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Thor missed Asgard. The first time he went to Midgard, he knew that he would go back. Now, with Asgard destroyed, there was no going back. He missed the people from Asgard he had lost. It was the birthday of his favorite nurse, Eir. They had become close as young Thor got hurt often during his playing. She had been like an older sister to him. She hadn’t made it through Ragnarok. That was over a year ago.
He wished he could go back to when things were simpler. When he had Sif and the Warriors Three rather than the Avengers. When he had real friendships instead of forced conversations with acquaintances. There was only one person on Midgard who he felt truly at ease with, and that was Bruce.
He and Bruce had spent more time together after Ragnarok. Bruce was one of the only people who knew everything that had happened then. He was the only one who could cheer Thor up when he got homesick.
Bruce was just coming home from work, and he stopped at the sight of Thor crying on their couch.
“Are you okay?” he asked rushing over to his side.
“I’m fine. I just miss Asgard.” Bruce looked sympathetic for a moment before he began to drag Thor to the floor.
“Come on, let’s build a pillow fort.” He was already gathering pillows and blankets from around the room. “It’ll be fun.”
“And I assume a pillow fort is a fort. Made of pillows?”
“Yep. I used to do this all the time as a kid.” Thos sighed. He didn’t see how a pile of pillows would help the situation but if his boyfriend said it would then he would give it a try. He dragged the comforter from their room and helped Bruce arrange their kitchen chairs in a square. They draped the comforter over the chair and covered the floor under it with a nest of pillows and blankets.
“Alright!” Bruce smiled. “Let’s try it out.” They climbed into the fort and Thor was pleasantly surprised. The comforter softened the light, making it bright but not harsh. The chairs kept the fort spacious and the pillows were a comfortable place to sit.
“Will you tell me what’s wrong?”
“Today would have been Eir’s birthday.”
Bruce understood, then. Thor hadn’t told him much about Eir but he knew how much she meant to him. He hadn’t had many positive adult figures in his childhood. So Bruce pulled him close and hugged him as tight as he could. He knew the pain of losing someone and Thor had lost so many.
Thor cried and he clung to Bruce and he began to feel better. He missed what had been his home and the people there and yet he had a new home now. He and Bruce fell asleep in their fort and when they woke up there were more soft smiles than usual. Thor still missed Asgard. He didn’t feel okay but maybe he was close enough.
Bruce was having an awful day. He couldn’t stop thinking about everything . About what Ross had done to him, about what his father had done to him, about what he had done to himself. Everything.
He didn’t want to think about it. He didn’t want to think anything but he couldn’t stop. Memories flashed through his head, pain tracing his scars.
Thor came home then, holding groceries and humming softly. Thor didn’t notice the state he was in at first, Bruce had long ago learned to cry silently. But he did notice when he looked at Bruce, curled up with a tear streaked face. He put the groceries on the counter and walked up to him.
“Pillow fort?”
Bruce didn’t respond. He didn’t want to talk. Thor continued as if he had answered, gathering everything he needed from the various rooms. When it was ready, he picked Bruce up off the couch and put him inside, but didn’t go in as well. Bruce could hear thuds coming from the kitchen and Thor returned a minute later with a cup of his favorite tea. He drank the tea and he sat in the fort and he didn’t say a thing. He listened to Thor rambling about his day until the words blurred and he fell asleep.
When he woke up, Thor was still there. He was laying on his side facing Bruce and doing something on his phone. Bruce felt better. He didn’t feel good but he felt better . Close enough to good that he wanted to tell Thor. And so he did. He told Thor about what Ross had done to him, about what his father had done to him, about what he had done to himself.
When he had finished, Thor began to speak. He talked about what Bruce had done to him. It was so incredibly sappy and so incredibly Thor that he couldn’t help but smile. He didn’t feel okay but maybe he was close enough.