∞
send ∞ for my muse’s reaction to yours gently taking their hand. @shellstark. / always accepting.
“hey, thor, buddy.”
the god seems unresponsive, at best. there are many reasons. thor does not blame tony. thor doesn’t blame anyone for the tumultuous, lengthy battle the team just endured. their fist clenches and unclenches at a tired, wounded side, but they don’t linger on the anger, nor allow it to fester. anger could not be caged, but subdued, packed away in a box to be released elsewhere. like that time thor captured a mole from jane’s yard and assisted her in releasing it somewhere safer. they nearly chuckle at the thought, but instead their hands slide up to rub and scratch at their own face, breath a quiet huff into the muffled cage of calloused palms. they don’t move when tony settles to sit across from them. when did they last sleep? nine, ten months? even gods need a moment, sometimes, when the weight of the day settles upon them.
even gods get tired.
it’s not until they feel a hand on their own that they relent, fingertips slipping away from worry-addled features to hang limply between their knees, propped up only by tony’s grip. and what a soft, careful grip it is, the iron man’s hands cradling thor’s own as if they consisted of fine china. as if thor would flee or flinch were the touch any sterner. stop it, thor. you are being foolish. the others struggles are of greater importance. the thunderer’s thoughts are belligerent as ever, but relent upon the sight of tony’s face.
‘i apologize for my –’ they pause, and glance uneasily to the ground. ‘i apologize. we did well here, today stark, and i assure you that i bear no ill will agai–’ but they don’t get to finish the lament of an apology. no, instead the smaller man pulls them into a tight hug, fingertips braced against their back, quiet and still. maybe – maybe today can still be good despite the losses suffered. thor hugs back, great arms enveloping tony’s shoulders as they just sit in peace together. it's good to have friends to fight for.
