Baldur Odinson:The light of Asgard

Chapter 13: The Eye of the Hawk

Baldur's POV –

The rain had started again, a slow drizzle tapping against the metal of the S.H.I.E.L.D. facility. The sounds of Thor's earlier desperation-fueled rampage still echoed through the halls, but now everything had stilled, as if the entire world was holding its breath.

And Baldur knew why.

Clint Barton.

The agent was perched high above them on a catwalk, bow drawn, arrow nocked, eyes sharp as a predator sizing up his prey. His stance was relaxed, but Baldur knew there was no hesitation in his aim.

One shot. Right between the eyes.

If Barton let go, Thor would fall before he even reached the exit.

And Thor…

Thor wasn't even looking at him.

His focus was still on the storm outside, on the hammer that had refused him, on the weight of his own failure.

Baldur sighed.

He supposed it was his job to fix this now.

"Hey, bird guy," Baldur called up, unbothered.

Barton's focus never wavered. "Not a great time, golden boy."

Baldur grinned. "Oh, come on. At least let me introduce myself before you put an arrow through my heart."

Barton's eyes narrowed slightly.

Then, his earpiece crackled. "Barton, stand down," Coulson's voice came through, clipped but firm.

Baldur smirked. Nice try, Coulson, but the tension was already here.

Thor took another step forward, his body language stiff, controlled—like a man who knew he had nothing left to fight for but refused to stop moving.

Baldur watched Barton adjust his aim ever so slightly.

This could go two ways.

Either Thor went down, or Baldur made sure that didn't happen.

And since he was pretty sure Odin wouldn't appreciate his son getting shot like a wild animal in the rain…

He moved.

Faster than a human eye could process.

One second, he was standing beside Thor—the next, he was gone.

And then—

A golden flash, a burst of energy, and suddenly, Baldur was standing on the catwalk, right in front of Barton.

The agent barely flinched, but Baldur could tell he hadn't expected that.

"Neat trick," Barton muttered.

Baldur grinned. "I get that a lot."

For a long second, neither of them moved.

Baldur tilted his head toward the arrow still nocked in Barton's bow. "So, uh, you gonna shoot me, or can we be friends?"

Barton considered him. "You tell me."

Baldur smirked, tapping the tip of the arrow with one glowing fingertip. The hard-light energy he controlled crackled against the metal, bending it just slightly.

"Your arrow's warped now," Baldur said casually. "Wouldn't want to embarrass yourself with a bad shot."

Barton actually chuckled. "I like you."

Baldur grinned wider. "Most people do."

Another beat of silence.

Then Coulson's voice came through again, exasperated. "Barton, let them go."

Baldur winked. "Smart call."

And then, just as fast as he had teleported up, he vanished again—

And reappeared next to Thor.

"Come on, big guy," Baldur said, nudging him toward the exit. "We're taking a rain check on this place."

Thor hesitated, looking back toward the hammer one last time.

Then, with a heavy breath, he turned and walked away.

They didn't stop walking until they reached the outskirts of town.

Thor hadn't said a word the entire time.

Baldur didn't push.

The storm had followed them, heavy clouds rumbling overhead. Thunder growled in the distance, a faint echo of something waiting to wake up.

Baldur knew what was coming.

Thor's redemption.

The return of his power.

The Destroyer.

As they walked, Baldur glanced at his brother, who still looked lost.

"Do you still believe it's gone?" Baldur asked.

Thor was quiet for a long moment. Then: "I don't know."

Baldur sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Okay. So, what's the plan now? Brooding? More self-loathing? Maybe a dramatic monologue about your lost glory?"

Thor actually huffed a small laugh. "Perhaps."

Baldur grinned. "Good to know you're keeping your options open."

They reached Jane's lab, the lights inside still on. Erik was standing at the window, watching for them, and Darcy—

Darcy was waiting outside, arms crossed.

Baldur blinked.

Oh.

She was mad.

Darcy's POV –

Darcy Lewis had two major rules in life.

1. Never trust a man who is too attractive for his own good.

2. Never let that same man disappear without telling her.

Baldur broke both rules in one day.

So when she saw him casually strolling up with Thor like he hadn't just vanished in a flash of glowing god magic, she narrowed her eyes.

"Oh, look who finally decided to show up."

Baldur had the audacity to grin like this was cute. "Miss me?"

Darcy walked up and smacked him in the arm.

Hard.

Baldur actually flinched. "Ow?"

"That's for disappearing," she snapped.

Then she paused, scanning him for injuries, before rolling her eyes. "Whatever. You're fine. But next time you pull a magic trick, warn a girl, alright?"

Baldur smirked. "Noted."

She sighed, rubbing her temples. "God, you Asgardians are a headache."

Baldur chuckled. "I get that a lot."

Darcy sighed, already over it.

"Alright," she said, stepping back inside. "You two figure out your god problems—I'm getting a drink."

And just like that, whatever was left between them was over.

Baldur exhaled.

Good.

One-time things were easier.

No expectations. No attachments.

And yet, as he followed Thor inside, something about it still lingered in his mind.

Not the moment itself.

Not the fact that it happened.

But why it happened.

Because it wasn't just about attraction.

It was about being here, in this world, in this timeline, with these people who were supposed to be fiction.

And that feeling wasn't going away.

He sighed.

That was a problem for another day.

Because tonight, the storm was coming.