Warrior's Heart |Thor|

17. "Where Do We Stand?"

 Esme and Thor made the long journey home in the wee late hours of the night. The two weren't exhausted by any means. Esme's heart thundered in her chest, replaying the kiss in her head multiple times. She had been the one to make the move, not him. It had been the total opposite of their very first kiss, one that to this day, she could still recall very clearly.

~*~

Esme understood why Thor favored Earth at times. Jane Foster had a hold on him. It wasn't possessive, it wasn't abusive, it was...she wanted to deem it as some sort of love.

So Esme was very confused as she realized Thor was trying to make a move to kiss her.

"What do you think you're doing?" Esme snapped, putting her hands to the god's chest before he could go any further. "You and Jane Foster are together, aren't you? I thought you were better than this."

Though she half expected a piggish remark, instead she got from Thor, "I suppose I'm not thinking this through."

"Care to explain?"

"Yes, Jane and I were together. However, recently, things have seemed...out of touch. It didn't make sense at first, since I couldn't figure out why. I thought it was because we're from different worlds, literally. I've come to realize it's not really that at all."

"Then what is it?"

"Jane feels stronger about our relationship than I do. She's more involved with it. When the Bifrost went, it put things on...ice. Being together with her again made me realize just how weak our relationship had gotten. It made me realize how...how much you and I have gotten to know each other."

Esme wasn't sure what to do. What could she say? She'd felt inklings of something, but she hadn't ever experienced it before. Not even when she was a little girl. This was a new beast, one she couldn't kill.

"And you're absolutely sure you know what you're talking about right now?" Esme asked him firmly.

"I do. Please, stop me, before I make this moment awkward." Thor chuckled nervously.

"You made it awkward when you tried to kiss me." Esme yanked on a strand of Thor's stringy hair. "Read the signs, Thor. Listen to them."

"I am. I'm listening to you. In all this time we've talked...you haven't said your feelings on the matter."

Thor had a valid point on that. The conversation was, so far, only about his feelings. She had yet to voice hers. Are there any to voice? she wondered. Sure, she and the God of Thunder had spent more time together, from the time he had heeded her help in the grassy fields of Asgard to help find the truth about Loki. It seemed from that time on, she somehow found her way back into his life in some capacity, just as he had done the same.