was prepared perfectly. It was hilarious, because Doreen was a funny person and Monkey Joe kept sneaking away with things. It was enlightening, because Thor and Doreen took every opportunity to lock eyes and smile shyly at each other. Darcy’s pretty sure that neither one of them even noticed it, but she definitely did. They were sweet with each other, in a way that was sort of lacking with Thor and Jane. Yeah, they had chemistry and everything, but there was always a tension around the two of them. Doreen and Thor? Completely relaxed around each other. They even touched casually and without thought. Thor would reach out to lightly grab Doreen’s shoulder or squeeze her hand, and Doreen kept her bare feet tucked under Thor’s thigh for most of the night.

When they left, Darcy had Doreen’s number programmed into her phone and a promise to get together soon. She was actually looking forward to hanging out with the woman, and the whole night had been fun. Which she told Thor as soon as they stepped outside of Doreen’s apartment. Thor smiled, something small and pleased, and stuffed his hands in his pockets. He looked over at her as they continued to walk, and Darcy hooked her arm through his.

“I believe she enjoyed your company as well,” Thor said after a moment.

“Good, because she’s definitely someone I want as a friend. She seems like a really good friend.” She peeked up at Thor as she said it, and she’s pretty sure the color on his cheeks is from thinking about Doreen and not from the cold wind.

“She truly is.”

“Just a friend?” Thor didn’t look down at her, which was an answer. “It’d be okay if you thought of her as more than a friend.”

“Doreen is a remarkable woman, and I do not want to jeopardize the friendship that we have created.” He sounded so solemn about it that her heart broke just a little bit, and Darcy hugged his arm tighter.

“I get that, I do, and I’m not saying you should propose the next time that you see her. I just think it’s something that you should think about, because I think she likes you too. As something more than just a friend,” Darcy said and then smiled when Thor finally looked down at her.

“How can I be sure?” She wracked her brain for information from all of those Cosmopolitan articles she read when she was bored and her general awareness of social signs, and she pressed her temple against Thor’s arm as they continued to walk.

“Little things can give you clues. Like a lot of eye contact, because that means she’s really listening to you. Um, casual touches? That means that she’s comfortable with you physically. If she leans towards you while you’re talking, that could mean that she subconsciously wants to be closer to you. I don’t know…you’ll be able to tell if she’s interested. You’re a smart guy.”

Thor didn’t say anything else on their walk back to the Tower, but he looked like he was deep in thought so she took that as a good sign.

---

“So…are you okay?” Doreen squinted against the sun as she looked up at Thor, and he frowned just a little when he looked down at her.

“Why do you ask?” Answering a question with a question is rarely a good sign.

“Because we’ve been walking around the city aimlessly for the past ten minutes in complete silence. Silence is cool and all, but this feels like a tense silence. Are you tense?” They’re walking side by side, without touching, and the quiet between them has felt a little tense. Normally she loves hanging out with Thor, he’s a great guy, but she’s not used to him looking this…moody. Seeing as how they’ve been friends for a little over eight months now, she feels like she’s got a handle on his usual mannerisms. She had lunch with Darcy yesterday, and the woman didn’t mention anything bad happening to Thor.

“You have never asked me about Asgard, or Loki. Why?” He stopped walking, which isn’t a good thing since they’re out on the sidewalk in a slightly busy part of the city, and she looked around them. This isn’t the place for a Conversation. Capital-C.

“We’re pretty close to the park. Let’s go have a sit-down.” She reached forward, and a little up, to lace her arm through his and start pulling him along. They reached the mostly empty park in just a few minutes, and she walked them over to a park bench far away from anyone else. Thor silently sat down next to her, and she drew her legs up under her. The position caused her knee to press against Thor’s thigh, and he lightly gripped the curve of her knee in one large hand.

“Will you answer now?” She likes the park, even in winter. It helps her think and comforts her, and she leaned to the side so that she was laying her head against Thor’s arm as she looked at the barren trees.

“I want to know more about you. The questions have been on the tip of my tongue a thousand times since we first met, but I kept them in. Everyone knows about the Battle of Manhattan, so I imagine that it’s a sore subject for you. I imagine all of it is, and I’m not going to put you on the spot and ask you about things that can hurt you. If you ever want to talk to me about it, I’m more than happy to listen because I am your friend. As your friend, your happiness and comfort comes before my curiosity. Does that make sense?”

“You have not asked because you…care about me?” He sounded confused, that’s definitely his confused tone, so she tipped her head back to look at him. Clear blue eyes met hers, and she smiled softly up at him.

“That’s exactly it.”

“May I tell you about my life now?” His question was quiet, but Doreen could tell that he was determined. She wasn’t sure why now, but she wasn’t going to speculate on it. She was going to be a good friend.

“Yeah. You can tell me anything that you want.”

---

He spoke for hours, mostly without interruption. Doreen only asked questions for clarification. Other than that, she was mostly silent. When he began to speak about watching his brother fall from the Bifrost, she gripped the hand he’d had braced on her knee and laced their fingers together. They continued to hold hands as he kept speaking, telling his story, and she watched him the whole time. He took comfort in her wide eyes as he spoke about events that still kept him from sleep some nights, and she squeezed his hand whenever he had to pause to compose himself.

When he was done, she shifted so that her temple rested against his arm and began to speak. She told him what it was like to grow up as a child with an obvious mutation. How shocked her parents had been at her tail. What the children were like when she was child and how she took refuge in the woods. She even told him about her first meeting with Iron Man, after idolizing him for so long. She said that no matter what happened in the future, she’d always be able to say that she rescued her hero. She told him what it was like to live alone, to live apart.

“When I was younger, I wanted to be a superhero. Save the day and be loved by all. Now? I just want…hmm.” She hummed a little at the end, and Thor shifted to get her attention. It worked, because she moved to look up at him again.

“What do you want, Doreen?” The sun had set long ago, and her brown eyes had a reddish tint to them as they moved over his face before finally settling on his eyes.

“I just want to be happy. What about you, Thor? What do you want?” The words were accompanied by a puff of cold night air, but the places where their bodies met was warm.

“I believe I want the same thing as you. To be happy.” Her smile was so wide that it showed her teeth and made the skin next to her eyes crinkle, and she’d never looked so beautiful before. Because she was beautiful, and he was already dreading the time when they would have to part.

---

“Come on! Just tell me where we’re going!” she shouted over the wind. She’s clinging to Thor so hard that her fingers are actually starting to cramp, and he’s got a firm hold on her middle. Her tail is pressed against her face, to shield her eyes as some kind of blindfold, at Thor’s request.

“That would defeat the purpose of preparing a surprise!” he shouted back. She huffed even though he couldn’t hear her and then smiled, because he can’t see that either.

In about two weeks, it’ll be exactly one year since she first met Thor. She’s surprised at how much can change in a year, because she honestly can’t imagine her life without Thor in it. Monkey Joe is still her best little buddy, but Thor is actually her best friend. (She’s also found a good friend in Darcy; the two of them eat lunch together at least twice a week and go on spontaneous shopping trips whenever Darcy decides that retail therapy is needed.) She wasn’t expecting Thor to show up today, since they just hung out yesterday, but she was happy when he knocked on her door. She’d been planning on spending the day alone, but hanging out with Thor sounds like a lot more fun.

She could feel it when they started descending, and she pressed her forehead a little tighter against Thor’s chest. The dropping sensation is never fun, even though the actual flying part is pretty cool. A few moments later, she was back on solid ground. She kept her tail over her eyes as she stepped off of Thor’s sneaker, because he’s in plain jeans and a black tee shirt today, and she felt his hands gently settle on her shoulders. He turned her around so that she was facing in the opposite direction, so that her back was to him, and then he whispered for her to take a look.

Her eyes opened as soon as her tail lowered, and it took her a minute to realize what she was looking at. They’re at Beaver Creek Park, and she’s pretty sure that’s the exact tree she and Thor stood in. Of course, they’re standing in front of the tree instead of on top of it, and there’s things in front of the tree. The red and white checkered blanket was huge, and the four corners were held down with some good sized rocks. There was a giant picnic basket and a cooler sitting on the center of the blanket, but her eyes were drawn to the banner wrapped around the tree that was shading the picnic area. It only had two words on it. Two, simple, little words. That’s it. But those two words were enough to make her eyes fill with tears. Before she could think it through anymore, she quickly turned around and jumped up to give Thor a hug. He laughed as he caught her and held her off of the ground, and she laughed along even as she brushed her wet cheeks against his tee shirt.

“Happy birthday, Doreen.” It was whispered into her hair, and she told herself not to cry anymore as she pulled back. She was carefully sat back down on her feet, and she rubbed at her face a little more before looking up at Thor.

“How’d you even know?” Her parents weren’t big on celebrating her birthday, so it’s never really been something that she’s celebrated. She wasn’t planning on doing anything today, except for watching Netflix while she lounged around in her pajamas.

“Tony told me, and Darcy said that friends celebrate birthdays together. Are you pleased?” Her first thought was something dirty, and she just managed to keep that answer back.

“Very. This is the nicest thing that anyone’s ever done for me. Thank you.” Thor’s smile was bright and made something in her stomach hot, so she was happy when he started walking towards the picnic basket. She turned around to follow him, and her eyes grew wide as he continuously pulled food out.

“I also brought ice cream for dessert.” Stopping herself from crying was starting to be quite the challenge, but she held it in.

Hours later, after the mountain of food had been consumed, they laid back against the blanket for a clear look at the sky. It wasn’t like looking at the sky from her rooftop; she could actually see the stars out here, and they were beautiful. Thor talked about the stars and other worlds he’d seen, even pointed out a few directions, and she felt warm and a little out of it as she listened. It was like the world had slowed down, almost to a stop, and she wanted that to be true. Wanted to freeze everything and have this moment last forever. Wanted to relive it, again and again, for as long as she could.

Thor’s arm was outstretched as he pointed at some far-off galaxy, and she reached up. Her hand touched below his wrist, but he slowly lowered his hand down until his knuckles brushed her palm. They both moved at the same time so that their fingers could lock, and she brought their joined hands down to rest against her thigh. Then she scooted over so that the left side of her body was completely pressed against his, and she looked over into blue eyes that were still somehow bright despite how dark it was in the forest.

“This is the best birthday I’ve ever had. I don’t think I’ve ever had a more perfect day.” It’s a little corny, but it’s true. If someone had asked her what her perfect day was like, she doesn’t know what her answer would have been. It wasn’t something she thought about it. She knows though, without a doubt, that today has been perfect.

“Are you happy, Doreen?” Her first reaction was to say yes, immediately and emphatically, but then she registered the look in his pretty blue eyes. What seems like forever ago now, they had that big talk in the park. The one where Thor opened up to her completely and she did the same, and at the end…at the end, she said that all she wanted was to be happy. Thor makes her happy, sometimes just by existing in the same space as her. She’s completely okay with staying only his friend for the rest of her life, but…well, if she’s being honest with herself, she wants more than that too.

“I really am. Are you happy, Thor?” Because she can be his friend and nothing more, because she still has him. She’ll still have days like this. It’s all she needs. Asking for more almost feels selfish, unless he wants more too. (Oh, she really hopes that he wants more too.)

“Yes, Doreen, you make me happy.”

If asked, she couldn’t say which one of them closed the small amount of space between them. All she knew was that his eyes were even prettier up close and that his lips tasted like the chocolate ice cream they had for dessert. The heat that shot through her was electric and warm as Thor’s lips pressed against hers, and that warmth spread until every nerve ending was alive and straining towards him. One large hand cupped her face as he moved to deepen their kiss, and she reached up to tangle her free hand in his loose hair.

“Can we stay here a little longer?” she asked when he pulled away. A part of her wanted to pull him back to her, to bite at his lips and get drunk on the taste of his tongue, but she wants to do this right.

“We can stay as long as you like.” He pulled her closer, so that she was lying half-draped over him, and he kept one arm across her back to keep her pressed up against him. They shared lazy kisses and looked at the stars, and it was absolutely perfect. Nothing could ruin this moment. Not even Monkey Joe flying across the sky in his newly customized Iron Man suit.

Notes

The End!

Writing this was a lot of fun, so I hope reading it was just as fun! If anyone wants to see a little somethin’-somethin’ more happen between Thor and Doreen, I could be persuaded to write a second chapter. Just sayin’. Other than that, this is the end.

Thank you for reading!