Thor x Reader

Eight

It was quiet for a moment.

You were already hoping that he had taken the hint and left.

But that would have been too easy. And if there was one thing you knew, it was that Thor could rarely be easy. Even when he tried.

"I don't want to disturb you.", a voice answered.

The sound alone was enough to shake you to the core.

How strange the man sounded with whom you had shared every free moment of your life not so long ago.

Could someone so familiar to you change so much?

A sigh shook your chest.

"Thor.", his name tasted so strange on your tongue. "You already did."

"May I enter?"

You hesitated.

The ring in your hand pulsed as if electrified.

With a weary breath, you turned fully towards the door and lifted your chin.

This was destiny.

"Enter.", you allowed.

Even if you didn't want him to see it, you knew that the tiredness could be heard in your words.

It would probably also show on your face, deep circles under your eyes, skin so dull and brittle. Even the way you stood upright in front of the door was not like you used to in the old days.

The defiant childishness had faded from you. Instead, you had become an adult, oppressed by tasks and prophecies.

Your eyebrows pulled together.

This time it was he who hesitated.

Something moved on the other side.

"Don't pull your tail in now.", a thin smile appeared on your face. "Come. Be my guest."

He hummed.

"Are you sure?", the god of thunder asked.

Letting out a deep breath, you closed your eyes. You could not suppress a smirk.

"It's too late to change my mind. You must have a reason for coming to see me.", your eyes darkened. "After all these years..."

And again he answered only with a sound.

How differently he behaved. In the past, Thor had never missed an opportunity to lighten the mood with his words. He had always been rough, stubborn.

But even if he had always gone through the wall with his head, he had still been lovable. Whenever he had entered a room, all eyes had been on him. He had laughed loudly and everyone had spread joy with him.

Even if you couldn't see him, you knew that this version of him no longer existed.

His voice alone was proof enough that he was exhausted too. Simple joy, a loud, carefree laugh no longer crossed his lips.

It was too much effort to find a worthy reason for it.

Impatience was already spreading in your chest when he finally took the last step towards the door and gingerly pushed open one of the wings.

What emerged was a man who could not have been further from the memory of Thor.

Ever since you could remember, the god of thunder had been of enormous stature.

Odin had been preparing for Ragnarok for ages and had taken measures against it. Thus two of his sons were half of the blood of giants. Thor and Tyr were accordingly much taller than Baldur or Heimdall could ever have been.

But as tall as Thor was, he was also broad.

The loincloth he wore tied around his hips still resembled the armour from his younger years. The bracers also looked familiar.

And yet.

The man standing in front of you was not compatible with the image from your memory.

At first sight you thought he was overweight. His stomach was swollen and his fingers, the length of which you remembered well, had become rounder, more flabby.

His hair had grown longer, dishevelled and hung half in front of his eyes.

Confusion lit up in your eyes.

"Huh...", for some reason you couldn't help but smile slightly gloatingly. "Marriage has done you no good... You look like a blown up frog."

Undeterred by the insult, Thor just looked down at you.

His eyes were sunken. There was so much weariness on his face.

But what shocked you most was this impassivity.

He didn't care what you called him. Odin had called him far worse.

Slowly, he stepped further into the room. The door closed behind him.

Silence spread again. And this time it was the uncomfortable kind.

Never before had you felt uncomfortable in his presence. But now you would have preferred not to be locked in a room with him.

He seemed different. Less empathetic.

Instead, he seemed more like a son of Odin.

The thought made the blood freeze in your veins.

"You still have that shimmer in your eyes.", he said suddenly.

His voice sounded rough, as if someone had played with a knife in his throat and left it stuck. Every word sounded scarred. And yet the air trembled with every sound that left his lips.

Your eyebrows rose in surprise. His comment had caught you off guard.

"What do you want, Thor?", you asked before your heart could beat faster.

He hummed.

His gaze wandered over your face. For some reason it felt like he was trying to find something familiar.

"I need your help.", he finally said.

His hands hung limply at his sides. It was obvious that he had no desire to be a threat to you.

You took a deep breath.

"I have already told the Allfather that I cannot help him.", you said.

It would have been foolish to assume that Thor had come to you only because of fate. Perhaps this was not even the moment Tyr had prophesied.

In view of the fact that Odin had failed with a request to you, it seemed much more logical that he would send his son to you again with the same request.

Perhaps he believed that your shared past could change your decision.

Thor's gaze wandered past you out the window for a moment.

"You were lucky that Tyr disappeared.", he murmured. "He had the room with the best view."

You followed his eyes for a brief moment.

Outside the window the sky had cleared. Clouds had disappeared and a sky as blue as sapphires presented itself.

"I'd trade my master for that room any day.", you said, looking him in the face again. "But I probably shouldn't talk to you about that. Tell Odin that my teachings are not enough to help him."

But Thor remained motionless.

"He wants you to try.", he insisted.

You sighed.

"I can't."

"You're as bad of a liar as ever."