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Thor couldn't remember the moment when he fell in love with Bruce Banner.
He remembered the moments in between the simple joy of being his friend and the longing to be his lover - that intense relief when he found him on Sakaar, the comfort he'd given him as they escaped back to Asgard, the warm bubbly feeling that filled his chest when Bruce asked if he could stay for a while - but the actual moment where he began loving him was much more fuzzy. Maybe it was when he watched Bruce meet the children in the lower towns, telling them stories of Midguard and listening to them speak of Asgard, looking happier than Thor had ever seen him. Maybe it was when Bruce entered the library for the first time, giggling in excitement after Thor told him he had all it all at his disposal. Maybe it was when Bruce saw the garden, staring wide-eyed at everything with the curiosity of a scientist and the awe of a child.
Thor didn't know which, if any, of those moments was the one where he truly fell in love with Bruce. They got rather close after Hela's defeat as they slowly got to know each other. Since Thor oversaw recovery efforts and Bruce helped where he could, they didn't have much time to spend together until late at night, before they both went to bed. Just an hour or so after sunset, Bruce could expect the quiet knock at his door. Thor always asked if he could come in, nervous, almost afraid that Bruce would eventually tire of him and say no. He never did.
It was on one of his first visits - about a week and a half into Bruce's stay - when he realized just how he felt about Bruce, though he was utterly oblivious to that fact when he knocked on Bruce's door. "Banner? May I enter?" he said, hoping that he hid his nervousness.
"What? Oh," came Bruce's voice. Shuffling sounds were heard from behind the door. "Yeah. Yeah, come in!"
Thor did. As he walked in, he noticed that Bruce was wearing one of the robes that he'd gotten him - a soft, yellow fabric that hung loosely over his shoulders, brightly contrasting the black tunic and pants he wore underneath. When Thor had handed it to Bruce, a bit sheepish, he'd not been prepared for the way Bruce smiled so softly at him as he said that this shade of yellow was his favorite color. He knew that Bruce was still getting used to Asgardian clothing, so to see him relaxing in a robe that Thor had gotten him specifically was nice.
He also noticed the books and papers strewn around Bruce on his giant bed. He hesitated. "Oh, you're busy. I apologize-" he said, turning to leave.
"What? Oh! No, no, I'm-" Thor looked back just in time to see Bruce grab everything and throw it in a haphazard pile on one of his many pillows. "I mean- It's okay. I'm just… it's nothing. You can stay. Um." He shut his mouth with an audible clack! before patting the spot next to him.
There was a beat where Thor considered it. He quickly found himself walking around the bed and sitting on the edge, legs folded beneath himself so his boots didn't get on the expensive-looking comforter, though he did start fiddling with a loose thread. He could feel Bruce watching him, but he was still trying to figure out what he wanted to say. Or - more accurately, he supposed - he was trying to figure out how to word what he already wanted to ask.
It was long enough for the silence to turn awkward. Bruce apparently sensed it, as he quickly said, "So. Anything you wanted to talk about?"
Thor did. He opened his mouth, paused, then closed it. He thought some more. He did all of that a few times, enough so that Bruce got this anxious expression on his face. "Thor-"
Thor did not like how that sounded at all and looked around a bit desperately for something to say. That's when his eye landed on the pile of things that Bruce had been reading that he now recognized very clearly. In honest confusion, Thor asked, "Why are you reading children's books?"
Bruce blinked before following Thor's gaze. "Oh. I'm, uh… I'm trying to learn Asgardian script."
And Thor fell silent again. Bruce rushed to finish.
"I know you said that anyone can understand Allspeak, but your written language is something else. I mean-" He squinted, thinking. "The letters kind of look like old Norse symbols, but I can't read those, either. I'm basically learning it all from scratch and Sif was nice enough to lend me her old stuff." He gestured at the pile with a shy smile.
Thor felt himself get all soft. "You wish to learn my language?" he said. He was surprised at how fond his own voice sounded.
Bruce shrugged, fiddling with the edge of his robe. "The library is huge. I want to make some kind of a dent in it."
Thor laughed at that. "I'm ashamed to say I've not read as much as I used to. As a child, I often found myself escaping into the library when royal life proved to be too much for me. It's truly a sanctuary." He realized that he stopped messing with the thread and, at that point, was paying full attention to Bruce.
Bruce's own soft laughter was surprisingly nice to listen to. "Same here. I used to hide out in the library with my cousin. We'd have sleepovers, sometimes, when I really needed to get away. Not to escape being royalty, obviously, but…" His small smile faltered. "Let's just say that I didn’t have the best home life."
Thor wanted to ask, but he decided it was smarter to let it go. They lapsed into silence again. It was almost nice, really, until what Thor remembered what he originally came to ask. He bit his lip.
"Hey," said Bruce, softly. Thor blinked himself out of it. "Is everything okay?"
He looked away from Bruce at that. The concern on his face made Thor feel like he’d said something wrong, so he took a deep breath and finally asked what he'd been wanting to say since he knocked on Bruce's door. "Am I... a good king?"
"What?"
Thor sighed. "You're not Asgardian. I need an outsider's perspective; someone who isn't biased, who will answer me truthfully." He suddenly felt restless. He got up and began to pace, hands folding and unfolding behind his back, tongue moving too quickly for him to control it. "Heimdall says that I'm doing the best I can, Loki doesn't understand, Brunnhilde doesn't 'have the time nor wish to be my counselor', and anyone else would just say yes in subservience to me." He slowed to a stop and looked Bruce dead in the eyes. "You're the most honest judge I have, Banner."
There was beat of silence where Thor simply stood there as Bruce just... stared at him. The back of his neck felt warm all of a sudden and he regretted coming.
Finally, Bruce just said, "Oh."
Thor winced. "I- I'm sorry. I shouldn't have... that was a lot."
Bruce shook his head, running a hand through his greying hair. It always seemed to startle Thor at just how grey it had gotten since he last saw him on Midguard. "No, no, its okay. I think..." He swallowed before looking back at Thor. "I think you're doing an amazing job."
The disbelief must have been evident on Thor's face.
"No, seriously!" Bruce sat up and scooted to the edge of the bed. "Have you seen what Asgard looks like now? Half of this place was under rubble a week ago. We've done so much already. It's because of you. You give these people strength. Everyone's lost so much - you've lost so much - but you stay strong. So strong. The people see that and they want to be strong, too. You make them strong."
Thor remembered his mother, his father, and the countless funerals they'd held in the past two weeks. He shook his head. "I don't feel strong," he muttered, keeping his gaze on the wall in front of him.
"Hey, no." Before he could react, Bruce had reached out to gently grasp Thor's wrist. Thor looked back at him and felt frozen under the intensity of his deep brown eyes. "You are strong. Even if you don't feel like it. You have every right to just give up and walk away after everything that you've been through, but you don't. The people know that and they love you for it because they know you love them back. They love you, Thor. Not because you're their king, but because you're a good one. They say so themselves, even when you're not around to hear it. You're doing a great job. Everyone's proud of you. Hell-" He hesitated, licking his lips as his eyes flickered from Thor's, before he took a deep breath and straightened. "I'm proud of you, for whatever that counts."
For a while, Thor stared at Bruce in stunned silence. He supposed that he'd expected Bruce to give him another empty reassurance that he didn't deserve, but... There was something different about how he said it. He spoke with a kind of intensity as if he was offended that Thor would try to argue with the praise. The kind of honesty that underlined Bruce's words made Thor feel unexpectedly warm, almost as warm as the hand on his wrist was. As Thor continued to search Bruce's face for something - he didn't know what - the attention seemed to get to Bruce. Thor watched, entranced, as the other man began to blush furiously.
"I," he began, then, "Well- I-" and went to pull his hand back, pointedly not making eye contact, his brief confidence suddenly gone.
A cold feeling went up Thor's arm as Bruce let go. He didn't like that one bit, so it only made sense to quickly catch Bruce's fingers in his own. Bruce looked up at him, startled.
Thor looked him in the eyes and said, "Your opinion matters more than you could ever know."
Bruce's lips parted. They were a pale pink, looked soft, and Thor wasn't sure why they caught his attention like that all of a sudden. "Oh." Then Bruce gave him such a gentle smile that made Thor's world briefly tilt. "I'm... I'm glad."
"Good," said Thor. They stood like that for some time, watching each other in a fuzzy silence, until he remembered himself. "I should get going," he said. He let Bruce's fingers slide out of his own. It felt like some kind of loss.
"Uh, alright," said Bruce, letting his hand fall back into his lap. He sounded... sad, almost. "Good night, then."
Thor nodded. "Good night, Banner." He gave Bruce a brief smile before turning and slowly walking back toward the door. His fingers tingled where Bruce's had been. His hand was on the door when Bruce called out, "Hey, Thor?"
He turned. Bruce was fiddling with his sleeve again, eyes unsure as they flickered between Thor's eye to his feet. "You, um- You can call me Bruce."
His voice was so soft; so shy, with his cheeks still dusted pink. Something warm began to turn deep inside of him. "...thank you, Bruce. Rest well."
Bruce nodded. He was smiling again and looked at Thor from under his lashes, his whole face glowing a nice shade of red.
Once he was in the relative safety of the empty hallway, Thor leaned back against the cold stone wall, hand clutching at the left side of his chest as he tried to catch his breath. Bruce's unwavering faith in him was overwhelming, and the pink of his lips stood out in his mind. Thor wondered if they felt as soft as they looked. He suddenly felt dizzy.
Oh, Thor thought, and the back of his head banged painfully against the wall.
Their nighttime talks became a regular occurrence. Thor would sit on the edge of Bruce's bed and they would just talk about anything and everything. Thor would tell Bruce is self-doubts and fears, while Bruce would reassure him the best that he could before gradually opening up enough to do the same. Other times, they wanted to escape from their problems, so they'd either talk about the better parts of their childhoods or something that the other wanted to know about their respective worlds.
As the weeks went on, they just as often said nothing at all. There were quite a few instances where Thor simply worked on paperwork or read proposals at Bruce's messy desk while Bruce meditated on the soft carpet by the window. He always looked so peaceful doing that. Calm. Sometimes, Thor looked close enough to see the way the sunlight gave a soft glow to Bruce's skin, his lips curled in the smallest of smiles. It was beautiful. Thor tried to be quiet as possible.
Despite how close they got, Thor wasn't sure how he could broach the subject of his feelings. He didn't even know if he should. Any possible signs that Bruce might feel some similar way about him - the blushing, the stuttering, the faltering gazes - could just be attributed to his naturally timid nature. He didn't know Bruce well enough to know better, so Thor was left to stumble in the dark.
What made things worse was the idea that Bruce would eventually leave Asgard. They hadn't spoken about it, of course, but Thor couldn't help being bothered by the thought during every interaction they had. They got closer and closer and the idea that Bruce would eventually want to go home, his real home, scared Thor too much to hope. It would be pointless, anyway. So he buried his feelings deep down inside of himself and tried enjoying the little time they had left.
When Loki cornered Thor a month into Bruce's stay, he knew he hadn't hid it well enough.
"You always do this," said Loki, gesticulating as he paced in front of him. "You find someone new, get attached, they encourage you, things fall apart-"
Thor sat at his desk and sighed. "Loki, can we do this later?" He glanced mournfully at the papers in front of him.
"When do you want to do this?" Thor said nothing. Loki pinched the bridge of his nose. "I've known you for millennia, Thor. I know how this goes. I thought you would have learned from that mortal woman, but-"
Thor whirled on him. "Jane Foster," he growled, causing Loki to blink rapidly as he froze in place. "That 'mortal woman' is Dr. Jane Foster and we broke up not through any fault of her own, but because we weren't what the other needed. I couldn't be there for her and she didn't-" He cut himself off before he shared too much. The details of their break-up weren't raw anymore, but it was personal, and he didn't feel like sharing their problems.
Loki rolled his eyes to the ceiling before walking over. "And that is exactly what I'm talking about." He pushed some papers over to sit on the edge of the desk, arms crossed. Thor didn't have the energy to push him off. "I've watched your heart get broken a hundred times and it is always because you get too invested too quickly. You've always 'fallen in love'-" -he said it with air quotes, which was more than a little insulting- "-at first sight, but I've never seen you commit to it."
"What are you getting at?" said Thor. He felt tired.
"Thor," said Loki, suddenly looking concerned. It only made him tense up further. "You can fight just fine when its physical, but you've always gotten scared when your relationships start getting difficult. Trust me. You've vented to me about them ever since we were children. You want your relationships to be easy, but when they get hard, you think the entire thing is in jeopardy. So you ignore the problems and act like everything is fine until they destroy everything and then you cry your eyes out on my nice rug for three days."
"That was one time-"
"Tell me that I'm wrong."
Thor pursed his lips. Loki sighed, laying a hand on Thor's shoulder. "He will leave and you'll be heartbroken. You know that I'm right. Brother, for once in your life, listen to me. I'm just looking out for you."
The worst part was that he was right. Thor didn't fall in love easily, but when he did, he fell fast and he fell hard. And it was always happy at first, but then there would be some kind of issue that he was too afraid to address in fear of some fight or difficulty. Instead, he ignored it, doing his best to keep things easy. Thor loved easy love. He couldn't handle the realities of it.
That was what made his feelings for Bruce so scary; loving Bruce included so many problems. He may not like him back. Even if he did, he wouldn't stay in Asgard. His last long distance relationship ended with Jane in tears at how far they'd drifted and his own heart in pieces - he wasn't excited to find out how he and Bruce would fall apart.
The other, bigger problem was obvious: Bruce's mortality. Thor had been able to ignore it rather well with Jane, considering how she hadn't yet begun to grey and her wrinkles were few and far between, but Bruce... His hair was nearly half grey. His eyes had crows' feet, while he had far too many worry lines. His mortality laid heavy on Thor, just as heavy as the golden apple that he may very well refuse - if they even got far enough for Thor to ask about it - and that was scary.
It was scary. Loving Bruce may very well be the most terrifying thing that Thor could do. Even if he made him happy, so happy, to the point that their nightly talks were often the highlight of Thor's worst days. Bruce made him feel content and he could only hope that he made Bruce feel the same way. He didn't know, though, because he was too afraid of the possible repercussions to finally do something about his feelings. So, Loki's attempts to save him only made Thor more stressed and he did the only thing that could calm him down these days.
He knocked on Bruce's door.
Bruce immediately seemed to sense that something was wrong. After some stunted, awkward attempts at casual conversation (because he couldn't let Bruce know exactly what his problem was today), Bruce stood from the bed and held out his hand to help Thor up. "Let's go to the garden." His calloused hand was so warm in Thor's own.
The silence as they walked was more comfortable, lulling Thor into a false sense of security that was shattered when Bruce turned to him in the middle of the garden and said, "We need to talk."
Stabbing him would have hurt less. Thor sighed. "Alright," he said, and sat beneath the tree as he rubbed his eye. He heard Bruce sit on the other end of the bench, felt his arm brush against his and the hem of his simple grey robes tickle his ankle. There was some more silence as Thor refused to look at him and wondered how Bruce would word it. They'd all end the same: I'm ready to go home, now. See you around!
Still. He owed it to Bruce to at least listen, so when Bruce spoke, Thor plucked up the courage to look at him. He wasn't prepared for the worry on his face, or the way his eyes roamed as they search Thor's own. "Thor," he said, softly. He placed a hand on Thor's arm. It was something he did a lot, actually. Thor wished he wouldn't and didn't want him to stop. "What's wrong?"
Thor almost laughed at that. He would have, actually, if he wasn't so upset. He knew exactly what was wrong. He didn't want Bruce to leave, but he would, and Thor would stay here with his feelings never realized. Bruce would go back to Natasha and they would be happy and Thor would be heartbroken until he found somebody else, just as his brother predicted. He'd go back to his usual cycle and continue to rule. Thor didn't want that, though.
He didn't want to be without Bruce.
The intensity of that shocked Thor for a moment. He looked at Bruce - really looked at him - and saw the way his forehead crinkled in concern. His eyes, a lovely rich brown, searched his face as if he could tell what was wrong just by looking close enough. His uncut hair was getting fluffy again. Most notably, Thor could feel Bruce's thumb slowly stroke his arm. He wished that he wasn't in long sleeves, then, so that he could enjoy the little skin-to-skin contact they had. He wanted that warmth so badly. That was another shock, then.
Thor only knew two things, then. The first was that he didn't want Bruce to leave, while the second was the reason why - he simply wanted Bruce, all of him, but would settle for any piece of himself that he'd let Thor keep. Even if it hurt. Bruce was worth it.
"Thor?" asked Bruce, sounding only a little confused as Thor leaned closer. His lips were parted again.
Thor kissed him.
His lips were soft. So, so soft. His slight stubble may have made the rest of his face a little scratchy, but his mouth was perfect. Bruce was perfect. Thor wished, desperately, that he would kiss back. Then he could cup his cheek and not pull away or keep his eye so tightly shut like he was now. His hand was still on Thor's arm.
Then the hand on Thor's arm was on his cheek and Bruce was kissing back, hesitant, but he was kissing back. His lips moved against his own and Thor thought he might cry at how overwhelming it all was. He moved his hand from the edge of the bench to the back of Bruce's neck, keeping him close even when the kiss ended. When Thor opened his eye, Bruce's were still closed as he tried to follow Thor's lips.
Thor really was going to cry. "Bruce," he said, voice somehow steady.
Bruce's eyes fluttered open. "Thor." His voice was the softest that Thor had ever heard it. He wanted to kiss him again - he never wanted to stop kissing him - but, no. He had to say something first. He never wanted to stop kissing Bruce and there was only one way to make sure he never had to.
"Please." Now his voice broke. "Stay here. With me. Just for a little longer."
Bruce didn't say anything for a moment. His hand stayed on Thor's cheek as he stared at him, still coming back to himself, stroking the skin of Thor's cheek absentmindedly. Thor lent into the warmth of his touch, not daring to breathe as he waited. He got lost in his deep, brown eyes.
Thor got so long that he didn't realize Bruce was smiling until he'd begun to grin so big that his eyes got all crinkled. "Okay," he said. He was glowing. "As long as you keep kissing me like that."
Their second kiss was just as perfect.
Thor still remembered it so clearly even two years later. He'd shared a million kisses with Bruce since then, had loved him, laid with him, married him, yet he still remembered their first few kisses like they were only moments ago. Thor decided to kiss him again.
He got out of bed, not bothering to pick up his clothes from where they were still strewn on the floor. He only just woke up, but the darkness outside told him that it was either late at night or very early morning, the lamplight form their washroom leading his way. Their eyes met in the mirror and Bruce smiled, before going back to his own reflection.
They didn't say anything as Thor took a few steps forward. They didn't need to. When he wrapped his arms around his husband's waist, Bruce leaned back against him, Thor tilting his head just enough so that their faces were side-by-side and he could look at Bruce's reflection as well. His hair was soft on his cheek, grey and dark brown rumpled from their recent fumbles in the sheets. His laughter lines were even more prominent than they were two years ago. When Thor kissed his forehead, Bruce smiled, and the wrinkles around his eyes crinkled ever so slightly with joy.
Until a few days ago, Thor loved those features for their beauty because they were part of his Bruce, but also hated them because they symbolized what little time with Bruce he had left. Time was no longer an issue.
Thor unabashedly loved every wrinkle and grey hair, now.
Eventually, Bruce turned in Thor's arms for a proper kiss. His lips were just as soft and firm as they were the first time, though he was clean-shaven this time. The hand on Thor's cheek had a ring on it. They were also both naked, which should have been the most startling change, but Thor was much more interested in the light that reflected on Bruce's eyes as he pulled back. "Love you."
The words made Thor's heart flutter. He smiled as he leaned back in, kissing the bridge of Bruce's nose. "And I love you."
He remembered the first time they'd said those words, two months into their relationship. Thor hadn't needed to hear them, as every gentle touch and tender look from Bruce told him all he needed to know, but he wanted to say it so badly. He wanted to tell the whole world that he loved Bruce and that what they had wasn't just a temporary pastime. The latter wish was mostly directed at his brother, who'd given Thor the cold shoulder ever since he'd totally disregarded his advice, and the council, who all wanted him to marry some nice Asgardian warrior that they inevitably picked to work as their secret ear to the king. None of them understood.
Bruce made Thor happy in a way that was difficult to describe. After their first kiss, Thor made time to see Bruce more often during the day, which usually consisted of finding him either in the library or aiding in recovery efforts in town and asking him to go on a walk. Bruce always blushed, taking Thor's arm as they traversed the palace grounds. As they walked, they talked about both everything and nothing at all. Bruce would always be smiling, until they inevitably had to part and kiss goodbye.
Their nightly talks continued. It was on one of those occasions when Thor first saw the extent of Bruce's mental illness. He'd heard that Bruce hadn't even left his room that day, which was a bit concerning, but he'd brushed it off as him maybe resting more than usual. When his knock garnered no response, he pushed the door open to make sure. His heart ached at what he saw - Bruce, laying in bed, papers and clothing strewn on the floor as if knocked over in some kind of rage. Not a Hulk-induced one, anyway. Bruce didn't even lift his head up from where he was curled tightly against himself.
"Go away, Thor," he said, voice monotone and muffled against the pillows. It was scary. Thor remembered Loki's words - you've always gotten scared - so he sucked up the fear and went to Bruce, anyway.
He did his best to comfort him. He sat on the edge of the bed, giving Bruce Asgardian history lessons that sound more like fantasy novels to distract him. Bruce just watched him with an apathy that was truly terrifying. He went on for about an hour, too afraid to touch and not brave enough to directly ask him why he was in this state, when Bruce began opening up to him. He started small, if discussing his general self-loathing and depression for the first time was small.
Thor didn't know what to say to that, Bruce's words and sense of total emptiness shaking him to his very core. Instead, he reached out a hesitant hand toward Bruce's. Bruce let him. He gently took the man's hand in his own, turning it over so that he could trace the lines of his palms with his fingers. He wanted to say that he loved him. He wasn't a monster; he was a good man. He deserved to be happy and alive and Thor would do anything to prove it.
He said nothing. Eventually, he laid down beside Bruce, kissing his forehead in some sorry attempt at comfort.
Bruce was better later the next day. He apologized profusely to Thor, saying that he sometimes got like that, but he'd do his best to make sure that Thor didn't need to see it. Thor hushed him. "I don't mind," he said, holding Bruce's face in his hands. "I want to do whatever I can to make you happy. Even if I can't fix that, or understand it very well, I... I want to help." Because I love you, he didn't say.
Bruce just hugged him tight. "Thank you, honey," he whispered, right against Thor's ear. The pet name made him feel like it was all worth it.
Their normal routine started again. It wasn't until a week later, while Thor was overseeing the finishing touches on an upcoming feast, that he realized he'd have to ask Bruce to accompany him. That sent him stumbling.
It was a feast celebrating the rebuilding of Asgard to which everyone - including the people in the lower towns - were invited. Loki had helped him considerably, now that they were talking again, while the Warriors Three did their best to keep the council off of Thor's back as they very loudly protested everything about it. In the chaos of planning the actual event and holding off the council, actually asking Bruce to come as his date had slipped his mind. Well... he'd maybe held it off for a little until he genuinely forgot about it. The nervousness about the whole thing came back.
Bruce apparently had no idea and simply beamed at Thor when he asked that evening, both of them leaning against one of the balconies of the palace that overlooked the training grounds where the Warriors Three were sparring. "Of course I'll be your date," said Bruce, taking Thor's hand in his without seemingly thinking about it. "Did you really think I'd say no? We've been dating for nearly a month."
Thor shrugged, doing his best to appear nonchalant about the whole thing while he very much felt the opposite. "I'm not just asking you to be my date, Bruce." He sighed. "Yes, we've been together for a while, but... This is taking a step. You being my official date means something, here. If I walk into that feast with you on my arm, we would be saying that I am-" -Thor tried to find a better way to word it- "-courting you. Officially."
Bruce had been nodding along up until then, but the last bit made him pause. "Oh," he said, "So... going steady, then?"
"I'm... not familiar with that phrase."
Bruce looked a little flustered as he tried to explain. His cheeks were going that familiar rosy pink that Thor loved so much. "It means- Um. It means that we're... serious. Courting serious. Serious enough to have a future together." His eyes widened. "I mean- If that's too much and not what you meant, that's alright, I don't want to pressure you, I just-"
Thor let go of Bruce's hand to take his face in his hands and kiss him deeply. Bruce startled, but he sunk into it, raising up his own hands to clutch at Thor's shoulders. When they pulled back a few moments later, Thor said, "If that's what it means, then I would like to be steady with you. I want a future with you."
"Okay. That's- That's good. I want that, too." Bruce laughed, eyes crinkling. "God, I love you."
They both froze.
"Shit," said Bruce. "Shit. Sorry, I didn't mean to say that yet, I- Thor!"
Thor just laughed as he picked Bruce up by the waist and spun him around. "Bruce!" he said back, cheeks hurting from all the smiling he was doing. He put Bruce down just to kiss him again, smiling too wide to do it properly, Bruce's arms wrapped around his neck as he dipped him a little. He could clearly hear Volstagg whistling at them below.
"I love you, too," said Thor when they pulled away. He traced the edges of Bruce's face with his fingers, feeling the warmth of his blush, marveling at the way his shocked face turned into a grin. "Elskan mín. I love you." It was the first time that he ever called Bruce that. The man didn't know what it meant, of course. He still smiled at him all the same.
When they walked into the feast, arm in arm, Bruce had only withered a little bit under everyone's stares. Thor liked to think that the beautiful sight of Bruce in those robes - a gold-embroidered fabric in rich red that matched the exact shade of Thor's cape - accounted for some of the looks and not just him being a mortal among gods. Thor distracted him with a squeeze on his arm as he whispered, "You look beautiful, my love."
Bruce ducked his head. "Yeah, well-" He stumbled over his words. "So do you." He'd gotten some of his confidence back, though, even when they got to the high table and some members of the council began questioning him as if it was all some big test. Bruce was able to fend them off with a surprising amount of poise, despite having to lean on Thor when they finally let him be. Thor felt guilty.
Things quickly took a turn for the better when others began approaching them. It was only a few other aristocrats, at first, slowly coming up to them to introduce themselves to Bruce with a well-intentioned curiosity. Bruce did his best to welcome it. Brunnhilde arrived, then, which made him visibly relax. Thor was pulled into a conversation on some kind of policy that he didn't care much about, but he did his best to pay attention. When he glanced back at Bruce and Brunnhilde, she was telling some kind of story, gesturing wildly and ending with Bruce laughing so hard that he fell into a coughing fit. Bruce noticed Thor staring and smiled. Thor was smiling back before he even realized it.
Eventually, Sif dragged Brunnhilde away with the challenge of an arm-wrestling match, which was when the children came. They were only a few of them, but Bruce looked so happy when he saw them. They took his smiling face as a welcome and rushed forward all at once. Thor had drifted away and couldn't hear what they were talking about. Whatever it was had Bruce enraptured, though his interest was a bit exaggerated in the way that adults usually acted whenever they spoke with a child. At some point, one of the younger ones tugged on Bruce's robe to gain his attention. She held her arms up expectantly.
Thor could only stare as Bruce, with fond gentleness, lifted the little girl into his lap. She made herself comfortable as she stuck a thumb in her mouth. Bruce just stroked her back, rocking her back and forth. He kept his attention on the other children as they continued to weave tales or ask questions, only pausing when the little girl fell asleep to wrap his arm around her so she wouldn't fall.
It struck Thor that Bruce loved those children, Thor's people, just as much as he did. He'd worked tirelessly those past two months to help rebuild the city - rebuild Asgard - all because he'd fallen in love with the people of this realm despite them not being his own. That warmed Thor's heart more than any confession of love ever could. It was one thing for Bruce to love Thor back; it was another for Bruce to love Thor's people just as strongly.
Thor watched Bruce in the colors of Asgard, surrounded by his people with a smile on his face, and knew that he wanted to marry this amazing man someday. With all the difficulties and hardships and joy that he'd bring. Thor wanted to marry him, love him forever, for better or worse. So he had.
He was taken from his thoughts as Bruce traced the two faded scars on Thor's chest with absentminded reverence, just like Thor had done to the twin scars on Bruce's chest only hours before. They'd fallen back in the afterglow, giggling and beaming and feeling oh so young. Just like they felt when they first made love to each other, experiencing the lines and curves of each other's bodies for the first time. They'd touched each other like it was the last time they ever would. Now? They had forever to do just that.
Thor smiled at the thought. "Come back to bed?"
Bruce hummed. He took Thor's arm and lead them both out of the washroom, head resting against Thor's shoulder as he put out the lamp. They slipped under the covers, secure in each other's arms, and slept past sunrise.