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Outside Jane's House – Night in Puente Antiguo
The dry ground outside Jane Foster's small house glowed faintly under the dim desert moonlight. The soil looked almost like dried egg yolk—yellow and cracked, stretching out across the quiet New Mexico landscape. The wind carried grains of dust across the yard, brushing softly against the wooden porch and the scattered equipment that had survived the earlier confiscation by S.H.I.E.L.D.
Jack and Jane sat on two simple chairs placed outside the house. The desert night was unusually quiet, and the faint sound of insects echoed in the distance.
Jane kept glancing at Jack's waist where the wound had been bandaged earlier. Even though he insisted it was nothing serious, the memory of that large, bleeding wound still worried her.
"Tom, don't you really need to go to the hospital and have it checked?" Jane asked again, her face full of concern.
Jack simply shook his head with a relaxed smile.
"It's fine," he replied calmly. "Really, there's no need to make such a fuss."
Jane studied his face carefully. Somehow, despite everything that had happened tonight, he still looked calm and composed.
After a short silence, Jane spoke again.
"Tom… are you like this with everyone?" she asked thoughtfully.
Jack tilted his head slightly.
"Like what?"
"I mean…" Jane hesitated for a moment. "Are you always this kind to other people the way you've been to me?"
Jack paused.
"This…"
Jane leaned forward slightly, her eyes watching him carefully.
"What do you mean 'this'?"
Jack finally smiled faintly.
"Maybe I'm only this nice to you."
Jane blinked.
"Really?"
A surprised smile slowly appeared on her face.
"That makes me feel extremely flattered."
Jack chuckled quietly.
Jane hesitated for a moment before asking another question.
"Pepper seems to hate you a lot," she said slowly. "Tom… did you do something to her?"
Her eyes showed a trace of suspicion.
Jack looked at the ground for a moment before speaking.
"Do you want to hear the truth?"
"Of course."
Jack sighed softly.
"She loved a man," he said quietly.
"That man was actually a friend of mine. His name was Nyto."
Jane listened carefully.
"But later," Jack continued, "Nyto's business failed. Completely."
"He fell into despair."
Jack's voice sounded heavy with regret.
"He began wasting his life. Drinking, gambling… borrowing money everywhere."
"I lent him money several times to help him recover."
Jack lowered his head slightly.
"But I realized that if I continued helping him like that, he would never change."
"So eventually I stopped lending him money."
Jack clenched his hands slightly.
"But… I never expected what happened next."
Jane watched him quietly.
"Nyto ended up being hacked to death by loan sharks," Jack said slowly.
Jane gasped softly.
"Pepper believes that his death was my fault," Jack continued with a bitter smile. "She thinks that if I had lent him money one last time, he wouldn't have died."
Jack's expression turned pained.
"Maybe she's right."
Jane immediately shook her head.
"No."
"That's not your fault at all."
"There was nothing you could have done."
Jack looked down silently.
"I still feel guilty," he said quietly.
"Sometimes I think… maybe I should have just given him the money."
"Even if I had to use the money meant for my own home."
Jane gently patted Jack's back.
"Tom… you shouldn't blame yourself like that."
"This really isn't your fault."
Jack forced a weak smile.
"Sorry. I must look ridiculous talking about something like this."
Jane shook her head seriously.
"Tom… you're a very good person."
Jack looked up at her.
Jane met his gaze directly.
"After Nyto died," Jack continued quietly, "I promised myself something."
"I decided that from then on, I would treat everyone sincerely and help anyone who needed help."
Jane nodded firmly.
"You've done exactly that."
"You definitely have."
Jack smiled faintly.
"Thank you, Jane."
"Helping you today made me very happy."
Jane smiled warmly.
"Being helped by you also makes me very happy."
For a moment, the two of them simply looked into each other's eyes.
The quiet desert air seemed to grow strangely tense.
"Jane…" Jack said softly.
"Do you feel something strange right now?"
Jane felt her heart suddenly beat faster.
"Yes."
"Do you feel it too?"
Jack leaned closer.
"Should we… release that feeling?"
Jane slowly leaned forward as well, her heart pounding louder and louder in her chest.
Their faces moved closer.
Closer.
Their lips were almost touching—less than a millimeter apart.
THUMP!
The sudden loud sound shattered the moment.
Jane instantly pulled back in shock and looked toward the source of the noise.
A wooden plank had fallen to the ground.
Pepper stood there.
"Sorry," Pepper said casually.
"Looks like I ruined your little moment."
Her eyes briefly flashed with satisfaction.
But deep inside her heart, she felt an inexplicable irritation she couldn't quite explain.
Jane became extremely embarrassed.
"No—no, it's not like that," she said awkwardly. "Tom and I were just—"
Pepper interrupted calmly.
"I was just passing by."
"You two can continue."
She turned and walked away.
Jack and Jane exchanged an awkward glance.
Jack chuckled.
"I think she did that on purpose."
Jane lowered her head instantly.
Her face turned bright red.
Inside her mind, only three words kept repeating over and over.
So embarrassing.
So embarrassing.
So embarrassing.
"Jane… are you okay?" Jack asked.
"I'm fine! I'm fine!"
Jane laughed awkwardly.
"Haha… haha…"
The atmosphere between them suddenly became very quiet.
Jane desperately searched for something to say.
"So… do you really think Thor is the God of Thunder?" she asked.
Jack nodded slightly.
"There's a very high possibility."
"He may really come from another world."
"And that hammer probably came with him."
"But he couldn't lift it earlier," Jane pointed out.
"Maybe something still needs to happen first," Jack replied calmly.
"Thor isn't crazy."
"That much I'm absolutely certain about."
Jane nodded thoughtfully.
"If Thor really comes from another world…"
She looked up at the star-filled sky.
"I'd love to see what that world looks like."
"You will have the chance."
Jane blinked.
"What?"
Jack smiled slightly.
"I can take you there."
He looked directly into her eyes.
"Do you believe me?"
Jane smiled softly.
"Yes."
"Because you're a real man."
"If you say something, you'll definitely do it."
"You'll definitely take me to see another world."
Jack looked into the distance.
"Look."
"They're back."
Jane followed his gaze.
"It's Thor!"
Her expression brightened.
"And Erik!"
But when she looked closer, she froze.
"Wait… what happened to Erik?"
Thor was carrying Erik over his shoulder.
"He drank alcohol," Thor explained calmly.
"Then he challenged me to a fight."
"I don't believe you're the God of Thunder!" Erik shouted drunkenly from Thor's shoulder.
"Let's fight again!"
His entire face was red.
Jane shook her head helplessly.
"Just take him inside and let him rest."
Thor nodded and carried Erik away.
Jane smiled.
"I didn't expect Thor to actually come back."
Jack spoke quietly.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. is definitely monitoring him."
Jane frowned.
"What?"
"Relax," Jack said calmly.
"They won't find anything."
Jane still felt uneasy.
"That kind of surveillance is very uncomfortable."
Thor soon returned and sat down in front of them.
His expression looked tired and full of regret.
"I've made many mistakes," Thor said quietly.
"I've failed."
"I saw my brother Loki."
"He is now king."
Thor lowered his head.
"My father was right to exile me."
"I understood nothing before."
Jane looked confused.
"Loki?"
Thor nodded sadly.
Jack spoke calmly.
"When you finally understand yourself and what you must do…"
"You will regain the power of the God of Thunder."
Thor looked at him seriously.
"What do you mean?"
Jack glanced toward the hammer's distant location.
"That hammer."
"As long as you are worthy of it, you will regain the power of the God of Thunder."
Thor stared at him thoughtfully.
"How do you know that?"
Jack smiled faintly.
"That part isn't important."
"What matters is whether you can become worthy."
A subtle smile appeared at the corner of Jack's lips.
Inside the hammer lay the power of thunder and lightning.
And to Jack…
That power was extremely tempting.