The scent of cinnamon and batter in the air let Thanos know that Layla was already awake, cooking what would probably be an easy to digest meal. He hadn't deigned to tell her, but the meals she had been concocting had, frankly, been some of the most delectable he had eaten in years. Of course, being alone in the depths of space didn't give one much opportunity to feast on fancy or tasty food. Truly, one had to live with what they could find out there.
Not seeing any reason to dally in his bed any longer, Thanos hurriedly dressed himself and walked towards the tantalizing aroma, not bothering to keep his footsteps light. He no longer felt like he had to tip-toe around the house as an unwanted guest.
Layla acknowledged his presence by sliding a plate towards his side of the table, already topped with four pancakes. The routine was already memorized by both of them, and was beginning to feel familiar in ways that inferred they had been doing this for years. It unnerved Thanos, to think he could get used to such domesticity in such a short amount of time.
"I was wondering when you'd get up, "Layla said conversationally. "But if there is one thing that is guaranteed to wake a sleeping male, it's the tempting smell of food." Thanos wanted to reply that it had been the noises the utensils made that roused him, but decided against it; he was certain that even an idiot would be able to see through that.
As he took his first bite into the warm food, Thanos glanced out the window. It looked misty outside, which he supposed was common in the winter season. That was one thing he missed about space; the little weather it had was usually consistent, as long as one took pains to avoid solar flares and meteor showers.
Layla sat down opposite him, the chair screeching on the ground as it was moved back, and then pulled forward. It hit Thanos that they were alone, and that the warm food had made for a cozy atmosphere.
Now is as good a chance as any to speak up. If I delay it any longer, I may just lose my nerve.
Thanos opened his mouth to speak, but fate had other plans, as Layla somehow spoke before him. "So, any progress on the Tesseract problem?" Thanos quickly closed his mouth, not wanting her to know that he had been about to speak.
Clearing his throat, Thanos rumbled, "Unfortunately, no. There are various methods that would allow me to suck the Tesseract's energy from your body, but the means are all too forceful, and would likely cause your heart to fail." Layla winced, and he couldn't fault her for that.
"Well, that's too bad. I feel like it's partially my fault that you're stuck here." Thanos was mildly grateful that she didn't blame him, but also felt partially liable; if he hadn't violently shoved her into the cube, it wouldn't be trapped inside her.
Yes, but she also wouldn't be alive right now, Thanos thought to himself. The thought was disquieting, especially considering that he would have done it for Lady Death, whom he now knew wouldn't have given a damn.
"You know," Layla's voice cut through his haze of contemplative thoughts. "After breakfast, we should go out. It doesn't matter where, as long as we can walk there."
"Why?" Thanos asked, the question coming out harsher than he had meant. It wasn't that he was averse to going…"out" at all, so he was confused why he had responded in such a manner. He hoped he hadn't scared her off with his tone. But he needn't have worried.
Layla wasn't deterred by her guest's seemingly angry tone. She was getting used to Thanos being moody, or at least acting like he was. If she was ever going to get him out of his shell, she couldn't let herself get pushed away.
"Well, once you fix your ship, and solve my Tesseract problem, I don't know how long you'll stay. I want to make the most of this time, and I haven't shown you around town yet!" Layla was getting excited - and also a little nervous! Once they were outside, it would be the perfect opportunity to speak her mind – and feelings.
"I was under the impression you didn't wish for me to go outside, even more so now that your neighbors have returned." Thanos had a bass voice that made everything he said sound menacing, but she was sure that she heard a note of concern (for her?)in his voice.
"No, it's fine, as long as you use that cool Jedi mind trick thing, like last time," Layla dismissed his worries. "I know the weather is crummy right now, but we've already established that you won't be bothered by it, and I've already made up my mind. So how about it?"
When he didn't reply, she clasped her hands together and added, "Besides, do you have anything better to do?" It was pretty much a trick question, because if she was being honest, trying to fix the ship and remove the Tesseract were both probably more important.
For some reason, Thanos looked peeved about something. He always had a surly look on his face, so she hoped it had nothing to with her suggestion.
"I will come along, but do you have any place in mind for our little stroll?" She was glad he asked; there was a place she wanted to show him. After they finished breakfast, she dumped the dishes in the sink to wash later, and hurriedly got dressed. She still hadn't gotten Thanos a coat, but he'd be fine in a sweater, even if it's ridiculous, brightly yellow hue made him a bright target outside.
Then again, Thanos is one target that no one would dare shoot at.
Stepping outside, Layla shivered. Looking at the surroundings, it didn't necessarily look pleasing to the eye; the sky was grey and ominous, the wind was causing the trees to sway as if they were dancing, and no one was around. The latter observation would have spooked Layla if she didn't have her – companion felt like a good word – with her.
"Come on, it's a small walk past the house," Layla beckoned, and took a good pace towards the small woods. She heard Thanos following her; his steps were not quiet by any means.
Just to break the silence, Layla called back towards Thanos, "How are you doing? Hope the wind isn't bothering you?" The only response she got was a grunt, and she had to hold back a giggle. She hadn't been serious with that question, but maybe Thanos thought she had been. Teasing him was fun, if not just to see if she could break his always stoic look. Normally, she would be way too shy to do that with anyone, but with Thanos, she felt she could be herself and joke around, even if the big lug didn't have a sense of humor.
A few minutes of cold, wind, and having to brush some hair out of her eyes later, and they had arrived at their destination. Upon telling Thanos, he glanced around, seemingly unimpressed. She had to admit that maybe she should have chosen somewhere else to pour her heart out. Still, she had decided on this place, and she wouldn't go back on that.
"It looks barren," Thanos commented. The area was pretty sparse, and the leaves were all gone.
Layla felt she had to defend it. "It looks gorgeous in the winter, once the snow has covered everything, but I didn't want to wait that long, for obvious reasons." For all she knew, it wouldn't snow until January. She couldn't afford to wait that long.
"I might like to witness such a sight," Thanos said. He said it in a casual way, as if he wasn't saying anything special, but it made Layla's heart race. What was he implying?
I think…now might be a good time for me to tell him. He seems to be in as good a mood as ever, and the atmosphere is set!
Layla breathed in to slow her pulse, which was going way too fast, and oh gosh, was that her heart beating so hard? She really hoped that Thanos couldn't hear it. It wasn't fear, however; it was adrenaline! She felt brave, as if she could do anything.
Glancing up at one of the trees, the branches looked surprisingly inviting. Her mind flashed back to the day one her students climbed a tree, before the young girl became surprised that her teacher had never done so.
Making up her mind, Layla grabbed the lowest-hanging branch of the nearest tree, and hoisted herself up. Managing to sit down on the somewhat wide branch, she looked down at Thanos – though she wasn't actually much higher than him at all. She grinned impishly at the confused look on his face.
"What are you doing?" It was a fair question. Wrapping her arms around herself as the wind began to howl again, Layla called down, "You know, this is my first ever time climbing a tree. I just got the impulse to do something reckless, I guess, and this was something I wanted to knock off my bucket list."
Thanos had to swipe off some twigs that had landed on his shoulders, the only sign that the wind could even slightly annoy him. "I recall you mentioning that you grew up on a farm with your parents, and yet you've never climbed on a tree. That strikes me as odd."
"You're right. My family liked growing fruit trees. I probably didn't go a day without eating an apple, an orange, or some other kind of fruit." Every other syllable was punctuated by a grunt of effort as she pulled herself higher. She only hoped she wouldn't get blown off!
"My parents always drilled it into me to never climb those fruit trees, for fear I would somehow damage them, or something. I guess those lectures always stuck with me. But now I can make up for lost time!" She had climbed up to around the middle of the tree, and decided against going any higher.
Once again, she glanced at Thanos, who was quite a bit lower than when she last looked. She thought he looked concerned, but she was really too high to tell, so maybe that was wishful thinking. Settling on a branch with her back against the tree's rough bark, she took in a large gulp of fresh air. The air was really nice so high up, almost minty. When she exhaled, a small vapor cloud danced away.
Layla was almost sad that this was her first time; she had been missing out! She understood why kids loved to do it; it was exhilarating! It almost felt like she was flying, with the wind blasting her hair around. It felt like she was on top of the world, and she wasn't even at the highest point of the tree!
She briefly entertained the thought of pretending to fall, so that Thanos would catch her like in a movie, but dismissed the idea as stupid. Besides, she didn't trust him THAT much!
"I'm coming down!" Layla called down to Thanos, who was looking up at her closely. She was suddenly glad she was wearing jeans, and not some skirt.
Climbing down the tree was harder than going up; half the time, she wasn't so much descending as sliding. She knew that once she got home, she would find marks and scratches on her jeans and coat.
Near the bottom, she was pleasantly surprised when Thanos offered her a hand, which she graciously accepted. Smoothing her coat self-consciously, a tiny bit embarrassed now that her rush was over, Layla realized that she had forgotten to confess her feelings.
"I would have asked you if you wanted to join me, but I think you'd have broken any branch you sat on," Layla admitted. Thanos shrugged his massive shoulders. They silently began the trek back home, the wind clawing at their backs, and the sun seemingly doing nothing to warm her up.
He had been taken aback, he would admit that. Scaling a tree was the last thing he had expected her to do after calling him out. When the wind had begun to pick up, there were a few uncomfortable moments when it looked like she was about to take a tumble. She was not the kind of human who struck him as someone who would be reckless, but he considered most humans to be cowardly and frail anyway.
"You know, you haven't said almost anything since we began this little walk. I'm having to talk for the both of us!" Layla said good-naturedly.
"What do I have to discuss that would interest you? Most of my former…associates and I have only had one thing in common: a love of violence. That was all that was spoken about." He paused to look Layla in the eyes. "I could regale you with tales of my many conquests, but I don't think you would appreciate the gorier details." Layla shook her head quickly.
"You really don't have any interests or hobbies outside of death? You weren't kidding when you told me before that Lady Death had been your life," Layla said, a pitying look in her eyes. Thanos found that he didn't mind so much, this time.
"I did take up farming, briefly. It failed to hold my attention, but it was adequate as a peaceful distraction." Layla started to laugh, and held up her hand to stop him.
"Wait, wait…you, a farmer? Oh my gosh, I can't picture that at all! You don't seem like you'd be patient enough!" She giggled some more, before apologizing for laughing. Thanos didn't reply, but it hadn't bothered him. Actually, the noise wasn't unpleasant, and he liked seeing her laugh.
Before, he would have admonished himself for such a thought, but they were coming so frequently now, that it felt pointless. Besides him, Layla jammed her hands inside her coat pockets, probably hoping for some relief from the cold.
"You should concentrate on getting warm," Thanos spoke up. Layla glanced at him. "With the Tesseract's energy flowing inside you, I believe you could heat up your body temperature if you concentrated."
"Well, it's worth a shot." Squeezing her eyes shut and balling her two hands into fists (which Thanos thought was highly unnecessary) Layla hummed to herself. A few moments later, and Thanos could detect a small surge of cosmic power shifting around her body. Layla opened her eyes in surprise.
"Wow, I – that really worked! I'll have to remember that!" Turning to Thanos, she gave him a hug. Before he could stop himself, he wrapped his arms around her, nearly covering her with his width. He was oddly satisfied that he was able to warm her up, even if it was just temporary. He owed her that much.
But little did he suspect the consequences of such a simple action.
Author's Notes:
So, this was kinda fun to write. Thanos is starting to realize his feelings for Layla, but he isn't sure he likes them half the time. These emotions are all new to him him, he'll have to get used to them. And Layla missed her chance once again. :P
About Thanos being a farmer, that is actually a real thing! Google it if you don't believe me! He literally has a tiny planet just for that!