The Little Things: A Collection of Thorbruce Oneshots

6. Bright

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--"