Baldur Odinson:The light of Asgard

Chapter 12: The First Storm

Baldur's POV –

The lab was silent.

Thor sat hunched in a chair, a shadow of himself. The mighty God of Thunder reduced to a man who had lost everything.

Baldur had seen this moment before, had imagined it a thousand times. But watching it—feeling it unfold in real-time—was different.

More real. More raw.

Jane and Erik exchanged uncertain glances, the weight of Thor's grief filling the room. Darcy stood beside Baldur, arms crossed, but even she wasn't making jokes now.

"You okay?" she asked quietly.

Baldur exhaled, rubbing his neck. "Yeah."

Liar.

Thor finally spoke, voice rough and empty. "Loki sits on the throne."

Baldur didn't respond.

"Father is gone. I have no home to return to."

Baldur clenched his jaw. He wanted to say something—anything—but what was there to say?

That it would be fine? That things would get better? That their father was still alive, that this was all some grand trick?

That wouldn't help.

Thor had to break before he could rebuild himself.

So Baldur just sighed, leaning against the counter. "Rough day, huh?"

Thor let out a breath that almost sounded like a bitter laugh.

Darcy, of all people, was the one to step in. "Okay, I feel like this is a group depression session, and I, for one, don't do sadness before lunch."

Jane shot her a glare, but Thor actually looked up.

Darcy shrugged. "What? I mean, yeah, you got exiled, your brother sucks, and your dad's dead—but like, have you considered pancakes?"

Thor blinked.

Baldur snorted.

Jane groaned. "Darcy—"

Darcy threw up her hands. "I'm just saying, wallowing is a choice. So is breakfast."

Baldur grinned, nudging Thor's shoulder. "She has a point. You can mourn or you can eat."

Thor stared at them both.

And then, slowly, he stood.

"…I could eat."

Darcy fist-pumped. "Hell yeah. Emotional stability through carbs."

Baldur chuckled. For now, that was enough.

They had just finished breakfast when S.H.I.E.L.D. showed up.

Baldur felt the shift in the air before it happened. The distant hum of approaching engines, the faint distortion of Midgardian surveillance technology locking onto them.

Jane frowned at the rumbling outside. "What now?"

Then the doors swung open, and a man Baldur recognized all too well stepped inside.

Agent Coulson.

"Thor Odinson," Coulson said smoothly, his gaze flicking between the Asgardians. "Baldur Odinson."

Baldur smiled. "Ah. You do know me."

Coulson's face remained unreadable. "We make it a habit to keep track of gods falling out of the sky."

Thor scowled, already bracing for a fight. "You have taken my hammer."

Coulson didn't deny it. "We secured an unidentified object of extraterrestrial origin for safety purposes. But considering you stormed our facility last night, I assume you're already aware of that."

Thor tensed. He wasn't in the mood for this.

Baldur sighed, stepping forward. "Alright, I'll bite—what do you want?"

Coulson studied him. "A conversation."

Thor crossed his arms. "I have nothing to say to you."

"Good thing I wasn't asking," Coulson replied, perfectly calm.

Baldur liked this guy.

He turned toward Jane. "Guess we're going on a little field trip."

Jane's brows furrowed. "Wait—where are you taking them?"

Coulson smiled politely. "We just have a few questions."

Darcy nudged Baldur. "This seems like a bad idea."

Baldur grinned. "Don't worry. I love bad ideas."

Thor didn't protest, but Baldur could see the tension in his posture. He wasn't sure what was waiting for them.

Baldur had a pretty good idea.

And he was eager to see how this played out.

They were led through the halls of a temporary facility, dimly lit and sterile. S.H.I.E.L.D. was nothing if not efficient.

Thor was taken one way. Baldur another.

Coulson sat across from him in a small, windowless room, flipping through a thin file.

"You don't have much of a paper trail, Baldur Odinson."

Baldur smirked. "Shocking, I know."

Coulson set the file down. "You're not listed in any of our mythological sources. No records of a Baldur alongside Thor and Loki."

Baldur leaned back in his chair. "Maybe your sources aren't as good as you think."

Coulson's expression didn't change. "We don't like unknown variables."

Baldur smiled. "I know. That's why I'm so much fun."

Coulson studied him, then exhaled. "Alright. Let's skip the formalities. Who are you, really?"

Baldur tilted his head. That was a good question.

Instead of answering, he just grinned. "You tell me."

Coulson sighed, rubbing his temples. "Fantastic."

Not long after, the alarms blared.

Baldur raised an eyebrow. Right on schedule.

"Well, this has been fun," he said, casually standing as chaos erupted.

Coulson's radio buzzed. "Sir, we have a security breach—"

Baldur flashed a grin. "See you around, Agent."

And then he vanished in a burst of golden light.

By the time Baldur reached the holding area, Thor was already fighting his way out.

Mjolnir's failure had left him weakened, but not defenseless. He tore through agents with sheer brute strength, disarming and dodging with the efficiency of a warrior born.

Baldur watched from a distance, amused.

"This is a terrible plan," he commented.

Thor turned, chest heaving. "I do not belong here, brother."

Baldur sighed. "Fine. Let's get you out of here."

They pushed through the facility, dodging guards, heading for the exit.

And then—

A massive figure stepped into their path.

A man Baldur did not expect to see yet.

Baldur froze.

Thor tensed. "Who is that?"

Baldur exhaled. So this is when he showed up.

Agent Clint Barton.

Perched above, bow drawn, arrow aimed directly at Thor.

Coulson's voice crackled through the radio. "Let's not make this worse than it already is."

Baldur grinned.

Oh, things were about to get interesting.