Chapter Text
Thor was still getting used to Midgard.
Technology wasn’t as hard for him to grasp as everyone seemed to think, with the exception of “cell phones.” Stark kept joking about buying him a “Nokia” so that he’d finally have an indestructible phone, but still hadn’t explained what in the Nine Realms a “Nokia” was. Slang was also considerably difficult, but he was adjusting. He was a prince of Asgard; learning to respect the ways of others was something he had striven to do ever since his banishment had ended. He had decided that understanding other cultures was a kingly attribute, and he worked hard at it.
One thing that didn’t give him quite as much trouble was physical gestures. That was something he was used to from the warriors of Asgard, and he was learning the Midgardian variants quickly. “High-fives” and “fist bumps,” as Stark called them, were a particular favorite, and he enjoyed a firm handshake as much as Captain Rogers did.
But as he picked himself up from crashing through a wall, Thor wondered if he had perhaps miscalculated his understanding of the Midgardian “high-five.”
Their latest mission had gone well, and Thor had been in very good spirits after he and the Hulk had worked together to defeat a large number of foes. When the battle ended, he had landed beside his green friend and held up his hand, ready to strike hands with his ally in celebration.
The Hulk had instead roared and punched him through a wall.
As Thor pushed his hair out of his eyes, Hulk crashed through the wall, eyes ablaze with rage.
Thor took a step back, pointedly putting Mjolnir down and holding out his open hands. In the past, he might have roared right back and even called down some lightning in show of power. But not now. He had learned that challenging the Hulk was not like challenging a troll or a frost giant. No troll could stop an armored Chitauri leviathan with a single punch. No frost giant could take a fall of several miles and come away unscathed. His rage was more potent than anything Thor had ever faced, and fights with Hulk always ended badly for their enemies. And on top of that, Hulk was his friend now. Thor didn’t like angering him.
“My friend!” Thor said. “There’s no need to attack!”
Hulk roared and slammed the ground with his fists.
“THEN WHY HAMMER-MAN ATTACK HULK?!!!”
Thor frowned.
“I did not attack!”
Hulk roared again and took a step forward.
“NO LIE TO HULK! HULK NOT STUPID!!!”
Realization dawned on Thor.
“Hulk, that was not an attack! I wanted to celebrate the battle!” Thor thought for a second, and decided to try changing his words a little. “You smashed well today! I wanted to give you a high-five!”
Hulk’s chest still heaved furiously, but he didn’t try to smash anything else. His face softened a little.
“High… five?” he asked.
Thor frowned again. “You… do not know what a high-five is?”
Hulk shook his head slowly. He was calming a bit.
A smile broke through Thor’s frown.
“It was something Stark taught me. You can celebrate good smashing with it. Here…”
Thor moved closer, until he was close enough for a high-five.
“Hold up your hand… like this…”
Thor held up his hand, and after a second, Hulk copied him. Then Thor slowly, gently, took Hulk’s enormous outstretched wrist in his free hand and moved Hulk’s hand to collide slowly with his.
“Then you strike hands, like this, but harder. It means you’re happy.” Thor let go of Hulk’s wrist and pulled his own hand back.
“Want to try it?” he asked.
Hulk smiled and promptly slammed his hand into Thor’s. Thor flew backwards into a pile of rubble. He sat up, laughing.
“Yes!” he exclaimed.
Hulk grinned.