Helloooo! Sorry for my absence. I know I have Walking Dead projects to continue – AND I WILL! But recently I have been distracted by The Avengers. And this idea popped into my head this morning when someone on Tumblr pointed out how cuddly Thor looked. The plot bunnies in my head were having a field day, so this was born. I do hope you enjoy!
Agent Hill stared at her reflection in the steamy bathroom mirror. The mascara she had bothered to put on earlier this morning was smudged a little around her eyes and she sighed softly, wiping at them. She had just spent the entire day in the training area. Kicking bags around, sparring with people when they asked. They all knew what kind of a mood she was in. Then again, no one was in a particularly good mood on this day. It was the year of anniversary of Agent Coulson's death. S.H.I.E.L.D wasn't the type of organization to put together any sort of memorial, no, but everyone remembered. No one more than Maria Hill. The two were paired up on many missions back in the day, and they maintained their friendship throughout the years. He was a good man, a good friend. And she still couldn't believe that he was gone. They used to go months without seeing each other. Before today, she was pretty sure that she had convinced herself he was just gone on an assignment. A really long, top secret assignment. She knew it was ridiculous. She was an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. She shouldn't be acting like a sad little girl...but she was. She had kept to herself all day, excluding the sparring, but she wasn't exactly having a conversation with any of those people. Not long ago, she realized that she was attracting more than a few sympathetic looks. That's when she decided to head back to her room for a shower. No one would bother her here. The brunette dropped her towel and slipped on her black yoga top and loose red sweatpants. She didn't feel tired, though she knew she should be. She just felt a whole lot of...nothing.
That is, until she stepped out of her bathroom and saw the God of Thunder sitting on her bed. Then, she felt the only logical thing...complete and utter surprise.
"...Thor?" She breathed, feeling as though she was gawking a little. This was certainly unexpected. She hadn't seen the man – err...God all day. But then, she hadn't really been looking. Usually no one misses a Norse god hanging around, though – what kind of a mood had she been in all day?
"Agent Hill." He greeted her, standing as she entered. He seemed a bit...uncomfortable? No, not uncomfortable. Nervous. Unsure of himself. It wasn't something she was used to seeing. When silence stretched out between them for a little too long, she spoke again.
"What're you..." She stopped and tried to gather her thoughts. When she started again, she was able to look him straight in the eye. "Is there something wrong?" This was a very strange situation she found herself in. There was a god in her bedroom. Even in the dark blue sweats S.H.I.E.L.D provided for him, there was no mistaking it...no Earth man had the same presence (or body) that he did. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, then took a step closer.
"I noticed your training earlier. I..." Again, he looked apprehensive, "I could not help but wonder if you were well." She almost grinned. What brought this on? They weren't exactly...close. To be honest, she was never really sure what to say to him.
"I'm fine, Thor. Thank you for checking on me." Agent Hill gave him a small smile and began drying her hair with a small pink towel, the scent of her floral shampoo filling her nose. He nodded once, and crossed his arms in front of him, clearly having no intention of leaving.
"It is only.." His deep voice trailed off again, and he looked away from her for a moment. When he returned his attention to her, his expression was somber and empathetic. "I know what marks this day." Her smile dropped immediately, though Thor remained unfazed. "I know that he was a great man, and a loyal friend to you."
"I try not to think about it, Thor." She waved her hand dismissively.
"But you do." The god said without missing a beat as he watched her intently. "And often." When she couldn't hold back the surprise in her expression, Thor continued. "I am no stranger to grief, Agent Hill."
"Maria." She corrected him without thinking, her gaze focused elsewhere. Thor smiled.
"Maria." He repeated, his voice soft. "It is wasteful for a young maiden like yourself to live in such sadness." After a moment, she crossed her arms and rolled her eyes fondly.
"I'm a grown woman, Son of Odin, I haven't been a young maiden in a very long time." The small smile that made it's way across her lips was infectious, and soon Thor was smiling softly right back.
"Tell me then, Maria." Thor's eyes were sparkling with light humor. "When you were a young maiden...how did you cope with your sadness?" He was no fool. Most agents didn't dream of growing up to be S.H.I.E.L.D agents when they were children. Something happened to make them this way. The brunette let her little pink towel fall to the floor as she leaned against the doorway to her bathroom. It was strange. She was alone in her room with a man – god, that she barely knew. He was regarding her intensely, and yet she felt entirely comfortable with the situation. Again, she smiled affectionately.
"I guess I did what most little girls do...cried and hugged my teddy until it didn't hurt anymore." Her voice cracked towards the end of her sentence, but it didn't show in her face. There was only concern on the god's face as he stepped closer.
"And this Teddy, where is he now?" With this, Maria couldn't help but let a small laugh break out, which caused Thor to smile immediately, knowing that something had been lost in translation.
"Teddy bear, Thor." She grinned lightly as she let out another short laugh. "Stuffed animal. And I gave him away to another little girl who needed him." The god noted the far away look in her eye as she spoke, clearly there was more to that story, but he would not question her on it. He was already concerned that he had overstepped his boundaries by being there, but she seemed to be fine with it at the moment. The thought pleased him greatly, though he wasn't sure why. Come to think of it, this course of action was done completely on an impulse he had, that he could not explain. True, he had seen her training earlier. He had been there as well, but stayed out of the way. Rogers instructed him to leave her to herself, but Dr. Banner suggested the opposite, in his own way. He was glad for it. Earth women were slightly more complex than what he was used to, but they were a joy nonetheless. Something to protect, to care for. And it pained him to see her in such a state. The pair stood in silence for an instant, and Maria was sure that he was about to take his leave. What he said next, shocked her completely.
"Forgive me, Agent Hill – Maria." His expression was almost...boyish. It still held a certain gravity to it, but...it captivated her. She clung to his every word, impatient to know what thought he had in his head. He paused and she tried to keep her expression contained as she saw his tongue glide across his lower lip while he thought. Her subconscious sighed. No, there were certainly no men like him on Earth. Breaking her from his own spell, he continued his thought. "Could I be of assistance?"
"You wanna take the place of my teddy?" She grinned, but her laugh died in her throat when she saw the earnestness painted clearly across his face. Suddenly it felt like the air in the room grew dense, and she just knew her heart was actually in her throat. His gaze was unwavering, though, as he watched her brain try to make sense of what he just suggested. Her limbs felt stiff as she she made her way to the door. For a moment, he was discouraged, sure that she was going to leave. But, much to his surprise, Agent Hill locked the door and slowly turned back to him. Her eyes guarded, she spoke.
"...No one will know about this?" For the first time, he saw this strong woman standing in front of him, sad...her heart broken. It nearly tore him to pieces, but he kept his composure.
"Of course not, my lady." His answer was soft, comforting. Maria paused and stared at the floor, her mind clearly battling itself. She shook her head and moved to a stereo set close by. As she switched it on, a light harmony of string instruments wafted through the bedroom. The brunette walked back to him, but kept her eyes focused away. It was then that he finally noticed how flustered she was.
"There is no need for embarrassment, Maria." His words warmed her, and she could just hear the grin in his voice. She knew that he was trying to comfort her – encourage her. But he made no move to touch her. This was on her terms. It was then that she noticed exactly how tall he was. She was a woman of 5'10"...it was difficult to find a man that was much taller than her, but she had found one. Standing right in front of her. So close that she could feel the warmth radiating from his body. It would be a flat out lie if she were to say that she never had a passing thought about Thor – she had plenty, but this was different. Much different.
"Sit." All of the sudden, her voice sounded hoarse and she realized how quickly her emotions had snuck up on her. He obeyed without hesitation, sitting back onto her dark, soft bedsheets. She tried to sneak a glance at him, but found him patiently gazing at her. It was like they were the only two people alive in that moment, the only ones that mattered. She couldn't look away as she climbed onto her bed with him, wrapping her arms around his neck and draping her legs across his lap. Maria tentatively rested her head against him, letting the both of them get used to the situation before she focused on the thoughts she had tried to avoid all day. Then, she felt his warm breath dance across her still damp scalp as he whispered to her.
"Let it out, my lady." She felt a sweet, comforting kiss planted against her wet hair, and she crumbled. All the thoughts of Phil Coulson, her best friend filled her mind, and the floodgates opened. She sobbed quietly against the god's chest, and she wasn't sure if his soft, sweet touch was helping or not. It was helping, of course. But it was just so...kind. Caring. It touched her heart and made her tears flow even more freely. His calloused fingers drew patterns across her soft skin and she sighed, her mind beginning to be distracted by it. As time went on, he began to hum softly to her. It wasn't a song that she recognized, and she made a mental note to ask him about it later. There was a lot she wanted to ask him. But...what would happen after this? They were almost perfect strangers...almost. Agent Hill knew everything that S.H.I.E.L.D knew of Thor. And now...well, he was the only one to ever see her like this. She hadn't cried since she was a girl – certainly not like this. And mostcertainly not in front of anyone. Yet, there she was. Openly sobbing against the God of Thunder.
But, she decided not to think of it just yet. It didn't matter. She was remembering an old friend while in the arms of a new one. She would never forget Phil Coulson. The only thing she could do was make sure that she kept his memory alive, and make him proud.
Wellll, any thoughts? I'm thinking about trying to try my hand at smut again, so there may be a sequel to this. Would anyone want to see that? Just trying my hand at this fandom, and I know this isn't really a super popular ship...but I hope I warmed some of you up to it! Thanks for reading!