Weddings

“Loki, my dearest sibling, would you do me the honor of being my Best Person at my wedding?”

“Wedding? You finally got a ring on Bruce’s finger?”

“Well, he got it on mine. It catches the sun so well right?” Thor beamed, and looked at his engagement ring as it glittered in the light.

“I should have known. I’m guessing it’s too late to tell Bruce he’s making a mistake.” While Loki’s words painted one picture, their tone and the poorly concealed smile on their face painted another.

Thor blushed, thinking back to the moonlit night.

They were watching the stars, as they did nearly every day, and just as they were about to head inside Bruce got down on one knee, a ring with intricate Asgardian designs on it in a handmade metal box (which explained the night Bruce snuck down to the lab with Tony, who was giggling like a five year old while looking at Thor). Thor couldn’t have found the proposal more perfect. He beamed at the memory.

“But yeah, I’ll be your best person.” Loki said, pulling his attention back

Thor’s near constant grin broke into a 50 watt smile at Loki’s words, he closed the inches between them and pulled his beloved sibling into a hug. While Loki was at first caught off guard by Thor’s sudden hug, they soon relaxed in their brother’s arms.

“One of the happiest days of my life will be so much happier with you in it, Loki.”

Loki had never been one for sharing emotions, and even now with Thor’s infectious happiness they could do no more than smile and look at their feet, clad in dramatic leather boots. Thor waved, and turned to head to the home he shared with his boyfriend. Well, not anymore. Fiance would be more a more accurate term. He smiled even wider at the thought.

Stepping through the double-wide, hulk-sized door frame, Thor went immediately to a small oak table facing a window with a lakeside view. He frowned as he looked at cliffs off in the distance, remembering similar cliffs that he met Odin on. Where he saw his own father die.

Just like that he was trapped in the moment, feeling the same salty breeze that swept away the last of Odin. Thor leaned on the table, caught in the pain that the memory brought with it. The crashing of waves echoed in his ears as Thor dropped into a chair. A wind breezed by, and Odin looked into Thor’s eyes for the last time, with a finality. Despite not being the best father, Odin was still his father. And never getting the chance to talk with his father again was a really big deal. As he sat, there was a crinkling of papers that drew him from his head. Looking down, lined papers with lists of names caught his eye, with his own loopy script making notes that overlapped with the familiar slanted scrawl that Bruce wrote with. Bruce.

The rest of the room came into focus slowly. The hanging spider plants in the window, the slightly scraped plastic dog bowl, the hum of a dishwasher, the gray-blue paint on the walls with white borders. Thor sighed, placing his head on his hands with his elbows on his table. Things like this were becoming more common and it worried him. He was a god after all, a being too strong to be defeated by mere tricks of the mind.

He had finally calmed his heart rate and breathing, just in time for the door to open, bringing with it low tide and a breeze that made a few pages flutter. Thor quickly grabbed whatever objects that were nearby to use as a paperweight; a small troll statue from Brunhilde, who found it’s blank stare and long nose funny, a small rock with the lesbian pride colors painted on (given by a fan of his who declared him ‘the god of lesbians’) and a rawhide were the nearest items and as such were placed atop papers. Thor rose to greet the newcomer, a polite smile on his face that grew as he recognized a gray streaked mess of curls and a pit bull on a purple leash.

“Bruce! My love, how was your day?” Thor said as he leaned down to pet the brindle dog that was straining against her leash to reach him faster.

“Thor, hey. I was just giving Birget a walk, she’s been antsy lately. My day was pretty good, though it’s better that you’re home.” He smiled, corners of his eyes crinkling, although Thor could see the strain of the day in his shoulders, before Bruce looked up at Thor, fully seeing his fiance’s face. “Are you okay dear?”

“Of course I am!” Thor said, hoping that Bruce was tired enough to see past his fake bravado. Of course, it didn’t work. Despite claiming to be bad with people Bruce was very perceptive, for most of his life he had been in danger, first from his father (a man who was lucky to be dead so he wouldn’t have to face the wrath of Thor), and then from the government, who had only stopped hunting Bruce once he joined the Avengers, though Thor still didn’t trust that they meant well for Bruce. On the run Bruce had learned many skills, and he could usually see through deception, this time being no different.

“Thor, you know you can tell me. Was it a panic attack?”

Thor sighed, dropping his head in embarrassment, which Bruce took to be a yes. He closed the small distance between the two and wrapped his arms around Thor’s large frame, pressing his head to his chest in a silent show of comfort. Thor wrapped his arms around him, and they stayed like that for a while until Birget whined and pawed at Thor’s legs. Bruce yawned, and Thor remembered how tired Bruce was when he had walked in.

“Darling, I’ll take care of the dog, why don’t you get some food and go sit on the couch?” Thor asks, pulling away as Bruce smiles up at him.

“Thanks,” He paused to yawn again, “I’ll make a sandwich. Don’t forget that you can tell me anything.”
Thor nodded and looked at Bruce, swaying a little where he stood, “ You look exhausted. Want to watch some Voyager before you fall over?”

After giving Birget a chew toy and filling her water bowl, Thor then prepared the couch for marathon watching as Bruce put relish between two slices of whole wheat bread.

“Oh yeah Thor, I asked Tony to be my Best Person. He said yes. Have you talked to Loki?” Bruce said with his back to Thor as he made his sandwich.

“I have, they said yes as well. I suppose all that’s left is to invite guests and chose a venue. We’ll also have to decorate that venue, and plan out the ceremony.” Thor frowned, realizing now that the only thing that was ready for the wedding was that they had Best People and outfits picked out, with Bruce in a deep purple suit and Thor in a black suit with matching heels.

“Ready to see how many red shirts die in season 5?”

“Yeah I am.” Bruce smiles up at Thor before taking a bite of his sandwich.

“Bruce,” Thor wrinkles his nose as a Voyager episode starts, “how long has that relish been expired?”

He thinks for a moment, “A couple years?”

“Honey, while I love you and am aware of your stomach’s capabilities, please try to eat things that don’t smell so strong.”

Bruce yawned and smiled, stretching so his arm was curled behind Thor, resting across his muscular shoulders. “Are you still bitter about the oyster-radish soup? I thought that the chicken broth added an excellent salty flavor.” His tired smile spread to an evil grin as Thor turned a bit green at the memory.

“Maybe we should just watch the episode quietly.” Thor mumbled, leaning his head on top of Bruce’s as phasers set to stun blasted from their television’s sound system.