#I just need to make a giant board with all my little ideas and reconvene in the morning lol

[maxwell-mtv]

Ladies, MEN and Gentlethems...

I think I've lost the plot lmao

[etherealwaifgoddess]

The Worthy Art of Homemaking

Main Characters: Thor x Valkyrie

Summary: Valkyrie encourages Thor to figure out what he wants to do with his life now that he’s back in New Asgard.

Warnings/ Content: Fluff and lots of it. A slightly anxious Thor. 

Word Count: 1283

Author’s Note: This is a birthday gift to the amazing @ryujin-zanba who regularly blesses us with amazing fics based on requests and prompts. It’s about time someone wrote something for this darling after all the good they spread into the world for others. If you’re familiar with “Worthy” and “Redemption” you’ll know I am a *huge* fat Thor fan and this fic will come as no surprise to you. If you’re not, please know in this house we love fat Thor and will defend him to the ends of the earth. Anyhoo, enough of my rambles. I hope @ryujin-zanba and the rest of you lovelies enjoy! 

XOXO - Ash

The Worthy Art of Homemaking

“Thor,” Valkyrie repeats, giving him a pointed look across the board room table, “What do you think?”

Thor finally lifts his gaze, only to her, not daring to look around the table full of people. “Sounds like a fine idea.” he says, the low timbre of his voice rumbling across the room. 

Valkyrie shoots him an encouraging smile, “Alright, that’s settled then. Moving on…” she carries on to the next order of business, her effortless command of the room a blessing to Thor who would really rather not be there. 

All Thor wants is to be back at their cottage in bed. Preferably with his iPad and Fenrir, their massive Newfoundland. He tugs down the hem of his grey cable knit sweater for the hundredth time since joining the meeting two hours ago. It keeps bunching up under the gentle swell of his pecs, exposing a sliver of pale tummy where it rests on his thighs. It had fit better before he left to go traveling with Quil and the guardians; he hadn’t thought twice about throwing it on his way out the door. Thor sighs quietly. He had spent six months running around the galaxy and while his mental health had continued to steadily improve, he never got around to losing the weight he’d gained over the past six years. If anything he gained a bit more, especially with the muscle he had regained while lifting weights regularly with Quil and Drax. He is as strong as he ever was, just softer now. In the quiet moments, he reluctantly admits to himself, when he is alone in bed with nothing else to do than take himself in hand, he actually quite enjoys his new found softness. 

“Thank you all for joining us today. We’ll reconvene in a week.” Valkyrie’s voice snaps Thor back to the present. He’s not sure how long he had zoned out for that time; it could have been five minutes or fifty for all he knows. As the room clears out Valkyrie remains in her seat, watching Thor with the soft smile she reserves just for him. “Are you alright, love?” she asks once everyone has gone.

Thor tries to give her a convincing smile and nods. His smile falters though and she sees right through the gentle giant. 

“You’re not though.” she coos, “Oh, my love. I’m so sorry.” Valkyrie hops out of her seat to go over to Thor and wraps herself around his shoulders from behind. She holds onto him tightly for a moment before moving his long hair out of the way to press delicate kisses along his neck.

“I’ll be fine.” he assures her, and partly himself. 

“You don’t want to be here for the meetings, do you?”

“It’s just that you do such a fine job. I meant what I said when I turned the rule of New Asgard over to you. Me being home doesn’t change that.” 

“I only wanted for you to feel included. If you don’t want to be here, you don’t have to be. What would you like to do instead?”

Thor thinks for a minute, he still hasn’t figured that out yet. “I don’t know.” he tells her honestly. “Can I think on it?”

“Of course. Take all the time you need.”

It’s almost two weeks later on a lazy Sunday that Thor figures it out. They have fallen into an easy rhythm in that time, Valkyrie going out each morning to attend to her kingly duties and Thor taking care of their home. What had always felt like a hardship to Valkyrie (dishes, laundry, grocery shopping) seems like a vacation to Thor. After a lifetime of battles, something as small as vacuuming the carpet is a joy. 

Thor needs a routine and caring for their home and preparing meals gives him the push he needs to get out of bed even on his low days. Well, that and a very persistent Fenrir who makes his needs known via throaty boofs for attention. Thor finds a deep sense of fulfillment in his tasks and prides himself on a day well spent when Valkyrie comes home to rave about how wonderful dinner smells. Thor’s been practicing his kitchen skills every day, creating Pinterest boards and ordering new appliances online. He’s on day three of his InstaPot experiments and is thrilled with how quickly he can get dinner on the table when he’s running short on time. 

Thor’s realization is thanks to a joke Sam cracks while they’re FaceTiming, catching up on their lives. “You’re getting to be a regular Martha Stewart!” Sam teases affectionately. Thor scrunches his nose at that, unsure of what a Martha Stewart is. Sam explains his joke, that he had only meant Thor was becoming extremely skilled in the art of homemaking. They discuss the value of homemaking and how society has changed the view of it over the years while Thor’s mind whirls as he thinks of the past few weeks. Sensing Thor’s distraction, Sam bids his friend farewell and they promise to catch up again soon. Thor sets his iPad down and looks around his home, lost in thought. 

Later that night, after Valkyrie is done fawning over the roast lamb Thor made for dinner, the pair curl up in bed, content to just read for a bit while cuddling. Thor sets aside his book, unable to focus, finally gathering his courage to broach the topic. 

“Darling?” He says hesitantly. 

“Hmm?” Valkyrie places her book on the nightstand, giving him her full attention. 

“I think I know what I’d like to do now.”

“Now as in for your life now that you’re home, or now as in right now. Because I have a few suggestions for right now.”

Thor squirms a little as Valkyrie runs her fingers down his chest and belly, skirting against the waistband of his pajama bottoms. “As in now that I’m back.” He clarifies. 

“Alright then, what is it?”

“I want…” he starts and stops. This is harder to say than he expected. “I want to…” his throat constricts. He knows Valkyrie loves him and will support him in anything he wants but a small scared part of him is afraid of judgment for his choice. “I want to be Martha Stewart.” He blurts out all in one breath. 

Valkyrie’s eyebrows lift in amusement, “You what?” 

Thor sighs heavily, knowing there is no backtracking now. “I want to be a homemaker. I love caring for you and Fenrir and our home. I don’t need anything else to make me feel fulfilled. I get as much, or as little, social interaction as I’m up to and am always busy with something. I’m planning a garden for the spring so we’ll have our own produce too. I know it’s not a normal thing for a man but Sam says people’s perceptions are changing and…” 

Valkyrie stops his rambling with a kiss to his lips. “My love.” She says pulling away just far enough to look him in the eyes, “My sweet, wonderful man. If this is what you want, then there is nothing I want more.” 

“Truly? You do not mind?” Thor’s voice wavers as his emotions rise yet again. 

“Of course not! You do such a wonderful job around here. I’m so happy for you to have finally decided on something.”

“Thank you.” Thor sniffs, relieved the conversation went so well. 

Valkyrie’s smile shifts from sweet to devilish as she slips a hand back under the duvet. “Now, I still have a few suggestions of what we could do right now if you’re interested…”  

Thor groans as her hand finds its prize. “I do believe that’s a wonderful idea.”

 ~The End~