Hi, sorry that this chapter took so long to publish. I was originally going to do the other prompt for this day, but I realized my story wasn’t really working and I was getting burned out on it. Maybe I’ll publish it someday. Anyway, I hope you like this one!

Word Count: 1,881

Trigger Warning: Mentions of abuse

  “So, how has it been, dating a god?” Thor asked the man sitting across from him. 

  Mobius took a sip from his coffee. “It’s definitely been interesting, to say the least. It’s nice that we’ve finally gotten a chance to sit down and talk to each other. Maybe we can help each other provide insights for our relationships. How long have you been dating Bruce?’

  Thor grinned. “It will be six midguardian months next week!”

   Mobius smiled. “Are you doing anything special to celebrate?”

   “I want to take him on a picnic and then stargaze afterward.” He rested his chin on his hand and gazed off into space like he was in some kind of romantic movie. 

  “That sounds lovely,” Mobius replied. “Is it weird, dating a human?” 

  “A little. They tend to take things slower than most Asgardians--which is fine. Bruce and I didn’t kiss until our third date, and he isn’t very physically affectionate. That’s okay with me, though. I don’t want to rush him or make him feel pressured. What is it like dating Loki? I know he can be quite the drama queen sometimes.” 

  Mobius chuckled. “Yeah, I know all about the drama part. He’ll sometimes turn into different animals or objects that I like if he thinks I’m not giving him enough attention. Once we went to a bar and he transformed into a very seductive woman and tried to see if he could catch me cheating or something. But I, of course, stayed strong. Plus, I kinda figured out who it was after about two minutes. Nobody else I know would relate love to being a dagger.”

  Thor laughed, pounding his fist on the table. “He used to use that as a party trick! He would see how long he could go before he got bored or if someone caught on. Sometimes people forget that he’s genderfluid. I suppose you passed his ‘test’, though.”  

  Mobius smiled. “I suppose I did.” He raised his coffee cup to his lips. “So, do humans have any little quirks you’ve picked up on? Any weird habits?”

  Thor thought for a moment. “I mean, when Bruce is trying to figure something out, he’ll murmur to himself and write in the air with his finger, which is cute. I also sometimes catch him singing. It’s a very rare occurrence because he only does it when he thinks he’s alone. He has a very lovely voice, though.” He took a sip of his hot chocolate. Whipped cream lingered on his nose and lips. Mobius passed him a napkin. “But Bruce also has some...weird habits. Sometimes he’ll jump at loud noises, and I have to announce when I walk into the lab because sometimes I’ve been able to walk right up to him without him knowing. One time I startled him so bad by doing that that he almost spilled acid on me. I was scolded heavily for that afterward.

  “There’s been other times where I’ve shut a door too loudly or raised my voice, and he asked me if I was mad at him. Like, no! Why in the world would I be mad at him? He’s--as Peter would put it--a cinnamon roll!”

  Mobius studied the god for a moment. “Has he done anything else that you think is weird?”

  “Well...he doesn’t drink. He hates alcohol. He also doesn’t want to be around me when I’m drunk, so when I do drink I’ll usually leave the tower. He also seems to hate conflict, but that’s probably because it stirs up the Hulk. He usually tries to avoid or diffuse arguments and he doesn’t spar with the other heroes. Only Hulk spars. I’ve even asked him to come watch me spar with Carol before and he’s declined.”

 Mobius tapped the table, thinking. “Thor, may I ask you a personal question?”

  Thor shrugged. “Sure.” 

  “Did your parents ever hit you or yell at you? Did they get angry when they were drunk?”

  The god sighed. “My father wasn’t the best. Sometimes he’d yell at us and punish us, but it seemed like Loki got most of his wrath.” 

   The mortal nodded. “That’s what I thought.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Now, I know this is none of my business, but do you know whether Bruce was abused at some point? Maybe he grew up with an abusive family or had an abusive partner?”

  The blond frowned. “I sure hope not.” His face twisted, now more visibly upset. "Bruce is so wonderful and sweet! Who in their right mind would hurt him?" 

   Mobius shook his head. "I don't know. That is something you'd have to ask him. If you do, make sure it's just the two of you and that he's not preoccupied with something. And be prepared to comfort him if he needs you to."

  Thor nodded, his stomach in knots at the thought of someone hurting his boyfriend. His heart ached for the rest of the day. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  The god knocked on his partner’s bedroom door later that evening, balancing a teacup and saucer in one hand. 

  “Come in,” came a reply from inside. 

  Thor pushed open the door to see working on something at his desk in the glow of soft yellow lamplight. “I made your favorite tea.”

   Bruce smiled and took the cup, inhaling the steam rising from the surface. “Thank you. What’s the occasion?”

  Thor pulled up the footstool from the sofa in the corner to sit on. “Oh, nothing,” he replied, waving a hand. “I just thought you could use some tea. It’s very calming and uh, soothing.” 

  The scientist raised an eyebrow as he studied  his boyfriend’s face. 

  Thor sighed. “Oh alright, there is something that’s been on my mind all day.” 

  Bruce placed the tea on his desk and swiveled in his chair to fully face the god. “I’m listening.” 

   “So I went on a lunch date with Mobius.” 

  The scientist tilted his head. “A lunch date ?”

  Thor’s eyes widened at his warning. “No, no, not like that!” He waved his hands. “I would rather die than cheat on you, Bruce. What I meant was Mobius and I went to have coffee and talk about how our relationships were going. We figured we could get advice from one another since he’s dating a god and I’m dating a human.”

  Bruce smiled. “I know you wouldn’t cheat on me, Thor. I just wanted to see your reaction. Were y’all able to exchange some advice?”

  Thor inhaled through his teeth, making a hissing sound. “Yeah, about that...We started talking about habits that we’ve noticed in our partners, and I wanted to ask about some that I’ve noticed you doing.”

  Bruce shifted uncomfortably. He had a feeling he knew where this was going. “Go on.” 

  “Well...normally I don’t have to announce my presence around the other Avengers when I walk into a room. They never jump or flinch if I touch them randomly or make a loud noise. Sometimes you’ve asked if I’m mad at you if I raise my voice or close a door too loud. And you don’t like being around drunk people, which I guess I can understand. Drunk people can get crazy. But, I just wanted to know if I’m doing something wrong?”

   Bruce’s expression softened. “No Thor, you’re not doing anything wrong.”

  “Then what is it?”

  The scientist sighed and pushed his glasses up to rub his eyes. “I never had a very good childhood, Thor. My dad abused my mom and me, both verbally and physically. Part of that was because he drank a lot, which fuelled his anger. As I got older, I was able to defend my mother, but it was still hard on the both of us.”

  Thor felt tears threatening to spill over his eyes. “I’m so sorry that happened to you, Bruce.” 

  “It’s okay. It’s been a while since that’s happened, but that doesn’t mean the trauma isn’t there. There are things called trauma responses. It’s where when your brain thinks you’re in danger, it does what it can to keep you safe, like a fight or flight response. My father used to yell and slam doors. That’s why I jump at loud noises. It’s because my brain isn’t sure I’m safe. Sometimes if someone pats me on the back a little too roughly, it reminds me of being hit. And I just prefer to avoid drinking environments because they remind me too much of my father.”

  “I understand now. And I’m so sorry for doing anything that triggered those responses.” Thor began to cry. 

  Bruce’s voice softened. “Hey, Thor, it’s okay. You didn’t know. Do you want a hug?” 

  The god nodded, and Bruce leaned forward to hug him. “I’m glad you came to ask me about my history with abuse. It can help us know each other’s needs better,” he murmured. Thor sniffled as they swayed side to side. 

  The smaller man checked his watch. “It’s almost ten o’clock. Do you want to go to bed?”

  Thor pulled back. “With you?”

  Bruce nodded. “I think tonight is a cuddle night.” 

  The god grinned, sniffling as he wiped the last of his tears away. The two spent the next twenty minutes getting ready for bed, then crawled under the covers and into each other's arms. 

  Bruce laid still as Thor rubbed his back and pressed the lightest of kisses on his neck. “Thor?” he asked after a few minutes. 

  “Hmm?” came the response as he placed a kiss right below his boyfriend’s ear. 

  “May I ask you about one of your habits?”

  Thor shifted back to look at him. “Sure.” 

  “Why do you always tap me three times?”

  The god tilted his head. “I didn’t think you had noticed.”

  Bruce scoffed playfully. “When you’re not squeezing my hand three times no matter when we’re holding them, you’re finding some way to tap or kiss me three times. You’ve even tapped on me in your sleep! What’s that about”

  Thor blushed. “Well, I guess I can’t wait until our six month anniversary now,” he mumbled. “It was my way of practicing and working up courage to say this:”--he tapped once for each word--“I love you.”

   It was Bruce’s turn to form tears in his eyes. “You love me?”

  Thor nodded, hovering above him to kiss his soft lips. “More than anything.”

  “Even PopTarts and Nutella??” 

   The god grinned and chuckled. “A million times more.” He kissed Bruce again. “Now you can know how much I love you, and how often I think about how much I love you.  And I don’t need words to tell you.”

  Bruce beamed as he thought about all of the times the past month that Thor had been sending his own secret message. How he loved him despite peculiar trauma responses and habits. He returned Thor’s kisses. “I love you, too.” 

  The pair cuddled together as close as possible and fell asleep.