cut
The Avengers ran into the Tower as though Hell Hounds were chasing them and squeezed into the first available elevator. They ran into the top room and skidded to a stop when the God of Thunder they hadn't seen in two years greeted them by raising a glass of cognac.
"It has been a long time, my friends." He put the glass down and walked over to them with that familiar grin on his charming face.
"Thor! We thought you wouldn't return anymore!" Steve said and shook hands with the enthusiastically grinning Norse God.
"It took time to repair the Bifröst. Without the Tesseract it wouldn't have been possible." Thor explained as he shook hands with everyone. "But I am here now. Father agreed to allow me to stay here, on Midgard, until I was ready to rule in his place."
"Great!" Tony said and took a seat. "The team is now complete! We're ready for anything and everything!"
The others exchanged amused glances which disappeared fairly quickly following a wave of warmth which washed over them making Thor look at the entrance to the room with a frown. "What was that?" he asked and the others looked at him in confusion.
"What was what?" Bruce asked and looked around only to frown. "Where is Ven? I was sure he followed us here."
Thor frowned at that, focusing his intense stare on Bruce. "Ven?"
"He is the bartender at a Café I frequent lately." Bruce explained. "He is a good man. We'll go together there soon. I'm sure you'll like him. He is a great warrior."
Thor's frown deepened with wariness. "Is he a sorcerer?"
Everyone raised an eyebrow at him.
"A sorcerer?" Clint asked and Thor nodded.
"I felt magic," muttered the Norse God, making his friends' eyes fill with understanding.
"He is a wizard," Natasha clarified and Thor hummed thoughtfully, blond eyebrows narrowing as he stared at the empty doorway.
"His magic felt more powerful than Loki's. Are you certain that he is a friend?"
"He is a good man," Bruce said and others agreed.
"We don't know him well, but I can agree with Bruce." Clint added and Natasha nodded.
"We have his files. You can read them if you want," she offered and Thor hummed in agreement.
"But first we have to settle you in your room. We have time for everything else." Steve said and Thor smiled.
"Very well."
"Shouldn't we inform Fury first?" Tony asked although the tone of his voice suggested that he cared little for that and spoke up only for the sake of speaking.
"I'm sure he figured it out by now," Steve drawled with a smirk and Bruce snorted.
"I wonder what the papers will say. I must remember to buy them tomorrow," commented the Gamma-scientist and Clint snorted.
"Probably something about an insane experiment gone wrong," he muttered.
"Or someone losing control." Natasha added.
"Or Tony trying out some new technology." Bruce threw in his own two cents.
"Of course," Tony grumbled, "blame it all on me."
Thor let go of that familiar booming laugh of his, clapping the back of Steve who stood closest to him and making Captain America choke up a bit. "You haven't changed at all, my friends!" he cheered happily, placing his hand on Steve's shoulder a giving it a small squeeze while Steve gifted him with a small smile, still suppressing a cough.
"You seemed to have changed somewhat." Natasha commented eyeing Thor's blue jeans and white button up shirt. "Where's the suit of armor?"
"I had time to observe you in the past years. If I am going to stay on Midgard I might as well fit in - I believe that is the correct phrase."
"Well!" Tony clapped his hands and stood up. "You might just fit in if you stop speaking like you're from the middle ages, but that will be taken care of in time. Now, I suggest we pack up and go to bed. I for one need my 8 hours of beauty sleep and my lovely wife is surely waiting for me."
"A century of beauty sleep will do little for you," Clint muttered so only Natasha heard him clearly.
"What was that, Legolas?" Tony asked and Clint offered him a falsely innocent smile.
"I said that it was a good idea, coming from you."
Tony sniffed as though offended. "I'll have you know that all my ideas are good ideas. People just don't perform them correctly." Everyone rolled their eyes and followed after Tony with Bruce and Steve walking on either side of Thor.
"It is good to be back," Thor said with a small grin and looked at Steve when the WWII soldier clapped his back.
"It's good to have you back, my friend," Steve answered and Bruce nodded.
"Yes. It's good to have you back."
cut
Starborn Café shook with an explosion of magic when Ven apparated in the middle of it, breathing as though he ran a marathon. The door clicked locked and Ven all but collapsed in the closest armchair, bending forward and bracing his elbows on his parted knees before he hid his face in his trembling hands.
'Haruven, what is wrong?'
He raised his head up a bit and came face to face with Urd's transparent form, making him realize just how out of control his magic is for her to have absorbed enough to become slightly more solid.
Her mercury like eyes were looking in him with worry, hands raised towards him as though she wanted to take a hold of him but didn't dare out of fear of hurting him.
"He is here, Urd. He is really here," Ven spoke in a wavering voice, whole body trembling with strain of trying to reign in his magic. "I was so close to him. I - I could feel his power rolling off of him in waves; pure and unbound." A small, almost hysterical smile tilted his lips.
'Ven…'
"I couldn't walk out to meet him! I - I froze up. When I saw him…" he shut up and squeezed his eyes tightly shut, ducking his head and fisting his hands on his temples.
'Ven, you need to calm down. Your magic is bursting. Please, calm down.' Urd urged gently and covered his trembling hands with her own, wincing at the feel of his wild magic.
"My magic responded to his closeness. I couldn't - I couldn't think. My only thought was to get away from there. I…" he choked up and his shoulders hunched, pulse after pulse of powerful magic rolling off of him and rattling the glass cups resting on the shelves behind the bar. "I'm such a coward…"
'No!' Urd spoke lovingly and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him as tightly as he could due to his hunched form. 'You've been close to your Chosen, my sweet. You were simply overwhelmed. Maybe it is better you left. You have time to calm down a little. I'll keep everyone away tomorrow. You need time for yourself, alright?'
Ven shook his head. "It's his power, Urd," he spoke in a wavering voice and raised his head, making her move back a bit to look into his eyes. "I've never felt anything like it. It's like - like a deceptively calm lake with a rough, tornado like current hidden beneath the surface." Urd smiled lovingly at him and caressed his cheeks with the back of her fingers. "I could barely breathe. My shields just collapsed. It was nothing like last time, Urd. It's like he's gotten even stronger."
Urd smiled and cupped his cheeks within her warm, almost completely solid hands. 'It is only normal for you to feel like this, my sweet.' She spoke wisely. 'He is after all your Chosen, your Life-mate. He should be strong enough to be able to share in your own magic. Now you at least know that he is worthy.'
Ven snorted and bowed his head, shaking it as his hands fell on his knees and he all but slumped forward, resting his forehead on Urd's shoulder. "Yes," he muttered, "but now I worry if I am worthy of him."
Urd frowned at that and made him look at her by taking a firm hold of his face and raising his head. 'I never want to hear you speak like that again; do you hear me, Haruven Sigurdsson?' she spoke strictly. 'Never again.'
Haruven shivered when a cold wind passed down his spine. "Alright," he choked out.
Urd frowned in suspicion but nodded her head. 'Now, why don't you make yourself some tea and get some rest? You need to calm your mind.' Ven nodded and Urd moved back becoming invisible once again.
With a sigh, Ven walked over to the bar. His hands were shaking as he reached for a cup. Deciding against it he huffed and shook his head. "I'm going to bed. I'll see you tomorrow, Urd. Wake me if someone comes." He spoke as he made his way into the back and up the stairs to his loft.
'No one will come tomorrow. You need some time for yourself, my sweet.' Urd spoke lovingly as Ven entered his room. A warm wind danced around him and his clothes changed into a pair of comfortable pajamas. He collapsed on his bed and with a gust of wind the cover was pulled from under him and lowered gently over him. The bed dipped beside him under invisible weight and a gentle touch upon his brow made his tense body relax.
'Sleep, my sweet.' Urd whispered and became visible for a moment again. 'Sleep, my sunlight.'
Ever so slowly Ven's eyes closed and he fell into a fitful sleep. Urd sighed and disappeared again.
'Rest, my sweet. Everything will work out alright.' She brushed her fingers through his hair and released it from its bounds. It spread around Ven's lithe form like a velvety cloak.
'I'll watch over you, my beautiful Ven. Everything will work out alright.'
cut
Bruce frowned when he tried the doorknob of Starborn Café. It was locked and he looked to the side in worry.
Bruce hadn't slept well last night out of worry, and it didn't help that Hulk was in much of a same state. Bruce was sure that Ven had followed them last night when they ran for the Tower after the winds calmed, but no matter how hard he thought about it he couldn't think of a reason for Ven to run off before meeting Thor. Bruce had come to think of Ven as a dear friend and he wanted to make sure there was nothing wrong.
In hindsight Bruce had noticed that the bartender had acted somewhat strange last night. Haruven was usually very well composed and Bruce was honestly under the impression that nothing could rattle the owner of Starborn Café, so when Bruce figured out that something had been different about Ven when the Avengers came to talk to him last night he tried to think of a reason, only to come up with nothing realistically valid.
He looked at the door again and sighed heavily.
'I'll come back tomorrow.' He was about to walk away when a breath of warm air washed over him and the door opened after a quiet 'click'. He frowned and pushed the door open, before entering and taking a look around. No fire burned in the fireplaces and the Café wasn't quite as warm as it usually was.
"Ven?" he called out and walked into the Café, closing the door as he entered. The back door opened and the sight that greeted Bruce made him tense up. His eyes widened and he hurried over to the bar.
"Haruven, what happened?" he breathed out when he got closer to the other man.
Haruven was pale and dressed into a pair of black pants and a slightly baggy button up black shirt. He had barely visible bags under his eyes and his hair was tied low. Bruce noticed Haruven's hands were shaking minutely and that he was quite tense even though he tried to greet Bruce with his usual smile.
"I'm just not feeling all that well, Bruce. You don't have to worry." Ven tried to sound reassuring, but the raspy quality of his voice that wasn't there the day before made it quite impossible. Bruce looked to the side when fire burst into life in the closest fireplace. "Why don't you sit down while I make us some…?"
"Ven!" Bruce cried out and jumped forward when Ven swayed on his feet.
"Damn it," Ven gasped out and covered his eyes with his right hand, left fisted on the bar. Bruce got a better hold of him and threw Ven's free arm over his shoulder.
"I'm taking you to bed. You aren't well."
"Bruce…"
"I won't hear it!" Bruce snapped sharply and helped Ven up the stairs and to the bedroom. He put Ven on the bed and covered him with a blanket, tucking him under it before he took a seat to Ven's right. "What happened?" he asked as he placed a hand on Ven's burning forehead, and wincing at the heat.
"My magic is taking a toll on my body," Ven muttered. He closed his eyes and relaxed as much as he could. "My shields fell yesterday and I'm having some trouble putting them up again." Bruce hummed at the explanation. Hulk was telling him that it wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth either.
"Did you eat today? Do you want me to make something?" Ven opened his eyes weakly and looked at Bruce with a slightly raised eyebrow, making a nerve beside Bruce's right eye twitch. "I have lived alone for years, you know? I can cook."
Ven laughed weakly and closed his eyes again. "I don't want to bother you," he murmured and Bruce rolled his eyes.
"Please. After what you did for me this is the least I can do," he muttered and stood up. "I'll find my way around the kitchen. You try to get some rest."
Ven nodded already falling into a fitful slumber, and Bruce sighed and made his way out of the room. He looked around trying to think of where the kitchen might be. He felt something push against his back and raised an eyebrow. Following the lead of the push he walked to the second door on the right and entered the kitchen.
"Alright," he muttered and looked around the dark brown kitchen. Instead of a table there was an island bar in front of a line of cabinets with two bar stools in front of it. There was a big window on one wall and the light turned on the minute he walked in. "Now, what to make?"
With a gust of wind three cabinets and the fridge opened. Taking it all in stride Bruce walked over to the fridge and found some chicken bones in it.
"A chicken soup?" he spoke up and a warm wind caressed his back. "I'll take that as a yes, whatever you are." He took the packed chicken bones and walked over to the cabinets. He found some carrots and potatoes there, together with spices and some mint tea and a small crystal bottle with a mercury-like liquid in it. "I don't suppose this goes in the soup," he said and a playful wind danced through his hair. He chuckled and put the bottle beside the box of mint tea. "Soup first and then tea."
An hour later he placed a bowl of chicken soup on a tray together with a spoon and a hand-towel. He looked at the cup of tea he prepared and then at the little bottle of the strange substance. He never saw anything like it. It looked like moonlight captured in a bottle; there was no other way to describe it.
'Two drops.'
Bruce tensed up when he heard a whisper in the back of his mind. Hulk growled lowly but didn't react otherwise. Bruce swallowed over a lump and took the little bottle in his hand. It was so small it fit in the middle of his palm. If he wanted to be perfectly honest he was afraid he would break it if he squeezed too hard. He uncapped it carefully and tipped it over the cup of tea.
'One. Two,' he counted the drops and tilted the bottle back before closing it again. A cabinet opened and he found a glass container of honey, taking it with a smile.
'One tea-spoon.' That strange voice whispered again and a drawer opened. He took a tea spoon from it and put the honey in the tea which turned an enchanting moonlight colored liquid.
"Whoever you are I hope you know what you're doing," he muttered. That playful, warm wind danced around him again and he thought he heard someone giggle. He put the cup on the tray and carefully picked it up.
He carried it to Ven's room and raised an eyebrow when the bedside lamp flickered on, making Ven groan as he opened his eyes and raised his head slightly to look at Bruce who gifted him with a sheepish smile.
"I hope it's good," Bruce said and carried the tray over while Ven pushed himself into a sitting position. If Bruce was perfectly honest Ven looked like death warmed over.
"I'm sure it's good," Ven whispered and raised an eyebrow when he saw the cup of tea. "How did you…" he looked at Bruce before he looked at something behind him, making the Gamma-scientist raise an eyebrow in confusion.
"What?" Bruce asked, and Ven shook his head, relaxing against the headboard.
"Nothing. Thank you, Bruce," he said and accepted the tray. Bruce took a seat at the foot of the bed while Ven ate slowly. Having nothing better to do, Bruce looked around the room, gaze falling on a big bookshelf to his right, eyes widening with sudden interest.
"You're free to take a look," Ven said and Bruce looked at him while Ven smirked at him knowingly. "You're a scientist, Bruce. I know you're interested in those books."
Bruce blushed, knowing that there was no sense in arguing that point, and he stood up to take a look at the many old looking tomes. Some of the books he was familiar with; mostly books on herbs, different drinks, some history books and a few books on philosophy, psychology and human behavior. Others he could barely read the titles of and some were on things he supposed were connected to magic.
"You have many interests," he commented and took a book that said 'Hogwarts: A History'. "Mind if I borrow this?" he looked at Ven who smiled and finished his soup.
"Not at all. Feel free to take whatever you find interesting."
Bruce nodded and walked over to the bed, the old book held safely in his hands before he placed it on the nightstand and took a seat to Ven's right. "Are you feeling any better?"
Ven nodded, took a sip of his tea and sighed. He leaned back against the headboard and smiled at Bruce thankfully. "Thank you, Bruce. I just didn't have any strength to do anything today."
Bruce blushed slightly but nodded his head. Hulk grunted a laugh in the back of his mind and Bruce gave him a mental swat on the shoulder.
Ven laughed quietly as though he knew what transpired in Bruce's head and the Gamma-scientist looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Your expression speaks enough." Ven offered as an explanation and Bruce shrugged, knowing that asking Ven for the truth would only leave him more confused.
"Did you open the Café today?" Bruce asked and Ven shook his head.
"I thought I would," he spoke and shrugged elegantly. "In the end I only had a few guests in the morning and two in the afternoon. Thankfully they were all old friends. Being around them made this a bit easier to handle."
Bruce frowned at that. "Could you tell me what's wrong? And not the edited version, if you please."
Ven raised an eyebrow at him. "Edited version?"
"That story you tried to sell earlier?" Bruce hinted and Ven winced slightly.
"Can't we leave it at that?" Bruce gave him a strict look and Ven sighed.
"My magic..." he started and stopped as though he was looking for the right words, "Well, one can say there is a lot of it in me."
"How do you mean that?" Bruce asked for clarification making Haruven frown as he tried to think of a way to explain his condition in a way that would make it clear to Bruce just what Ven has been going through.
"Let's put it this way." He placed the cup on the tray, raised his left hand and Bruce moved back a little in surprise when a ball of light the size of a grown man's fist appeared above Ven's hand. "Each wizard has a magical core in his body. Usually when you put it like this, it is rarely bigger than this." Bruce nodded in understanding and Ven raised his right hand. "This is my core." Bruce all but jumped back when a ball of light at least 10 times bigger than the other one appeared between them.
"What the…?" Bruce muttered and both balls vanished.
Haruven swallowed audibly and placed his hands in his lap. "You could say that my magic is actually too big for my body."
"How is that possible?" Bruce breathed out and Haruven shrugged.
"I don't know. Something like this hasn't happened since Merlin. My Mentor in the Auror Force said that my magical core is possibly even bigger than Merlin's was. I'll never know. Now the problem is that in Merlin's time things were different. He was free to use his magic how he wanted, where he wanted and for whatever he wanted. I can't do that without risking exposure. So I built up shields to keep it locked within my body, releasing only very small amounts constantly to keep the pressure from building up."
"What would happen to you if it becomes too much for you to handle?" Bruce asked and Haruven looked at him with a leveled stare although his eyes were somehow dull and sad.
"My magic would go rampant. It would probably destroy my body and eventually kill me." Bruce's eyes widened and he swallowed over a lump that suddenly appeared in his throat. His heart stopped for a second and Hulk growled lowly, fearing for their newfound friend.
"Can anything be done?" Ven bowed his head so that his bangs covered his eyes and started to play with the edge of the blanket. "Haruven, can anything be done?"
Haruven nodded slowly, licking dry lips. "I need to find someone who would bond with me. Whoever it is, they need to be powerful enough to handle my magic."
"Bond with someone?" Bruce asked and Haruven looked at him from under messy bangs.
"Yes. Bond, mate, marry; however you want to put it."
Bruce frowned and looked at the carpeted floor, processing the new information quickly before looking at Haruven again. "How would that help you?"
"When a wizard or a witch marries, they don't just put rings on their fingers and sign a paper." Haruven explained. "First part of the ceremony does have that, but the second part consists of the binding of mind, body and magic."
"Mind, body and magic?" Bruce asked, brows narrowing in confusion.
"Yes." Ven nodded, something Bruce couldn't name glimmering in Haruven's amazing eyes.
"How does that happen?"
Ven shot him a sly smile and Bruce blushed to the roots of his hair. "I don't think I need to have the birds and the bees talk with you, Bruce."
The Gamma-scientist cleared his throat shifting in his seat uncomfortably. "And here I was ready to offer assistance," he murmured and Ven laughed quietly, gazing at Bruce with a grateful gleam in his eyes.
"I guess I should thank you for the thought," Ven said and Bruce's blush worsened, disappearing quickly when the wizard looked down again, fingers playing with a loose seam of the blanket thrown over Haruven's lap.
"Do you have anyone in mind?" Bruce asked and Haruven licked his lips, shifting his weight a bit.
"In a way," he answered uncertainly, gaze focused on anything but Bruce.
"Do they know about this?" Bruce leaned forward to try to look in Haruven's eyes, but failing when the wizard tilted his head to the side and looked at the window to his left.
"No." Haruven chuckled and shook his head. "He doesn't know about me or anything about this."
Bruce's frown deepened at that. "Can you tell me who he is?"
Ven looked at Bruce with a pointed stare, making Bruce recoil slightly. It was someone he had either seen before or someone he knew.
Was it one of Ven's regular guests?
No.
Ven didn't act any different with anyone Bruce had seen in the Café during the past few days.
He tried to remember a moment where Ven acted out of character and almost immediately the events of last night came to the front of his memory.
'Thunder God.' Hulk grunted and Bruce's eyes widened. "It's Thor, isn't it?" he murmured almost breathlessly and Ven chuckled.
"Right on the first guess."
Bruce frowned. "Did you two meet before?"
Ven shook his head. "Not personally, no. I told you I was there when you fought against those aliens." Bruce nodded. "It's not just that I didn't want to be found. When I first saw him…"a shiver shook Ven's body. The wizard closed his eyes for a moment and fisted his hands, and Bruce shivered when a wave of power passed over him. "I could feel his power, Bruce. I could practically taste it," Ven breathed out and looked at Bruce. "I must say that I all but ran away this time as well."
"As well?" Bruce asked before it clicked. "You did follow us yesterday!"
"Yes," Haruven admitted. "And just like the last time my power responded to Thor's closeness."
Bruce forced down a swallow, not knowing what to say. He didn't understand everything, guessing that it would take time, but something he could understand quite well.
The sorrow of caring about someone and being unable to be with them.
"I don't think I can help you with this," Bruce muttered and Ven gifted him with a small smile.
"Don't worry about me, Bruce." The Gamma-scientist looked at Ven with a doubtful stare. "Things will work out for better or for worse."
"I'd rather they worked out for the better," Bruce drawled and Ven laughed again. If Bruce was honest the raven haired wizard already looked better.
"Like I said; don't worry. I can take care of myself," Ven spoke calmly and Bruce scoffed.
"Yes, but you have to admit that you're better at taking care of others than taking care of yourself."
Ven chuckled and nodded his head. "I was told that on several occasions. In fact, I think Fury raged about it the time we worked together."
Bruce snorted and rolled his eyes. "You'll have to tell me about that some time. For now I think you should get some more sleep. Do you want me to stay the night?"
"There's no need," Ven spoke tiredly, eyes already slipping closed. "I already feel much better."
"I wouldn't say much better, but you do look better than you did an hour ago." Bruce admitted and Ven smiled.
"Tomorrow I'll be as good as new," Ven promised and Bruce gave him a skeptical look, snorting when the tray disappeared from Ven's lap with the wizard smirking at Bruce as though to say 'see, I'm not lying'.
"I'll make sure to come and visit you in the morning to confirm that. Rest well," Bruce said and Ven nodded at him.
"You as well." With that Bruce left the room and made his way down into the Café. He noticed that even though the fires weren't burning the atmosphere in the Café seemed warmer again. He shook his head, deciding to attribute that fact to magic and simply go with it. The door opened before he managed to take a hold of the knob and a warm wind danced around him as he stepped out.
'Thank you.'
He raised an eyebrow as the door closed behind him. "Weird," he muttered and made his way back to the Tower. "Very, very weird."
cut
"Is everything alright?"
Thor looked up from the computer screen at Bruce who was leaning against the doorframe leading into the lab. "Yes. I am just checking up on an old friend," Thor said and Bruce walked over.
"Jane Foster-Brightman? Isn't she the scientist who works on inter-dimensional traveling for S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
Thor nodded, grinning proudly. "Yes. Jane and I met the first time I came to Mi-Earth." Thor quickly corrected himself and Bruce smiled. "She taught me a lot of things. I am happy to see that she achieved a lot in the past three years."
"With S.H.I.E.L.D. backing her up there was no way for her to fail," Bruce commented, only to frown when Thor grunted, shut down the screen and rested against the backrest of the chair, massive arms crossed over a broad chest.
"I have read the files you have on the Sorcerer."
Bruce tensed up slightly and Thor tilted his head to the side in confusion. "And?" Bruce asked and cleared his throat.
"I find him an interesting man indeed," Thor murmured, raising his right hand to rub his chin with his fingers. "He was very young when he was given credit for great accomplishments. I heard of that Lord Voldemort. My Mother is close with the Norns. Verdandi and she often watched over Earth, but deemed it unnecessary to interfere. I cared little for that at that time." Thor said and for a moment his eyes flashed with shame. "All I remember is that my Mother mentioned a child with the Mark of Thunder. That intrigued me, and I asked her about it, but all she told me was that I would find out everything in time." Bruce nodded and Thor looked at the screens again. "As I said, I read the files and I realize your bartender is the one that brought down Voldemort. I had hoped I would find something about that Child but it seems Mother was for once wrong." At that Thor winced and Bruce raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"What is it?"
"I sincerely hope she did not hear that," Thor muttered and Bruce laughed.
"If he intrigues you so much, why don't you go and visit him?" Bruce's words left Thor thinking, but it didn't last long.
He gifted the Gamma-scientist with a bright smile and stood up, his tall, muscular form towering over Bruce. "I just might." Thor clapped Bruce's back, making the scientist choke up and cough from the force of the hit, but Thor didn't notice it for he was already walking towards the elevator.
"You might be surprised with what you'll find," Bruce muttered into his chin, rubbing his left shoulder with his right hand, and chuckling when he heard Hulk's rumbling growl. "Maybe we did manage to help Ven, hm?" the Gamma-scientist commented for himself, hearing Hulk's agreeing hum. 'Although that remains to be seen.'
cut
Ven laughed brightly and shook his head. "Seriously, Dean? You actually made the same mistake again?"
The Hunter rolled his eyes, suppressing a laugh of his own. Sam was still laughing while Castiel was only smiling slightly, cradling his drink in his hands.
"What do you want?! It's not like I remember every single detail from every single hunt Sam and I did," Dean drawled, smirking at Haruven who tsk and rested his chin on his left hand.
"But still…" Sam shut up when Dean glared at him and Haruven laughed quietly again.
"Never mind that; how long are you staying?" he asked and looked at Castiel.
"Two to three days," said the former Angel. "We can't find any leads to hunts at the moment so we wanted to spend some time with Sam."
"And visit our favorite bartender, of course." Dean smirked and Ven winked at him.
"I won't charge you less for sucking up, Dean Winchester."
"You won't charge him. Period." Sam muttered and Ven turned to him with a small, teasing glare.
"You just had to spoil my fun. I wanted to make him sweat a little," Ven pretended to pout and Sam huffed.
"Well sorry," he drawled with a smirk. "Next time you want to make my brother sweat, give me a sign."
Another round of laughter echoed through Starborn Café, calming gradually before Castiel spoke up. "How is your magic?" he asked Haruven. "I thought I felt it the day before yesterday."
Ven sighed and took a sip of his tea. "I can't say I'm getting better," he admitted, knowing that there was no sense in lying to them. They were too good at reading people and he just didn't have the heart to hide anything from those he considered friends.
"Is there anything we can do?" Sam asked in worry.
"Yeah." Dean agreed. "Castiel ain't an Angel anymore, but he's still in contact with a few."
Ven shook his head with a grateful smile. "No. I'm afraid there is nothing you can do. I just have to bear with it."
"I don't like that," Sam muttered into his chin, shooting Ven a pointed glance.
"Me neither." Castiel agreed and Ven sighed.
"I can't help you with that," he said and shook his head, knowing that trying to tell them not to worry about him would only lead to an argument, and even though Ven had managed to regain a semblance of control over his magic, he was still feeling strained and tired. While he appreciated their worry, Ven didn't want to talk about it, knowing that it wouldn't resolve anything.
But how to distract them? Dean, Sam and Castiel seemed determined to stick to the subject.
He looked at them and all of a sudden an idea struck him. "But I can help you with a hunt, if you're interested."
Dean and Castiel leaned forward and Sam perked up a bit, Haruven's offer obviously taking their minds off of his problem even if it would be for a few short minutes.
"What is it about?" Dean asked.
"I need you three to hunt down something for me," Ven said, crossing lean legs and stapling his fingers in front of himself.
"Three?" Dean looked at Sam who shrugged.
"I can take a short break from my studies," Sam said. "I have two more exams to take and I can take them in June. Besides…" Sam smiled almost shyly and looked at them from under messy bangs. "I kinda miss hunting. Love going to college and everything, but I miss the time on the road." Dean grinned and Castiel smiled while Ven laughed quietly.
"Now that that's settled," Dean looked at Ven, practically bursting with excitement, "what is it you want us to find?"
"I need you to find a Mirror," Ven said and the three looked at him with dull, confused stares.
"A Mirror." Dean stated and Ven nodded minutely.
"Yes. I need you to find the Yata no Kagami."
The three exchanged confused glances. "Yata no Kagami?" Sam asked.
"Yes," Ven confirmed. "The Japanese government says that there are three Mirrors in three different cities, but I know for a fact that neither one of those is the real Yata no Kagami. The real one was broken some years ago and brought back into the Spirit World. I know it was fixed and hidden somewhere safe because it was stolen before it was broken. I need you to find it."
"Why would you need the real Yata no Kagami?" Castiel asked and Ven shrugged.
"Call it a private investment," he said and licked his lips, the three too busy with their quiet communication to notice the way Haruven's eyes darkened for a mere moment.
"What's so special about it?" Dean looked at Haruven who immediately straightened and plastered a small smile on his face. "If you need a mirror why don't you just buy one?" Haruven winked at Dean and smirked.
"I'm not about to make it all easy on you. Do some research! Enjoy yourselves! When you find it I'll treat you to whatever you want."
Dean grinned. "Whatever we want?" he asked excitedly and Haruven suppressed the need to snicker at the Hunter. "Even if we want you to cook for us?"
This time Ven just had to laugh, especially at the puppy dog look pointed at him by Dean. The older Winchester may say that Sam was the one who could get anything out of anyone with his version of the puppy-dog stare, but in Haruven's honest opinion Dean just had to look at someone with those big, washed-out-green eyes and the world would be his for the taking.
In some ways it was a pity that Dean had always put Sam in front of his own needs, but on the other hand, Dean now had Castiel. There was not a single speck of doubt in Haruven's heart that Castiel made damn sure that Dean would take care of himself for a change.
"I offer you whatever you want and you want me to cook for you?" But that didn't stop Haruven from wondering about Dean's version of a reward.
"Well I for one would like to borrow any book you have on Natural born Wizards." Sam said and Ven nodded in understanding before turning to Castiel.
"And you, Castiel?"
"I shall think about it and tell you later."
"Good," he said and offered them an expectant look. "Am I safe to assume you will do this for me?"
"Sure," Dean said. "We'll find this Mirror for you."
Ven smiled. He was about to say something when a wave of familiar power washed over him. His three friends looked at him in worry when he looked at the door, lips parting and eyes glimmering in a way they had never seen before.
"Ven?" Sam called out when Ven stood up and took a small step towards the front door.
'Urd, is that…'
'I'm sorry, Ven! Skuld didn't tell me he was coming!'
In that moment the door opened. Sam, Dean and Castiel stood up, but took a step back when in walked a tall man with shoulder long blond hair tied at the nape of his neck and dressed in blue jeans and a white button up shirt that showed his strong, muscled build. His sky blue eyes took everything in quickly and settled on Haruven who swallowed over a lump, trying not to lose his composure.
'He read the files too, Haruven. He knows.'
Haruven pushed down the trembling and slammed so many shields around his magic that his vision spun for a second.
"Good evening," the newcomer greeted in a gruff voice and Haruven forced down a heavy swallow, lips tilting into a small smile as he steeled his stance.
"Good evening, Lord Thor. Welcome."
cut
And here comes the first meeting.
How will it go?
Find out in the next chapter 'On The Edge'.