Who: Thor and Jane What: Relaxing, ignoring the phone (and mothers) When: Today at some point Rating: Green
Thor really disliked Jane's apartment. It was something he'd thought the second he looked around, and the longer he stayed there, the more he felt it. Really, it wasn't like the apartment was terrible. It was nice, modern, had all the amenities it needed but it wasn't comforting . There was nothing that made him want to relax, either by himself or with Jane. It was -- for lack of a better word -- stark. He hadn't really cared when they were in the bedroom, but eventually other needs had to be met, such as food.
As was Jane's custom when working, there was practically nothing to eat but a phone call easily fixed that. The next step was to make a comforting space but again, nothing he couldn't resolve. Within a few moments, he'd stripped the ugliest couch he'd ever seen, placed all the pillows on the floor, found extra blankets and basically made a softer, more enticing place to sit in front of the television. It was a good way to take his mind off of his texts with his mother. Of course he would have loved to share the news that Jane did indeed share his affections but how could he do that without having spoken to Jane first? Thor was nothing if not discreet.
"There. I made your apartment better." He smiled.
Jane had sent Thor to answer the door when the food arrived and had taken the couple extra minutes as an opportunity to wash her face and brush the tangles out of her hair. Besides, Thor could wear just a pair of pants and be reasonably dressed enough for public view. Jane meanwhile, in only Thor's shirt, was slightly more scandalous. Neither of them was anything approaching fully dressed. There didn't seem to be much of a point to that, considering. "I love it," Jane laughed, stepping into the room. Out of habit, she glanced around for Mjolnir so she wouldn't stub a toe before remembering Mjolnir was gone. "Reminds me of when I was kid," she said, quickly grabbing forks from the kitchen. It had been awhile since she'd shown Thor to use chopsticks and she wasn't sure he remembered how. "I had these glow-in-the-dark stars stuck up on my ceiling. And whenever it was cold or the weather was bad, I used to lay on the floor of my room, looking up at them and pretending they were the real thing."
Thor gratefully accepted a fork and took one of the boxes. He'd let Jane order, so he wasn't even sure what was in them. Opening it, there was some sort of meat coated in a red sauce which he remembered he'd liked before. Sitting down, he crossed his legs at his ankles and started to eat. "And I believe it would be a safe assumption that the stars were arranged in their correct positions." That was probably a given, actually. "I have always preferred to sleep under the watchful eye of Jord, mother of all nature. Twinkling stars guided my slumber many a time, and always created a sense of calm and peace for me." He chewed thoughtfully. "I would never have thought to adorn my chambers with such items."
Jane settled onto the floor, leaning against the nest of pillows, her hip against Thor's, and reached for her own carton of beef. "That sounds nice. I don't know if you would have anything similar though I'm sure the effect would have been better. Mine were just green plastic things my dad stuck on with putty. They didn't even glow really after awhile. And yes," she smiled," they were accurate, though it was a mix of summer and winter constellations."
Thor liked hearing about Jane's childhood, so different from his own. If he had asked the All-Father for permission to decorate his rooms, it would have been an immediate no. "I wish I could have met your father," he said. "Mine would never have considered making my chambers comforting . The entire palace was how he decreed it so. It was not until I lived with you that I discovered such freedoms."
It was easy to think of Thor as someone who had everything but there was actually little in his life he had control over. He had many responsibilities and few freedoms. Part of the reason Jane loved him was the way he handled those obligations. It was easy for most people to forget that for all of his titles, Thor was still just a man and he had sacrificed much. Only now, with the loss of his eye, was some of that apparent. Jane paused and pressed a gentle kiss to the curve of his shoulder. "He would have liked you, I think. He was such a numbers guy - all math - but he never used logic to sneer at the spiritual. He would have loved hearing about Ydriggsil and he'd have a million questions for you about everything. Like Jord, what is that?"
"Jord is the land personified, the mother of all the sun shines upon. Some people worship her, though I was never among her acolytes. In your legends, I believe she was considered to be my father's concubine." His lips twitched with amusement. He enjoyed reading the tales of his people, interpreted by Midgardians. The liberties they took were quite entertaining. "I may not be as observant as Loki, but I do feel as if I would have noticed a tree in my father's bed."
Most culture had some kind of deity to represent Mother Earth but Jane wouldn't have been surprised if she had been Odin's concubine. Most pantheon mythologies were ruled by king with a fuzzy grasp on monogamy and consent. The things Zeus had got up to would make even the wanton blush. "So, she's not a real person? I could never tell when I back and read the stories how much of it was real. Plus," she added, "I like it better when you explain it."
Thor gave a low laugh. Leaning to his side, he tilted his head down to touch hers. "I have never been called a storyteller. That has always been my brother's role. I believe you are quite possibly the only one who enjoys how I weave a tale." He cleared his throat. "And I must apologize, beloved: If Jord was a living being, I never had the pleasure of meeting her. She was a creation of children's stories, a deity to teach young ones to love and respect the land they walked, the fields they toiled, and the fruit she bore."
"That makes sense." She was quiet for a minute, focused on her beef and rice. Jane's eyes were a softer when she spoke again. "We believe that since God was the one who created each species and He's not going to make another, we have a responsibility to look after the environment." It must have been the mention of her dad earlier that brought the memory back. Jane rarely spoke of her very very lapsed faith. "It's selfish and cruel to destroy all of something."
Her sentence instantly brought one word to mind: Thanos. Trying to relax his grip on his fork, he gave her what he hoped was a comforting look. "That it is," he answered gently. "There is nothing in this universe that deserves complete eradication, and yet some desire that more than anything else. Power. Control." He sighed. "But such dark thoughts are not for lovers to discuss There will be plenty time for serious reflection. I would prefer to hear more of your memories. Tell me something I have not heard before."
Thor was gripping his fork the way he might have gripped his hammer but he relaxed so Jane did too. "Hmm," she murmured thoughtfully, reaching for a fun story. "Have you heard the story of Peter Pan? It was a play, then a book and movie about a boy named Peter Pan who never grew up. One night he appeared outside the window of Wendy Darling and flew her and her brothers to his home on Never Never Land, which was on the second star to the right and then straight on to morning." She paused and then smiled sardonically. "You know, looking back, my life maybe isn't so surprising... Anyways, when I was a little girl, I was convinced that Peter Pan was real and that if I believed hard enough, I could go have all these wonderful adventures on Neverland. I slept with my window open all summer so that Peter would be able to fly in, sprinkle me with pixie dust, and we could fly away."
"I could take you flying." Putting aside his now empty box (he hadn't realized how hungry he was), he draped an arm around her shoulder. "There is something liberating, being in the air, exposed to the elements while knowing you have the power to travel wherever you'd wish. These months apart, I have travelled the world. Explored various regions. Wondered if I should settle elsewhere, but I continued to be called back to New York. That being said, now that I have you again, these flights will no longer be a way to escape reality but to embrace it instead. Would you like that?"
"Yes," Jane said eagerly, settling against Thor's side and turning more fully towards him. "Can you? I didn't know you could still fly without, you know, your hammer." Sore subject. Probably best to move on. "but yes. Definitely yes." Thor could easily carry a pack, they could spend a night out somewhere. "Somewhere we can see the stars."
Thor chuckled. "Yes, Jane, I can do things without Mjolnir." That didn't mean he didn't miss his hammer, his constant compainion for all these centuries of life. Oh well. In the last few years, he'd learned humility and patience and understood that the more things remain the same, the more they change. He leaned down to kiss her before straightening up again. "And we can go wherever you desire. Further north, the sky changes colours and dances in the night. It is sight to enjoy. I believe they are known colloquially as 'northern lights'. Have you experienced them before?"
The thunder and lightning had always seemed directly with Thor's control but Jane had always flight came from Mjolnir. Interesting. "I have actually. It was amazing but it's still summer. Maybe we could go somewhere we can sleep outside? Or even if we head back to Puente Antigua, I could pick up my van and drive."
"Puente Antigua..." That one weekend was all he'd ever spent, and yet it had dramatically shaped his life, and the path he followed. What would it be like to visit there again? "Yes, I think that would be satisfactory," he said after some pause. "I would greatly appreciate returning, perhaps make amends for my poor behaviour."
"I don't think anyone's holding it against you," Jane laughed. "Though now I think about it, that might be too far for me? I'm a bit squishy for high speeds over a long period."
"I would never do anything to put you in harm's way." That should be a given. "I am amenable to driving wherever we wish to go as well, if you are concerned for your safety. It does not have to be at the speed I usually travel at either." He shrugged. "It is as you desire." "That's easy enough to figure out," Jane said. "Do a series of shorter flights to test variables for distance, speed, and altitude. I would say that it's a problem we can't control for weather except we kind of can." She grinned over at him with that.
Picking up another container (this time it was some type of noodles), he gave her a beaming grin. "I am, as the Midgardians say 'a catch'."
Jane barked with laughter. "Oh yes," she said dryly though the corners of her mouth turned up. "Lucky me."
He pretended to look hurt, even going so far as to put a hand on his chest. "You do not agree? Oh my love, how you have wounded me." He closed his eye dramatically and leaned his head back on the couch. "I shall never recover."
"Look at that," Jane said, moving carefully so as not upset anything in their nest of to go containers and pillows. She threw a leg over him and climbed into Thor's lap so that she had one thigh on either side of his hips and her face looking across at his. "I've slain the mighty Thor."
Putting aside his food, he reached up and held onto her hips before peeking at her. "So it would appear," he agreed, shifting so that she was perfectly on top of him. "You are the Victor and I, your humble prisoner. Do with me what you will, and let the world know of Jane the Conqueror."