nexus_crossings | Time-sensitive question how flirt girl

It's been some time since Thor has sought the Nexus for advice. Which is not to say that he's not a regular visitor, but he's felt relatively assured in his day-to-day life enough to feel that he has a good handle on what he's doing with himself, or at least that his struggles are routine and need little guidance to overcome. Today, apparently, this is not the case.

One might be forgiven for assuming the glass bottle in his hand is beer at first glance, but on closer inspection it seems to be a cream soda instead. It's not what he wants, but just having a drink in his hands seems to be a comfort, making it easier to think. The little picnic table is off to one side off the main Plaza, its benches warmed by the summer sun as it overlooks a small koi pond. Thor's one good eye stares through the glinting fish rather than watching them, lost in thought.

What's he supposed to do now?

Is this even a good idea? What happens once a few decades pass? What if he decides not to risk it, and she leaves? Should he even be seriously considering putting himself through this again? He doesn't even know his own heart yet, what if he ends up stringing her along without meaning to?

Those are the questions he keeps to himself, but there are more yet to ask. He picks at the soda label with his prosthetic fingers, metal lightly tapping against the glass.

"How do you realize when you're in love?" Not quite getting to the point, but Thor is honestly not even sure where to start on this one.

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"I think it is sweet... for you to picture her having children. It means you already see a future with her." Harley points out softly.

Before Harley speaks any further, she rips the bandage of the first point that they keep dancing around.

"Amelia is a great woman, Thor."

"It will be a challenge for her to see the differences she has made in the lives of those around her. Because she already has made a difference. And she still sometimes questions that..."

"I think the most important thing is for you to be honest with that you want to be by her side. That you want to support her, and be supported by her. That you want a partnership. A relationship that grows stronger day by day."

"You already have found so much in each other. Embrace it."

A future... of sorts, but before he can discuss it further, Harley drops that little bomb of knowledge on him and he jolts. "How'd you know it was her?" he blurts out, surprised.

They really have been obvious to everyone else, haven't they?

"How long have you known?"

"Um.... she sort of did the same thing you are doing now. She came to the Nexus for advice on how to handle certain feelings."

"Now.... she didn't name any names."

"And did pretty good at avoiding details about the person she was speaking about."

"But... she is one of my closest friends. And I can sort of read people pretty fast. Put that together, and I knew she was talking about you, when she was here. Just like I knew you were talking about her, when you said your question."

"As far as how long... weeks maybe? But it was between you two to figure out."

Thor is torn between being proud of Amelia for taking steps on her own to tackle her feelings, and mild alarm that this has suddenly become a more public affair than he thought. The last twenty-four hours have been an enormous shift of his worldview, turning the world he thought he knew on its head and leaving him newly exposed.

Which is not to say that it's a bad thing.

"And this doesn't bother you?" he asks carefully, sounding her out. Nothing Harley has said or done has hinted that she's upset at him for thinking of courting someone she once dated, but one can never be too careful with this sort of thing.

Harley looks confused for a good moment. "Why would this bother me?"

"I consider you a close confident. I hope you are happy in all things."

"And I consider Amelia to be a close confident. And want her happy in all things."

"If you can be happy together... wouldn't that be great?"

She says it as though it is so simple, and perhaps that's how it should be. Unsure what to say to that, Thor just nods and wishes she wasn't across the table so he could hug her.

Despite knowing that Harley's relationship with Amelia did not work out, perhaps she's the best person to ask his real question, the one that's been chewing at him since Amelia's confession. "I'm not sure what to do," he tells her, sounding just as baffled as he has been. "How do you date someone who is frightened by the idea?"

Harley laughs at the question. "You are the best one to answer that question, yourself."

"Treat it sort of like the ol' boiling a frog situation. Don't call your time together 'dates'. But make the most of spending time together. Do things that make sense. That are things that you would have done together anyway. Slowly heat up the water, and let her ease into being comfortable with the situation."

"I think as long as you both want to be together, it shouldn't really matter if it is called dating or not."

'Boiling a frog' is not exactly the most glamorous idiom Thor's ever heard, and he makes a little face at it. But though he doesn't entirely grasp its meaning, the rest of what she has to say makes sense, and he leans back a little to consider it.

"Have... Amelia and I been dating this entire time, then?"

Harley bursts out laughing at that. "It would make the most sense. Dating without either of you realizing you were dating. You are both so lovable about not knowing though..."

She reaches over to take Thor's hand in hers. And beams. "But now you both know how you feel about each other. You are already in the low heat of the relationship and have plenty of time to get used to the water. Together. As a couple."

A couple... it's been years since Thor has thought of himself as being in one, and the idea makes him excited yet anxious. What if it doesn't work out? What if it does?

"This feels like trickery," he admits with a small, nervous smile. "Pretending we're not courting, I mean."

It's a very Loki idea to have, and Thor can't help but wonder if his brother has rubbed off on Harley, or if perhaps this is part of what drew them together in the first place. Like minds, and all that. Whatever the case, it's working well for them, and he can't help but wonder... why not try?

"You ain't pretending anything. You can't define what works for you to what other people do, Thor."

"So just because other people might want to put terms on it. Like dating. Or courting."

"Push that aside and focus on what is important to you."

"Amelia is important to you. And you are important to her."

He's not sure he understands, not exactly. But her point is one he cannot deny, nor would he even want to. "Yes," Thor agrees quietly, giving Harley's hand a gentle squeeze. "Of course."

He's quiet a moment, just thinking, rubbing his thumb against the back of Harley's hand in his grasp. "I don't want to lose her," he says at last, raising his eye to meet hers again. "Not just to time, but... if I do something wrong. If she runs. I want to do this right."

It's as much a declaration of intent as it is a realization for himself. Whatever the case, whatever the storms, he's committed to this course. Fear has stayed his hand before, and he fears for the future now. But unlike before, Thor is surprised at himself for his determination not to back down. Not on this. Too many opportunities have been lost for him to look away.

Harley smiles. And holds his hand tightly for a second.

"I think you have your answer to how you feel."

"Easy steps. You both have decided to take this journey together. It is your journey. And you have me as a cheerleader for both of you."

What did Thor ever do to deserve a friend like Harley? He's not sure, but he's not had a moment where he's regretted it. She is a frighteningly insightful human at times.

He smiles at her, and gives her hands one more squeeze before letting go. "Right," he says, leaning back and running his hands through his hair, trying to center himself. His whole world's been turned upside down in short order, but at least this time it's the sort with a brighter future ahead. If he can do this right.

Time-sensitive question how flirt girl

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