Chapter Text
Ever since the Chitauri attack the world has come to understand that aliens were, in fact, very real.
And Gods.
Or at least Norse Gods.
Which meant a lot of things had to be dealt with.
Like hoping for the Gods to not strike humanity down if disrespected.
A reason on the why a lot of people seemed to either avoid Thor or tried to act as polite as humanly possible, unless they were either children or teens.
Kids didn't give a single fuck about anything.
Anyways, that was another reason on the why, after a museum realized one of their artifacts held Asgardian runes, didn't hesitate a single second to send said artifact to the Avengers' tower in New York, accompanied by a note that gave a small explanation on the issue.
"It had come to our attention that one of our nordic artifacts seems to own Asgardian runes, therefore it's our will to return this to its rightful owners. So please give this back to Mr. Thor."
Tony couldn't help but snort as he read the dumb words, throwing the note over his shoulder in order to open the box under the disapproving gaze of one Steve Rogers, the soldier's crossed arms over his chest giving him the vibe of a disapproving mother as he stared at him from the kitchen's doorframe.
-I don't think that that was meant for you Tony.
-I'm sure Thor wouldn't mind.- The multimillionaire states as he opens the box, leaning forward in order to peek inside the box, expecting some kind of high tech thing or something.
Of all things, he didn't expect it to be a mask.
A dark green very hideous looking mask that looked made out of wood.
-A mask?- Steve can't help but wonder as Tony takes out the mask, leaning back against the couch with a crestfallen look.
-No, asgardian shit is never so simple.- Stark says more to himself than to the Captain, as Tony turned the thing he realized something was, indeed, written on the inside, and he may not know the language of the Gods but he was pretty sure this was a name.
A sudden green shimmer ran through the back of the mask, making Tony's hairs stand on end at the same time the elevator beeped.
Pepper, Wanda and Natasha stepped out.
-What did he do?- Pepper asks the second she sees Steve's "Disapproving mother" pose.
-He opened a package meant for Thor.- The blond man sighs, Pepper frowns, ready to scold her husband.
Wanda beats her to it.
-That's got magic in it.- Wanda warns, this magic... it felt odd...
It was overwhelmingly powerful.
Almost suffocating.
And so so chaotic.
But it wasn't evil.
If all, it felt almost mischievous.
As weird as it sounded.
-Is it dangerous?- Natasha asks, every single thing that concerned Asgard and magic at the same time was never a good thing, she had a bad feeling about this.
-No.
Tony poked at the mask when the green shimmer ran through it once again, nothing happened.
-I think it's time for you to put that back in the box.- Pepper says, she couldn't help but feel like that thing was by no means suppose to be just roaming around, there was something about it that just gave her the chills.
Tony, of course, as the big child he is just kept poking the mask.
And like anything that gets poked at for too long, it reacted.
After the sixth poke to be more precise.
A blinding light explode into the common room, but no pain came aside from the short blinded state everyone was left in for a moment.
-Stark.- Rogers' sudden tense voice kinda soothed Stark's incoming panic attack, no one was screaming in pain, no one was hurt, no one was dead, good.
That moment of peace was short lived the second his gaze fell on the unconcious body a few metres infront of him, a man clad in nothing but a pair of dark pants and a weirdly familiar design of boots.
But most importantly.
The person was blue.
Fucking blue!
With goddamn claws and holy Jesus were those horns?
-That's Loki.- Steve points out, still unable to come up with a reason on the why was Loki here, why were there no handcuffs on him, if all, aside from the weirdly pretty shade of blue and the strange sigils running all over his skin the guy looked way better than he had looked four years ago, and was...
Was that snow??
He wasn't seeing things right? There were snowflakes clinging to the man's no longer greasy hair and onto his pants, already melting away due the warm weather.
And those curly horns weren't a helmet, they were real, as in they were literally speaking sprouting from the top of his fucking head.
-Dude what the fuck?! Did you just brought the bastard back here?!- Clint Barton stormed out of the elevator, bow at hand, being followed by Bucky, an anxious looking Bruce and Pietro.
Vision appearing through the floor like the dramatic queen Tony knew he secretly was.
-How the fuck was I suppose to know this shit did that?!- The multimillionaire snapped feeling at the verge of a collapse. Vision caught sight of the mask Stark was holding.
-That's Loki's mask. Loki's ultimate act of mischief was The Mask, which he created and casted down on Earth thousands of years ago to wreck mayhem amongst the human world. According to legend, the wearer of the mask is able to wield the powers of Loki himself.
-Of fucking course he would make something so problematic.
-In retrospective that's what happens when you open other people's correspondence.- Pepper states not missing a beat as Natasha, the ever stealthy woman, approaches the still unconcious God.
Natasha can't help but wonder the why of his appearance, they knew Thor had said Loki was adopted but none of them ever stopped to wonder if it may be another race, not that that was important but still...
If the frost clinging to the floor was something to go for she could tell this was the reason why at the helicarrier there had been no signals at all from his body heat.
The second her knife touches his throat the second a striking set of bloodshot eyes snap open, a smirk breaking across his features almost immediately.
-A human, how lovely.
-Make any funny moves and you will become a dead man.- The woman threatens calmly, Loki glances down at the knife before raising an eyebrow, then he does the unthinkable, his whole arm shifts into a pale tone before grabbing her wrist and forcing the knife against his throat.
But there's no blood.
Just the sound of metal snapping and then the clinking of marble and metal meeting each other.
-You are gonna need more than that to kill me.- Loki finds amusement in the way Romanoff gets off him at the speed of light, definitely not having expected such a thing. His head was still buzzing from the rough yank of his own magic across the realms but he didn't find joy on laying around when the Avengers were near.
So he sat up, ignoring their warnings and noticing that there were a few new faces, he couldn't help but shudder at the sight of the mind stone on the sentient being's forehead, the woman standing near him.
A witch.
That was unexpected.
It had been ages since he last saw a human wielding magic within them.
And the person had been sort of burning.
-How come are you not in handcuffs?- The archer asks, arrow ready to be fired at any second. Loki frowned at that for a moment before sighing.
-If the brute didn't tell you I don't see why should I waste my time telling you.- He got up with the grace of a cat, the sound of a gunshot was heard and then soon after the sound of metal hitting marble, Loki looked down at the steaming spot on his abdomen before glancing up at Romanoff, frowning.- So rude.
Loki kinda wanted to teleport back home but his magic couldn't reach such distance and it would take him ages before he was able to find a path through the branches of Yggdrasil on Midgard, last time he was here he didn't even bother to search for a path, too focused on finding the goddamn...
His eyes fell on the mask the Iron Man was holding, with a flick of his wrist the item was recovered, he held it with something akind to annoyance.
-Hey!- Loki ignored the mortal's offended tone in order to turn the mask around, just to make sure it was his mask, this time his name was what met him rather than Pakistan.
He had thought Odin had stored this hellish thing away years ago.
-Why do you have this?- He demands, hoping, begging that that incident hadn't happened again, he didn't think he would be able to mentally survive if he was to find...
-Someone sent it over for Thor to take it back to Asgard.- Steve says cautiously, he didn't knew why but something about Loki's demeanor was off, even if his appearance was monstrous his gaze didn't held the glint of a madman like before.
-Who sent it over? You didn't wear it did you?
Loki knew, that it was stupid to not want a mortal to wear it, after all, he designed this mask as a divine prank to pull on the mortals specifically.
But ever since the Alvey incident....
Even seeing the mask made his stomach churn.
Made a knot swell at the back of his throat.
-No, why? Scared someone may steal your petty powers?- Clint mocks, Loki leveled him with a glare for a moment before pulling up a smirk, he couldn't let this affect him, he had to get out of here before either the mortals did something stupid or Jötunheim discovered his whereabouts.
And if Jötunheim discovered his whereabouts it would be just a matter of time before they found out.
Loki didn't fancy being the reason for the death to crawl out from the underworld.
As tempting as it sounded.
-I believe Thor isn't here right?- He asks innocently as he puts the mask into one of his pocket dimensions, away from human reach.
-That doesn't matter because your ass will be shoved into a cell until further notice.
Loki should have seen it coming.
Should have paid more attention.
But Midgard has gotten incredibly hot since his last visit, and apparently his Jotun form didn't appreciate it.
He felt someone behind him, his first instinct being panic because fuck if he harmed one of Thor's mortal friends he was so gonna get a rabid Æsir on his face.
-Don't touch me!
Too late, a set of hands grabbed his wrists, followed by a loud curse, a high pitched curse, he turned to find another new face, someone dressed in blue and red who was shaking his hands as if burned, the fabric of the suit having been that, burned, he could see the frostbite, it made his stomach twist.
A child, this was a child.
The knowledge that he hurt a child made him feel dizzy, or maybe the heat had to do with that?
-Holy fuck kid!- Stark's voice felt muffled, but all he could see was the frostbite on the kid's hands.
"I'm the monster who parents tell their children about at night!"
The world went black.
~
None of the Avengers was quite ready to hear the panicked voice of Loki before Peter touched him, and then the horror in his gaze when he saw the boy's hands, and then he had the nerve to faint.
At least his skin turned back to the pale tone from before, didn't look as sickly as before but they weren't about to worry about the bastard's skin color let alone health, but this was Thor's younger brother and he hadn't exactly come here by his own free will nor had attacked them.
So the least the Avengers could do was show some hospitality, because it wasn't like they could let him die, Thor would get a permanent kicked puppy look for the loss of his brother and Asgard would bite their asses down for letting one of their princes die.
-Go on Cap, pick the blue prince up.- Stark coaxes with a shit eating grin, Bruce had left already with Peter to dress his wounds.
Steve glared at him but did as he was told, the second he picked the trickster up he noticed three things.
His skin as pale as it was was unnervingly cold which kinda made Steve feel uncomfortable, he wasn't a fan of icy things.
Second of.
Christ was he heavy, how in the ever loving dynasty was someone this skinny so heavy?
And third but not least.
There were scars on his mouth, he wouldn't particularly care if it wasn't for that weird pattern they had, like....
His stomach churned as he remembered one of the books he had borrowed from Selvig, after Loki's attack most of the Avengers had kinda grown into reading Norse mythology stuff, Thor would never answer if they were true or not though.
-Feeling like kissing him now?- Rogers felt his ears grow hot as he realized he had been staring at the trickster's face more than necessary.
-Shut up Stark.
The multimillionaire had the nerve to laugh.
Steve got to the med bay without any incidents, set him on one of the beds, there wasn't much Bruce could do, because apparently, Loki wasn't Æsir like Thor, not that there was much they could do for Thor to begin with.
Plus Bruce's verdict had been dehydration due heat.
Huh.
That was new considering he was cold and the weather even though warm wasn't that hot.
-Should we call Fury?- Wanda wonders out loud, unlike the rest who was standing quite far away she was considerably closer to the unconcious God, curious, because Stephen Strange's magic wasn't even closer to compare to this one, his felt...
Dangerous.
Even his aura was dense.
She wondered how could no one else feel it.
-He didn't do anything.- Bucky frowns, he knew what the trickster had done, but he hadn't actively done anything now, maybe burn Peter but the man had tried to warn him beforehand.
-So you are just gonna sit by and wait for him to attack?- Clint asks briskly.
-He's right Legolas, he isn't even carrying any weapons with him.
-Not to contradict or anything Mr. Stark but I don't think he needs a weapon to cause harm.- Comes Peter's voice as he hovers over the bed, clinging to the ceiling and staring at the unconcious God, his healing had taken care of the frostbite by now, for the most part.
-Why are you still here?- Tony scowls, he didn't want the kid near Loki, who knows what the guy may do against a child.
-I wanted to make sure he was okay.- Peter confesses sheepishly, because come on! This was Loki! The Loki! He could do magic! Real magic! Like, yeah, Wanda could do magic and Dr. Strange but they were humans, Loki was a God, one who has been alive for hundreds of years!
How could no one see the excitement in that?
-Who the fuck cares if he is okay?- Clint snaps under his breath.
-We do if we want to keep our heads.- Natasha says matter of fact, she knew Clint of all people had all the right to feel mad towards the trickster but killing him (was that even possible?) wasn't exactly something they should do.
-He is handcuffed to the bed, we won't call Fury unless something bad happens, Thor said he would be here tomorrow morning right? Let him deal with it.- Steve states firmly.
-Fine.- Barton grunted before stalking out, the rest started filling out, Tony asking Friday to tell him if the trickster wakes up.
-Aren't you coming?- Pietro asks when he notices his sister stays by the God's side, Wanda blinks at her twin's voice, her train of thoughts coming to a halt, she looks up at him for a moment before nodding.
~
Loki was...
Not feeling good at all.
The heat around him felt like it was about to set ablaze his entire existence, the dust tickling his nose, the smell of blood too familiar to bother him anymore, the taste of copper in his mouth more soothing than alarming...
He found himself walking amongst the ruins of a neighborhood, rubber and destroyed cars all over the place, trees burning, blood seeping through the fabric of those poor souls scattered across the street, but he ignored it, ignored it all in order to get to the house he had come to care for, the only family that mattered to him.
The only thing in Midgard he had ever grown attached to.
As he got to the door his stomach dropped, he couldn't feel it.
The Mask's powers.
His presence.
He pushed the door open, the wood too abused by the fire to resist such action, he sucked in a sharp breath as the smoke hit him, he stepped in, shards of glass crushing under the weight of his boots, he coughed as he walked in, searching.
The whole place was a mess, claw marks all over the walls along with some holes made from apparent explosions, blood seeping through the fabric of the curtains, carpet and couch, little handprints and footprints of red all over the ceiling and walls, there were a few corpses dressed in golden armor on the living room.
It made his blood boil.
-Alvey? Tina? Tim?- He called out as he climbed up the stairs, voice thick, there was more chaos upstairs, it made his skin crawl.
Norns he shouldn't had left them.
He should had known that Odin wouldn't just ignore the fact that there was a human with a God's powers, with his powers.
He felt his blood run cold when his eyes fell on the brown and white menace.
Otis.
How funny, how a common dog could make his heart twist in such a way.
He walked past it, trying to ignore the lump in his throat as he pushed Alvey's bedroom's door open.
He didn't knew what he expected but the sight of blood.
Their blood.
It made his heart stop.
Knees giving in.
He felt cold.
So so cold.
And nauseous.
A cracked whisper made him look up, he felt numb as he stared at a set of dull blue eyes.
-This is your fault... - His heart gave an agonizing twist at that.- If... If you haven't made that mask we could had been a normal family... You killed everyone...
-You killed your children and now you killed ours... Cursing him wasn't enough.- Tina's usually kind eyes were dull but oh so full of hatred.
It stung.
It stung more than that snake's venom.
It stung more than hearing Odin say he was a failure.
But most of all.
It stung because he knew that was true.
-Lo- ki...- The juvenile voice of a child made him feel his eyes sting, once again.
Once again he had failed.
Failed to protect his child.
-Alvey, Alvey I'm sorry, I'm so sorry.- He tried to touch the small boy but his blue hands only made him scream in pain as the frostbite burnt his skin.
-Please don't hurt me anymore! Stop! Stop!- Norns the child's plea made him gasp in horror, he tried to release him but his hands wouldn't respond to him, making him grow frantic, and then he wasn't holding Alvey anymore but a black haired child.
And oh Norns the frostbite was crawling through the child's forearm, neck, his face! No! Nonononononono!!
~
Loki woke up with a startle, gasping for air and feeling terror itself swirling deep into his chest, it took him a moment to calm down and another one to realize it had been just a nightmare.
For the most part.
The smell of alcohol and disinfectant that assaulted him made him scrunch up his nose in distaste, he looked around for a moment, right... the Avengers' tower...
Midgard.
He hated Midgard.
Goddamn Stark had to go and mess with the cursed thing, on the bright side, he had it with him, Odin could go and fuck himself, Loki wasn't ever gonna lose sight of it again.
He wasn't gonna commit the same mistake twice.
He looked down at his hands, pale, so weird...
When was the last time he was in his Æsir form? Ever since he left to Jötunheim he hadn't bothered to hide himself, at first it felt wrong, weird, but he had gotten used to it.
It hadn't been easy to gain the Jötnar's trust but it came out easier than expected considering no one had exactly died for his scheme, maybe a few injuries but no deaths, and Laufey, the motherfucker had managed to escape on time, explained the lack of corpse to be honest.
Still, it sometimes weirded him out...
How nice Jötunheim was with him, no masks pulled over with fake respect, no insults behind his back, no mockery.
Laufey had turned out to be a better father than Odin could ever dream to be and Farbauti... she was nice, she was so much like Frigga, but she wouldn't ever replace her, he was kinda glad they got along so well.
The same couldn't be said for Odin and Laufey, not that he cared, Odin could be eaten by a Bilgesnape for all he cared, chewed until his last breath so he can suffer as much as he had ever made him suffer.
Thor on the other side... it was hilarious how the oaf fought with Helblindi and Býleistr over who was the older brother, no fights over him, no, the dumbasses fights were over who was older.
Talk about stupid.
He shuddered as he felt the presence of the mind stone, two floors below but still strong enough for him to notice its location, he wondered if the humans knew what they had in their hands...
Probably not.
He ripped off the IV, wincing at the sting, the wound was quick to close before it could begin to bleed.
He couldn't stay here.
He had to go before-
Too late.
He felt the atmosphere change, dropping a good set of degrees, making him curse under his breath.
~
The Avengers were at the living room, anxious, never forgetting who was just two floors above them, unconcious, had been for the past three hours, a few had begun to wonder if he was dead.
That until the atmosphere shifted, it was cold.
And then two blue bastards came through a portal, resembling Loki's prior appearance with just the small detail that these were over twenty fucking feets tall and looked pulled out of a nightmare with those ice spikes around their arms.
-How may we help you?- Steve asks quickly, hoping for there to not be a fight, the chilling air was making him shiver, he saw Tony silently calling his nanobots suit, Natasha's hand inching towards her gun.
-We believe you know the answer to that.- The most bulkier one states, his voice was deep, gruff, those bloodshot eyes, those fangs... it made Bruce inch forward, Hulk moving inside him, already expecting the fight.
-You have kidnapped our king.
-The what now? We know nothing of a king!
That didn't seem to be the right answer as the less bulkier giant sprint forward, swinging the ice blade towards the group that expecting the attack managed to jump back, yet before anyone could attack back Loki appeared.
Out of thin air and in time to prevent an ice blade from cutting through the floor.
-Cease!
Loki wasn't someone to raise his voice, much less in such a manner, but he wasn't about to allow an incident that could get Asgard to go against Jötunheim again happen.
The two giants almost immediately stopped any attacks, standing straight and heads bowed.
-Why... in the name of Yggdrasil would you attack them? Do you have a death wish or something?! If you touch them Asgard will have our asses before you can even blink!- Loki wants to laugh, he really does, the incredulity of the situation is amazing.
-Ingvarr said that you got kidnapped.- Slayhest defends, Loki sighs, he knew he could say the truth, that he should say the truth but...
He didn't want to give Jötunheim a reason to look down on him, he didn't want his... happy place to turn to dust, so, a smooth lie crawled out of him.
-A human? Kidnapping a God? Of course not. Don't be ridiculous, I came here on my own free will, I had things to do, to see.- Now that he said that a skin crawling wish took hold of his chest.
Dammit.
-But you said you hate Midgard and if so, why just leave without warning?
-He was excited to come here!- Peter blurted out, making all eyes fall on him, he almost wished he had kept his mouth shut.
-Exactly....- Loki coughed awkwardly before growing serious again.- And I do dislike Midgard, but these are Thor's friends and I thought I could pay a visit to them, I mean, humans don't even last that long, I was wondering what's so amazing about them, plus, I kinda grew bored, so, why don't you go back and make sure no one loses their head. Yes?- Norns he wanted to leave so bad but if he left now Slayhest and Jorgen would only grow suspicious.
Both Jotuns stared down at him, Loki would never get used to the difference in height, his only comfort being the fact that he wasn't one of a kind.
-As you wish sir.- The giants bowed at him respectfully before disappearing back through the portal, it took all Loki's will to not jump through it as this one closed, he let out a breath he didn't knew he was holding.
Nothing happened.
No one was hurt.
Jötunheim was safe.
But not Loki.
-King?
Stark's voice made him turn briskly, chin held high.
-Oh why? Do you regret stopping me from ruling this petty ball of dirt?- He knew it was dangerous to play with those words, but he didn't care.
-Hah! In your dreams! I bet those things are planning your murder already.- Stark sneers, Loki scowls at that.
-First of, those things have a name, Jötun, Jötnar in plurar and/or frost giants, you chose, and second of, may I inform you you brute that I got that throne fair and square, after all, I am a Frost Giant and I am the first in line for it, I didn't kill anyone for it.- The trickster snaps harshly.
One thing he had learnt these past years was that frost giants were not the beasts Asgard had made them to be, and he was not gonna tolerate someone calling his people things.
Much less to insinuate he usurped the throne.
If all, he had tried to give it to Býleistr.
So much for a good brother, bastard refused it and so did Helblindi.
-Your eyes.- The archer's voice caught his attention, the man looked... strangely pale...
-Come again?
-Why did you change their color?
-What? Are you dumb? Magic doesn't work like that, I can't just change the-- Loki cut himself off too late.
Fucking hell this is why Thor should had been the one to say it.
He had heard before that his eyes had been, apparently, blue of all things.
But Loki's eyes weren't blue.
They held the most crystallized and bright shade of emerald the world could ever dream of, a deep shade of green that seemed to challenge even the healthiest of forests.
Not blue.
Never the icy unnerving blue Thor had said he had.
Fuck.
Clint for his side wasn't particularly sure what to do with himself, the bastard, the bastard he had dreamt of killing all these years... those eyes only made those memories he had tried to ignore resurface.
Having to stop the trickster from falling.
Hearing his screams.
Seeing him freak the fuck out when someone touched him.
Ordering Clint to give Selvig a piece of paper that later resulted in the man making the machine in a way that it could get stopped.
The whispers that made Barton forget about the faces of his family, preventing that blue light from corrupting those memories.
It made him feel nauseous.
Even more so when the bastard had the nerve to look uncomfortable.
-Look, I swear that I won't cause any harm, you can track me down, spy on me I don't care, but I really have places to be.
With that Loki was gone.
~
When Thor came back he hadn't expected to get a face full of angry humans first thing landing.
All of them demanding the same thing.
To know why he didn't told them that Loki was mind controlled and currently free.
-I didn't say anything because you wouldn't had believed me!- He explode after the fifth accusation, that shut them up.- You hate him for what he did, I knew that me telling you about his innocence would had been seen as just me trying to speak on his behalf again, that just because he is my brother I'm unable to see and accept it when he does something bad.
Their faces told him he was right.
Yet...
There was something bothering him.
-How did you find out about that?
-Uhm... I may or may had not opened another package for you, uh, it had a weird mask and it was glowing so I kinda poked it... and he appeared...
-You brought him here?! And with that thing?!- Thunder seemed to roar in the sky, why was he so angry? Shouldn't he be the happiest of them all?
-Dude it was an accident there's no need to freak out, he hadn't killed anyone yet.
-I know he hasn't killed anyone!- The thunderer snaps, Norns this was bad, this was really bad, Loki shouldn't be in Midgard! Much less with that cursed thing!- Stark! Find him and tell me where he is, you can read his magic can't you?
-Fine?
-Thor is there something wrong? What does the mask has to do with anything?
Thor didn't answer, all he did was stalk inside. The group of mortals and one AI followed.
-The mask isn't the problem he is, he made it to prank mortals, but years ago someone made a baby while wearing the mask.
Thor ignored Stark's whistle at that.
-The child was born with strange powers, not human not a God, Loki got the mask back, eventually, but he kept coming back to Midgard due growing attached to the baby, Odin wasn't happy that a human had such power, much less to have Loki on Midgard where his presence could wake him up. So he killed the baby.
-He killed the baby?- Steve almost choked with his words.
-Yes, the whole place got destroyed.
-You said his presence could wake him, who is he?- Bruce asks quite confused.
-Jörmungandr, Loki's third son, the great serpent. If he wakes up Midgard will be as good as dead. But as long as Loki doesn't come in contact with the sea we still will have time to prevent it.- Thor states matter of fact, tone serious.
-He has a kid?!- Stark's screech goes ignored.
-A third kid?- Steve whispers wide eyed.
-I told you we should had called Fury.- Clint scowled, because fantastic, mind controlled his ass, that bastard was just a fucking chaos bringer.
-Thor, why is there a child from Loki on Earth?- Natasha asks narrowing her eyes at the thunderer who grows visibly uncomfortable and looks away.
-He's not a child... that thing is a monster who had to be get rid of, Midgard's seas were the biggest so Jörmungandr was sent here...
-So you basically threw one of his kids into the sea to die.- Bruce states, his tone giving away just how mortified he felt right now.
-He's not dead, he was put to sleep with a spell, a spell that will only break if Loki touches Midgard's oceans, he's too big, if he wakes up his very movements could tear Midgard apart.
-What is it with you people? Is Earth some kind of God personal disposal shit?- The archer snaps briskly, first Mjolmir, then Thor, then the destroyer, then Loki and now the fucking serpent? What the fuck did Asgard had against Earth?
-No! We just-
-Found him, he's on... he's in New York actually.- Stark frowns definitely not expecting that.- On that creepy abandoned neighborhood to be more precise.
Thor tilted his head to the side in confusion.
-Take me there.
~
Loki hadn't had a great night, nor morning, nor week, nor life at all.
He lost so much.
It had surprised him to find this place in the same condition than last time, no one tried to build new stuff, no one tried to destroy it.
It was still here.
Old.
So old.
But even then he could still smell it, the burnt wood, the charred bodies, taste the dust in the air, see what had become of what once was such a colorful place.
This place that once held the most important mortals in his life.
A reason why he had always avoided Midgard.
But Stark had to go and bring him here.
Remind him of what he did.
Of what he didn't do.
It hurt, it stung, it felt like he was drowning, suffocating.
"Loki is here!"
"Do you think that if I use the mask would it have an effect on me?"
"Don't go, Otis said that he wants you to stay too, right Otis?"
Such a bright child...
Gone.
All because of him.
If the curse of the mask hadn't befallen him, if it hadn't been his magic...
Would Odin had let him live?
Most likely.
He had heard of Asgardians having children with humans.
But apparently a child from Loki was a curse.
A curse of Ragnarok.
"Those who share ties with the God Of Chaos are meant for chaos and death."
That's what that woman had said right?
Her words had taken his children away.
Slaughtered, chained, enslaved like nothing but beasts.
He felt his chest twist almost agonizingly, a knot was burning at the back of his throat, making his lips tremble, the cold breeze that sneaked through the broken windows felt hot, the silk beneath his skin felt old, dust and shards of glass poking his back uncomfortably, how must it look like...
The Jotun king, the monster who's presence caused this destruction resting on an old bean bag amongst the chaos in what once had been a child's room.
He knew he shouldn't have trusted Odin, even if Tim may had not noticed, his words against the AllFather had enraged him, a puny human talking like that to a God, he knew Odin would have seeked revenge, knew to not leave the family alone.
But Baldr had to come and tell him about some stupid thing Thor had gotten himself into.
He should have known Baldr was lying.
Baldr who did nothing but kiss the ground Odin walked through.
That's why he killed him.
He killed him and made sure that that bastard couldn't leave Helheim, he didn't care about the punishment that that brought him. Didn't care about the pain.
After all...
What more could he lose?
All he ever loved and cared for was dead.
Because of him.
The God Of Chaos that only brought death with him.
Not for the first time the thought of leaving Jötunheim before it was too late crossed his mind.
They didn't deserve to suffer because of him, no more.
Sometimes he wished Thanos would have just killed him.
At least his spirit was more dead than it could.
His mind was broken.
His heart was still beating but that just because it was its purpose.
He felt....
Empty.
Life was no longer worth living.
He had a family he couldn't still accept quite yet, for him they were strangers, nice strangers but strangers.
Thor was an oaf who understood nothing.
He was forced to be the king of a realm that despite all still caused him anxiety.
He had everything but nothing at the same time.
Why...
Why, if he had so many people around him, if he had a family who accepted him, a kingdom who loved him.
Why did he still felt so alone?
His wives were gone, his children were gone, had no friends in his life.
What was the purpose of his life?
Asgard didn't need him, never did.
Jötunheim would be better off without him.
Alfheim hurt the same as Midgard, it was a realm that suffocated him with guilt, with pain.
It hurt.
Being alive without them hurt.
The God Of Chaos' curse was to live in pain until Ragnarok.
The God who brings the end of times shall be cursed.
But it isn't because he is cursed that he will bring the end of times?
But only the end of times will allow him to see his children one last time.
~
-I didn't knew New York had such an... interesting place....- Steve said a bit doubtful, this neighborhood was destroyed, burnt, cars looked like some kind of explosives were thrown at them, there were signs and barricades to keep people away he noticed, vegetation had taken over most things.
-Dude this place got fucked up once and no one ever found out how or why, the public got told it was a terrorist attack but for what I saw around SHIELD's data there were non-human bodies found amongst those who lived here.- Tony said.
-It was here.- Natasha's voice is devoid of emotion, her words aren't meant as a question but a statement of fact, Thor just nodded.
Wanda could feel it, there were bits of old magic lingering around, could feel the trickster's magic, a turmoil that concentrated itself inside a particular house, the most abused looking one.
-I think you should stay here, my brother may not find it of his liking to have this house's state deteriorate further due external causes.- Thor doesn't wait for an answer as he walks through the doorframe, for once mindful of his steps, he finds Loki in the most expected place.
-Came here to see what your beloved father has done with a reason?- The trickster spits with venom.
-Brother, we both know why am I here, you cannot stay, much less with that thing in your possession.- Thor tells like he is speaking to a child.
-Why? Fear I may end up destroying your precious Midgard with my sole presence?
Yes.
-No, that's not it, Midgard has no good memories of you, if they see you-
-Chaos will break loose?
-Yes- No! Jötunheim can't have its king wandering around!
-Laufey is there, I'm sure they will be just fine.
-But that's not it! You are their king for a reason, you cannot stay here! It's too dangerous!
Thor's words make Loki narrow his eyes.
-What is this sudden care about Jötunheim? No, that's not it. You want me off this planet, it's not because of the public. You are hiding something.
Thor should have known that his brother would find him out, still, he couldn't let him know, if Loki was to know one of those beasts was still alive, on Midgard, he would definitely want it back, and that snake was too big to not destroy Midgard in its wake, a single movement could bring this realm to its demise.
-What are you speaking of? Come on, we should-
-What are you hiding Thor?- Loki cuts off as he stands up, voice sharp as steel, Thor knew that stance, he knew that if he was to let Loki get near he would see it.
See what Thor was hiding from him.
What Odin had entrusted him with.
He couldn't let that happen.
If Jörmungandr was to wake up Midgard wouldn't be the only realm affected, that monster couldn't wake up.
-Nothing, but isn't being here painful for you? I don't... I don't want you to try to hurt yourself again over something like this.- Thor wasn't brother of the master of manipulation for nothing.
But he wasn't smart.
Unlike Loki, his manipulative method could do more harm than good.
-Something like this?- Loki's hiss and sudden enraged expression told Thor he had bitten more than he could chew.
-I didn't mean it like that, but we both know you tend to get sensitive with-
Thor hadn't particularly tasted what a punch from his brother felt like, much less with Jotun skin, but he never expected it to hurt as much as it did nor for it to send him flying straight out of the room and therefore out of the house, he mildly noticed that Loki had made it so he would kind of go through the stuff rather than destroy it in his wake.
~
The Avengers had been just standing there, looking around, not being able to stomach the fact that Asgard was the one to do this over one single child.
A child that got killed.
A child.
And Thor had said that so casually, brushing it off as if that was normal for him.
And the fact that there was a big ass serpent on the ocean, just chilling, somewhere, Loki's kid.
And Thor once again had looked like that wasn't an issue.
Like throwing someone's kid into the ocean was the most common thing in the world.
How could he be such an hypocrite to be part of something so cruel against his own brother and then go around lashing out when people spoke bad of him?
Suddenly, said God Of Thunder came out flying out of the house, crashing on a tree, cheek sporting frostbite.
All eyes went to the house from where the trickster emerged looking like he may skin someone alive, that someone being Thor.
-Loki-
-I am sensitive Thor? I'm not the one who started a war over a stupid insult. Stop looking down on this place, have you seen it? Have you actually seen what your beloved father did? Oh dear Odin AllFather that is nothing but kind and fair with all living beings.- He spat those words with such amount of venom.
It made Thor's blood boil.
-You are just like Baldur, licking Odin's boots and kissing the ground he walks on, too blind and stupid to see the truth.
-Don't speak of things you know nothing of! Our father had his reasons to do what he did! I do know that what he did here was a bit overboard but it was to ensure no missing ties were left! He never does anything without a purpose!
Loki had to bit his tongue in order to keep his emotions at bay, fists tightening at his side, he could feel the frost building beneath his feet, his Seidr dancing angrily inside him.
He couldn't let himself get carried away, this place didn't need more damage, it was amazing how Midgard hadn't even tried to rebuild things around here.
Thor was an idiot.
He shouldn't get mad at an idiot whose brain is too small to comprehend how wrong things are.
He took a deep breath, sometimes, he wondered why was he even on Thor's side, why did he still care about the oaf when he gave two fucks about what Odin did to him.
Thor was an hypocrite who got all carried away when people spoke bad of him but that was only if he felt like they were lesser than him.
He didn't actually care.
The golden boy was too naive to see what was wrong.
-You know what? Think whatever you want I don't care.
-You can't stay here!- Thor called out, Loki ignored him, walking past the group of humans, hairs standing on end when he walked past the witch.
Her magic felt odd.
Overwhelming.
Suffocating.
A red energy full of chaos and destruction.
If given the chance this common human could become the greatest threat amongst the realms.
Funny.
She could be the only person in this universe able to take a fight full on against him and not die.
He liked her.
Humans were evolving to make themselves worth of the other realms' attention.
When the time comes, she may be the only one able to take the mad titan.
He was about to teleport when he felt it.
The whispers of raw Seidr.
The smell of salted water.
This presence...
It made his chest grow tight, so tight it hurt.
It reminded him of the clinking of chains.
Of the taste of copper.
He had felt the same thing when he went to take a sunbath at the beach when he first came looking for the mask.
Familiar.
Big.
Broken.
Cold.
Alone.
His eyes grew wide at the same time he felt a hand on his shoulder, something clicked in him, old memories that made him turn around and close his hand around Thor's throat, elevating an invisible shield around them to prevent the humans from sticking their noses into this.
-Thor Odinson, I'm gonna ask you this once, and if you choose to lie, this time, I will show you what it means to get me on your bad side. Jörmungandr. Was he sent to Midgard?- His voice comes out sharp as a knife, cold, those bloodshot eyes doing nothing for Thor to hold his tongue back.
Loki would have to do more than that to get him to talk.
Over his dead body would he allow a monster to wake up.
To destroy Midgard.
-No.
Loki felt his blood boil at that, feeling the lie in the air, he stared deep into those blue eyes.
He knew Thor more than the oaf knew himself.
And he knew him to be a stubborn idiot.
Therefore he also knew he wouldn't be able to manipulate him unless...
-Fine then... - He released the thunderer, a part of him felt bad as this one started coughing, to see the frostbite around his throat, but the red anger didn't allow it to last as he raised his hand towards the humans.- I guess I can after all show these pest how it feels like to fight against a God for real. You seem to favor the brat a lot don't you?
-Peter!