“No, no, the whole invasion happened a while after all that,” Natalie said, shaking her head and picking up one of the chocolate-glazed doughnuts. “Thor got kicked out temporarily and ended up in New Mexico. I ended up picking him up, and he stayed at my place for… only about a week before he left again. But his brother, Loki? He was jealous, so he sent this… Destroyer thing to come and kill Thor.” She shrugged, taking a bite from her doughnut. “Big heroic thing happened, Thor got his powers back, had to go back to Asgard to stop his brother, and ended up getting stuck there for a while.”
She took a sip from her coffee, washing down the bite of doughnut and licking her lips. “S.H.I.E.L.D. kind of got involved in the middle of it all. When Thor got here, they realized something was up, so they sent a whole unit out to New Mexico. They stole all of my equipment and research. The only reason I got it back was because Thor refused to help them unless they did.” She smirked. “But we’re on good terms, now.”
“You go away, and your life turns into a soap opera. So, you’re dating Thor? Even though he was gone for a while, and you only knew him for a week before that … ” Summer drawled. “I just … forgive me, honey, but I have to — ” She closed her eyes and touched the back of Jane’s hand for a second, before her eyes popped back open.
“Wow. That’s just … wow. You really care about him. That’s … ” Her voice softened from the spurt of surprise. “That’s wonderful.”
“I know it sounds crazy, but it’s…” Jane shrugged. “It’s different. Thor’s different. Everything he does and says is sincere. We spent nights awake just talking until I couldn’t keep my eyes open.” She sighed, and smiled a bit. “I care about him, yeah. And he cares about me. He really cares about me. I don’t think any guy on Earth could care as much as he does.”
It sounded silly, but it was true. Thor was an entirely different sort of person. “He’s something else. And I can definitely introduce you to him. He loves people.” She grinned. “He might crush your bones with a hug, but that’s about it.” She chuckled.
Summer grinned back. “Oh, well, you know me and big guys. I may be short, but I can hold my own.” Glancing down into her own open palm, she added, “I guess I could always try to set him on fire if it’s annoying.”
And a flame licked up from her hand.