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[/h1][/sup][/color][indent][sub][COLOR=349693][b]Themis' Apartment → The Ball[/b][/COLOR][/sub][/indent][indent][sup][right][COLOR=9D3DD0][b]Thor & Themis[/b][/color][/right][/sup][/indent][hr]



[color=gray][indent][indent][indent]Thor had been waiting outside of Themis’ apartment building for the better half of the past hour, staring at the screen of his phone as he read over the article uploaded by the Seattle Times. In a surprisingly decent detail, they managed to report on his activities in the past day and how he foolishly took the gamble of hitting the docks after he found out that the next shipment of product was coming in last night. Had he been a little wiser, maybe he would’ve passed this along to his good friends at the police department or even let Athena know. But, no: Thor went in with a steadfast will. He was armed with centuries of experience in battle and a heart pointing in the direction of justice.

[color=#349693]“Not to mention enough recklessness to threaten the veil that hid the existence of Godkind.”[/color] He expelled a short laugh, grunting when his mouth started to hurt.

Yes, Thor was foolish last night, thinking he was anywhere close to being prepared for the onslaught of goons that would be at the pier. He didn’t anticipate them having heavy machinery that might actually make his night worse. He never thought for a second that, in the height of his heroics, a shotgun blast at close range would hit him and hit him good. 

Ever since the descension, his healing hasn’t been what it usually was. When he got hit, sure he recovered quickly; if it was a heavier hit like a steel pipe or a gun, it took him half of a day, but Thor always managed to get back up on his feet. And, of course, he was fine now, but at the same time, he wasn’t back to his unharmed self. He felt woozy at times and his head was throbbing with a migraine that not even a few oxy’s could fix. His jaw felt like someone took a drill and put it on loop. When he talked, it hurt.

All in all, Thor felt like shit and attending a charity event hosted by people he didn’t give a rat’s ass about regardless how you sliced it wasn’t on his priority list. But Thor wasn’t doing this for himself. So taking a few more oxy’s to numb the pain, Thor grabbed his [url=https://i.imgur.com/4LJAdAs.jpg]suit[/url] jacket and got out of the rented [url=https://i.imgur.com/8ZP2Pt2.jpg]Lexus[/url] he reserved for this night and only this night. Going past that would render next month’s rent obsolete.

As he walked, Thor squeezed his arms through his jacket one sleeve at a time. By the time he managed to get his left arm into it, he was inside her apartment building. As soon as the God of Thunder reached Themis’ door, he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his key. She had given him his own when their relationship started to get serious again. 

Thor inserted the key into the keyhole of the knob. Even before he opened the door, he heard voices. One was Themis’. Of course, he knew her voice right off the bat, but the other wasn’t as familiar. He felt like he heard it but he was coming up empty.

[color=9D3DD0]“It’s just that every time I say I’m going to tell him, something always happens that distracts me from i-”[/color]

[color=#349693]“Amanda?”[/color] Puzzled, Thor stopped for a brief moment. He had half of his leg inside her apartment and would take an additional moment to make the conscious decision to go in all the way. [color=#349693]“Where ya at?”[/color] He asked, his voice echoing in the somewhat empty entrance.

At once, the Greek goddess Themis and her niece Astraea exchanged panicked looks and wildly failed their hands. Had he heard their conversation? Because the last thing the blonde needed was for her boyfriend to find out about her pregnancy this way. [color=9D3DD0]“ShitshitshitshitSHIT!”[/color] the justice goddess muttered under her breath as she frantically rubbed her temples. [color=9D3DD0]“I’m in the master bedroom with Alana!”[/color] she called back out to Thor. The two women had just enough time to put on their best 'nothing suspicious is happening here' faces before Thor entered the bedroom.

The amount of time it took him to register what she said put most of the worries he had to rest. Astraea was the best example of how the Greeks weren’t all bad. Of course, Themis was always the exception-- but the star maiden was also an exception. Not in the same way Themis was, but more that Thor often felt protective over her because of the closeness she had with his beloved. 

Despite the unexplained tension he couldn’t help pick up on, he greeted both goddesses with a smile. [color=349693]“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt your conversation. I wasn’t counting on you being here, Astraea,”[/color] he admitted with a laugh.

[color=00CED1]“Oh, hey Thor! Don't even worry about it. We were just--”[/color] Astraea began, shooting a nervous glance at Themis before turning back to Thor with a shaky smile. [color=00CED1]“Theia was just helping me with my hair and makeup for the ball…"[/color] Anyone that knew the goddess of innocence was aware that she was a terrible liar by nature-- she became skittish, her voice always took on a higher pitch, and that small tick on her temple was a dead giveaway. So instead of completely exposing herself by lying, she had chosen to tell the truth instead… But without overexplaining or elaborating [i]too[/i] much. The last thing she wanted was for her auntie’s boyfriend to get suspicious and start asking questions.

Thor might’ve not been the most perceptive God but for his skills being what they were, even he could tell that Astraea suddenly became jumpy like Thor came in at the worst time. He didn’t know if they were having some bonding time and this was her go-to reaction to tell him to shoo or if there was a deeper meaning behind her sudden weirdness. Regardless, he shrugged off with a dismissive sigh. [color=349693]“You look positively radiant, Astraea. And even more so in that stunner of a dress that you have on,”[/color] he complimented the star maiden, flashing her a smile to boot.

[color=00CED1]“Why, thank you, Thor!”[/color] Astraea replied with a smile, giving the god of thunder a playful curtsy followed by a small giggle. [color=00CED1]“You’re looking pretty good yourself!”[/color]

[color=349693]“And you..”[/color] His attention was now immediately -- and in its entirety -- honing in on Themis. 

When she had shown him [url=https://media.gettyimages.com/photos/ester-expsito-attends-bulgari-barocco-on-september-14-2020-in-rome-picture-id1272485997?s=2048x2048]the dress[/url] before, he was a fan. He thought the design was flawless and the way the back flowed past the front was a daring design that theoretically could work. But seeing it on a person (and on Themis of all people) it was like Thor was looking into the eyes of a higher power than even the Aesir himself. Her body was incredible and the dress clung to it perfectly, showing off her subtle curves, highlighting her figure in every way that it could. And that wasn’t even mentioning how on-point her make-up was. He knew much to nothing about the specifics. He didn’t know what the concealer or types of lipstick or balm did for the face, so obviously there was no point in him trying to figure what was doing what. There was only one thing Thor knew to be a fact.

[color=349693]“I look good tonight, but there is no chance in hell anyone’s going to be looking at me.”[/color] His smile remained from before and he took Themis by the hand, twirling her around in a gentle motion. [color=349693]“They will be looking at you, my darling.”[/color]

As loved and cherished as Thor’s words and actions always made her feel, there was no hiding the worried crease that settled between Themis’ eyebrows at the sight of her beloved. A new assortment of cuts and bruises could be seen on his otherwise handsome face: shades of red, purple, green and blue melting into his fair skin and adorning his forehead, cheeks and jawline. Thor showing up looking like this hadn’t phased her at the beginning of their relationship-- back when she didn’t give his explanations and justifications any second thoughts. But the longer they dated, the more suspicious Themis grew, and the paranoia of falling prey to a second cheater had slowly taken over. After a little digging, she’d found a pattern for Thor’s shady behavior. And tonight, she was ready to confront him with her findings.

But not in front of Astraea; or anyone else, for that matter. Themis, always the clever one, had a plan already in place. Where else would be a perfect opportunity to question him than somewhere he couldn’t run away or escape from-- like the inside of the vehicle he had rented for the event?

So instead of voicing her concerns right then and there, Themis merely smiled at her boyfriend and followed his lead. [color=9D3DD0]“I don’t know about that. You make pretty solid competition, if you ask me,”[/color] she teased, wrapping her arms around the Norse god and giving him a quick kiss.

Meanwhile, Astraea watched the exchange unfolding between Thor and Themis with the bright, starry eyes of someone witnessing a fairytale romance straight out of a Disney movie. The way Thor was looking at Themis as if she was the most valuable treasure he had, and the breathtaking smile of pure happiness on her theía’s face made the brunette’s heart melt into a puddle of complete joy. The love shared between them was obvious, palpable in the air and electricity around them. As she giggled along with the spinning Themis, all Alana could think about was how she hoped that, one day, she’d find someone who would look at her the same way. 

[color=00CED1][indent][i]Oh, I just [b]love[/b] love![/i][/indent][/color]

Much too soon, the sound of a phone notification interrupted the tender moment happening between the couple. Grimacing in embarrassment, Astraea walked over to where her cellphone was resting atop the vanity and checked the screen. [color=00CED1]“Ooooooh, looks like my ride’s here!”[/color] she explained to the couple, holding out her phone to show Thor and Themis the text message that the driver Baldr had sent to get had arrived to pick her up. Smiling, the brunette snatched her purse from the bed, tossed her phone inside and rushed out the door. [color=00CED1]“I’ll see you guys there!”[/color]

“Yeah, see you soon!” Thor’s voice carried like a lingering thunder clap and he was sure Astraea heard it even as the door to Themis’ apartment closed.

Briefly, Thor allowed his eyes to linger at the hallway, thinking about Astraea for just a moment. A smile formed on his lips and soon those same stormy eyes that hadn’t a single cloud in them found themselves anchored on Themis once more, likewise taking in the majesty of her dress. He couldn’t stop himself from letting out a low whistle. It was beneath him but sometimes that’s all a man needed to do so he could remind himself this wasn’t a dream. He made sure not to let the whistle carry on for too long. He didn’t want Themis to be alerted to the fact that just standing here, despite how in awe he was of her dress, was becoming a challenge and he wasn’t even out the door with her.

[color=#349693]“So any idea who Astraea just left with?”[/color] Thor asked with the tone of a slightly-overprotective older brother.

[color=9D3DD0]“She’s going to the ball as Baldr’s date, but he sent a car with a driver to pick her up here instead of doing it himself. They wanted to avoid her getting any unwanted attention and giving the paparazzi the wrong idea,”[/color] Themis explained with a small shrug. [color=9D3DD0]“Baldr’s pretty high up there in the charity scene, and you know how crazy people can be.”[/color]

Thor unsubtly scowled, letting his displeasure replace the former smile on his face. [color=#349693]“Of-fucking-course he did! Baldr isn’t man enough to come get her himself. Pathetic!”[/color] Thor let his seething anger linger for a few moments longer before he submitted to letting it pass. On any other day, he would allow himself the benefit for it to writhe, but that wasn’t this day. [color=#349693]“As long as he doesn’t hurt her, he and I won’t have a problem.”[/color] There was a part of him that wished Baldr wasn’t the kind of God that he was so the God of Thunder could allow his fist to become well acquainted with the pretty boy’s perfect face.

Now it was Themis’ turn to scowl and roll her eyes. Although she appreciated her boyfriend’s protective nature, she sometimes disliked how quick he was to paint people in negative lights without hearing both sides of the story. [color=9D3DD0]“Okay, first of all: that’s your half-brother you’re talking about. Second of all: Baldr’s her best friend. They’ve known each other for centuries now. If he was ever going to hurt her-- which I’m pretty sure he won’t-- he would’ve done it a long time ago. And third of all: they don’t see each other in the way you’re probably thinking of. Lana’s got her eyes on a completely different person: that much I can tell you. Now, can we stop discussing my sweetie’s personal business and get going already? We’re going to be late if we keep this up.”[/color]

He could definitely go on about how Baldr being his half-brother meant nothing to him (especially with how much he hated Baldr’s mother, too), but she had a point. So, with a nod, he resigned himself to silently figuring out ways to punish Baldr if he ever hurt Astraea or if he demonstrated any traits Freya was notoriously known for. Whilst he did that, the two had reached his car, which immediately brought Thor out of his daydream and looked to Themis.

[color=#349693]“I figured I couldn’t show up in my run down truck, at least not when this ball is so fancy.”[/color] Those damned Romans really made it impossible for any God with a middle class alias to have any luxurious fun. “I only have it for the night. But she’s pretty, ain’t she?” Even if he didn’t own it, Thor felt a sense of pride in being able to drive such a nice Lexus Johannes Bauer would never be able to own to save his life.

The annoyed scowl on Themis’ face soon vanished, giving way to the usual smile that adorned it whenever anything Thor-related was involved. [color=9D3DD0]“She sure is…”[/color] the blonde promptly answered, hazel eyes inspecting every inch of the vehicle before returning to her lover’s face. [color=9D3DD0]“I hope you know you didn’t have to do all of this, Thor. You know I could care less about any glitz or glamour or riches you can offer me. I’d rather have a loyal, honest man like you as my life partner than a rich, cheating, untruthful asshole.”[/color]

Thor raised an eyebrow at her oddly-specification about the kind of man she’d rather not have. [color=#349693]“Oh, well. All the same, there’s no going back. And it’s not like we’re regulars at the Roman’s events. So if I’m going to subject myself to this form of cruel and unusual punishment, the least I can do is show off my beloved and make them see that I’m not just a man of the people but a man of the people who can ride in style.”[/color] He would proclaim as he leaned close to Themis, already snickering, opening the door open for her as he did so. [color=#349693][sub]”And they don’t have to know this isn’t even mine.”[/sub][/color]

Shaking her head, the grinning young woman entered the vehicle and made herself comfortable inside the passenger seat. It was only after Thor had done the same over on his side and got them on the road. She’d let a few minutes pass in silence that Themis finally brought up the subject that had been secretly eating at her for some time now. 

[color=9D3DD0]“So, darling: would you mind explaining to me how it was that you got those [i]lovely[/i] cuts and bruises all over your face this time around?”[/color] she asked him while keeping her eyes locked on the road stretching in front of them, feigning ignorance even when she was almost certain she had the answer.

[color=#349693][sub][i]This time around?[/i][/sub][/color] 

As the rumbling of the highway filled some of the awkward silence, Thor wasn’t sure what she was getting at. Of course, he knew she’d want to know about how his face got wrecked, but the implication that he’d give her a bullshit excuse -- [color=#349693][sub][i]not that it was a bullshit excuse or anything[/i][/sub][/color] -- Thor was almost offended in the way she asked him. [color=#349693]“Not exactly sure why you phrased it like that, but if you must know, I had an unexpected complication from an unsatisfied client yesterday. We got into it about some shady business dealings they were involved with in their past. One thing led to another and I got a couple of shiners in the process.”[/color] Technically, Thor was telling the truth. He just left out the part where he was dealt a slug to the face at close range.

[color=9D3DD0]“Hmmmm…”[/color] was all Themis said, tongue in cheek while slowly nodding. She could feel the air between them fill with tension, which only solidified that her decision to confront Thor in the car had been the correct one. [color=9D3DD0]“And did this unexpected complication and subsequent physical encounter happen to take place at a pier, by any chance?”[/color] the Greek goddess pressed on, pushing her boyfriend with what she knew just a little further, hoping he would give up his secret without much of a fight.

[color=#349693]“I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”[/color] He brushed her words off with a slight shrug as the car came to a stop at a red light. He was stunned by the unexpected revelation she just dropped, sure, but there was no way in hell that he had been so careless as to get caught. So either she was fishing for information about what he did off the clock or she allowed her imagination to go places that it normally didn’t. [color=#349693]“As I’ve told you, my bruises are the result of a disagreement with a client. Nothing more and nothing less.” [/color]Thor wasn’t the best of liars but he had confidence that even Themis would buy this excuse, regardless if she was supposed to be a great detector of such things.

[color=9D3DD0]"So you’re telling me-- right here and now, to my face-- that your injuries have absolutely nothing to do with a confrontation that happened last night at the piers when some hooded vigilante sabotaged a big drug delivery taking place?"[/color] the blonde asked sternly, her observant hazel eyes locked on the god of thunder while she studied his face for any more telltale expressions.

Of course it did but Thor wasn’t going to let her know that. [color=#349693]“Exactly!”[/color] His response came out quick, eyes veering ahead. He was mentally tapping his foot on the mental equivalent of the floorboard of the mental equivalent of the Lexus, impatiently waiting for the light to change green.

Thor was definitely lying: that much was obvious. The growing anxiety was painted all over his handsome face, oozing from the way his grip tightened on the steering wheel down to the immediate defensive response to her question. Why he was choosing to avoid her questions instead of coming clean was beyond her, but a lying man was not something she dealt with lightly.

Letting out a deep breath, Themis squared her shoulders and regarded her boyfriend with a stern stare before continuing. [color=9D3DD0]"Thor, darling: you [i]do[/i] realize I prosecute people for a living, right? At this point, it's second nature to me to know when an individual is lying or hiding something,"[/color] the blonde said, with the thinnest suggestion of a threat lingering at the end of her statement. If the Norse god wasn’t budging, then she would just go ahead and rip off the bandaid. [color=9D3DD0]"So, allow me to ask you again: [i]are you or are you not the Hooded Stranger[/i]?”[/color]

On some level, he knew that she was doing this from the right place. Themis had always cared for him in the same way he did for her. He knew that if she was this desperate to get the truth out of him, then, again, on some level he had to know there was no malicious intent behind her assertive line of questioning. Still, the clear skies that were his eyes had suddenly been reduced to a storm on the horizon, specs of gray and lightning blue flashed, stemming from his growing frustration. 

Thor’s hands gripped the steering wheel as if to alleviate some of the cloudiness hindering his thoughts from being clear. After a moment and as the charity venue came into view, Thor took in a slow, therapeutic breath, though almost half a minute of silence followed until they came to a stop. He had thought about what would be the outcomes of telling her? If he did, she might ask him to stop and Thor couldn’t risk that. His mission, though he knew the risks, was far too important to him. But at the same time, if he came clean to her and she surprised him by doing what he least suspected, all of this rerouting would have been all for naught.

As the car came to a stop and he turned to her, hoping they had a few moments to end this, Thor’s mouth opened. [color=#349693]“Well--”[/color] As he started to speak, the glitz and glamour from the red carpet, as well as the valet opening the passenger side door, had brought what he was about to say to a full stop as though the valet served as the immovable object that which Thor’s indestructible voice couldn’t penetrate. 

In ancient greek mythology, the titan goddess of divine justice was characterized by her calm, collected demeanor during her quest for law, order and the truth. But in this moment, watching the god of thunder she loved so much lie to her face in the mortal world, Themis was anything but that. As much as she wanted to believe this hadn’t been premeditated, there was no shaking off the feeling that Thor had timed and purposely stalled their conversation so that he wouldn’t have to answer her questions. Whether it was the knowledge that she was being kept in the dark about things again, the pregnancy hormones or a combination of both, the blonde goddess was almost shaking with anger, and was desperate to escape before she did something stupid. So with one last, scathing glare in Thor’s direction, Themis stepped out of the luxury vehicle, rose up to her full height, and stormed off into the ball by her lonesome.

As he watched Themis storm off, finding some sort of irony in the fact that the God of Thunder was the calm one here. He couldn’t help himself but entertain the thoughts of how out of character it was for Themis to behave like this. She has always been firm in her opinions and very adamant for the truth and that was something about her that Thor always admired. It was one of the main reasons why he felt such a magnetic pull towards her. So it was mind-boggling to see her act like this.

He expelled a long sigh as he walked past the valet, who he exchanged a glance with. [color=white][b]“Women, am I right?”[/b][/color] The valet commented, laughing at his own comment.

Thor just looked at the valet. He was deciding if punching this idiot was worth the attention. After just a brief moment of contemplating this, he decided Johan Bauer had enough problems. So he walked past the valet, bumping into the man’s shoulder intentionally and sending a very light static current into his shoulder. Thor coincidently coughed to hinder the sound of his electrical charge that made the valet jump from the literal shock. 

Making his way into the venue, he took it all in. The way the classical music had somehow made what he saw feel like everything was way overpriced and reinforced his opinion that the Romans were too trigger happy in what they chose to indulge themselves in. [color=#349693]“This is going to be a long night.”[/color] Thor commented, grabbing a glass of champagne from a nearby server and forced himself to smile and act as though he didn’t want to go hit up the pier again.[/indent][/indent][/indent][/color]