Chapter Text
The air was crisp with the arriving cold of fall. Lady Sif loved the season: it wasn’t too cold yet so one didn’t need to wrap themselves in thick layers of fur, yet it wasn’t seething hot anymore either so one wouldn’t drown in their own sweat upon battlefield.
Asgard shared her love for the new season, as fall was greatly celebrated. People would collect colorful leaves to decorate houses and dinner tables with them. Within days, the city looked like painted in soft shades of gold and orange.
The dark sky above was clear, millions of stars gently sparkling. The huge bonfire offered warmth, but not enough to erase the chill of the night. Despite a thick coat, Sif shivered, wrapping it more firmly around herself.
No one else seemed to be freezing, she thought. With heated faces and sparkling eyes, people stood around the bonfire in small groups, chatting and laughing. She spotted her friends nearby, offering a smile but declining when they asked her to join.
Her eyes traveled further across the crowd. Thor had to be somewhere among them, most likely hovering somewhere in the shadows, wishing himself back to Midgard. The thought caused her heart to ache. He had been unusually quiet after his last trip to Earth, but she hadn’t dared to ask him about it. Sif felt ashamed because she thanked the Norns for his return, felt selfish because she wanted him to stay on Asgard. However, his last visit had been surprisingly short, and she wondered if eventually, he wouldn’t feel better if he stayed at home for a while.
She sighed, watching her breath turn into fog. Maybe she should return to her chambers, considering that she wasn’t much in the mood for celebration either. When she moved to get up though, a heavy hand came to rest on her shoulder, keeping her in place. Lifting her gaze, she found Thor smiling down at her, appearing far less upset than she had expected him to be. She watched as he sat by her side, staring at the fire for a while until he met her eyes again.
“Are you cold?” He reached out, gently took her hands into his. They were indeed cold, but it was the warmth of his grip that made Sif shiver. It spread through her veins, filling her bit by bit until her tense muscles started to relax again. She turned away, unable to hold his gaze any longer but could still feel it resting upon her.
“You seem unwell,” he added, voice just above a whisper.
“Don’t you worry about me.” Sif shook her head, trying to smile. At his doubtful look, she added, “Maybe I was just concerned because you have seemed to be rather unwell yourself as of lately.” She hesitated. “Do you long to return to Midgard?”
His smile fell and for a moment, Sif considered to take her words back. “There is no reason for me to go back,” he said before she got the chance to speak up. “All I need is here.”
The words sparked a confusing mix of relief and sadness in her chest. Thor lack of desire to return to Midgard, paired with his mood after his last visit, made her wonder if he was still with the mortal Lady Jane. If they had quit whatever engagement they had had, she was sure it had pained him deeply. Even more she hated herself for the relief that came with the knowledge he wouldn’t leave any time soon. She opened her mouth, wanting to offer gentle words of comfort, but he was faster once again.
“I was a fool to be so oblivious to my own heart’s desire, and wander the worlds to find it elsewhere,” he said. “I was wrong to reject what was offered to me so willingly, just to miss it now that I cannot have it anymore.”
Thor’s words would have made little sense hadn’t Sif known him for so long already. She could read in his eyes like in an open book, understood the hidden meanings behind his speeches with a single look upon his face. Of course she could be mistaken, could misinterpret his intentions with being biased.
But maybe…
“Maybe there’s still a chance for you to get your heart’s desire, if you chose to fight for what you believe is lost,” she answered. “You’re not known for giving up so easily.”
The hint of a smile lit Thor’s face, and Sif’s heart told her she had understood just right. She leaned into him willingly when he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and suddenly the chill in the night’s air didn’t bother her no more.