Whumptober 2023 ~ Marvel Edition

'I'm Not As Stupid As You Think I Am.' - Thor

Day 19:

"I'll take one final step, all you have to do is make me."
Floral Bouquet | Psychological | "I'm not as stupid as you think I am."

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This is a really mild whump but we're going to ignore that because I had very little time to plan out/write this chapter because of how much I've worked this week XD

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As Thor soared above the Realm Eternal's golden city, his focus directed towards his destination, he couldn't help but feel a certain warmth about being back home. He had been gone for so long; he had almost forgotten what the cool breeze of Asgard's winds felt like against his skin, or the sweet scent of nature on his nose.

He planned on flying directly to the palace, but Thor stopped in his tracks - or, perhaps jetstream was a better word for this particular metaphor - when he heard his name being called from down below, just a few hundred feet outside of the palace. He hovered over one spot and listened below.

"Thor!"

His eyes widened at the sound of her familiar voice.

"Jane?" he said back, not nearly loud enough for her to have actually heard him, but that was all right, because the question was more for himself than it was her. Could it really be her? Here?

Finally, he spotted her form below, but he was so high up that he assumed it was the trickery of his mind. He was just missing her; there was no possible way that she could be there, could she? Using Mjolnir as his guide, Thor lowered himself closer to the ground, and the further down he went, the more clear Jane's image became. It really was her.

"Jane?" he called out again, this time louder so that she might be able to hear him.

"Thor!" Jane called out excitedly, waving her arms up at him.

Thor then landed on the ground, a mere ten feet away from her, and stared into her eyes. At first, he was hesitant, but after seeing the soft and gentle expression on her face, his own softened as well and turned into a smile.

"Jane? What...what are you doing here?" Thor asked. "Is everything alright?"

"Everything's fine," Jane answered, smiling up at him. "I just wanted to see you. I missed you."

"You did?" Thor asked, his expression laced with confusion and shock. "I just...I guess after everything, I assumed I was the last person you would want to see. When we parted, it was not exactly on amicable terms."

Jane frowned and bit the inside of her cheek as her gaze drifted off to the side, and then back up to Thor. "That's why I had to come. I hated how we left things, and I needed to tell you that I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for," Thor insisted. "The blame for the events leading up to our separation can be placed on both parties."

"That's...that's actually part of the reason I had to see you," Jane admitted. "So that I could tell you that...that I think we made a mistake."

"Are you saying...?"

"That I don't think we should've broken up? Yeah, I guess that is what I'm saying," she said. "We were both upset with how things were, and I think we were so caught up in the moment that we didn't realize what a good thing we had going for us until it was gone. Because I don't know about you, but...I miss you Thor. I miss you a lot."

A part of Thor wanted to jump up and down like a child upon hearing her declaration, but Thor knew he could not succumb to that part of himself when so many uncertainties still remained. "Jane...I love you, I always have and I am sure I always will, but I do not think we should rush back into anything. We broke up for a reason."

"And you don't think that reason was stupid?" Jane asked. "You and I both know that we love each other, so why should we let some fight get in the way of our happiness?"

"Fight?" Thor repeated.

Sure they'd had their fair share of fights, but a fight wasn't what had broken them up. In fact, Jane had left him a letter when she left, so there were not any actual words that had been exchanged between the two of them. Thor furrowed his eyebrows and tilted his head slightly. He stared at Jane's face for a moment, before his gaze shifted down towards her hands. The way she picked at them seemed familiar, and it was in that moment that it clicked for him, and his expression hardened.

"Drop the illusion Loki," he demanded.

"Loki, what...?" the image of Jane said, trying to play dumb.

It had to be him. Thor hated himself for not being able to realize it sooner, but when looking back, it had been fairly obvious. He had not been home in almost two years, so how was Jane supposed to have known to come looking for him on Asgard? Why would she have been on some random street outside the palace at the exact moment he was flying overhead? And most importantly, anything "Jane" had said in relation to their partnership was in regards to something Thor had said, not anything she had brought up on her own. Besides, this was all too good to be true. Nothing in Thor's life ever happened that easily, so why would it start now?

Thor continued to stare at "Jane" with malice, until finally, the image of the Midgardian quickly shifted into one of his brother's.

"Was it really that obvious?" Loki asked.

"I'm not as stupid as you think I am," Thor replied. "You play a poor Jane, brother. I would make sure you brush up on your improvisation skills before you next try to impersonate someone."

"I would say I have been doing quite nicely for the last two years," Loki boasted with a prideful smirk. "Although I suppose it does not help that it had been the same person for all of that time."

"You were posing as Father all this time?"

"I was, but you already knew that."

"Not for certain, but yes, I had my suspicions," Thor said. "Now, where are you hiding Loki?"

"Why, I am right in front of you," Loki replied.

Thor rolled his eyes and sent Mjolnir flying at Loki, only to have it go straight through him. After he had proved his point, he called the hammer back to his grasp and closed his hand around the handle.

"Okay, so maybe I'm not exactly here," Loki admitted.

"Then where are you?" Thor asked. "We need to talk, and I prefer face to face."

"I'm afraid you're too late for that," Loki said. "While you were busy chatting with your Jane, I escaped off-world."

"Loki," Thor warned.

"I really should be off," Loki deflected. "If you need me...we'll don't."

In the blink of an eye, Loki's form shimmered with green and then faded from existence. Thor let out a low growl of frustration.

No matter. With Loki gone, Thor could set out to do the task he had originally come to the Realm Eternal for, and that was to find his father. With Loki out of the way, his job just became a whole lot easier.