#the real reason Loki decides to hang out on Midgard so much

[benevolentgodloki]

Mobius, you thought Loki was a handful. Wait ‘til you give him a pack of Haribo.

[be-a-snake-stab-your-brother]

Oh ho ho ho prepare thyselves, I have some thoughts about Loki's appearance in the latest What If... episode

Let's jump into this.

Okay. So Loki shows up with an (if not the) entire contingent of Einherjar and the Warriors Three (Four, really), giving the same damn speech he did during Infinity War, minus the "Odinson" portion.

Okay. So Loki shows up with an (if not the) entire contingent of Einherjar and the Warriors Three (Four, really), giving the same damn speech he did during Infinity War, minus the "Odinson" portion.

This isn't a mistake. Loki, at this point, damn well knows who he really is and why. And assuming that events up to this point follow the same trajectory as the "sacred timeline" (does anyone else think the "Watcher" is just Kang hanging out with a bowl of popcorn overlooking the multiverse because that's how I'm reading it...) Anyway, assuming everything we see in the first Thor movie holds true up until Thor's murder...

And that's just the thing, isn't it? It's Thor's murder that is the "nexus event." Loki comes screaming down to Midgard, apparently having secured the loyalty of all of Asgard as its acting King (he's still holding Gungnir, after all) so something must have gone on behind the scenes for everyone to start trusting him. Even when they obviously know he is Jotun.

AGAIN, HE LEADS WITH THE WHOLE JOTUNHEIM THING. Doesn't deny it, proclaims it in front of the entire Asgardian army. This...this is a very different Loki than we saw in the first Thor movie. Whatever shame he held about being Jotun, he's at least come to partial terms with it. And it's not the reason he ends up taking over Midgard/Earth (more on this later).

Loki isn't on Midgard because he wants a kingdom. He's the "rightful" King of Jotunheim, not the actual one. And he's actually quite forward about the fact he's rallied the entire Asgardian army to avenge his adopted brother's death. He loves Thor that much. (As if Asgard would deny him this. Of course not, they'd want their "pound of flesh," or more, just like Loki does.)

Remember the Loki series? When Classic Loki just wanted to see his brother again? This is the same thing.

Now here's what I find really fascinating.

When Loki goes for his show of strength, when he declares he will reduce Midgard to ruins (specifically, "ash and ice") if he doesn't get the "pound of flesh" aka the entire corpse he deserves (and just...the meta of this...the pound of flesh being a reference to Merchant of Venice and Tommy H being a Shakespeare expert is just perfection on every level)

Anyway, Loki goes for the bloody Casket of Ancient Winters.

Again, Loki has Gungnir, which is not only a weapon no one would laugh at, but a symbol of the Asgardian monarchy, and yet he takes them all out with the Jotunheim Casket. I mean, fascinating. And Loki doesn't turn blue while handling it, which I believe (contrary to some internet opinion) means he has mastered the Casket as its wielder. Meaning he's come to terms with his identity. Even if he still hates Odin, who may be dead or alive at this juncture (Frigga is most definitely alive, or else Loki would be having a breakdown). I find this choice utterly fascinating.

So I want to reiterate that through this entire exchange, Loki is on Earth for a single purpose: vengeance. He wants his brother's killer. He shows no signs of desire to take over the planet, to subjugate its people, and he has never met Thanos (in any iteration) because he never let go on the Rainbow Bridge. It's not until later, not until Hank Pym spills some beans regarding Fury, that Loki seems to switch tracks.

So Fury and Loki strike a deal and Loki (illusioned as Fury because that is most definitely one of the powers Loki has) outs Hank Pym as the murderer of the proto-Avengers, who is on a revenge tour due to his daughter's death during her SHIELD days (which was likely an alt-universe Bucky Barnes/aka the Winter Solider seeing as it was in Odessa and that's just an entirely different story to deconstruct).

But here's the interesting part:

Remember, Fury is not Fury here. I doubt the real Nick Fury would ever refer to Thor as a "Prince of Asgard," and so we know this conversation is happening between Loki and Hank (and wow, I a) never thought I'd type that sentence and b) I cannot believe Marvel got bloody Michael Douglas to play this character, holy hell).

But the important thing to remember here is Hank's point of view. The way he casually says Fury would have recruited Thor for his initiative. Hints that if Fury had done so, he would have considered Thor as an expendable hero. Outright says he would prefer Fury's death over Thor's and this is the moment I believe Loki decides to conquer Earth. Because he cannot trust these warring factions and his brother is dead because of it.

And Loki wipes the floor with Hank. Think about it. Hank has managed to kill all of the Avengers minus Steve Rogers (only due to the fact Steve was doing his popsicle impression at the time). He managed to kill Thor.

And Loki destroys him within a few minutes. I mean, what a testament to our deity of mischief.

But has Loki really gotten his pound of flesh? Hank is taken away, not dead. Thor is still gone, forever. And there was enough logic in what Hank said during their confrontation (after all, Loki would know about being used as a weapon, or at the very least a means to an end. He had that conversation with Odin. He will not stand to see it repeated with Thor). There was enough in that exchange with Hank, there was enough in the negotiations with Fury...that Loki directs his army (his legitimate army who does not rebel against him) to take over Earth in what we can only assume is a mostly peaceful coup (minus some frigid temperatures here and there, but you know, we can just say Loki was counteracting global warming at the same time.) No Chitauri, no Thanos, no utter craziness.

Just...retribution on this planet for making Loki lose what was dearest to him.

[loki-hargreeves]

Loki x Reader - Married in Secret ENDING 2

Warnings: Fluff, kind of implied smut but definitely mostly fluff Word Count: 1K Summary: Read part 1 first! This is choice #1 of three possible endings you can choose from. Author’s Note: This won’t make sense unless you read the [main part] first :)

YOUR POV

After you had been pronounced husband and wife, it was a real mission to get all the way to the shore without being noticed. At first, you tried to sneak your way like you had done so many times before, but Loki’s golden gear and your wedding dress were sure to catch attention. So with a little help of his magic, Loki disguised the two of you. That definitely made things much easier. 

Eventually, you made it to the docks. The sun had set and the sky was a deep shade of blue. The stars were hanging above your heads and the air was cool, which felt lovely. During all that time, you wondered what Loki was possibly up to. 

He stopped walking when you reached a boat that was scattered with flowers. You saw a closed basket inside and two lanterns. The sight made your heart flutter in your chest with love and excitement. Despite Loki’s serious and sometimes cold exterior, he was so sweet and romantic. 

Loki was the first one to get in, only so he could assist you. It wasn’t easy walking around in a wedding dress. 

He offered you his hand, “Do you trust me?” 

A playful smile appeared on your face when you grabbed his hand, “with all my heart.”

Just like that, the two of you get inside the boat. You sat down comfortably as Loki worked on getting you further onto the water, away from everything and everyone else. The wind was making small ripples on the surface on the water, which crashed with the ripples the boat created. Soon enough, you and Loki were closer to the mountains than you were downtown of Asgard. 

Being in the middle of the water was comforting. No one could bother you there.

Loki sat down right next to you and the balance of the boat wasn’t disturbed at all. In the midst of the cool air, it was nice to feel his body warmth against yours. It definitely tempted you to cuddle against one another.

“This is lovely,” You admitted softly. It was dark, but you could see a sparkle of light in Loki’s eyes. He was worried you wouldn’t like this, but now that he heard that, he was relieved. 

“It’s only one part of my surprise,” Loki let you know as he grabbed the basket. He opened it, revealing all the food and drinks that were hidden inside. There was even cake in there, which you were delighted about. “There is a little getaway waiting for us on Midgard. I know a secret pathway that will take us there. I assure you, it’s quite nice and no one will find us there. We can spend the next week all by ourselves,” Loki explained to you as he grabbed two glasses from the basket and filled them with wine. 

As he finished explaining that, he handed you a glass which you grabbed with joy. It was nice to have something to drink after the long walk you had taken earlier. 

“Loki that’s amazing,” You could hardly believe what you were hearing. How and when had he made all of these things fall into place? “You’re amazing,” You added quickly, meaning what you said. He was truly like no other and you felt so lucky to be with him.

“For us,” Loki raised his glass in the air.

“For us,” and so did you. The two of you didn’t break eye contact as you tasted the wine. It was sweet and not too dry. You had to take another sip of the delicious drink, allowing it to coat all your taste buds.

Loki looked at your dress again, the dress that just screamed you, but it also made you look like a queen. He couldn’t believe how beautiful you looked. He could hardly believe that you had wanted to marry him. His heart was so full of love for you that it almost hurt. 

“I’m glad we did this,” Loki admitted after a while. He put his glass down, trusting that it wouldn’t fall over. The boat was quite still by now as it floated freely on the water. The wind was calming down and the water was becoming clearer, showing your reflection on the surface, even in the dark. 

“Me too,” You agreed. Getting married in secret was the best decision you had made in a long time. A huge, formal wedding wouldn’t have been special. It would’ve been a show and the entire day would’ve been spent by pleasing others and pretending to be something you were not. 

Loki used his magic to grab the two lanterns. That’s when you put your glass down as well, grabbing the other lantern from him. It was something quite simple, but you were excited nonetheless. As you inspected the thin material of it, you saw something special. Your names were written inside a heart. It was incredibly cheesy and you had not expected that from the god of mischief himself. Funny, after all these years, he could still surprise you.

“I love you, Loki,” You let him know, tearing your eyes off the heart for a moment. 

“And I love you,” Loki returned the sentiment shamelessly and leaned in to press a soft kiss on your forehead. And even after all these years, he could still make you flustered. 

A green flame lit around his pointer finger, which burned bright enough to make everything else look green for a moment. He lit his lantern and then yours. Once the two flames grew, he lifted his magic from his hand. 

“Ready?” He wondered.

You simply nodded as an answer. Then simultaneously, you both raised the lanterns up in the air and watched as they kept going higher and higher up in the air, until they looked tiny from where you were sat. The green lanterns moved toward land, but you doubted they would reach it. Perhaps they would float to land and some lucky person would find them. You wondered how long it would take for the rest of Asgard to find out about your marriage. It would be interesting to watch the chaos unfold. 

As you watched the lights, you put your head on Loki’s shoulder. His strong arm was wrapped around you and his hand rested against your hips lazily. There was no other place in the nine realms and beyond you’d rather be than right there with Loki. 

You wondered where on Midgard you would go. Perhaps to Norway? Or would you explore new places you had never seen before. How would you get there without Heimdall finding out about your secret little getaway? Surely, Loki had something figured out. He always seemed to be several steps ahead of everything else. 

“Did you mention something about cake earlier?” Loki seemed to remember what you had said when eh first revealed he had a surprise for you. 

“I most certainly did,” You smiled now. Who didn’t get excited about cake? 

“Well, lucky you,” Loki reached into the basket, “I have exactly what your heart desires, my dear,” He declared as he pulled out the cake. It was decorated with your favourite berries and candies and it looked absolutely scrumptious. 

Soon enough, the cake was before you and you and Loki had your forks. It was just for the two of you, so there was no point in cutting it and using plates. You dug into the cake at the same time, and since it was your wedding day, you fed each other the first bites.

You almost poked Loki on the cheek with your fork, which made you want to laugh, but you didn’t want to choke on the sweet cake. It practically melted in your mouth. 

“Norns, that’s a good cake!” You moaned in delight and wanted to take yet another bite. 

Loki on the other hand, wanted to hear more of those beautiful sounds that came out of your mouth. “Is it that good?” He shot you a flirtatious look. 

You took a second bite of the cake and closed your eyes, trying to tease him by eating in an overly dramatic way, “it’s really good, Loki,” you confirmed with a silly voice. It was difficult to hold back a grin as you put on your little show. 

“If you think the cake is good, just wait until I get my hands on you,” Loki teased you right back with a bold statement. Oh, you were certain he was going to make you lose your mind. But of course, two could play that game. 

You leaned closer to him and kissed his cheek, then you pressed your lips against his jaw, his neck and eventually his sweet spot that always seemed to turn his legs into jelly. 

Loki wanted more.

But you pulled back with a cheeky little smile and decided to focus on the cake again.

“What?” You turned to face him. You could feel his eyes on your skin. Was he surprised?

“Nothing,” Loki wiped the look off his face. He quite enjoyed this. “I’m just thinking about what I might have to do with you.”

“I assume that you won’t tell me?” 

Loki grabbed his glass to taste his wine once more, “I wouldn’t want to spoil a surprise, now would I?”  

Always so mysterious. 

And it was one of the many reasons why you had fallen in love with him. A day with Loki was never a boring day, and you would spend the rest of your days together. 

A/N: can you tell that I love that one scene in Tangled?

[loveisnotadagger]

Love is Healing - Chapter Four

Chapter 4/?

Warning: There is a brief mention of when Loki let go of Thor's hammer when he was hanging from the Rainbow Bridge and how he had basically tried to kill himself by doing that. It's literally maybe three sentences, but it's there if that triggers something for you.

The only thing Loki really saw was the girl – no, Arianna; he remembered her name now. She has shoulder-length, honey blond hair, much like the color of his mother's hair, and bright ocean-blue eyes. That was all he noticed at that point and that was only because she was standing over him.

He took her in within the few seconds it took for his pain to register and then he felt as if he couldn't breathe. So intense was his agony that he couldn't even find the strength to scream out loud even though he knew he'd opened his mouth to do just that.

"Your ribs were broken," Arianna said. "I couldn't heal them completely. I'm sorry. I know it must be extremely painful."

She went on to tell him every other thing she'd found that needed to be healed. He no longer had any bruises, and she had healed his lungs, which had been damaged by the broken ribs.

"What you really need is food and water."

"Food sounds wonderful," Loki admitted weakly.

He couldn't actually remember the last time he'd eaten. He did, however, remember that when he'd been under the control of Thanos he would sometimes miss many days' worth of meals when he wouldn't cooperate.

"I think we should start with broth. See how well that stays down before we give you solid food."

Before Loki could reply the door to the room opened.

Loki hadn't been paying attention before, but now that he could focus on something other than pain, he realized he had no idea where he was.

He would have to worry about that later, however, because the only thing that mattered at the moment was that he was weak and in pain, and the person who had opened the door was the man who could turn into a beast.

Loki had never moved so quickly in his life. It caused him more pain, but he didn't care. This man wasn't going to get hold of him again. He wouldn't survive another round of being smashed around.

He threw his legs over the side of the bed, intent on getting to his feet and running, using whatever strength he had left to push past Banner and get away.

"Loki," Arianna exclaimed, but he ignored her.

A sharp pain went through his chest and it had nothing to do with physical wounds. He'd trusted Arianna as much as he could trust anyone. He'd allowed her to lead him out of his tormented mind only to have him awake here with the one being in the whole of Midgard that had been able to hurt him.

As soon as Loki's feet hit the floor, he stood up only to fall right back down. The pain that fired throughout his body took his breath away and jarred him enough to break through his adrenaline-addled body.

So he couldn't even stand? How was he to escape his fate if he couldn't walk?

"Loki," the girl whispered, kneeling beside him. "I know what you're thinking, and it's not true. I didn't betray you, and Bruce will not hurt you. He has no reason to now."

Loki didn't respond vocally, but when Banner tried to help him stand and sit back on the bed Loki allowed it without complaint. The doctor was surprisingly careful and gentle with him.

"He needs water and food," Arianna said. "Broth to start off with. He is extremely malnourished."

Banner nodded. "I'll have Tony get something brought here. What should I tell Thor and –"

"They'll want to see him."

Loki noticed that Arianna was looking at him. She wasn't dictating that they had to see him. She was giving him a choice. He could decide for himself.

He gave a quick nod and Banner left. Only a few seconds passed before both Thor and his mother flooded into the room.

"Loki. My son," Frigga said and sprinted to his bedside. "You're awake."

"Careful," Arianna said. "He's still in pain. I wasn't able to heal him as fully as I wanted to."

"He is able to be awake," Thor said. "That is enough."

"Okay, well . . . I'll leave you guys to it."

Loki stiffened when Arianna touched his shoulder, but she didn't remove her hand.

"I'll be back shortly with some water and your food." ----------

Once outside the room, Arianna slid down to the floor with her back against the wall. She was exhausted mentally and physically. She'd had to break through Loki's defenses and she'd had to fight against Thanos. If he was that powerful in Loki's mind, she hoped she never came across him in real life.

She'd been anxious to get outside and help the victims of the earlier battle, but now she was glad she had to wait. She probably couldn't hold up against a flea at the moment.

Unbidden, tears stung her eyes. What was she doing? What had she been doing for the past however many hours? She'd been helping a criminal. True, Loki had been through a lot, but did that matter, really, in the grand scheme of things? Who knew what he'd done before he'd been tortured? Maybe he'd been bad all along. She didn't know.

A quiet sob escaped her and she clapped a hand over her mouth. She would not do this here where just anyone could walk by and see her.

"Aries?"

A figure hovered over her – short, dressed in black, red hair. Natasha – before sitting down with her. Arianna should have known that Natasha would be nearby. There was no way Tash would've gone far knowing her friend was in the other room with a psychopath.

"What's wrong? Did Loki hurt you?"

"No. Loki can barely sit up or stand. He's . . . he's – if he'd been human before now, he'd be dead."

"But he's not."

"No. I helped him a little bit . . . he's not him. Or . . . maybe he's more himself than ever. I don't know. But he's not the guy who tried to take over the world."

"That's a good thing. Why are you crying?"

"Because he's been through a lot, Tash. And I felt some of it. And I'm tired, and I just can't do anything else today."

"Then don't. You always push yourself too hard and then you end up feeling awful for days."

Arianna knew that was true, but she also knew she had several reasons for doing so. Because her best friend was a superhero, whether Natasha believed that or not, Arianna felt the need to prove that she was as useful as the other Avengers. She couldn't actually fight the bad guys, but she could clean up their messes. That was her job – or it had been until now.

"Am I crazy for wanting to heal him?" she asked. "I mean, I feel it was the right thing to do, but –"

"It is unprecedented," Natasha said. "But you also wouldn't be you if you didn't want to help. Just because he's a villain doesn't mean he can't also be a victim."

"He is," Arianna said. "He is a victim."

Natasha smiled softly. "Sometimes you care too much, Aries. Sometimes I think you're in the wrong line of work." ---------- Inside the room, Frigga was apologizing to Loki.

"Why did you not say anything before I stripped you of your powers?"

"I did not wish for you to know," Loki said.

What Loki wished was for Thor and Frigga to leave him alone. He was sitting up to save face, but he needed to lie back down. It was physically hurting him to stay upright.

And where was Arianna? He wouldn't admit it out loud, but he felt just a bit better with her in the room, and he would definitely need her with him once his mother and brother left. None of the other hero-types would dare touch him with her present.

Just as he was getting close to keeling over, Arianna came in. She was balancing a tray with a bottle of water and a steaming bowl of what Loki assumed was the broth she'd mentioned earlier.

"Hey," she said. "I got some vegetable soup and, obviously, water. You should lie down. I've got you covered."

She gestured to the tray she was holding. It had two legs that came down, one on either side.

Loki relaxed against the mattress, but he couldn't say he felt any more comfortable at all.

Arianna placed the tray down, one leg on either side of him, and then she reached down on the side of the bed. There was a small click and then then head of the bed was moving upward.

Loki stiffened. What kind of magic was this?

"It's just a hospital bed, Loki," Arianna said. "It'll help support you while you eat."

The soup looked good and smelled even better. He was so hungry, though, that the smell almost turned his stomach.

"Don't force yourself to eat, but you do need water. Drink it slowly or you'll get sick."

Why was she being so nice to him? What did she want?

"How long are you going to stay?" Arianna asked, looking at Thor and Frigga. "Not that you have to go, but you probably made the records with that energy spike you let loose by coming to this realm."

"In the morning when you begin the healing sessions again, we will leave," Frigga said. "You need to sleep and someone will need to stay with Loki."

"I am not a child," Loki said. "No one needs to stay."

That was a complete and utter lie. He needed someone with him because he really couldn't do for himself at the moment. The only thing that had been keeping the pain at bay had been his magic, and now he didn't even have that.

And . . . Arianna was going to continue to heal him? Why? For what purpose?

"Why would you do this for me?"

Arianna smiled softly. "Why wouldn't I?"

"I tried to destroy this city," he responded as if it were obvious.

"You didn't want to destroy it. You wanted to rule it."

Those were his own words from earlier and now she was throwing them back at him. Before he could respond, however, Arianna saw her way out of the room.

Both Thor and Frigga had small grins on their lips and Loki rolled his eyes.

Loki didn't find anything funny about having his words thrown back at him. In fact, it only made him remember her earlier words. She'd wanted him to help save her city even though he'd been the one to bring destruction down upon it.

Lost in his own thoughts, Loki was surprised when warm liquid filled his mouth. It was the vegetable soup. It had a savory flavor as if it had been made with chicken broth.

His mother had brought a spoonful of soup to his mouth. Thankfully, Thor had already gone; Frigga must've sent him away.

Loki was able to eat a few of the vegetables, but he stuck mostly to the broth. He was able to finish his water, however. ---------- Down in the lobby area, Arianna and the other Avengers were lounging around on the furniture, waiting for word on what they were supposed to do next.

Director Fury had called Tony to schedule a meeting, which just meant they'd been given about a five-minute heads up on Fury's arrival. He'd probably gotten readings of energy when Frigga had arrived on the balcony of Stark Tower.

What if he found out they were harboring Loki there? What if Fury already knew?

They would try to take Loki away and Arianna didn't know if she would allow that, not without healing him first. If she intervened, however, they would probably take her away too. They would arrest her for aiding and abetting – or they would try to. Natasha would probably stand by her and Clint would too, not because they cared what happened to Loki, but because they cared what happened to her; Thor would help her if only so she could continue helping Loki; Tony would stand by her just to make Fury angry.

The only wild card was Steve Rogers. If he thought them taking Loki was the right thing to do, he would let them.

Bruce wouldn't want to be involved at all.

When Fury arrived, Arianna basically shrank into herself. He was one of the most intimidating men she'd ever met. It had nothing to do with his height or the fact that he wore an eyepatch. It had everything to do with the way he carried himself. He had a no-nonsense attitude along with all the confidence in the world.

He could back that confidence up, too. He had the power and ability to do pretty much whatever he wanted, and he usually did whatever he had to do to get a job done.

"Where is he?" were the first words that came out of Fury's mouth.

"Where's who?" Tony asked.

"Don't play dumb with me. Where's the one who killed Coulson?"

"He is hurt," Arianna said softly. "And he can't be moved."

"Can't be moved? If I were to try and take him from here, who would stop me?"

Thor was the first to step up and then it was Arianna. Standing next to the god of thunder, Arianna didn't think Fury was all that frightening. Tony stood by her as Arianna had thought he would.

Natasha and Clint hesitated, but Natasha did say, "Director, from what Agent Grace says Loki was tortured into submission. He was promised more pain if he didn't obey."

"And did Loki just offer up this information freely?" asked Fury, sarcasm lacing his voice.

"Not exactly," Arianna said.

And here was the turning point. She could either fess up and be turned into a weapon or she could keep quiet about everything and let Fury find Loki and take him away.

"Director Fury, I saw into his mind. I . . . didn't want to, but –"

"You what?"

"It's complicated," she said.

"I suggest you uncomplicate it," Fury demanded.

"I manipulate energy, Director. That's how I heal, and you know that. I can do pretty much anything I put my mind to."

"Like reading minds . . ."

"It was more like I could see what was in the forefront of his mind, and I didn't mean to do it. Our energies merged together and I just did."

"Why wasn't I made aware of this? Do you know how much you could do?"

"Yes, and that's why I didn't let you know. I mean, I'm basically a power source – like the Tesseract, and you wanted to make nuclear weapons out of that. I refuse to be used for destruction."

Arianna was aware she was exaggerating a bit. She couldn't really do anything she set her mind to, but she could do a lot. She had never really practiced, though, and she didn't really want to. She was fine not knowing how much she was capable of. She could heal people and that was enough for her.

"We have everything under control here," Tony said. "The guy is contained and no longer a threat."

"The energy readings you received earlier were from another Asgardian coming into our realm, sir," Natasha said. "Thor's and Loki's mother. She stripped Loki of his powers, so he really is harmless."

"He's mortal now," Thor said.

"He's still a terrorist and needs to be taken into custody," Fury stated.

"Not until he's better," Arianna said. "Give me a week."

"A week and he'll be better? Strong enough to be moved?"

"Yes. There are emotional traumas as well, but I can't really mend those."

"Well, we have psychologists to deal with that," Fury said. "You have a week, Agent."

Without further ado, Fury walked out the same way he came in.

"Thor, do you mind getting me the Tesseract? I can't actually heal Loki in a week, not by myself."

"What do you intend to do with it?" Thor asked, not suspicious but curious.

"Borrow energy." ---------- Loki was lying down and trying to sleep when Arianna came back to his room. He'd thought she was gone for the night but he'd obviously been wrong.

Thor was with her and he was carrying the container that held the Tesseract. What were they doing with it? He'd failed in his mission, and he couldn't get the Tesseract to Thanos now that he was mortal.

"We have a problem," Arianna said. "Fury wants to take Loki away. I bought us some time, but . . ."

"But?" Frigga asked.

"He only gave me a week." Arianna looked at Loki. "You don't want to be hurt when they take you from here. They might not hurt you further, but they won't take the time to heal you either."

"Are you sure no one would harm him?" Thor asked. "When Fury had him before, he asked me to . . . torture Loki to get information. He didn't seem to like it when I refused."

Arianna wasn't surprised when she found out Fury had suggested torture, but it had been different then. Fury didn't need information anymore and they already had the Tesseract.

"I want to spend another couple of hours healing you tonight. I can't heal the lashes until the infection leaves your body, but I can take the burns away, as long as you don't fight me this time."

"Of course I won't fight you," Loki said. "I don't think I was the one blocking your power last time."

Thanos, Arianna thought. Of course.

"Okay. I'm gonna need the room again," she told Thor and Frigga. ---------- "Oh, why isn't this working?" Arianna cried as she tried for the fifth time to draw the Tesseract's power into herself. "I did it without a problem earlier."

"Earlier you had not depleted your own energy," Loki said. "Your body is simply tired, as is your mind."

Loki had been watching her struggle for over thirty minutes now. Perhaps he was not meant to be healed that night. Pain was not new to him, so he could endure it.

"How did you end up with Thanos?" Arianna asked softly.

"I was . . . I fell off the Rainbow Bridge in Asgard."

"The what?"

"It's a bridge to other realms. When used with the Bifrost, it can take you anywhere in an instant."

"Oh."

Loki explained that he and Thor had been fighting and then Thor had destroyed the Bifrost. Both Loki and Thor had been hanging over the edge and Odin had stepped in. Odin had grabbed onto Thor and Loki had grabbed onto Thor's hammer. Loki had let go.

"And you woke up in a hell dimension?"

"If I'd had it my way, I wouldn't have woken up anywhere."

Arianna froze where she sat with the Tesseract in front of her, the blue cube shining bright but its power still not accessible to her.

"You wanted to kill yourself?"

Instead of answering directly, Loki said, "When I was a child I would spar with Thor. We had little toy swords and battle armor for children. He always won due to brute strength. Odin would pit us against each other in all things physical until I eventually just stopped fighting him."

"Did Odin get angry?"

"Yes."

Loki didn't know what he was doing. He shouldn't have said any of that. He didn't open up to people and especially not to people he'd just met. He blamed it on the pain he was in and the gratitude he tried not to feel for this girl for caring enough to help him. The extreme exhaustion didn't help him hold his tongue either.

"So, Thor is a warrior," Arianna said. "And you? What did you like to do?"

Loki was surprised to find Arianna was looking at him with open curiosity. She wasn't just asking. She really wanted to know.

"I spent most of my time in the library or studying magic with my mother, which made me an outsider."

"Why?"

"In Asgard men are expected to know how to fight. That's how they are recognized as men. It's how they are ranked. If you don't know how to fight, it is frowned upon."

"But you know how to fight."

"Yes, but not the way Thor does. He's stronger and bigger. I can't just punch my way out of a situation."

"Oh. And magic? What do they think of that?"

"It's considered underhanded. I can fight hand-to-hand if I must, but magic is my strength. I use it when I fight."

"I see nothing wrong with that."

"Of course not. You're a woman."

Loki noticed his remark made Arianna tense up and he realized how condescending he must've sounded.

"I assure you I didn't mean that the way I said it. I only meant that it was normal for women to study magic. Not so for men. There are very few warriors who are female."

"Hm. I hate fighting, so I would fit right in there. And I don't consider what I do to be magic. Others might see it as such because they don't understand how it's done, but . . . to me it's as natural as breathing. Or it normally is."

Loki realized that he knew next to nothing about this girl – and to him she was a girl. He was almost fifteen-hundred-years-old and she was probably twenty-five at the oldest.

Loki had been able to look into the other Avengers before he'd even attempted to fight them. Since Arianna had been called in only slightly before the attack on the city, he hadn't thought to ask Barton about her. He hadn't even known she existed.

She was by far the most interesting of the Avengers. She had so much power yet to look at her made one think otherwise. She was treating him like a friend would even though they couldn't be friends. They barely knew each other.

"Why're you being so nice to me?"

"Why not?"

That was the same answer she'd given earlier when he'd asked her why she was doing everything she could to heal him. It was infuriating.

"Don't give me that. I tried to take over your world. I destroyed half this city. You have every right to hate me. Aren't you angry? Do you not want revenge?"

To Loki's surprise, the girl laughed softly.

"You forget, Loki, that I saw into your mind. I know enough to know that your psyche was messed with enough to twist you into something you really aren't. And you're right. I could hate you, but I choose not to. Hate is a poison, one of the most lethal kinds.

"And correct me if I'm wrong, but I get the feeling that you hate yourself enough for everyone. We don't need to do it for you."

For some reason, unknown even to Loki, her response made rage flow through his veins.

"Why do you care?" he almost yelled. "What are you getting out of this?"

Loki noticed with some satisfaction that Arianna had flinched when he'd raised his voice. That was when he realized the conundrum that was Arianna. She was both one of the boldest and most easily frightened people he'd ever met. She didn't care for confrontation, but she wasn't afraid to tell anyone what was on her mind either.

"I care because . . . I don't know. I don't really have a good reason. I just care about people. I don't like seeing people hurting or suffering when they don't need to."

This she said softly, as if she were trying not to wake a sleeping child, but then she looked at Loki more seriously, almost glaring.

"As for what I'm getting out of it, it's peace of mind. I don't help people just because they need help. I help because I can, because I have the power to. I find it revolting that there are so many people in this world who can help but choose not to.

"So to ease your troubled mind, this has nothing to do with you. I'm trying to heal you for the sole purpose that you are suffering and I can end it. It makes me feel better when I help those in need.

"Now if you don't mind, please shut up. I'm trying to work."

[mostly-marvel-musings]

Guilty Pleasure

A/N: No real plot here, just a platonic imagine with the Asgardian Gods! Feedback’s appreciated as always! :))

Pairing: Platonic Loki x Platonic Thor x Reader

Warning: Strong language.

Word count: 1718

"Alright (Y/N), time to get out of there." Steve’s stern voice came in through your comms.

You looked around briefly before returning your gaze to the computer screen in front of you which was currently transferring all of it’s hidden files to your connected external drive.

"Nearly done Captain. I need two minutes." you replied, pleading that the security camera’s would stay deactivated for just a few more minutes.

"Your cover’s about to be blown up (Y/L/N). Get out. Now." Steve sounded worried, authoritative and gentle all at once.

"Look I’m almost done, it’ll be done in the next two min-"

"It’s an order (Y/N). If you’re not out in thirty seconds, we leave without you."

Steve concluded before cutting the line. There was no bargaining after that.

You grumbled a few curse words as the Captain was no longer on line, before pulling the drive out abruptly halting its file transfer midway, and made your way outside where the quinjet stood waiting.

As you made it inside, Clint took off immediately and Nat approached you, knowing you’d be pissed off.

"You were good (Y/N), don't beat yourself up. We’ll get the info by some other means." She reassured.

"Yeah well that wasn't the mission Nat. Couldn’t have just two fucking minutes could I? I swear I would’ve got it. Just-"

Your rant was interrupted by Steve walking in.

"You did what you could (Y/N). Not worth getting caught in the process. There’s always a next time." Steve said offering you a pat on the back and a smile. The eternal optimist.

"I’m sorry Cap." was all you managed to say as you walked past them, disappointed in yourself, and sat on the chair next to Clint, pulling the seat belt on while keeping your eyes out the window.

The rest of the journey back home was pretty silent. You tried your best not to punch something out of frustration and Nat tried her best to distract you.

It would’ve been so much easier if Cap would’ve allowed Loki to accompany you. His illusions would have made the job so much easier. But Captain being Captain, thought he was better off handling other worldly things with his brother.

Contrary to popular belief, you and Loki had always worked well together. He was starting to gel well with the team. You had a special connection with both the brothers.

The initial intimidation had worn off quickly when you found out how thoughtful and considerate they really were. They were super protective of you, but also knew you could hold your own.

Maybe the reason y’all were such great friends was the sheer dissimilarities of your lives that made for endless conversations.

You were supposed to hang out together tonight for your weekly “Midgard movie nights” as Thor called it, but they had Asgardian business to take care of.

Which meant you were free to do whatever the hell you wanted, however the hell you wanted. You didn't get days like these often, and when you did you’d either spend time with Loki, or Nat - your best mate in the team, or sparring with Steve in the gym, working on your combat skills. You figured you’d make the most of your alone time.

...

The brothers had made it back earlier than they thought, which gave Loki some time to prep for your designated movie night. He had dragged his brother along to help, who agreed immediately when Loki mentioned “movie treats”. They really wanted to do something special considering you were always the one hosting these nights, complete with delicious food and drinks.

“How about pop tarts?” Thor asked pointing to the box of strawberry pop tarts lying in your top shelf, you weren't much of a sweet tooth but you kept those for Thor as he loved them too much.

“We cannot eat those ridiculous sweets as a meal brother. We need something more substantial.” Loki was mildly irritated at this point as his brother wasn't being of any help.

“What if we cook something?”

“And light (Y/N)’s kitchen on fire in the process? Never. I would very much still like to be her friend Thor.”

Loki thought for a minute before he remembered you mentioning something about Italian cuisine being your favorite.

“What are those round breads with cheese and what not that your precious team keeps ordering? (Y/N) seems to love them right?” he asked; he wasn't always around to eat dinners with the team and do the whole bonding thing, but Thor was. And he had comparatively spent more time here.

“Pizzas!! Good thinking brother! We can get Friday to order them.”Thor bellowed patting Loki on his back enthusiastically.

...

The quinjet landed in the compound and you made your way out.

“Don't be too hard on yourself kid. Relax.” Clint said as he walked beside you before sprinting inside.

You were looking forward to unwinding and spending the night treating yourself.

As you stepped into the elevator, Loki heard Friday’s voice announcing your arrival.

“She’s here early. We need more time!”

Thor had opened the box of pop tarts and had already begun munching on it.

The pizza was on its way but it wouldn't be here for another twenty five minutes. Loki figured it was a good idea if he kept all of this as a surprise, so he worked his magic to hide both him and Thor from your view as you arrived on your floor and walked in.

You closed the bedroom door with a loud bang and began stripping as you made your way into the bathroom.

A long bubble bath was what you needed so you began filling the tub with hot water and picked out your favorite bath bomb that you kept away for special occasions.

Self pampering was a valid occasion right!

When the bath was ready, you instructed Friday to put on your ‘Guilty Pleasure’ playlist and to make sure no one would barge into your apartment.

...

Out in the kitchen, Loki and Thor hadn’t the faintest idea what to do next. You clearly looked like you needed to be with yourself tonight.

“Maybe we should just leave.” Thor suggested.

“And who’s to explain the four large pizzas that will get here any minute?” Loki said jeeringly, rolling his eyes.

“So we just stay hidden?”

“For now.”

…

The songs along with the bath water were working its magic and you were in a much better mood.

Your skin started to prune so you hopped out of the bath, wrapped a fluffy towel around you and walked out into your bedroom to find some comfortable clothes to slip into. You opened the packet of your foot exfoliating socks to put them on - you had been saving those for some other time as well.

By the time you made it outside, you were jamming out to Backstreet Boys. Now a few beers, junk food, trashy TV and you’d be set for the night.

Deciding on a big bowl of popcorn you put the bag in the microwave still sashaying to the music, you realized it had been forever since you let your hair down.

By the time the popcorn was done you were attempting to moonwalk towards the microwave while singing This is how we do it a bit off key but who the hell cares?

The Asgardian Gods were finding this too amusing and were enjoying seeing this carefree side of you way too much.

By the time Eminem’s Real Slim Shady came on, Loki was horrified at your choice of songs.

“This is barbaric! What sane person finds this music worthy of listening?” He hissed loudly knowing you couldn’t hear them even though they were just a few feet away.

You took the big bowl of butter popcorn and a couple of beers to the living area and plopped down on your sofa putting your socks covered feet up on the coffee table. With the bowl in your lap, you asked Friday to turn the music off as you surfed Netflix for a while but decided on Friends because that never disappointed and settled in.

You were singing the title track loudly when Friday’s voice came through.

“Your pizzas have arrived Mr Point Break.”

Thor looked visibly pissed off at the name which Tony had made the AI regard him with.

“It’s Thor. I’m gonna punch you Stark.” Thor's voice boomed loudly as he suddenly came into view, making you jump from your seat.

“What the fuck are you doing here Thor?” You shouted straightening up and sending the popcorn flying across the floor.

“In our defense- Loki started as he stepped out too, making your eyes widen further.

You were sure you were red with embarrassment at the point. How long have they been here?

“How..what the he..what are you guys doing here?” You were fumbling with words as you looked at them.

“Okay before you get mad, we wanted to do something nice for our movie night, so we thought we’d surprise you. But clearly we are the ones getting the surprise.” Loki tried to hide his smirk but failed as he spoke.

You covered your face with both your hands and uttered a muffled, “I am mortified.”

You figured there were two ways that this would go down, you could ask them to leave you alone and get mad at the two, or you could face the situation like a grown up. They did want to do a nice thing, and their intentions were innocent after all.

Deciding on the latter, you sat up and said, “Someone wanna get the door.”

“Are you not going to kick us out?” Loki asked, his eyebrows raised.

You stood up and walked into the kitchen nonchalantly, careful not to step over the fallen popcorn.

“You got pizza right? I’m famished, let's eat.”

Thor brought the boxes and you settled on the sofa once again. The events of the night hopefully forgotten at this point. You took a slice of the pepperoni pizza and sat back on the couch to resume the show when Thor spoke up.

“Lady (Y/N) you have exceptional dance moves. Maybe not the best voice though.” Thor said and soon was met with a flying pillow hitting his face.

...

[alirhi]

chapter 17!

Title: Winter's Frost Chapter: 17/? Fandom: MCU Rating: R to be on the safe side Pairing: Loki/Bucky Summary: Loki never told anyone the real reason he became so obsessed with Midgard. Much better to let them think he wanted to hurt his brother than draw their attention to the one thing in the universe that makes the God of Mischief truly vulnerable. WARNINGS: nada. Well... Ali attempting comedy. I suppose that requires its own special warning lmao Notes: Loki's just so done lol

"I hate this plan, Thor."

"Yes, I heard you the first dozen times."

"This is the dumbest idea you could possibly have come up with!"

"We could always try Get Help."

"And use it on whom, pray tell?!"

"Thanos."

"Don't be an idiot." Privately, Loki thought he might as well be asking the Earth to cease its tireless spin, but he had to try.

Thor only smirked at him, the bastard. "Just keeping things in perspective. There's always room for a worse plan."

"...Thank you."

"What's Get Help?" Bucky didn't even glance up from the little device in his hand. Ever mindful of the terrain and unwilling to see him mess up his pretty face by falling on it, Loki was constantly moving things out of his distracted lover's path just before he tripped.

"Nothing, darling. Has Darcy sent you another?"

He grinned, holding the thing – Darcy swore it was a telephone when she gave it to him, though he'd yet to see it used for a single call – out for Loki to see. "She sent a video!"

Eira was on the screen, splashing about in a tub that appeared to contain more bubbles than water. She was having the time of her life, and both of her enamored parents couldn't help smiling like fools.

"I hate being away from her."

Loki winced, squeezing his shoulder lightly. "I know. Believe me, love, I know. But she isn't safe around these people. Better to leave her in Darcy's care until we can be sure she isn't in any danger."

"I still can't quite believe I'm a dad!" At the pure joy and wonder in his voice and on his beautiful face, his ancient lover smiled again. He still had a long way to go before he was truly recovered from what HYDRA had done to him, but it couldn't be denied that when he was happy, Bucky was the cutest damned thing.

"I still think you're overreacting," Thor grumbled as they stepped off the elevator at last. "These are good people. They'd never harm a little girl."

"Uh... Loki's not in chains. Why is Loki here and not in chains? Security!"

The God in question rolled his eyes. "Lovely to see you again, too, Stark."

Tony looked like he wasn't sure whether to laugh, vomit, or jump into one of his suits of armor. "What the hell is this, Point Break? You promised this psycho would be in a cell for the rest of eternity. And who's the weirdo staring at his phone?"

"...Bucky?!"

Thor stopped before he'd even truly begun to offer the explanation he didn't really have, mouth hanging open and one finger in the air. Confused, he and Loki watched silently as Steve Rogers practically flew across the room and Bucky slowly lifted his head, finally taking in his surroundings for the first time since they'd left New Mexico.

"Steve?" He grinned and pocketed the phone immediately to throw his arms around his friend. "Steve! Holy shit, it is you!"

"Who is Bucky?" Thor mumbled to Loki, getting an exasperated eye roll for his troubles.

He knew, of course; when they'd first met, the handsome young soldier had introduced himself as Bucky. Loki had simply refused to call him that. Still, prior knowledge or no, he couldn't resist having just a bit of fun with his brother, so he decided, in lieu of a proper explanation, to treat it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, just to hammer home how incredibly stupid Thor truly was. "I would imagine, given the context playing out before your clearly useless eyes, that it's a pet name for James. Derived from his middle name – Buchanan – if I had to guess. Honestly, Thor, how do you function?"

"Can someone please address the unfettered genocidal psychopath standing in my living room?"

Bucky flinched, moving back from Steve and giving Tony a slightly helpless look. "That was... I was under HYDRA's thumb, I was never a Nazi..."

"Not you, darling," Loki assured him stepping between the two newly thawed WWII veterans, and more importantly, between Bucky and the confused, wary Avengers. "He's referring to me."

"Wait, what?" Steve peered around him, trying unsuccessfully to catch his childhood friend's downcast gaze. "That's where you've been all this time? With HYDRA?"

"I didn't have a choice," he mumbled, face going red as he seemed to sink into himself.

"Quite literally," was Loki's frosty interjection. He pushed the soldier back when he got too close to his Sergeant and snapped, "If anyone wishes to interrogate or criticize him, I will happily transform you into something that cannot speak nor breathe."

"Just turn yourself into an elephant," Tony snapped. "Because you are the elephant in the room right now! Thor, explain to me why your insane adopted brother and his pet Nazi are in my home!"

"I was never a Nazi!"

"I've known Bucky all my life, Stark. There's no way he'd have joined up with those people."

"Nazis, HYDRA, what's the difference?!"

"Soldat?"

All eyes immediately turned to Natasha as she approached and finally got a good look at the man Loki was trying so hard to shield. Loki grimaced. "Oh. You."

Bucky flinched, looking as though she'd just slapped him. "Natalia, please don't call me that. It's Bucky, okay?"

"Sure, yeah." She laughed, launching herself at him. "And it's Natasha now."

Her arms over his shoulders and her legs wrapped around his waist were more than Loki could bear. When he noticed that Bucky was holding her up with both hands cupping her rear, he'd more than had enough. With a growl, he used magic to pry her loose and pin her to the ceiling. "That is quite enough, Agent Romanov. I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't make me tell you again."

"Put her down, Loki." Oh, great. There was Banner, eyes wide like a frightened rabbit, but approaching him nonetheless. "Before I let the other guy put you down again."

"Doctor Banner," he ground out as he slowly and more than a little reluctantly set the struggling spy down on the floor. "Delightful. Well, I see the gang's all here. Thor, this was your harebrained scheme, so why don't you clean up this mess?"

"Happily," Thor muttered, "if you'll stop making a bigger one."

"No promises. The next person to lay hands on James will be a smear of blood and innards on the wall."

"Loki, calm down." Hugging him from behind, Bucky murmured in his ear, "I'm not going anywhere."

Making no effort at all to prevent the Avengers from hearing him, Loki snapped, "I don't trust these people."

"For the record," Natasha pointed out, "we're not the ones who tried to blow up New York a week ago."

He smirked. "Nor am I, Agent Romanov. That was someone on your side, if you recall."

"The Chitauri?"

"Oh, that. I thought you were referring to the bomb." A little, dismissive shrug, and then, "Most of the damage to the city was still done by you lot. The Chitauri were mostly just...flying around."

"Also trying to kill people."

"Loki needs our help," Thor called out, just loud enough to drown out any further conversation. The Avengers all gaped at him as though he'd gone mad. It made Loki smile. "There was another force behind the attacks last week. Someone far worse was pulling Loki's strings-"

"Really, Thor, I'm not a puppet!"

"Unless you want to explain this yourself and hope any of them listen to a word that comes out of your weaselly mouth instead of simply killing you, sit down and shut up, brother."

"Marionette, anyway." When everyone turned to stare at him, Bucky blushed. "The-the ones with strings. That's marionettes, not puppets."

With a patient smile, Steve gently chided him, "Not really the time, Buck."

"...Right. Sorry. Continue not bothering to listen to each other. I'll be over here." Out came the phone, and Bucky was lost to them all as he scrolled through pictures of Eira again.

"What's with the phone?" Loki flinched and turned; he hadn't realized Barton was in the room until then. "Isn't he a little old to be sucked into that thing while we're all talking?"

"He's looking at photographs of their daughter," Thor told him with a dismissive wave of his hand, ignoring the death glare he received from Loki for it. "Now, if we can get back on-"

"...Their daughter?" Tony interrupted, stepping forward. "I'm sorry... Who's the other half of the 'they' in that equation?"

When Thor opened his mouth to explain, Loki grabbed his arm and squeezed hard enough to make him gasp. "I will kill you."

"And then they will kill you, and the world will end when there's no one to warn them about Thanos, and James and Eira will be left unprotected, likely to suffer horribly and die."

With a frustrated growl, Loki released him and, briefly, shifted to his female form. "I am, alright? Everyone's burning curiosity satisfied?" Shifting back, he took advantage of the stunned silence that had taken hold of the room and snapped, "There is a mad Titan with the ability to mind-control a God out there attempting to collect the most powerful artifacts in the universe, and while he declined to share the purpose of this venture with me during my captivity, I find myself seriously doubting that it involves giving everyone their own kitten. Now, can we focus, please?!"

Banner frowned. "Who did he mind-control?"

"How?!" He was beginning to get a stupidity-induced headache. Hands flying up in a wide gesture to the room at large, Loki looked at Thor and demanded, "How is it you think these people can possibly help?"

_____________________________________________________

Next Masterlist

[that-yandere-life]

Soulmate Series: How You Meet (Part One)

Tony Stark-

Not everyone has a soulmate, but those that do have various ways they are connected to each other.

For you it was that the rate of your heartbeats always matched the other.

So if you were stressed or in danger he would immediately feel it.

God you were terrified when you felt your heart basically stop when he was in Afghanistan.

The way the two of you met was actually really kind of sweet.

Somehow you were invited to a Stark party, whether it was by a friend or because of your work.

People were basically wall to wall covering the room, the conversation making it almost impossible to hear.

Accidentally you ran into someone knocking their glass out of their hand causing it to shatter on impact.

Apologizing profusely you bent down to help pick it up.

Hitting a particularly sharp piece cutting your finger slightly.

When your heart rate spiked due to the pain he felt it too staring at you with wide eyes understanding before you even met his gaze.

Upon explaining you questioned if it was even possible, that your soulmate was THE Tony Stark.

Taking you to a quiet room he asked FRIDAY to check if it actually matched, which she quickly confirmed.

Tony was determined to keep you by his side, there was no leaving him anymore even if you wanted to.

Not that he would tell you that in any way.

After all these years he finally found his soulmate, the one destined to be his.

Steve Rogers-

Steve had always seen the world in a blend of various shades of gray.

Sketching only in charcoal pencil when he did his little drawings in his sketchbook.

No point in using color you couldn’t see.

Believing that he was going to die not meeting his soulmate when he went into the ice.

Upon waking up in present day he was confused, but also had a sense of renewed faith that maybe he just didn’t find his soulmate before because they weren’t alive yet.

He will always remember the day he met you, having saved you from an alien about to eat you alive.

Feeling you shake in his arms until your eyes latched onto his, seeing the most brilliant blue you had ever seen before.

Quickly he set you down, only having time to get your name before he had to return to the fight.

That is what began his obsession with you, knowing that you both belonged together.

Watching you from afar initially to discover what kind of person his soulmate is.

Finding out everything you liked and disliked, determined to be the perfect one for you when he finally approached you.

Pretending to run into you again, he asked you out on a date.

There was no way at the end of the night you would be walking away from him again, he wouldn’t let you go a second time.

Clint Barton-

Clint had been born with a tiny arrow tattoo just behind his ear.

Legend had it that his soulmate would have the same one, in the same place.

Although he was sure that he didn’t have a soulmate, a man with a crazy life like his didn’t deserve one in his mind.

When his hearing was damaged, his hearing aids that Tony built him covered it up.

One day he got into a hand to hand fight with a Hydra agent during a mission.

His aids were knocked out and smashed under their boot as a part of the struggle, thankfully they could be replaced with an extra set he kept in his vest.

Ultimately he won but he definitely had some cuts and bruised ribs that would need tending to.

Luckily you had just started in the medical wing of the tower as an on duty nurse.

Getting your first patient you never expected that they would end up being your soulmate.

Talking to Clint it felt like you had known him your entire life, and in a way you kind of had.

Laughing at one of his jokes you tucked your hair behind your ear not thinking anything of it when your tattoo was showing.

You of all people knew how rare it was for even people with a soulmate to find the love of their life.

Catching your gaze he moved his replacement hearing aids showing that the two of you matched.

Gasping you touched it gently with the tips of your fingers, unable to believe that you were one of the special cases.

Clint would never let you go, not after being proven so wrong about you not existing as there you were in front of him.

Natasha Romanoff-

For as long as you could remember you had gotten various injuries when you least expected them.

When you were a child you were taken to the doctor where they revealed that you had a soulmate out in the world.

That when they got hurt, or vice versa the other got the injury in return.

Occasionally you would get hurt really badly, having apparent bullet wounds even from time to time.

That is what made you think that your soulmate worked a dangerous job, so you decided to do the same in return.

Training really hard to become one of the top SHIELD recruits in your class.

Meaning you got to do your final evaluation with an Avenger.

Of course you grew nervous when you discovered that you were assigned to Natasha Romanoff, her reputation preceding her.

Stepping into the sparring ring with her you began to move around narrowly avoiding her attacks.

Effectively fighting her off for the most part, doing exactly what you had been trained to do.

Unfortunately you got distracted when she asked you about a scar you had, allowing her to get a good punch in.

Falling back onto your ass you felt blood dripping from your nose, touching it as your eyes watered you didn’t notice her touching her own.

Looking up focusing you saw that she was bleeding from her own nose despite you not even getting close to hitting her.

Natasha wasn’t upset though, in fact she was almost starting to cry at finally finding you.

Kneeling down she took you into her arms, taking in the fact that she would never again have to be without you.

Bruce Banner-

You remember spending a lot of your childhood in a state of fear and anxiety most of the time.

As you got older you started to get angry for no reason at all.

One minute you would be fine, the next you were enraged like you had just witnessed your car being set on fire.

It was really starting to become a problem in your day to day life.

You couldn’t hold down a job for long before you would have an outburst and get yourself fired.

Going to a therapist you were told that likely your soulmate was the cause of your emotional state.

Having it explained to you that you can also help them by giving them your emotions too.

So if they were having a moment of rage you could give them relaxation or joy in return to counteract it.

Likely you taking on their emotions fully like you had been only projected it back onto them even worse.

Feeling confused about how you had gone this long without knowing you had a soulmate, you wondered if it was real or if the therapist was full of shit.

That was until one day you were watching the news at a local diner where you had managed to earn a temp job as a waitress.

Talking about an attack on the city, showing live footage of the situation showing all of the Avengers getting ready to attack.

Gripping the counter tightly you felt yourself start to get angry again, so you attempted to calm down.

However it was no use as you watched a man turn into a tall green monster on the screen, knowing in your heart and soul that he was the one you were meant to be with.

Rushing out of there you stupidly ran down to where the fighting was taking place, luckily getting there after it ended.

Following the roars you started to give out feelings of calmness and peace.

Turning the corner you saw a mostly naked man panting and heaving hunched over in a nearby alleyway.

When he suddenly felt joy he looked up seeing you standing there smiling at him, knowing it was really him when you experienced a brief bout of confusion at first.

“It’s you...you’re real.”

Nodding you rush over not even caring about his state of undress, throwing your arms around him.

For once Bruce didn’t let go, this was meant to be and he was going to let it take him.

Thor Odinson-

Thor was getting frustrated being stuck at the same body he was when he was 18.

A thousand years or more had passed and he still hadn’t found his soulmate.

It was only while working with the Avengers on Midgard did he find what he was looking for without even realizing it.

Being part of the team yourself you often interacted with Thor when he was hanging around.

Somewhere along the lines he became obsessed with you, taking in every bit of information you would give him when talking.

Learning much about the culture on Earth from you at the end of the day.

Seemingly over the next few years you got closer, to the point where you would say you were best friends… if not more.

One morning you were looking in the mirror and you saw something that shocked you beyond belief.

A silver hair in the midst of your natural color.

That meant you were finally aging, something you hadn’t really done in the last ten years.

There was only person it could be, the person that seemingly had your heart even if he didn’t know it.

Thor noticed his own aging for the first time around the same moment you did.

Crinkles had formed in the corners of his eyes, something that definitely wasn’t there before.

Rushing to find you, you both ran into each other... literally.

Luckily he caught you in his arms, you both starting to laugh at the coincidence.

Showing each other what you had discovered, deep down it was like he had always known it was you.

No one will ever love you more than the man who waited more than a lifetime to be with you.

Loki Laufeyson-

Most of your life you had your own dreams, that was until the attacks in New York.

Ever since then, there were times where you were just a spectator in the front row of a horror show.

After many nights with little to no sleep due to the terrifying sights you went to a sleep clinic to find out what is going on.

There you are told of a rare connection to a soulmate where you share each other's dreams.

However they couldn’t explain why it took so long for them to start.

The only explanation offered was that they came within close proximity of you and that jump started the connection.

A solution they offered was to attempt to lucid dream and bring them into your space to see who they were.

It took awhile but finally you felt like you wanted to attempt it.

Loki was sleeping and found himself sucked into your dream, something he always prefered over his own.

You provided his much needed escape from reality after all that had happened to him recently.

Quickly he realized that this was different than before, you seemed far more in control of the narrative than usual.

When you asked for his name he was shocked since normally you never knew of his presence.

Shocked as you were when you found out he was the man who had hurt a lot of people, connecting the dots between the timing your dreams started and when he attacked.

As you felt yourself starting to wake up you swore you heard him tell you he was going to come for you at the first chance.

Somehow you didn’t know if you were comforted or terrified by those words.

[Part one of How You Meet! If you want more soulmate scenarios with everyone let me know! <333]

[happybirthdayalex-lokilovesya]

Loki x Reader with hakanaki disease

So, I saw this [x] [x] post and after thinking for a moment, I concluded that no one should be sad about some quizzes being made poorly, ESPECIALLY when it’s their birthday! And so, I decided to write this little something for @amorathegamingkitsune​, hope you don’t mind... This might feel kind of rushed but that’s because I wanted to make it a birthday gift as well! So HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALEX, YOU’RE AMAZING AND I ADORE YOU!! Also a quick warning, I don’t have much experience writing hakanaki disease and it’s been a while since I last wrote about Loki, but I still tried my very best. Now, onto the story...

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You sat on the couch of your small apartment, wrapped up in a blanket and staring at the TV in front of you with sorrow in your eyes. Next to you, a box of tissues sat, under your legs was a trash can you used to dispose of the used ones, and all around you, it was possible to find flower petals. Funny, how you always liked roses when you were younger and now they would probably be the end of you...

Just as another episode of the show you were re-watching begun, you heard your from door swing opened and almost immediately slam shut. Immediately on high alert, you jumped up and after struggling to catch your balance for a moment, you managed to stumble towards the hallway, expecting to see a burglar or something. However, the moment you glanced inside your heart skipped a couple of beats and your eyes widened.

By your front door, stood a man you never thought you’d meet in person. He was tall, had long, black hair, beautiful green eyes, and was wearing very fancy clothes. There was no way of denying, it was definitely Loki. The man you never got to meet before, but loved so much that it could kill you. Your mind immediately filled with millions of questions, ‘Is this real?’, ‘What is he doing here?’, ‘How come he looks even better in person-’, but before you could ask any of them, he noticed you. He quickly put his finger to his lips, shushing you.

“They’re after me,” he whispered, and judging by the voices you’ve heard coming from the stairs you could assume that he was talking about a couple of Avengers.

You were too shocked to even answer, so you just watched as the God made his way further into your apartment. You stepped back, letting him into the living room and following him with your gaze. He stepped inside and looked around, ignoring the mess on your couch and paying more attention to how your interior was decorated. Especially to that one big poster of him that hanged on your wall. He shot you an amused look and you felt your cheeks heat up.

“Your house looks decent,” he chuckled, but it seemed like he was actually impressed. You could feel new flowers form in your lungs, but tried to stop yourself from coughing them up in front of him. The last thing you needed is him getting disgusted with you.

“Uh, t-thank you, s-sir,” you blurted out, struggling to accept that he was actually there. Your reaction seemed to only amuse him more, since he walked over to you with a smirk.

“I am Loki, of Jotunheim,” he proudly introduced himself, holding out his hand for you to shake. You might’ve as well fainted right there and then.

“I-I’m [y/n], j-just a human-” you answered, barely managing to make the words leave your throat. You carefully took his hand and it dawned on you that he was really there. He chuckled, the most beautiful sound you’ve ever heard, and stepped back, finally turning to see the mess of tissues and flowers on the couch.

“Had a rough date?” he assumed, looking at you with raised eyebrows. You could feel the flower petals scratching your throat already, but hoped that you’d soon get a chance to excuse yourself.

“N-no, I’m single actually...” you muttered quietly. This actually seemed to confuse him. He glanced between you and the couch, your nervousness seemingly making the flowers easier to choke on.

“Is that so? Why are there rose petals all around here, then?” he asked you, piercing you with those lovely eyes. You wanted to answer, but before any words left your mouth you went into a coughing fit, bending over and trying to cover your lips to stop him from seeing.

“S-sorry-” you managed to say between the coughs, just hoping that this would all end soon. When you finally stopped coughing and moved your hand away, you saw a fully bloomed flower. Oh, Gods, it was getting worse.

Ashamed, you stumbled over to the couch and set the flower down, instead grabbing the tissues and wiping your face. You were sure that now the love of your life simply thought you were disgusting and would never even bother to talk to you again. Yet, when you turned to look at him, he looked intrigued more than anything. And maybe, just maybe, a little bit concerned?

“What was that?” he asked with a frown. With a sigh, you threw the tissue into the trash.

“I-it’s called Hakanaki Disease,” you answered quietly. “I- I’ll be coughing up flowers until the one I love loves me back, o-or I die,” you explained briefly with a sad smile appearing on your face. You didn’t want to tell him that it was him you loved, you were sure that it’d make him feel weird and he’d most likely leave. And you wanted him to stay for as long as he could... Loki seemed to think for a moment.

“Is there a way to cure it? Maybe with magic...” he thought out loud, slightly moving his fingers and causing a green mist to appear around them. You quickly shook your head.

“No! I-if it gets fixed in any other way, I- I might never love again!” you cried out, terrified of the idea. Your sudden reaction seemed to surprise him. “S-sorry,” you muttered, covering your face. You felt as if there was no way your meeting could get worse.

“...Alright then,” he said after the initial shock disappeared. After that, he glanced around again, making you wonder what he was looking for. Wanting to change the subject, you decided to ask him.

“D-do you need anything? A drink? Something to eat?” you asked, just a tiny bit anxious. He seemed to like the idea of changing the subject as well.

“Hmm... a drink would be... appreciated,” he answered after humming in wonder for a bit. You quickly nodded and stumbled towards the kitchen.

“Alright, t-this way...” you instructed, hearing his footsteps behind you. 

You led him into the room and went to grab him a glass of water. You didn’t have any other drinks in your house, really. When you poured some of it into the fanciest glass you had and turned to hand it to him, you caught him staring at the small birthday cake standing on your table. Oh, yeah, that thing...

“I know some things about Midgard traditions... Whose birthday is it?” he asked you in wonder. You sighed.

“Well, mine. Except no one could make it this year... My friends aren’t interested in watching me choke to death on roses...” you laughed sadly. Your guest seemed to think for a moment before snapping his fingers, making the candles on the cake light up with green flames.

“...Happy birthday, then, [y/n],” he said, taking the glass of water from your hands and heading back to the living room, leaving you alone in the kitchen.

He had no idea how much that meant to you. With your eyes tearing up, you walked over to the cake and blew out the candles, making a silent wish. “I wish he’d love me...”. After the green flames disappeared, you felt more flowers in your lungs and couldn’t help but cough, yet you felt happier than ever. You never got to even talk to him before and now here he was, wishing you happy birthday. You didn’t care how much chuckling hurt, you couldn’t help but do it as your eyes filled to the brim with tears.

Only after some time, you joined him back in the living room, where he sat down on the other side of the couch that you were using before, as far as possible from the flowers. You couldn’t blame him, though, it was pretty disgusting in your opinion. He seemed to have just finished the water you gave him and set the glass on the floor. Without a word, you sat down next to him, too scared that you’d tear up if you tried to thank him.

“Hm... This could be your last birthday, right?” he asked you suddenly, wondering about something. With a sorrowful look on your face, you nodded.

“Most likely is... The flowers are getting bigger,” you sighed, pointing to the rose you coughed up during his arrival. He nodded, still thinking.

“Say, would you like to see Asgard before it’s over for you?” he offered suddenly. Your eyes lit up and you couldn’t believe what he was saying for a moment. Shyly, you nodded.

“T-that would be lovely...” you answered finally. He got off the couch and your excitement was bigger than ever... until he sat back down with an annoyed sigh.

“Ah, I forgot. My wonderful brother made sure I couldn’t return there...” he muttered, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Well, screw him,” you muttered angrily before you could stop yourself. You couldn’t help it, you hardly ever managed to stay quiet whenever someone mentioned Thor. Truth be told, you hated his guts. Your reaction seemed to amuse Loki a bit.

“Not a fan of the almighty Thor?” he asked, leaning back in his seat with his eyebrows raised. You shook your head, figuring there was no reason to hide it.

“Not at all. I... I know a bit about how he treats you and... You deserve so much better than this... this arrogant meathead, this stupid, idle, conceited, insolent moron, this...” you kept going until you noticed Loki’s surprised expression. “...Am I going too far?” you asked nervously. After a moment of silence, the God just laughed, a truly amazing sound.

“Not at all, [y/n], not at all,” he assured you with a smile. “I find your insults... entertaining.”

“Oh, well then... I hope the rest of his life is just as pleasant as he is,” you finished your small rant. Loki just nodded in agreement.

“You’re quite an amusing Midgardian, [y/n]...” he muttered rather to himself than anybody else. Yet you took it as a big compliment, and just like with any other compliments, you didn’t know how to answer. “So, since you don’t seem to have any plans for today and Asgard is off the limits for now, would you like to go get some Midgardian food?” he offered eventually.

You just stared at him for a moment, taken off guard. Was he... was he offering to go out somewhere with you? Was he... actually interested in doing that? Despite you coughing up flowers and rambling about hating his brother and everything? Was this even real?

“T-that sounds great,” you nodded eagerly. He laughed at your excitement.

“Alright then. Sounds like the Avengers are gone already so let me just...” he muttered, snapping his fingers and immediately changing his fancy clothes to something more casual, a very pretty gray and green outfit. “I’m ready to go,” he grinned.

And so, it began. You left the house with him and went to get some food for your birthday while avoiding any members of the Avengers and casually talking. Going from one place to another took up most of your day and honestly, you couldn’t complain. Even if talking with him for hours wasn’t quite enough to cure you and you kept coughing up more flowers, he didn’t seem too bothered by it after some time and he seemed to open up to you more. You got to listen to him vent about his life in Asgard, about everything, and in return, he listened to you vent about how hard life with Hakanaki is. With, of course, some lighter conversations thrown in here and there.

Only at the very end of the day, he got somewhat quiet, making you assume that he was tired. And so, you went to the last place you were planning to visit that day, an ice cream parlor. There, you got all your favorite flavors and Loki settled on chocolate, and the two of you just sat down to talk. During the whole conversation, you had to cough up flowers only three or so times and if anyone stared at you, Loki would stare back at them and intimidate them into looking away, so it was all going great. In the end, when you were done eating and got up, so did Loki, ending up right in front of you. Immediately, you felt your cheeks heat up again.

“...[y/n], today was... quite pleasant. Thank you for spending it with me,” he said, smiling more shyly than ever before.

“Oh, no, thank you for coming here with me,” you answered. You couldn’t remember the last time you even got to go outside while coughing up flowers and thanks to him you did, and he made you feel somewhat normal again. Even if he didn’t love you, it was still something.

“I think I realized something today. ...Would you mind if I...” he said quietly and it seemed like he was blushing a bit? But before he bothered to finish, he already figured his own fillings out and made up his mind.

Before you could react, he put his hands on your shoulders and moved you closer to himself, tilting his head a bit and closing his eyes, only to finally pull you into a kiss. It was gentle, soft, and his lips still tasted like chocolate ice cream... might be your new favorite flavor now.

Your eyes widened at first, but your shock quickly disappeared when you kissed him back, not caring to wonder what was happening anymore, just enjoying him being here and the amazing feeling of relief washing over you. Slowly, you wrapped your hands around him and he did the same, only holding you closer and deepening the kiss.

When he finally pulled away, his face was almost red and you could feel your cheeks burning, but you couldn’t care less. You took a deep breath and, to your surprise, it was far deeper than any breath you took throughout the last months. So clear, so refreshing, so... the flowers were gone! You looked at Loki, at the love of your life, and you could feel tears building up in your eyes while you let out a tiny chuckle. You felt so light, so free, so alive...

“I’m going to assume you enjoyed it?” he grinned, trying to play it off cool but still not able to stop himself from blushing. He probably wondered if he wasn’t going too fast with everything... You nodded slightly, still enjoying the sweet, sweet feeling of being able to breathe.

“I-It was-” you tried to answer, “Y-you love me back, I- I won’t die!” you gasped eventually. He looked at you, surprised.

“...I’m the one you loved?” he asked you eventually, too shocked to keep his cool face anymore. 

You nodded, taking a step towards him and wrapping your hands around him, you pulled him into another kiss. If this was a dream, you didn’t want to wake up. Ever. You felt him smile against your lips and lean into the kiss more, clearly enjoying it as much as you did. With tears of relief rolling down your face, you didn’t want to ever let go. That was, until you’ve heard a weirdly familiar voice somewhere around, probably an Avenger or some other hero.

“Loki?!” they gasped, making you two pull away. The God just glanced at them before looking back at you.

“Happy Birthday, my Queen. Should we leave?” he asked, ignoring the enemy. With just a small nod of yours as an answer, he snapped his fingers and you were both gone. And so, your birthday wish ended up coming true...

[storiesofwildfire]

In this headcanon, I will be describing the reworking of Loki’s origins to correspond with God of War 2018. After playing the game, I was hit with a massive wave of inspiration because the game is genuinely very accurate to Norse mythology and it explains a lot of quirks about Loki that both Marvel and Norse myth have failed to explain or elaborate on.

Just to name a few, the new additions to Loki’s backstory offer insight into:

i. Why Loki is the God of Fire despite being a Frost Giant, as Kratos was the Greek God of Fire who often wielded the element in battle. Loki’s development of fire came directly from their father. 

ii. Why Loki is so small in comparison to other Frost Giants. Always described as a runt, the true reason that Loki was born so small is because they are only half Jotun and their mother had taken up the form of a mortal at the time of conception and birth. Mixed in with Kratos originally being part mortal as well, it makes sense that Loki’s size would not match that of a typical Jotun. 

iii. The event in MCU that seemingly erased so many people’s memories of Odin’s horrific and bloody past ( aka, what is discussed in Thor Ragnarök ). Living through one cycle of Ragnarök gave him the ability to alter his course in life without people noticing or questioning.

iv. Why Baldur is never mentioned. Baldur is Odin’s eldest son and yet, is never mentioned or discussed. Why? Because he already died to ignite a cycle of Ragnarök. Most people don’t remember him.

v. Why Odin is so incredibly desperate to keep control over Loki. He’s already experienced a cycle of Ragnarök because of him and he wants so badly to stop it from happening again. Though this is something I’ve already touched on for years, because Ragnarök happened once, Odin’s motivation is even more dire. 

vi. Why Laufey is always described as Loki’s mother in mythology where Marvel claims Laufey is Loki’s father instead and never actually discusses the other parent. 

And, in all honesty, after playing the game, I felt a strong connection to the story it presented, one that could easily feed into the timeline I’ve already set in place for Loki, so I decided I was going to do some updating. I haven’t had this strong of an emotional response to something in a long time and this just came so naturally to me, I couldn’t ignore the urge to do the crossover. 

A game where Loki’s actually a good guy and ultimately the hero, that calls Odin on all of his bullshit, won game of the year in 2018 and if that ain’t incredible, I don’t know what is. I saw so much of how I’ve been writing Loki for years in how the game portrayed Atreus because it focused on his knack for storytelling and his love of animals and how empathetic he truly is. All those little details resonated with me. It made my heart sing, so my updates will act accordingly.

Many years ago, deep in the forests of Viking Age Scandinavia, a seemingly mortal couple married and had an incredibly special child.

The father, Kratos, son of Zeus, a Spartan warrior, and the bringer of the end to so many deities that made up the Greek pantheon migrated and took to a life that was not his own. Seeking the life of a common mortal over the corruption of godhood, he found himself far away from home and further still from the memories he believed were better left forgotten.

The mother, Laufey, although blessed with powerful Seidr that kept even the most powerful enemies at bay, hid the truth of her origins as she wandered Midgard, claiming to be nothing more than a human witch. In reality, the woman hailed from Jotunheim, the land of the Frost Giants. Laufey wasn’t just any Jotun either, but the rightful ruler of the realm. She watched as war broke out between the Aesir and the Vanir, a war that quickly spread throughout Yggdrasil and left no realm untouched. Jotunheim did everything within its power to keep Asgard out of their realm, quickly marking themselves as a powerful adversary and painting them as a target. While Laufey wished to stay with her people, her realm was dying, and she could do nothing to save them by sitting on a throne.

With a burden resting heavily upon her shoulders and the gift of foresight, she saw a future that included a husband and a child, the foundation of salvation for not only her people but all the realms. Her purpose took her to Midgard in the disguise of an average-yet-beautiful young woman with porcelain flesh, vivid emerald eyes, and dark, ebony hair.

Not long after the pair’s first meeting, they fell in love, and quickly after that, Laufey gave birth to a redheaded child with her jewel-toned eyes. She wanted to name the newborn Loki, as she had already been calling the child Loki in her visions for years. Even her people knew the child-to-be as Loki. Kratos, however, wished to name the child Atreus, after a Spartan warrior who died in battle protecting his own, a man that Kratos admired and daresay even loved.

They decided to give the child both names, one from his father and one from his mother.

Loki ( Atreus ) spent most of his younger years with his mother. Kratos spent many days and nights away, hunting, often leaving Laufey to look after Loki on her own. She did so without complaint, enjoying the company of her beautiful baby more than even the most loving and attentive mother could. As much as her love ran deeply, though, she often found herself fearful to leave Loki’s side. He would grow up to be one of the most important people of their time, but her foresight did not offer her insight into the complications.

As a small child, Loki suffered greatly from illness, often left weak with a fever, unable to get out of bed. Sometimes, the ailment grew so severe that Laufey feared losing her child, though as Loki grew older, he grew stronger as well. Still, his ailment never seemed to fully disappear, but the risk of loss of life faded over time.

Laufey never got to see her son grow up, as she passed away when he was still quite young. Old enough to learn to hunt, read, and recite stories, but much too young to be without his mother. Especially when left with a father who, in Loki’s eyes, did not want him. Kratos was never around, hardly spoke to him, and did not seem to hold much interest in holding a relationship with him. He didn’t understand why his father remained so distant, didn’t know of the hardships that plagued the God of War, or how fearful he was of being a father without Laufey at his side.

Shortly after his mother’s funeral, as Kratos and Loki gathered Laufey’s ashes and discussed a journey to spread them across the highest mountain peak in Yggdrasil, Odin’s son turned up on their doorstep. Baldur, Odin’s eldest ( and at the time, only ) son came looking for Laufey under Odin’s orders. Odin, the “All-father” and King of Asgard, became obsessed with obtaining as much information about the future as he possibly could so he could prevent Ragnarök and therefore, his own death. Laufey, a powerful sorceress with a natural gift for predicting the future as well as Jotunheim’s rightful heir stood as a prize and a threat for the Hanged God.

Upon seeing that Kratos lived in a modest home with not one, but two beds, Baldur, a God blessed and cursed by his mother so he could never be harmed but, in turn, could never feel anything, became obsessed with hunting Kratos and uncovering what the God so desperately wished to hide. He’d believed he was looking for a sorceress to steal away and take back to Odin, but what he found ran much, much deeper.

After being discovered, Kratos and Loki ( who Kratos insisted on calling Atreus or, even more commonly, “boy” ), were forced to leave their home, lest they sit and wait patiently for the slaughter Odin’s brood was sure to deliver. Unsure of what they should or even what they could do, they turned to the one goal they both shared. Pay respects to Loki’s mother by granting her final wish of spreading her ashes across the tallest peak in Yggdrasil. Foolishly, they believed that to be a nearby mountain, but as they finally reached the tip of said mountain, they came face-to-face with Mimir, the Smartest Man Alive, as he described himself, instead. Trapped in a tree that grew around and threw him by Odin, he had no real means of escape and was kept there for when Odin could make use of him.

Mimir informed them that the tallest peak in Yggdrasil was not, in fact, on Midgard and, instead, on Jotunheim, but all pathways to the realm had been sealed many years prior. Mimir begged and pleaded with Kratos and Loki, promising to help them get to Jotunheim in exchange for chopping off his head. Contained and tortured by Odin, he claimed it would be a kind service and if they knew someone gifted in Seidr, his head could be reanimated, and his knowledge could still be of use.

They took Mimir’s head to a witch they met earlier in their travels, a woman whose identity would not be revealed to them for some time. Eventually, they learned that the witch’s name was Freya, a Vanir Goddess who married and later left Odin. The very same Goddess who blessed and cursed her son, Baldur, the man relentlessly hunting them on behalf of his father. Gifted with powerful magic but cursed with the inability to do any harm to others, Odin banished her to Midgard for breaking away from him. She developed a soft spot for Kratos and Loki. Her maternal nature bled into the young boy, often wishing to help or even protect him. She willingly helped them reanimate Mimir’s head and later, as Loki once again fell victim to his severe ailment that plagued him throughout his life, she lent her aid again. This time, though, she informed Kratos that his ailment was rooted in the lies that Kratos constantly reinforced on his child, insisting that Loki was mortal rather than allowing him to flourish as the young God he actually was.

The power of a God attempting to flow freely through the body of a small child who believed themselves mortal created a psychological barrier that resulted in sickness any time godlike power bubbled up to the surface.

Forced to save his child and own up to his falsehoods, Kratos told Loki the truth of his existence. Well, he learned half of the truth. The story of his mother would not come until the end of their journey, but they still had many hardships to face before they could venture to Jotunheim. Resources were collected to open a pathway to Jotunheim, multiple realms visited and explored, and one particularly annoying God who kept cropping up everywhere they went, hunting them.

Eventually forced to face down Baldur for a final time, Loki threw himself between Baldur and his father before the Odinson could deliver a finishing blow. Freya looked on in horror as she pleaded with her son, attempting to talk him down from his chosen path, but Baldur struck the boy who fell back against his father, struggling for breath but mostly unharmed. As Baldur stepped back, he found the shaft of a green arrow lodged into the palm of his hand, and he marveled at it because, for the first time in a century, he could actually feel it.

Why? Mistletoe. The arrow had been crafted of mistletoe and presented to Loki as a gift. Kratos used a piece of one of the arrow’s shafts to fix the strap of Loki’s quiver so it would sit properly across his chest after snapping. And mistletoe, as we all know, was the one substance that could actually do harm to Baldur, the one substance that Loki had been foretold to use to kill Baldur and bring about Ragnarök. The substance that could break Freya’s spell and make Baldur vulnerable again.

Despite Freya’s best efforts, Loki and Kratos killed her son before he could kill either of them. The father and son were prepared to leave Baldur alive, believing he’d been beaten without death, and that they needed to be better than the murderous Gods who came before them. As Baldur attacked his own mother, however, they realized they had no choice but to put an end to him.

With Baldur defeated and the immediate threat dealt with, they were finally able to make their trip to Jotunheim to spread Laufey’s ashes. They found the realm bleak, empty, and devoid of life, but they also found a mural depicting the journey they’d been on together after Laufey’s passing. For the first time, they both came to realize that Laufey had been hiding something as well, that she was no mortal blessed with Seidr, but a Frost Giant from a realm far from their tiny home. She predicted her child’s life and what he would accomplish and as he spread her ashes from the top of the tallest mountain, his magic traveled freely with her, dusting across the realm.

Killing Baldur, however, marked the beginning of Ragnarök. No one had been prepared for it, as it had not been prophesized for many more years, but Baldur’s death ensured the beginning of the end was upon them, the very thing that Odin feared the most and desperately wished to keep from happening.

Ragnarök, however, was not an end to everything, but a cycle. Loki would bring about an event that changed everything and those who were lost would be reborn. Intentional or not, the waves were in motion and Odin, though prideful and arrogant, was no fool. Stopping it would not be possible, but enduring and surviving Ragnarök and breaking the cycle so it would never come again? Now that could very well be accomplished if he played the game well enough.

It was this event that brought about the change in Odin’s demeanor, why he went from a bloodthirsty conqueror at war with every realm who refused to aid or support him to a “benevolent God” who wished to unite the realms. Ragnarök gave Odin a fresh start, it allowed him to craft and rebuild and bury his past sins under a road paved in gold. It explained why so many throughout all of Yggdrasil seemingly forgot all that transpired prior to Loki’s appearance on Asgard.

As for Loki, though? He could not risk killing the boy. If Loki died in Ragnarök, Loki would be reborn and Odin would have no way of guaranteeing that he would find the child again to prevent the next cycle of Ragnarök from occurring. No, in order to keep the same from happening again, Odin needed to control Loki rather than destroy him. Thus, the All-father descended upon the boy and his father, ripping Loki from Kratos and retreating back to Asgard where he stole the child’s memories and turned to raise Loki as his own, where he would always be able to keep Loki on a short leash. Where Loki could exist as a tool that Odin could use and siphon power from, but could never be used to harm him or his own again.

[imagine-loki]

Best friends with the god of mischief

TITLE: Best friends with the god of mischief CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: Chapter 5 AUTHOR: foreverdrivinginpuddles123 / lokistories123 ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine being friends with Loki. After a while you start having feelings for him, but you don’t tell him. One day Asgard’s enemies try to go after you and Loki takes you to Asgard. Loki and Thor defeat the enemies, but you and Loki decide it is better for you to stay in Asgard for a while. One day Loki comes back from a mission. He tells you he found out that he’s a frost giant and that he is most likely adopted. Loki can’t cope with this and he gets really angry. Whilst you try to calm him, he quickly yells that he’s in love with you. RATING: Teen NOTES/WARNINGS: May be a bit cut off, but I wanna get to the romantic parts okay?! I’m like Einstein: I have so many thoughts, but my hands are not quick enough to type everything down. I hope everything makes sense.

Word count: 2827

Chapter 5

When I woke up, I was in bed. I could hear Loki and Frigga talking, so I made the decision to pretend that I was still asleep.

“Why did you not consult with me before you would do this Loki? This is a very intense spell and it takes up a lot of energy from the both of you.”

“I kind of did it out of the blue. I thought it was the right moment. I wanted to do it earlier when we were still on Midgard, but I didn’t want to overwhelm her.”

“By the looks of her, it still overwhelmed her. You’ll need to train her, and I’ll help you with it. I trained you as well, so I should be able to give you a push in the right direction as well.”

“Thank you, mother. I am sorry, I should have first asked you for permission and aid with this decision. But something in me wanted to do it now, while I still can.”

“Yes you should’ve, but there is nothing we can do about it now. We should just hope for the best and hope that she’ll be able to keep everything down. And for you, no more unexpected behavior. If you’re father hears about this, he’ll kill you. Luckily for you I’ve already told him and calmed him down.”

“Yes mother, I promise. And for Odin, I know he wasn’t happy with me bringer her here. But he knew she and I were both in danger. And for this. Well… Let’s just hope he likes her attitude enough to not kill her.”

“He won’t. I like her very much and I meant what I said. She can stay as long as she wishes. Danger or not. Your father has nothing to say in that matter.” I could hear Frigga giggle and I knew I’ve heard enough.

“What happened?” I pretended that I had just woken up.

“Y/N! Thank the gods you’re awake. How are you feeling?”

“I’m feeling weird, what happened? You whispered something in my ear and after that I didn’t feel well. I still don’t.”

“Well, Y/N. I may have shared a bit of my magic with you.” I did not expect that. I thought he did some crazy athletic spell and that THAT would be my training. I wasn’t a skinny girl, so it would make some sense. I also told Loki that I always wanted to be a bad ass girl. So, it would all make sense, but no.

“YOU DID WHAT? How is this even possible? Am I going to die!? I am no god. Oh god, I’m gonna die, aren’t I?!”

“No Y/N, you’re not going to die. You’ll just…. Uhm….”

“Loki, let me explain it to her. Y/N because you now have magic, you’ll have to be trained. With this I mean you’ll learn spells and perform them as well. Because of this you’ll create more magic and you can do even more powerful spells. And so on.”

“But what happens if I can’t do them?”

“You will be able to do them my child. You have to great and powerful gods standing in front of you that know how this all works.”

That did soothe my mind a bit. I didn’t know what to say back, but I came up with a reply.

“Thank you, Frigga.”

She smiled at me “No problem, I’ll give you two some privacy.” She left.

“How do you even call yourselves?”

“We don’t know ourselves either. We just say that we can perform magic. But you can call it what you want. Warlock, wizard, magician, witch, and so on.” Loki still had a worried look on his face.

“I’ll go with witch than.” I smiled and gave him a little punch on his shoulder.”

“I am truly sorry Y/N, I just had to do it. I wanted to find a way of how you could protect yourself if no-one else is around. The library was the perfect place and I could tell you were feeling very comfortable there.”

“It’s okay. It’s good of you that you want me to be able to protect myself, but let’s be honest, I could die if I were to trip in one of THOSE shoes.” I pointed at the closet and we both laughed.

“And Loki, it’s pretty cool this whole magic thing. I haven’t seen you do anything Obviously back home and here either. So, if it is as cool as I’m imagining I’m just okay with it.”

 I really was okay with it. It would have been nice of Loki to tell me what he was up to, but as I knew him, he wasn’t the most open person when it came to talking. He would hold everything up, and then burst one day. Like me actually.

Amelia arrived with a tray of breakfast.

“Was I gone that long?!”

“Yes, you slept all day and all night.”

Amelia dropped of the tray at the table, took a bow and left.

“She really isn’t so fond of me, now is she?”

“She, and all other people on this forsaken planet, are used to certain things, and when those things are changed by someone… well… Let’s just say they aren’t overly fond of that idea.”

“Hmmm. I’m glad your siblings liked me. But to address the elephant in the room, your brother Baldr is a complete asshole. Sorry.”

“No need to be sorry. The whole family agrees. He just went to being this person from one day to the other. He can be quite dangerous if he doesn’t get what he wants, so I’d stay away from him if I where you.”

“It wasn’t very polite of him to just try to claim me like that.”

“You are completely right but look at it this way. Most women here are not royalty like us, so if they get Baldr’s interest, they might climb up the ladder. He usually ditches them the day after. Some he keeps for a few months, or even years. But after that they just get thrown away like old puppets. Somehow everyone still falls for him, but that’s the real reason why he gets woman so easily. And he will keep up his act, until he ‘finds the one.’”

“And the same is of course for you and Thor.”

“Well yeah I guess. But Thor has his eyes on Sif.”

“And you? Anyone I should meet?” I winked at him. I liked him, but I knew that there were plenty of more beautiful woman here. And Loki was good looking, so there must’ve been someone, right?

“Not at the moment, the last “spark” I had was centuries ago, and she was a bitch. Like I said most woman just want us for our status and not for us. One of the many downsides of being royal.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, you’ll find someone.” I also thought of myself. How I would never find anyone that would like me the way I am. Loki had the looks and the charm, so he would figure it out. But I’d be alone for the rest of my life.

“You too Y/N.”

We seated ourselves at the table and ate everything.

Loki told me more about Baldr, mostly so I knew how he was, to protect myself from him as well. He had little birds everywhere and knew everything that would be happening inside the castle. He was really the villain like in those medieval movies. I had nothing to worry about because he was pointed out for his behavior. Even Odin had a word with him.

“He doesn’t like you that much. But no-one will offend his guests.” Loki told me. Thank god!

After we finished eating we went to Loki’s chamber. I still got to get a hang of these terms. Chamber/room, Midgard/earth. Loki magically poofed up a book in his hands. It looked really cool and I was looking at him with big open eyes.

“Like what you see?” His chuckled.

“Yes. And that trick with the book was also pretty cool.” It looked like Loki choked there for a second.

“Ha ha. Very funny Y/N. This is the first spell book that Frigga handed me when she shared her magic with me. We shall begin with these spells.” Loki opened the book and pointed at one of the first pages. But all I could see were runes, and it would take me a while to translate those.

“Uhm, can you give me an hour? I have your sheet right here and I will need some time to translate.”

“Oh, yeah I forgot, here.” He touched my head and all of the sudden the spells were written in plain English.

“Hallelujah, can you please teach me that one first?” I had to morph away the big grin on my face.

“No, we are not, this is a more skilled spell. The first one will be you trying to call up a small object. Like I just did with the book.”

We were busy all day but at the end of the evening I could already call up small objects.

“I now know how Harry Potter feels.” I said it a bit too loud but we both kept laughing until we heard a knock on the door.

“Loki, are you in there.” I could tell from the low voice it was Thor.

“Yes brother, come in.”

“Are you decent?” Loki and I looked at each other.

“No, we’re actually both naked on the floor. YES WE ARE DECENT!” I loved his sarcasm, and if it weren’t for him being here, I would’ve said the same thing.

Thor walked in with a very unamused look on his face. I could tell Loki did this to him all the time.

“You’re late for training, and I am not spending another day with Baldr. He can’t even throw a blade himself, “he has other people that do that for him.” Thor said it in a little boy’s voice, pointing at the fact that his other brother was rather a coward.

“I’m sorry, I was actually training Y/N myself. Come little one, show him.” I was ab it shocked he wanted me to show Thor what I learned today, but I felt very comfortable with Thor as well. I showed him the trick and Thor was eyeing me the whole time.

“Wow lady Y/N that is magnificent. I assumed Loki would share his magic with you. I didn’t know it would be this fast, but good for the two of you.”

“Y/N, why don’t you come with us. I’d hate to leave you here all alone and me and Thor really have to train, or Odin will kick our asses.” Loki meant it. It was also his way of showing Asgard without being too much of a guide.

“Sure, I’d love to.”

We went to this big open field behind the palace. It really looked like those training ground you would see in Spartacus, but here there were no slaves. Just Asgardian warriors. Right next to the training grounds were the Asgardian Gardens. Loki told me that at day there were open for everyone, but at night only for the King and his family. It looked beautiful and I definitely wanted to see them before I would go home.

I seated myself at the balcony where you could watch the men and women train. Well there was only one woman, and I assumed it was Sif. She looked up at me and I smiled and waved at her Like the fangirl I was. She laughed and waved back.

I watched Thor and Loki train. God, Loki looked very hot when he was so focused. All the panties out the window I thought to myself. After a while Odin walked up to the edge of the balcony. Immediately everyone stopped and bowed to Odin.

“I have bad news. The dark elves that were after my sons, were spotted in Jotünheim trying to team up with the Jotüns to attack Asgard. I require my best soldiers and my two sons Thor and Loki to go there and stop them for good.”

Okay great, so I would be left alone here while I just got here 3 days ago. Like I wasn’t going to get raped and killed or something.

Immediately Sif and 3 other men walked up to Thor and armed themselves. Loki ran away and a minute after that he was standing right behind me.

“Y/N, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know they would be spotted this soon!”

“It’s okay Loki. I’ll stay here and wait until you come back, I hope.”

“Pfff, of course I will. You’re talking to me of all people. I’ll make sure you’ll spend as much of your time with Frigga, and she’ll help you train. I’ll be very curious as to what you’ve learned when I return.”

He gave me a hug and a kiss on my cheek. I could feel my cheeks burn right after. The last I saw of Loki was him jumping on a horse. Ehehe Horse Like Norse mythology. No?

Anyway, I saw him riding of in the sunset to go to the Bifröst.

The beam that came from the Bifröst an hour later looked very beautiful, it was like a diamond with all colors of the rainbow.

The next day I started practicing with Frigga and I would follow her all day as also she was worried what would happen if I were to walk here alone. She was the kindest person I ever met. Always so sophisticated and perfect. She would tell me embarrassing stories about Thor and Loki as well, and I swore I would tell no-one.

“If Loki comes back, I’ll bully him with this.” We laughed. She was truly caring for me. She told me she saw me as the daughter she never had. Hela was very on her own and grew up way too fast according to Frigga, so it was nice for her to have someone to look after.

Frigga allowed me to contact my parents so that they weren’t to worry.

I told them the whole story and that I didn’t know when I would be back.

At first, they thought I was kidnapped, then they thought I was crazy but after I showed them my first-learned trick, they believed me.

“Honey, please be careful.”

“I will mom, no worries. Can you please also tell college what happened? NOT the real story but that someone was in trouble and I had to go there?”

“Sure thing, and me and Loki have somethings to discuss…” My mother sounded angry at him. It looked like she was angry at him for not telling me the whole story the first time we’ve met so that I would be ready for any threats, and not how things went now.

“Mom, calm down. It isn’t his fault.”

“He better be the kind Tom Hiddleston to you, or I’ll kill him myself.”

“He is, mom. I’ll call you when I have more info than I have now.”

“You better. I love you Y/N. Take care of yourself.”

“I will. Love you too mom. Bye.”

I was a bit hurt, but I understood my mother’s anger. I just left and didn’t contact her for 4 days.

“You have a wonderful mother Y/N.”

“She just threatened to kill Loki, your son.”

“Only to protect you, which makes her a great mother Y/N.”

“Yeah, that’s true.”

“Now let’s continue with our practices. Have you read the spell on how to lift objects?”

“Yes madam, I did.”

And we continued practicing.

Weeks and months flew by. I was getting really good at my magic skills and I started to hang out with Hela a lot. She was darker than Loki, as in her thoughts. But she was very kind to me. She told me she saw herself in me somehow and that she already saw me as her sister.

When I was in Asgard for exactly 4 months, the Bifröst was active again.

“Well, I guess my little brothers are back.” She said it like it was the most regular thing ever.

I quickly ran to the entrance of the castle. I saw Sif enter and she gave me a quick smile. There were 3 men walking behind her, and from my Fan experience they were the warriors 3? Anyway. After that Thor entered, but no Loki. But as the last “warrior” entered, Loki arrived after him. Loki looked hurt and mad. I’ve never seen him like this.

I walked up to him, but Loki quickly avoided me and went straight to his chambers.

I wanted to enter as well, but the doors were locked. So naturally I knocked on the doors.

“LOKI! Let me in. What’s going on? Is everything okay?”

“JUST LEAVE ME ALONE Y/N!”

What was going on?!

Was he hurt? What happened there?!

[lokistories123]

Best friends with the god of mischief (chapter 5)

TITLE: Best friends with the god of mischief CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: Chapter 5 AUTHOR: foreverdrivinginpuddles123 / lokistories123 ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine being friends with Loki. After a while you start having feelings for him, but you don't tell him. One day Asgard's enemies try to go after you and Loki takes you to Asgard. Loki and Thor defeat the enemies, but you and Loki decide it is better for you to stay in Asgard for a while. One day Loki comes back from a mission. He tells you he found out that he's a frost giant and that he is most likely adopted. Loki can't cope with this and he gets really angry. Whilst you try to calm him, he quickly yells that he's in love with you. RATING: Teen NOTES/WARNINGS: May be a bit cut off, but I wanna get to the romantic parts okay?! I'm like Einstein: I have so many thoughts, but my hands are not quick enough to type everything down. I hope everything makes sense.

Word count: 2827

Chapter 5

When I woke up, I was in bed. I could hear Loki and Frigga talking, so I made the decision to pretend that I was still asleep.

“Why did you not consult with me before you would do this Loki? This is a very intense spell and it takes up a lot of energy from the both of you.”

“I kind of did it out of the blue. I thought it was the right moment. I wanted to do it earlier when we were still on Midgard, but I didn’t want to overwhelm her.”

“By the looks of her, it still overwhelmed her. You’ll need to train her, and I’ll help you with it. I trained you as well, so I should be able to give you a push in the right direction as well.”

“Thank you, mother. I am sorry, I should have first asked you for permission and aid with this decision. But something in me wanted to do it now, while I still can.”

“Yes you should’ve, but there is nothing we can do about it now. We should just hope for the best and hope that she’ll be able to keep everything down. And for you, no more unexpected behavior. If you’re father hears about this, he’ll kill you. Luckily for you I’ve already told him and calmed him down.”

“Yes mother, I promise. And for Odin, I know he wasn’t happy with me bringer her here. But he knew she and I were both in danger. And for this. Well… Let’s just hope he likes her attitude enough to not kill her.”

“He won’t. I like her very much and I meant what I said. She can stay as long as she wishes. Danger or not. Your father has nothing to say in that matter.” I could hear Frigga giggle and I knew I’ve heard enough.

“What happened?” I pretended that I had just woken up.

“Y/N! Thank the gods you’re awake. How are you feeling?”

“I’m feeling weird, what happened? You whispered something in my ear and after that I didn’t feel well. I still don’t.”

“Well, Y/N. I may have shared a bit of my magic with you.” I did not expect that. I thought he did some crazy athletic spell and that THAT would be my training. I wasn’t a skinny girl, so it would make some sense. I also told Loki that I always wanted to be a bad ass girl. So, it would all make sense, but no.

“YOU DID WHAT? How is this even possible? Am I going to die!? I am no god. Oh god, I’m gonna die, aren’t I?!”

“No Y/N, you’re not going to die. You’ll just…. Uhm….”

“Loki, let me explain it to her. Y/N because you now have magic, you’ll have to be trained. With this I mean you’ll learn spells and perform them as well. Because of this you’ll create more magic and you can do even more powerful spells. And so on.”

“But what happens if I can’t do them?”

“You will be able to do them my child. You have to great and powerful gods standing in front of you that know how this all works.”

That did soothe my mind a bit. I didn’t know what to say back, but I came up with a reply.

“Thank you, Frigga.”

She smiled at me “No problem, I’ll give you two some privacy.” She left.

“How do you even call yourselves?”

“We don’t know ourselves either. We just say that we can perform magic. But you can call it what you want. Warlock, wizard, magician, witch, and so on.” Loki still had a worried look on his face.

“I’ll go with witch than.” I smiled and gave him a little punch on his shoulder.”

“I am truly sorry Y/N, I just had to do it. I wanted to find a way of how you could protect yourself if no-one else is around. The library was the perfect place and I could tell you were feeling very comfortable there.”

“It’s okay. It’s good of you that you want me to be able to protect myself, but let’s be honest, I could die if I were to trip in one of THOSE shoes.” I pointed at the closet and we both laughed.

“And Loki, it’s pretty cool this whole magic thing. I haven’t seen you do anything Obviously back home and here either. So, if it is as cool as I’m imagining I’m just okay with it.”

I really was okay with it. It would have been nice of Loki to tell me what he was up to, but as I knew him, he wasn’t the most open person when it came to talking. He would hold everything up, and then burst one day. Like me actually.

Amelia arrived with a tray of breakfast.

“Was I gone that long?!”

“Yes, you slept all day and all night.”

Amelia dropped of the tray at the table, took a bow and left.

“She really isn’t so fond of me, now is she?”

“She, and all other people on this forsaken planet, are used to certain things, and when those things are changed by someone… well... Let’s just say they aren’t overly fond of that idea.”

“Hmmm. I’m glad your siblings liked me. But to address the elephant in the room, your brother Baldr is a complete asshole. Sorry.”

“No need to be sorry. The whole family agrees. He just went to being this person from one day to the other. He can be quite dangerous if he doesn’t get what he wants, so I’d stay away from him if I where you.”

“It wasn’t very polite of him to just try to claim me like that.”

“You are completely right but look at it this way. Most women here are not royalty like us, so if they get Baldr’s interest, they might climb up the ladder. He usually ditches them the day after. Some he keeps for a few months, or even years. But after that they just get thrown away like old puppets. Somehow everyone still falls for him, but that’s the real reason why he gets woman so easily. And he will keep up his act, until he ‘finds the one.’”

“And the same is of course for you and Thor.”

“Well yeah I guess. But Thor has his eyes on Sif.”

“And you? Anyone I should meet?” I winked at him. I liked him, but I knew that there were plenty of more beautiful woman here. And Loki was good looking, so there must’ve been someone, right?

“Not at the moment, the last “spark” I had was centuries ago, and she was a bitch. Like I said most woman just want us for our status and not for us. One of the many downsides of being royal.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, you’ll find someone.” I also thought of myself. How I would never find anyone that would like me the way I am. Loki had the looks and the charm, so he would figure it out. But I’d be alone for the rest of my life.

“You too Y/N.”

We seated ourselves at the table and ate everything.

Loki told me more about Baldr, mostly so I knew how he was, to protect myself from him as well. He had little birds everywhere and knew everything that would be happening inside the castle. He was really the villain like in those medieval movies. I had nothing to worry about because he was pointed out for his behavior. Even Odin had a word with him.

“He doesn’t like you that much. But no-one will offend his guests.” Loki told me. Thank god!

After we finished eating we went to Loki’s chamber. I still got to get a hang of these terms. Chamber/room, Midgard/earth. Loki magically poofed up a book in his hands. It looked really cool and I was looking at him with big open eyes.

“Like what you see?” His chuckled.

“Yes. And that trick with the book was also pretty cool.” It looked like Loki choked there for a second.

“Ha ha. Very funny Y/N. This is the first spell book that Frigga handed me when she shared her magic with me. We shall begin with these spells.” Loki opened the book and pointed at one of the first pages. But all I could see were runes, and it would take me a while to translate those.

“Uhm, can you give me an hour? I have your sheet right here and I will need some time to translate.”

“Oh, yeah I forgot, here.” He touched my head and all of the sudden the spells were written in plain English.

“Hallelujah, can you please teach me that one first?” I had to morph away the big grin on my face.

“No, we are not, this is a more skilled spell. The first one will be you trying to call up a small object. Like I just did with the book.”

We were busy all day but at the end of the evening I could already call up small objects.

“I now know how Harry Potter feels.” I said it a bit too loud but we both kept laughing until we heard a knock on the door.

“Loki, are you in there.” I could tell from the low voice it was Thor.

“Yes brother, come in.”

“Are you decent?” Loki and I looked at each other.

“No, we’re actually both naked on the floor. YES WE ARE DECENT!” I loved his sarcasm, and if it weren’t for him being here, I would’ve said the same thing.

Thor walked in with a very unamused look on his face. I could tell Loki did this to him all the time.

“You’re late for training, and I am not spending another day with Baldr. He can’t even throw a blade himself, “he has other people that do that for him.” Thor said it in a little boy’s voice, pointing at the fact that his other brother was rather a coward.

“I’m sorry, I was actually training Y/N myself. Come little one, show him.” I was ab it shocked he wanted me to show Thor what I learned today, but I felt very comfortable with Thor as well. I showed him the trick and Thor was eyeing me the whole time.

“Wow lady Y/N that is magnificent. I assumed Loki would share his magic with you. I didn't know it would be this fast, but good for the two of you.”

“Y/N, why don’t you come with us. I’d hate to leave you here all alone and me and Thor really have to train, or Odin will kick our asses.” Loki meant it. It was also his way of showing Asgard without being too much of a guide.

“Sure, I’d love to.”

We went to this big open field behind the palace. It really looked like those training ground you would see in Spartacus, but here there were no slaves. Just Asgardian warriors. Right next to the training grounds were the Asgardian Gardens. Loki told me that at day there were open for everyone, but at night only for the King and his family. It looked beautiful and I definitely wanted to see them before I would go home.

I seated myself at the balcony where you could watch the men and women train. Well there was only one woman, and I assumed it was Sif. She looked up at me and I smiled and waved at her Like the fangirl I was. She laughed and waved back.

I watched Thor and Loki train. God, Loki looked very hot when he was so focused. All the panties out the window I thought to myself. After a while Odin walked up to the edge of the balcony. Immediately everyone stopped and bowed to Odin.

“I have bad news. The dark elves that were after my sons, were spotted in Jotünheim trying to team up with the Jotüns to attack Asgard. I require my best soldiers and my two sons Thor and Loki to go there and stop them for good.”

Okay great, so I would be left alone here while I just got here 3 days ago. Like I wasn’t going to get raped and killed or something.

Immediately Sif and 3 other men walked up to Thor and armed themselves. Loki ran away and a minute after that he was standing right behind me.

“Y/N, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know they would be spotted this soon!”

“It’s okay Loki. I’ll stay here and wait until you come back, I hope.”

“Pfff, of course I will. You’re talking to me of all people. I’ll make sure you’ll spend as much of your time with Frigga, and she’ll help you train. I’ll be very curious as to what you’ve learned when I return.”

He gave me a hug and a kiss on my cheek. I could feel my cheeks burn right after. The last I saw of Loki was him jumping on a horse. Ehehe Horse Like Norse mythology. No?

Anyway, I saw him riding of in the sunset to go to the Bifröst.

The beam that came from the Bifröst an hour later looked very beautiful, it was like a diamond with all colors of the rainbow.

The next day I started practicing with Frigga and I would follow her all day as also she was worried what would happen if I were to walk here alone. She was the kindest person I ever met. Always so sophisticated and perfect. She would tell me embarrassing stories about Thor and Loki as well, and I swore I would tell no-one.

“If Loki comes back, I’ll bully him with this.” We laughed. She was truly caring for me. She told me she saw me as the daughter she never had. Hela was very on her own and grew up way too fast according to Frigga, so it was nice for her to have someone to look after.

Frigga allowed me to contact my parents so that they weren’t to worry.

I told them the whole story and that I didn’t know when I would be back.

At first, they thought I was kidnapped, then they thought I was crazy but after I showed them my first-learned trick, they believed me.

“Honey, please be careful.”

“I will mom, no worries. Can you please also tell college what happened? NOT the real story but that someone was in trouble and I had to go there?”

“Sure thing, and me and Loki have somethings to discuss…” My mother sounded angry at him. It looked like she was angry at him for not telling me the whole story the first time we’ve met so that I would be ready for any threats, and not how things went now.

“Mom, calm down. It isn’t his fault.”

“He better be the kind Tom Hiddleston to you, or I’ll kill him myself.”

“He is, mom. I’ll call you when I have more info than I have now.”

“You better. I love you Y/N. Take care of yourself.”

“I will. Love you too mom. Bye.”

I was a bit hurt, but I understood my mother’s anger. I just left and didn’t contact her for 4 days.

“You have a wonderful mother Y/N.”

“She just threatened to kill Loki, your son.”

“Only to protect you, which makes her a great mother Y/N.”

“Yeah, that’s true.”

“Now let’s continue with our practices. Have you read the spell on how to lift objects?”

“Yes madam, I did.”

And we continued practicing.

Weeks and months flew by. I was getting really good at my magic skills and I started to hang out with Hela a lot. She was darker than Loki, as in her thoughts. But she was very kind to me. She told me she saw herself in me somehow and that she already saw me as her sister.

When I was in Asgard for exactly 4 months, the Bifröst was active again.

“Well, I guess my little brothers are back.” She said it like it was the most regular thing ever.

I quickly ran to the entrance of the castle. I saw Sif enter and she gave me a quick smile. There were 3 men walking behind her, and from my Fan experience they were the warriors 3? Anyway. After that Thor entered, but no Loki. But as the last “warrior” entered, Loki arrived after him. Loki looked hurt and mad. I’ve never seen him like this.

I walked up to him, but Loki quickly avoided me and went straight to his chambers.

I wanted to enter as well, but the doors were locked. So naturally I knocked on the doors.

“LOKI! Let me in. What’s going on? Is everything okay?”

“JUST LEAVE ME ALONE Y/N!”

What was going on?!

Was he hurt? What happened there?!

[bioticgoddess]

Exiles of Asgard (1/?)

Notes: Hey look at the pretty! I did a thing - The sequel to Ward of Asgard! Minor Ragnarok spoilers ahead. 

Pairing: Loki x Althea/OC

Exiles of Asgard: Introduction  - Heimdall

The Gatekeeper stood near the podium in the Bifrost gate. He ran his hand over the sheath for his great sword. The great sword – only his weapon and gungnir were capable of unlocking the Bifrost. With a heavy sigh he spoke, “I know you’re aware of who sits on the throne.”

“I am,” Althea replied softly.

The golden eyed god continued, “He is surprisingly effective at governing Asgard when unchallenged. But I swore my oaths to Odin not to your husband. I cannot, however, in good conscience continue to serve when I know there is a…pretender upon the throne. When the nine realms are again sinking into chaos and he does nothing.” This was hard for Heimdall, harder than he cared to admit – to step down from his role as the Bifrost’s Gatekeeper and guardian. His last duty had been opening the bridge to allow his sister, Sif, to return after her altercation with the Kree on earth. At least Odin – Loki – had seen them as a threat. If nothing else, the pretender had an interest in keeping Midgard safe.

Althea climbed up the stairs to the keyhole, walking around to face Heimdall. She’d protected all of them from any repercussions under Loki’s rule. Not that he’d been particularly concerned with penalizing any of his former friends. “Heimdall,” the elf began, “You’re the only person we can truly trust with the Bifrost.” She paused, “You’ve protected every single one of us. More than once.”

He chuckled. “That is true, my young friend,” this meant leaving his friends, his kingdom, and everything he’d ever known. “I know that this will brand me a traitor, but it’s the right thing to do.” Loki’s illusion had worked against him for over a year, clouded his vision but only when it came to the current king. What he wanted to say was that he appreciated her honest. The fact that the Silver-Tongued God’s wife had lied. That he had appreciated the friendship she’d shown him over the years.  “No my princess,” he said, “Until either Odin or Thor returns, I cannot do this.”

“And who will be here to open the Birost to them if not you,” she asked quickly.

Hanging his head and pulling off his gilded horned helmet, “Someone else I fear. Though I trust you will keep our king on the proper path. I know it was you who reigned in a great deal of his …plans.” He meant the statue, the plays, everything that effective martyred and sainted Loki. Dead or alive, his actions on Svartalfheim earned him some measure of honor and affection from Asgard but things had gone from reasonable to self-serving in short order.

She nodded. Heimdall had been on guard at the Bifrost since she was a child, not much beyond a child himself actually. Taking the role from his father after his mother passed away during a skirmish with the dwarves of Nidvallir. He’d missed the wedding between his father and Sif’s mother, missed the girl’s birth, and later naming ceremonies out of a sense of duty. That this place was both his burden and his sanctuary. Even after the battle between Thor and Loki destroyed the gate itself, he’d taken up his post on the shattered Bifrost. He sighed heavily and turned to Althea, “Unless you know where Odin is, and can return him, my decision has been made old friend.”

The elf took a step towards him, nodding. “You’ve never been one to let even Loki sway you.”

“Indeed. And I have given my life to this,” he motioned to the chamber around him, “Should real need arise, should the realm need me as well as what friends I kept, then I will return. You have my word Princess.” With that he bowed his head. “I trust you’ll bring this to our king?”

Heimdall turned the blade of the key sword towards himself, the hilt pointed at the elf. With a heavy sigh she nodded, “Of course.” As her hands wrapped around it, Heimdall took a number of steps back.

“Farewell, Princess,” he bowed his head again, practically disappearing out of the Bifrost chamber.

She sighed as he walked off, “Good luck old friend.”

--

In his guise as Odin, Loki demanded, “What do you mean Hemidall has abandoned his post?”

“Not abandoned it my king, he has...resigned,” she corrected carefully.

Brow furrowed, the gray-haired Asgardian practically glared at her. “I see.” The Warriors Three and Lady Sif were present, he couldn’t just drop the illusion and have a regular conversation with Althea (who avoided the throne room at all cost, despite the reunion she and Loki had had months earlier). Clearing his throat, Loki-Odin sat back in the throne – deliberating the fate of the now former gate keeper.

Heimdall had been correct  - these actions made him a traitor. Though it did give Loki an excuse to place a more friendly party, or at least one less loyal to Thor, at the Bifrost’s gate. “This is most unusual,” he said after what felt like hours. “However,” He looked at Volstagg and in the usual bluster of the All-Father continued, “Until a more permanent replacement is found, I charge you – Volstagg of the Warriors Three – with the care and guardianship of the Bifrost Gate.”

The red-haired goliath of a man stammered, bowing low to Odin, “I am honored my king.” Recovering, he crossed to Althea. She still possessed Heimdall’s sword, a burden she was almost happy to be rid of and somewhat visibly relieved to be passing on to Volstagg. At least he was competent and trustworthy. Sword in hand, he bowed again, “My lord, I shall go to the Bifrost Gate at once.”

Odin bowed his head, dismissing Volstagg. Hogun and Fandral followed suit and trailed off behind their friend.

“Daughter,” he spoke, that word like bile in his mouth, “If you would excuse us, I should like to discuss her brother’s disappearance with Lady Sif.”

The shield maiden protested, eyes wide, “My king, I would think it best if the Princess stayed.” She was quick, not giving either the monarch nor her effective advocate time to do anything but breathe.  

Exasperated he acquiesced, even the real Odin would have been too tired to argue at this point in the affair. “Very well.” He nodded to her, watching the shield maiden breathe a sigh of relief at the action. “Did you have any knowledge of your brother’s intentions, Lady Sif? If so, when did he mention them to you and why did you not bring them to your king? Or at the least, my daughter.” Again that word was like bile.

Careful in her choice of words, Sif answered the All-Father’s questions. “Heimdall and I have never been particularly close. That aside, if he had told me of whatever turmoil led him to decide to abandon his post, I would have forewarned you immediately my king,” when Odin nodded, she continued, “My brother is the most stouthearted Gatekeeper the realm has known in ages. I would not have let him leave without doing anything in my power to prevent it.”

It was true. They weren’t close. 

Heimdall was decades older than his sister, their mothers different women and he had taken his post before she was born. The All-Father asked if Sif knew where her brother may have gone – was he merely hiding or had he left the realm. Did he have a lover he might go to? She had no answers for him on those or any questions he asked about the gatekeeper.

Inevitably, Althea stepped forward, putting herself between Sif and Odin. “My king, she knows naught where her brother would be nor why he left. She has said so numerous times. Nor did Heimdall himself provide any clue as to where he would go when he turned the key sword over to my keeping.”

“Then it is with a  heavy heart that I must declare Heimdall a traitor to Asgard. Should he be found, or return, he will be punished  accordingly,” he shook his head. To Sif, it looked as though he were truly aggrieved to declare Heimdall a traitor. Althea knew better. “Lady Sif, you may return to your duties,” he said after a moment.

Sif bowed, taking her leave.

[dlkardenal]

After the Gods - Chapter 1.

1.

A relic from the past

Asgeir heard the first thud well before the fog crept in, yet he chose to disregard it. He thought it superstition, one of the many shadows plagueing every soul since the serpent’s rise. There was no reason for him to abandon this field so ripe with the remains of a bloody battle. Shattered spears, torn shields and dented blades lay everywhere Asgeir could see, some of which could still fetch him a day’s rations in the Nook. He couldn’t understand why people clung to these rusted mementos, but they did. They sought some salvation from the blunt axes and bent bows, a spark of hope hiding withing these weapons. A chance to fight the terrors that befell humanity.

The next thud was louder and more clear, and when Asgeir raised his head, the blood froze in his veins. The horrid figure emerged from the milky mist and trampled on several half-eaten corpses while turning its blind sockets towards Asgeir’s racing heart. It was larger then the tales told, standing almost thrice his height and many times his weight. The fog swirled around it and froze into solid, tinkling gems that covered its entire arm, from thumbs to shoulders.

There was no hiding now—the jotun saw him. Or rather sensed that he didn’t belong there, between the lifeless cadavers of once mighty warriors and heroes. He was way too alive for that. Asgeir lept back just before the colossal fist smashed down where he previously stood, shredding a wooden shield to pieces and flinging pieces of bone to all directions. Nobody knew what drove the children of Ymir into such a frenzy, but people told about them in every hideaway. Life slipped from them the moment the Gjal sounded, and so did the tolerance for any living thing. They smashed apart villages, uprooted glades and massacred anything that crossed them.

Asgeir rolled to the side, avoiding the massive foot crushing him like a bug and looked around for a weapon. There was nothing that could save him from the jotun, but by Odin, he wasn’t going down without shedding blood.

He caught something glistening under a mound of rotting flesh and heavy leather cuirasses. Asgeir didn’t hesitate, he just rushed towards it and grasped the handle with both hands. He heard the jotun thudding behind him, crossing the distance with a few steps and casting a deathly shadow over him. The weapon wasn’t giving. The chilling presence of the giant bit him all throughout his body, but he couldn’t run away. There was no use. He’d only die a coward, and he refused even now, when no god was alive to judge him.

The jotun raised his hand to swipe Asgeir to the side, most probably shattering every bone in his body, but that moment something got unstuck in the pile of flesh and the weapon swung upwards, meeting the giant’s palm head-on. It was a spear, sturdy and thick with a rune-carved head, which somehow survived the massacre. Time slowed to a halt, the dry muscles strained around the jotun’s arm, and in that moment, Asgeir was ready to die. Valhalla was no more, Odin’s halls lay empty, so only uncertain darkness awaited him, but he didn’t care. Life was miserable as it was, he could settle for an emptiness.

Yet, death never came. The runes inscribed into the spearhead glowed in dark, ancient colors and the jotun’s hand split. The small, barely fist-sized blade cut the giant’s hand clean off, more akin to a headman’s ax, spilling crimson blood across half an arrow-shoot. The creature roared in agony, while Asgeir just stood there, grasping the spear, not daring to even blink. This was surely a dream. A last feverish phantasm as his skull split, just like the jotun before.

He had no time to decide wether he believed his eyes, because the giant leaned forward and smashed down, trying to crumble him between his dried out fingers. Asgeir hopped back, twirled the spear around and jammed it clean into the colossal arm. Bones creeked and tendons popped under the blade, and when Asgeir pulled the weapon back part of the jotun’s forearm came with it, spinning free from the joint and smashed onto the ground between two warriors’ remains.

Blood rushed into Asgeir’s mind. The runes almost burned on the tip, and the heat covered his arms and legs, crying to give into the bloodlust. The wounded giant coiled up like a worm and threw his leg forward, trying to sway the troublesome human away. Asgeir jumped upwards to dodge the attack, then kicked himself forward, closer to the colossal torso. The omen of dread that clouded his mind until now dissipated, the force driving him towards escape let go and nothing but an instinct remained. He was no berserker, yet in that moment, he understood them better then all his life.

The jotun swung the snag that remained of his right arm at Asgeir, and he could barely block it with the weapon’s shaft. The force of the blow sent him flying clean across the field, and eventually onto a shieldmaiden’s corpse. The air escaped his lungs, but the crimson haze didn’t clear. A familiar metallic taste rushed onto his tongue, his chest stung like fire and when he tried to rise, his limbs forsake him.

The runes on the spear brimmed again. A cold, salty wind swept over Asgeir and his vision blurred, obscuring the giant slowly rising to it’s feet. It was barely more than a corpse; maybe it never was more. A mountain of frosted meat and tendons, bristle bones and a cold killer instinct that drove him to squash Asgeir even crippled and near its end.

Asgeir clenched his teeth in anger and forced himself to rise, then spun the spear around and planted his feet for a last charge. He heard drums from somewhere, strong and agitated beating like a warchant. When the jotun howled at him, he cried out too and lunged forward. Time crawled like a melting glacier, every heartbeat took an eternity, and every move heralded a victor. Either the raging monstrosity with unearthly strength, snapping the warrior’s spine like a twig, or Asgeir, mystic spear in hand, aiming for the jotun’s empty eyes.

The warrior won. The weapon thrust into the giant’s skull, pierced through the layers of bone and emerged through the back of its head with a wet plop. The colossal body curled, its abdomen fell against the ground while the spear got stuck in the mud and held the lifeless head looking ever forward. Asgeir wheezed like a horse, his shoulders trembled and unwilling tears ran down his face. He couldn’t control the panic that came over him as the battlerage left, so he gave in. He fell down his knees and covered his head with both arms, shaking on the miry ground until he was too tired for that.

He faced a jotun. A jötnar denizen of Jotunheim, an ice giant akin to the god Loki and he won. There was no man since the starts faded that could befell a giant, yet he did just that with a spear he just requisitioned amidst junk and rubbish.

Asgeir slowly opened his eyes and looked at the weapon still sticking out from the gian’ts eyesocket. A normal spear would have snapped already from the weight, but this not only withstood and stayed firm, it radiated some wild beauty. An ancient perfection, something from the oldest tales told by the völvas during their sacrifices.

“What… are you?” Asgeir wishpered barely daring to speak. It was clear the spear was far more powerful than he was, and it made him uneasy. People told about relics, adorned armament of the Einherjar that fell to Midgard in the battle, but he never seen one carried around. Warriors would give anything for those relics and some gatherers like him made a fortune from them. Not that fortunes mattered these days, but this thing—this had real power. This wasn’t a simple Einherjar weapon.

Asgeir grabbed the shaft and fighting his disgust, he yanked it free from the skull. The runes still glowed, shifting from blood red to nightshade, but the light shrunk weaker with every pulse. Almost if the weapon knew the battle was over and it had no duty anymore. The giant’s head knocked against the ground and a fang broke from its horrid jaw. Asgeir’s eyes narrowed as an idea came over him, then set the spear onto the ground and grabbed the skinning knife hanging from his belt. There wasn’t a chance he would sell that weapon for anything, but he still needed to eat that day. He knew how much would Hrothir give for the remains of an ice giant?

* * * *

The Nook grew somewhat since Asgeir departed three days ago. Refugees came pouring in from every direction, mostly from the south where the waters rose the fastest and they settled in to count the days left. It was a pathetic sight for what was supposed to be the harshest survivors mankind had to offer, but nowadays getting here was a feat in itself.

A lean, dark-haired man winced at him from atop the guard tower, but seeing he was just a human, he nodded. Asgeir walked past the stake fence, resting the spear on his shoulder and hanging his spoils form the end of it in a brown sack, catching many an eye. He was seemingly the only one walking straight with some confidence among the hunched husks and darkened glimpses, and that stirred into the murky depression. He couldn’t walk three steps inside the walls before a woman rose up from a shadowy corner and walked up to him.

“Oy. You a peddler, right? What you got there?” she asked. She spoke flawless norvegian, yet her colours were much more reminiscent of the celt warriors they battled with on the western raids. Or so they told.

“Nothing. Hunt was unsuccessful,” Asgeir replied but it didn’t startle the woman.

“You know, lyin’ is fruitless when you show off the truth. That’s a spear, right?”

Asgeir took a deep breath and looked into her eyes as cruel as he could. “It is. Not for sale, though. It’s personal.”

“Yeah, right,” the woman smirked. “What would you do with a weapon, peddler? You ain’t a warrior.”

The conversation caught the attention of more people and they slowly cornered Asgeir. He felt like prey, and he didn’t like that at one bit.

“How much?” a staunch men said simply. He looked quite sickly, with a shrunken face and a spreading black malady on his fingers. He must have spent a long time in the snowstorm heralding the end times, and the frostbite chewed his flesh and bone. He couldn’t hold the spear properly even if Asgeir was willing to part with it.

“Not for sale,” he replied more agitated.

“Come on, peddler,” the woman pushed on. They threw the word around like a jest, a mockery to humiliate him for living on instead of charging head-first into a wall of jötnar like many did. He was “just” a peddler in their eyes, someone to cowardly to die a warrior.

“Alright, so be it. I’ll just pluck it from your corpse,” the staunch man said raising a rusted axe onto his shoulder.

“Hey!” the celt woman shouted and grabbed the man’s shoulder. “Did the frost scoop out your wit, you moron? You want to kill a man, here?”

“So what?” the man replied confused. “You wanted to take it too, Fenris.”

“Yeah, with coin. Or whatever he asks. Kill a man and you’ll bring the giants on us.”

“That is just saxon horseshit,” the man grunted. Fenris struck out like a fox, clever and precise, grabbing the man’s neck and twisting it backwards until he lost his balance.

“Say that again, you sack of piss and I’ll rip out your throat right here. I’m no saxon, Geirolf, and I do not speak nonsense. Understood?”

The man squeezed a weak ‘yes’ through the grasp, so Fenris let him fall on his arse, then turned back to Asgeir, who just stood there silent, bearing the interlude.

“Now, peddler. You sure you won’t sell me that? I could pay well.”

“I told you twice already,” he replied. “It’s personal. I need to defend myself as well.”

“I could defend you with it. How’s that? You give me that and we’ll share food until you find something else.”

It was obvious they were getting nowhere, so Asgeir threw the sack onto the ground, unfolding half a dozen frosted fangs and a hearth larger then Geirolf’s head. He didn’t know which part was worth anything, so he went after his instincts and old tales.

Fenris and Geirolf both took a step back, while a third bystander, a young blonde kid nearly jumped away from the sight.

“Is—is that…” the celt woman gasped.

“It is. Jotun fangs and its heart. Those I’d gladly sell for a week’s rations. You think I need protecting?” Asgeir asked looking at Fenris. The woman’s lips curled into a grin, but her eyes still stuck to the remains.

“How… How did you kill that?”

“Wait. Don’t tell me this peddler coward fell a giant!” Geirolf shouted, and the words ran across the Nook like a warhorn. Every begging cripple, every malnourished child and wounded warrior sprung up and swarmed at them so tight even Fenris got agitated.

“Hey! Behave, you mongrels!” she cried, but it bothered no one. A grey warrior lumping around with a crutch tried to touch Asgeir’s spear, only deterred by another woman grasping his hand and pushing him back.

“Did you really? You killed a giant?” a juvenile boy asked. A slim, crooked man knelt down next to the fangs and slowly picked one up then dropped it immediately. A veteran-looking man shoved away another, shouting about something and not before long almost a hundred tired souls tussled around Asgeir and his spoils.

“Someone killed a giant. There’s still hope!” the grey man said shedding tears. “Odin might still be with us.”

“Enough!” Fenris cried out so ferociously the buzz died out in an instant. “Shut your claps before you get more hurt than you’re now. You…” she said tilting her head towards Asgeir. “Come with me. Without a word.”

Asgeir just sighed and packed up the giant remains, then walked after the celt followed by the renewed cacophony of eleven dozen people spinning the tale of a yet unkown giantslayer. He didn’t intend to put himself as a hero, nor did he want to show off, but he was left with little choice.

Fenris struck through the mass and lead him towards a hiding, half carved into the rockface that served as the backwall to the whole Nook, half built from stakes and split shields. It was surprisingly large considering how fast people had to build hovels for themselves, but it seemed Fenris didn’t cut corners. The inside was separated into two rooms with a board wall, one that was suppsodely where the woman slept, while the larger was packed with different hunting trophies and half-prepared meat.

“You’re a hunter?” Asgeir asked, but Fenris didn’t answer. Instead she lit a large way candle on a wall-mounted shelf and closed the door shut. She even covered the windows with some pelts, so the candle was the only source of light in the whole hovel.

“So, peddler,” she said sitting down by the rough table. “How did you come across those horrible trophies?”

“I told you.”

“No, you didn’t. You just htrew them on the ground and let those dumbasses believe you killed a fucking jotun.”

“Why do you think I didn’t?” Asgeir said, sitting down opposite Fenris. The celt just grunted and stood up again, making the whole scene a bit awkward.

“Because that’s impossible. You know, I’ve met one. Fought it, even, and by sheer luck I could escape with my hide,” she said while tampering among the junk piled on a counter until she found two drinking horns. “So don’t speak nonsense to me, boy.”

Asgeir tried not to remark, just shrugged. “If you say so. You can believe whatever you want.”

“I’m not much for believing, peddler,” Fenris said while sat down and threw a horn towards Asgeir. It was just water in it, but he would have been much more surprised if she’d waste ale on him—if she had any. Not many did. “I want to know things. At first I thought you just happened upon the most intact weapon on this side of the sea, but after that little stunt… Now I don’t wanna buy it. I want you to tell me about that giant.”

Asgeir took a big gulp from the horn to bide his time a little. There was no point keeping anything from her, since laying low was no longer a possibility. He’d suspected he couldn’t keep something this unearthly a secret, but a bit more peace would have been nice.

“If you insist,” he said eventually. “I was scavenging a day’s walk from here, around the Coal Woods.”

Fenris suspiciously narrowed her eyes. “That’s where the Serpent’s blood dripped onto the earth. Are you mad, boy?”

“Perhaps. But I found no curse, no poison, just a battlefield. It was so vast I could tread half a day and still walk inwards. I wandered around there for two days at least, until I was covered by a fog.”

Fenris looked lost in thought, at least the way she wiggled her drink said as much. “A giants’ spell. Something that even fooled Thor once. So you were ambushed.”

“You believe me now?” Asgeir said with a smirk. “But you’re right. A frost giant emerged from the fog and almost killed me if not for this spear,” he said glancing over his shoulder at the weapon’s cloth-covered tip.

“How could a spear stop a jotun? I saw even varg fail to penetrate their skin.” Fenris asked leaning back. This woman grew more interesting with every word, and somehow that reassured Asgeir. It was good to know he wasn’t the only one experiencing the impossible.

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “I wasn’t thinking much, I just grabbed something and held it towards the jotun as it tried to flatten me. But it didn’t, instead the spearhead cut its palm in half and tore the other arm off by its elbow.”

“What?” Fenris said even more confused. “Alright, you’ve stalled enough. Show me that spear.”

Asgeir was still reluctant to reveal anymore of something he himself couldn’t fully grasp, but for some reason he didn’t oblige. The runes carved into the tip were peaceful now, almost like they were sleeping inside the metal, but it still hummed with the strange, archaic power.

“I can’t let you take it, but you can observe as you like,” Asgeir said as he held the weapon towards the celt. Fenris tried the blade’s edge with her finger, then caressed every rune carefully until she stopped.

“Don’t… Don’t tell me… This can’t be—,” she muttered, almost grasping on the spearhead.

“What? You know this weapon?”

Fenris looked up in utter dismay. Her eyes stared forward with a sickly pale shimmer and she even flashed her teeth at Asgeir, while the woman’s hand twitched and her fingers curled.

“How can you not know? How can you not recognize the symbols?” she asked. Asgeir pulled the spear back and stood up, unsure if the woman would jump at her or collapse.

“Tell me. What is this?”

“That is Gungnir, boy,” she said in a deep growl. “You found the place where the gods fell.”