Worthy

Warming Up

"How are things going with him?" Fury asked when Dean arrived at the screen in the communications office.

"Things are moving along well."

Fury nodded. "So he's agreeable to join the team?"

"Yes, sir. He said he'll help us."

Fury smiled. "Nice work. Arrange transport back to HQ and bring the asset and we'll begin his training and get him acclimated."

Dean shook his head and frowned. "I can't do that yet."

"Why not?"

"Because I made a promise to him. That I would help him become worthy again."

It was Fury's turn to frown. "And how long do you think that will take?"

Dean shrugged. "I have no idea. I don't know what Odin meant or what the stipulations were when he took Thor's powers away."

Fury sighed. "From what we've seen of him he's strong and heavily resistant to physical damage. He'll be able to serve on the team as is."

Dean could feel some anger bubbling inside of him. Although he mostly respected Fury, he had often seen a side to him that he didn't agree with. His behavior could sometimes skirt along the side of unethical. Though he had good intentions, his tactics were not always reflective of this.

"Sir, with all due respect- Thor is a stranger on this planet. He doesn't know anything about earth except for the few experiences he's had. He's been stranded here and had his identity ripped away from him." Dean explained Thor's story to Fury.

Fury nodded slowly. "Be that as it may...we have our own agenda to adhere to, Dean. That's why you're there. You're not there to get close to Thor and be his friend...or more."

"Sir, my only intention is to continue to show good will toward him. You have to understand the sort of person we're dealing with here. He's a warrior. He has a code of honor. His word is important to him. We have to meet him there."

Fury smiled. "I understand, Dean. Alright...I admire your approach to manipulating the situation in our favor."

"I'm not manipulating anything, Fury. I'm being a decent human being to him."

Fury seemed to ignore Dean's words. "Just let me know when you figure out this whole ordeal of worthiness. I'll give you 48 hours to figure it out. Otherwise I want him at HQ and ready to go."

When Dean left the room, Thor sat back in the chair and became lost in his thoughts. His emotions ran across a very broad range. Usually hot-tempered, Thor had been especially angry when he had been thrown out of Asgard, across the cosmos, and landed in the deserts of Midgard. Separated from Mjolnir, he had been distressed when he could not summon it to his hand as he had done for so long. And so he had embarked on a journey to find it.

When he had seen it surrounded by strange men and buildings, he had thought little of any consequences. The hammer was there and it was his, not theirs. They were not worthy of its power. He had battled his way through the men despite the loss of his godly powers. He was still an Asgardian, which meant he was still quite strong. And he was a warrior. He was mighty.

After he had finished defeating his foes, he had approached the fallen hammer, a smile on his face. He had passed his father's little test. But his smile faltered when he was unable to lift the hammer. All at once, he could feel his warrior's spirit draining away. He had fallen to his knees and roared up into the night sky as rain descended upon him and thunder and lightning- the things he had once been able to conjure and control- seemed to mock his despair. He had not fought back when the men took him to their prison. He sat in somber acceptance.

He reflected on his brief time on earth. For the short duration he had been here, he had encountered numerous mortals and fought the vast majority of them. Then Dean Allen came to his cell, and everything seemed to change. He found an ally with the warrior. Although he still questioned Dean's prowess in combat, he did not question his word. At least not yet. And there was something else about the mortal that drew Thor. He was slender but sinuous. He was smooth, and fair. Thor would call him beautiful. Dean's face was a collection of features that Thor found himself committing to memory. He had blond, short hair that he kept styled in a mortal fashion Thor wasn't familiar with. His eyes were a shade of blue that almost appeared to be violet, and there was a gentleness within them. It was this in particular that made Thor question whether Dean could possibly be the warrior he professed to be. Despite his urge to claim Mjolnir and return to Asgard, Thor couldn't deny the tug Dean had on him. Nor could he ignore the desire that stirred within him when he looked at Dean's smaller-framed body and wonder what it must feel like underneath him.

He stood and began to pace the room. It had been a very long time since he had laid with another. Though he was popular and adored as the prince of Asgard, and he was always found in the midst of a battle or in the midst of drunken revelry, Thor was not one who laid with another easily. Yes, he had urges and these were likely substantial in the eyes of a mortal. But Thor had long ago grown bored with the endless assemblage of potential lovers who only saw the warrior prince instead of the soul beneath the surface.

Once he claimed his hammer, he would be back in Asgard. Of course, he intended to keep his word to Dean, which meant he would see him often. But he knew that his ultimate place would be on Asgard's throne. And Dean's place was on earth. It was unlikely to work.

But what if he wanted something for himself aside from the throne? This thought made him feel confused. He had never questioned his place in Asgard. It had been his goal since he could remember. One day he would be king. But he never thought about what would happen if he decided he wanted something more. There was a whole collection of worlds out there. He had always known this. But he had never experienced them in this way. It gave him pause. What had he been missing out on by living his life with such a singular purpose?

"Food coma?" Dean asked as he appeared in the doorway.

Thor looked up at him and tilted his head. "Food coma?"

Dean smiled. "It's something we say when we've got a full stomach and feel tired or dazed." He then explained exactly what a coma was.

Thor chuckled. "You are clever."

"Thanks, but I didn't come up with that one."

"Dean Allen...I was wondering..."

Dean held up a hand and laughed. "Just Dean. You don't have to use my full name. Just Dean."

Thor nodded slowly and smiled. "Dean. I was wondering if you would teach me more about Earth. There is so much I do not know. And if I am to spend some of my time here, I should know things."