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The God of Mischief, bound in shackles, slowly made his way to stand in front of Odin, a guard by each side. He stopped in front of the high throne with a kick of his chain, bringing his feet together and standing up straight in a snarky salute. If only his hands were not bound… Loki burst into a fit of maniacal laughter, ignoring Odin’s blank and irritated face. The prisoner was well-dressed in a dark shade of green, ebony hair slicked back to reveal his pale forehead. His Jotun eyes glimmered a mischievous crystal blue that showed a hint of blazing red if one were to look deep enough. There he stood, as captured and arrogant as ever.
“I still don’t see what all the fuss is about!” he laughed, chains rattling noisily against the marble floor as his body shook in ripples of laughter. Odin glared at Loki as the King’s hands tightened on the armrests of his throne. His aging knuckles turned a pale white.
“Do you not truly feel the gravity of your crimes?” asked Odin, remaining calm and composed. “Wherever you go there is war, ruin, and death.”
“I went down to Midgard to rule the people of Earth as a benevolent god.” The frost giant challenged, tilting his head to the side. “Just like you.”
“We are not Gods.” said Odin, leaning forward in his seat. “We are born, we live, we die.” The dark metal of his eye-patch gleamed in reason.
“Give or take 5000 years.”
“All this because Loki desires a throne.” said Odin, tsking inwardly. Loki’s face fell serious as his tone raised in an ice cold manner.
“It is my birthright!”
“Your birthright,” yelled Odin, “was to die!” his voice softened and he sank back into his throne. “As a child. Cast out on a frozen rock. If I had not taken you in, you would not be here now to hate me. Take him to his cell.”
Loki Laufeyson lay in his prison chamber, bouncing an object up and to the ceiling and catching it when it fell again and again to pass time. It was his second week in prison, and his mother - no, Queen Frigga still cared to give him fresh clothing to change into. He had counted a hundred and thirty bounces, yet still only two minutes had passed. He wondered if he would be able to survive this intolerable cell with nothing at all to do either than destroy the only objects in the cell, which is exactly what he did. After he finished smashing the wooden chair and the bed, he glanced at the prison clock. Eight minutes.
“Ludicrous Asgardians!” he yelled, flinging the very same chair across the room. It snapped in many little shards of wood that Loki sent flying to the opposite side of the cell with his magic. His books were strung across his room without mercy. “Do they put a clock right in front of their prisoners to remind them of the everlasting hell they shall endure? The endless torture of confinement?”
He banged his fists against the glass of the cell, immediately stumbling back, clutching the burnt sides of his hands in pain. The glass glowed with thin amber patterns before turning back to its normal transparent state. Loki leaned helplessly against the white wall, sinking down in exhaustion.
“Allfather, you must be greatly pleased with yourself.”
Suddenly, the main door of the prison opened. Two guards came into the area with another figure struggling against their grip. As they passed by his cell, Loki could see that the figure was a female which he recognized through the vast but boring pane of glass. The guards threw the girl into the cell next to the shamed god’s, walking away with expressionless faces. No, it couldn't be...
“YOU BASTARDS!” she screamed, flinging herself against the burning glass. She did not cry in pain however; Loki could see her dressed in some sort of protective Midgardian suit. “Don’t make me do this to you!”
“And what,” the guard began, walking towards her, “could a confined, weak Midgardian possibly do to harm us? For attempting to harm Lady Sif you deserve to be punished for your crimes.”
Loki smirked at the foolishness of the guards. They did not even realize what they had gotten into. Being the God of Mischief, one look at the girl’s face told him that her tears were forced, and that her expression was a fraud.
“I could do anything.” she replied, her face becoming neutral. “Especially when the cell hasn't even been sealed yet.”
From inside her shoe she produced a tiny weapon Loki recognized as a ‘handgun’, one that Black Widow and police officers tried to shoot him with when he was invading New York. Of course they proved useless against him when he had his scepter.
Before the guard could react, the girl had aimed the weapon at his left eye and fired, blinding him while she incapacitated the neck of the other guard with such strength that the crack of his spine could be heard. But this was not enough to kill both of them, so from up her right sleeve she took out a small vile of blue liquid, reloading her gun with it and shooting both the guards at the neck area. Their pupils dilated and they dropped dead to the floor.
“Speciotoxin. Deadly chemical. Always works.”
All the other prisoners had witnessed this scene. The girl ignored them all and turned to Loki. She touched the glass which was protected with the burning patterns as well on the outside.
“Good morning, old friend. Remember me?” she flashed him a dazzling smile which showed all her pearly white teeth surrounded by her light pink lips. She had (e/c) eyes and (h/c) hair which framed her face in a normal Midgardian way, just as Loki remembered. She was not bad to look at, but was nothing compared to some other Asgardian maidens Loki had seen in his life. She had an accent which was fast-paced and clear – straight to the point.
“(Y/n)!" he exclaimed, walking closer to her. His eyes were wide as saucers as he drank in the appearance of his old friend. His almost-grin faltered as soon as it came. It was replaced by a narrowing of stern eyes. "You will not succeed in helping me escape. The prison cells can be opened by none other than the Allfather and Thor.” said Loki flatly.
“What if the patterns on the glass aren’t just patterns?” she murmured to herself. “What if they’re a code?”
Yet again she took out a device from her ordinary-looking belt and attached it to the panel of glass. It had metal clamps and a wire which was connected to another flat device she was holding. She was furiously tapping on it with different fingers, biting her lip as she tried to figure out the code. Loki noticed the patterns shifting from place, locking into place and forming a straight line as (Y/n) typed on and on, using the trial and error strategy. When at last all the patterns had formed a single line around the box, she tapped the top corner of the device, making the two separate halves of the glass split open.
“I did it! I hacked into the system! Beat that, Odin!” (Y/n) exclaimed gleefully. Loki smirked and teleported next to her, relishing in the glorious feeling of the ability to use his magic for a purpose again.
“Oh dear. How many items do you keep beneath your clothing, Miss (L/n)?” he whispered in her ear, making her jump slightly. “Tell me mortal, why are you here? It's been so long; why come back to free me now when you left me all those years ago to study for your Midgardian job? Have you come to mock me, mortal? See how your childhood friend enjoys being lock up in prison?!"
“Hey! Art was my profession. And no, I haven't come to gloat. I'm here to free my best friend.”
As soon as she finished he sentence, Loki had her dangling by her throat from his suffocating grip. He unknowingly changed into his frost giant form with dark blue skin and blazing red eyes, snarling anamalistically in her face.
“You’re lying.”
“Good God, you’re inside my mind!”
"ANSWER ME!!" Loki demanded, tightening his grip on her neck. She smiled weakly, trying to push him off. His Jotun form frightened her just a bit because this was only the third time in her life she had seen him like this, but she soon gave in to his question.
"I'm running." (Y/n) admitted quietly, thankful when he transformed back into his normal state as he calmed down and loosened his grip.
"Running from what?" he whispered softly, gazing intently into her eyes. She had always found them quite dazzling; they were a piercing yet greyish blue with a hint of turquoise in them.
"I'm not the only one who has Speciotoxin." she explained, choosing her words carefully. "S.H.I.E.L.D. has it too. In fact, they've got thirty vials of it. They don't like me very much because I accidentally killed one of their agents. They thought I was an assassin, although I'm not because I'm a spy who underwent excessive training before I decided to stop being one and study my passion, art. I'm one of their closed enemy files. If they ever find me they'll use the chemical on me to either kill me or extract my DNA or intelligence, depending on the dosage they give me."
"That still does not explain why you will help me have my revenge." he said, raising an eyebrow.
"Hold it there, Loki. I never said I'd help you with revenge! Oh no, I'm offering you a chance of escape."
He scowled in frustration, turning away from her. She put a hand on his shoulder. Immediately, he flinched at her touch. He turned to face her again, this time stepping closer to her than ever before. He was now so close that his lips were just hovering above hers. (Y/n) felt a cute tingly sensation all over her face and an annoying swarm of butterflies in her stomach; he always had that effect on her since their first encounter. She looked closer into his eyes and saw, other from pure hatred, an essence of hurt, melancholy and jealousy. Of his brother, she presumed.
"You are correct, (Y/n)." he whispered. Now you must answer me. Why. Are. You. Helping. Me?" he spoke each word more dangerously than the next, venom dripping from his deliciously heavy accent. The accent she feared yet loved so much. The other prisoners had started making noises and begging (Y/n) to set them free as well. They could hear Odin's guards approaching the area to find the cause of the noise. She grabbed Loki's arm and yanked him towards the main doors of the prison. He didn't budge the slightest. She sighed.
"I've been watching you." she began. "When you came to New York and started wreaking havoc with the Chitauri. I followed Jane Foster and Thor into Asgard to meet you."
"Why?"
"Because I miss you." she said, wasting no time in dragging Loki out of the prison and fighting off the guards that blocked their way.
Loki and (Y/n) fought together, eliminating one Asgardian after the other until one of the guards managed to stab some sort of needle into (Y/n)'s left arm. Loki smashed his head against the wall, ending his life.
"Shit!" she cursed, looking at the beeping green speck embedded into her skin. "It's a tracker. Odin somehow knew I was here. S.H.I.E.L.D. now know where I am. They could be anywhere. We gotta move quick."
"Can you not remove it?" Loki asked, inspecting the tracking device. (Y/n) shook her head.
"It's some pretty high-tech stuff, man. The device is connected to the nerves in my brain. If I pulled it out, I'd die."
They ran past many rooms until they got to the main dining hall. Loki cringed in disgust, thinking of his oaf of a brother enthusiastically chewing meat at the table. It disturbed him greatly. They stood in front of the large, framed window in which blinding sunlight streamed through in a proud panel of white light. Using the same device she used to hack the cell wall system, (Y/n) used it a remote control to direct her plan of escape towards them.
Suddenly, a thin, robust jet plane came crashing through the glass, skidding across the hall and screeching to a halt at the very end of the room. (Y/n) pocketed the device and hopped into the plane, pulling Loki alongside her.
"HALT!" yelled the guards who were coming at them from all four sides of the room, but they were too late. (Y/n) and Loki had already taken off in her jet and now they were hovering above Asgard at high speed. The God of Mischief looked around the plane in curiosity; there were multi-colored switches and a cobalt radar in front. A bead of sweat trickled down the side of (Y/n)'s face as she concentrated on steering the mini vessel in a straight line in the sky.
"WHAT IS THIS MIDGARDIAN INVENTION? WHERE ARE YOU TAKING ME, MORTAL?!" he yelled above the sound of the wind pushing against his face.
"IT'S A JET AND I'M TAKING YOU TO EARTH! NOW SHUT UP!!!"
(Y/n) pushed a red button on the console, making a cap of glass seal the jet up, enabling them to speak normally. They both fell back into their seats, panting for breath. Setting the jet on autopilot, she closed her eyes and relaxed. She heard Loki chuckle beside her, ignoring the wind blowing through his eyes. Little did she know, he was admiring the way her lips reminded him of Asgardian berries and how her soft eyelashes brushed against her lush cheeks. She looked at him peculiarly, giving him a questioning look. He laughed again and shifted to face her.
"Can you ensure my safety if I were to stay in Midgard?" he asked her. She put an arm across her chest in a diagonal line which ended in a fist on her other shoulder.
"Anything for my best friend. My only friend."
He chuckled arrogantly once again, grinning like a snob. "I should have known that my good looks and silver tongue would not have left your mind after so long." (Y/n) slapped him playfully on the arm, leaning her head on his shoulder.
"Well, you owe me one, Loki."
"If I stayed on Earth, you have to promise me one thing."
"Sure."
"Tell me what troubles you." he said. She looked nervous.
"W-what do you mean?"
"Since the time of our youth to this day, your radiant smile turns to a slight frown and your eyes sadden when I am with you. Do I frighten you?"
"Loki -"
"Answer me truthfully." he snapped, his gaze burning into her skull. She shivered beneath his gaze; although she hadn't seen him in a while, he was no less intimidating. He spoke slowly and dangerously.
"(Y/n), do you still fear me?"
She shook her head and moved away from him. There was an awkward silence inside the jet for at least ten minutes, with (Y/n) driving towards (favorite country) at (your preferred speed) mph. Then (Y/n) cleared her throat, but that was the only noise any of them made for the entirety of the approximately seven-hour trip.
They arrived at 8:00 pm in (favorite city or town) and checked into the nearest and cheapest hotel. They booked a room which was shabby and brownish and small, but better than the usual homeless shelters (Y/n) had stayed in during her years of spy training.
"You're such a cheeky boy, Loki." she said, flopping down onto the creaky bed. "Found love, have you." she giggled, yet Loki could've sworn he heard a hint of sadness in her voice. "A said "Loki Laufeyson a.k.a God of Mischief" has a new wife. You got Lady Sigyn."
He looked away, a moment of loathing flashing across his eyes.
"You must never speak of that vile woman in my presence." he said slowly and dangerously. "She betrayed me. I loathe her with every fiber of my being."
"Oh," she whispered, "I'm sorry."
They both stayed silent for a while until (Y/n) heard a faint beeping. She rolled up her sleeve, eyes widening when she realized that the tracking device was the source of the beeping. That meant S.H.I.E.L.D. was here - within a 100 meter radius.
"Dammit! Loki, follow me."
They jumped out of the window, landing on the ground below them. They made a swift turn round the building as the voices of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents could already be heard. (Y/n) turned to Loki.
"Alright, right now I am gonna stay here and fend off these bad guys while you disappear somewhere safe, or we'll both be screwed. I'll follow you afterwards."
He nodded, evaporating to a thin cloud of blue smoke. (Y/n) pressed her back against the wall to keep herself hidden just as an agent came around the corner.
"Alright." she breathed, "let's do this."
(Y/n) wiped the blood off of her hands and face, going over to each lifeless body and stealing their ammo or anything shiny. She then went around the building again where a noticeable trail of leaves lead off into the distance. (Y/n) followed it for about fifteen minutes until the trail stopped. She was standing in the middle of a dark alleyway.
"I see you have found my trail. Clever (Y/n)."
She blushed at her name being mentioned. "Well, I was a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. But thanks anyway."
All of a sudden, (Y/n) felt a sharp sting in her neck,so she turned her head to the side and found herself staring into the eyes of Agent Maria Hill who looked wicked with glee. It was then and there that (Y/n) realized there was a syringe plunged deep into a thick vein on the side of her neck which was filled with a familiar chemical. It was filled with Speciotoxin.
"NO!!!!" she heard someone scream in anguish. Everything became a blur to her and the world seem to blend its colors as time slowed down to her altogether. She felt like she was falling, falling endlessly into a dark abyss where she would be swallowed up and forgotten forever. She was still falling, and the light was fading, until she was jerked awake from her trance when she came in contact with the hard, concrete ground. Her heart began to thump louder and faster, and her body burned as the chemical took affect.
Loki finished off Agent Hill in a fit of rage and grief by driving his scepter into her heart. He could barely hear her whisper "Coulson" before he pulled it out of her and let her body collapse to the ground. He did not waste a second in aiding his dying friend.
"(Y/n)?" he stroked her face, causing her closed eyelids to flutter open. It began to rain abruptly. The sky grew dark and the pair were soaking wet in a matter of minutes. (Y/n) winced every time a drop of rain managed to fall on a particularly painful spot of her body.
"Loki?"
"Hush, my (Y/n), I shall take you back to Asgard and I will ensure that you are cured -"
"There is no cure." she cut him off, oddly calm. She reached up to touch his face. His skin was cold, yet smooth and comforting to the tips of her fingers. She then laughed, trying to bite back the an surging within her. Loki could see the tears of agony threatening to spill from her eyes. "You're no different then I remember you, Loki."
He pulled her into his arms, sheltering her from the rain. She leaned her cheek against his chest and took this opportunity to breath in his minty scent. "Well, maybe the hair's different. You looked better with your old hair." she mumbled weekly into his chest. Using the rainwater falling down his raven hair, she gently slicked it back from his hairline and flattened the curled ends to fit the shape of his head. He now looked younger, like he did during Thor's first coronation.
"That's better." she looked directly into his eyes while he embedded that rich (e/c) hue into his memory. Looking at her face brought back so many memories of their childhood together, and the artwork she used to show him in the library while Thor trained with the Three.
"But I'll tell you what would be even better," she continued whispering, occasionally shuddering from the pain and the feeling of her heart gradually pumping slower.
"Anything for my darling (Y/n)."
"If you smiled for me, like you used to."
And he did, though he smiled through a clenched jaw and tears. She smiled and closed her eyes.
"Good."
Just as she was about to slip away, she felt the sides of her face being cradled by icy-cold hands which felt comforting to her nonetheless. It took her by surprise when the feeling of equally cold yet refreshing and tender lips pressed gently against her own. A hundred thoughts whizzed through her mind, pushing away all her fear of death. She relished in the sweet moment she had been waiting for her entire lifetime, when at last she felt whole, and it was no other but Loki, her God of Mischief, that made her feel that way.
"Thank you."
Now he understood why she shied away from him. No words were needed. He kissed the top of her forehead, continuing to cradle her lifeless body in his arms.
"No." he whispered. "Thank you."