"Oh." He hadn't known that. Or had he? He's forgotten a lot lately, either lost in the whirlwind of the first few weeks of New Asgard's founding, or simply because he was too deep in his cups to remember being told. But she's not wrong that he'd refused visitors more often than not, and eventually he'd stopped hearing that he had any. Now he wonders if that's simply because the Valkyrie stopped letting him know they were there since he wouldn't see them anyway. He clears his throat, giving her a half-hearted smile. "Thank you. For helping us, I mean. It's... it's been tough going."
It's been a long time since he's been so close to anyone, but just like the hug before, he finds that he's soaking up every moment as if it might never come again. His free hand twines fingers into the ends of her hair, idly playing with the strands, that uncertain smile relaxing a little into something more genuine. "Could we do both?" Even if they don't end up watching the images on the screen, the distraction is welcome background noise, a drone of white noise to lull them into forgetting. Into pretending that they're just enjoying time together, a normal night with nothing hanging over their heads.
"Sure, of course we can do both, anything to ease that sadness from your eyes." There, she mentioned it. There are times we let our friends wallow, but there are times we let them know that we see their pain and want to share it with them. It's never easy to hold onto the part of this gig that requires this type of sacrifice. Natasha's mind wanders back to Clint, and how he's no longer even Clint Barton. He's shed his skin completely. It hurts in a way she can't even mention.
So many things do. Being around love is as hard as being alone, and sometimes more difficult in a time like this. Maybe that's why she needed Thor. She'd been alone and visited, but hasn't let anyone this far into her life. Sighing, Natasha sets down her beer after another swig, and picks up the remote searching through movies that she thinks he might consider silly. American Pie shows up. She knows that's an old flick, but it certainly qualifies as stupid and silly. Teenagers and sex, can't ever go wrong there. "How about this one, have you seen it? It never fails to make me laugh. I haven't seen it in ages."
For a moment, his first reflex is to deny it, dismiss any notion that he's not coping just fine, and he opens his mouth a moment to protest just that. No words come out, his shoulders sagging a little, his gaze averting from hers. One thing is for sure, he's not nearly as drunk as he'd like to be. "Been watching TV a lot lately," he admits instead, his voice a low rumble in his chest.
He leans back a little while she browses the media library, steadily draining his beer so he can replace it with another one quicker. He squints a little at the screen, skimming the plot blurb next to the little title screen. "Don't think so. Why not? Let's put it on." It's as good as any other, probably. And, as he glances over at her, it occurs to him that seeking comfort in the familiar is something that Natasha needs right now.
Once the movie starts, Nat sits up a little and kneels next to him to work on those sagging shoulders. She reaches around his neck, and uses strong fingers and thumbs to dig into overly tight and sore muscles. It's obvious he's been carrying around all his guilt and tension for so long. Leaning in she taps her lips to his temple. "Fantasy is a lot easier to fall into right now. That's why books and movies and long baths are my company. I like to distract myself." When she works down along his neck and out his broad back, she stops when it hits the couch.
"Teenagers are so stupid and innocent. Their whole world wraps around getting laid before graduating high school. I remember being forced to learn about sex so I could get information. I don't even remember the last time I had it for pleasure it's been so long." She laughs, and flops back down into the couch leaning against him. "That's pathetic. Oh, I love this scene. It's terrible but so funny. I always feel bad for Stifler. He drinks his friend's cum without even knowing... It's got to make that beer so slimy and bitter." She laughs and grabs her own beer back up to take a sip. "I think that's one thing I wouldn't mix with beer."
Truth be told, once she starts touching him, Thor isn't paying much attention to the movie anymore. At first, he's not sure what she's up to, but it doesn't take long before he's subconsciously leaning into her skilled hands. He'd forgotten how good it could feel to touch and be touched, like startling awake from a long dream when the waking world feel far away. A wordless groan falls from him as her fingers dig into knotted muscles, eyes half shut, and he almost doesn't even register that she's talking to him for a moment. "Mm," he agrees, thinking of long hours spent on his own couch in Norway, endlessly flipping through channels to find something as unrealistic as possible.
He feels oddly bereft when she stops, blinking as he draws his attention back to reality. Should he thank her? Ask her to keep going? Indecisive, he offers her a smile more genuine than any he's worn since he arrived, glancing back at the television. "Youths are the same everywhere, I suppose. It's a race to see who grows their first beard, or brag about bedding someone important. Can't tell you how many wanted to boast about charming me."
"This movie is so utterly stupid. Can you imagine making a pact to lose your virginity by the time high school was over." She pauses to remember that his experiences were vastly different. "In Midguard, that would be like saying by the time we hit our 17th year, or maybe 18th, there around. It's so strange. That's what these boys did. They were craving it all so desperately they tried to trick the girls into it." She shakes her head and laughs, because it's true she assumes boys and girls would be the same everywhere.
The super famous line is coming up, but she doesn't spoil it for Thor, instead she lets him judge for himself, busting out laughing and shaking her head when it happens. "I can't believe she blurts that right out. Then takes him to have sex. This movie...." Still laughing, she looks up at him. "I bet you had the girls and boys all lining up to boast sleeping with you. Can I ask when you lost your virginity, or would that be too personal?" She's taken the mood from dreadful and somber to a little lighter. She'd take it off sex as soon as they moved to the new movie in seconds, but this one question she was rather curious about if he was willing to answer. He could always skip over it, and brush it off. He was the King of Asgard now.
It is indeed very stupid, and very silly, as promised. It's so far from any of their own problems that it's easy to laugh at, ridiculous teenagers blowing up something so trivial into a full-on crisis. The alcohol helps, softening the sharp edges of anything that might intrude into this refuge they've carved out for themselves.
There are few people left that Thor feels close enough to to answer that kind of question, but the Avengers - what's left of them - are on the list. Their time together was far too brief, but they'd meshed well and found a camaraderie that holds a fond place in his memories. "I was in my seventh century," he answers with a grin, lightened both by the stupid jokes and the drinks. He pauses a moment as he does some very rough math, still not really sure how human ages and Asgardian ages match up, but taking a stab at it anyway. "Probably somewhere around fifteen, for a human? My friends and I always celebrated together after winning a battle, and that time we got a bit carried away. None of us knew what we were doing, but that didn't stop us."
The alcohol is helping, but mostly it's the company that's easing the harsh reality of the world around them. Nat is feeling far more at ease than she has in ages. This idea for a visit was one in very good taste. Leaning into Thor feels so right, like nothing else has. It's like some thread has woven a story between them that's only now beginning when it feels like the rest of the world is ending. Nat shouldn't think that, but there's no help in it. There are times where hope and little sparks of goodness are found even in the darkest shadows.
Sighing, she smiles and then starts to laugh at thinking that someone's 7th century be anywhere near fifteen years old. Being around Thor always was refreshing in the strangest way. It was a little sad to think that she was only a blink in his eye that would probably be forgotten quicker than she existed. Lifting her brow, she elbows him. "You little scamp. Fifteen years old and taking a young maiden's virginity, after a battle nonetheless. She stood no chance against the handsome god of battle. I mean look at you now. I can't imagine how fetching you had to have been back then."
She leaned up and threaded her fingers through his hair, feeling her heart swell a little and then feeling guilt again. "I didn't have much choice in the matter. It happened. I think he was three times my age,and I had to get secrets for a clandestine meeting location. I got them and left in the middle of the night. He didn't even ask my name." Crossing her arms, Nat tried to think back to the first time she really had sex. That she knew, but it wasn't for her to speak of. He was taken, and it wasn't in good form. "I was in my twenties before I had sex that I chose for myself."
"Hm? Oh." He smiles, shaking his head. "I meant with each other. We were very drunk, and we never spoke of it again. I don't remember much of that night at all, to be honest. But I never regretted it."
Her story is much less nostalgic, and Thor's smile slips a little, replaced by sorrowful sympathy. His arm tightens a little around her, a warm hug that he belatedly hopes doesn't feel like restraint. "Did it feel worth choosing, when you did?"
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Date: 2024-02-06 09:53 pm (UTC)It's been a long time since he's been so close to anyone, but just like the hug before, he finds that he's soaking up every moment as if it might never come again. His free hand twines fingers into the ends of her hair, idly playing with the strands, that uncertain smile relaxing a little into something more genuine. "Could we do both?" Even if they don't end up watching the images on the screen, the distraction is welcome background noise, a drone of white noise to lull them into forgetting. Into pretending that they're just enjoying time together, a normal night with nothing hanging over their heads.
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Date: 2024-02-07 03:40 pm (UTC)So many things do. Being around love is as hard as being alone, and sometimes more difficult in a time like this. Maybe that's why she needed Thor. She'd been alone and visited, but hasn't let anyone this far into her life. Sighing, Natasha sets down her beer after another swig, and picks up the remote searching through movies that she thinks he might consider silly. American Pie shows up. She knows that's an old flick, but it certainly qualifies as stupid and silly. Teenagers and sex, can't ever go wrong there. "How about this one, have you seen it? It never fails to make me laugh. I haven't seen it in ages."
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Date: 2024-02-07 06:10 pm (UTC)He leans back a little while she browses the media library, steadily draining his beer so he can replace it with another one quicker. He squints a little at the screen, skimming the plot blurb next to the little title screen. "Don't think so. Why not? Let's put it on." It's as good as any other, probably. And, as he glances over at her, it occurs to him that seeking comfort in the familiar is something that Natasha needs right now.
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Date: 2024-02-07 06:38 pm (UTC)"Teenagers are so stupid and innocent. Their whole world wraps around getting laid before graduating high school. I remember being forced to learn about sex so I could get information. I don't even remember the last time I had it for pleasure it's been so long." She laughs, and flops back down into the couch leaning against him. "That's pathetic. Oh, I love this scene. It's terrible but so funny. I always feel bad for Stifler. He drinks his friend's cum without even knowing... It's got to make that beer so slimy and bitter." She laughs and grabs her own beer back up to take a sip. "I think that's one thing I wouldn't mix with beer."
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Date: 2024-02-14 12:21 am (UTC)He feels oddly bereft when she stops, blinking as he draws his attention back to reality. Should he thank her? Ask her to keep going? Indecisive, he offers her a smile more genuine than any he's worn since he arrived, glancing back at the television. "Youths are the same everywhere, I suppose. It's a race to see who grows their first beard, or brag about bedding someone important. Can't tell you how many wanted to boast about charming me."
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Date: 2024-02-15 02:40 pm (UTC)The super famous line is coming up, but she doesn't spoil it for Thor, instead she lets him judge for himself, busting out laughing and shaking her head when it happens. "I can't believe she blurts that right out. Then takes him to have sex. This movie...." Still laughing, she looks up at him. "I bet you had the girls and boys all lining up to boast sleeping with you. Can I ask when you lost your virginity, or would that be too personal?" She's taken the mood from dreadful and somber to a little lighter. She'd take it off sex as soon as they moved to the new movie in seconds, but this one question she was rather curious about if he was willing to answer. He could always skip over it, and brush it off. He was the King of Asgard now.
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Date: 2024-02-16 03:49 pm (UTC)There are few people left that Thor feels close enough to to answer that kind of question, but the Avengers - what's left of them - are on the list. Their time together was far too brief, but they'd meshed well and found a camaraderie that holds a fond place in his memories. "I was in my seventh century," he answers with a grin, lightened both by the stupid jokes and the drinks. He pauses a moment as he does some very rough math, still not really sure how human ages and Asgardian ages match up, but taking a stab at it anyway. "Probably somewhere around fifteen, for a human? My friends and I always celebrated together after winning a battle, and that time we got a bit carried away. None of us knew what we were doing, but that didn't stop us."
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Date: 2024-02-17 09:41 pm (UTC)Sighing, she smiles and then starts to laugh at thinking that someone's 7th century be anywhere near fifteen years old. Being around Thor always was refreshing in the strangest way. It was a little sad to think that she was only a blink in his eye that would probably be forgotten quicker than she existed. Lifting her brow, she elbows him. "You little scamp. Fifteen years old and taking a young maiden's virginity, after a battle nonetheless. She stood no chance against the handsome god of battle. I mean look at you now. I can't imagine how fetching you had to have been back then."
She leaned up and threaded her fingers through his hair, feeling her heart swell a little and then feeling guilt again. "I didn't have much choice in the matter. It happened. I think he was three times my age,and I had to get secrets for a clandestine meeting location. I got them and left in the middle of the night. He didn't even ask my name." Crossing her arms, Nat tried to think back to the first time she really had sex. That she knew, but it wasn't for her to speak of. He was taken, and it wasn't in good form. "I was in my twenties before I had sex that I chose for myself."
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Date: 2024-02-18 08:31 pm (UTC)Her story is much less nostalgic, and Thor's smile slips a little, replaced by sorrowful sympathy. His arm tightens a little around her, a warm hug that he belatedly hopes doesn't feel like restraint. "Did it feel worth choosing, when you did?"