Thor released one of Esme's hands to reach behind him to pull out a very familiar ring. The female Asgardian felt as though she couldn't breathe. He was proposing to her, again. The first time had felt so rushed, yet she had accepted.

~*~

The fight for Asgard was on.

Esme, along with Loki, Valkyrie, a raging green monster who liked to smash, and a few others she didn't know, were locked in duels with Hela's undead army. Aside from any Asgardian warriors that were left, they were the realm's last line of defense.

Thor had come to join the party, jumping into the fray, shooting bolts of lightning at the undead army. While it was slowly becoming a familiar sight, Esme wished he still had his hammer. Esme dashed to his side, eager to help him—not that she believed he would need it. It seemed as though the God of Thunder got a serious power boost.

With daggers in each hand, Esme dealt blows, blocking others to her. She made a quick turn to see Thor take out one of Hela's minions that had been charging right for her.

"What the bloody hell happened to you?" Esme gasped, taking note of Thor's right eye—which was no longer present and the entire socket covered in dark blood.

"Hela."

"I definitely want the hag dead now." In fact, if Esme could get close enough to the Goddess of Death without dying, she'd love to make her lose an eye.

The two fought, using each other's skills to dismantle Hela's army. But it seemed as though the more they destroyed, the more came to replace the fallen. The replacement forces swelled drastically, almost to the point they would drown.

"Esme!"

At some point, her back hit someone else's. She had been prepared to swing behind her but quickly didn't, for it was Thor. The two were circled by enemies, but they were able to keep them away for a time.

Once the circle became too much for the pair, the duo leapt into the air on opposing sides to draw attention away from the other. Sweat dripped on Esme's skin but it didn't slow her skills or her parries or her swings. When she had a moment's glance, she looked for the hag of hell in the hopes that she would get her shot at her.

Esme worked her way through Hela's undead minions before joining Thor back into the center. Like before, they stood back to back. The undead were a good distance away but gaining very quickly.

"Marry me, Esme."

The female Asgardian wasn't sure she had heard him correctly. He really couldn't mean...When she replayed it in her mind, she knew that he was being one-hundred percent serious. "What?!" she gasped out loud, quickly refocusing to take out an undead warrior. A few more were coming to take its place.

"Time is precious, even for us. I know it may be far too early, but I'd rather know now than never know at all!"

He's mad, absolutely mad! Asking me to marry him in the middle of a bloody battle! Hela must've taken some of his brains when she took his eye!

"Thor!" She grabbed her love's arm. "If we make it out of this, regardless of where we are...I will. Yes, I will marry you." She pushed him away as he tried to kiss her—not that she didn't want to—but because a rude enemy was about to interrupt their cute moment. Esme cut them down, quickly going back to Thor to push their lips together. "Let's agree to not die, yeah?"

~*~

Thor hadn't given Esme the ring until after they had escaped Asgard. He had fashioned it out of a small piece of metal on the ship they had gotten away on. The sentiment behind it was beautiful to Esme.

She never thought she'd see the ring again.

Thor watched her with eager eyes. "This is a much better place to propose than on a battlefield."

Esme couldn't quite agree on that. There was something different, unique about proposing in the midst of battle. This felt dull in comparison, but she could never tell him that in fear of hurting his spirit. "Thor..." She knelt down to his level. She squeezed her eyes shut, unsure of how best to break this to him.

Thor deflated. "Poor timing?"

"Well...yes, a bit." She curled his hand around the ring. "We just got back to a stable point for us. As we said, we're starting anew, in a way. Things may be different, but this may allow us to get to know each other even better without all the crazy chaos that we found ourselves in." She touched his cheek. "I'm not saying never. Perhaps a while from now, my answer may be different." He's loved me so strongly, even after all this time. He never stopped. I need to learn to feel on that level again like he has. Then I'll be ready to marry him.

Esme wasn't sure what kind of reaction she'd get from Thor. Angry would not be on that list. Instead, a calm washed over him.

"I understand," he murmured. "But I hope you realize, I may be a little persistent until you say yes."

Esme chuckled. "And I will remain firm on my answer until the time that changes, so, to save us both time, I say you pick your next time to ask wisely."