SOKOVIA ✦ marvel oneshots

bliss

( quartz )

. . .

"I never want to leave."

The words were, of course, a paltry lie. You knew very well that the novelty would wear off fast. Once your scarf was slick with ice, nose unfeeling, and chilled to the bone, you would be sprinting to the car and its warmth. But then in the moment, with an endless sheet of smooth snow gleaming softly in the soft winter light, you were content for staying.

Thor bounded ahead in front of you, humorously resembling a deer as he leaped instead of walked. The snow broke and hugged his feet, leaving a trail of footprints behind him. The hour drive suddenly seemed very worth it, if it meant you could gaze at the splitting grin on his face, and admire the light in his blue eyes as he marveled at the snow.

"Look at him go," Bruce said as he came to a halt beside you. "I've never seen him this happy."

You tilted your head to the side and exhaled, your breath appearing before you and then vanishing. The once endless sheet of snow, like sprawling crisp paper, now had Thor's strange patterns in it as he attempted to spell, or draw, something.

There was no snow on Asgard. Something about it reminding the Asgardians about Jotunheim, or the freezing depths of Hel, made the cold wonder off putting. So when it started to snow lightly enough to form mashed heaps of mud and ice, Thor was ecstatic, and you were overcome with the need to keep the elated grin on his face.

"Don't want to join him?" you fixed Bruce with a curious eye and nodded towards the fallen God who had carved numerous snow angels into the snow.

Bruce shook his head and tightened his scarf. "I'm okay with just admiring the stuff."

And it was okay. More than that. The peak of the hill offered a view of mossy green trees far off below, each capped with a healthy heap of snow. The sky, although clouded, had enough icy blue to rain down light. The sight alone was enough to hold your attention.

"Snowball fight!"

The words echoed loudly, shockingly, and so abruptly that you barely had time to take them in when Bruce was barreling away from you---no, away from Thor.

You lunged back, but had no cover and the snowball impacted your chest hard enough that it felt like being stung with an icicle. Then another clambered for your head, and your balance teetered until you fell back, hands moving wildly, into a thick bed of snow.

"Ha!" Something was blocking out the sun, two somethings, no one, two again---you shut your eyes and reopened them. Thor stood above you, beaming. "You're supposed to get up and hit me back. That's . . . That's what makes it fun."

"Thor, we don't have your physiology." Thor frowned at these words tumbling around him. "Seriously, buddy, less hammer throw."

Was that Bruce chiding him? You didn't know. Your hearing was muddled, and it was hard to think with all the cold snaking around your limbs.

Thor bent down and curled a hand around your waist, scooping you out of your snow bed. You flushed, suddenly forgetting that your clothes were damp. He was so warm, the heat radiated off Thor in waves, and when he stepped back to settle you on your feet, you frowned, missing the warmth.

"Are you alright?" Bruce was jogging up to you, or trying to. Each step took effort to move through the thick layer of snow encasing his feet.

Your eyebrows knitted together in pain. "Thor, c'mere. Please."

Immediately, Thor bent to your height, his eyes running over your face for any sign of injury. You had to take a moment to focus, to not get distracted by the way his mouth curved downwards in concern, or the way his hair glittered gold in the light.

You unfurled the snow in your hand onto his handsome face and scrambled away, laughing---cackling maniacally, Thor would later say---as you made to grab your next handful of snow.

"You tricked me!" Thor was moving now, dodging and stumbling passed your attempts to hit him with another snowball. "That's cheating. I thought you were hurt."

"I was taken by surprise," you said, and the dull ache in your chest flared up in confirmation. "But you should know me better to go down that easily."

A snowball whirred passed your head and crumbled onto Thor's forehead. Bruce made a noise of triumph and exhaustion before hobbling off to get some distance.

"You two were in cahoots!" Thor was trying to seem serious, offended, but he was smiling too much.

"Who says cahoots nowadays?" Another snowball flew passed your head as Bruce started working on his next. "I saw my chance once Y/N was down. It's all fair---"

Bruce's words were cut off as your snowball landed square on his lips.

The next minutes were spent in a flurry. Thor, the most standout target, was set upon by you and Bruce, until eventually he admitted defeat. The scientist later called it quits to venture back to the car to warm up, leaving you and Thor breathless and fatigued beside each other.

"Today was perfect," Thor was speaking through small gasps of laughter, his chest rumbling beside you, "Thank you."

"No, thank you." You were so happy, you didn't know how to express it other than gratitude.

His laughter trailed off once he finally caught his breath, and Thor nudged your shoulder. "There's something in your hair."

You patted your hair, now damp and cold from the snow, and your hands came away clean.

"Here, let me," Thor offered. He brushed a few strands behind your ear, and then plucked something away from the back of your head. He raised his eyebrows in curiosity. "What's this?"

At first you thought it was nothing, a small bundle of twigs that made its way from one of the trees until you noticed the small red bow tying it all together.

"Is that mistletoe?" Your heart fluttered, and suddenly you didn't care about the cold pricking your skin.

Thor mocked indifference. "Is it? I don't know. How'd it get there?" He cleared his throat. "I believe there is a custom surrounding it. . ."

You leaned up to him. "Would you like to show me?"

And then his lips were on yours, and everything seemed to melt away until it was just you and him, caught in a perfect moment.