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Chapter Text

Being dragged into this specific timestream had proven so…so…so horrifically boring. More mundane than anything that even humans could think of. Two Dooms had to really come together in order to think about escort missions. Recurring ones even! And with the same “heroes” to boot. The days when they'd be redirected to Yggsgard were perhaps the most confusing to Loki. How dared that ghostly Loki call him a variant?! Such insolence, even from himself. At least the god could console himself with the fact that he stayed constant across timelines. Was he also most dedicated and involved when an Yggsgard intervention was needed? Why of course . 

But aside from that… Loki had started off this adventure by doing the bare minimum. Most of his teammates were barely acquaintances to him. What kind of god would go above and beyond for mere strangers? Hah, he didn't even bother to do much for Thor and Hela! Or so he’d deluded himself into believing.

Loki Laufeyson, king of Asgard, god of lies and treachery. Trickster supreme and guardian of all schemes. All but a role he had to assume for himself in order to actually protect those that he cared about, while living with the fact that he would be seen as nothing more than a self absorbed traitor. Despite all the plans and lies made against others, Loki lied to himself above all. The god really believed that if he presented himself as some ruthless, careless individual then the image itself would stick to his mind. That if he'd kept on being reminded of just how false and terrible he was by everyone around him, then he'd stop feeling remorseful. That if only he'd repeat the same lines about his own person to everyone who dared question his intentions, he'd believe his role more. And yet, after all those years, all he could feel was sadness and powerlessness, for Loki could not share the truth with those around him. But sacrifices needed to be made, and no one would believe him. 

The Yggsgard he'd kept on looping in and out of due to the Dooms was a good test run for what was to come though. Every new attempt, on either side of the team, made Loki only think further on his plans, adding and subtracting, revising and cutting. No one meddled into his own scheming and all was going well until he came along.

Adam Warlock. Or the Man of Gold. Or The Perfect Human. Or Him . So many names, and all for a scientific attempt at mimicking the potential of a god. Hah! The very first time he'd laid eyes on the man, Loki couldn't stop himself from scoffing. A pitiful goody two shoes. An entirely likeable person. Part of the “good guys” . But a strategist like Loki nonetheless. Sure, the man was built perfectly- not too bulky like the terribly imposing Hulk, just tall enough without making one feel threatened, skin seemingly made out of golden threads with similar hair to complete the look. Not a bad look, not bad at all. Maybe…if he was naive enough…Loki could find a use for him regarding his plan.

Only all of it was going to come crashing down with one simple phrase.

“I'd met the imprisoned All-Father. Your father, Loki Laufeyson”  

What?! Impossible! The old man was supposed to be unreachable, how could a human- 

But that had to wait. Their daily mission was about to begin. Yet another escort mission, but this time in the heart of Tokyo 2099’s Spider Islands. The god had seen Spider Zero more times than he'd seen his own brother at that point. He was not to be bothered by the sheer incompetence of his teammates in delivering the Spider to the decided location. He was simply going to lurk in the shadows and let the other strategist work. And maybe, maybe if he felt like it, Loki would transform into someone on either teams just to spice things up. But this time, above everything else, he was curious to see what this Adam Warlock could do. That phrase was weighing enough on his mind already, and Loki had to figure out whether this man was going to be friend or foe. 

Adam’s healing abilities proved good enough, even if the man himself felt a little too slow or sluggish for Loki's own pace. Sometimes the god would chime in with a shot or two, not because he intended to help Adam or the team, no no, but because he needed to show the perfect man what a proper strategist should do. A man created in a lab who couldn't clone himself? Just what were those scientists on?! That was a perfectly useful skill that anyone should have! 

Still, Loki proved to be distracted during that specific mission. His mind was constantly shifting towards Adam’s words. He'd met Odin, somehow , who was supposed to be completely unreachable. What did the old man tell him? Did he already make Loki's plans known? Was Adam already on Odin's side? Did he already have an image of just who Loki was? Would the perfect man be so easily influenced by a stranger's personal opinions? Gods, why did he have to turn up at all? Why did he have to complicate things? Why-

In all of his worrying, the god did not account for the fact that he'd forgotten to turn himself invisible. In his fully distracted state of mind, Loki had left himself completely open to a stalking Hawkeye, who took his chance at landing a headshot right through the man’s skull. His horned helmet stood no chance against the archer's enhanced arrows, the head adornment splitting into pieces as Loki fell to the ground. Others had suffered their demise all the same before, being brought back at a later time by the unusual powers that the Dooms had let out into the world, but never Loki. The man knew how to remove himself from the fight even in the most dire situations, but this time he slipped up. The enhanced arrow may have disappeared after impact, but the man could still feel the immensely shattering pain pulsating throughout his skull as warm blood began flowing and pooling onto the ground. His body had started to grow numb quite quickly, and he could swear that he'd seen his fingertips slowly starting to disintegrate, when somewhere in front of him, a powerful voice echoed:

“Rise, my friends!”

The god's body started feeling warm all of a sudden, not uncomfortably so. Golden threads gathered around his body, mending his wounds and raising him back up on his feet, making Loki feel quite invigorated. Feeling around his head, the wound from Hawkeye’s arrow was gone, along with the blood that would've trickled down his temples. Only his broken helmet laid all the same by his feet. So that was Adam Warlock’s true power. Resurrection. Truly a power that not even the gods had access to. 

The rest of the team had already pushed ahead, with Adam hanging behind as Loki was still trying to get back to his senses. 

“The perfect human, possessing powers of resurrection”, Loki muttered.

“Do gods not possess such power?”

“Oh but they do! Of course they do. I was merely surprised that a human would, Man of Gold”, Loki bluffed, picking up his broken helmet and mending it with magic.

“Hm. Just as cunning as the All-Father had said”

Loki was about to interfere, but an all too excited chain of victory screams echoed from Spider Zero’s destination a few blocks ahead. His team had made it once again, and without help from the strategists. Adam had already walked off ahead to catch up with the others, but the god of lies was not going to let the man slip through his fingers.

“You…What did Odin tell you? That I'm a lying slithering snake, no doubt. Aaand that I have usurped the throne from under his nose”, Loki smirked, trying his best to keep up the pace with Adam.

“If you already know, why do you insist on asking, Loki Laufeyson?”

“Oh you know, just to make sure that everyone's opinions of me stay consistent”, Loki chuckled.

“Basing one's opinions on gossip is not in my nature. I'm afraid I shall be building my own, God of Lies”

So did Adam say, a foretelling smile on his lips as he left Loki behind in order to tend to the wounds of his victorious teammates. Ah, this man of gold was going to prove most difficult it seemed. Disregarding Odin’s warnings in favor of hurting himself by being around Loki? Such a different approach! One could even call it brave. 

But Loki knew all too well, Adam too was going to reach the very same conclusion as the others.

~~~~~~~~~~

“You sleep in a cocoon? What, like…a butterfly?”, Squirrel Girl asked, tilting her head in perfect sync with Tippy Toe.

“In order to regenerate myself, yes. Although I doubt the process is as beautiful as a butterfly’s”, Adam smiled. “It is my only weakness unfortunately, as it can take a long time”

“Perhaps you could allow me to study your regenerative powers some time, Adam Warlock”, Doctor Strange chimed in. “Almost makes me jealous of Loki for having experienced it first hand”

“You should do less of a great job guarding us next time then, Mr Strange”

Everyone laughed, fully enjoying Adam's well meaning bluntness. All but Loki, who was now back to his horned glory, but sulking in a corner. Heroes and their weirdly likeable auras, they always had to show up and make everyone else feel at ease. Pfft! At least the groups switched around every once in a while, so Loki wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb in the middle of all these bubbly super heroes. 

Still, Adam seemed to have left the previous discussion, approaching the god of lies instead, as Squirrel Girl began pestering Doctor Strange with requests of magically enhancing her rodent friends.

“How do you feel, Loki Laufeyson?”, Adam asked.

“Little old me? Oh, bored out of my mind in the presence of such heroes”, the man replied rolling his eyes.

“I meant…after the resurrection. I suppose you'd find your surroundings to be overwhelming after”

“Oh.. I'm fine, don't mind me”, Loki waved the man off. He was fine indeed, although he found the man's care rather… No, no, there was no time for that. He was probably after something anyway, only trying to get within the god's good graces and all. 

“It's alright. I don't mind being dismissed. See you around, Loki Laufeyson”, Adam lastly said as he walked off to another one of the many rooms within their base.

“Huh- Ah, that's right! You are indeed dismissed!”, Loki called out after him, hands on his hips as he yelled. Despite Adam himself leaving the conversation, Loki felt himself a bit rude waving the man off like that. That was simply the way he’d been used to interacting with others. For a long while now. The man of gold seemed unaffected though. Was he always so direct? Maybe that was what perfection in humans was supposed to reflect: the need for honesty. Huh… Honesty and trickery. Two concepts that would never work together.

~~~~~

The Man of Gold continued to perplex Loki through his well meaning bluntness, along with his softened positive thinking. Normally he'd hate an optimist with every fibre of his body, but this one, this one felt different. He'd keep bringing up how he'd seen plenty of futures and deemed that all was going to be fine. 

It was so peculiar, but Loki had started to feel somewhat at ease around him. Something about the man's presence didn't tick off the god of treachery as the other self proclaimed heroes would. Maybe the perfect man was not such a perfectionist in the end, seeing the good in everyone like some others would. Maybe… They were not so different after all. But Adam was never going to know that, until-

“There's such goodness in your heart, Loki Laufeyson. Why do you choose to hide it beneath a veil of darkness?”

The question really came out of nowhere. 

It had been a quiet night at their base in the Hall of Djalia, and Loki snuck away from the rest to just admire the suspended gardens from one of the balconies. Just to clear his mind and move away from the general ruckus his teammates would be involved in. Little did he know that there was another who'd retreated just as he had, who now also posed him this question.

“Did those scientists give you a keen sense of smell for you to just sniff people about? Hah, goodness in my heart . The god of lies holds none! Unless specified within a contract, of course”

“Your bluffing continues to be over the top, Loki Laufeyson. A distraction tactic perhaps?”, Adam smiled.

Just how much could this guy see?! It was worse than holding a conversation with Mantis who'd know how you felt in an instant. 

There was a long silence between the two, until Adam eventually would prepare to take his leave, understanding that his questions had made things awkward. But Loki eventually reached out just in time. He probably wasn't going to have another chance like this in a long time.

“It is a role I must play, I'm afraid. And it cannot be done any other way”

“You would not let anyone else help?”

“I've seen the future of my home, Adam Warlock. Sacrifices are to be made if I wish to see it flourishing and protected from harm. But none will believe that scenario to be attainable with me sitting on the throne. Sacrifices had to be made ”

The perfect human pondered for a while, visibly going back to the time when he'd met Odin. Stuck into only seeing and believing what Loki wanted him to see, the old man saw his son as any other: a traitor and a liar, although even then, Adam could feel the tiniest tinge of hope in the old man's speech. Loki had seen the countless futures of his home world, just as Adam had, and instead of letting it crumble, he attempted to course towards the best outcome possible, even if his own family had to be removed from said scenario. 

“You're going down a difficult path, Loki Laufeyson. I believed…”

“What did you believe, hm? Come on, out with it”

“I believed you lacked a soul. Overtaking a whole empire for your own schemes and plans, for your ego”

“Oh don't think that being King of Asgard would be doing absolutely nothing to my ego! I am above all and all shall treat me with respect, as I lounge in my big golden throne”

“You wish for the people to finally see you in a good light, Loki Laufeyson. So you actually crave validation and-”

“Gods, are you related to that girl Mantis in any way? Cause if you are, I shall very respectfully ask you to…GET OUT OF MY HEAD!”, Loki raised his voice.

“Not at all, we're only friends. I just happen to have a keen sense of smell, no?”, Adam chuckled.

This guy… Using even his own jokes against him. Loki was mad, mad because a human of all beings managed to read him well enough, and to worm his way even into an attempt to have the god open up, in his own way of course. It was even going as far as making him feel uneasy. Was Adam going to use this weakness of his? Spread it far and wide to reach even his father in Odinsleep?

“Remember the first time we'd met?”, Adam asked, making Loki snap out of his deep thinking.

“Yes, what about it?”

“You'd wanted to know what Odin had told me about you. And I said I don't base myself around gossip”

“Yes, yes, yes, I do not have the memory of a goldfish, get to the point please”

“I've made my opinion”, Adam smiled, leaving the balcony and heading off inside.

“What? And you're going to leave, just like that?!”

“Have a good night, Loki Laufeyson”

~~~~~~~

The months had passed without much to note between the two, besides the usual quips, pokes and Adam's smiles putting Loki into an almost frozen state. The team surrounding them though, was beginning to see some sparks .

“Say, Mr Strange, have you ever seen Green Boy soooo…bouncy?”, Squirrel Girl asked the sorcerer.

“Unless it's something to do with one of his plans or schemes, no, not at all”

“The horned one seems quite enticed by Adam Warlock, no?”, Psylocke chimed in.

“It's all more trouble for us. Loki's probably just using him”

“As doubtful as ever, Moonknight…”, Squirrel Girl sighed. 

“I believe it could be beneficial. Maybe the God of Lies will finally see the light”, Psylocke continued.

“I wouldn't be so optimistic about it”

Doctor Strange’s last remark ended the conversation, as the two men were approaching the team, with Adam Warlock wearing a most peculiar color.

“Am I seeing wrong? There's double the green in the room than it was before”, Doctor Strange joked, giving the rest of the team a sly look.

“ Excuse you , Doctor. Green is a most regal color! If only more of you could grasp such a needed concept like fashion”, Loki protested.

“Hmm…Weren't you the one who complained about Mantis being too green last time she was around?”

“Ah, it was simply a complaint about measure! One needs to know when there's too much green involved”

At that point everybody in the room, minus the two men, were giving each other all knowing side eyes. Still, to preserve the god's dignity, they mutually decided not to poke him further.

“A change of appearance is always welcome, lest life becomes very dull otherwise”, Adam Warlock chimed in. 

“A man after my own tastes!”

Indeed Loki. That statement was going to follow you for longer than you'd thought. And for far more than a simple fashion choice.

~~~~~~

“You're leaving? Already? There's still two weeks until the official term”, Loki inquired, visibly not concealing his outrage enough.

“Apparently someone dropped out on one of the rival teams. I had signed up to assist”

“How altruistic of you”, Loki rolled his eyes, crossing his arms as he leaned against the hall's doorframe. 

“I can detect the sarcasm”

“Oh was it difficult?”, the god sneered. “Well, I've got your weak points noted, so don't expect to be on the winning team, Man of Gold”, he continued to bluff. Clearly enough, this was his way of coping. Making jokes about it, lying some more, hoping he'd make the other person leave sooner, with no return.

“You know as well as I do that you won't be doing that”, Adam smiled fondly as he approached him. 

“Hah! Then you do not know me at all, my dear. And that precisely is the whole point”, the god shifted his position, moving away from the doorframe and taking his usual hands on hips pose. “Let it be known that the god of treachery shall win again, while keeping his most mysterious inner depths-”

A pair of strong and comfortingly warm arms would then wrap around him. Gently at first, but then changing into a proper squeeze. 

“-hidden…”, Loki barely whispered, his arms half outstretched. This was completely unexpected. And it seemed to be a genuine embrace, not an excuse to stab him in the back. The man was actually holding onto him, even resting his chin against the god's shoulder. 

Hesitantly, Loki returned the hug, wrapping his arms around Adam, his fingers digging into the man's cape. The man of gold felt more solid than a regular person would, but still, somehow, he felt warm and comforting to him. It genuinely felt like a most needed gesture, at least on Loki's side. He'd been missing any kind of human touch for so long, and despite it being mostly a sacrifice he knew he had to make due to his image and nature, he still longed for it. 

Eventually though, Adam slowly let go of the god, who very reluctantly took a step back. On Loki's side it all felt rather awkward. A sudden display of affection such as this one, how was he supposed to move on when he'd been so vulnerable? He was even expecting Adam to tease him about his demeanor, but the man knew better. Instead one of his hands lingered onto Loki's arm, giving him one last reassuring squeeze. 

“We shall see each other again, Loki Laufeyson”

“Only if you drop the Laufeyson. Loki is enough”, the man smiled softly.

“Only if you call me Adam in turn”

A mutual chuckle, a nod on Loki's side, and the two would finally part, only to meet again under dire circumstances.

~~~~~~~

Hours turned into days, turned into weeks, turned into months where Loki would look for Adam in every single new mission he'd been part of. He even changed several teams in the meantime, but none of them held the man that he was looking for. If he was particularly unfriendly and sassy before, now he'd only gotten even worse. He was beginning to doubt Adam's leave.

Did the man really have another team waiting for his assistance, or did he just want to get rid of Loki? But then what was that hug all about? It had felt so genuine in the moment and yet…

No, the perfect human wouldn't lie . That would've been beneath Adam and what he stood for. No, he surely meant it and had to leave for a good cause.

But then…

Loki's mind drifted back to their very first fight together and the discussion that the team had afterwards. 

“So you sleep in a cocoon?”

“In order to regenerate myself, yes”

No, no, no, no. That couldn't be the case. He couldn't have been hurt to that degree! And he should've regenerated by now regardless, the Dooms messed up the timestream, their skills were slightly altered, surely Adam wouldn't be needing to rest for a century or more. 

Pacing around the hall, Loki’s mind was racing in all directions. He was trying to reach any other conclusion to Adam's absence, and he was simply unable to. Eventually his spiraling was interrupted though, by a very familiar green clad individual.

“Your emotions are through the rough, God of Lies. Your fear is particularly…chilling. Are you alright?”, Mantis asked, hesitantly approaching Loki.

It really had to be her out of everyone else within the base. Another person who could read him like a book. But Loki was too tired to keep up the facade.

“No, Mantis, I'm not alright”, he answered in a defeated tone. “You and Adam…you're friends right?”

“Oh yes, quite good friends in my book! Ah…”, the woman paused, tilting her head curiously as she took a step further towards Loki. “You're worried about him, aren't you?”

“Yes… His absence unsettles me, as you can see”

“I doubt that my words can bring you much comfort, King of Asgard, but Adam is very capable. He's most likely busy in another sector, that's all. His periods of slumber have been very rare. He can hold his own”

“Right, yes, the perfect human. Of course he can deal with anything”, Loki scoffed. “Well then, I was worrying for nothing-”

The discussion of the two was suddenly interrupted, as the intervention alarm was sounded. Yet another mission needing to be carried out. The team gathered together at the entrance, barely planning out their attack in the Birnin T’Challa area. Venom was too busy slobbering and climbing up walls to listen to the needlessly long speech coming from Captain America, but at least he had Nat and Magik listening in. Loki was all too distracted still to care, and poor Mantis was a bit thrown off by the man's state of mind.

Still, they all set out. Everybody’s eyes were set on locating and eliminating the enemy, all but Loki’s. In his desperation to catch a glimpse of Adam, he split up from the team, sneaking around the winding hallways, trying to reach close to the other team's base. There was no shade of gold in sight, until…

Adam himself was leaving the base all on his own, trying to catch up with his other teammates. Being in his invisible state, Loki did not reveal himself, limiting himself to simply watching the man from afar, trying to keep up the pace from a distance. Adam looked fine, just like the day he'd left the team. He was still wearing his Cosmic Jade outfit, to Loki's surprise. He wished he could imagine that Adam wore it in order to remind himself of the god of lies, but perhaps the man was overstepping in his fantasy. 

Still, they were supposed to be on different teams, and Loki was supposed to tend to his own. And they were about to be reminded of it in a most gruesome way. 

A hint of red hair in the distance, unnoticed by Loki and even more so by Adam who was facing away. And then, a single shot echoed through the hallways, rendering the man of gold fully immobile before collapsing onto the marble tiles.

Loki froze into place, his eyes fixated on the man who was now bleeding even more gold by his feet. His invisible state long gone, the man dropped to his knees and reached out to Adam, his hands shaking.

“He's an enemy, leave him”, Blackwidow bluntly cried out, already reloading her rifle. Loki did not answer. He probably did not even hear the woman's words, as his full attention was on the man of gold, who was steadily becoming incorporeal. The god of lies desperately grabbed onto him, bringing him into his lap, but less and less of the man's presence remained. Their eyes eventually met, Loki distinguishing one last moment of realization on Adam's face, right before the man completely faded away, the only proof of his existence being the blood he'd left behind on Loki's hands.

The adrenaline rushing through the man's body was only getting higher, as Loki simply turned back and launched into a sprint back onto the battleground, not to assist his teammates, but to find Mantis. And surely he did, as the woman was ceaselessly offering her healing orbs to the vanguards, looking a bit tattered herself.

“Son of Odin! Where have you been? We need-”

“Doesn't matter! Adam's down-”

“Oh no! He's normally more attentive to his surroundings-”

“DOESN'T MATTER! HE DISAPPEARED, MANTIS! HE FADED AWAY IN MY ARMS”

“Oh! That's normal!”

Normal?!  

“It means he's transferred himself into a cocoon!”, Mantis continued, seeing Loki's shocked expression.

“And this cocoon, could it be hidden away in their base?”

“Oh surely so!”

That was all that Loki needed to know. Completely disregarding his teammates once more, he ran off, turning himself invisible yet again, sprinting right by the enemy team and back to their base. The entrances were off limits, a forcefield keeping outsiders at bay, but the open terrace upstairs was left unguarded and without any other security measures put into place. 

Hopping onto one of the very conveniently placed jumping pads, the god of lies was now on top of the enemy team's base, trying to figure out where exactly would Adam's cocoon find itself. It couldn't have manifested itself within one of the hallways, nor the open rooms, so the very last option was the basement . Luckily enough, this enemy team seemed to be pretty sturdy, with only one injured Namor whining about in the lounge, who was all too busy with dramatics in order to notice the footsteps that Loki was leaving behind as he descended from the terrace. 

The basement was behind yet another door, which was surprisingly not locked at all. Huh, such a careless bunch of heroes! And not even the creak of the door seemed to bother Namor, who was now laid down groaning on a couch. 

Loki couldn't go down the stairs fast enough. He needed to see it, he needed to make sure that Adam was really coming back and that he hadn't deluded himself, that Mantis hadn't lied to him. 

As soon as he'd reached the bottom of the stairs, a dim golden glow attracted his attention to a corner of the room. Sure enough, an incredibly large golden cocoon had formed, thick threads of some kind of silk having stuck themselves to the walls of the basement. The god of lies could finally breathe. The process had started and Adam was going to return. Hopefully faster than one hundred years. 

And yet, something was making him stay longer than intended. He felt like he shouldn't believe his eyes just yet, that he had to see Adam's face to finally put his worries at ease. But was this attempt going to mess with the recovery process? No, he couldn't risk such a thing, he couldn't be at fault for the man's demise. Still, he needed some kind of proof that Adam was in there, and that he was alive. Coming out of his invisible state once more, Loki approached the glowing cocoon and kneeled by it, hesitantly reaching a hand out towards its surface. He brushed his fingertips along the threaded material, a familiar warm feeling enveloping him. It felt just like that one parting embrace they'd shared back then. Now gently pressing his whole palm down onto the cocoon, his hand began to feel around it, eventually making out the form of Adam's body under the membrane's layer. Moving his hand higher up, Loki stopped for a few moments. Breathing. Gentle and rhythmic, as if someone was deeply asleep. 

Letting out one big sigh, the man's whole demeanor relaxed, his hand idly stroking the cocoon. Adam was fine, and the recovery seemed to be going well. Now all he could hope for was a speedy process, for both Adam's and his sake. He was going to have to inquire further with Mantis about the matter. But until then, he had to make his way back out, albeit reluctantly.

~~~~~~

For Loki's insolence and deserter attitude, he'd been forbidden from teaming up with other heroes, until he properly reflected upon his actions. Or so the rules seemed to state. Did that mean that he was forbidden forever ? It all did not matter, as apparently living in exile did Loki well, especially when it came to meeting up with Adam. 

The three weeks that the god of lies had to wait for felt like an eternity, especially as he had no idea exactly when the man was going to fully emerge from his cocoon. Mantis had proved useless when it came to estimating a timeline for that, but she was nice enough to promise Loki that she would let him know once the man of gold was conscious again. 

And the day had finally come! One of the back alleys of Shin Shibuya proved to be a good enough location for someone who was exiled and a most righteous man who was not supposed to be seen in his company. The meet-up had started a bit awkward, mostly on Loki's side as he had no idea how to react exactly. What does one do when their person of interest had only just woken up from regenerative slumber? Would a handshake have worked? A nod? Should he have gone for a hug? He did not have time to think too long about it, as Adam's honest attitude was already about to save the day.

“Oh? You're blue this time”, he remarked.

“Hah! Haven't seen each other in so long and this is how you greet me!”, Loki scoffed with a smile. “Yes, I am blue, I've changed my appearance, what of it?”

“Nothing really. It suits you”, Adam continued. Gods, the genuine reaction coupled with the man's smile was driving Loki to the limit. He could already feel his face turn hot and bright red. He was ready to dip on this whole reunion, leave a clone behind and just run off, but Adam was not done talking it seemed.

“Ah but I digress. I wanted to thank you, Loki”

“Thank me? What for? I couldn't even save you back then”

“That was inevitable, yes. But that is not what I meant. You checked in on me, did you not?”

“Me? Check in on you? Nonsense! How would I even infiltrate your base?”, Loki chuckled. Yet Adam's fond gaze did not cease. 

“Well, whoever it was then, had the most soothing touch for a recovering wounded man”

A golden hand made its way on Loki's back, resting right in between his shoulder blades. If only Adam knew how soothing his touch was for a suffering man only used to the cold. Still, the god of mischief could not steal more of Adam's time, away from his own team. 

“Well, Adam, if that was all, I believe we can call off this meeting”

“Dismissing me so soon?”

“Ah, what? No! I didn't mean to-”

“I jest. I had actually come with a proposal”

“Hm? Want to make a deal with the god of trickery? Very brave of you, dear”, Loki smirked, although within him feelings began to stir. Was Adam going to prove him wrong? Was he really just like everyone else? Pursuing some sort of personal bargain?

“I would like for us to fight together. For as long as you'd find it beneficial”

“What…an odd request”, the man deflated with great surprise. He asked for…companionship?

“Mantis had told me about it. She and Star Lord had partnered up like this before. I believe it's called… a duo ? We shall not be separated then”

A duo… The idea seemed too good to be true. Did that mean that wherever one went, the other would follow? Without the possibility of being split up?

“But why would you choose to partner with me? Surely you've found much stronger allies out there in those months that you were gone”

“Oh I have. But none of them could be as green with livelihood as you, Loki”, Adam patted him on the back. “So, what do you say?”

That was it. The final chance, and Loki would've been a fool not to take it. Turning to Adam, the man extended an arm out, waiting for a handshake to seal the deal.

“I shall have you as my partner in crime then, dear Adam. May we fight together for mischief…and the occasional kindness, of course”

Adam chuckled, giving the man's hand a proper squeeze. A strategist duo. If they played their cards right, they could be unstoppable. Finally, Loki did not have to face this timestream on his own, drifting across groups of strangers who'd constantly side eye his presence. The frost giant had finally found his Sun.

Chapter Text

“Aah, and look just who it is! Loki Laufeyson, god of lies. Welcome to the Hellfire Gala”, a welcoming but equally superior voice announced from the middle of the crowd. The guests gathered around the woman took a step back, allowing the host to properly greet the new figures joining the party.

Dressed in his presidential attire, Loki smirked, giving everyone a dignified wave. Let them see and feel the glorious aura of their potential leader! Still, he had to show at least an ounce of respect towards the host, and so, with a flourish, he offered the woman half a bow. 

“Emma Frost, a pleasure to be in your lavishly luxurious presence”, the man eventually spoke up. “Went all out with the decor once more, hm? One could almost get lost in this venue”, he chuckled. Ah, small talk. They both hated it, but they didn't really have much to speak on to begin with. 

“Oh you know me ~ I love my property big , no matter what it might be”, the blonde woman scoffed. “Now, if you're done with your horrifically boring attempt at small talk, will you introduce me to your plus one here?”, she continued tilting her head towards the man behind Loki. 

“Ah, ahem, of course. Emma Frost, meet Adam Warlock, also known as The Perfect Human”, Loki cleared his throat, turning to Adam and reassuringly holding a hand on the man's back. 

“It is my pleasure to meet you, ma’am”, Adam chimed in, bowing his head. 

The woman took her sweet time looking the man up and down, trying to assess him solely based on the choice of outfit. In truth, had Loki not pushed him to wear the Blood Soul outfit he'd found during their battles with Dracula, Adam would've very well come dressed in his regular clothes. He did like the outfit though, as the added mask helped out against any kind of added anxiety he'd feel throughout the night being surrounded by so many prominent figures. Emma hummed, not looking all too impressed.

“A bit costume-y for the occasion. Remove the mask”

“I-”

“Security measures, dear. Can't really trust Loki here, can I?”

“You wound me!”, the god dramatically declared, a hand to his chest, only to chuckle afterwards. Adam reluctantly did as he was told, briefly taking his mask off and looking at Emma before slipping it back on. 

A face of gold, with long strands of white hair adorning it on the sides. His eyes and expression were giving off a peculiar sense of sincerity, one that Emma hadn't seen in a very long time, especially on the faces of men. As soon as Adam put his mask back on, the woman's gaze moved back to Loki, an amused smile on her face.

“Ah, I had no idea you liked the big, honest and obedient ones, Loki! I'd assumed you'd look towards more…similar folks. So, what's the deal between you two?”

“I am his duo”, Adam replied instead.

“Duo, huh…. Is that what people call it these days? Ugh, I cannot keep up with all this slang. One day it's a hook up, then it's a situationship, then it's a duo”, the woman groaned, rubbing the side of her temple as if warding off an incoming headache. 

“It's actually not-”, Loki intervened.

“Well, enjoy yourselves, there's plenty secluded areas if people start feeling the fire in the Gala”, Emma chuckled, leaving the two men behind as she once again made herself disappear within the crowd. Great, now she was going to go and spread the rumors of those two dating! Not like anyone was going to believe such a thing anyway.

“Did I say something wrong?”, Adam asked the god, genuine concern in his voice.

“Not at all, it's just her wanting to understand differently”, Loki smiled, patting the man on his back. “Well, what would you like to see?”

In truth, both of them had been fighting the question of “what are we”, although each did it separately. On one hand, Adam had been starting to worry over the past few months. Had his previous acts of affection given Loki the wrong idea all along? Did the god believe that the man was basically throwing himself at him all along? The feelings weren't there at the beginning, as Adam was simply trying to be a good supportive friend as Mantis had taught him to be. But now that said feelings were starting to take root… The Perfect Human was unsure. Maybe Loki didn't actually look into those gestures all too much, and he was still under the impression that they were friendly gestures…and they were friendly gestures! But Adam was starting to wish that they weren't interpreted that way.

The poor man was completely torn over it all. He was supposed to be the Perfect Human! Was he engineered to fall in love too? Maybe he wasn't, and that was why his mind had no clue how to deal with this kind of emotions. But if he wasn't meant to fall in love, then why was it slowly happening still? He didn't feel charmed, put under a spell, or manipulated into it… it felt…like a natural emotion to have, something that was developing so steadily. And yet, this type of romantic love was scaring him a little. It implied that there was a possibility for rejection on the other side, the possibility of ending a friendship. For some reason, Adam couldn't see Loki taking him seriously, had he ever come forward about his feelings. Still, it had only been a few months…maybe he wasn't even in love, maybe it was all just the fact that this type of relationship felt new and exciting to him. Maybe, it was all going to go away eventually…

On the other side of things, Loki was having a quite different reaction. He was not worried about himself one bit, if anything he was used to having loved and having lost, or having had to move on for the best of both people involved. Deep inside the god was aware that he didn't deserve such devotional and sincere affection and trust, even though he found himself seeking it more than he'd ever admit. Anyone who'd dare associate themselves with him was bound to be treated as a traitor, or at least as someone not worth trusting, meant to be singled out. He couldn't do that to Adam. He couldn't let himself be selfish and entertain the thought of even making his feelings known. Adam was a kind man, regardless of whether he'd been created that way without a chance of deviation, or if he turned out that way due to outside influence. He was quite literally the opposite of Loki, and he was treated just as differently too. So who really was Loki, in order to steal all of that from him, just for the selfish need of love and affection? 

And so, the two of them danced a most conflicted tango, each stopping themselves from facing their feelings due to quite different reasons, while fully circling each other with gestures, sentences and gazes. From an outside lens, it was quite amusing, maybe even endearing to some, especially those who'd never seen the God of Lies look so enchanted with someone.

“I've heard that there's an advanced space observatory in this venue. Could you…take me to it?”, Adam asked. 

“Planet watching eh? Hopefully everyone else is busy stuffing themselves full with food and drinks, I'd hate having to hear Richards’ rants on the matter”

“Is Mr Fantastic so bad?”

“Oh you've never heard him? You have no idea how lucky you are, dear”

The two would then make their way through the crowd of people spread around the immense venue, everyone's eyes following them at different points only to then turn back to the drinks in their hands. Loki was beginning to feel bad for Adam. The man had made it clear that he did not want to be the center of attention, only attending the event out of curiosity and in order to keep the god company. And yet, everyone was eyeing him for being so close to the god of treachery.

Still, Loki tried his best to keep the man talking, just enough that he wouldn't feel the awkward and pressing gazes of the people that they were passing by. He'd ask him about his interest in the observatory, about his experience with space travel, about other planets, stars, and everything in between. And honestly, this only made Loki fall harder. What a lovely bout of accidental self sabotage! 

The god found himself fully immersed into the man’s very eloquent but fully passionate and excited explanations regarding outer space. Loki was used to Adam not being all that talkative half the time, but he always enjoyed hearing the man talk about subjects he was interested in. If anything, those times were the only times when Loki didn't interrupt, being fully silent and not ready to make a joke or two or taking a jab at the person before him. Normally he'd lose his patience, as well as his interest in the topic being discussed, but there was something about Adam’s purely honest way of thinking that managed to charm the god. Perhaps because Loki himself loved over inflating stories and speeches, compared to Adam’s simple yet excited explanations. He could ask the man what his opinion was on something, and Adam was bound to give him an honest answer, even if it wasn't going to sound pretty. There were no pompous terms, no veiled parts of speech, it was all out in the open. 

“Do you think you'd survive space travel?”

“As a god, I should be able to survive anything, especially something so small”

“I'd argue that it is quite a perilous journey, especially for someone not intended for it”

“Hah! You think a deity wouldn't be intended for seeing the universe? If anything, I'm probably especially built for it!”

At that moment, Adam could only let out an amused chuckle, half muffled by the mask covering his face. Loki was obviously bluffing as usual, but he knew better than to crush his fun and ego by plainly explaining why he was wrong. At least this time. They did have debates over the months, but only for the sake of discussion and perhaps for reading each other's views better. Weirdly enough, Adam had expected such discussions to turn into arguments, but the God of Lies seemed to be well versed in going back and forth while supporting his views. By the end of it all they'd both forget where they'd started the discussion, and only find themselves feeling satisfied with the debate itself, being left with some sort of respect for each other. Even more strange though, was how the two of them would begin understanding the other's way of thinking. Adam never thought that he'd agree to some of Loki's methods, at least the less destructive ones, all while Loki would've never believed in a pacifist diplomatic approach before. 

“Aah, are you letting me win this time? I can feel it”, Loki protested with a smile.

“Would you rather we go further then?”, another chuckle on Adam's side. But the question only left Loki with a scoff. Luckily he was saved by the observatory coming into view and stealing the man of gold’s gaze and attention. It was a rather tall tower-like building, pretty slim and modern looking, with a glass elevator splitting it through the middle. But…where was the telescope at the very top?

“Aah, not your usual observatory is it? Follow me, dear”, Loki walked off to open the automatic doors, inviting the man inside. 

For the sake of seeing everything better, Adam decided to finally take off his mask and hang it by his hip, not minding the red hood that had now slipped off his head. But the man accompanying him was all too taken by the image. A long haired Adam was now fully focused on his surroundings, turning his head around to look at the intricate paintings and museum-like cases hanging on the walls. Loki himself had suggested to Adam to just let his hair grow, despite the man's initial reluctance. Apparently the Perfect Human really only ever had one type of haircut, never straying from it until now. It always struck Loki as such a big difference between the two of them when it came to long hair. The god of lies had a mysterious allure, dark, edging on threatening, as his dark locks of hair snaked around his shoulders. But Adam only seemed warmer, more human, as the hair curled around his cheeks, draping over his shoulders. It looked awfully soft, Loki having found himself lost plenty of times in watching the man's loose curls bounce off or fly in the breeze. And now wasn't any different.

“Loki? The elevator is here”

“Ah, hmm, of course, gee this waiting room is always such a delight to look at”, the man cleared his throat, slipping inside the elevator after Adam, just as the doors were beginning to close. Despite the elevator being quite literally the size of a villa’s living room, the two remained huddled together, out of habit by now, as they both looked outside the side windows, with Loki pointing and calling out every new person that came into his line of sight as the elevator climbed higher and higher. 

Once the elevator reached the top, a ding sound called out as the doors opened into yet another grandiose room. It was dimly lit, only the fireworks and the moon outside offering some sort of lighting. The dome-like structure at the top of the tower was offering a splendid all-round view of the sky, a large soft leather sofa being positioned right in the middle of the room under it. A drinks stand was on one side of the sofa, two crystal glasses and a few bottles of alcohol being neatly arranged on it. The place clearly looked like something that couples would use to unwind and slip away from the crowd whenever parties were being held here. Still, one thing was standing out the most, probably due to them not exactly being an integrated part of the overall vibe of the place: some grand voluptuous looking ice sculptures strategically lined around the circular walls. Obviously a very Emma touch.

However, Adam seemed to not spare them a single glance, as the man practically jogged outside the elevator right towards the control panel stand near a side of the glass dome. Loki’d never seen him smile ear to ear like that before. Not wanting to possibly distract him from setting up the contraption, the god peered over the man's shoulder for a while before eventually heading towards the sofa nearby and plopping himself onto it. Soon after, the man of gold stepped back from the control panel as the dome turned black, constellations, planets and distant nebulas slowly being generated in a 3D manner. As a star began to shine and float right before Loki’s eyes, the man stretched out his hand to catch it, only for his fingers to pass right through him, getting a chuckle out of him. Still, the man's gaze was slowly stolen by the real star of the room, as Adam was now fully in his element, taking in the marvelous sights, walking and twirling around before eventually flying and floating upwards towards a multicolored nebula. 

“The minute accuracy they’ve given this generator is so surprising! I'd expected a cheap hologram with misplaced constellations”, the man exclaimed.

“I never figured out Midgardian constellations to be honest”, Loki chimed in, looking up and admiring anything but the starry projection. 

“Would you like me to show them to you? A visual guide could help”

“Heh, a visual guide? Guess I picked the best one”

“Huh, could you repeat that?”, Adam asked as he already floated to a nearby group of shining stars.

“Oh nothing! So, what's that one?”

Adam then proceeded to fully dedicate himself to showing and explaining several major constellations, which were obviously going through one ear and out the other for Loki, who was simply content with hearing the man speak and enjoying himself. It was bitter sweet. It felt lovely sharing such a simple moment together, but something within Loki stung, and it stung badly. How long was this going to last until Adam figured out that they weren't a good match, be it platonically or not? How long until he understood that his association to the god of lies was only going to stigmatize him as well? Perhaps… Perhaps it was better to cut it all off before that moment of realization came. Self sabotage always seemed to work. Loki would just make the person despise them, they'd then leave of their own accord and go on hating him for the rest of their life, not having to care about being tied to the god anymore. Although starting such a conversation at a party felt a bit too evil even for him.

“I believe that's all for this side at least… Floating can get so tiring”, Adam sighed before gracefully landing on the sofa next to Loki. “So, which one is your favorite one?”

“Ah, umm…the…the big one”

“The big one?”, Adam chuckled as he leaned in towards the god.

“Of course the big one, I am a god ! It has to be the big one!”

“You haven't heard a word I was saying, have you?”, Adam smirked.

“I was feeling a little…distracted”

“What could possibly be more distracting than a big space projection on the ceiling?”

But before the god could come up with some kind of fake overly inflated explanation, a familiar voice echoed from the elevator doors.

“Ah, sorry Tony, it seems our nest is occupied ”, Emma stated, leaning against the door frame, swirling the wine in her glass around.

“What? We could le-”, Adam half protested.

“Save the apologies, gold boy. Now, you two better stop thinking about kissing and get to it already, I'm closing down the Gala in the next couple of hours. A lady needs her beauty sleep~”, the woman waved the two off as he walked back to the elevator.

The two men were left completely shocked by the woman's words, as they slowly moved their gaze from the distant doors back to each other. They didn't say anything for a few moments, but their faces were clearly flushed red, especially Loki's. Eventually though, Adam would lean in closer and closer, his lips not even an inch away from the god's, and then-

The Loki before him disappeared, leaving a poof of green leaf-like magic textures which immediately disintegrated. Adam sighed, a soft chuckle escaping him as he sat back on the sofa and turned around.

“I know you're hiding, come on out, we can talk about this”

Loki, who'd been hiding in his invisible state for a while now, was fully taken aback. So Adam was actually going to… Nevermind, he wasn't here to enjoy such a thing, maybe it was actually his chance to end everything and have the two of them split up for good. And so he faded back into visibility, and with his hands behind his back, he began pacing around. 

“Adam, I have something to tell you”

“I…actually have something to tell you, too”

“Well too bad because I'm going first! We can't work together anymore”

“Huh?”

Biting his tongue before speaking again, Loki continued.

“We're just not a good match as a duo! You're just…so slow, so sluggish, I always seem to put in the work more than you do! It's honestly unfair! To me, of course”

“You don't actually mean that…”

“Oh but I do! I do and I've been trying to figure out how to tell you for so long! So, finally you know now, so we can just both go our separate ways”

“Loki…”

“No, no! No use trying to prove me wrong, I've been carefully watching you for the past few months and-”

“For the god of lies, you really suck at it, you know?”, Adam sighed. “ Why do you actually want to get rid of me?”

Well wasn't it just ironic? Both Thor and Hela had mentioned before just how bad Loki was at lying, at least to those he'd already known for a while. And now Adam could read through him all the same… The god let out a most shattering sigh as he walked back to the sofa, shoulders slumped, his body huddled in a distant corner.

“I…we don't fit, Adam. We're two polar opposites, both as people and…how we're seen and received by others”

“Is it because I'm not a god as well?”

“No, it's not that! You're a hero , Adam. That's higher than being a deity like me could ever get you. You have people who look up to you, Adam. People who appreciate you”

“I'm sorry, I just don't see the issue”

“Me, Adam. I'm the issue. Someone like you being seen together with someone like me will only bring you bad news. I'm seen as a treacherous snake, remember? And everyone willingly associating themselves with me can only be the same, right?”

“But we're two different individuals still. What about Thor? Nobody sees him as evil”

“He's my brother. Adopted, but still, he didn't have much of a choice”

“Well I did have a choice. And I chose you still”

Hearing those words proved to do quite a lot of damage to Loki, king of lies. Not in a hurtful way, but in a way that shattered a wall so high that the man had surrounded himself with all this time. Could there really be someone who'd voluntarily choose him without being involved in some kind of mutually beneficial contract? Without trying to get close to him in order to trap him later and hurt him? It seemed unlikely. 

“Well, you chose badly then”

“Did I? Did I really, Loki?”, Adam was beginning to get quite worked up due to the god’s continuous denial and self inflicted rejection. “You've had every chance possible so far to turn on me, to quite literally stab me in the back even! If I really kept you back as you claim, why haven't you abandoned me so far, all those times when I'd need to recover? You know I'm vulnerable when I'm within my cocoon, yet you guarded me like your life depended on it! So many times!”

A pause. Loki was avoiding the man's gaze like a dog being scolded, even if that wasn't the case at all. Adam was waiting for a sign, a sentence, a word, anything that would at least look like a reaction from the god, but he got nothing.

“I just don't understand…”, Adam sighed in defeat.

“I'm only doing this to protect you long-term-”

“Are you? Or are you afraid that people will finally figure out that you're not as tough and evil as you think you are? That you're putting up a front, and you've actually been craving for company all along!”, the man raised his voice. 

“YES, FOR FUCK’S SAKE, FOR I AM A GOD AND I CANNOT SHOW WEAKNESS IN FRONT OF OTHERS!”

“THEN WHAT MAKES ME SO SPECIAL?! WHY HAVEN'T YOU RESORTED TO YOUR USUAL SCHEMES TO GET RID OF ME??”

“BECAUSE I LOVE YOU, GODS BE DAMNED!”

The screaming match between the two took an abrupt turn as they both looked at each other with utmost shock. Loki, because he slipped up when he shouldn't have, and Adam, because he didn't expect the god to ever confess, much less blurt it out in a fit of anger. The two men looked away, each to a different corner of the room, with Loki eventually hiding his face in his hands. This mistake was going to cost him dearly, or so he believed, as he did not even think for one second that the feelings could be mutual. Not only was this partnership going to reach its end, but Adam was surely going to tell everyone else about this slip up. He'll be made fun of for even ever believing that someone such as Adam would look his way. And yet, the situation took a most unexpected turn for the god.

“Not many people know this by now, but I wasn't always… like this ”, Adam spoke up. “I haven't been a hero all the way throughout” 

“Pfft, you're telling me you've actually been evil and redeemed yourself? What is this, some kind of Midgardian novel?”, Loki scoffed.

“Well…”

And so, Adam started a long and heavy monologue, opening up about a side of him that he'd buried deep into the past: Magus . Perhaps similarly to Loki, the man never opened up about his past to this degree, generally omitting the whole Magus ordeal, along with anything that had to do with Adam splitting himself, making himself back up over and over or willingly removing emotions from within. The god of lies was left speechless all the way throughout the man’s story, not knowing whether to interrupt him here and there to offer his support. It was unbelievable to him that someone like Adam had to go through so many bouts of shattering himself or willingly sacrificing himself only to emerge as someone meant to destroy the world later on. In contrast his own background felt meaningless when it came to his own growth as a person. 

“So…I know what it's like to be seen as a threat, as someone unstable and ready to either destroy himself or destroy others. And quite honestly there's no way to know whether something like this will be happening again in the future or not”

Adam then looked Loki in the eyes as he lastly said: “It's more likely that you will be the one to suffer from letting yourself love me in the future, Loki”

Now having heard pretty much everything there was to hear about the man's unstable past, that actually could become an issue in the unforeseeable future. Still, there was some consolation to be had: regardless of how many times Adam had lost himself, he still managed to return to his genuine identity every time. Maybe it was luck, maybe it was fate, or maybe the man was just that determined to always recover his lost pieces of self, but something about it all felt admirable to the god, to the point that he'd be willing to risk it and give both of them a chance.

“I…I don't know how to comfort you, really”, Loki finally spoke in defeat.

“These are merely parts of my past. It's been so long…I believe comfort wouldn't do much. I've made peace with it all”, Adam replied, a bit bluntly.

“In that case…You're way stronger than me, Adam”

“Ah, I didn't mean to minimize your own struggles-”

“No, not at all! You've made me realize some things honestly”

“Such as?”

“That I have so much more growth to do”

A soft smile curled onto Adam's lips, seeing Loki's change of wording. The golden man slid his hand across the sofa towards the god, turning his palm upwards as if to suggest for the man to hold it. The god of lies gave it a half surprised look, reluctantly placing his hand into Adam's, a pleasant and reassuring warmth traversing his body. 

“We both have so much more growth to do. I had a support system back then, and I shall be yours. If you'll have me, of course”

“Even if I'm hard headed and difficult sometimes?”

“Especially then”

Pulling himself closer to the god, Adam gave him a most reassuring smile, holding the man's hand to his cheek before sliding it to his lips for a kiss. A gesture which only made Loki’s eyes widen and his cheeks flush red, yet the man would not retract his hand.

“Acting out Emma's orders, huh?”, he teased.

“Well it's not exactly a proper kiss now, is it?”, Adam chuckled. The god did not respond, only his face turned into an inviting one as if to tell Adam “It could be” . The man of gold now found himself flushed instead, as this was his very first time seeing Loki openly flirt. His eyes looked sharper than usual, more pointed and focused, giving off a rather passionate allure combined with the not quite smiling but also not quite smirking expression on Loki's face. 

The god made the first move this time, leaning closer and placing a hand onto the man's cheek, their lips brushing against each other for a moment before fully embracing into a gentle kiss. Loki knew better than throwing himself into a passionate make out session on their very first kiss together, and Adam seemed to appreciate the slowness of it all as he reciprocated the gesture, latching his arms around Loki's neck. The kiss felt less like a passionate and disorderly fire, and more like a hearth- steady, slow and comforting. Adam’s lips felt particularly stimulating to Loki though, their bumpy ridges, similar to the ones across the man's body, brushing against the god's own lips. He was almost going to allow himself to lose some restraint, but Adam eventually broke away, after several rounds where they'd each barely part for some air.

“You…kiss really well”, Adam smiled, being met by a pretty cocky smirk on Loki's side. “Aren't you going to boast about being a god?”

“Would you like me to?”

The man's question made both of them chuckle before sharing one last quick peck on the lips, just as the fireworks outside began whooshing and whistling through the air before exploding into thousands of colors in the night sky. The show was barely visible through the dome’s pitch black disguised windows, the couple still being surrounded by the previous space projections. Still, the whole show outside only meant one thing: the Gala was coming to a close. 

“Well, my first ever Gala ended up being better than I would've expected”, Adam declared.

“Damn it, now the next Gala will surely be a bore”, Loki added with full sarcasm.

“Not if you brush up on your knowledge of kissing by then”

“Aah, it seems that my teasing has rubbed off on you already”

“A bad influence, truly”

Playful bickering and teasing. A habit that would be following those two for a long time to come. The snake now finally had his very own Sun to bask into, without having to fear that it'll scorch him. 

~~~~~~~~~~~

A chance encounter was all that the god needed in order to satisfy his curiosity.

“Back at the Gala, you weren't actually with Tony at the observatory, were you?”

“Now what could possibly have given you that idea?”, the blonde woman scoffed.

“You have your telepathy, dear, I have my godly powers. I know when you lie to me”

“You're no fun!”, Emma exclaimed. “Tony and I have been separated ever since”

“Then why did you feel the need to barge in?”

“Sometimes you simply need some outside help in order to see the things before you crystal clear , wouldn't you agree?”

“Emma Frost, caring about other people's business to this degree? Color me surprised!”

“People like us deserve a happy ending, Loki. No matter how distant”

The woman didn't seem to be addressing that last sentence to the god before her, but to herself, maybe even to her past self. Still, Loki understood the sentiment all too well. Even so, the two weren't the type of people to open up to each other about such matters. Still, the god felt indebted to the woman, a feeling he never thought that he'd go through.

Maybe one day he'd be able to repay her abrupt kindness, a peculiar turn compared to how Loki would rather return revenge tenfold instead. 

It seemed that the comforting warmth of the Sun had been rubbing off on his cold dark exterior too after all.