As Thor walked Peggy Carter home in the late-night calm, she looked up at him, pleasantly surprised. "I didn't expect you'd be such a good dancer!"
Thor chuckled. "What, did you think I was just a barbarian who only knows how to fight?"
Peggy laughed and gave him a playful nudge. "Care to come up for a drink?"
Thor didn't hesitate. The two entered her apartment, finding it comfortably empty—Sharon had left, giving them the evening to themselves.
...
The next morning at Maya Hansen's research center, Betty Ross's eyes widened when she saw Maya looking at least a decade younger. "Oh my god! This is unbelievable!" she exclaimed.
Maya had been in her early twenties when she and Thor met over fifteen years ago. Though she still looked youthful, the years had added a quiet maturity. Now, blessed with eternal life, she had reverted to her younger appearance overnight.
Thor smiled at Betty, amused. "See? Now do you believe me? Who's the skeptic now?"
Blushing, Betty looked at him with newfound admiration—and a hint of hope. Although she was still young, many women began to feel old after twenty-five...
Suddenly, Natasha broke the moment with a curious glance at Thor. "So," she asked, "what's the story between you and Senior Agent Carter?"
Thor raised an eyebrow, surprised. Back when he first brought Natasha to S.H.I.E.L.D., Peggy had trained her personally. Though Peggy hid it well, Natasha's keen observation skills had picked up on subtle hints over the years. Peggy's youthful appearance had always been an anomaly, and now that she'd seen Thor's apparent "miracle," her suspicions felt confirmed.
Thor didn't hide it. "You're right. We've known each other for over half a century, back when we were at war with… you know."
Natasha smiled knowingly. "Thought so. I bet you weren't using your real identity back then, were you? I can't see someone with your personality staying unnoticed."
Thor rolled his eyes. "You've only known me for what, two or three days? And you're so sure you know me that well?"
Natasha returned his eye-roll. "Two or three days, and most of that time you were showing off. It doesn't take a genius to figure you out."
Ignoring her quip, she tilted her head thoughtfully. She sifted through her memory, recalling the names of well-known figures close to Peggy during the war. After a moment, her eyes lit up. "Donald Blake? Vice-captain of the Howling Commandos… and Agent Carter's lover?"
Betty Ross and Maya Hansen looked equally stunned. Although Donald Blake's name wasn't as famous as Captain America's, he'd been widely admired for his bravery—and had certainly caught the attention of many young women in his time.
Betty's eyes sparkled with awe. "I can't believe that one of my childhood heroes is standing right here! And to think, he saved me from those thugs!"
Maya's expression wasn't far off, glancing at Thor with fresh admiration.
Watching the scene, Natasha felt a pang of jealousy. She'd thought she was the first to know Thor, only to find out he'd been with Peggy decades ago.
Thor noticed the shift in her mood and quickly redirected the conversation. "Speaking of which, Betty, how's your father's research going?"
Betty sighed. "Still the same. My father hasn't been able to locate Bruce Banner. He's desperate to recreate the Hulk, but none of his attempts have succeeded. The only partial success was with Emil Blonsky, but even his improvements were limited."
Thor pondered for a moment and then turned to Maya Hansen. "Go ahead and pass along Bruce Banner's last known location to General Ross. In exchange, request a sample of the super-soldier serum. It's a flawed version, but I'm sure you can work out the kinks."
Maya nodded, then hesitated. "And what about Extremis? Last time, I sold a small batch to General Ross for research funding, but I've turned down all other offers. Organizations everywhere are dying to buy it."
Thor considered this and replied, "Dilute it and sell it as a single-use healing serum to the public. Make it widely available."
He wasn't concerned about the serum falling into the wrong hands. For ordinary people, Extremis was extraordinary, but for high-level beings, its effects were far less impressive. Asgardians, for example, had a natural regenerative ability almost on par with Extremis's effects—even in a diluted form.
Besides, he needed the funds. Earth's currency system didn't accept Asgardian coin, and he couldn't exactly crash at Stark's place when he lead the Avengers in the future.
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