(A.N: wow this one has been waiting a long time! I'm sorry it took me forever, but I hope you enjoy the fic and anyone else I do take requests!)
Bruce knew he shouldn't have agreed to watch horror movies with Tony. It had been late, the long night at the lab stretching into an early morning, and he knew he should've been getting to bed.Ā
But, the billionaire didn't seem to want to settle down quite yet. And so, who was Bruce to say no, really?Ā
Not a lot of people could say no to Tony Stark - not when he turned those big brown eyes on you and claimed he didn't want to be alone for the night.Ā
Bruce didn't want to be alone either. And so, he'd said yes. Obviously.Ā
And then Tony had put on some cheesy horror flick from the 80s, and Bruce had said, 'yes, of course'. He'd seen aliens invade New York, he transformed into a giant green monster sometimes on the daily. Suffice it to say, he'd seen enough to not get jumpy at horror movies anymore.Ā
The weather didn't help much. Cracks of lightning forked against the sky, wind howled, and rain pattered almost horizontally across the large windows as he made his way back to his room. The storm stretched out the shadows, made monsters out of coat hooks, and had Bruce significantly more on edge when he was imagining some knife-fingered murderer lurking behind every door.Ā
He was so caught up in meticulously imagining the theoretical ways that he could kick some monster butt that when he entered his room, he almost didn't register the other presence there.Ā
But, the large shape moved, and Bruce dealt with it as any strong and powerful superhero would.Ā
He yelped and tripped over a kitchen table.Ā
Groaning, he stumbled to his feet, different scenarios flying through his head when another fork of lightning illuminated the familiar face in front of him.Ā
Thor was sat on his sofa, hair dripping from the rain, blue eyes wide with something that shoved Bruce's imaginary foes to the side in exchange for something a touch more real. A touch more worrying.Ā
Bruce let out a careful sigh of relief, shrugging his cardigan from his shoulders in a fruitless effort to seem more casual after his...dramatic entrance.Ā
"I uhā¦didn't mean to frighten you, so. Are you well?"Ā
Thor leant forward, frowning with concern at where Bruce's knee had made great battle with the table leg.Ā
"No, no - I'm fine. Just wasn't expecting you, is all." He perched on the arm of the sofa, one arm extending towards the hanging cord of a lamp.Ā
"Thought you weren't due back from Asgard except for emergencies?"Ā
"Strictly speaking, I'm not back."
Thor's voice wavered somewhat, and the Demigod shied away from the light, scooting further back on the sofa - large, broad shoulders hunching over in an effort to look small.Ā
Not that Thor ever really could look small. But the action alone was somewhat concerning.Ā
Blonde hair fell over blue eyes as Thor jerked his head up towards the door, with a flash of recognition like he'd just remembered something important.Ā
"Please don't tell Stark I'm here. Or anyone. Asgard doesn't know I'm gone, and I just -"
"Hey, hey. It's fine, everyone's asleep now, anyway. No one's gotta know."Ā
Ok, Bruce was moving from concerned into outright fearful. Thor's voice was shaking harder than his shoulders, and he restlessly shifted from position to position - hands gripping the soft material of the sofa with so tight a grip that it was a miracle the wood wasn't splintering.Ā
"Just out of curiosity, why are you here? Is something wrong?"Ā
"Yes. Well, no. Wellā¦" Thor trailed off, shaking his head as his frown deepened.Ā
Cautiously, Bruce extended a hand out to rest against Thor's shoulder.Ā
In moments like these, however far and wide they may have been, it was better to approach Thor slowly rather than rush in. Mostly out of self preservation - when the Demigod got upset, things tended to getā¦sparky. The kind of sparky that may entice a certain green individual out to see what all the fuss is about, and Bruce was really trying to keep the tower intact.Ā
Bruce's hand made contact, and mercifully, his nerves remained thoroughly un-electrocuted.Ā
"You uh...wanna talk about it?"Ā
"It isā¦ difficult to explain,"Ā
Thor glanced up, his face forming a bitter ghost of his usual 1000 volt grin.Ā
Thor nodded, more to himself than anything else, and the ice cold fear in Bruce's lungs began to thaw.Ā
Thor, thankfully, was not as shut off as others would like to believe. Or, maybe he was, and Bruce was one of the rare few privy to the Asgardians feelings. Whatever the case, it never took too much prying from Bruce to get to the route of Thor's troubles.Ā
The two told each other things. That's just how it was. It was a warm feeling - comforting. Like a cozy blanket settled across the shoulders, or a mug of hot tea clasped between two cold hands.Ā
For so long, it seemed the both of them were encouraged to lock down feelings. To freeze emotion where it stood.Ā
For some reason, Bruce felt capable of thawing in the warmth of Thor's sun. And he was all too happy to return the favour.Ā
"I have not been resting well, as of late. Being on Asgard, knowing Loki is below me somewhere in a dungeon, it just feels...wrong. Like I shouldn't be sleeping - like I am undeserving, "Ā
Thor shrugged his shoulders, some of the tension beginning to seep out.Ā
"But I'm so tired, Bruce."Ā
The demigod's head fell into his hands, the rain outside hammering against the windowpane. Bruce tried not to flinch at the sound of thunder - a tremendously difficult task when you know for a fact that the storm is brewing right above your head, and that the source of it is curled next to you, currently having a crisis of guilt.
Bruce let a few beats of silence pass by, rubbing comforting circles into the demigods shoulder as he mulled over the words.Ā
"Thor, could you look at me for a sec?"Ā
Thor, albeit a little reluctantly, met Bruce's eyeline - suddenly seeming so much younger peeking out from behind stray strands of hair.
Younger, and so much more afraid.Ā
"You know what happened in New York wasn't your fault, right?"Ā
The scientist moved a little closer, until his knee brushed against the cold metal of the top of Thor's boot.Ā
"If I had not expressed an interest in Midgard, then-"
"Then Loki would've come through the tesseracts portal regardless. This one isn't on you. It's...I don't know, I don't think it's on anyone."
Tony's frantic eyes momentarily flashed before him, and Bruce's face fell somewhat as he muttered.Ā
"Anyone we know of, at least."Ā
"The damage is still done, Bruce. Regardless of where or who by."Ā
A shuddering sigh escaped the demigod, his voice suddenly sounding that much tighter.Ā
"It is my burden to bear, my penance to pay, and I am not even sure I can do that for much longer."Ā
Bruce smiled softly, bringing one calloused hand up to rest against the side of Thor's neck. The gesture seemed to bring a sense of familiarity, and for a moment, the rain outside didn't hammer so loudly. Thor's skin was warm under his hand, and in the silence of the living room, Bruce could've sworn he could feel the storm move and shift under Thor's skin.Ā
"Y'know, we've got a saying here on Midgard. 'A problem shared is a problem halved' - you know that one?"
"No," Thor frowned, turning to face him a little more.Ā
"It means that you don't have to bear this burden alone, Thor. I've got you."Ā
He unclenched his other hand from the sofa, linking his fingers between Thor's.Ā
Watching scary movies with Tony had been a bad idea. It made sleeping alone that much more unbearable, when you'd imagine monsters of every calibre creeping up behind you.Ā
But, it seemed that Bruce had stumbled across a cure for that particular ailment. One in the form of a large and thunderous Demigod, sprawled across his sofa, head laying in Bruce's lap - snoring loud enough to put the wakened dead back in their coffins.Ā
He was glad Thor didn't take much coaxing with these sorts of things. The Demigod didn't seem to indulge in comforts of the emotional kind too often - the large armour and the old English seemed to speak of a childhood where comfort like this was pushed away.Ā
But, Bruce was happy to be an exception. Happy to lend Thor a t-shirt and sweatpants that were comically small on him, happy to endure shoulder cramp if that meant the demigod would get a good night's sleep for once.Ā
Thor would return the favour, someday. But for now, Bruce could provide a sanctuary of his own.Ā
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