—————————————— ( @ofpolariis )
lying in their handmade bed that thor had labored over creating, the asgardian found himself happily asleep with his arm around lorna while her head laid upon his chest. dawn was in the corner of the room in her own bed fast asleep, giving thor the luxury to finally relax. however, it wasn’t long before a darkness began to creep into his conscious and thor found himself plunged into the ruins of asgard.
wading through a field of dead asgardians, thor’s heart broke with each step - he knew these people, he’d grown up with them, loved them as his own, and now they were all gone. turning, he found the scenery surrounding him had changed from the outside of the city to the inside of the palace. lying scattered on the gilded floors were his family, his mother, his brother, even his sister - all but save for his father. “no…” he whispered, rushing his way to loki and kneeling down beside him reaching to touch his face.
“kings do not weep for the dead so openly,“ hesitance made thor sober up quickly, his back straightening as he turned to see his father upon his throne looking down upon him with a disappointing glance. “i am no king no more,“ thor responded defiantly as he walked towards his father. “and it is not weak to show emotion, father.“
a tsk left the all-father’s lips as he turned his profile to his son. “you were never a king, i should have noticed that sooner,” he replied before waving a hand to dismiss him. “you allowed all of this to happen, thor - all of these deaths, my people are on you - even your poor brother, it’s your fault.”
“no,“ thor gave his rebuttal - in his physical form outside the dream he squeezed his arm dangerously tight around lorna, jerking from his reaction to his father - “yes, it is you my boy who did this to asgard, it is you !!“
“NO“ thor shouted as he awoke a scattering of lightning spread from him causing him to redirect it in a split second towards the wall furthest away from lorna and dawn. “i must go,“ he didn’t look to lorna despite knowing she was awake. “or else i’ll be your death too. my father is right, it is me.“
her nightmares had become familiar to her, an unwelcome party to her nightly routine – but persistent nonetheless. occasionally, she’d see glimpses of mental hospitals pushing drugs into her system, experimentations, jail – but she’d always end up in the same place. the massacred land of genosha. tonight felt different though, it felt as real as the day it’d happened but the faces changed, her friends and family, the only people she had left. yet, before she could dwell further into it, her mind pulled back, beginning to stir away from the deep sleep.
on a normal night, thor’s grip around her was one of comfort – maintaining a feeling of warmth and safety when she restlessly awoke from her nightmares. tonight, lorna quickly felt the difference. something was wrong, and the tightening grip began to forced her into a wakefulness before her mind would’ve otherwise allowed. part of her was grateful for it, but primarily her concern quickly shifted.
“thor –” she mumbled against his side, sleep still in her voice. before she could gently warn him of how tight his grip had become, lorna found herself on her back in the makeshift bed as he jolted awake in a flash of lightning, her arm quickly covering her eyes out of reflex. it took her a moment for her brain to catch up, now alarmingly awake, she was able to process his words. “–no.” it wasn’t a question, and her tone didn’t leave much room for debate. she pushed herself up on her arms, gaze flickering to dawn to ensure she’d managed to sleep through it. “your father? thor... whatever it was, it wasn’t real, just stop a minute.”
her hand lingered over his arm a moment, but she feared he’d pull away, reject whatever they’d been building here. instead, lorna slid from the bed, bare feet hitting the cool ground below as she stood, offering her hand out to him. “can we go for a walk, first? tell me about it.”