I Thought You Were Different

Son of Odin

"Oh, Thor, I'm so sorry!  Are you okay?"

"It is of no consequence, (Y/N)," he groaned, doubled over with an arm wrapped around his own stomach, his breaths long and rhythmic as he tried to work through the jolt of pain you had caused.  He tried to look up at you, but with each movement that stretched his muscles, a new wave of radiating agony coursed through him.

"I really didn't mean to kick you...there.  I swear."

"Carry on, (Y/N).  You've left yourself open."

You raised your head just in time to see the bottom of Natasha's boot hit you square in the chest, throwing you into the hard wall behind you and knocking the breath from your lungs with a searing pain that shook your ribs.  Clint was waiting at the point of impact, ready to grab you and flip you onto your back, pressing his weight into your abdomen to pin you down.

"Do you think she's ready?" Tony asked, standing with Steve on the other side of the gymnasium window.  Today was your final test, and they were both eagerly and anxiously watching your every move. 

"I want to," Steve replied quietly with a small nod.

"Scared?"

"Every time."

"Yeah," Tony reluctantly agreed, folding his arms over his chest, still watching you intently as he spoke to his teammate, "even watching her now, I worry that she could do something to ruin all of that recovery and work that she's done.  But," he sighed, "she doesn't want me to play the dad role anymore, so as a concerned, very close and ridiculously overprotective friend, I hope that you make the right decision."

"She'll never forgive me if I say no for my own purposes.  You know that."

The two men continued to watch, with Thor now rejoining the fight and making it a three-on-one battle that you had slim chances of winning.  All it would take is for Thor to pin you with that damn hammer to end it, and he sure was trying.  It wouldn't be fair to take another cheap shot at him, even though you weren't lying when you said you didn't mean to do it the first time.  In your peripheral vision, you spotted Steve as he watched, his expression and demeanor carrying his fear for you to easily read; Tony was a near-perfect mirror to him, and it gave you the sudden burst of energy and drive that you needed, determined to prove them wrong in their worry once and for all.

Steve closed his eyes for a moment, opening them to drop his gaze to the floor as he thought about how he could convince you to stay behind on your own volition so that you wouldn't blame him when he told you that he didn't agree with the others.  He needed to find a way to keep you safe this time, the guilt of the accident still in his mind.  When he raised his head again and looked through the window, he gasped out loud, wrapping his arm around Tony's shoulder with a stinging slap. 

Natasha was now secured to a nearby weight bench with chains from the punching bag, Clint was lying in the fetal position in the far corner and appearing to be crying, while you had your arm tightly around Thor's throat and his arms pinned with your legs, in the move that had rendered Steve unconscious not all that long ago.  When you saw your Captain eyeing you, you gave him a quick wink as the muscles in your arms flexed and Thor began to appear much more relaxed.

"Lord help me, that's hot," Steve mumbled, silencing himself with a cough at the snap of Tony's head towards him.  "Sorry."

"So, we're a go?"

"Stark, she's choking out an Asgardian.  What do you think?"

"I think your opinion is shit at this point, Cap."

Steve slipped past Tony and to the gym doors, entering and signaling to you that the test was over before Thor actually slipped into unconsciousness.  You gently pushed the god to the floor, holding his head to be as careful as possible, giving him one quick look to be sure he was coming back around.