As the saying goes, "if a person doesn't worry about the future, they'll have trouble in the foreseeable future. The same goes for gods."
Thor was about to go insane from Loki's torment. If this had been the past, he would still fight Loki to the death, despite knowing he couldn't win and understanding that attacking a superior might leading to his expulsion by Heimdall.
But after arriving on Earth, Thor understood one thing: objective facts do not change based on human whims and wishes. If you fail an interview, you have failed. If a company doesn't hire you, they're not hiring you. If you can't find a job, you can't find a job. No matter how angry or resentful Thor feels, it won't change anything.
Over time, Thor had hit countless walls. Originally, he was doing alright as a warehouse worker, but the pay was too low. After paying rent, he barely had enough for food and clothing.
He was desperate to find a job that paid better, but there were no such jobs in Hell's Kitchen. His only choice was to go elsewhere.
Luckily, during his time working in the warehouse, he got along well with a group of truck drivers from Texas. Thor learned some driving and car repair skills from them, which eventually landed him a job at a repair shop near the South of Manhattan.
However, this job was too far from where he lived, so Thor had to find a new place to live. His current issue was that the only affordable, nearby apartment was Loki's.
Even if Loki lured him here to mock him, Thor had to bow to reality. If he couldn't get to work on time to earn money, he'd be sleeping on the streets again.
No one knew what Loki was thinking, but in the end, he opened the door for Thor. The relationship between them was unclear, but eventually, Loki rented the apartment to Thor.
In a high-end apartment building where Loki lived, SHIELD Agent Hill, with the Symbiote Phantom inside her body, was spying on the building across, complaining, "I still think your plan to study the riot is too risky. Why not just imprison it on the Klinta planet?"
"I don't understand how you humans can be so bold. Aren't you afraid of Nal's Chaos Power reappearing?"
Hill shrugged, "You'll have to talk to the director about that. It's his plan, and I can't do anything about it."
The Phantom sighed helplessly, "Also, do you really think spying on the two Asgardian princes won't provoke God King Odin's wrath? He is, after all, the ruler of the Nine Major Kingdoms…"
"That's not really important, but I must say, those two princes are quite handsome…" Hill, one hand on her hip and the other holding a telescope, asked the Phantom, "Who do you think is more handsome? I personally prefer Loki. Thor is… well…"
Hill shrugged, "I suppose some people might like him, but he's not my type."
"I…," Phantom didn't know how to respond. Hill mistook her silence for shyness and said, "I can tell you're more interested in Thor. Every time we mention him, you seem to get emotional. How about it? Want me to introduce you?"
"No need!" the Phantom exclaimed.
Following this, she muttered under her breath, "A lightning strike from the Asgardian god Thor nearly killed us all. Get to know him? Do you want another taste of his lightning?"
"So you fear him?"
"I don't!"
Suddenly, Hill put down her telescope and rubbed her eyes. Then she looked at the window across again, puzzled, "Am I seeing things? Why does it look like their room is on fire?"
The Symbiote Phantom, having taken over Hill's body, stated, "No, you're not. It's on fire."
Instantly, Hill appeared at Thor and Loki's apartment door and knocked, "Hello? Are you in there? It seems like there's a fire in your apartment!"
A crash sounded from inside. After a while, Thor opened the door. There was a black smudge on his face. He rubbed his face and said, "We're fine! We'll have it under control soon!"
Another loud bang came from the kitchen. Thor glanced back and then used his towering physique to block Hill's view. He asked, "Are you a neighbor? Well… We had a minor accident while cooking, but trust me, we'll have it under control soon…"
With another loud bang, thick smoke began billowing out from the kitchen. Loki was choked out by the smoke. He coughed twice and told Thor at the door, "It's really on fire. Put it out..."
Thor covered his eyes and Hill pointed to the stairwell and said, "There's firefighting equipment there. Just open it and use it."
When the fire was eventually put out, even though Hill was curious about what had transpired, she had no reason to stay. So, she returned to her base of operation to continue her remote surveillance.
But not even an hour passed when the windows of the room across shattered in a loud explosion, followed by thick smoke spilling out. Hill rushed downstairs.
Loki hurriedly walked forward, a few black smudges on his face, and Thor behind him was a sight to behold, transformed into a totally blackened figure.
Thor furiously yelled at Loki, "Look at the mess you've made!! You are hands down the most incompetent Fire God I've ever met!!! If you hadn't tried to light the stove with fire, there wouldn't have been an explosion…"
Against the backdrop of the fire alarm, Loki, equally angry, retorted, "How was I supposed to know?! Pyro control comes naturally with my godly powers. How was I supposed to know that the flames wouldn't listen and would burn the pipes?!"
"You've already messed up once!" Thor stressed, "and yet you still insist on doing this. Are you out of your mind?!"
Loki was so frustrated that he actually laughed. He never thought in his life that he'd be mocked by Thor for being a dimwit. As their argument persisted, a firefighter in full gear approached them and asked, "You two are the owners of the house that caught fire. What's your relationship?"
Neither of them spoke. The firefighter gave them a quirky look, then took out a notebook and said, "Regardless of your relationship, come to the police station with us. A major fire incident needs to be filed…"
Just as the two princes were about to be taken away in a fire truck, Hill walked up, flashed her badge, and said, "SHIELD agent. Please cooperate."
Twenty minutes later, in SHIELD's office, Natasha sat at a desk facing the two men, not even bothering to look up and asked, "Names?"
"Thor Odinson." Thor spit out grumpily.
"Loki Odinson."
"Hey, your last name isn't Odinson! Only the Divine King's eldest son gets to use the title Odinson!"
"Would you shut your mouth?" Loki grimaced, resentfully said to Thor, "I'm a true god now, and you can't disobey me!"
Natasha knocked on the table. In a deadpan voice, she said, "Do you two realise a gas explosion you caused in a densely populated, upscale apartment complex is being classified as an extraterrestrial terrorist act?"
Loki put up a hand to calm Natasha and said, "I can explain. The thing is… "
Natasha propped her face up with one hand, an expression of sarcasm on her face as if to say, "I can't wait to hear what you'll come up with", and listened to Loki's defenses.
"I've received the priesthood of a Fire God. Of course, I know you humans don't understand how this priesthood system works. But when you think about it literally, a Fire God should possess pyro control powers, right?"
Even after saying it, Loki felt his words were absurd, but seeing Natasha nod, he continued, "Human gas stoves should be lit by fire. That's not a problem, right?"
Natasha nodded again.
Thor interrupted, "But your flame control power is shit! We only needed a little spark to light the gas stove, but you conjured a fireball larger than a fridge door... "
Loki completely ignored him and went on, "Theoretically, the pyro control ability that comes with the Fire God title should be perfect."
"So?" Natasha looked at him curiously.
Loki opened his mouth, but paused as he saw Natasha's beautiful face. He felt what he was about to say was indeed embarrassing in front of such a beauty.
"But theory and reality are slightly apart…"
Natasha sighed as she closed the folder in front of her and said, "The reason SHIELD tolerates Thor's stay on Earth is that he doesn't possess any extraordinary powers beyond that of a human. But you're different."
"Whether you can't control your divine power or messed up your magic, you destroyed human homes, scared the neighbors, and wasted fire resources. Therefore, we must deport you… "
"No! Wait!" Loki stood up and said, "I have a major deal this month! I just negotiated it yesterday and I'm about to meet the client. This is a big contract from Citibank, I can't leave like this…"
At this point, Nick Fury pushed open the office door, smoky all over and still holding a crystal ball. Everyone else in the room stared at him. Nick coughed out a puff of black smoke and said, "Set all other issues aside. When you Asgardians send packages, could you be less rough?"
"Um…were you struck by lightning?" Natasha asked.
"Stop acting like Coulson, always asking obvious questions."
Thor and Loki exchanged a glance. Loki said, "This is a good trait from Asgard. Simple, fast, straight to the point, albeit a bit rough…"
Natasha walked over to Fury, who handed over the crystal ball to her. He then looked at Loki and said, "Since your father has paid the custodial fee, we can overlook these mishaps for now. However, you have to promise us that there won't be a next time."
Loki raised his hand and declared, "I will no longer use the powers of the Fire God."
Natasha asked with some confusion, "But not all your powers come from that Fire God right? And after starting a fire, can't you extinguish it with your magic?"
"I don't know what happened." Loki turned his face to one side. He too seemed perplexed as he said, "I lost control of the fire I created, and I was somewhat... kinda... "
Looking at his brother's expression, Thor broke into a grin and said, "You're not... afraid of fire, are you?"