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You saw the aftermath on the news, heard all the dusted had come back, and you wondered if Thor was okay. You knew if they had come up with a way to defeat Thanos that Thor wouldn't have missed the opportunity. But it had been five years since he had gone to set up New Asgard and told you, in no uncertain terms, he didn't want you to go with him. It made sense if you thought about it rationally. But when had a heart ever been rational? Thor had needed some time and space to process everything that had happened with Thanos. But you had always expected him to come back for you eventually. It stung that he hadn't contacted you since.
Several days later, you had mostly put it out of your mind. Just because Thor had likely been in New York didn't mean, all of a sudden, he'd want to talk to you. Needless to say, you weren't expecting to find him pacing on your doorstep one afternoon.
His hair was longer, his beard was unruly, and he had put on weight, but he was still your Thor. It's the sadness in his eyes that's unfamiliar, the nervousness in the way he carries himself that's so foreign.
"Thor?"
He jumped and turned to look at you, "Oh! Y/N. You're, uh, you're home."
"I am," you agree. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, I'm sure you've seen the news. Or perhaps you haven't? There was a battle, here in New York, with Thanos."
"I heard. Kinda hard not to," you shrugged.
Thor chuckled, "Yes, of course. Well, while I was here, I wanted to, uh, well I wanted to come see you. Is that okay?"
You wanted to hug him. His nervous energy was palpable, and it made you sad. Instead, you reached out and placed a hand on his arm. He didn't flinch away from your touch, which you took as a good sign. "Of course it's okay. You wanna come in?"
He nodded, and you went to unlock your door. As you walked inside you said, "I like this look, you know. It's very warrior king."
Thor scoffed, "You can't mean that."
"When have you ever known me to say things I don't mean?"
Thor laughed and tried to deflect, "I've always respected your honesty."
You let him shift the conversation, "Make yourself at home."
Thor went towards your couch, and you headed into your kitchen. "I mean, there's not much here, but I could make dinner, if you wanted."
Thor was shocked you had let him hang around as long as you had but he said, "That'd be nice."
And so you started to make some dinner, all the while feeling Thor's eyes boring into your back. The two of you ate in awkward near silence. Thor still hadn't really given you a reason he was there. It didn't make sense for him to just show up. The Thor you had known didn't do things without a reason.
Later, after cleaning the kitchen, you curled into the corner of your couch. And sitting there in the quiet next to Thor, he finally said, "I've missed you."
"Yeah? I've missed you too."
"You have?"
You laughed, "Of course I have."
Thor let his head fall back against your couch and sighed, "I'm sure I'm not what you were expecting to see."
"I really hadn't been expecting anything Thor. I mean, I didn't know if you were ever coming back. But what you'd look like wasn't really a big deal to me."
Thor looked genuinely shocked, and you couldn't believe it.
"I guess I just assumed you'd be disappointed."
"With what?"
Thor scoffed, "With me! Not only do I look like...this, but I went and left the way I did. I don't know how you can be around me."
"Thor, come on. You had things you needed to work through. And you needed space to work through them. I don't fault you for not being able to worry about me with everything that had happened."
"I know, but still, it was wrong of me."
You scooted closer to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, "I'm never gonna blame you for the way you needed to cope, Thor."
He leaned into your touch and said, "Thank you. I really have missed you."
"I've missed you too."
Thor pulled away, "Still, I'm sure seeing me again was a bit of a let down-"
“Thor,” you interrupted, “from the bottom of my heart, baby, shut up. The way you look has never been the reason I loved you.” As Thor scoffed you added, “It's a perk, for sure, but it's nothing compared to the man you are. You care about everyone else before yourself. You fight for what you believe in, even if you're fighting on your own. You protect people that can't protect themselves. Nothing else could ever top your heart. The fact that you look a little different isn't gonna make me not love you anymore.”
Thor only looked at you for a long few minutes before asking, "Could I, um, would it be okay if I kissed you?"
You nodded and Thor leaned in. You had forgotten the way it felt to be kissed by Thor, the way you felt it down to your toes.
You convinced Thor to stay the night. As he curled around you in your bed, you were again reminded of what you had missed about Thor. The way it felt to be wrapped up in Thor's arms was a domesticity you would never tire of. Laying there, Thor told you of the battle. He told you about seeing his mother again and losing Tony and Natasha. He shared the sadness that had plagued him the past few years, the ways he believed he'd failed. He told you how good it felt for Mjölnir to land in his hand once again. Eventually, he fell asleep with his face tucked against your neck.
In the morning, you woke to a strange and pleasant weight around you. You opened your eyes to find Thor, awake already, and looking back at you.
"We should get up. I'm sure you have things to do today."
You turned in his arms to face him, "I don't want to do things. I want to not do things."
"We don't have to do anything love. If you're not busy, Valkyrie is more than capable of running New Asgard without my presence."
You rose to lean on your elbow, "Does that mean you're staying?"
Thor reached for your hand and locked your fingers together, "For as long as you'll have me."