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Chapter Text

The day the prince was born started like any other day in the palace. Laufey got up late. It was a morning with nothing planned, and the delegation from Muspelheim left yesterday, a whole week before they planned because they found the realm too cold. Laufey told them they should negotiate the trade agreement on Vanaheim, but their aristocrats didn’t want to hear it. In the end, it resulted in better contract conditions for Jotunheim, so no one really minded.

So that morning, Laufey got to sleep in. Farbauti was already up, which was no unusual - Laufey often laughed that his spouse was a creature of early mornings. After finding her in the garden, tending to the delicate new crops they were testing, they had frozen honey and forest fruit for breakfast, rare treats that were imported from Alfheim and only available a few weeks a year.

And that’s when the entire future of Jotunheim changed.

During breakfast, the King began to feel ill.

It took about thirty seconds since the royal medics arrived to see what’s going on to determine he was giving birth. The only problem was that Laufey wasn’t pregnant. Farbauti took it surprisingly in stride, holding his hand all through the process of Laufey panicking that he wasn’t aware he was with child. Heralds were sent all through the kingdom to announce the happy news.

Helbindi and Byleistr were respectively extremely confused - because Helbindi was old enough to know how babies happen - and extremely excited - because Byleistr wasn’t, and assumed them appearing out of nowhere was perfectly normal.

That night, Jotunheim welcomed prince Loki to the world.

Everyone prayed thanks for his safe birth, for all that his arrival was sudden, he was, surprisingly, perfectly healthy and well-proportioned child.

Why surprisingly?
Well, you see, Loki became the little prince because he was little - quite literally, not just the youngest child, but a runt, a tiny little thing, small enough to fit whole in Laufey’s hand. When the king saw him, he cried, wept tears for a child he was afraid would be sickly and wouldn’t survive the night.

But the doctors declared that he was fine and the first few days quickly proved them right.

Loki was a true miracle, and his people recognized it.

He was the realm’s little prince - a treasure sent to them from Ymir, a miracle out of nowhere. He became the biggest sensation overnight and Jotunheim’s beloved magical child.

No one expected a new royal baby after all - that was a big enough event to celebrate, but a pocket-sized one? He was just too cute! If there was anything universal among the inhabitants of the Nine Realms, as different as they all were from each other, it was that they all loved tiny things.

The Little Prince came to life in a loving family of five, but he would as he grew up soon learn that with his size and station, he was to become the apple of everyone’s eye, the most cherished person in the realm, with thousands’ of very protective subjects, who saw him as just much their family as their king’s.

They would care for him, dote on him, laugh with him and tear their hair out because of him.

And those are his adventures.

Chapter Text

All things considered, despite his size, Loki was a perfectly healthy baby. This did not mean that there were no problems that came along with it, however. Yes, cleaning him up was difficult and required careful handling. Farbauti was surprisingly much better at it than Laufey was, despite it being opposite with both their first children. Helbindi was also happy to help and eager to hold the baby, much like he was with Byleistr, but just as terrified of hurting Loki because he was very tiny and very fragile.

And Loki was constantly cold.

As a smaller baby, he simply did not have the mass to produce enough heat for himself. He constantly needed to eat a lot, and when he slept, someone watched over him like a hawk, terrified of him turning purple and still overnight.

Laufey was grateful that he remembered that the Muspel delegation left right before Loki’s birth because they have left some of their furs and quilts behind, having them commissioned specifically for their inability to stand the cold climate and having no need for them in their own realm.

Should they ever come back and ask what happened to them, Laufey would happily explain. But as it was, he just took the chance and had the best tailors and seamsters use the magical fabrics and fashion clothes and night sheets for the little prince.

To help warm him up, the entire family would basically not let little Loki be alone too long though. The best way to keep the prince from getting cold, after all?

Sharing body heat.

Laufey smiled as he woke up, still exhausted the way only new parents were (especially when they did not prepare for the baby), to find Byleistr next to him, Loki sleeping on his brother’s chest, Farbauti wrapped around them both. Helbindi was clearly off outside already, the door to his chambers open and the mess on the floor easily visible.

Laufey yawned, and smiled, and moved closer, putting his hand over his youngest, the hand almost as big as the prince, and gently ruffled the little black curls with a finger.

Truly, Ymir smiled on them.

Chapter Text

The royal baby’s first stroll outside was a momentous occasion. It always was, but probably even more so with prince Loki, not just because every single Jotnar awaited everything about prince Loki with bated breath, but also because it happened much later than it normally would due to the tiny prince’s low tolerance of freezing climate. But eventually, even on Jotunheim, spring comes, and the temperatures rise to single digits subzero, and on warm days, when the sun is high and the air is crisp, it’s safe even for the little ones.

Normally, the next child would get a stroller passed on from the older ones. Byleistr had the same stroller and cradle and many other items passed on from Helbindi. There was no shame in it - it was economically sound and there was a beautiful element of sentiment and tradition passed along with the items.

And it was utterly useless because for Loki, everything his siblings used was just way too big.

Which was fine with Laufey, honestly. Farbauti laughed at him but he took a lot of joy in commissioning new items, a cradle with scenes from fairytales carves into it, a stroller with beautiful ice engravings and smooth skids and a clever adjustment system to fit the little prince and be comfortable to lead for a much bigger parent and the perfect height to allow clever onlookers to watch and play with the occupant.

The royal baby’s first stroll outside was a momentous occasion, after all - for it was basically the new prince’s first introduction to their people. While there was an official ceremony presenting the baby early on, it was just a peek at the prince from afar for those who managed to fit into the throne room, and it was over fast. The First Stroll was a much less formal occasion and a chance for the royalty and the subjects to blend. Laufey was not a king and Farbauti was not a queen for a few hours - they were just parents walking around with a new addition to their family, and people would walk up, ask for a name, health, make funny faces at Loki or caress his little head as he slept.

And later, once the prince was tied out by meeting all the new people and the whole family was coming back to the palace... well, almost whole, minus Bindi, who saw a friend and has disappeared with her, and it was quiet and peaceful, and finally calm. And as little Loki babbled pointlessly about nothing and tiredly waved his little hands around, the first snow fell down, adorning his nose, making those baby eyes adorably cross-eyed as he laughed, joyous and full and had the best time trying to catch the little flakes.

And as always, when little Loki’s face lit up, so did everyone else.

Chapter Text

If Laufey thought a tiny baby was a lot of work, a tiny baby who learned to crawl all on his own was much worse. As long as he stayed put where you laid him, Loki was relatively unproblematic and much like any other child his age. Feed him, clothe him, change his diapers.

But a Loki who learned to crawl? He was like a rodent. A little ball of energy who would disappear the second you turned away. And the problem with Loki, in particular, was that as small as he was, it was just much, much harder to find him.

So the moment he heard Byleistr shouting about playing hide and seek, Laufey’s heart stopped. He heard a crash from somewhere behind him, presumably, Farbauti having heard the same thing, but by the time the two of them entered the room, it was too late. Byleistr was happily counting, hands over his eyes, and Loki was nowhere to be found.

Byli, naturally, insisted it was fine. With much convincing from Farabauti, Laufey allowed him to look for his brother on his own for a while, until it became painfully clear that they would not find Loki. Immediately, all the guards were notified to close all entrances to the castle, so at least once fifteen minutes passed and Byleistr was in Laufey’s arms and on the verge of tears, everyone was on the mission to locate the baby.

How does a whole human just disappear?

„What if his magic manifested? What if he’s not... here anymore.”

Laufey shot Farbauti a look that was pure fear mixed in with disbelief.

„Don’t say that. I am not ready for it. I don’t want him to have magic at all. He’s a handful even without it.”

Farbauti wisely didn’t bring it up again. They both knew Loki most likely had potential. More powerful sorcerers tended to be small in stature. Neither wanted to consider the implications of this and Loki’s miniature size.

Calling out to the prince in hopes he’d answer didn’t help either. Everyone was dying with worry.

„He has to be somewhere. Under the bed, in the cupboard, under the couch, somewhere, goddamit, he’s not that small!” Farbauti deflated, sitting down on the armchair and putting her face in her hands.

„We checked all of that. Well, except under the couch, but a baby would fit under--”

The look she gave him would freeze anyone who wasn’t Jotnar.

„Yes, a normal baby! Loki would definitely fit under the couch!”

And soon, down on their knees, lifting the furs covering it, Laufey and Farbauti breathe a sigh of relief.

There Loki was, curled down in the back, on the floor, under the couch.

And he was sound asleep.

If Laufey thought a tiny baby was a lot of work, a tiny baby who learned to crawl all on his own was definitely much worse. And he couldn’t wait when he would learn to walk and manifest magic.

Chapter Text

Magic was awesome.

Mama and papa did not think the same, constantly reminding Loki to listen to his tutors and not teleport away alone, and be careful, and wear his grounding bracelets... but really, mama and papa just liked to fret. Loki knew it was because he was small. But it’s not like he didn’t know how to climb and get places despite it.

So Loki may have been a small boy still but he was big enough to understand some basic truths already.

Byli and Bindi taught him that. Mama and papa did not need to know everything. Especially mama. He had enough on his head as a king and he would probably lock Loki in an ice ball like a rodent if he knew that Loki could teleport to other places.

Teleporting, of course, always led to other places.

But Loki knew how to teleport normally and the other teleporting. Bindi was good at magic too and he did not understand when Loki tried to tell him. Loki didn’t know if Bindi just thought he was too little to understand or if he couldn’t teleport the other way.

Normal teleporting was quick. Loki would just appear in other place. But the other teleporting was slower, and more like walking, except Loki would be walking through colourful and empty spaces and he could get to other places. Not just the palace and the snowy hills and the town but truly, fully other places, warm places.

Loki liked the cold. Cold was home. But warm was nice and there was no warm at home and no one else liked warm, so sometimes Loki would walk-teleport to the other warm places. He found a few of them, but his favourite was the golden one. All the others were either just as cold as home, or too warm, and hurting Loki’s skin, or still cold but also boring and empty.

The golden place had a palace too. It was a bit like Loki’s home, obviously had a King and Queen living in it, even if Loki never met them. He would hide when he saw people coming, even if it was harder than at home. This palace was much smaller, and the people were smaller too, and they were pink instead of blue.

This place was Loki’s secret, and he liked spending time here, and he didn’t want mama to find out and stop him.

This morning mama left for a diplomatic visit, whatever that was, and papa was busy ruling the kingdom when mama was gone, and Byli and Bindi didn’t want to play with him, so Loki came to the golden place to find something to do. The golden place seemed also unusually calm and empty, and Loki was afraid he would be just as bored so he may as well come back home when he heard voices at the end of a hallway he never went into before. When Loki walked in, he felt even warmer, and found that the hallway led outside.

The outside was different than home though. The sun was much brighter and he had to put his hand over his eyes to not get blinded, and there was no white or snow or ice buildings. There was a lot of trees but they were all green, and the ground was covered in more green and it felt soft and funny and nice under Loki’s bare feet.

And it was really nice and warm. Too warm. Loki shivered a bit and let his magic make him feel better. When he looked down at his hands they were pink like the other people he saw around but he no longer felt hot. He saw two little figures down the hill, so he carefully walked towards them.

„We need another person, Sif! If I’m the captain and you’re my first mate, we have no enemy to defeat! What kind of fearsome pirates have no enemy?”

Loki stood behind a tree, peeking at the children playing in front of him. They were bigger than him but not much. Definitely smaller than Byli.

„Hello!”

The boy noticed him, and shouted, very loudly, but didn’t seem angry. Loki left his hiding place behind a tree and approach them. The girl eyed him curiously.

„Hi! I’m Loki!”

The other children introduced themselves too. The boy was named Thor and the girl was Sif. Their clothes were much different than Loki ever saw at home, although Loki himself always wore different things than everyone at home, and they both carried wooden swords.

„We’re playing pirates! Do you want to play with us?”

„Yeah!” He magicked his own wooden sword and watched impressed gasps from the other children. See, mama and papa? Magic was totally awesome.

„We need an enemy, so you can be the enemy for us to defeat! You can be a frost giant!”

„Frost giant is a bad word!” Loki huffed, offended. „It’s called Jotnar! And I am already Jotnar. I can be a dragon instead!”

Thor looked at him weirdly and Loki realized he wasn’t blue anymore, so it wasn’t obvious, but he was too busy turning into a dragon to care.

Unfortunately, while Loki was very good at magic for someone so small, he was still rather small, and couldn’t do everything. He tried to turn into a dragon, but only managed to sprout green wings from his back, and not ones very good at flying either. He couldn’t breathe fire either, but he could breathe ice, so they spent the afternoon chasing each other around and laughing together until Sif had to go home. Loki magicked his wings away and he and Thor sat on the grass (that’s what Thor called the ground. Loki liked it.) and talked and Loki showed Thor more magic, and when the sun starting to go away and it got colder, he turned blue again and then Thor asked more about frost giants and Loki scolded him to not say that again. And he told Thor about Jotunheim, and asked if they had snow, and learned that the Golden Place was called Asgard and Thor was also a prince.

Then a voice started calling for Thor and Loki had to hide again, but the boys hugged each other goodbye and promised to meet again. Maybe Loki could even take Thor to his home.

It would be their secret.

Chapter Text

„Papa... Are there other worlds?”

Farbauti frowned at the seemingly innocent question. She was bathing him, the bowl they ended up using as a tub on her knees, the boy splashing in the bubbles. It was not an unusual thing for a child Loki’s age to ask, but when your child was a tiny, magical mischief maker, you learned to be cautious.

„Well, of course there are. Why do you ask?”

„I’ve been to another world.”

Farbuti felt her heart stop. The day Loki learned to teleport was a day she and Laufey would never forget. She did not need him to be able to teleport off planet just yet.

„Oh really... What kind of a world was it?”

„Well, I was a pirate there. And I wasn’t blue and there was another prince and we fought but then we became friends and we had adventures.”

Farbauti sighed in relief. So this world was entirely imaginary.

„Well, I haven’t heard of a pirate world, but I can tell you about other ones if you want.”

„Yes, papa! Tell me!”

She laughed as he splashed some of the pink bubbles onto her chest and launched into a story. She had no doubt one day, he would really visit other realms and have adventures of his own. Hopefully not just yet.

Chapter Text

Sometimes during tearing his hair out trying to keep Loki from doing something dangerous to himself or others, Laufey forgot a very important thing. Namely, that he already had two older sons who were just as mischievous as their younger brother.

„Come on! I’m light as feather! Throw me!”

Bindi wanted to be responsible. He really did. He was the oldest in their family, likely to become the future king of Jotunheim, and that meant he was more mature than Byli and Loki. But... he was still a child. And Loki was right.

There was fresh snow on the ground, so even if Loki fell, he would have a soft landing. And it was just like playing ball - they were good at catching. And he remembered how much fun it was to fly on papa’s extended legs, pretending he is a bird up in the sky.

So yeah. It was perfectly safe.

Just like playing ball, but the ball was Loki.

„I can fly!!!! Mama, I can fly!!!”

Laufey was ready to faint. Oh, Ymir. He was going to murder them. All three of them. Byli noticed him and almost dropped his brother. Laufey felt his heart stop. Thankfully, he did manage to catch him in the end.

„Byli? Byli, why won’t you throw me?”

Unlike his brothers, Loki seemed to not realize he was in trouble.

Oh God, no, Laufey was not ready to deal with this today.

„Farbauti!!!”

His consort appeared within seconds, alerted the tone both of them recognized well at this point, having parented three boys.

„When they’re pretending Loki is a ball and throwing him around, they’re your children.”

And with that, he walked out.

Chapter Text

„Do you wanna play pirates?”

„We played pirates yesterday. We should do something else. We should go on a quest!”

Loki frowned, waving his little feet where he was sitting on a fallen tree trunk with Thor. Byli and Bindi had no time to play with him today so he sneaked away from the nanny and went to visit Thor. He left an illusion in his bed to test the new spell and try and make nanny not tell papa immediately.

„What’s a quest?”

„It’s when you go to a faraway land and do cool things. Except we can’t actually go to a faraway land, but we can go to the forest?”

„Why?”

Thor looked at him as if he didn’t understand what Loki was asking.

„Why can’t we go to a faraway land?” He clarified.

„We... can’t?” Thor kept looking confused so Loki decided to demonstrate. He thought about the places he found and tried to think of another where they would both not be too hot and have something to do. He remembered a rather new discovery and hopped off the trunk, offering his hand to the other boy.

Thor seemed hesitant, but he eventually grabbed Loki’s hand and allowed himself to get dragged away from home, wide-eyed during the colourful journey.

„Whoooaaaa! This is like the Bifrost but without the Bifrost!”

They were standing in a wide grassy field, not that dissimilar to Asgard, and there was a small lake in front of them. It was hot. When Thor bent down and put his hand in to check it, he found the water cold, but not freezing. Loki was already walking into it, his legs turning blue when wet.

„What are we going to do? Swim?”

„No, silly!” Loki laughed, and then it seemed to get colder around him. A huge ship made of ice rose from the water, the ramp opening at Thor’s feet. „We’re going to play pirates.”

Thor’s friend was officially the coolest ever.

Chapter Text

It’s dark, and Loki is is alone. He’s cold and screaming for mama or papa or anyone, even if he doesn’t know the words yet. There is a big room around him, big and empty and his cries echo through its walls. The only light around is a strange blue glow somewhere next to Loki, and although bundled up as he is, he cannot see it, it seems to radiate a strange sense of comfort. Even if he has nothing, he has this.

A strange man appears and Loki isn’t sure if he is still in the strange room because the blue thing is gone and it’s no longer dark but then the strange man lifts him up and he’s warm, so warm. Loki feels himself becoming pink, and he stops crying, startled and tired and allowing the strange man with one eye to hold him close. Loki has no idea who he is but some part of him feels like he can trust him, so he closes his eyes and drifts.

There is Thor. He is not as small as he was, and while he isn’t as big as Thor, he isn’t small at all. It makes Loki feel weirdly exposed. At home, he was always small and coddled and able to hide, but here there’s a lot of things expected of him and while as a prince, he’s used to being the centre of attention, this is different. The strange man is there, gold over the eye he is missing but the feeling of warmth and comfort disappeared.

There is a strange woman and she feels a bit like papa does but different and she’s not enough to make things right.

There’s blue or lies and green of jealousy and Loki doesn’t understand any of it.

He wakes up with a cry.

„Here, it’s alright, darling, you’re alright.”

Mama.

Mama will make it better, he always does. Mama is there and he’s not alone, and he doesn’t remember what happened but in mama’s arms, it doesn’t matter. It was just a dream. Just a dream.

Chapter Text

It starts, as most accidents in the palace do... or did, before Loki was born, with Helbindi practising magic. And although the oldest prince is quite mature and usually somewhat responsible (if he chooses to), the one rule that his parents never managed to make him respect in magic was unfortunately important...

Don’t practice on people.

Especially your siblings.

In the past, Byleistr has been a victim, or rather a willing and enthusiastic participant of, many an experiment. Helbindi was a skilled mage from the youngest age, so thank Ymir, they both tended to come out of it alive, if not always unscathed, but somehow, those lessons and being grounded afterwards never seemed to discourage him from continuing to do this.

And now Loki was his new favourite subject, and as always, the spell didn’t quite go as planned.

So now Loki was back to being a toddler.

And if that wasn’t bad enough, he disappeared.

Poof.

Gone.

Farbauti cursed Ymir for their luck. Not only were they blessed with a kid small enough he was already difficult to catch... no. He also had to be able to teleport.

She glared at the sun, wondering why couldn’t the weather understand the severity of this situation and returned to at least attempt to comfort, or at least calm down, Laufey.

***

Loki was somewhere weird. It was kind of dark, but very golden anyway, and it was warm. And everything was so... small. Well, it wasn’t small, because Loki was very much smaller than those things but at home, things were even bigger.

He toddled through the room, his onesie sliding on the slippery tiles, giggling as he slid through the rooms and admired the objects. There was magic here, Loki could tell. He was little, but he wasn’t stupid. He couldn’t quite talk well yet but he could do magic almost as good as Bindi.

This magic here was a bit different than magic home though...

Except for...

He scrambled onto his feet, socketed feet having a hard time, but finally, he stood up to peek over the pedestal next to him. The box that stood on top was blue, shining, and sang of home.

Without thinking, Loki put his little hands on top.

He disappeared just on time to miss the shouts of the guards coming in.

Chapter Text

„My King. There is... an intruder, in the vaults.”

Odin frowned, one eyebrow going high.

„An intruder? Are we under attack? Who are they?”

„I would hesitate to call it an attack. The intruder is the youngest Jotnar prince. However, he seems to be... even younger.”

Odin’s forehead furrowed, his golden eyepatch pinching at the skin, adding to his annoyance.

„What, pray tell, do you mean by that? Explain on the way.” They both turned their steps to the Vaults, guards already ahead of them.

„The prince has been hit with some magic, presumably. He appears to be a toddler, Sire.”

„Toddler or not, he is an enemy agent in the middle of our most precious possessions. He could be trying to steal from us and use his age as a disguise.”

„I do not think so, Sire.”

Odin stopped, turning to look at his Gatekeeper, suspicion rising.

„And why? Pray tell.”

„Prince Loki has been in Asgard and the palace multiple times before. He has even played with Prince Thor.”

...the Jotnar brat came near his son?! He stopped himself from exploding until there was a more appropriate time for it.

„Ad why exactly did you never tell me there has been an enemy agent constantly invading our grounds?”

„Well, Sire, the enemy agent is a child looking to play. And... you didn’t ask.”

Oh, his Gatekeeper was so getting fired.

They arrived in the Vault just in time to see the Casket and the kid disappear. Odin just gave Heimdall a hard stare.

***

Laufey was already having a bad day when the news arrived.

His youngest son was currently de-aged into a toddler and missing and his oldest was a sobbing mess, ridden with guilt over Loki’s disappearance. And now, the guard announced an official delegation from Asgard arrives. King, Queen and the young prince included. Unannounced. That could simply not mean anything good.

He sat on his throne, holding Farbauti’s hand because he was way past caring about decorum and he needed the touch to not shatter like a falling sheet of glass.

Odin entered with his entire entourage, rich and intimidating parade, the Aesir king himself booming with anger.

„You dare attack the golden realm? You send your son after the Casket, an innocent child?! Have you no honour?”

„You found Loki?” Farbauti shot up, walking off the dais, as Laufey slumped on the throne in relief. „Oh God, we have been looking for him for hours!”

Loki was safe.

That was all that mattered. No, it wasn’t very good that Loki apparently could teleport to other realms but he was safe.

„Do not try to pretend you didn’t know about his whereabouts!”

Laufey laughed. It was probably not the wisest thing to do in presence of the Allfather but he was exhausted. Parenting was hard. Parenting Loki was even harder.

„I swear, I have no idea what he is doing anymore! I have no control! He’s tiny and magical and mischievous and I’m just tired!”

„Oh, darling.” He was surprised to see queen Frigga step out of the Aesir delegation and step up to sit on the throne Farbauti left, taking Laufey’s hand. „Tell me all about it.”

Chapter Text

Here’s the thing.

The war and animosity that has been present between Jotunheim and Asgard went back for a long, long time. Centuries, millennia of hostility, that at this point was hard to pinpoint the cause of, and for the first time in his life, with the queen of Asgard comforting him, Laufey wondered what was the point of it.

„Frigga!” Odin, clearly, didn’t share his sentiments. „What are you doing, this could all be a ploy!”

„Oh, darling, come off it. This isn’t an act, this is a tired mother of a creative and playful child. It seems to me like Loki is not that different from Thor when--”

Her words died in her throat and that when Laufey too, realized that the Aesir young prince did arrive with them, didn’t he?

„Where is Thor?”

„Actually.” Laufey realized. „You said Loki took the Casket... But did you catch him? He’s not here either, is he?”

The adults shared worrying looks, already sensing disaster, when a guard opened the giant doors to the throne room, the loud sound echoing through the chamber.

„My liege... I have good news and bad news. The good news is that Prince Thor found Prince Loki and the little prince is safe.”

„And the bad news?”

„Well, my liege... The princes have met.”

It soon became clear what the guard meant, as two colourful figures flew into the room on a sled made out of ice, crashing at high speed into the Aesir delegation.

This visit was going to be an interesting time.

Chapter Text

Night on Jotunheim was very bright.

With the stars and its three moons shining bright and their light sparkling gently through the translucent icy architecture, they were beautiful. Farbauti would often go out into the balcony of their rooms at night to watch the kingdom fast asleep and peaceful, finding a moment of calm, silence, to just be alone and recharge.

But tonight, she wasn’t in her rooms.

She left Laufey sleeping and sneaked out to check on Loki, to assure herself that he was alright.

She tended to be the more level headed parent to Laufey’s constant stressing but especially with magic so strong for his age, she was always worried for Loki. And her boy was still trapped as a toddler. She was glad to find him in his chambers, thankfully, but felt her lips quirk into a smile when she realized Thor was asleep next to him. She was glad that the two of them seemed to forge a steadfast friendship and hoped that it may actually help mend the relations between the realms. It would be good for Loki to meet people and make friends of his size.

She stepped out onto the palace’s main terrace instead and found queen Frigga sitting on the bench there.

„Lovely night, isn’t it?” She said in lieu of a greeting, coming over to sit next to her. The woman startled but smiled when she noticed her. She didn’t seem intimidated by Farbauti’s size but she still perched on the ground instead to make easier conversation. Frigga didn’t comment on that.

„I assume you’ve been checking on your son.”

„My youngest, yes. Much like you, I assume but I actually found him in his bed. He gave you quite a fright, I’m afraid, didn’t he?”

Frigga chuckled.

„He did. He does that, way too often. Although I am probably blessed by the Norns at least he cannot travel to other realms on his own.”

That was true. Farbauti has been thinking about it a lot. In theory, she and Laufey had already raised one magical child, and while Helbindi had... accidents, he was generally mostly safe. Finding Loki, safe and sound, helped him sleep much sounder and would probably help him focus better on the search for a counterspell.

But with Loki’s magic wild and untamed already, it was becoming a problem.

„I have been thinking about it. He scared me. He’s not ready for the lessons this advanced yet.”

„Maybe you could help him. Bind his magic - not completely, but provide him with artefacts that will help him control his powers and save you the sleepless nights.”

It was a thought that didn’t cross her mind before. Jotnar magic was independent. Unlike many realms, Jotnar didn’t use gems or other artefacts often but... for Loki, it could prove helpful.

„Maybe I should look into it. Thank you.”

Sitting side by side, wide awake under the moonlight, two queens in the nigh silently forged a bond, not unlike that of their sons. A bond that may be a beginning of a new era for their kingdoms.

Staring into the night, Farbauti could swear she saw the first rays of dawn shine on them.

Chapter Text

Helbindi was not a kid anymore, alright?

He was the oldest prince and the future king and he was always mature for his age, mama and papa always said so. He was a mage, and he knew from his lessons how important the safety rules were for a mage.

But he was... okay, maybe he was still a kid a little bit.

He didn’t ever want to put anyone in danger. But he wanted to have fun. Byli agreed with him! He was older and responsible and could show his younger brothers his skills, and he would be careful and... somehow, it always ended like this.

Was it most likely a very bad idea to attempt fixing Loki on his own?

Yes, yes it was.

Did Helbindi learn anything from his mistakes?

He sure learned something. Not trying to do magic on his own again was not part of what he learned. Nor was dragging his brothers into it.

Loki sat on the floor, so, soooo tiny and innocent and smiling with those huge, wide eyes of his and Helbindi swallowed, going over his notes again. It would be fine. He had it all figured out this time.

He gathered the energy, the sparks shining like ice as they crackled between his hands and...

Another little body ran into the room just as Helbindi shot the spell.

„Duck!”

In a moment, many things happened. The Aesir prince - Thor, his name was Thor - noticed Helbindi was with Loki and the huge ball of energy in the air, Helbindi closed his eyes, Loki laughed, Thor fell gracelessly to the floor, and... the spell missed him, hitting Loki square in the chest.

Silence rang.

Loki sat where he did before, now confused and back to his slightly bigger normal.

„What happened? Thor! You visited me!”

Helbindi sat down on the floor, collapsing in exhaustion, watching as his brother and his friend run out, not questioning anything, just enjoying the fact they could speak to each other again.

Ymir. He needed to find Thor later.

Mama and papa could never know about this.

Chapter Text

Standing on the edge of the palace terrace, tired but pleased with the impromptu peace talks that have been happening, Laufey watched two balls of fur rolls through the snow in the courtyard. The smaller, less round ball was Loki. The layers he was wearing were unusually thick for a Jotnar child but with his small posture and the weather being cold in the morning, he needed them to be safe. But looking funnier and cuter, next to him, was Thor, wearing so many furs he was basically rolling around in them because Aesir were just not built for the climate, and unlike his parents, Thor had no magic to help him out.

„They seem to be getting along.”

Laufey looked at Odin, surprised to see the Aesir king join him. If the animosity between Asgard and Jotunheim run deep, then the personal hostility between the two monarchs run even deeper. They were both young when the war started. Both fresh on the throne and willing to prove themselves.

Well, Odin did, Laufey guessed. Laufey was too busy trying to keep his people alive.

„I hope you don’t have anything against it.”

The Aesir king looked at him for a long, long while and Laufey fought the urge to squirm like a child. Then, Odin smiled.

„Never. If it makes Thor happy, I wouldn’t oppose it.”

He looked over at the playing boys and nodded, as if coming to a decision.

„You can keep the Casket. It’s been too long since our realms knew true peace.”

Odin left and Laufey fought hard to not allow his knees to give up under him. He felt tears freeze on his cheeks as he wanted to collapse in relief. Maybe it was time to put the past in the past.

He watched Thor tackle the smaller bundle of fur and heard his son shriek in delight. He smiled. Thor and Loki seemed made for each other. Like soulmates, or blood brothers, inseparable despite no biological bond. He was happy to nurture that. He knew Loki needed it, already did and would even more so with time - friends of his size, friends who would understand him and stand by him if he ever felt like an outsider, and friends who knew what the burdens of royalty were without being his brothers too.

Yes, Thor was good for Loki.

And maybe, just maybe, this new Aesir-Jotnar alliance would be a good thing too.

Chapter Text

When Laufey was on exchange with Midgard, all the way back when he was doing his education, before the war with Asgard stopped the exchange programs, he developed a fondness for the mortals, and tended to check on the realm from time to time ever since.

It wasn’t easy exactly... or legal, either, but it made for very exciting dates to woo Farbauti with a promise of risk and challenge and showing her exotic other planets. To this day, Laufey and now Farbauti too, kept in touch with what was currently happening on Midgard. One invention the humans introduced a while ago that Laufey ended up sending some of his own best scholars to recreate was the camera. While in most of the realms capturing moments requires simulating them for hours to allow the artists to catch them, humans learned to do so in seconds.

Laufey would actually happily acquire human cameras, but they tended to be a bit... small. He had a stash of them, the self printing ones, in his drawer, and now was actually happy when day Loki would be able to use them - they were all enchanted to never run out of the paper - but mostly, he had them because his people used them as an example when creating Jotnar ones.

Unlike the Midgardian ones, the Jotnar cameras printed on ice. It was simply easier to refill that way.

„Oh, they look so cute!”

Frigga was cooing at the pictures Laufey took of Loki and Thor playing, and the ones he showed her of his children growing up. She was fascinated by the concept, with Asgard still stuck on paintings and tapestries.

„Could I...” It was so strange to see the queen of Asgard hesitant. „Could I have one? Is it possible for me to keep?”

Laufey smiled sadly. It was so strange that once she was a distant enemy and in a blink of an eye, she became a close friend.

„I am afraid it would melt. But I have something even better for you.”

And that’s how Laufey’s gift became the beginning of a new era, with Frigga running around with the bulky pink polaroid always around her neck, snapping pictures of everything.

Chapter Text

As a young King, freshly crowned, Laufey had a dream.

He wanted to see the kingdom he grew up in, the kingdom he loved, flourish. He had so many ideas he kept gathering when watching his mother rule and wanted to implement.

But as always, life has different ideas.

Laufey’s rule was supposed to be an era of development, of joy, of prosperity.

But the war came.

And so instead, Laufey’s rule started with a loss, pain and fight for survival. For centuries, his first priority became making sure his people live, happiness put on the backburner. They managed. They got used to it. But without the Casket, with everything they lost, with the embargos, it was just not the same.

Today, the Aesir delegation was leaving, but the Casket wasn’t.

The weather was beautiful, the realm itself sensing the return of its heart.

Finally, the future looked bright...

And Laufey had a feeling his dream may actually come true.

Chapter Text

Farbauti was brushing Loki’s hair when a ball of fur fell from the ceiling and groaned in pain.

It really spoke to what their life was like, as parents to three mischievous boys with different degrees of magical abilities, that she didn’t even necessarily find that alarming.

„Are you alright?”

She asked the ball. It didn’t seem big enough to be a threat and felt somewhat familiar, although she wasn’t sure where she recognized it from.

„I’m good, my lady!”

The ball rolled upright and Farbauti laughed, finally recognizing the voice and the eyes peeking through.

„Hello, Thor.” She said, at the same time Loki screeched at it and sprinted out of her lap to tackle his friend. His braid came undone and Thor ended back on the floor but they were both laughing, so she guessed it was okay.

„How did you come here, Thor?” The sheepish smile the furry ball gave her suggested ‘without my parents' knowledge’ was probably an answer. „Are you taking turns now? You sneaking here instead of Loki sneaking out to Asgard?”

„But Thor doesn’t have magic like I do!” Loki immediately noticed. „So how did he come?”

Thor grinned in an unapologetic way, clearly happy to brag about his genius plan.

„Sif helped me! Her older brother is the Gatekeeper and she stole his sword and sent me to Loki with the Bifrost!”

Oh, dear.

„Have fun then, boys. I’ll leave you to it!”

She had a trip to make to Asgard. Good thing it was easy to travel now. She had a feeling Odin would really want to know there’s currently a barely few decades old girl guarding the entrance to the kingdom...

Chapter Text

The first time a little girl run into their bed, Farbauti was very confused.

Then, she recognized Loki’s lines.

„Good morning, baby.”

Farbauti was aware that other realms took gender... quite seriously. And had oftentimes ridiculous expectations of what it meant. Jotunheim was different in that matter. She often wondered whether the fact all of them were able to bear children had anything to do with it but she liked to think they simply had more common sense.

It wasn’t that Jotnar didn’t know the concept of gender. Most of them identified as something - she always felt rather female herself. Some people didn’t bother with it. And some... well.

Mages were just not exactly constricted by the concepts of biology or societal expectations.

„Look, I’m a girl, poppa! Just like you.” Oh, and she recently discovered that it was definitely a Jotnar thing to call your parents based on the carrier. Probably also about the fact they could all be carriers.

„Yes, you are.” She smiled.

The discovery that Loki was genderfluid was a surprise but secretly, she has to admit it was a rather pleasant one. Jotnar never paid much attention to gender and she knew it was different being an only woman in a family of four other men than on other realms... but she was still secretly pleased she had a daughter now.

Well, at least some of the time.

Chapter Text

„Have you seen Loki today?”

Laufey raised his gaze warily at Frigga.

„I... don’t think so... Why?”

They have been pouring over some new trade agreements for arctic fox meat and uru for a few hours now. Frigga just came back to the table after a short break for a warm herbal brew she drank to stay warm in Jotunheim’s cold climate.

„I just couldn’t seem to find Thor.”

His brow furrowed and he turned to meet Farbauti’s eyes. Her expression was pure panic.

„I only saw Helbindi this morning. I think Byleistr may be with them?”

Laufey’s eyes widened. If Loki and Thor’s friendship was a source of much amusement and frustration to the citizens of all realms, wherever Thor, Loki and Byleistr could be found, screams usually followed. And sure enough, a piercing scream tore through the hallway. A serving girl scrammed inside, hiding behind the table.

„What is that?!”

The creature was huge, with fur and... were those scales? And huge antlers on its head that little hands were holding onto and three carefree, laughing princes on its back.

„A puppy!” Thor answered.

Probably not the description most people in the room would agree to. If Frigga’s pale face was anything to go by, it was not a very accurate description either.

„Mommy, can I have one too?” Loki asked eyes wide and innocent.

„Yes! Please, I will help him take care of it!” Byleistr happily joined in. They put their chubby blue cheeks together and offered the best pleading looks.

Oh Ymir.

Laufey needed to sit down.

Chapter Text

Loki and Thor were hanging around on Midgard again. It was a good meeting place. Free of expectations, with a wide variety of climates to suit them both (even if Loki easily adjusted to all) and where neither of them would get recognized for their status.

They were princes, and Thor a crown prince at that, which came with its own kinds of burdens that as they grew up, they’ve been learning to shoulder. But even as their first century passed and then another, and they understood more about the world they lived in, they were still kids, and sometimes they just didn’t want to be princes.

„Were you free today?”

Loki looks at Thor, eyes narrowing. They’re walking down an empty street somewhere on Midgard called America.

„Why are you asking? You weren’t, were you?”

„I’m only skipping a history class. It’s not like any of it matters. Why do we need to learn about the Aesir-Jotnar war, it’s in the past. We’re friends now!”

Loki wanted to argue, but Thor had a point.

„How did you even get past the new guardian though?” Loki knew Heimdall got fired after letting them sneak through a few times too many.

„Heimdall stole one of the swords and let me through when the new guard wasn’t there!” Thor grinned, proud of his accomplishment, and Loki laughed. Of course he did.

„So... what are we going to do today...” He trailed off, realizing they weren’t alone anymore. There was a kid about their age sitting on the pavement, looking miserable and chewing on something. Loki ended up approaching him without even thinking about it, not waiting for Thor to follow.

„Hi, I’m Loki.” He sat down next to the boy and stuck out his hand. The guy looked at him wide-eyed, caught mid-bite.

„What are you eating?”

The boy chewed through the mouthful and swallowed it hastily. He didn’t seem bothered by two strangers suddenly joining him. Loki felt like he was right about the guy needing some company.

„Um... It’s pizza. What are you guys wearing?”

„What’s pizza?”

„You’re wearing funny shit and don’t know what pizza is?” Surprisingly, the guys laughed. „Are you aliens?”

„Um... Yes?” Loki answered because he didn’t see a reason to hide it. It made the boy laugh more.

„Sure. I’m Tony and I’m buying you guys pizza.”

The pizza thing turned out to be delicious, and Loki had a feeling they’d get along with Tony very well...

Chapter Text

There’s many different kinds of houses.

There’s big ones, and small ones, wooden with leafy roofs and pretty windchimes at the door on Alfheim, and huge glass ones where many people live on Midgard. There’s icy, delicate but sturdy structures of Jotunheim, coming in many shapes and sizes depending on the region, and there’s stone huts of Asgard and the cool looking volcanic rock dwellings on Muspelheim.

There’s many different kinds of houses, and Loki’s has seen quite a few of them in his travels.

There’s houses for one person only, tiny and barely counted as a building, and there’s huge communal ones where people live in harmony despite barely knowing each other, united by sharing a roof. There’s ones with thin walls, and thick walls and no walls at all and there’s structures that don’t exactly count as buildings but still get used as houses - like the burrows of Nilfheim.

There’s many kinds of houses.

Some houses are special, Loki knows - knew since he was born, because he was born in one, and his family lived in one and his best friend’s family happens to also live in one. Well, not the same one but the same kind of special house... a palace. Royalty houses definitely have their perks.

There’s many kinds of houses, yes.

Flats and cottages and villas and palaces.

But there’s only one thing that matters, no matters what house, cold or hot, bright or dark, big or small.

The most important thing is for a house to also be a home.

Chapter Text

Loki’s relationship with truth was... strained.

No, that wasn’t exactly the right word. Loki was simply in a very open relationship with the truth. He always told the truth, but no one ever appreciated it.

After all, when Loki said he didn’t leave his room, he wasn’t lying - he brought Thor to himself with a simple portal. How was he to know that being grounded meant no visits from Thor too? And when he said he didn’t see his brother, he meant it - he never saw Helbindi. He did see Byleistr running away with the stolen sweets, but he didn’t see Helbindi. Mother never specified which brother. And he was practising his lessons... his magic lessons, not his history ones.

Truth was simple. It was or it wasn’t. It was complicated but binary. Not a word Loki has ever said was a lie.

It was simply the issue of the questions never being specific enough. So really, it wasn’t Loki’s fault. His parents were being unfair claiming he was lying and that truth wasn’t to be trifled with so.

After all, why shouldn’t it?

It was fun and it served his purpose and in the end, maybe it wasn’t that he needed to learn to answer better. Maybe everyone else needed to learn to listen to him better.

Chapter Text

„Why the long face?”

Loki chose to open without a greeting, straight and to the point, finding Tony laying on the grass in his massive garden and looking like a picture of misery. Tony turned the puppy eyes to him and Loki dropped the blue to a more Midgardian look and laid down next to him.

„This never gets old.” Tony grinned at him. „The magic, I mean. Anyway, I may have fucked up.”

„When do you ever not?”

Tony gasped, offended.

„Okay, you may have a point.” He conceded. „But this time I told my dad I will bring someone to his and mom’s anniversary party. Which will be like three hundred people fancy affair ala business gala in disguise. And I was just pissed because I don’t have anyone and he was rubbing it in my face that I’m alone and no one will ever love me--”

„That’s a fucked up thing for a parent to say.” Loki interjected but Tony kept going.

„--but then mom heard it and she got so excited about me having someone so now I need to take someone but a one-night stand gold-digger is a horrible idea to introduce to my parents and...”

Tony trailed off, suddenly turning to look at Loki with a very intense expression while being very quiet. It was disturbing.

„...and what?”

„Come with me! Come on, Lokes, even coming out to my parents will be better than being alone and admitting my dad was right. And I guess I have to get it over with someday?”

And well, while he was trying to hide it, Loki could see Tony was very much not ready for that. So he stood up and shook the grass off his robes.

„I have a better idea.”

Tony’s jaw dropped when she shapeshifted. The plan was a smashing success. Howard Stark was very impressed by Princess Lilith. He didn’t even notice her smash his best whisky and move all of his furniture in his office three inches to the left.

Loki hoped he would be stubbing his toes for a long time.

That's what he got for not being a better father to her friend.

Chapter Text

This was, in retrospect, a Very Bad Idea, capital letters and all.

But Helbindi was busy learning how to be a king, and Thor was also learning how to be a King, and Byli was learning how to fight and Loki was avoiding his own lessons so...

Muspelheim.

So here’s the thing. Loki was small. He knew that. It was bloody hard to miss that. Everything and everyone in his life was bigger than him. While his environment was mostly adjusted to his needs, seeing as he was a prince, he was still very obviously different.

Most of the time, Loki didn’t mind. Most of the time, in fact, he enjoyed being different and using it to his advantage. But it was hard to miss and Loki was a curious creature, so he loved learning more about everything that presented a mystery.

It just so happened that he was something of a mystery himself.

Loki knew that because he was born small, he was colder than most of his kin. He needed to wear clothing when most of his people didn’t and still hated harsh winters. He was one of the happiest when Jotunheim got the Casket of Ancient Winters back and the climate stabilized into something gentler.

When he was a baby, he was especially prone to the temperatures, and that was before the Casket was regained, and he had some special clothes and a favourite blanket back then. He still had it, although it was more of a hand towel size now.

But it was Muspel.

A little before Loki’s birth, a delegation from Muspelheim was in Jotunheim and they left special warm clothing and linens they used to not freeze. Those things basically ensured his survival when he was still a child so yes, he was curious.

Hence, Muspelheim.

Loki liked warmth. He visited it a few times before, if not for long. But he wanted to explore the realm better. He probably didn’t think the trip through well enough.

„You’re an idiot.”

„I’m a prince, watch your words.” He groaned, trying to kick away the blanket weighing on him. He was too hot...

„And you’re obnoxious! Leave that where it is, this blanket is the only thing keeping you from overheating right now.”

So potentially, being a frost giant and going to the land of fire giants was... a questionable idea. Loki begrudgingly left the blanket alone.

„Sorry I... I fainted, didn’t I?”

„You did!” His rescuer sounded way too happy about it, too. „Nice to meet you, your highness.” Her voice was full of mockery. Loki liked her. He stuck his tongue out at her.

„I am a prince. Prince Loki. But you can call me just Loki seeing as you saved me from my own stupidity, I guess. Thanks for that.”

„Nice to meet you, Loki.” She looked much nicer when she smiled instead of smirking. „I’m Bee. I’d offer you a hand but I’m afraid it would end in third-degree burns. What the hell is a frost giant even doing in Muspelheim? And did the heat make you shrink or what?”

He raised an eyebrow at her.

„And who are you to judge? You don’t look average Muspel size to me either.” Granted, she was sitting on the other side of the room - which seemed to be some sort of pantry - deep underground, colder, it was a clever solution that probably saved his life.

She gritted her teeth, clearly caught off guard but too smart to show it.

„Maybe I was just born different.”

Loki smiled, letting the vitriol fade away and making it sincere. He relaxed, feeling he could trust her.

„Maybe I was too. I get it, you know. I was lucky. I don’t know what your life looked like but I was born a runt, and I could have easily been discarded by my family. But I wasn’t. I learned to cherish who I am. I learned to be grateful for it. But I will always be different. I just accept it now.”

She looked at him, as if pondering his words and nodded. Then she completely ignored them.

„Now off with your, little prince. Better get going before you overheat again and your magic depletes too much for you to make the trip home.”

Loki stuck his tongue at her again but he gathered his magic because she was right. The ground under his feet burned as he stood up.

„I’d offer you a hand but...” He smiled. „I will figure out how to do it safely, and I will be back. That’s a promise.”

He skywalked away to the sound of her challenging laughter.

Chapter Text

The return of the Casket of Ancient Winters to Jotunheim, contrary to the relic’s name, marked a return of a much warmer climate.

Loki loved it. Many others did too. Many... did not. One thing that everyone seemed to agree on, however, was that it was a good thing how easily available water was in comparison to before. Not every frost giants could live of crunching ice alone. Also, it was not pleasant in texture. They preferred their water liquid.

Prior to the new peace, water tended to be gained by melting ice with magic or digging deep to get to the mountain springs frozen underneath the city. Now, they could just use the river which appeared not far from the border.

But the new abundance of water also meant that for the first time in many centuries, Jotunheim used water for pleasure. Not just drinking it, but playing in it.

„Stop going that deep.”

Loki spit the water out at his father. Farbauti spluttered and rinsed her face.

„That was rude. Show you your elders some respect.” He coloured purple because yeah, maybe he wasn’t really a kid anymore, but when your mom was also the king, you learned to listen to him.

„Stop fussing. It’s only deep for me and you know it. You could fish me out with your hand without even submerging yourself and you know it.”

Laufey smirked because it was in fact true.

Even as he was growing up, Loki still was very much tiny in comparison to everyone else, and in comparison to average size Jotun that the amenities were made to accommodate.

Some people never grew out of being their’s parents little baby. Loki took that quite literally. But... as much as he didn’t often say it, he enjoyed days like these. Maybe because of his size, he was probably coddled and spoiled in a way his brothers were not and as a result, had a pretty close bond with his parents.

These days, when a desire for adventure and seeking someplace he’s feel less... small, often took him away from home, he appreciated coming back and spending time with them.

„He’s right. Let him enjoy it, Farbauti, you can have the privilege of making ruthless fun of him if you need to fish him out.”

Yes. He did enjoy getting a chance to be back home and feel small again, even if his parents were embarrassing. He huffed, sent his father a warning glare and dived right back under the water. The one great thing about being small was that he got a much bigger pool than everybody else.

Chapter Text

Bylesitr had always been the strongest and most restless out of the three of them.

Loki loved his brothers, and felt like they had a really good relationship, especially when comparing with Thor and his little sister Hela, who always argued about everything, but sometimes he felt like the reason for that was the big age difference and the fact they had less and less common interests as they grew up.

Helbindi was always busy with diplomacy and studying, and although he and Loki both loved magic, their particular interests were not overlapping as much as one would think. Loki was interested in travel and neither of his brothers liked the idea of moving even a town over from home. And Byli could be found on the training grounds nine times of the ten, finding love for swords that neither Bindi nor Loki would ever understand but patiently tolerated, mostly because they had, as princes, been forced to learn to fight too, and Byleistr’s enthusiasm at least made it somewhat bearable.

But just as exhausting.

„You put a good fight for someone so small, brother!”

Loki wordlessly lifted his thumb and happily crawled back to the side, dropping himself literally in Helbindi’s lap.

„I’m in pain.”

Helbindi laughed. Behind them, Byli was already engaging another opponent without breaking a sweat.

„For the record, considering your size, I’d say you’re the best fighter of us all.”

„But considering my size, I am also still not strong enough when surrounded by you all.”

Helbindi’s hands found their way into Loki’s hair, messing it up and scratching just where it felt right and he purred like a cat.

„No offence, little bro but... why don’t you just shapeshift into something bigger? I’ve seen you change into other species, into wolves, into Asgardian, why not turn into full-size Jotun?”

Loki sat up, staring at Bindi incredulously.

„Wait, that’s possible?!”

„Why shouldn’t it be?” His brother seemed unfazed. „I often shapeshift into birds much smaller than I.”

Loki blinked.

„I don’t know how to do that yet! I can only change into something similar to myself. In size and biological composition. Like, I can adjust slightly to be Asgardian, but I tried turning into a Muspel and while I LOOKED like a small Muspel, I was still affected by the heat and--”

„You went to Muspelheim?!”

Fuck. He should not have said that.

„Forget it. Thanks for the tip! Let’s never talk about it again and if you tell mom and pops, I will tell them about Jocasta.”

He run away to the sound of Helbindi screaming and laughed, on to learn a new lesson and find another adventure.

Chapter Text

„Who are you and how did you get in here?”

Loki grinned at Bee wielding the red hot fire poker as a weapon and allowed the dark black and red Muspel appearance to fade into his normal looks while keeping the biological shift that allowed him to withstand the heat.

„I promised I’ll be back.”

„Son of a bitch, you did it.” She threw the poker away and stared in awe for a while. Then, she laughed. „I should not have underestimated you, huh, little prince?”

„So, this is the humble rooms of my saviour. I didn’t get to see much other than the basement the last time. Tasteful! I like it!” He walked around, admiring the beautiful sculptures decorating the space and thin fountain of lava and steaming hot water that dripped down one wall.

„Humble my ass, you spoiled brat.” She barked back but allowed him to continue his inspection which revealed the lack of heat (ha!) in her words. „So you really managed to find a way to walk around Muspelheim unharmed. A Jotun in my land. This is hands down the craziest thing I’ve seen in my life and I’ve seen a lot.”

„I did. Will you show me around then?”

She smiled back.

They walked around the small town she lived in, and Bee showed him all the little landmarks a village this small had. There was more to see in the capital, she said. She visited it once, but it was too busy for her and she was happy to settle in a calmer corner of the planet instead.

„Thanks for the tour. I really like this place, you know. It’s definitely nothing like home.”

She shook her head in amusement but he could see that as Loki walked around with her, as small as she was and looking Muspel, she enjoyed the feeling.

„Why did you even want to explore Museplheim? Seems like a dangerous destination for your kind, you couldn’t have risked it just for pure curiosity.”

„Honestly...?” Loki grinned. „I would. But there is more to it. I mean, you know I’m a runt. I was born small. I was very fragile and very cold all the time because Jotnar run hot to adapt to the environment but I was too tiny to produce my own heat. Thankfully, right before my birth, a delegation from Muspelheim visited our realm and left behind a lot of speciality fabrics that kept me toasty until I grew up a bit. So I guess I was curious about that and since I enjoyed and needed more warmth than most of my kin...”

„But you overestimated just how warm we had it here.”

„Yeah, I did. And it turns out that most organisms in the realms deal better with cold than heat. So while your delegation managed in our climate, a Jotnar delegation would probably not be able to visit here without magic.”

„Basically what you’re saying is that if I came over to yours I wouldn’t be such a pussy about it.”

Loki elbowed her as she laughed but well...

„Basically, yeah. So, would you want to?”

„What?”

„Visit. Do you want me to show you Jotunheim in return?”

Bee bit her lip but Loki could already see the answer in her eyes. Oh, this was going to be wonderful.

Chapter Text

„It’s cold.”

Loki raised an unimpressed eyebrow at Bee and proceeded to dig in the storage for some of his older coats. He eventually found a big enough jacket from the Muspel delegation bunch that hadn’t been altered in size so he could use it in his teenage years and handed it to Bee.

„That’s better. Thanks.”

„You won’t freeze anyway thanks to my spell but... that’s probably more pleasant.” He had put a simple warming charm on her and a glamour that made her look like an Aesir visitor - less surprising sight than a Muspel in Jotunheim and would explain why she wore a thick coat.

„Oh yeah. I can see how these were made for me.”

„We can’t stay here though. Everyone in the capital knows me and I’m really done with shapeshifting for now. Besides, we’d keep running into people I can’t fool because they know me too well.”

He offered her his hand and teleported them to a smaller city on the other side of the mountains. It was where papa was originally from and while the city itself was rather big, the touristic district up on the slopes was charming and deserted this time of the year.

He showed Bee all of his favourite places and did a little lecture on Jotnar culture and traditions in the process. She seemed to quickly forget the cold and stopped rubbing her nose that the coat couldn’t protect, focusing on instead stopping at every stall on the marketplace and buying little silly trinkets that Loki declared safe to keep in Muspelheim’s climate.

By the time the sun was beginning to set, they had several bags full of things and abandoned the busier centre to walk the mountain trails and admire the views. His parents actually had a cottage up here that his mother proposed in, apparently, but it was a small little ratty thing, according to their stories, and Loki has never been there. It seemed like a good opportunity to finally get there and see the place since Loki was pretty sure his parents were just being private and didn’t want kids spying out their own personal abode.

„Shouldn’t we come down before it gets dark? Also is it just me or is it getting colder?”

„It’s fine, I can make us a light.”

He reassured her but he suddenly realized she was right about the weather. It wasn’t just the evening chill. There was probably a storm coming and Loki had skywalked so much in the last week he wasn’t sure he could just take her to Muspelheim from here. He would need to go down to the nearest Yggrdrasil branch touchpoint and that was in the capital.

„But the cottage is close too, we can go in and warm up a bit before we walk down?”

„I think I would like that.” As much as he could see she loved discovering something new, her dark button nose was getting red and the climate did not suit her. He sped up their walk and was almost audibly sighing in relief when he noticed the cottage was indeed there and looked just like in the tapestry about his parents' betrothal.

There was a magical seal on the door instead of a normal lock, but with the familiar energy and blood flowing in his vines, the spell actually let him without even having to break it. He pushed the door open and allowed Bee into the small space, throwing a few light balls onto the ceiling to make it brighter in the evening darkness.

„We can stay until tomorrow or I will recharge a bit and I can take you back.”

„No, it’s okay.” She rubbed her hands, visibly relaxed now that they were safe. „I can see you’re not at your prime, I can sense that kind of thing. No magic of my own but it’s... a skill, I guess. I don’t want to endanger either of us. But won’t somebody be looking for you?”

„No, it’s fine. They may be used to me disappearing for days on end...” He grinned mischievously.

He used some of the magic he had left to create a stone fireplace on one wall and set it ablaze. A quick inspection of the place revealed that there was actually one room and the sofa unfolded into a bed. There were even some furs and blankets inside, probably for the sake of extra softness for... different activities rather than warmth, but they would be of use to them.

„So, just this one bed, huh.” Loki looked at Bee and was surprised at the way she seemed suddenly hesitant and uncomfortable.

„It seems so? But there’s space for the both of us and I guess it’s gonna be warmer that way? I mean, I would take the couch but... the bed is the couch.”

„I just...” The uncertainty looked very weird on her, with a normally bold and confident personality. „I like you, but I think maybe we misunderstood each other. I’m just... I’m like, it’s not you, I’m just not into...”

Then it clicked.

„Oh God, no!” He snorted. „Okay, I see how horrible it may look now. Me luring you here, and it’s too late to come down, and the weather is just perfect for us to get snowed in... which just in case it’s not clear, isn’t my fault, I can’t control the weather, I just underestimated how long this hike took. But what I’m trying to say is that I’m totally not into you! Not that you’re not amazing, I’m just... not interested in girls yet? Or boys. Or anything else. I’m too young?”

Bee sighed in relief and finally crawled into the bed with him, taking off the huge coat and laying it over the other blankets as one more layer.

„That’s cool. I just... I’m not into love at all and some people don’t get that.”

„I don’t know about getting that but I can definitely respect that. You’re an awesome friend and friends is all I wanna be.”

„That’s really cool.”

She sighed and relaxed into his side and he even let it slide when she pressed her freezing cold nose into his shoulder.

„You’re warm.”

„Thanks. You’re cold.”

She chuckled and suddenly he could hear the exhaustion in her voice and feel it drag him down too. It was a long day, the room was warm, the snowstorm raged outside and they both needed sleep. He barely heard her last words before he drifted off.

„Friends. I’d like to be friends.”

Chapter Text

Yggdrasil.

The tree of the world, roots of the universe, source of all life. The warm spring of energy that bathed the realms in warmth and safety. And Loki’s favourite place for a stroll.

It wasn’t a plant, of course, exactly.

The entire cosmos couldn’t be held by brittle branches of actual flora but the tree was not a bad metaphor all in all. Loki wasn’t sure who first came up with it but truth be told, the structure of the Yggdrasil was very similar to that of a tree, with deep and unreachable roots where all life started and countless branches turning in different directions, sprouting green leaves and maintaining whole ecosystems.

Not everyone could access the Yggdrasil.

That was an understatement. Slightly more accurate would be a statement that few mages even knew how to truly connect directly with the energies of Yggdrasil, let alone how to step onto it. But everyone, no matter if magical or not, had a certain degree of awareness of it.

Yggdrasil was that feeling you had when you lay down on the grass in the patch of sun and just soaked everything in.

There were places where the branches touched the realms more directly, thicker points of connection. A natural oasis that people migrated to unconsciously, built their cities.

Those points of connection, present in all of the corners of the universe, were the doors.

And to Loki, they opened wide and inviting, and led him exactly where he needed to be.

Chapter Text

“Lokes!”

Loki narrowed his eyes, already sensing something was off in Tony’s exaggerated excitement and shifty behaviour. Usually, he needed to follow Yggdrasil’s branches between the more stable connections, but as Loki grew and his magic matured, he was gaining more control over it and getting better at walking out where he wanted to be, not where it was easy.

Like right now, when he walked out in the middle of Tony’s bedroom, surprising his friend who was now very casually leaning against the door to his walk-in closet.

“Okay, who are you hiding in there? You’re fully clothed, so can’t be a one night stand... probably. Also, it’s afternoon, they wouldn’t stay that long or--”

“Oh, come on!” Tony threw his hands in the air and stepped away. “How the fuck did you get on that so fast?”

He opened the door to the closet as Loki raised an eyebrow, not even bothering to point out how obvious Tony was. In the closet, which was huge, fitting for Tony’s spoiled lifestyle, there was an inflatable bed and on it, a guy about their age in just purple boxer briefs was hanging out, watching something on a phone and ignoring them.

“Tony... Did you adopt a stray?”

“This is not like the kitten.”

“It was a fucking racoon, Tony. So who is he and why is he ignoring us?”

“He probably just didn’t see. Clint! Oh goddammit, Clint!” This time, he kicked the mattress, and the guy - Clint, apparently - jumped up in surprise, realizing he was no longer alone and scrambled for something small... aahh.

“You can’t hear.” He pointed out as he saw him stick two little purple nubs into his ears.

“Um, hi, nice to meet you, that’s rude. Clearly, I can. Now.” His cheeks colored and he quickly grabbed a t-shirt to throw it on. “I’m Clint.”

“Loki. So you’re a stray Tony adopted? Do you plan to live in his closet now?”

“Maybe? I don’t really have a plan.”

“The plan is being worked out.” Tony pinched in. “We will have a plan eventually. Maybe even two plans. I found him on that tree where we met, he run away from the circus! I couldn’t just leave him there.”

Loki groaned, once again realizing he was apparently the grown-up in the room. Why were all his friends idiots?

“He’s not a puppy, Tony. No offence, Clint.”

“None taken. Woof.”

“Oh, I see it now. You’re a match made in heaven, you two. So you need a place to live and I assume some new identity probably too, if you’re on the run, am I wrong? How are we going to go about that?”

“Well.” Tony grinned. “Since you’re already here...”

It seemed there was magic and shenanigans in his future, not that he even minded those things. There also seemed to be a new friendship on the horizon. With good people by your side, who wouldn’t want to get into trouble?