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peter parker (thespiderling) wrote in avengers_logs, @ 2019-05-21 21:54:00

Who: Thor, Peter Parker, and NPC May Parker
What: Thor joins the Parkers for some Thai food
When: Super super backdated right after Peter's first network post
Rating/Warnings: Green

All in all, the surprises Peter had dropped on May lately had been mostly unwelcome. Losing the Stark internship had been one, and her finding out he was a reckless masked superhero-in-training had been another. At least he’d avoided telling her that he’d turned to dust in on an alien planet in another dimension, but all that aside - May deserved a break from the bad news.

And that was where Thor came in.

Peter thought it was safe to say that the Asgardian was a hero of May’s. Isn’t he just handsome? she’d say whenever his face popped up in news reports: Now that’s the real deal. When Peter had told her about meeting Dr. Foster - who happened to have much closer ties with the god - May's respect rose even more.

It was hard not to idolize Thor when their neighbor downstairs swore up and down that she’d seen him smack a few Chitauri with his hammer off their fire escape back during the invasion of New York. That might have been a bit of an urban legend, but Peter believed it. What he couldn’t believe now was that his and Thor’s worlds had intersected closely enough for Peter to ask for something like a favor.

He and May were at their favorite Thai place wrapping up dinner and ordering dessert when - as he and Thor had planned - the restaurant door opened. Peter had heard the stories and seen videos and pictures, but nothing could have ever prepared him for Thor in person. He was every epic comic book character Peter had ever loved come to life.

“Is that…?” May adjusted her glasses and blinked over her shoulder, squinting as if to make sure she was seeing right.

“Yeah! I kind of invited him?” Peter said to his aunt before he waved in greeting to the thunder god. He might have arranged all this for May, but it wasn’t going to be easy to keep his own inner fanboy calm here.

It was wonderful, receiving an invitation for dessert. Too often, people seemed to react with awe when Thor came in, which was fair. He was an imposing figure, often unable to blend in with a crowd.

That being said, he had learned many things since being on Midgard, like fashion and appropriate behaviours. He had also learned that meetings fans was imperative to staying in the collective memory of the people. So when the smallest Peter had asked for Thor to join him and his aunt, Thor readily agreed -- well, once Jane had given her approval. He was still loathe to leave her but this was something that was needed.

Scanning the room, he saw a few other people look at him in wonderment but right now that wasn’t why he was there. When he saw the friendly wave, he returned it and made his way to the table, grinning widely. “Hello, Peter Parker. Thank you for your kind invitation. Dessert is one of my favourite things on Midgard, made even more special by your aunt’s presence. I appreciate you allowing me to join you on your festive occasion, Peter’s Aunt May.”

“Oh my god, Peter.” May nudged Peter’s foot under the table as Thor approached, and it was just about impossible to keep a straight face. His aunt was blushing. Actually blushing, and it made him feel better about his own lack of composure. It ran in the family.

“Hey man! Hi,” Peter stuttered out, scrambling up to pull a chair over for Thor. Man, he was tall. And super handsome. More than that, he had a smile that made it seem like everything wrong and bad was going to be okay. Knowing that he could still possess that energy even while coping with Jane’s illness made Peter look up to him all the more. “Thanks for coming - this is awesome. We’ve got coconut cakes and some kind of mango thing and ice cream on the way.”

May, meanwhile, had gathered herself enough to speak again.

“You know how to make a girl feel special,” she said with a laugh, and reached out to shake Thor's hand. “Don't tell Tony Stark, but you've always been my favorite Avenger.”

Thor gave a low laugh as he took her hand. Like the King he was, he turned the hand over and gave it a kiss, bowing down to her before letting go and sitting down. Even sitting, he still towered over them.

“Coconut cakes? Those sound incredible.” Thor glanced around the room. “What a wonderful way to celebrate the day of your birth, with family and food. I can remember fondly some of my name day events; however, suffice it to say some of those activities would be greatly frowned upon in polite company.” He gave a laugh and shook his head at the memory. “Is this a tradition of yours?”

Peter just barely held himself back from replying ‘no dude, you’re incredible’, trying to put a dampener on his hero worship here. It wasn’t so hard to do when he was more distracted by the shade of fire hydrant red that was coloring his aunt’s face at Thor’s gesture. He was going to have plenty of fuel to tease her with later.

“Oh, very much a tradition,” May answered as a slightly awe-struck waiter came by to ask what Thor wanted to drink. “We've been coming here for birthdays since Peter was five. He’s grown a lot since then.”

Peter dodged a hair ruffle, not wanting to look even more like a kid in the eyes of someone he looked up to. He was going to have to divert the conversation quick before May fell into reminiscing about his childhood.

“So...how old are you? If that's okay to ask?” Not all people on Earth liked that question, but Peter was guessing Asgardians didn't mind as much.

Thor gave a nod while he tried to figure out how old he was. It was always interesting to him, how much Midgardians cared about age when in reality, time was such an abstract figure for him, he lost track. “I believe when I was last asked, I was roughly 1500 years old … and I think that was last year. So. 1501 years old, if you please.” He smiled broadly, and took the offered drink from the waiter. It was something fizzy, he didn’t quite know what it was. He’d simply answered ‘a soda’ when asked.

It was probably Coca Cola.

He enjoyed the bubbles. Carbonation was an amazing process.

Taking another sip, he gave a brief shrug. “When you are as long-lived as I, it becomes hard to truly keep track. It is also not a yearly event we celebrate since that would grow tedious.” He paused and opened his eyes wide suddenly. “Oh! My brother did throw me a party about ...oh...100 years ago. That was truly an epic night, full of merriment and music.” Thor smiled. “Family is very important. I am truly pleased to see how close you and your aunt are, young Peter. I find that in these times, family is who you can rely on the most. Aunt May, you should also be commended. I understand you raised this boy, and he is becoming a wonderful man.” He lifted his mug in a toast. “The bravery and values you have instilled are apparent to all. You must be very proud. To Peter and his Aunt May!,” he shouted before downing his drink all at once.

Very bubbly.

“Holy sh…” Peter decided not to finish that exclamation as May gave him a look. “-No way! That's old-old.” How did someone live that long? What did it feel like? How did Asgardians age? May's hand gently squeezed at his shoulder as if she could sense those questions brewing in her nephew, a reminder to slow down.

“That just means Thor is very refined and cultivated,” May cut in, giving Thor an appreciative smile. “And experienced in life, too. I bet you could learn a thing or two from him, Peter.”

Like how to give a toast, apparently. Peter's ears were burning by the time Thor tipped his drink back, and his jaw dropped a little. He was convinced he'd peaked - if Thor, the God of Thunder and King of Asgard - had toasted him, then he'd ascended to the highest point. There was no topping this one, nope. Ned would never believe him.

“I'm all kinds of proud,” May agreed after she set her glass down, laughing at the expression on Peter's face. She looked happy - the kind of happy where Peter couldn’t see any traces of the stresses he’d put on her in the past few months - and in that moment, Thor was just about his favorite person in the universe for making her feel that way. “Oh, would you look at that!”

The same starstruck waiter came by with the coconut cakes, ice cream and other various desserts. Peter was glad he’d ordered extra for Thor earlier when May hadn't been paying attention, but there was more than even that too. Apparently the restaurant had taken the Asgardian at the table into account. After the battle of New York, Thor had countless fans here.

“Well,” May said after the dishes were settled. “I hope you’re hungry, Thor, because we’ll need help with these.”

Thor laughed happily. “Oh, there is no question, fair maiden, that I will be able to assist. Desserts are delicious.” Sometimes, Thor was thankful that he enjoyed exercise, otherwise it would be simple to drown himself in food. There was so much food on Midgard that he could enjoy. Too much, really.

“Aunt May,” he continued, reaching for what looked like a piece of cheesecake, “may I ask a question, if I could be so bold? Please, tell me a story of young Peter. I truly enjoy hearing of others.” And it distracted him from eating everything in sight. “It is obvious, the affection you have for one another, and I, as an outsider, would like to know more. If I may.”

He wasn’t normally so bold to ask about private things, but he was in a good mood, and he found he wanted to know the younger man better. They’d barely had any opportunity to interact, and this seemed like a good time to ask questions.

“Oh no, Mr. Thor, sir, you really don’t want to hear about anything like that, hah, I was a boring kid, seriously!” Peter was beginning to sound like he was pleading, but having an embarrassing childhood story told to one of his heroes? It was almost like being in one of those nightmares where you were standing in front of a full classroom inexplicably naked.

“Boring?” May snorted. “Oh no. No no no no. His middle name was Trouble. And it still is, believe me.”

She looked delighted by the request, at least, and that cut off any more protests that Peter might have made. They hadn’t reminisced much together lately, at least not when the gap of his Uncle Ben’s absence still stung so badly. Peter decided he could suffer through the discomfort if it meant May got to talk about a better time before that loss. And how could he deny Thor much of anything when he was so genuinely interested? The god was a friendly golden retriever personified.

“There was that time with the frog,” May began, and Peter inwardly groaned. "Peter was...seven? And it was one of those New York summers where all we got were rain and storms. Peter's Uncle Ben and I always let him play out in the street, and as far as we know, that's where he found this massive bullfrog. It was almost as big as his head at the time. What did you name him, Peter? Something from Star Wars, right?”

“…Yoda,” Peter supplied from where he was all but hiding behind a bowl of ice cream.

“Right, Yoda. Ben and I didn't catch this, but Peter smuggled the frog into his room. He somehow managed to take care of it for a few days under our noses, because we only found out after getting a call from the school. Apparently Peter smuggled Yoda in his backpack and the frog escaped during art class. By the time I got there, paint was spilled everywhere, desks were turned over, papers scattered...chaos. Peter was sitting in the corner holding the thing. It looked like a war-zone. We ended up letting the frog go in the lake in Central Park, where as far as I know he still lives to this day.”

May finished laughing, and Peter grinned and shook his head. Embarrassing story time hadn’t been so bad - it was funnier now than it’d been at the time, which was how things often were.

“Your turn,” Peter said, sliding a plate of fried bananas Thor’s way after he’d taken a few himself. “What’s the craziest thing you ever did when you were a kid?”

Thor had to think about that one. There were many stories he could say, ones that would be equal in embarassment. He did appreciate the good-natured attitude between May and Peter, which made him long a little for his own family.

Not that they were ever like this. No, the royal family was distant in a way that was necessary. They loved and respected one another, maybe even admired at times, but there was no simple back and forth like this.

He was glad things were changing, that he COULD talk with Loki easily and openly.

Maybe one day, they’d be like this.

“There are many stories I could recall,” Thor started, his dessert spoon dwarfed in his hand as he started to eat the fried bananas. Which was delicious. And required him to stop and savour before continuing. “It is difficult to say what is crazy, when I have done many things …” He stopped and thought for a moment.

“There was this one time I had a drinking contest with an entire clan of Trolls...but that is a story for when you are older.” Thor gave Peter a wink. “I do find it very interesting that your story was about frogs for my brother once turned me into a frog. I led my fellow amphibians in a battle against rats, all for the dominion of the green space allocated for them. We were ultimately victorious, banning the foul rodents from our park, and I actually was quite happy until my brother decided to turn me back to being myself again.” He looked up for a while, allowing the spoon to dangle in the air between his fingers. “That was better than the time he turned me into a chicken...chickens are not noble creatures.”

Thor made a face but he smiled quickly after. This was much needed. He felt better, much better. Aunt May and Peter’s smiling faces helped. He was grateful he’d come along, and was invited to attend. It made him feel better. More grounded.

Grateful.