"Courage, above all things, is the first quality of a warrior." — Carl von Clausewitz
The gym was quiet this early in the morning. The only sound that could be heard were the soft thumps of fists hitting a punching bag. Thor entered the training gym without a word, looking around for the source of the noise. From behind the large punching bag, he almost missed the small form of the redhead attacking it fiercely from the opposite side. Near instantly, she caught the bag and her gaze shot across the gym, staring at the Asgardian demigod.
"Thor."
Her voice cut through the sudden silence and Thor nodded respectfully.
"Natasha Romanoff."
That ended their brief exchange and while Natasha resumed her workout as if uninterrupted, Thor strode over to a nearby weapons rack. The rest of the occupants of the tower were either still sleeping or away. Thor had come to greet them before making the trip to visit Jane, who was abroad doing more of her research. He loved her enthusiasm and looked forward to the long hours she would spend telling him about everything she had learned while he had been attending to business back in his realm. A jolly smile crossed his features. He had missed his Jane Foster terribly.
He paused, setting his hands upon an intricately decorated double-edged sword. This particular weapons rack housed those of which the other Avengers were unlikely to wield themselves. It was a spectacular collection, curated by Tony Stark for his otherworldly teammate although Thor did suspect that the one named Pepper Potts had much to do with the tremendous research and thought that appeared to have been put into it. It made him feel at home in this realm just to have a small reminder of what he left behind in Asgard every time he visited the people of Earth.
"Stark seems very proud of that collection," came the sudden voice from behind him.
Thor laughed heartily. Natasha's tone was flat and almost bored but Thor had begun to recognize it as a form of deadpan humour. The small, fiery-haired warrior was an interesting woman. He often had difficulty reading her but he was learning. He quite liked her. She reminded him of the Lady Sif — strong, determined, and passionate although she did not show it quite the same way as Lady Sif did.
"It was a generous gift. It must have taken some time to find these fine weapons," Thor agreed appreciatively.
"And money," Natasha reminded him with a subtle smirk.
"Ah, of course. How could I forget the Man of Iron's near infinite wealth?"
Thor ran his hands over the blade again, looking away from his companion. He could feel Natasha's presence lingering behind him. She was watching him, in that way she did when no words were needed to communicate her interest in what he was doing.
"You know, I may not understand much of the culture or customs of Midgard. You are all so different and unique that I must seem like a bumbling halfwit amongst you," Thor stated, picking up the blade in his hands. He turned, swinging the blade in a graceful arc through the air. He then held it, perfectly balanced, with one hand, looking past its tip toward the wall across from him. "But I know weaponry. I know war. I know honour and discipline, although I did not always. I have learned a great many things in a short time. And I am proud to say I have learned many of them from the people of this realm."
Natasha stood quietly by his side. She did not speak, she merely listened and inclined her head as to indicate that he should continue. Thor smiled again, advancing forth against an invisible opponent before pausing soon after, looking at the woman near him.
"You are a warrior, Natasha Romanoff. You and I have much in common. On Asgard, it would be considered a high honour to fight alongside one with your skills. For that, I commend you. You are a worthy ally and would be an even worthier opponent."
He had not truly expected to have such a conversation when he had arrived. But one thing he had noticed about the one they called the Black Widow was that she spent much of her time training, often during the early hours of the day. He was not at all surprised to see her here now and it was one of the few times he had time to engage in conversation with her alone. The men of the tower were his new brothers in battle that he laughed with and drank with many times during his visits. But the warrior Natasha kept to herself and he saw little of her during these times, although he often saw her small smiles when they all ate together or heard the quiet laughter when the one with the eyes of a hawk made a particularly amusing remark. She was just as much his fellow warrior as the others but she was the solitary sort unless the mood hit her to join the rest of them in their merriment. Thor believed he understood but still wished to know more of the woman who had fought so bravely with them against the Chitauri.
"I'm not a god," she remarked.
"No, you are mortal. And that is what makes my words an even higher compliment. Once, I believed that those of Asgard would not have considered any mortal worthy of the honour bestowed upon the warriors of our realm. But I have seen otherwise here in Midgard. As I said, I must seem large and oafish with my tales of epic battles and strange creatures that your realm have never experienced the way I have. But I am not blind nor do I extend such offerings of praise lightly. I wish to encourage those I see the potential in. I wish to see my friends' success. You, Natasha Romanoff, are my friend and you show more courage than you might even believe yourself capable of."
He spoke with a straight face but once he paused for breath, his face broke out into a grin once again and Thor clapped the smaller woman on the shoulder, although a bit more gently than he might have with the Man of Iron whose curious suit seemed to withstand his strength better than any of these mortal human forms.
He nodded once again, signalling the time to take his leave. As he turned away and his long, heavy strides carried him toward the door, Thor was forced to pause when the redhead's voice called out to him.
"Tonight, 1900 hours, Barton and I are going to have a sparring match. Stark is taking bets. If you're still around, it might make it more interesting if he got to gamble on which one of us is better with that sword."
Thor heard the jest in her words and smiled.
"I look forward to it, Lady Natasha. Perhaps we might make an Asgardian warrior of you yet."
Author's Note: Filled as a response to a Tumblr prompt for a fic with a smart/serious Thor, rather than simple comic relief.