Mark and Darcy got out of the car in front of the lab, and he turned to her with a nod. "Go ahead inside, I'll check on our passenger."
Darcy shrugged, flashing a quick smile before heading toward the door. "Sure thing, don't take too long."
Mark walked to the back of the car where Thor sat staring blankly out the window, his massive frame slumped in a way that made him look smaller than before, and opened the door gently. "You okay, buddy?"
Thor didn't respond, his eyes looked distant and unfocused, so Mark offered quietly, "I can leave you alone for a few minutes if you like, just say the word."
Still no reply came, the silence heavy between them, so Mark tapped the car roof lightly. "Alright—I'll be inside if you need anything."
He headed into the lab where Jane and Erik were still unpacking and reorganizing the equipment, tools scattered across tables amid stacks of crates that had been hastily returned. Jane spotted him first and rushed over, her face etched with concern. "Mark are you okay? What happened out there?"
Darcy, who had just grabbed a water bottle from the fridge, rolled her eyes from the side. "I'm okay too, thanks for asking."
"Yeah, I'm fine," Mark said with a reassuring smile. "We got into a little trouble at the site, but everyone's doing well."
He glanced around the room. "How's the lab going? Everything back in one piece?"
Jane nodded, wiping her hands on a rag. "It's fine, a few things got broken in the shuffle, but they're easily repaired; we should be up and running by morning."
"Good," Mark said. "Tomorrow, I was hoping to go over the data I recovered regarding a device I came into contact with."
Jane's eyes lit up. "I'd do anything I could to help—seriously, after what you did today, it's the least I can do."
She paused then, her gaze shifting past him through the window. "Wait where's Thor going?"
Mark turned around quickly and saw Thor walking off into the desert alone, his silhouette fading under the moonlight as he trudged away from the lab without a word. "Shit... alright, stay here; I'll go talk to him."
He jogged out into the night, the sand crunching under his boots as he caught up to Thor, who didn't slow his pace until Mark placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, buddy you okay?"
Thor stopped then, turning slightly, and Mark saw the distress etched deep into his face, his eyes red-rimmed and his usual bravado shattered like glass. "Let's grab a drink," Mark said gently.
...
Mark and Thor climbed to the flat roof of the lab under the starlit sky, the cooler of beers thudding softly as Mark set it down between them before handing one to Thor and cracking open his own while they sat on the edge with their legs dangling over the side. For a moment they just sat there in silence, the desert wind whispering around them as Mark took a slow sip, knowing he could not force the words out of Thor but had to let them come naturally when the Asgardian was ready.
Thor finally spoke after staring into the darkness for what felt like an eternity. "I thought my destiny was to sit upon Asgard's throne, that to be a good king I had to slay all of Asgard's enemies and prove my strength through conquest, that I had a glorious purpose laid out before me like a path of gold."
Mark looked over, waiting as Thor continued. "But I am starting to think I had it all wrong. I used to believe I had all the answers, but now I am wondering if I know a single thing."
Mark took a swing from his beer, letting the words hang before replying. "It is not too bad, you know."
Thor glanced at him curiously. "Realising you don't know anything."
"Once you know you do not have all the answers, you know where to start looking," Mark said.
Thor thought about that, then shook his head. "I have no clue where to start, no idea what I am going to do in this mortal life."
"That is the joy of a mortal life," Mark said. "You do not know where it leads, and in the end you can only hope for the best."
Thor frowned. "Hope for the best?"
"That is what we do best," Mark said with a chuckle.
"Hope."
He turned to Thor. "What do you hope for, Thor?"
Thor pondered for a moment, his gaze lifting to the stars. "I hope my father can forgive me, that wherever we meet again he will take me into his arms as his son and not look at me the way he did when he banished me."
Mark put an arm on his shoulder. "Your father does not hate you, Thor, nor do you need to be forgiven."
Thor looked at him sharply. "How could you possibly know that?" Thor asked, a little sadness creeping into his voice.
Mark took another swig. "Because I know this banishment was not to punish you."
Thor still looked at him with confusion on his face.
"To be a good king is not to wear the crown," Mark said, "but to carry its weight."
Thor frowned. "I do not understand."
"You were to be Asgard's king," Mark continued, "but from what you have told me you were not ready."
"As king you will be offered power," he explained. "You will be tempted to believe it belongs to you, that it is a reward, a right, a sign of destiny, but power is not the reward of kingship it is the burden of it."
"But I was born to be king, my father always told me so," Thor said, a little distressed.
"Perhaps," Mark said. "But anyone lucky enough can be king, ask yourself this: do you want to be a good king?"
"Of course I do," Thor replied.
"Your fight with the frost giants sparked a war," he added, "and for what, what did you gain from the fight that could serve the people of Asgard?"
Thor stuttered, his words fumbling as he tried to justify it. "It... it showed strength, it... protected our honor, it..."
Mark put his hand on Thor's shoulder again. "A good king does not ask what he can do with power, he asks what he must not do."
Thor thought for a moment, the unease on his face shifting to quiet reflection. "I think I understand now."
"Your father did not banish you out of cruelty, Thor—he banished you because you were not ready to wield the power you were given," Mark said.
Thor sighed heavily, silent for a long moment before speaking again. "I must apologize for trying to strike you earlier, when you wielded Mjolnir. When I saw another prove worthy, one other than myself, it threw me into a jealous rage I could not control."
Mark chuckled. "It is fine, no harm done." He leaned back taking another drink.
Thor glanced at him curiously. "What will you do with it?"
"Do with what?" Mark asked.
"Mjolnir," Thor replied.
Mark shrugged. "Wait for its rightful owner to come pick it up."
Thor stared at him in shock. "But you are worthy of its power, why would you not take it for yourself?"
"Thor Odinson is the wielder of Mjolnir, not Mark Grayson," Mark said. "Maybe you are not worthy now, but I have no doubt you will be one day."
Thor looked at Mark in awe, the realization dawning that even when offered the power of a god he had simply declined, choosing instead to wait and return it rather than claim it for his own. "I can see it now."
"See what?" Mark asked.
"Why Mjolnir finds you worthy," Thor said before clapping him on the back with a grin. "Come now! the night is young, and there are many drinks to be had."
"Here, here," Mark said, clinking his bottle against Thor's as they both took long pulls, the conversation lightening under the vast desert sky.
(AN: So Mark and Thor are buddy buddies and Thor has a bit more perspective. Blah blah blah. Anyone want a sex scene? I do.)
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