( it's a mumble. Tony drags his hand over his face, rubbing his eye. Just the thought of it, revisiting it, gets his heart racing, the cold prickle of his anxiety slithering into the bond. )
I see space. Past the wormhole, the Chitauri mothership just hanging there. I feel that warhead against my back, and... ( he blows a shaky breath out, but forces himself to keep going, even as he feels the cold weight drop into his gut, his voice steady and sounding so, so distant to himself. )
Air's all gone, suit's systems all shutter in the vacuum. Then it's just. Silent. And I'm falling... only, it never ends.
(Thor's surprised, mostly because the Chitauri incident was years ago (for him!) and he didn't realize it still hung over his friend. But humans are fragile and short-lived. Thor's gone through a century not even counting the years before, they don't have that ability. He isn't going to discount pain, especially not done by his own brother.
He feels the anxiety and Tony's distraught, moving his arm around Tony's shoulders so he can give that full protective support again. So Tony can feel held and safe. Thor kisses his cheek sweetly, nuzzling his ear.)
Come back to me. Come back to here, now.
(His voice is soft and intentionally close to Tony's ear to try and ground him in the now.)
Perhaps it is difficult for you to see the next part because you were unconscious. I can tell you what happened on the ground, maybe you can try to picture it, to fill in the memory.
(Thor leans back to look at him again.)
We saw you fall from the sky as the portal closed and realized you were not slowing down. I started to swing Mjolnir so I could go fly and catch you, but the Hulk got there first. He caught you safely and brought you down where we all gathered.
(He remembers the moment well, how certain he was that he was dead. A tragedy, he did not know him well then, but he knew he was a good man.)
Hulk howled at you and you woke up. You were caught, my dearest Tony. If you cannot picture the Hulk saving you, picture it being me.
( Tony remains, moving neither closer nor leaning away, feeling the sharp edges of anxiousness dull themselves against Thor's relentless, solid warmth.
You're not in space anymore.
Technically, I still am.
The image Thor conjures is reasonable enough, caught out of the sky by the Hulk like a rag doll. He had bruises for a week afterward, a map of dark purple splotches where Banner's alter-ego must have borne him to the ground in too tight a grip. )
In light of our current arrangement, ( he begins wryly, tipping his head back, ) I'm picturing kind of a bodice-ripper scenario...
(Thor laughs softly, caressing his cheek with the back of his fingers, looking down at him.)
If there is a better way to fix a nightmare than making it sexy instead, I don't know it.
(He kisses him, just an affectionate brush of their lips together, before pulling back and keeping his arm around him. Thor is a very attentive partner and he's always been loving, open-hearted. It's just his way.)
You can come to me any time you suffer through one of these if you need comfort.
( It does shine some lightness on it, to imagine his fall interrupted as Thor swept him up from it. Will it be enough?
Tony resists the urge to pull him close again with that chaste kiss, resting back against him as he had the previous night. Only for a moment, absorbing his friend's offer. Honesty compels him to admit, )
I can't promise that. ( He shifts, turning under Thor's arm. ) I'll try, don't get me wrong.
It is merely an offer. It is up to you whether you take it or not. What is important is you know you can.
(Thor lost his closest friends recently. They died bravely but he never got to say goodbye. He will not make the same mistake with his human friends, he will protect them and let them know like now they are important to him. He kisses the top of Tony's head.)
I believe we may be out of sync in the timeline. It's been years for me since my brother attacked New York.
That sounds about right. I'll admit I don't keep a close eye on what year it is.
(He's long-lived. Years get complicated. He smiles and squeezes Tony into a sideways hug.)
Yes. I eventually did get to spend some time on Earth with Jane and the rest of you. You had your tower you shared, and I believe a second Aveners compound somewhere? Unfortunately, I had bigger picture problems to deal with, and I was away for possibly two years, but everyone seemed well when I left.
(He completely missed out on the war, whelp! He has no reason to think his human friends aren't doing wonderfully back home.)
Banner is with me now though, some things went wrong and he ended up in space.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2021-05-06 02:39 am (UTC)( it's a mumble. Tony drags his hand over his face, rubbing his eye. Just the thought of it, revisiting it, gets his heart racing, the cold prickle of his anxiety slithering into the bond. )
I see space. Past the wormhole, the Chitauri mothership just hanging there. I feel that warhead against my back, and... ( he blows a shaky breath out, but forces himself to keep going, even as he feels the cold weight drop into his gut, his voice steady and sounding so, so distant to himself. )
Air's all gone, suit's systems all shutter in the vacuum. Then it's just. Silent. And I'm falling... only, it never ends.
no subject
Date: 2021-05-06 02:58 am (UTC)He feels the anxiety and Tony's distraught, moving his arm around Tony's shoulders so he can give that full protective support again. So Tony can feel held and safe. Thor kisses his cheek sweetly, nuzzling his ear.)
Come back to me. Come back to here, now.
(His voice is soft and intentionally close to Tony's ear to try and ground him in the now.)
Perhaps it is difficult for you to see the next part because you were unconscious. I can tell you what happened on the ground, maybe you can try to picture it, to fill in the memory.
(Thor leans back to look at him again.)
We saw you fall from the sky as the portal closed and realized you were not slowing down. I started to swing Mjolnir so I could go fly and catch you, but the Hulk got there first. He caught you safely and brought you down where we all gathered.
(He remembers the moment well, how certain he was that he was dead. A tragedy, he did not know him well then, but he knew he was a good man.)
Hulk howled at you and you woke up. You were caught, my dearest Tony. If you cannot picture the Hulk saving you, picture it being me.
no subject
Date: 2021-05-06 05:36 am (UTC)You're not in space anymore.
Technically, I still am.
The image Thor conjures is reasonable enough, caught out of the sky by the Hulk like a rag doll. He had bruises for a week afterward, a map of dark purple splotches where Banner's alter-ego must have borne him to the ground in too tight a grip. )
In light of our current arrangement, ( he begins wryly, tipping his head back, ) I'm picturing kind of a bodice-ripper scenario...
no subject
Date: 2021-05-06 06:00 pm (UTC)If there is a better way to fix a nightmare than making it sexy instead, I don't know it.
(He kisses him, just an affectionate brush of their lips together, before pulling back and keeping his arm around him. Thor is a very attentive partner and he's always been loving, open-hearted. It's just his way.)
You can come to me any time you suffer through one of these if you need comfort.
no subject
Date: 2021-05-08 09:56 am (UTC)Tony resists the urge to pull him close again with that chaste kiss, resting back against him as he had the previous night. Only for a moment, absorbing his friend's offer. Honesty compels him to admit, )
I can't promise that. ( He shifts, turning under Thor's arm. ) I'll try, don't get me wrong.
no subject
Date: 2021-05-11 02:11 pm (UTC)(Thor lost his closest friends recently. They died bravely but he never got to say goodbye. He will not make the same mistake with his human friends, he will protect them and let them know like now they are important to him. He kisses the top of Tony's head.)
I believe we may be out of sync in the timeline. It's been years for me since my brother attacked New York.
no subject
Date: 2021-05-13 02:30 am (UTC)Do we... see one another in that time?
no subject
Date: 2021-05-13 02:52 am (UTC)(He's long-lived. Years get complicated. He smiles and squeezes Tony into a sideways hug.)
Yes. I eventually did get to spend some time on Earth with Jane and the rest of you. You had your tower you shared, and I believe a second Aveners compound somewhere? Unfortunately, I had bigger picture problems to deal with, and I was away for possibly two years, but everyone seemed well when I left.
(He completely missed out on the war, whelp! He has no reason to think his human friends aren't doing wonderfully back home.)
Banner is with me now though, some things went wrong and he ended up in space.