#frostgiantslayer

The silence was almost deafening. There were sounds, obviously. The low hum of electricity. The soft whir of the fans that kept airflow within his...abode. These sounds were normal. Boring.  He stretched his arms, casually brushing his fingers against the glass of the walls that surrounded him. He could feel the subtle pressure against his skin, the sort of force his own wards generated. He'd placed them there to keep him aware of any... intrusions. They were benign unless activated, of course. They would be extraordinarily difficult to notice, unless one knew what to look for. He knew his own presence recorded far more energy than his wards would. 

Regardless...he was bored. Days of meditation had brought him a calm he'd almost forgotten he was capable of, but even that passed into boredom.  

Thor had been absent, lately. More focused on his mortal friends. Perhaps it was time to pay him a...visit.  Loki chuckled at the thought, and sank gracefully into a seated position on the floor, hands resting lightly on his knees. 

It was easy to slip into the sort of trance necessary to project himself elsewhere. Thor was likely to be found in his room or in the kitchens, preparing some sort of meal. He felt weightless as his consciousness floated, searching for some sign of Thor. Ah...there he was.  

Logan moved through the tower, wiping his hands as he came out of the elevator. His bike always needed changing, but he knew that wasn't the only reason he stole away to the basement for most hours of the day. He had moved in here because he had no where to go, not because he wanted to make friends. With every passing day, this tower seemed to be turning into more of a superhero slumber party than a place to stay. Logan, by nature, was not the slumber party type, no matter how accessible his hair was to braids. But, he could not live with his motorbike, as much as he would have liked to. 

"What a marvelous tale," Thor noted when the credits rolled. "Aladdin is most virtuous." He enjoyed these movie nights with Darcy. She often put in films by Disney, his personal favorite. "The Geni being freed was an uplifting end to his story."

Darcy grinned at him, from the other side of the couch, her toes poking Thor's thighs. Reaching for a bit of popcorn left over in her bowl (Thor had gotten his own), she nodded, "Aladdin is my favorite. Jasmine is sassy, and Aladdin learns a good life lesson. No lying," Darcy said sternly, wagging her fingers at Thor.

"I am not lying, Darcy," Thor grinned. "We ought to watch these films more often. Though," he mentioned with a frown, "perhaps none like the Lion King."

"Sorry to tell you buddy, Disney's MO is a lot like the Lion King." Darcy's face was empathic though. She knew what to expect during that movie, and she still teared up when Mufasa faced the stampede. "I'll give you some warning next time, though." Glancing over at her DVD shelf, Darcy wondered if she could trick Tony into getting her a more complete collection of Disney films.

"MO?" Thor questioned, pondering her meaning. In context it must mean something along the lines of a way of doing things. Thor stared down at his empty popcorn bowl, then looked at Darcy. "More popcorn is needed, I think."

"Ah, modus operandi... method of operation. Like, it's something Disney always does." Thor's face was almost sad, looking at his empty bowl. Darcy started laughing, swinging her feet off the couch. "I'll make more. And hot chocolate?" She didn't wait for a reply, just crossed the short area to her kitchen, and popped two mugs of milk into the microwave. Looking in her pantry, she opted out of more popcorn (three bowls were more than enough, thank you) and put together a plate of cookies and some brownie bites she had. 

When the hot chocolate was finished, she came back, balancing the plate on top of one of the mugs. Darcy at Thor, offering the plate to him, before placing the mugs down on the table. "I'm like dish balancing ninja," she grinned. Darcy threw herself back on the couch, hands wrapped around her warm cup of cocoa. Tilting her head, Darcy sipped at her drink for a moment. "Are you really the god of fertilely?"

Thor smiled politely at her comment, not entirely understanding the ninja reference. He placed the plate of goods upon his lap and picked up the hot chocolate. He took a sip of the delightful beverage, then immediately spit it out again in surprise when Darcy asked her question. "What would make you ask such a question?" Thor demanded, staring at her in bewilderment.

"Hah!" Darcy cackled at Thor's spit-take. She doubled over, laughing at the expression on Thor's face. It was hard to breath, and Darcy had to put her mug on the table before she spilled it everywhere. "If you could see your face," she managed, while the laughter subsided. "Oh Thor. It's all over the mythology books, here. I read it when we were looking up you and that damn hammer."

"Mythology books you say?" Thor frowned at her, disliking the inaccuracy of her books. Then, the frown subsided, giving way to a cheeky grin as a thought dawned on him. Perhaps he could use her misunderstanding to her advantage. "It has been many, many years since I have been addressed by that title." Thor put his mug down and turned his grin upon Darcy. "Though few know it, I could once impregnate a maiden with my very thoughts, if I so desired." Thor gave her a deadpan look, gazing into her eyes.

Catching Thor's eyes, Darcy couldn't help but lock eye contact for a long, tense moment. Then she blinked, and started giggling. "Do you know, I read every myth about you I could find? I'm very informed on Norse Mythology now, and no where in the tales do you ever pull a Jesus and Mother Mary on us." Reaching out with her toe, Darcy poked at Thor's side. "I almost believe you, though."

"Your tales know very little," Thor said, unable to hide his smile. "I wonder what ever gave the ancient Midgardians such an idea?" He pondered, tapping his chin. Then the answer dawned on him, and he gave Darcy a quick sideways glance. "Ah, never mind, I believe I know why." Thor shoved a few cookies in his mouth and washed them down with hot chocolate, giving himself an excuse to not answer any further questions.

"Yes, they probably were. But there's a reason why you were called a fertility god, and so help me, I will tell Tony about that, if you don't give me a good answer!" Darcy threatened, not relenting on the poking. She knew it didn't hurt, but maybe it was annoying at least.

Thor sighed, gently grabbing her ankle and tickled her feet to cease her incessant poking. "If you must know, I suspect I earned such a title after a certain battle with the dreaded frost giants." He swirled his hot chocolate about in its mug as he dug deep through his memories. "A number of Scandinavian tribes assisted us in the battle. They fought well, and the we won that day," he stated as the events came to him as clear as the day they had occurred. "The humans asked me to return to their land and celebrate our victory. I agreed, and we drank and feasted for a long while. I recall bedding a number of maidens." He avoided eye contact with Darcy when he said this, feeling a little uneasy discussing such things with her. "I do not remember how many, I'd consumed more than my fair share of ale that night. On the morrow, I took my leave of that village, thanking them for their fine hospitality." Thor took a sip from his hot chocolate, thinking on how best to word the rest of the tale. 

"A few months later, Odin approached me, quite irate. He told me that three young women claimed to be with my child. I, of course, denied such accusations until I recognized the three women as the same from the celebration. Apparently the pregnancy caused a great stir among the mortals, as two of the woman had been infertile." He met Darcy's gaze, a slightly forlorn look behind his eyes. "Odin demanded that I leave to Midgard to attend to the children. In my arrogance I refused, claiming such things to be a waste of a Thunder god's time. However he insisted, so I went to them and gave each mother enough gold to last them many generations, then left."

Thor looked down at his plate of cookies. "I never knew them. Something I have only recently come to regret." He picked up a cookie and studied it. "Perhaps being a father would have taught me valuable lessons." His gaze snapped back to Darcy. "You tell no one of this, understood?"

Listening to Thor speak was nearly enough to break Darcy's heart. She felt guilty for pushing a subject that still seemed so raw. Frowning, Darcy pulled he feet away, and sat up, coming in close enough to worm her way under Thor's big arms and give him a hug around the chest. "Nobody will ever hear this story from me, I promise."

"I think," Darcy added, tilting her head up to catch Thor's eye, "that being a parent always teaches lessons, but if you were so sure that it wasn't worth your time, you probably would have been a bad one. Instead, you gave the mothers enough means to take care of themselves, perhaps find husbands that wanted to raise children. And now, you've done the growing needed to maybe one day be a great father."

Thor put an arm around her and pet her head. "You are wise, young Darcy." He nibbled on the cookie in his hand for a moment, gazing at the now blank television. "I do not think now is the right time for a family. Though, when the day does come, I believe I shall be ready." He gave Darcy a comforting squeeze. "For now I must ensure you all survive these times of uncertainty."

"I'm trying to imagine Jane with a kid," Darcy scrunched up her nose and giggled a little, "Either that child will be following her around with a clipboard, or I'm going to end up as a babysitter." She flopped back, her head comfortable against Thor's side. This was a good friendship, Darcy decided. Thor was like a giant teddy bear, and he never complained when she wanted a hug. Darcy had no problem trading hugs for advice, too.

frostgiantslayer answered your question: I can’t be barred from receiving Christmas...

What do you wish for, hammer?

A trip.

 i-am-laufeyson replied to your post: manintheironsuit answered your question: I can’t...

A good waxing could be part of it. Guess again, hammerling.