Avengers x Male Reader

Waking Up With Him (Thor Odinson)

In the nightmare you weren't fast enough. Although you'd survived the experience long ago, it sometimes played out differently in your dreams. In the nightmare they'd caught you before you managed to climb the fence. The homophobic group of high school bullies had snatched you from the fence mid-climb and thrown you into the rain soaked ground. Lying on your back, you could feel the air rapidly vacating your body upon impact as heavy rain fell across your face. You were helpless as the biggest of them held you down while the others circled you, ensuring that even if you were able to break free you wouldn't get far.
"This is what happens to faggots!" The big, ugly guy shouted, eliciting laughter from his cronies. Then he showed you exactly what was going to happen as his fists bore down on your face.
You'd grown up hearing the stories about Matthew Shepherd's murder. As much as they'd terrified you, you'd been more terrified to admit it to anyone. When your parents discussed it at the dinner table, your father had said "that's what he gets for being gay." You'd pretended to be hungry even though your stomach was in knots. After forcing yourself to finish dinner, you'd excused yourself to your bedroom where you cried yourself to sleep and dreamed that you'd end up the same as Matthew.
Your neighbor had a "God hates fags" sign in his front yard. As long as you lived, you'd never forget the outrageous normalcy of such a statement. Nor could you ever forget your father's attempts to make a man out of you. He'd taken you hunting once. You could still recall the buck he'd shot. It was a magnificent and noble creature. When your father took you to it, it had still been alive. You watched your father unsheathe his knife to finish the job and the look in the beautiful creature's eyes was seared into your brain. In the throes of death, the deer seemed as if it were unaware of what was happening. Like it's soul had already been removed as an act of mercy.
Sometimes you imagined that your soul was gone too. That perhaps it had been snatched away to free you from the painful upbringing and harsh bullying. You had often wondered if that was why you were always so distant, so invisible. Were you soulless?
You woke with a gasp to realize that it was just a dream. Not real. The only thing that was real was the warm, solid body that lay underneath you. Your face was resting against a strong chest and a pair of arms was wrapped around you. Regaining your composure, you looked up to find that Thor was watching you closely, his blue eyes staring into yours.
"I'm sorry," you spoke in a sleepy voice as you started to sit up.
"Please do not apologize, (Y/N)," he said in a deep low voice.
"It was just a nightmare," you sighed as you settled back into his embrace.
"Did they harm you?" the thunder god asked as he began to rub your back, his warmth permeating you.
"Yeah," you whispered.
"It angers me that such hate exists. It angers me that I cannot avenge your pain."
"It's in the past," you assured him as you slid up his body and kissed his bearded cheek.
"But it matters," Thor urged.
You smiled up at him and a sense of peace overwhelmed your senses. You weren't that scared boy. You weren't a victim anymore. And you certainly weren't soulless. Since you'd started dating Thor it was very clear that there was a soul beneath the trauma. And Thor had set out to unearth it. In the warmth of his affection and care, you'd allowed your defenses to slip. You'd opened yourself to him. And now you went to bed each night and woke each morning in the arms of a man who would do anything to protect you.  With his straightforward sincerity and his steady and honest affection, Thor had proven to you that you could be with another man who could be kind, safe.
Upon first meeting him, you'd been helplessly drawn to his size and strength. Though it intimidated you and you'd initially been afraid to reveal your attraction, Thor had immediately dispelled your fear by making the first move. But, despite his  usual bluntness, Thor had recognized your sensitivity and fear. He'd treaded lightly, taking these things into consideration as he began a gentle courtship. And soon, under his careful affection, you'd begun to open like a flower.
"It does matter," you agreed with him. "But it's not the only part of my story."
Thor smiled warmly and kissed your forehead. "Tell me then-what is the rest?"
"The rest of my story is that I'm not that scared boy anymore. I'm...I'm stronger. And I've learned to love who I am."
"I have learned to love who you are, too," Thor declared as he squeezed your body against his. "It was not a hard lesson though."
"When we first met I was afraid of you. I was afraid you'd find out that I was attracted to you and you would hurt me."
"(Y/N), I would never." His tone of voice and expression conveyed the shock he felt at such a statement.
You clung to his body and kissed his warm skin. "I know. I know that now. I found out so quickly that you weren't the type to do that. I just never would have imagined that your love would help heal me the way it has."
It was true. The alchemy of Thor's love had taken your fear and hurt and turned them into bravery and joy. The transformative power of how he loved you had emboldened you and helped you begin to shed some of the trauma like a skin you didn't need anymore. And the skin beneath it was new and vibrant.
"You deserve that healing," Thor softly spoke.
Moments passed and soon you found yourself falling asleep again just the way you and he liked- with you lying on top of him, your face nestled against his chest. When the sleep left you, you found yourself wakened by the smell of breakfast. You rolled over in bed and watched as Thor gently set a tray down and smiled at you.
"I...may have burned the toast the first try," he sheepishly explained.
You looked down at the plate of bacon, eggs, and toast, then looked back at him and smiled so happily that his sheepish expression quickly burst into a smile to match yours. Together, the two of you ate breakfast in bed. Then, with your loving protector at your side, you approached the beautiful day as an adventure, one that the two of you would share.
"You know, it's funny," you said as the two of you walked through the park, hand in hand. "I never imagined this kind of thing were possible."
Thor raised your joined hands and kissed your knuckles. "And yet it is."
"I guess I've come a long way from that boy who was scared that God really did hate fags."
Thor shook his head. "I can assure you, love, that this god does not."