I Thought You Were Different

Debt

Minor Language

"Okay, so when we get back, someone has to tell-"

"Not it!"

"No way in hell."

"Nope!"

"You guys are jerks," Clint huffed, resting his hands on his hips with a disgusted look on his face. "The last person who should tell Steve about this is me, are you serious? You guys all can't bail out on this."

"I vote that we just never go back," Natasha chuckled, "problem solved."

Tony shook his head, sitting in the pilot seat with his chin in hand and absentmindedly pushing buttons with his other. "Yeah, okay," he mumbled. His mind had been a jumbled mess when he saw Thor leave with you, and the team had waited for over an hour for you both to return; when you didn't, it did nothing to placate the confusion that had taken over. He didn't know why he had taken you or when you would return, and why hadn't he just waited to tell everyone rather than rushing off? The worst thought of all, the one that pushed its way through every other, was how would Steve react?

"I'll take care of it."

Clint spun his chair to face Tony with a look of complete shock but utter relief in his expression, and his body visibly relaxed, "you sure? I just about had myself prepared to get punched in the face."

"That would be great to watch," Tony smiled half-heartedly, still not turning to face the group, "but I think I should be the one to do it. It was her first time back and I should've been there. I should've been with her."

"Thor was assigned to her, Tony. Don't feel guilty about this," Wanda added, standing to put her hand on his shoulder, though he quickly shook it off.

"I'm going to, okay?" he snapped. "And I'm ready to take the hit. Even if that's literally."

~~~

"No, Thor, you need to take me back right now. Right now," you gasped, looking around at the Asgardian surroundings, marveling at the beauty of them and wishing that you were here under other circumstances, but the only thing you could think of was how Steve was reacting at this very moment. Thor set you on the ground next to him but maintained his grip, knowing that you were still unable to support yourself.

"You are injured. That's my doing," he replied matter-of-fact. "I cannot return you to Midgard without rectifying that."

"What do you mean it was your doing? Thor, I was the one who wrapped my leg in that tie so that I could reach you. That was my choice."

He looked around as if searching for something, or for someone, his grip never loosening. "Alright, even if I relent to your reasoning, we still have the matter of Mjolnir to discuss, do we not?"

"We do not."

"We do."

"Or...how about we do not."

Thor swung an arm beneath you and lifted you from your feet and held you as he walked without any further arguments. You weren't going to win, and you were on his turf, so there was no way for you to get home without him and nowhere to go where he would leave you be.

"Heimdall will have the answers, come."

"You say that like I have a choice, Thor."

He paused for a moment, stopping to look down at you with a coy curl of a smile on his lips and his eyes alight with amusement at a recent memory. "You are a worthy adversary, (Y/N). I would be wise to never doubt your ability to overtake me. Again." He began to make his way once more, keeping his eyes forward now and the levity gone from his expression. "Now we shall find out why that is so."