And a few months later, I'm back with a new chapter. This one is mostly fluff.
He woke up slowly, savoring the final fleeting bits of sleep. He could not remember the last time he had slept so soundly. He knew the cause, and she was slumbering in his arms, which were protectively wrapped around her.
He couldn't help but let a small grin play on his face as he remembered the activity from the previous night. It wasn't so much the pleasure that he received as what he was able to get Layla to feel that made him look back so fondly.
He gently moved some hair out from in front of her face, and her eyelids twitched in response. She gave a soft moan before gradually getting up. He could almost see the cogs in her head turning, before gleefully letting her know that he was awake by whispering into her ear.
"Ah, you're awake." She jumped in his lap, before hitting him on the shoulder and chiding him for frightening her. He chuckled, watching as her features calmed down.
As she moved to get off the bed, she winced. Thanos had a lot of stamina, and in his quest to please her, had taken her at least five times the previous night. He had been gentle for her sake, but he wondered if that was enough.
"Are you in pain?" She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, before giving him a thumbs up. It came off more comically than she had probably intended, partially because she had her blouse only half-on.
"I ache a bit, but…how do I explain this? It doesn't hurt in a bad way. It's a satisfying pain, I guess. Does that sound weird?" He shrugged, not knowing what the proper human etiquette was for such matters.
More importantly, there was something he very much wanted to ask, but he wasn't sure if the question would come across as too forward. Still, he was never one to tread lightly.
"How was it?" When she gave him a questioning look, he specified, "How was I last night? I suppose I'm a bit anxious to hear an evaluation of my abilities." He wondered if he had gotten rusty – but no, Layla had seemed receptive enough.
She blushed, but managed not to look away as she laid a hand on his thigh. "You'll be happy to know that you did just fine, much better than any of my old boyfriends, especially the ones who were more concerned with pleasing themselves. That said, if I had to describe it in one word, overkill comes to mind. But I think it's better to go all out; I wouldn't want you to go at it half-baked." Thanos mentally sighed with relief, while also balancing a hatred for her "boyfriends". He dearly hoped to meet them face to face one day.
His main concern out of the way, Thanos relaxed on the bed, hands behind his head. It was shaping up to be a pleasant day already.
She had been surprised and flustered when she was asked that intimate question, but she had no reason not to give a straight reply. Since he asked, she decided it would be fair for him to answer it himself.
"How about you? Did you come out of it satisfied?" She was pretty sure that he had enjoyed it; during their passionate lovemaking, she had apparently gotten him to lose control, to the point where some of his stray thoughts beamed themselves into her mind. It was mostly rambles, about her, and she was proud that she got the normally stoic Thanos to do that.
In response to her question, Thanos sat up on the bed, resting his back on the headboard. It was a miracle that it only creaked a bit.
"It was the best I've ever had. No one else has even come close." He said it so seriously that Layla could feel her cheeks heating up yet again. I really need to stop doing that.
"I've never felt like that with anyone else, but of course, I didn't feel the same way about them as I feel for you. I never thought that sex could feel so…intense. Emotions are such a complicated thing, but perhaps I can get used to them, if it's with you." The look he was giving her was one of exaltation and adoration; it was touching, and also a tad frightening. She knew that his obsession had driven Death away; she wasn't sure if she wanted a lover who worshipped the ground she stepped on. It was a frightening thing, having a boyfriend who would, if she deigned to ask for it, would try to retrieve the moon for her. She would have to address that later.
"Despite the lengthy intercourse we had, I still desire you," Thanos admitted, almost sheepish in a way that only he could be, and she knew he wasn't bluffing judging by the way the blanket tented. Layla loudly sighed in mock exasperation, but in complete honesty, it was the same for her. Aching body be damned, she wouldn't object to another go. She supposed that was what newlywed couples felt like.
"Mmm, tempting, but I need to get to school in less than two hours." The sun was causing the room to grow brighter and brighter, a sure sign that her students were beginning to wake up themselves. She moved to the windows and flicked open the blinds, peering outside. A single man was walking his small dog.
Two large arms wrapped around her, and she felt hot breath pour down her neck. She arched her neck as Thanos kissed the back of it, and leaned her back against his heated chest.
"I promise it'll be brief, and I'll personally make sure you arrive at your school in time." It was far too tempting to resist, and Thanos hadn't broken a promise to her yet.
"OK, OK, you win, oh insatiable one!" she laughed, before turning around to kiss him on the cheek, which was only possible when she stood on her toes and he bent down. "But this bed is way too small; I have to buy a new one." Thing is, that would take way too long. Brainstorming, she came up with what she thought was a pretty good plan considering how last second it was.
"Never mind, just bring the bed from my room, and we'll push the two together." Thanos nodded, giving her a quick squeeze before exiting the room. As Layla followed him, she couldn't help but run her eyes over his lower half. Despite their activities the previous night, she hadn't had much of a chance to look.
In Layla's room, Thanos picked up her bed with one hand and held it over his shoulder. She could tell the behemoth was just showing off, although at this point, it wasn't very impressive.
"You know, I've seen you do much cooler things than that," she teased. Thanos grunted, shifting the bed so that he could grin at her.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Layla hoped the neighbors ignored the loud crashing noise Thanos made when he dropped the bed unceremoniously down beside the other one. Still, messy or not, the two beds were joined together, so as far as she was concerned, it was mission accomplished.
"I've done as you requested, madam." Thanos mock-bowed at Layla, and made a sweeping motion towards the bed. "Will I receive some form of reward or payment for my services?" It only took a few seconds of confusion before what he was doing registered in Layla's mind.
Oh. Ohhhhhhh. So that was his game.
"Hmm," Layla hummed in what she hoped was a self-important, pompous tone. "You have done admirably, this time. Yes, perhaps there is something I can do that will show my gratitude." Slipping off the clothing she had just recently put on, she pressed the palms of her hands against Thanos and lightly pushed him down on the bed, conscious that she was only able to because he let her.
She could spend all day in bed with Thanos, warm as they huddled under the covers and maxed out with bliss. Having breakfast in bed sounded like an amazing idea in her mind.
Unfortunately, as much as she wanted to, she couldn't spend any time indulging in the post-coital haze. Springing up from the bed and dashing to the closet, she managed to brush her hair, get dressed, and generally make herself look presentable in less than ten minutes. It was probably a record for her.
She glanced at her watch, which claimed that school would begin in about fifteen minutes. Like she had predicted, there was no way she could make it by then, even by car thanks to possible morning traffic. She looked over at Thanos, who had sat up in the bed with another self-satisfied look on his face. He wasn't even dressed!
"OK Thanos, you promised to get me to school in time for the morning bell," she reminded him. She wanted to add that he should hurry and slap something on, but decided not to add to his list of things to do.
"I did, didn't I?" It was rhetorical, and she didn't reply, choosing instead to cross her arms. Thanos grinned at her. She wasn't prepared for what he did next: standing up from the bed, he closed his eyes; despite this, she could see a glow behind his eyelids. She had to shield her own eyes as Thanos' body was briefly engulfed by light. When she was able to look again, his armored attire was covering his purple skin.
"Handy, isn't it? My armor consists of tiny, molecule sized nanite fragments that I can summon telepathically. This way, even if I'm caught off guard, my armor is only a thought away." She hadn't even asked the question yet, but he had answered it.
"You know, I heard that Iron Man has armor like that now," Layla pondered out loud, knowing that it would drive Thanos mad. It worked.
"I'd rather you didn't compare that worm's measly inventions with my superior technology." She shrugged, deciding that getting Thanos annoyed was good enough for causing her to be almost late, before changing the subject.
"So, what's your fool-proof plan to get me to school in a dozen minutes? Your spaceship? Seems like it would attract a lot of attention."
"Nothing so extravagant," Thanos assured as he reached into one of his armor's many pockets and pulled out an object that was the same shade of gold as his gloves. Layla got a fluttery feeling in her belly.
"Oh, I should have known," she groaned. "You want to use that teleporter." Thanos, before she had met him, had built a teleporting apparatus. It was a small device, one that he fit on his wrist as an extension of his own gloves. Because of its size, he couldn't teleport great distances, but it would be no problem to reach the school, at least in theory.
"Of course. We would reach the building in mere seconds, and it wouldn't attract any unwanted attention." It sounded perfect on paper, but Layla had one question.
"Have you worked out all the bugs?" Thanos' face twisted in the way it did when anyone questioned one of his inventions.
"My creations don't have 'bugs', merely small miscalculations that can easily be fixed." Tone softening a tad, he added, "I would never suggest this if I believed it would put you in any danger, especially not now."
Layla sighed, defeated. Thanos had a look of pure honesty on his face, and she believed him, despite herself. Lying wasn't one of his flaws.
"Fine," she grumbled. "But if something goes wrong, I'll be ticked at you for at least a few weeks." He chuckled, putting his arm around her shoulder as the device on his wrist began to whir with internal activity.
"I'll chance that," he boomed with laughter in his voice. To the unknowing, he might sound angry, but that was just how he was.
In a moment, they were gone from the room, and they were in the vastness of…something. Thanos had once explained it, or tried to, but all she had gotten out of it was that they briefly travelled through some other dimension, one that intersected with their own. It was horribly confusing.
In the next moment, the two appeared in the small woods behind the school. A flock of birds were startled into flying away. Layla's stomach did flip-flops, and she wondered if she would ever get used to the dizzying sensation she got when she teleported.
"Are you well?" She nodded at the cutely concerned Thanos, and then motioned towards the building, indicating to him that she would be heading inside. She didn't trust herself to open her mouth at that point, or even speak mentally, for fear she would be sick. She would just have to get a drink from the vending machine, although the chances of it working were pretty dim. That thing gorged on people's money, but no one ever seemed to get around to replacing it.
Thanos watched her leave until she vanished inside the building. He was pleased he had convinced her to let him teleport her to the building; it might have been overprotective of him, but after the previous day's events, he had decided that he didn't like the idea of her walking to the school alone, at least not until he could be sure the Kree wouldn't retaliate. It was just like them to try their hand at petty revenge.
Ignoring that, there was also the matter of the vague words Warlock had spoken. Thanos frowned, thinking it was true to form for Warlock to show up, only to spout nonsense that the various cosmic beings had given him. He had no patience for the drivel that the various gods could come up with.
He shook his head, ridding himself of any and all thoughts concerning Warlock, deciding to head back to Layla's house. He could wait outside the school for the next few hours, or actually accomplish something, like constructing a full-sized teleporter. The latter seemed like a far more practical way to spend an afternoon.
He warped inside the basement, greeted by the hum of his main computer automatically turning itself on, as he had designed. As he began typing away at the keyboard, he absently noted that he had referred to the house as Layla's house.
But that wasn't quite right. It was his house too. He supposed the correct term would be "their house", now. Hmm. It was something he would have acclimate himself to.
The computer monitor turned bright red, flashing a warning. It was programmed to activate the warning mechanism when someone approached the house. Mentally shrugging, Thanos quickly scanned the area, hoping the Kree had chosen that moment to strike.
Unfortunately, it wasn't the Kree, but a far more annoying group, if a bunch of fleas could be considered annoying. Upstairs, the doorbell rang, because of course it did.
Thanos made a show of slowly walking up the stairs, showing his uninvited guests that he was in no special hurry.
Slamming the door open, Thanos was met with the sight of dozens of identically dressed soldiers, their guns all pointed in his direction. How cute.
"Did you decide to reject Warlock's advice?" Thanos snarled at the unimpressive militia. "Or did you simply come for my famous hospitality?" The leader of the group stepped forward, his iconic eye patch seeming to somehow glare at the Titan.
"Thanos, we need to talk," Nick Fury ordered.
Author's Comments:
Just when things couldn't get better... The next few chapters will begin dealing with the repercussions of Layla and Thanos' romantic relationship, not to mention the fact that, officially, Thanos will be living with her now. Also, is "maxed out with bliss" a phrase people use? If not, it totally should be.
The next chapter is already written, so the wait won't be as long this time. Anyway, feel free to leave a review, whether it's positive or negative. I thrive off reviews! While I'm on the subject, thanks for your review, AltairLondon, and I hope it's a good interesting, Zaralann. ;)