Word Count: 3,150

Thor helped Peter load the groceries onto the checkout belt. The teen had just got his driver's permit and was asked to make a grocery run for the team. Being that Thor was thousands of years old, he saw him as a valid adult to accompany him to the store, even though he knew nothing about cars. (Peter had not realized that this was illegal since Thor was not licensed). Lucky for them, they were just driving to a local store in a nearby small town where they'd be more likely to hit a deer than another vehicle. (Peter had also not realized that of course, Stephen put protection runes on his car, per Tony's request.)

"Do we really need this much coffee?" Thor asks, setting the three five-pound bags of beans on the conveyor belt.

"That will only last us a week with Tony around," Peter replied, chuckling. "Besides, do we really need a box of forty-eight PopTarts???"

"You got me there, young spider." He studied the boy for a moment. "Why do you sometimes call Mr. Stark by his actual name? He adopted you, didn't he?"

Peter blushed. "Habit, I guess. I interned for him before becoming a part of the team and before getting adopted. I guess it just hasn't sunk in yet."

"That makes sense," Thor agreed. They finished unloading the cart, waiting for everything to go down the line. The god's eyes drifted to the candy and knick-knacks shelf beside the register. "Spider Child, what are these?" He pointed to a black package.

Peter maneuvered around the cart to his side. "Oh, those are glow sticks!"

He squinted in confusion. "Glow sticks?"

Peter's eyes widened. "Mr. Thor, you mean to tell me you've never used glow sticks!? That's it, we're buying all of them." He proceeded to pull the packages off of the shelf and throw them on the belt. "We'll try them later tonight so you can get the full experience."

"So, how do these...glowing sticks work? Do they occur in nature here on Midgard? Are they gathered like fruit and grains?" Thor asked as they got in the car.

Peter chuckled, shaking his head. "No. They're actually a cool chemical reaction! Two different kinds of chemicals are stored in a thin plastic tube, and when you bend and shake them, they mix together and react, which creates a glow."

Thor's face lit up. "That sounds fascinating!"

Peter shrugged. "Bruce could probably explain it better than me." He glanced over at the god. "Speaking of Bruce, I've noticed you've been spending a lot of time together lately." A sly grin crept onto his face.

"Well, yes. We're good friends, and we like talking to one another. He introduced me to bird watching!"

"But are you...more than good friends?"

Thor thought for a moment. "I guess you could say we're best friends."

Peter wanted to facepalm but thought better of it since he was driving. "Okay, you know the feelings you had for Lady Jane? What I mean is, do you like Bruce in the same way? Do you get all warm and fuzzy inside around him? Do you sometimes feel like kissing him?"

"Well...I can't say I feel like kissing him if I've already done it."

Peter slammed on the brakes, the two men lurching forward. "You what!?"

"Young Spider, I don't know much about driving, but I don't think you're supposed to do that."

Peter rolled his eyes, accelerating again. "Explain."

"Well, I kissed him on the forehead when I took him to his room the other night. He was already asleep then. I also hugged him goodnight last week and kissed the top of his head. I don't know if he felt it. I did it lightly. His hair smelled good--"

The teen waved his hand. "Okay, okay, let me rephrase this. Are you attracted to Bruce?"

"Yes." Thor said without hesitation.

"Does Bruce know that?"

He frowned. "Well, I haven't told him. But he has seven PhDs, so surely he's figured it out."

Peter chuckled. "I don't think Dr. Banner has a PhD in relationships, Mr. Thor. Are you planning to tell him?"

Thor pondered a moment. "Maybe. I don't want to ruin what we already have and make things awkward. Plus, why would he want me? I'm not nearly as smart as him."

"You're literally a god. The god of Thunder!"

"Bruce doesn't like thunder," Thor said quietly, looking at his hands in his lap. "It scares him. Why would he want to be with me?"

Peter placed a hand on his shoulder but kept his eyes glued to the road. "Because you're so much more than that! I shouldn't have listed that as the main reason he'd like you. I'm sorry that I did that. You're very kind and thoughtful and you're always telling him something, and I'm sure he loves that about you. You also like the Hulk! And you know how much Bruce has struggled with accepting that part of himself. You've helped him a lot."

The two parked in the compound's garage. Thor grabbed most of the groceries and followed Peter towards the elevator. The boy stopped right before stepping inside. "Look, you don't have to tell him, but if you did and he likes you back, you'd make a great couple." He smiled before the two stepped into the elevator.

The young boy's words turned in the god's mind for the rest of the day.

Bruce heard a knock on his bedroom door. He checked his phone. Who was knocking at nine p.m.? He opened the door, jumping back a bit in surprise.

"I have discovered the wonders of the glow stick!" Thor boomed from the dark hallway. He was adorned in an assortment of colors from head to toe--a necklace fitted loosely around his head, another necklace on his neck, three bracelets on each arm, and three on his ankles.

Bruce chuckled. "How did you discover those?"

"The Spider Child and I went to the store this morning and he insisted we buy all of them! I am not disappointed! I love their soft light! The young spider told me it was some sort of chemical reaction and said that you could explain it better."

"Is that so?" he asked, chuckling and blushing a little. He yawned. "Maybe in the morning. I'm a bit tired."

"Oh, that's fine," Thor replied. "Do you want some glow sticks?"

Bruce shook his head. "No, I prefer my room to be as dark as possible. Thank you, though."

He could see the god grin in the faint glow stick light. "No problem. Goodnight, Banner. May I um, hug you?"

Bruce's heart melted a little at the request. "Sure."

They shared a quick hug, Thor making sure to control his emotions and not shock the smaller man. Both found themselves wishing it would last longer, but neither voiced their desires.

"I'll see you in the morning," Thor said, smiling softly.

"Same to you. Goodnight," Bruce replied, closing his door.

He crawled into bed, chuckling at another one of Thor's discoveries. He closed his eyes. That's when an idea popped into his head.

Bruce walked into the kitchen the next morning to see Thor sitting at the kitchen island absently gazing into his coffee, a half-eaten PopTart on the marble surface next to him.

His eyebrows furrowed in concern. "Is everything okay, Thor?" he asked gently.

The god sighed. "I woke up this morning and my glow sticks were dead."

"Wha--oh." Bruce frowned at Thor's obvious disappointment over this. "Well, chemical reactions can only last so long. Glow sticks are usually used at parties and are thrown away or forgotten about the next day."

"But they're so pretty. I wish they would glow all the time."

Bruce walked around the island, putting a hand on Thor's arm. "Yeah, that'd be pretty cool." They were quiet for a moment. "I promised I'd tell you about the reaction." He pulled a notebook and pen out of his pocket, sitting down beside the blond. Flipping to an empty page, he drew a hotdog-sized glow stick. "So, the chemicals in a glow stick are usually hydrogen peroxide, a colored dye, and bis(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl)oxalate. It's not important if you don't know what those are. Anyways, the bis oxalate is stored in a tiny glass tube inside of the glow stick." He drew a small oval inside of the bigger shape. "When you bend the plastic, the tube breaks, mixing the bis oxalate with the hydrogen peroxide. Shaking it spreads the chemicals faster and distributes them evenly." He dipped a finger in Thor's coffee, smearing it across the page for color. "And there you have it: a glow stick."

Thor grinned. "Thank you for explaining it to me!"

"Of course," Bruce replied gently. "I'm sorry that I couldn't actually show you. The bis oxalate is expensive and not easy to get. And I didn't explain it last night because I couldn't remember the formula."

The god waved a hand. "I'm impressed enough already."

Peter walked into the kitchen, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders.

Bruce stood up. "Pete! You're up! I was wondering if you wanted to run to the store with me this afternoon?"

The boy yawned. "Sure. But first, coffee." He shuffled over to the coffee maker, casting a glance back at the two men. He and Thor seemed to exchange knowing glances for a moment, which confused Bruce. Oh well, it was probably none of his business.

"Well, I'm going to go get ready for the day," Bruce said, gesturing to his sweatpants and t-shirt that said "You matter. Unless you multiply yourself by the speed of light squared. Then you energy." Tony got him that for Christmas.

Thor thought Bruce's lounge attire looked cute. Then again, he thought he'd look cute in anything. "Have fun shopping with the spiderling!" He called before the scientist stepped into the elevator.

"Oh, I will," Bruce replied, smiling. If only Thor knew.

"Friday, where is Thor at the moment?" Bruce asked, carrying a small grocery bag.

"He is currently training with Mr. Rogers," the AI replied.

Bruce smiled. "Perfect." He turned to Peter. "It's 8:30, so we'll have to work fast."

The boy nodded and followed Bruce to Thor's room. They snuck in and shut the door behind them.

"Okay, so I need you to help me by sticking to the ceiling since I can barely reach it from Thor's bed." Bruce pulled a bottle of superglue out and a small package of glow-in-the-dark stars, handing them to Peter.

He nodded, taking his shoes off and crawling up the wall. Bruce removed his shoes as well and balanced carefully on the bed after turning on the bedside lamp.

Thor is gonna love this...I hope.

Peter and the scientist had gone out to buy six packs of assorted glow-in-the-dark stars--the kind that recharge with daylight. Bruce remembered having them as a kid, and since Thor had a childlike awe for everything, they figured he would love them.

"So...you and Thor seem pretty close. Are y'all dating?" Peter asked, trying to make conversation.

"Um...no?" Bruce replied.

"You two literally make heart eyes at each other all the time," he countered.

Bruce sighed. "Okay, how much did your dad bribe you for trying to get me to make a move on him?"

"Which one?"

Bruce glared at him.

Peter chuckled nervously. "Okay, so neither of them did. I just wanted to make that joke. But seriously, Dr. Banner, why in the world would you be doing this for him if you didn't like him!?"

He sighed, pushing his glasses up to rub his eyes. "It's...complicated. I just wanted to make him happy with this. He's a literal god, and I'm just a scientist with anger issues. Plus, the Hulk makes everything complicated."

"Okay, first of all, the Hulk has anger issues, not you," Peter clarified. His tone softened. "Maybe you should at least ask him out on a date and see where it goes from there."

"I don't know..."

"The worst he could do would be to say no."

"Yeah, and then our friendship would be awkward." He thought back to the note Thor left with his bird drawing. "Also, Thor told me in that note that you told him to write xoxo. Did you tell him what that meant?"

Peter blushed. "No...I just thought it would be funny. I'm sorry for telling him to do that." The boy was having an extremely hard time not telling the two men that they both liked each other. It would save a lot of awkwardness, but he also knew it wasn't his place to expose their feelings since they both confided in him.

"Okay...last two packages!" Bruce exclaimed, pulling them out of the bag. The ceiling was coming along nicely. "Just let me know when to hand it up." He proceeded to open his own package.

"Actually, I have to use the bathroom," Peter said suddenly, scampering across the ceiling and swinging into Thor's bathroom. "Have fun!" he said, shutting the door.

Bruce's face twisted in confusion. Have fun?

The doorknob on the bedroom door started to turn. Bruce froze. Curse Peter and his spidey sense! His head whipped around. There wasn't really any place to hide at this point. He took a deep breath.

Thor stepped into his room, his skin glistening with sweat from training. Closing the door, he paused, doing a once-over of Bruce randomly standing on his bed with superglue. "Um...hello Banner. Why are you standing on my bed?"

Bruce blushed. "H-Hi, Thor. I was supposed to be out of here before you came in." He cast a glance over at the closed bathroom door. The light was off. Of course, Peter was setting them up. "Um, I-I wanted to show you something." He stepped to the edge of the bed and jumped onto the floor. Thor walked over to where he stood. "Ready?" He asked. The blond nodded, a confused look on his face.

Bruce took a deep breath, then reached over and turned off the lamp.

"Banner, wha--" Thor said after a few seconds, then gasped as his eyes adjusted. "Stars! Bruce, what did you do?"

"Um, they're glow-in-the-dark. And they recharge in the light, so they won't die. I thought you'd like it."

Bruce felt a pair of strong arms wrap around him and lift him up. Thor spun him in a circle. "I love it "

"Dizzy!" Bruce managed to say.

"Oh, right, sorry," Thor replied, putting the smaller man down. Bruce turned the lamp back on. Thor held him out at arm's length, just taking a moment to gaze at the wonderful human in front of him. "You don't know how happy this makes me."

Bruce could've sworn he saw tears in his eyes. His heart melted. Thor was such a tender person.

"Well, I'm just glad you're happy and not mad that I put stars on your ceiling because they'd be kinda hard to get off," he chuckled. He glanced at Thor's bed behind him. "Oh, I have two packages left to put up. Do you want to help? I'm almost too short to reach the ceiling."

Thor beamed. "I would love to." Taking off his shoes, he stood on his bed, then offered a hand to Bruce. He took it, butterflies racing through his stomach. His hands were rough and calloused, but also very gentle. It was probably the longest he's touched them.

The scientist blushed as he realized he hadn't let go of the god's hands once he was balanced on the bed. Bruce pulled them away to reached for a package and a bottle of superglue, handing them to Thor.

"Be careful not to get the glue on your fingers because it's hard to get off," Bruce instructed. "It's also easier to put the glue on the star and stick it to the ceiling than vice versa."

Thor nodded and opened his package of stars. The two worked in silence for several minutes, their starry paths eventually bringing them closer together. He looked down at Bruce, who was on his tiptoes trying to glue the last few stars in place. Thor, who had finished, stood admiring the scientist biting his lip, his face scrunched in concentration. He was cute no matter what he was doing.

"Done," Bruce declared, lowering himself back onto his heels. "Oh," he squeaked, swaying slightly when he saw how close Thor was. The god put his hands on his arms to steady him.

"Bruce," he spoke softly, his gaze intense, "this was a wonderful surprise. Thank you so much."

"Oh, um, it's no problem, Thor, really," he insisted, squirming under his gaze. Why was he so interested in staring at him???

"There's just one thing that would make it perfect," he replied, not taking his eyes off of the scientist for one second.

"Um, what's that?"

"Kissing you," Thor whispered, moving his hands to cup Bruce's face. He began to lean forward, but then stopped himself abruptly. "May I?"

Bruce nodded, still dazed. Thor wanted to kiss him!?

The god smiled and closed the gap between them, gently placing his lips on the smaller man's. They were soft but firm, just like Thor had imagined them to be. He lingered just long enough to feel Bruce relax under his hands, then pulled away.

Bruce was in shock, his hands resting Thor's waist beginning to shake. When did they get there!? Why is a literal god kissing me!? I don't feel worthy!

Thor's brow furrowed, noticing Bruce's dazed expression and trembling hands. "Is everything alright, Banner? Did I do something wrong?"

"N-No," he stuttered out. He took a deep breath, then released. "This is just a lot to take in."

"I understand," Thor replied. He offered his hand. "Let me walk you to your room. Then I'll leave you alone for the night."

Bruce nodded, accepting Thor's hand. There's no way he wouldn't notice the shaking now. "Okay."

Thor helped him off of the bed and walked him down the hall to his room. Bruce really hoped Peter would take advantage and finally leave Thor's bathroom. He didn't know if he was mad or grateful for him running away like that.

Thor stopped at Bruce's door, letting go of his hand. "Goodnight, Bruce," he said softly.

Bruce hugged Thor, taking him by surprise. "Goodnight, Thor."

The god had to resist kissing him again, knowing he was still overwhelmed. That was okay, though. The two pulled away, and he watched Bruce until his door closed.

Thor walked back to his own room and laid down after turning off the lamp. He put his hands behind his head and gazed up at his illuminated ceiling. It was more concentrated in the places Bruce could reach, then grew sparser beyond the bed.

Thor smiled. He had his own little galaxy, the center of it being Bruce Banner.