Chapter Text
Jerry slowly inhales the smell of the dishroom and lets the scent linger in his lungs. While others would complain about the various smells that all of the cleaning products, steam, and discarded food create, Jerry believes it to be the best smell in the world. It carries the implications of cleanliness and purification, and he savors every inhale that infiltrates his nostrils.
He readjusts his grip on the plate in his hand and submerges it into the sink for much needed moisture. Scrubbing away at it, the stain that mars the white plate stubbornly remains. Promptly grabbing the sink hose, he takes aim and relentlessly sprays the ugly blemish. A little smile lights his broad face as the mark finally erodes. All it takes is a little persistence.
Activity in the room is relaxed as it is currently a “dead hour.” The only other man in the room works at loading other various dishes and pans into a conveyor belt that led into a giant dishwasher of sorts. The monotonous hum of the machine provides a soothing rhythm. The silence shatters when another man hurriedly enters with a manic energy one would not believe capable from his stout frame. This new occupant completely ignores Jerry (which is difficult to do with his bulky frame) and makes a beeline for the man at the machine.
"Gary! Dude! You'll never guess who I just met!" The excitement which radiates off of him manages to take Jerry’s attention away from the pile of dirty dishes before him.
Gangly Gary can barely muster an interested expression as he continues to watch the various dishware with glazed eyes. "Who'd you meet, Ray?" he asks in a disinterested tone.
"Robert Downey Jr!” explodes the other man. “It was totally amazing even if only lasted about ten seconds!"
This news manages to stir Gary out of his disinterested stupor as he turns to look at his friend. "What's he doin' in town?"
"He's filmin' Avengers! The whole cast must be stayin’ here," Ray announces with a leap of excitement. Unfortunately, this news draws no response from his gangly comrade. "You know. That super hero team up movie? The one with all the Marvel dudes? The one that’s been built up to with all these other solo movies?" He bobs his head up and down and moves his hands in a circular motion in an attempt to jog Gary’s memory.
Gary scratches the side of his head momentarily forgetting about the yellow rubber gloves on his hands. “ Is that the team with Iron Man, the Green Hornet, and Batman?"
Ray adamantly shakes his head. "I have no idea what team that would be, but this Avengers movie has got Iron Man, the Hulk, Captain America, Thor, Black Widow, and Hawkeye."
At the mention of Thor’s name, Jerry's head definitively snaps to attention. His hands steadily grip the edge of the sink as pure adoration spreads across his face. The possibility of seeing the golden god in the flesh fills him with an intangible joy.
Comprehension slowly dawns on Gary’s face. "Oh! That would explain why I saw the Thor guy the other day."
Jerry's eyes widen, and he leans forward so as to not miss any words of this account.
The stout man’s eyes also nearly bug out of his head. "What?! What was he like? Why didn't you say somethin' before?"
Gary just shrugs. "Dunno. He's a big friggin' dude. That's for sure. But he was with some other guy. That Loki guy. Didn't wanna bother him. I think they go joggin' together cause they were wearin' shorts and a tee."
The mention of Loki causes Jerry’s face to twist into a sneer. The intensity with which he loathes and mistrusts the little snaky bastard daring to call himself a god equals the love and adoration he feels for Thor. The fact that Loki is present in the hotel is cause for concern.
"They friends or somethin'?"
Gary shrugs again. "Who really knows. But they seemed really into their conversation so I didn't wanna be a bother to either one."
Jerry’s eye twinges at this revelation, and his arm mindlessly lashes out at the stack of dishes next to him. The resulting crash startle the other two out of their conversation, and they whirl around to finally notice Jerry.
Not daring to move forward due to all of the broken dishes, his spindly co-worker looks at him with concern while Ray just stares wide eyed at the disaster.
“You okay, Jer?”
Jerry stands with fists clenched at his side and stares intently at the floor without actually noticing all the shattered dishes. He trembles with a sense of conviction.
"I'm going to clean this up," grumbles Jerry darkly. "I'm going to fix this mess."