Worthy

A Mythic Romance Begins

Fury was just stepping out of the SUV when a brilliant pillar of light shot down to the ground before him. The light dissipated and the figure of Dean Allen stood.

Coulson and several SHIELD agents approached him and began to assail him with questions. Dean's mind was still dizzy from the return to earth and the kiss he and Thor had shared.

"I will return to Midgard soon...to you," Thor promised when their lips had parted.

"I know," Dean said as he rested his face against Thor's armored chest.

"I will count the days," Thor said. "And hope they are few."

Fury approached Dean with a scowl on his face. "Where the hell is Thor?" he barked.

"He's still in Asgard," Dean spoke in a distant voice as he walked slowly toward his superior.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't worry, Fury...he's coming back to me as soon as he clears some things up."

Fury raised an eyebrow and shared a strange look with Coulson. "Coming back to you?"

Dean smiled. "Yeah. He told me he would come back for me."

"For you?" Fury repeated.

Dean chuckled. "Yeah. I know you wanted to recruit him as an Avenger. And he's willing to do that. So rest assured. But...it looks like I may have recruited him as my...boyfriend? Is that even the right thing to call him?"

Fury tilted his head and looked at Dean with surprise. "Boyfriend?"

Dean shrugged. "Yeah. I'll have to think about that title. Boyfriend doesn't sound nearly as....mighty as it should," he said with a big smile.

"Wait a minute. I'd like some kind of report if that's alright with you, lover boy."

"Don't worry, Fury. I'll be filing a report on everything that happened soon. You'll understand if I leave out a few details though?"

Fury cleared his throat. "Yeah...yeah, of course."

"Good. I'll see you later, sir," Dean said as he walked off to the heliport.

"Where are you going?" Fury asked.

Dean smiled. "I've got some things I want to look into. I'll be in touch."

Coulson stood beside Fury and watched as Dean boarded the jet that would take him back to HQ.

"Dean's dating Thor?" Coulson asked. He was still coming to grips with the fact that the man who had lifted the hammer was Thor.

Fury shrugged. "So it would seem, Phil."

"Well...those are words I never thought I'd say," Coulson said with a big laugh.

"Yeah...I have to say, I'm not mad at that. It gives Thor a reason to come back to earth and make good on his promise. Did our people salvage that big metal thing?"

Coulson shook his head. "Nope. The warriors that came down to help Thor took every trace of it with them."

Fury shook his head. "Oh well. Thor is a much better prize anyway."

Dean sat in the jet and looked down at his hands. Cradled in them was a piece of Thor's armor. It was a disc of a metal alien to earth. Thor's chest piece had six of them- two that fastened his cape to his shoulders, two on either side of his torso, and two just above his waist. They were a silver color and fit in the palm of Dean's hand.

"This will help me find you, wherever you are," Thor had explained. "Take it with you knowing that a piece of me is with you."

Dean looked up into Thor's eyes as he slid the disc of metal into the pouch at his hip. He reached for the clasp behind his neck and undid it. He then wrapped his arms around Thor's neck and fastened the clasp again.

"What is this?" Thor asked as he stared at the dog tag. On one side was the emblem of SHIELD- an eagle with open wings. On the other side was Dean's full name and identification number.

"They're called dog tags. Soldiers wear them on earth."

Thor held the thin metal in his hand and closed his fingers around it. "I will wear it knowing that there is a piece of you with me."

Dean smiled and stared out the window at the clouds and remembered that last kiss before he had been returned to earth. It had been warm and full of promise. It wasn't a kiss of goodbye.

"Where do you want to go?" the pilot asked, breaking Dean out of his reverie.

"First to D.C.," he said. He took a tablet from his duffel bag and opened up his kindle app. He quickly found an old book he used to read long ago- D'Aulaires Norse Mythology. There was a time when Dean would have regarded these myths with intrigue and nothing more. Like most mortals, he would have assumed there was some reason for everything. But now? Now he knew that magic did exist. He knew that there was some truth to these old tales. As he read, he touched the metal disc and smiled.

Dean and Thor's journey will continue in Avengers: Some Assembly Required.