Work Text:
fate, gran thinks, is something made. it is a word for legendary tales and romance, made by skydwellers for their own enjoyment. that is alright, gran likes it that way, when it's not used to describe their battle against every premade path people try to force them onto. fate is a word for the ones telling stories, not for those writing them.
and still that word — fate, destiny, prophecies — is one they find themself wanting to use.
( the irony of it. )
"you're late", isn't it impressive? how they finally learned his prescence, years of meetings and now, finally, they could tell featherlight steps apart too. loki's reply is a short laugh and then he sits down with his back against gran's.
so it's one of those nights.
"i guess i am."
it's fine if it's quiet, even if gran's heart speeds up when loki leans his head back onto their shoulder. loki's looking at the stars and gran at the horizon, where the ocean meets the sky, and then loki speaks again.
"i told fenrir to stay with that ranger and the girl in blue and the red dragon."
"they have names you know."
"i thought they could talk about jade."
"walder brought her — the stone — here. said he wanted to show her the fireworks and festivities too."
loki nods, an odd action against gran's shoulder, and falls into thought. somehow, his fingers finds gran's, barely touching but enough for gran's ears to heat. far off in the distance the laugther from the festival fills the air, accompanied by the ocean's waves when the sound reaches the beach. gran doesn't mind being patient, not during the nights when loki is serious.
"i said i'd throw away the astral's way of living, and i have—"
"wait, what are you talking about?"
"on the edgelands, i told one of the astrals i've given up living like them. i don't need their rules and norms, or fate either, i want to do what i want to do. like you."
the unusual words makes gran move their head slightly towards loki. "like me?"
"yes. so i decided. i'm not going to live like them again. but you want to go to estalucia. so, i thought..." it's something new to hear loki trail off midsentence. loki wasn't one to explain everything in detail even when gran asked, but for him to lose the topic was rare.
but gran knew.
a wide smile and then they're on their feet, ignoring loki's surprise. they're moving towards the ocean, taking off shoes and socks and rolling up the end of their pants as far as they can.
"c'mon!" they exclaim and walk backwards for a few steps before facing the ocean again, entering the cold water but not stopping until it has reached their thighs (so much worth in the work they did to avoid their pants getting wet). "you're too slow! i thought you were here to spend time with me?" it's a bold sentence, but hardly an assumption. they both knew it.
fenrir wouldn't believe it, but it works, even if loki stops right before the water meets his feet.
that is, until gran splashes water on him.
"you are way too slow!"
and that does it.
it's dumb and childish, a two-man water fight that quickly turns uneven when loki decides all means are good means and uses his powers to settle the score. it doesn't matter if gran yells that it's unfair or uses magic on their own, because loki remains stronger.
especially when gran missteps and slips on a way too slippery stone, calling for a time-out.
gran's up and standing before loki can help them, and maybe that's for the better because their sudden serious aura and outstretched hand takes loki aback.
and the words even more.
"welcome onboard!"
loki's confusion is obvious.
"this was a test. i trust you, but i needed to know if i could trust you with my crew too, and turns out i can! it's what you wanted to ask, isn't it? to join me for estalucia."
loki still doesn't move.
"don't leave me hanging!" gran encourages and move their hand further towards loki.
this time loki takes it.
"but", the word lingers teasingly in their air, "you have to call me captain."
"yes. captain."
gran grins and let's go of loki's hand and they make their way back to the shore, gran already complaining about how cold it is as if the whole thing wasn't their fault to start with.
"gran."
"hm?"
"what was the test for?"
"to see you smile."