[Post Avengers: Endgame]
"Let's get the sun shining on you again, then. For Loki."
"How?"
"We'll work on it. I'll be in your corner, you won't be alone."
"Thank you, Esme."
"Anything for...Anything for you, Thor."
Esme is one of the last Asgardians...
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Esme had been through many a battles and had no fear.
But hosting this little Christmas party...it had her scared straight.
While she and Thor did not have much in the way of money, or holiday decorations, or any of Earth's technology, their friends chipped in. Pepper, Wanda, and Laura had come early to help.
Laura and Esme were in charge of decorations, Pepper and Wanda took care of food, setup, and music. Thor had disappeared from the house, mentioned that he'd be back. He hadn't given much detail other than that.
"I feel like we should be doing more than this," said Esme to Laura.
"It's a small party. Or are you talking about for Christmas?"
"For the actual holiday. We should be embracing your culture."
"You two have been through a lot." Laura offered Esme an easy smile. "It's okay, our culture is pretty expansive. It's hard to get it all down. But holidays are a good start."
Pepper had music going through the house via her phone, playing Christmas tunes in moderate volume.
A cold blast shook Esme through her bones as the door opened. Rather than seeing Thor or any of the guests, the top of a tree tried to cram its way in.
"What in the bloody hell?" Esme went to tug the tree in. Some of the needles littered the floor as it squeezed through. Esme was nearly bowled over with the tree once Thor got inside, kicking the door shut with his foot. "Thor?"
"You can't do Christmas without a tree."
"Where are we going to put it? We need to keep it standing with something, and we'll need to water it."
"I know a good place to put it," said Laura. "Let me go out to my car."
"What for?"
"He wanted to surprise you with this, I got the stuff so you can maintain it."
Thor set the tree upright, supporting it with his weight. He peeked around the needles. "What do you think?"
"You just made woodland creatures homeless," said Esme, putting hands to her hips.
"I didn't chop down the forest. This is part of the holiday. We get to decorate it with trinkets, ornaments, and lights. They usually put a star or an angel atop the tree."
Laura came back with the things necessary to prop the tree, then ran back out only to bring in a box or two of lights and ornaments.
"We've got way too many at home. I'd rather have a friend take them off my hands," she said, placing the boxes on the couch. "If you'd like, you two can commandeer the tree. I'll check in with Pepper and Wanda and see how things are going."
