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cuddling with bruce was one of thor’s absolute favourite activities.
affection wasn't something that was commonly shared on asgard. it was the home of gods, and if there's one thing gods were not expected to show was vulnerability. this made for very stale relationships. sex was for celebration or for children - never for love. and PDA was practically null.
thor discovered what he had been missing when he met bruce. he found himself relaxing when bruce placed his hand on his lower back, or preening when he would run his fingers through thor's hair. he blushed at the gentle kisses placed on his forehead and his heart fluttered when bruce would kiss him tenderly, with no expectations.
but cuddling, oh that had to be thor's favourite. the way bruce would tuck his head under thor's chin and wrap his arms around his waist. he would place gentle kisses on thor's collarbones and intertwine their legs.
at first, thor didn't understand cuddling. they would hold each other, twist their limbs together until there was not a single bit of space left between them. and then what? thor had no concept of affection without an endgame.
but he began to understand when bruce started trace patterns on thor's chest, and he burrowed himself deeper into thor's neck when thor's hand ran through his curly hair.
the intimacy he felt, having bruce so close, wrapped around him like a koala, breathing evening as his eyes slipped shut, thor felt he could get used to the midgardian affection thing.
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it was not as easy with hulk.
like thor, hulk had never felt a shred of affection his entire life. the closest he ever got to human contact was when he was punched in the face.
but when hulk saw bruce and thor showing their love, hulk was determined to give the god the same treatment. after all, he loved thor just as much as banner did. even if he was puny.
after a sparring session one day, thor had approached hulk, meaning to pat him on the arm - and instead was picked up and shoved into hulk's chest.
"uh- hulk? what are you doing?" thor had said, his voice muffled by his face being pushed into hulk's collar.
"cuddling" hulk grunted back, before dropping onto the floor.
despite the frankly very uncomfortable and mildly painful position thor was in, his heart warmed.
he understood that this was huge for hulk, so he lay there, pressed awkwardly against hulk's sweaty chest, listening to his heartbeat for an hour.
after that, thor had tried to experiment with different methods of cuddling with hulk. he lay across his lap, tucked into his shoulder, cuddled into his armpit. but thor quickly discovered that his favourite position was draped across hulk's abdomen, with his head over his heart. hulk would place his hand over thor's back, and the gentle rise and fall of his chest would send thor to sleep.
thor may be the god of thunder, strongest avenger and king of asgard. but if he had one weakness, it was cuddling with his two boyfriends.