Feel the sunshine on your face cause it will come to end like a river dries without the rain. Will you witness me in a pit of fire, a blazing light atop a golden spire? Everything comes to an end. But I can live with that.

-from song “Fear of Falling Asleep” by TENDER

Loki groaned, slowly rolling over onto his stomach, burying his face into the pillow.  Why did his head feel like it had been in a vice all night?  This rivaled a brutal hangover, and it should not be happening.  He should get some water.  It would ease the throbbing in his temples.  Unfortunately, that required getting out of bed, which meant standing, and that would make him vomit, guaranteed.  He would’ve rolled his eyes, but he feared such an action would make his head actually explode.  Someone’s hand grazed the bare skin of his shoulder, and he would’ve turned his head to the side to look, but again—instant death, no question.

“Loki?” It was Sigyn’s voice, no more than a whisper, but even that hurt his head. “I brought water,” she lowered her voice further, “and a glass straw, so you don’t have to move your head.”

He tried to say thank you , but all he managed was a muffled whimper when the aforementioned straw touched his lips.

“Careful, love, it’s hot,” she warned, hoping he was lucid enough to comprehend, otherwise he would scorch his throat.

No, he wasn’t fully lucid, but the smoky scent wafting up from the water—even with his nose shoved into the pillow—was enough to stop him from taking the huge gulp he wanted to.  He took a hesitant sip.  She hadn’t been exaggerating when she said it was hot, but oh was it good, rushing down his throat and chest like smooth whiskey.  His stomach flooded with warmth that made him feel like he was glowing.  Another sip, and another, and another, until the glass was empty, and within two seconds of finishing the drink, his skull ceased its plan to murder him.  Sighing with relief, he rolled to his side, facing her.

“What was that?” he rasped, gesturing to the glass in her hand.

Shrugging one shoulder, she set it on his bedside table. “Vanir hangover remedy with a touch of my magic.”

He pursed his lips, gaze narrowing. “Any idea why a sober man would have a hangover in the first place?” he asked, sitting up effortlessly now that he didn’t feel like he was dying. “Or how you knew I had one?”

She hung her head, wishing a latte with an extra espresso shot from Stark’s tower ーfar superior to Asgardian hot drinksーwould just appear out of thin air.  She hadn’t slept a wink or stopped silently crying until Loki had stirred awake (far longer than the twenty minutes Gamora had said he would need), and she could use a boost.  Then again, the caffeine might just add to her anxiety.

Loki arched an eyebrow at her strange silence, slinging his legs over the side of the bed. “What’s wrong?” he asked, reaching out to lift her chin.

Looking at those emeralds he dared to call eyes, wide with concern, she felt verbally paralyzed.  She knew where this was goingーhe had too many questions, and she didn’t have enough answers, and round and round they would go.  Leaning back out of his reach, she looked down, chipping away at the black nail polish on her thumbnail.

The crease between his eyebrows deepened, fear replacing concern when she shook her head, one tear falling down her cheek.  Leaning forward, he placed both hands on her neck, forcing her to meet his eyes again.  He gave her a pleading look, and still she said nothing.  Swallowing thickly, he squared his shoulders.  Fine.  If she wouldn’t talk, then he would dig it out of her pretty head himself.  Squinting, he waded through her mindーa green-skinned woman crouching down in his chambers, Sigyn talking to her after nearly setting the place on fire, and his own body, paralyzed on the bed.  That was just the start of it.

“What the….” he trailed off, mouth falling open.  Dropping his eyes from hers, he looked down at his stomach.  Was there a bruise there?  A few busted ribs?  No?  There should be.  It felt like he’d just been kicked in the gut by Sinir.

Head shaking, Sigyn put her face in her hands.  Should she just go ahead and throw down the money for their funeral boats?  How much more agony could they handle?  Did the universe have a personal vendetta against them?  It was just one thing after another, over and over and over.

“I need to find Thor,” Loki whispered, jaw clenching as he stood to his feet and disappeared into his dressing room.

Swiping the tears off her face, Sigyn pushed up from her knees to follow him.  Thinking better of it, she stopped at his desk, where she had full view of him tearing through the shelves of his walk-in, while keeping out of his way.

“Don’t we need to find Gamora first?” she asked, eyeing the growing pile of shirts tossed on the floor. “She said she knows how to stop Thanos, but we didn’t finish the conversation.”

“You find her since you know where she is,” Loki answered tightly, storming back into the room, pulling a fitted black v-neck over his head.

Wincing at his tone, she grabbed her leggings—silk lined, dark grey leather—from the back of his desk chair.  She tucked her stowaway white tee from Earth into the hip hugging waistband, watching Loki finger comb his hair and pull it back into a rather messy bun at the nape of his neck.  It was perhaps the sloppiest hair effort he’d ever made, with loose pieces falling into his face as he leaned over to fasten his boots.  He pushed the strands behind his ears and growled, clearly shaken to his core.

Standing back up, he hurried to his desk, which she hadn’t moved from, and leaned over it, shuffling through the papers there (why was it such a bloody MESS?) to find his copy of the proposal in case Thor had lost the originalーa likely possibility.  He rolled his eyes.  Sure, Gamora had thrown the timing off, but that didn’t make the bill presentation any less relevant or necessary.  He grit his teeth because, what, had the damn thing just sprouted legs and run off?  Where was it?

Breathing in and out slowly, trying to stay calm, Sigyn pushed his hands out of the way, immediately found the proposal, and handed it to him.  He yanked the papers from her grip and stepped around her to find his jacket, ignoring the way she flinched when he did so.  As he walked away, she went back to the bed to grab her sharp black dagger from her bedside table.  Eyes on his back, she shoved the blade into her knife sheath, hissing when she missed and nicked herself.  Focusing on the knife like she should have done, she fastened the sheath around her thigh and forced a bit of her fire into the tiny wound.  It stung, but it did the job, healing over instantly.  She looked up at Loki’s voice.

“Bring that woman to my mother’s quarters,” he said, turning in a circle, still searching for the specific jacket he wanted.  It was that fitted, hip-length, black thin leather one with gold piping on the collar and lapels.  Where was it?  Why couldn’t he find anything in this room?  It was his room, right?!  He finally spotted it slung over his hearth chaise and rushed toward it, tugging it on with more force than necessary.

“Another plan to save Asgard, in addition to this one,” he held up the papers in his hand, grip tightening angrily.  He twisted his wrist then, nostrils flaring when nothing happened—no shimmering green light, no sparks, no buzz of energy in his fingers—nothing.  Glaring down at his hand, he twisted it again.

Still nothing.

“I swear to everything,” he said through his teeth.

He just wanted to conjure a coat for Sigyn, so he didn’t have to waste more time finding one amidst the hundreds in his closet that would actually fit her.  Was that too much to ask?  He hadn’t been able to lace up his boots with magic either.  Snarling deep in his chest, he yanked his dagger from the inside of his jacket, and stabbed it straight down into the chaise cushion repeatedly, sending feathers and shredded velvet flying all around him.  Blowing out a slow breath, because good gods he needed to calm down, he gingerly placed the knife on the sofa table next to the always full bowl of shiny green apples, now covered in chaise debris.  Shaking his head, he gripped the back of his neck and raised his eyes to Sigyn.  She looked surprisingly unfazed by his violent outburst.

“My magic isn’t working.”

“I gathered,” she breathed, frowning at the mess he’d made all over his hearth rug, not that she blamed him.

He glared at the floor. “It’s that fucking tranq she forced on me, isn’t it.” It wasn’t a question.

“Most likely.” She threaded her fingers through her hair, letting out a heavy sigh.

Pulling a hand down his face, he sniffed. “Any idea how long before this shit wears off?” She pressed her lips together and shook her head.

“Great,” he muttered, fairly certain he would slit Gamora from groin to sternum when he saw her.  He eyed Sigyn then, hoping she hadn’t seen that image in her head.  There was no sign of abject horror in her expression so…. probably not. “You’ll freeze out there,” he gestured toward the balcony with his chin, “without a coat.”

“I’ll find one,” she said quietly and walked to his dressing room.

He turned away, eyes on the main doors as he leaned back against his desk.  Gripping the edge while he waited, his mind racedーhaunting memories of the past three months bouncing around the walls of his skull like some sort of manic ghost.  Lips pursing, he frowned.  Could a ghost even be manic?  He rolled his eyes.  Ghosts are the stuff of fairy tales, you moron.

“You are the furthest thing from a moron.”

Hearing her voice, his unseeing gaze followed the sound. “I beg to diff-”

He stopped short, frowning at the tiny waist-length, grey zip-up she’d chosen.  What, had she forgotten she would be trudging through foot deep snow and frigid winds for Odin only knew how far?  He was extremely bothered by the thought of her jumping to the ground and running off alone into a dark forest without more layers, and now that she was about to do just that, he realized he didn’t want her running off alone into a dark forest at all, coat or no coat.  Last time he’d left her alone, Laufey had nearly killed her….and look at excruciating pain that had come from that—he eyed her lower stomach, guilt creasing his brow further.  Maybe he was being overly protective (and possessive), but he didn’t care.  He wouldn’t ever lose her again.  He wouldn’t allow her to pay the price for his disastrous decisions.

Walking toward the balcony, she paused mid-stride just as she passed by him when he gestured to her coat, his eyes narrow.  She looked down at her outfit then lifted her eyes back up to his.  Able to guess what he was thinking, she frowned.

“I have a hood, and it’s wool inside, so it’s much warmer than it looks,” she unzipped it halfway, pointing to the lining. “See?” She pulled her hood over her hair, and cleared her throat. “You know my fire makes me run hot, Loki.  And I have my dagger just in c-” 

He was on her before she could finish, grabbing her wrist far too tightly, pulling her behind him toward the main doors.

“What are you doing?  I’m more than capable of fetching Gamora by myselfー ouch!” she yelped, trying to pull her hand back. “It’s a measly fifty foot drop to the ground!”

“Loki, you’re hurting me,” she hissed, yanking on his elbow as he dragged her into the hall, twisting his wrist to cast a sphere around them.

They both frowned at each other for a second, confused by the lack of green light shimmering from Loki’s hand.  The moment the doors slammed behind them, their eyes shot wide open, thinking the exact same words at the same second—Oh shit.  They’d just walked right into full view of about twenty guards posted at several pillars further down the corridorーguards who were not supposed to know Loki was aliveーand his magic didn’t work.  Every last one of them turned at the sound just as Loki and Sigyn darted behind the closest pillar.  Back pressing against the smooth stone, she covered her mouth with both hands as Loki molded his body to hers.  Breathing hard, adrenaline flooding their veins, they listened to the guards talking.

“What was that?”

“Don’t see anyone.”

“Those doors did open, right?”

“For sure.”

“I’ll check it out.”

Making himself as small as possible, Loki pushed further into Sigyn.  Fuck, he’d been so focused on keeping her out of harm’s way that he forgot what that atrocious sedative had done to his magic.  Eyes slamming shut, he pinched the bridge of his nose.  He just needed to think for a second, but before he could think at all, he felt a rush of thick black smoke flying right by his face.  Jumping back from the heat instinctively, he blinked wide-eyed at Sigyn’s face then down at her hand.  Glittering like obsidian, her magic curled around her fingers.  He didn’t see it, but several small trees in the opposite atrium at the end of the corridor went up in flames, and the guards stopped in their tracks, spinning on their heels to run back toward the fire.  When he heard their boots pounding in the opposite direction, he peeked his head out just enough to see what had happened.

Loki’s jaw droppedー Oh my gods, Sig, what the Hel?!

I freaked, and it just happened, I’m sorry!— she screwed up her face, hand still held aloft and smoking up the hall, wishing she could kick herself.  For pity’s sake, she had better control than this!

Well, COOL it!—he gestured to her glowing hand—As soon as those flames go out, they’ll follow your smoke right back to us!  He looked around the pillar again, then returned his eyes to her, chest heaving.  For the moment, the guards were preoccupied with fighting the fire.  It wouldn’t stay that way for long, though.

She groaned softly, banging the back of her head on the pillar several times—Then I guess I can’t let the flames go out since they’ll follow the smoke, can I?—she shot him a glare when he had the gall to growl at her—you’re the one who dragged us out here in the open without a hint of your own magic to protect you!—She motioned to his room with her chin—Just…dammit….get your perfect ass back to your chambers and hide in one of those secret crawl spaces tucked away in your walk-in while they’re distracted.

He gave her a sharp look—I will never leave you alone again.  You have to come with me.

Breaking into a sweat, she wiped her forehead with the back of her free handー No, I…. I can talk my way out of this…. I think.  Anyway, it’s fine if they see me.  I’m not supposed to be DEAD.

You WILL be after this deranged arson stunt!—eyes pleading, he cupped her face, but yanked his hands away, hissing when her skin scorched him.  Wishing he could pull his jacket off and toss it without being seen, he put as much space between them as he could while staying in the shadows.  His breath hitched, ears burning while the guards shouted over the roar of the flames.

“How in Odin’s name did these trees burst into flame out of nowhere?!”

“Didn’t you see the smoke?  It came from the prince’s chambers!”

“Not from his chambers, Sergeant Magridーjust down the hall from ‘em!”

“I know I heard his doors open!”

“Wasn’t that woman of his some sort of fire sorceress?”

“Does she still live here?  Why would she stay?  Y’know, with him dead and all now!”

“Oy!  Show some respect, Gav!”

“Sorry, Sarg!”

“I thought she was missing!”

“More like hiding!”

“From what?”

“Probably everyone!  I’d lock myself away too if my woman died!”

“Heard she was in the healing wing for a bit!”

“Why?”

“Gone mad, most like!”

“Bori said ‘is wife saw Eir carting ‘er off late one night about a week ago.  Buckets of blood, she said!”

“Maybe she tried to off ‘erself!”

“Wouldn’t blame ‘er for it!”

“Why in the nine won’t this bloody fire go out?!”

A new voice, deeper and more commanding, echoed down the hall. “What’s the meaning of this?!”

“Sorry, Lieutenant Dedrin, it was the woman that was lighting up Jotuns on the bridge!”

“Lady Sigyn?”

“So jealous of Prince Loki for gettin’ that woman in ‘is bedー gorgeous as Hel, that one!”

“Scary as Hel, you mean!”

“Stop yapping like a clatter of scullery maids and find her!”

Loki heard their boots coming back, and he chewed his lip.  Sigyn may as well have left a nice little trail of breadcrumbs out for the soldiers with all this smoke!  She could have stopped while the soldiers were busy and run back to his room with him!  Gods, he needed his magic.  He could have used it to cover the smoke or any number of other things, but so much for that.

Maybe he should just walk out there and let the pieces fall where they may.  How bad would it be if they saw him before the bifrost was repaired and he was “discovered” on Earth and brought back?  Rubbing his temples, he closed his eyes.  No, he couldn’t do that.  What if he was arrested for necromancy?  Thor would be accused of nepotism if he didn’t let the council lock him away in a dungeon cell, and his brother didn’t need more people pissed off at him.  Loki couldn’t show his face yet.  He couldn’t.  Right?  Otherwise, he had to admit to using a portal, and that could get him arrested too.  For the love, could this be more of a clusterfuck.  Wait—Maybe he could…. try…. something….

Feeling how annoyed he was at her for leaving a trail of breadcrumbs, Sigyn glared up at Loki, jaw jutting forward.  How had he not noticed that she had pulled her smoke back in (like he told her to!) a few moments ago?  And now the soldiers were running in their direction once more because the flames had died down, which meant Loki might be discovered since he hadn’t moved an inch for some nonsensical reason.  Oh Hel no—She flexed her fingers again, and the flames roared back to life.  The nearing bootsteps screeched to a halt, turning back to the atrium, shouts about the “bloody demonic fire” bouncing off the walls.  She saw Loki snap out of his thoughts through her periphery, and frowned when he gave her an apologetic look.  Why would he look at her like that?

Sig, please—his gaze was intense, before dropping his eyes to his palm, fingers twitching.

She breathed harder, chest heaving as she eyed his hand.  No green light.  No magic still.  Looking back up to his face, partially hidden by more messy raven locks that had escaped his hair tie, she squinted.  Why was he still just standing there?  Something about his expression really scared her.

Locking eyes with her from under his brow, he exhaled through his mouth.  He knew how to snuff out the fire completely.  Not only would the flames disappear, but the trail of smoke leading straight to them would too.  Oh, but she would hate it.  This was assuming he could make it work.  He’d been unsuccessful in his attempts for months now, but success in anything requires a good bit of failure first.  You fall.  You get back up.  Try again.  Put your back into it.  You try harder.  You focus.

Reaching up to push the loose strands sticking to his damp cheeks behind his ears, he closed his eyes then shook out his wrist to loosen the tension while she looked on, clearly confused.  Brow furrowing, he envisioned, as he had many many times before, the water in every red blood cell in his arm shooting through his veins, from bicep down to the tips of his fingers.

Focus.

He grit his teeth.

Focus.

Oh this was going to hurt even if it didn’t work.

FOCUS.

He closed his hand over hers, face screwing up as her magic seared his palm, but the pain was gone in two seconds.  Eyes popping wide, he looked down at his hand, jaw practically unhinging at the sight.  Would you look at that….

Blue.

As ice crystals glazed over his skin, his lips curved up into a huge grin.  It worked.  He had actually done it.  He had wielded his Jotun side like a godsdamn hero.  Okay, probably shouldn’t get too cocky about it, but wow, what a rush!  The burning magic twisting around her fingers vanished with a hiss, followed by the black mist and the roaring flames in an instant.  Under normal circumstances, there would have been blocks of ice left behind, but with all that heat, they simply (thankfully) cancelled each other out.  Marveling at his hand, his stomach did giddy flips.  Honestly…look how glittery-

He came out of his excited daze when Sigyn shrieked loudly, trying to pull her hand out of his icy cold grip.  Letting go straight away, he clamped his other hand over her mouth as tears filled her wide eyes.  It took a few seconds, but his Jotun arm shifted back to normal, and he slid it around her waist without hesitation.  Resting his chin on the top of her head, all but crushing her face against his chest, he waited, listening to the guards gasping in various states of shock at the strange phenomenon.

“What in the nine….?”

“Where did it go?”

“How?”

“Still think we should check the prince’s rooms.”

“Why?”

“Magic, right?”

“The fire sorceress?”

“No, not her.  Prince Loki.”

“What?  From the beyond?”

“I’ll stay right ‘ere and keep watch then.  Got no problem fightin’ monsters all day, every day, but I draw the line at ghosts, boys.”

It took Loki a minute to realize Sigyn was clawing at his wrist, sharp nails digging into his skin and still sobbing under his palm.  He bent down enough to lock eyes with her, but kept his hand over her mouth, both waiting with pounding hearts as careful, hesitant (probably scared) steps came back down the hall and into Loki’s rooms.

She pressed her lips together, eyes still teary from painー Let go!  That HURTS!

Stop being so bloody LOUD then— Loki dropped his hand from her mouth and pulled her around the edge of the pillar, keeping to the shadows and out of sight.  Making sure the coast was clear, since the soldiers were searching his chambers (dammit, nothing pissed him off more than people ruffling through his things!), he poked his head out from behind the thick stone column before hurrying to the next one, about ten feet further down the hall and closer to an empty storage room he’d spotted only seconds ago.  He eyed the final pillar that stood between them and the tiny safe haven, then slipped behind the stone, tugging her with him.

Cheeks now aching thanks to Loki manhandling (unintentionally) her face, Sigyn chewed her lip— Do you really think they would imprison you for necromancy?  Both Thor and your mother can vouch for you, and how can the royal family be accused of nepotism?   That’s the whole point of a monarchy!

It’s possible—he tightened his grip on her hand, nauseated by the anxiety twisting his gut— it’s the highest sorcery offense in Asgard, and it comes with the maximum penalty.

Ugh, he might vomit on the floor right there.  Before he doubled over and did exactly that, Sigyn grabbed him by the elbow and yanked him into the storage room.  She closed the door silently and twisted the lock, barely missing two guards coming around the corner who may have very well heard their light footsteps.  Relieved to have an actual door between them now, Loki exhaled heavily.  He held a finger up to his lips, ears perking at the sound of his own name on the other side of the door.  His heart began beating so hard again, he feared they might hear it through the six inch thick oak.  Eyes blowing wide, his breath hitched when the doorknob rattled.

Sigyn gasped, hands flying up to cover her mouth.  Heart sinking, she watched the color drain from Loki’s face as the guards pounded on the door.  Oh noーthey’d heard her.  She might have burst into tears right there, but then Loki slid one hand behind her neck, and looking up at him, she felt strangely reassured.  He pushed her back gently up against the wall, the finger still at his lips pulsing with dim green light.  Her eyebrows shot to her hairline at the sight—Oh, please say that was what she thought it was!  Eyes dancing back and forth between hers, a slow grin spread across his face.  She might have kissed him if not for that incessant pounding on the door reverberating in the small space.  She covered her ears, positive they were on the verge of bleeding.  The green glowed brighter, seiðr shooting from each of his fingertips, and she threw her arms around his shoulders, pulling him into a full body hug because, Norns, wasn’t he just amazing?

After another blow to the door, they pulled apart, and gritting his teeth, trying to ignore the vibrations in his brain from the gods awful sound, Loki flexed his fingers again, sparks lighting up the tiny room like fireworks.  The guards started shouting, pounding harder.

BANG.

Bending down to her height so she could wrap her arms around his neck easily, he exchanged smirks with her.  He held her close, crushing her against him as the familiar buzz of his magic sent a violent shiver through their bodies.

BANG.

Loki paused momentarily, eyes sliding to the door, gaze narrow.  He had to admit there was a possibility that the soldiers would respond to him just like the healers had, dropping to their knees in sheer adoration.  Pursing his lips, he shook his head.  He didn’t want to bet on it.  He returned his eyes to her, giving her a warning lookー Do NOT retch on me.

BANG.

Twisting his wrist once, lambent green beams of light shot out in all directions, engulfing their bodies.

BANG!

The door finally gave in, its sturdy oak craftsmanship unable to withstand the force of built to perfection Asgardian muscle.  The soldiers dropped their weapons in unison, the same shocked expressions on each face at the sight.

Nothing.  No one.

Just the undeniable smell of smoke and leather.

---

Eyes sliding closed, Loki’s head fell back as he and Sigyn appeared in his mother’s (and technically, his father’s) private business quarters, the translucent halo of magic dissipating around them.  Valhalla, that had been positively euphoric.  He brought his head back up when he felt her fidgeting in his arms and let go instantly.  He knew where this was going.

“I think I might throw up,” Sigyn gasped, and Loki pressed his lips together.

Nailed it.

Swallowing the influx of saliva, she covered her mouth, cringing behind her palm.  Disappearing from one spot and appearing one hundred yards (or more) away always made her dizzy and way too hot.

“I’m starting to think the only acceptable form of travel for you is by horse,” Loki shook his head, feeling her forehead with the back of his hand.  She was burning up.  Pulling his hand back about an inch, he exhaled slowly through his mouth, smiling when his fingers turned blue.  Careful not to directly touch her skin, he held his hand close enough to cool her off.

Her shoulders relaxed, and she moaned (a highly inappropriate sound) as the urge to hurl disappeared under Loki’s…. magic?  She wasn’t sure what to call that ice…. thing…. he could do now.  All she knew was that she was a big fan, so long as she didn’t get freezer burn from it.  Goodness, his breath was absolutely perfect against her feverish face as he leaned closer.  He was a not too cold winter breeze, and oh she just wanted to lean her head back, close her eyes, smile wide, and feel him whip through her hair.

“Better?” he asked, eyebrows quirking.

She hummed in response, staring at his hand as the blue faded. “I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again.  I want to see youーall of youーlike that.”

Scraping his teeth over his bottom lip, he scratched the back of his neck, then let out a nervous little laugh.  Now that he could do it at will, he liked making his hands Jotun for a specified purpose, but he wasn’t thrilled with the idea of Sigyn seeing everything turn blue just for the Hel of it.  Head tilting, he held her gaze for a minute, then nodded once.

“I’ll show you,” he breathed, “after this…. Thanos…. insanity,” he waved a hand, adding, “And we’ll adopt that wolf pup.  Maybe even two.” His chest ached, heart exploding into a thousand pieces as a big toothy grin split her face.  He grinned back, eyes crinkling.  Valhalla, he wanted to give her everything she’d ever wanted, if it just meant he could make her smile like that for the rest of their lives.  His face fell then. “This is, of course, dependent on us making it out alive.  Not sure how much longer we can defy death.”

“You will make it out alive, my darling boy.” They turned around at the sound of Frigga’s voice coming around the corner of her bedroom, a deep frown pulling at her lips.

Eyes wide, Loki took a step toward her. “You know about this already?  Who told you?”

She opened her mouth to respond, but stopped short when the main doors opened, and Thor slipped inside, closing them behind him silently. “You could’ve gotten yourself killed, you know!” he whispered, voice harsh and scolding as he hurried to his brother and Sigyn.

Loki threw his hands up, confused as Hel at this point. “Okay, hold on.  How did you know to come here?  I didn’t make a pit stop at your chambers on the w-”

“Ravens, Loki,” Thor hissed, cutting him off. “Now explain to me what in the name of our father you thought you were doing skirting around the south wing, fully visible to a troop of Hawks!”

Sigyn blinked at him. “Those were Hawks?   I thought they were just…. you know…. guards.”

Thor shot her a glare. “Oh don’t get me started on you,” he said, poking his forefinger into the dip between her collar bones, hard enough that he might have left a bruise. “Are you completely psychotic?”

She was halfway to grabbing that finger and twisting it clean off, but before she could get the satisfaction of doing so, Loki slapped Thor’s hand away from her and pushed himself between them.  Green eyes flashing, he shoved his brother’s chest with such force that Thor stumbled backward, and he hadn’t even needed his magic to do it.  Jaw clenched, he spoke through his teeth.

“Back off.”

Rubbing his now throbbing sternum (damn , Loki had put on muscle), Thor looked around his brother’s shoulder, staring daggers at his soon to be sister. “What the fuck were you thinking with that fire?”

Frigga’s jaw dropped. “Watch your tongue, Thor!”

Growling under his breath, he held his hands up as if in surrender. “Sure, get angry at me for swearing at her when she is the one sending the palace up in flames.  That makes sense.”

Running a hand through his shorn hair, he blew out a breath.  He knew why Sigyn had done itーHuginn and Muninn had explained it well enough.  He was only angry because they’d put themselves in danger.  It was accidental, yes, but he couldn’t stand the thought of losing Loki again.  Or Sigyn, to be honest.  She was already his sister, in his mind.  That, and he had to deal with the aftermath of the soldiers talking about the strange fire.  Word had already spread.  On his way to his mother’s chambers, walking with a purpose but not so fast as to raise suspicion, Thor had heard a few servants whispering about it.  Maybe he could convince Lieutenant Dedrin that his men had been stoned out of their minds and stupidly knocked into a torch or something.

“I’m already working on that, my son,” Frigga responded to his silent thoughts, grabbing an endless quill and fresh paper.  It was easy enough to send a blood draw order for the Hawks involved, and even easier to manipulate the results to show intoxication at levels high enough to affect their mental faculties.  Anything the guards might say to the contrary would matter not.  Blood doesn’t lie, after all.  Unless a highly skilled sorceress such as herself was involved, of course.  It wasn’t kind, or ethical for that matter, but she would ensure that they only received a formal warning, with no interruption in their compensation.  Settling into a leather sitting chair near the hearth, she put quill to paper.

Eyes on his mother, beyond relieved that she already had a solution to that problem, Loki heard Sigyn groan behind him.  Her forehead dropped to his back, right between his shoulder blades.  He understood her exhaustion, feeling a bit winded himself.  Crashing after an adrenaline high was brutal on its own, much more so when you’d just recovered from a major operation like she had, then add on his brother being insufferably loud.  Loki sighed, giving the evil eye to Thor, then returning his attention to Frigga.

“So back to what I said before this brute charged in like a bull in a china shop.”

Thor snorted, humorless. “I am the one meeting with the high council in only two hours,”  he pointed his thumb at his own chest, “and they might not approve the provisional bill, so forgive me for being a bit on edge.”

“Of course they’ll approve it,” Loki held out his hands, palms up. “Their own pockets have suffered for three months without a working bifrost.  It’s in everyone’s best interest to use the portals.”

“You know they’ll be pissed that you withheld that information for years,” Thor cocked a hip, setting one hand on it, “and I’ll be the one who takes the fall for it.”

“What?” Loki pulled his hands down his face. “Did you even read it?  Nowhere does it say I found anything!  Odin did, and he penned and signed his own private royal decree over three hundred years ago, declaring three things,” he counted off on his fingers, “one: the use of passages other than the bifrost is illegal; two: discovering them without informing the king is illegal; three: Hawk commanders are informed as needed to carry out sentences.  Due to your intended succession to the throne, Odin shared this decree with you, and you were sworn to silence as part of your future duties.  That’s it—that’s all it says.  It’s so basic, Thor!” He gaped, beyond exasperated with his big brother. “Tell me you remember why the portals were to remain private.  Tell me you studied that proposal last night.” Oh gods, this dipshit had probably woken up at his desk with the papers stuck to his face after passing out only half way through reading them.

“Of course I read it!  I just…. forgot…. momentarily….” Thor trailed off, crossing the room to the minimal bar behind a bookcase.  It wasn’t too early to have a drink, was it?  Just after breakfast?  Pfft.  Eyes rolling, he grabbed a glass while pulling a cork from a bottle with his teeth.

“Good grief, I only skimmed that thing, and even I remember,” Sigyn said, lifting her head from Loki’s shoulders, and giving Thor a withering look. “Planetary security.  Plain and simple.  When all else fails, convince people that it’s in their best interest to sacrifice freedom for the sake of security.”

“You didn’t have to stay up until the break of dawn trying to memorize this fabricated bullshit,” Thor spat, pausing to take a swig of clear liquor (he didn’t know what it was, nor did he care) that burned going down.  He might have said more, but Loki was suddenly two inches from his face.

“One more word to her, and I will blast you across the room,” he said, voice low and genuinely threatening.

“I don’t need help, Loki,” Sigyn said under her breath, eyes downcast.

Thor snapped his fingers once and pointed to Sigyn, giving her a nod. “That’s right, dearest sister.  She doesn’t need your help, Loki.   Stop acting like she’s some weak little princess.”

She squinted at him, eyebrows crooked—Dearest sister?  Well, that was new. 

Nostrils flaring, Loki blew out a hot breath and stepped around Thor to get a drink for himself.  He turned around, glass in one hand, the other resting on the table edge and leaned back against it.  Fine.  If Sig didn’t like him defending her…. fine.

“We must send our civilians to Vanaheim and Alfheim,” Frigga spoke suddenly, voice strong and unshaken as she signed the blood draw order and set it aside. “They cannot stay here.  It’s too dangerous now.”

Brow creasing, Thor blinked at her, then looked to Loki. “Our civilians?  I thought we were only sending the Elves and Vanir back home?”

“Oh dear,” Loki said flatly, “your little ravens forgot to tell you the good news.” He leaned his head back to swallow his drink in one go, the ice clinking loudly against glass.  

“Is someone threatening our people?” Thor asked, turning back to their mother, visibly shaken.

“Yeah, Thanos is, and he’s coming to Asgard-“

“GAH!” Thor jumped away from the out-of-nowhere raspy voice behind him, and turned to see a hooded, lean, woman walking gracefully in from his mother’s private bedchamber.

“-and by my estimates,” the woman continued without pause, “he’ll be here by the end of the week.” She reached up to push her hood back, and Loki’s jaw dropped, unexpected tears prickling his eyes.

No no no no no—Now that Gamora was actually in front of him, he did remember her from the desert (he refused to call a place so evil a sanctuary).  His stomach churned at the all too vivid memoryーDragged from that traumatizing shower in nothing but a pathetic ill-fitting pair of shorts, he’d caught her out of the corner of his eye.  Norns, she’d just stared at him, crossing her arms and tilting her head as though viewing some poor miserable animal in a cage for entertainment.

“You,” he whispered, pointing at her, instinctive green light glowing around his hand, “you were there.” He closed the distance between them fast, ready to snap her pretty neck.

“Loki, no!” Sigyn shouted, surging forward and pushing Gamora behind her.  Hands on his chest, she blocked him from touching their new ally. “We need her, and she hasn’t done a damn thing!”

“Exactly!” he barked, wide eyes shining with hate. “She did nothingーNOTHINGー but stand there and fucking watch them abuse me!”

Lips trembling, Frigga hurried toward him, “Loki, darling-”

“Stay out of this, Mother,” he hissed, shooting her a look that stopped her in her tracks. “None of you can begin to imagine that place, and I don’t want you to.”

Eyes on the floor, still behind Sigyn, Gamora shook her head. “You have no idea how much I hated what they did to you.”

Returning his piercing gaze to Gamora, his chest rose and fell faster.  Gods, how he loathed the sound of her voice.  Oh that Sig would just get the Hel out of his way.  He didn’t need this pathetic woman’s help.

“Loki, I’m so sorry, but you must step back,” Sigyn said shakily, her heart absolutely shattering as she watched one dreadful tear fall down his cheek.

His expression was a horrid cocktail of failure and loss and terror and agony, each emotion worse than the last, and for the first time, the wall he’d built to block the trauma from her crumbled entirely.  Sigyn seethed, mouth trembling, forehead sweating, the fire in her veins building more and more with each second as his memories from that place flooded her mind.  It took everything in her willpower to not wrench her dagger from its sheath and stick it right through Gamora’s temples.  Lucky for this daughter of Thanos, Sigyn didn’t want to make a blood-spattering mess all over her future mother’s floor, and it gave her enough pause to realize that the woman standing behind her was not in the agonizing scenes Loki had unwillingly shown her.

Thor took a step toward him. “Brother?”

“Oh now you’re going to defend this coward, too?” Loki shouted hoarsely, spinning on his heel to face him.

“No one is defending anyone,” Thor said, hands up and voice tight with restraint.  From his brother’s response to the woman, he wanted to throttle her, too. “But apparently she has information that we need.”

An unamused bark of a laugh escaped Loki’s lips, and Thor closed his mouth.  Jaw tight, Loki stormed across the room to the opulent chair behind Frigga’s desk and sank heavily into the plush blue velvet.  Legs splayed wide, he propped up his elbow on the arm of the chair, setting his chin between his thumb and forefinger.  He arched one eyebrow, fixing his haunted eyes on Gamora.

Knowing the distance between them would not stop Loki from (if he wanted to) slinging a perfectly aimed dagger at her throat, slicing right through her trachea, a shiver shot straight up Gamora’s spine.  She’d seen him do it to hundreds of chitauri and bestia during his training for Earth.  Steadying her breathing, she met his eyes, the intensity of his stare sending her straight back to the day she first saw him….

….

For the past year, she’d been stuck on this barren rock in the darkest corner of the galaxy, as one of five security squad leaders一a sentence for petty little misdemeanors on Xandar that would “bring too much attention to Thanos” (come ON).  This punishment did NOT fit the crime.  Her fighting skills were impeccable, and they weren’t being put to use at all here.  Not only was this the most mind-numbingly dull assignment of her life, but there were only hideous chitauri and bestia to look at.  Her eyes needed a goddamn break.  Was it too much to ask for at least SOME eye candy? 

Today she was pulling guard duty on a lookout rock tower.  It was thrilling work, really.  Elbows resting on the metal railing, she nearly fell asleep, bored to tears.  She jolted wide awake when something heavy crash landed about a hundred yards away.  Looking toward the place of impact, she squinted.  Was that…. was that a MAN?  She rubbed her eyes and blinked.  Yep, that was an actual man, definitely injured, but still breathing.

His features were clear to her, even from a distance.  There was dried blood in his hair, and small cuts and bruises marred his face, but he was still nice to look at.  Huh, so the universe had decided to give her eyes a break after all.  Despite the incessant dark of this awful place, she could see his eyes shining like two genuine emeralds.  Wow.  Combine that with the impressive gold armor (it was dirty, but still) and a very expensive looking green cape, it was clear this guy was…. he was so…. regal.

Important.

She couldn’t put her finger on it, but something about him chilled her to the bone.  She felt a sudden deep need to protect him from these monsters all over the place.  They would be on him any minute.  Shitー the Other was already down there, a bestia too.  No no no no no, it was tearing the man’s armor and shirt off, and he wasn’t moving to stop it!  She knew that lab-made bestia didn’t have sexual desire (or plumbing), and it was standard policy here to disrobe “trespassers” just to scare the hell out of them, but this guy was not a typical alien.  Even bloodied up, he was…. appealing…. and the Other was a well-known voyeur….

Shear panic, a no holds barred sense of dread, turned her stomach so violently that she vomited over the side of the safety rail, the splattering sound (ugh) on the spiky boulders below making her heave again.  When she looked back up, that atrocious monstrosity was forcing its claws inside the waistband of his pants— NOPE.

CODE RED!

Without a thought for the consequences, she swiped the back of her hand across her mouth and jumped to the ground, deftly avoiding breaking her legs.  Sword drawn, keen to disembowel the repulsive thing before it could strip the man entirely, she made a beeline for them.  She was halfway there when suddenly the man’s palm collided with the bestia’s nose, and it scrambled backwards, black sludge spewing from its nostrils.

Rolling over onto his stomach, the man pushed to his knees, and she exhaled heavily through her mouth, feeling like she might cry from the extreme relief pulsing through her veins.  Holy shitー with those gaping gashes in his side and thigh, he was still strong enough to bash a bestia’s designed-to-be-unbreakable face in?!  Who the hell WAS this guy?!  If given a minute more to catch his breath, he could probably split it in half with one kick to the gut.  He spoke then, his voice deep and throaty.

“What is this place?”

The Other laughed, a sinister sound that made her skin crawl, as always.

“Welcome to the desert….”

 ….

She watched the Other shove him up a steep winding path, no doubt cutting his bare feet on the sharp rocks.  Fresh blood seeped from the open wounds on his ribs and leg after fighting off (and killing) that gross abomination.  Hiding behind huge boulders, she followed them, hoping to catch his name.  No name was mentioned, but he was Asgardian apparently.  Ah—Should’ve guessed that.  No wonder he was strong…. and TALL.  He had a solid foot on the Other.

She stayed close by, watching him enter a lone prison cell at the end of a hall, meant for long term solitary.  Blinding light flooded the pitch black room then, and a hoard of bestia poured in, trapping his arms and legs before he could react.  They clawed at him, stripping him completely, then tossed him on the ground.  Without another word, they left the room, taking his tattered pants with them, and slammed the door behind them.  Her brain barely had time to process what happened since they’d done it within the span of a few seconds.  Thank god, they hadn’t actually done anything to him…. well…. except humiliate him.  That was awful enough.

She really…. cared…. about this Asgardian.  It wasn’t a crush or anything, but there was this little voice in her head saying that he matteredーthat his part in the universe’s story was absolutely vital and could NOT be recast.  She had to watch over him.  She HAD to, because all these freakshow escapees walking around this place were absolute SADISTS.  They had come up with some downright barbaric methods for breaking people.  As a security team leader, she would move shifts around and appoint herself his sole cell guard.  She could convince her aggravating sister (with LOTS of cash) to take over when she needed to sleep.  No one else, though.  She wouldn’t let anyone lay a finger on him….

….

Still seated in his mother’s desk chair, Loki saw everything in Gamora’s mind.  His face screwed up in disgust.  Norns, she had a vivid imagination, what with conjuring up images of graphic assaults he might have endured without her there to protect him.  Shaking his head to clear the horror, he swallowed the bile that had risen to his throat.

Sigyn saw it all tooー the bond was absolutely vicious sometimes.  Had she really just been fantasizing about killing Gamora five minutes ago?  Gods.  Not in a million years would she even consider doing such a thing after seeing what the woman had done for Loki.  Without warning, she threw her arms around the woman’s neck, pulling her into a bone crushing hug.  Blinking rapidly, shocked from the sudden physical contact, Gamora slowly reached up to pat Sigyn’s back once she put two and two together.  She already knew that Loki was a telepath, but apparently his girlfriend could somehow see her memories through his eyes.  Wow, that was disturbing.

“Fiancée,” Loki corrected her, rolling his eyes.  Girlfriend was such a stupid word.

Gamora pulled a face. “Listen, I appreciate not having to verbally explain why you shouldn’t stab me to death,” she gestured to the shining knife he’d pulled out of nowhere that now sat on the desk in front of him, “but the mind-reading thing you’ve got going on here is seriously creepy, so can you not do that anymore?”

“He’s always been creepy like that,” Thor spoke up, ignoring the glare Loki aimed at him. “Don’t count on him stopping any time soon.” He wished he could read minds, too.  It wasn’t fair to be stuck in the dark while everyone had these silent conversations.  But it looked like the animosity between Loki and Gamora was gone at least. “So why is Thanos coming here?  And if he’s so formidable,” he rolled his eyes to hide his nerves, “what do you suggest we do?”

“You know the background of all this, right?” Gamora asked him, one eyebrow raising. “You know about my father sending Loki to Earth and how he-” she stopped abruptly at Thor’s confused expression.  It took a second to realize the man didn’t know Thanos was her father. “I’m Thanos’s adopted daughter, but that is neither here nor there.  I fled from him for a reason, so calm down,” she added when his nostrils flared with obvious anger. “You know about the bug and Loki’s mission, right?” Thor gave one slow nod, chest rising and falling steadily.

“Good, that saves another explanation.  Since the tesseract went completely off his radar, and Sigyn is here in Asgard, Thanos is convinced he- ” she pointed to Loki “-came here to be with her.  The bug stopped working, so it’s just a guess on his part.”

Gaze narrowing, Loki stood and walked around the desk. “How can you know any of this?  Didn’t you leave two months ago?  Sig and I have only been back for seven days.”

“Time is relative, Loki,” Gamora replied flatly, surprised that he hadn’t thought of that.

“Let me get this straight,” Thor said, pinching the bridge of his nose, “your father wants the tesseract, so he is coming to Asgard on the off chance that Loki somehow used it to come home without transmitting a signal that he’d done so?”

Gamora held up a finger. “Mostly true.  He doesn’t just want the tesseract.  He wants to harness their magic-” she gestured to Loki and Sigyn “-to conquer planet after planet until he has control of the universe.  He had no idea that Sigyn had literal fire power until Loki started, um, talking about her in his sleep.  He came up with this not exactly original fire and ice idea after we saw Loki turn blue and freeze the water in the showers.” She looked at the floor, not thrilled to sound accusatory toward the guy.

Needing to sit down, Frigga put a hand on her forehead and walked to the hearth sofa.  Was it too much to ask of the universe to just let her son be for once in his life?  Thor hurried over and sank down onto the cushion next to her.  Putting an arm around her shoulders, he gave her a squeeze.

“So what then?” he asked, eyes on Gamora. “Does he really think my brother and his betrothed will just follow along with whatever he wants?”

“Pretty easy to manipulate people when you threaten to hurt their loved ones, so yeah,” Gamora nodded, lips in a thin line. “He’s going to kidnap Sigyn to get to you-” she eyed Loki “-since you’re…. you know…. crazy in love with her and all that.”

Sigyn flushed a deep red.  Hearing someone else say Loki was mad for her was a bit embarrassing, to be honest.  It felt intrusive for some reason.

“Has he not considered that Loki might have been killed by the humans?” She gathered her hair, pulling it up into a high ponytail with the elastic on her wrist because she was burning up now and needed it off the back of her neck. “Or he could have been imprisoned, with no way to re-establish the bug every other night, thus the radio silence,” she gestured to him, tilting her head when he smirked.

Oh, he was cooking something upーit was written all over his faceーthe wheels turning in his mind.  She couldn’t see what he was thinking, though.  He’d slammed the metaphorical doors in her face.  Sliding her eyes back to Gamora, Sigyn frowned.

“Why would he only think Loki stole the damn thing?  Seems rash for someone who is as cold and calculating as you described him.”

Before Gamora could answer, Frigga crossed her arms, giving the woman a pointed look. “If you are certain that he will be here in some seven odd days, as you told me before everyone burst into my quarters, then we must make haste.” She turned her head to Thor, giving him the chance to be the king that he needed to be. “What course of action shall we take, dearest?”

Thor made a face.  Throughout this conversation, he’d been looking to Loki, hoping his brother would come up with some genius plan as he always did.  He didn’t relish the responsibility of making possibly planet-ending decisions.  Rubbing his temples, he blew out a long breath, and pushed off the sofa.  He started pacing the length of the room, stopping suddenly when his unseeing gaze landed on Gungnir leaning right side up against the wall.  He’d been so distracted by his nerves after the family meeting yesterday about the proposal that he’d forgotten to take it back to his chambers.  Without a second’s hesitation, he grabbed it and crossed the room to Loki, holding it out for him.

“Take it.”

Eyes blowing wide open, Loki’s jaw nearly fell to the floor.  He looked at the spear, then up to his brother’s face.  Licking his lips, he reached up, hand closing over the weapon.  Sigyn froze, breath hitching in her chest.  Last she’d seen that spear in his hand, they’d been charging toward Thor on the bridge to stop him from breaking it.  Wait…. no….

Salty tears burned her eyes, spilling over within seconds—I was holding onto that fucking thing, and he was slipping further and further and further from the other endー

Strong arms came around her shoulders then, slicing right through the agonizing memory before the bitter end could flesh itself out. “Do not go there, Sig,” Loki whispered, his cool breath on her ear raising the hairs on the back of her neck.

Head shaking, she dropped her forehead to his chest, breathing in the smell of his shirt. “I didn’t know…. I hadn’t considered the throne…. oh gods…. I can’t do this again.  I can’t.  I can’t.”

Leaning his chin on the top of her head, he curled a hand around the back of her neck.  Norns, her small voice, her shaky breathing, the fear radiating from it…. it was killing him.  Snaking his other arm around her waist, he pulled her flush against him.  He wanted her to hug him back, but she just leaned into him limply.

Please hold me— he pressed his lips to her temple, squeezing her tighter, but she didn’t move.

“Come on, Sig, please,” he begged out loud, forgetting their audience as he shook her a bit.  Don’t quit on me now.

Just as he was about to pull back, her hands slid up his chest and over his shoulders.  Her fingers threaded in the roots of his hair, snagging the tie holding it back at his nape.  He winced, vaguely hearing her mumble “sorry” while pulling her hand away, butー oh no no no no ーhe wouldn’t have that.  Grabbing her wrist, he put her hand right back on his neck.

“Do not ever let go of me,” he said, voice hoarse with emotion because son of a bitch, that awful day was slithering around in her head again.  They heard someone sniff behind them then.

“I’ll never let go, Jack,” Thor croaked, swiping away a tear that had fallen down his cheek.

Arms still around each other, Loki and Sigyn turned their heads in unisonーLoki glaring, and Sigyn looking utterly confused.  Thor blinked, mouth falling open.  Had he said that out loud?  From the looks of it, he had.

Oops.

Thor cleared his throat. “Sorry, it’s a line from a movie I watched with Darcy,” he explained.

“Yes, I’m aware of it,” Loki said tightly, eyes narrowing further. “Big blond sap,” he added under his breath.

“Who’s Darcy?” Sigyn asked, raising an eyebrow. “And what movie?” Not that it mattered.

“Titanic, 1997,” Gamora said, rolling her eyes. “The romance in it is even more vomit-inducing than you two,” she gagged a bit, motioning to the pair still wrapped around each other.

Looking sideways, Sigyn dropped her hands from Loki’s neck and disentangled herself from his arms.  She took several steps back from himーthe woman had a point.

“Darcy is a friend of Jane’s,” Thor answered Sigyn’s question before throwing Gamora a look, “and it is not vomit-inducing.  ‘Tis a classic tale of love with a tragically beautiful ending,” he raised his chin. “And you are not of Earth, how have you even seen it?”

“Neither are you, and who hasn’t seen it?” Gamora shrugged, one eyebrow arching.

Sigyn raised her hand. “I haven’t,” she said, looking up at Loki.

Eyes rolling so hard up into his skull that it actually hurt his head, he waved a hand. “I was incredibly bored while you were shopping with Ms. Potts, and it was on the television,” he scratched the back of his neck. “It was already halfway through, and the ship was being ripped apart, which I rather enjoyed watching.  Groundbreaking cinema.”

“It was groundbreaking cinema,” Thor grumbled, mostly to himself.

“Why are any of you talking about cinema at all?” Frigga groaned, putting a hand on her hip.

Gamora laughed out loud then, catching everyone off guard.  Shoulders shaking, she bit the insides of her cheeks, wiping tears from her eyes.  She doubled over, holding her stomach.  After a solid minute of cackling, she managed to pull it together.

“Sorry, but this family dynamic right here,” she twirled a finger at them, “is the funniest thing I’ve seen in years.  It really humanizes you guys,” she nodded to Loki and Thor, “you know what I mean?  Suddenly, you aren’t these otherworldly stupidly hot gods…. you’re just…. stupid boys.”  Thor pulled a face, looking to Loki for affirmation of mutual offense.  Loki only pressed his lips together, shaking his head.

Sigyn didn’t find anything about this remotely funny.  No mention of cringe-worthy movies would change the fact that Thor had just offered the throne to Loki.  She eyed Gungnir lying on the floor where he had discarded it in order to console her.  He’d been a good kingーa really good oneーduring his short time on the throne.  Maybe…. maybe it was for the best.  Loki spoke then, as if reading her mind.

“Why are you giving it to me?” he asked, staring at Thor and motioning to the spear. “If it’s because you’re just a damn coward, then I don’t want it.”

Eyes cast downward, Thor shook his head. “I’m scared, Loki, but I’m not a coward.  It’s just…. I don’t deserve the throne,” he paused, sniffing back embarrassing tears yet again, “but you do, brother.”

Heart swelling, Loki swallowed thickly. “I want an actual coronation this time,” he said, hiding his emotions behind a smirk. “Bigger than yours was,” he added, crossing his arms, one eyebrow raised.

Thor smiled wide, eyes crinkling. “Done and done.  But first, I’m going to throw you a welcome home party.  A huge feast with lots of dancing.  We’ll have the musicians play that song you love as many times as you like.  Remember it?The one where you thrust your hips way too much?” He laughed at Loki’s unimpressed look. “And we’ll have plenty of that disgusting cocktail they named after you.”

Loki blinked. “There’s a drink named after me?” 

“The Trickster,” Frigga gave him a watery smile. “Persimmon cider and single malt.  Three months later, and it’s still the most popular drink at all the taverns.”

Warmth flooded his insides, genuine warmth…. not ender-induced, and Loki let out a shaky breath.  Oh no.  Oh no, please don’t really cry.  He cleared his throat.

“We can’t announce that I survived until the bifrost is repaired, so this doesn’t really matter at the mo-”

“Chitauri tech has a huge weakness,” Gamora spoke over him, shrugging when he shot her a look, “sorry, but all of this who gets a crown stuff is a moot point if you don’t know how the hell to defeat my father, so that is what we are going to discuss right now.”  Before they could respond, she continued. “If the hive dies, they all die like that-” she snapped her fingers once “-so that is our main focus.  It’ll be really gross, because that thing is huge.  Bloody egg pods will go flying in all directions.”

Sigyn made a face. “So, what, we gut this hive queen thing and alien babies scatter everywhere like creepy over-sized spiderlings?  How fun. ”

“I know, right?” Gamora shrugged. “But at least they’ll be dead already when they’re blasted from the hive.”

“Where is this hive?” Thor asked. “I’ll happily plunge my hammer deep into it as soon as possible.” He cringed, cheeks reddening when everyone smirked and raised their eyebrows at him. “Sorry,” he cleared his throat, wishing a hole would open up in the ground for him to fall through. “Terrible phrasing.” Valhalla, this just was not his day.

“The hive is in the heart of Thanos’s ship,” Gamora answered, trying not to laugh at Thor because this was serious. “It’s the neural link to all the one-manned skimmers, multi-piloted Necrocraft, and Leviathans ーthose are living airborne carriers with about a thousand chitauri each.  Loki knows about them,” she pointed, and everyone turned to look at him.

Draping an arm over Sigyn’s shoulders, he pocketed his other hand in his jacket and sucked in his cheeks.  This was so fun to talk about.  He was having such a good time.

“Yes, they’re lovely,” he deadpanned. “Can’t wait to battle them.”

Gamora pursed her lips, wiggling her first finger between Loki and Sigyn. “Trust me, you two will be great at it.” She raised her hands when they glared at her. “I’m not being sarcastic.”

Sigyn looked up at Lokiーyou knew about this?  When Loki didn’t respond, she returned her eyes to Gamora, brows furrowed in question.

Head tilting, Gamora blew out a breath. “The hive is susceptible to extreme fluctuating temperature changes.” Thor, Frigga, and Sigyn stilled, letting the words sink in.  Finally, Sigyn broke the silence, a ghost of a smile appearing on her face.

“Fire and ice.”

Nodding once, Gamora pointed to her. “Exactly.”

Suddenly afraid for his brother to go charging onto a mothership, Thor chewed his lip. “I don’t know about this.” He frowned at Loki.

“I’ll be fine,” Loki sighed, pushing stray locks of hair behind his ear with the hand that wasn’t hanging over Sigyn’s shoulder. “We both will.  I can teleport us straight to the hive for pity’s sake.”

He’d thought of this earlier actually, before Gamora had said a word about it.  He’d learned everything about that gigantic ship that might as well have been its own planet during the last two months in the desert.  The best physical training facilities were on the ship, so the Other (technically Thanos) gave him daily furlough from his cell in order to build back the muscle he’d lost during solitary.  Couldn’t send a walking skeleton to Earth, could they now?  His copies were quite useful during those hours.  While a copy trained in his stead, he explored the rest of the ship hidden in a sphere.  He discovered where the hive was, how its tech worked, and that fire and ice would destroy it, if wielded properly.  Honestly, the only thing he hadn’t discovered was the name of their leaderーnot until the Other had told Two while reactivating the bug.  Sure he was nervous to charge straight into enemy lines, but he was stronger than ever, and his magic was all but impenetrable now.  He frowned then, eyebrows knitting and mouth falling open.  Wait—Oh shit.

“Where did you get that Jotun tranq?” he whispered, looking narrowly at Gamora as his stomach turned over angrily.  By the gods, if it had come from the desert or the ship…. if Thanos had more of them….

“Oh right,” Gamora muttered, scratching the back of her head, “I stole it from the Black Order Alchemy lab on the ship,” she finished nervously, backing away when Loki came toward her, eyes dark and angry.

“Black Order Alchemy lab?” he snarled, catching up to her in two long strides.  Grabbing her by the elbow, he yanked her to him. “That thing was made by Ebony Maw?!   That nose-less prick need only toss another of those things at me, and I’ll be done for!  How the Hel did it slip your mind to bring that up?!” No wonder that shit had knocked him out.

Thor hurried to them, putting a hand on Loki’s shoulder. “Who is this person of whom you speak?  Surely we can band together to defeat him!  For the love, Loki, you have magic.”

“As does that monster who concocted the drug that took it away from me!  That ass-kissing witch is worse than the Other!  He made that godsdamn bug, too, didn’t he,” Loki spat, sending a painful zap into Thor’s hand still gripping his shoulder (he wanted it off of him), all while keeping his eyes on Gamora.

“Loki!” Frigga shouted, running to Thor to stop him from falling flat on his back when Loki’s magic knocked the wind out of him.

“Yes, he created the bug, too, but Maw is dead, alright?!” Gamora gasped, struggling to free her arm from Loki’s bruising grip. “I killed him!  And I didn’t just grab one tranqーI stole all of them, and then I destroyed them, so let go of me!”

“What?” he asked, arching an eyebrow in disbelief as he loosened his hold on her. “How?”

She shrugged him off, staring daggers at Sigyn for just standing there while her crazy boyfriend manhandled her.  Lip curling, Gamora straightened her jacket. “I put a knife through his eye and out the back of his skull, then slit his throat while he was sleeping,” she lifted her chin, “if you must know the gory details.”

“Is that so?” Loki hummed, lips forming an ‘o’ in mock surprise. “Must be your calling card to take a man out while he sleeps.”

“Could they make more Jotun sedatives?” Sigyn asked, returning the glare Gamora had given her.  She’d seen this Mawーa haughty, lanky biped alienーin Loki’s memories earlier, so she needed no explanation concerning his identity as a “child” of Thanos and a genius diviner, no doubt recording his potions meticulously.  Much like Loki always did, actually.  But therein laid the problemーanyone could recreate it…. right?

“No, they can’t actually,” Gamora answered tightly, “because I destroyed his research, too.  Both his original handwritten work and the cyber-linked copies on the neural harddrive.  I even checked the shared viewing history across the sanctuary and the ship, and none of the chitauri, or the Other, or my father had even seen it.  So…. you’re welcome.”

“Well,” Thor spoke up, blinking to clear his head, still recovering from Loki’s magic, “I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m relieved, so thank you for your service, Lady Gamora.” Hand on his chest, he bowed his head slightly, and flashed her a smile.

She made a face at the name—Lady Gamora?  Ugh.

Frigga rolled her eyes at her son’s formality, knowing it would do nothing to endear Gamora to him, and that the woman might think he was attempting to flirt.  Norns…. Sif would have a fit.

“If we need Loki and Sigyn to destroy Thanos and his army, we cannot delay the announcement of his return.  We must inform the public before his ship arrives,” Frigga waved a hand at Loki, and when he shook his head, jaw dropping, she added, “You won’t be accused of necromancy, darling.  The council is not as fearsome as you think, and our people will be thrilled to see that you survived.”

Sigyn pulled both hands down her face, groaning behind them. “Okay, so what, are we saying he crash landed on Earth and found his way back through the portal?  I mean…. that’s what we told those few healers who were sworn to silence, and are hopefully keeping their oaths….”

She trailed off, and Loki sighed, putting his palm over his mouth, then snapped his fingers. “Jotunheim?  Thor said there were whispers about that portal after the bridge broke anyway, so it wouldn’t be terribly shocking.  Plus, their planet is halfway destroyed and hardly any of them left.  No Jotuns would have seen me, and I would have known there had to be a portal somewhere on the other side because they’d come charging through the forest during the battle.  The story could be that it just took a long time for me to find it.”

Thor nodded, clapping once and rubbing his hands together. “That’s perfect.  It doesn’t contradict the provisional bill or the portal oaths of secrecy.”

Sigyn rubbed her temples, confused by the random new lie Loki had conjured up. “I don’t underst-”

Rapid knocking on the doors caused everyone to jump, and before Frigga took even one step to answer it, both doors swung open.  It was a swift intrusion, and Loki couldn’t react fast enough to avoid being seen.  Thankfully, said intruder was Fiora, the healer who had performed Sigyn’s operation and already knew Loki was alive.

“Your Grace!” the woman gasped, excited and breathless as she closed the doors behind her, completely unaware of the green-skinned woman not ten feet from her.

“Fiora?” Frigga said, eyes wide with concern. “You can’t just burst in here without-”

“It worked!” Fiora shrieked (a very unprofessional sound), offering the slightest bow. “The operation was a success.  Your dear gatekeeper can see again,” she smiled so wide it looked painful. “Fear not, I won’t keep you.  I just…. I couldn’t wait to tell you, Your Grace,” she said, turning to open the door again, giving a small but giddy wave as she pulled it closed behind her.

“Heimdall has the all-sight once more?  That is good news indeed.” The unexpected words came from the doorway of Frigga’s bedroom.  A new voice—an old voice, actually.  One that hadn’t been heard for what felt like ages, hoarse from lack of use.  All jaws were on the floor as they turned around.  Gamora and Sigyn froze.  Frigga and Thor beamed.  And Loki….

Loki just winced, heart aching—no— breaking at the sight before him.

Father?

He watched his mother and brother dart toward the old man, crying and kissing and hugging each other in earnest.  Unmoving, his stomach in his throat, his hands curled into fists at his sides.  He’d vowed to reclaim that name despite it being nothing but a gigantic fucking lie, had he not?

Odinson.

But looking at the happy family now, he couldn’t.  Did they even notice he hadn’t joined them?  Did they even care?  Sig might have said something to him then—he wasn’t all there really, so how could he know?  Eyes burning with fresh tears, feeling like he’d just taken a knife to the gut, like he was losing his grip on a spear, like he was bleeding to death and falling away from everything he’d ever known, he took two steps back and turned on his heel.   As he walked away, throwing the main doors wide open, not caring that the entire damn hall could see him, he didn’t hear his father calling his name or running after him.