Daffodils: An Avengers Romance

The Dreaming

The Dreaming made me feel like I was on a very crazy drug trip. There were plants that sang, two moons in the sky, dragons and other fantastical creatures walking around. Sometimes if I looked at one place too long it would shimmer and start changing, its edges getting fuzzy.

"I cannot believe that I have traveled to two closed dimensions in a day," Strange said as he looked at the stream with hands that would come out of it randomly and release pearls up into the air as if they were bubbles.

"Yeah, Thor better be damn thankful when he gets his memories back. I am calling in way too many favors for this." I muttered, watching a butterfly made of flower petals fly past.

Eventually we reached the castle in the distance. One second it was still up on a hill far away, the next it was in front of us, its large doors open to let us in. Dream must have been waiting for us.

We walked straight into the throne room where there sat Dream on a large golden throne decorated with all of the gems imaginable. Some probably not even found on earth, honestly.

"Welcome, Aida and Stephen." His voice was low but I heard it clearly in the large room, "You have been seeking me."

For the second time in one day I bowed down before a being older than time, "Thank you for receiving us, Lord Morpheus. We have come to ask for your assistance."

Dream stood up from his chair, the black robe he was wearing draping off one shoulder, showing skin paler than the moon. His hair was long today, falling down his back with black feathers woven in.

"There is no need for formalities between friends." He said as he stood before me, looking down at me with black eyes that held starlight within them, "My dear Aida, my companion and loyal servant. Tell me, what have you come to ask of me?"

I grabbed Dream's hands that had come up to hold my face, "The Asgardian god Thor is back. He has no memories, but the spell he is under is coming undone. We fear what will happen when he is freed."

Dream hummed, bringing his hands down. He looked over at Strange who stood a little taller under his gaze, "Tell me, mortal wizard, what do you make of this? Who among your kind can trap a god?"

"I do not know, my lord." Strange answered, "As the sorcerer supreme I may hope to capture Thor for a couple days at most. He has been like this for years."

Dream turned to look out the stained glass window, the day suddenly turning into sunset and casting an ethereal glow on him.

Dramatic fucker.

"I fear that there are larger forces at work here. I have been keeping an eye on Earth more since the nightmare almost formed down there. Traces of dark magic are tainting much of the land, magic the kind that should've been forgotten." Dream said, not looking at us.

Strange furrowed his brow, "Are you saying that Hydra is involved in this? Why would they let him go after they managed to capture him?"

"I do not know," Dream said, "But bring Thor into my realm, I will give him back his memories and make sure he doesn't hurt anyone. He may know more about what happened to him."

I nodded at Dream, looking at Strange and he gave me a look back. We would have to kidnap Thor, somehow.

* * *

"Are you sure he's in there?" I asked Strange as we stood outside a SHIELD assigned house. Dream had let us teleport right out of his realm and gave us one of his crows. They were his pets and could communicate with him, letting him know when we needed to be taken back to the Dreaming.

"We should approach this carefully." Strange said, "I can sneak in and put him under a stasis spell, so he won't get alarmed. However, I am unsure as to how my magic will affect him since he is already bound by another."

He kept talking as I stared down the door. It was a normal wood door, the kind that was truly no challenge if one wanted to knock them down. Closing my eyes I focused and noticed that Thor really liked plants.

There was one right near his bed, he had even recently watered it. Pushing just a little but of will at it I could feel it grow, it leaves as big as my arms. Quickly, I had the plant wrap around Thor's legs and throw him out the window.

"Catch him!" I yelled out as Thor screamed as he fell down the second story window. Thankfully, Strange had a quick reaction time as a golden magic circle appeared and stopped Thor from going splat.

"What the fuck?" Thor said as he shook his head, still floating in the air, "Aida? Strange? What's going on here?"

Strange and I shared a look, he raised a brow and I nodded back.

"What's going on here? Hey!" That was the last thing Thor said before I threw some pollen on his face and knocked him out.

There was silence around us as we watched Thor's eyes roll back as he hung floating from a magic circle.

"We should have Dream take him away," Strange said and I nodded, gesturing for the crow to open a path to the dreaming. As he flew away we waited, not saying anything. Eventually a man came walking towards us, waving happily at me.

"Aida!" He called out and I gasped, waving both of my arms at him.

"Hob!" I called back, running to go hug him, "It's been so long!"

Hob still looked the same he always did, which was to say as a history professor that enjoyed role playing in his free time. He was tall with the most stereotypical dad bod in existence. Wavy brown hair and glasses, a brown suit that looked properly vintage.

"Are you here to take Thor?" I asked as I let him go and he nodded down at me.

"I heard from Dream that he agreed to help you. Can't say I'm surprised, but did you really have to visit right when I wasn't there?" Hob asked as he took Thor from the air and easily held him in a bridal carry.

I wished I could take a picture of this. Actually, I had a phone so I sneakily brought it up and took a picture of Hob carrying Thor with a disgruntled Strange in the background.

"Make sure you visit soon! You too Strange! Bring Thomas and Jason with you!" Hob called out as he disappeared down the street.

"Who was that?" Strange asked once we were alone again.

"Oh, Hob? That's Dream's husband." I pretended not to notice as Strange almost choked in surprise.

* * *

Strange kindly teleported me back to my apartment and I passed out as soon as I hit the bed. Too much had happened in the past 24 hours.

Peter had starred in his own horror movie and somehow became a mutant? Still not sure about that. Then Strange and I visited both the High King of the Undead and the Realm Between Realms as well as the anthropomorphic personification of the collective unconsciousness and creator of dreams and nightmares.

After which we had kidnapped a lost god and agreed to go to tea time in another realm.

Fuck I was tired. Thank god I could just do nothing tomorrow and relax.