Author's Note: I also have this posted on AO3 and Wattpad, just in case anyone recognizes it.

Set after the events of Thor: The Dark World. Partially AU.
This is not beta'd. Any mistakes are my own.
Edited on: March 1, 2018.

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

I.

Loki was falling.

And he could do nothing more than bitterly laugh at his circumstances. He would not have been in this mess had he dealt with everything properly, but it was too late. He would now have to face the consequences that came from his hesitation. If only he had not chosen to spare Odin's life, then he would not have been forced to flee in the sake of his own—but how long could he have played the false ruler before he gave himself up anyway? Almost half a year had gone by when the real king decided to finally wake from his deep slumber and Loki barely had the time to escape the wrath that followed Odin's return. The All-Father was quite creative when it came to torture and he would be damned if he would allow himself to befall punishment so easily.

It angered him. Odin claimed to be just and fair to his sons, and yet it always seemed like he was the one who got the worst of it—for instance, the All-Father seemed to think sewing his lips shut for lying had been quite reasonable. On the other hand, Thor got thrown into another realm for his arrogance and Loki simply decided he would take a page from that lesson. Why not just send himself to Midgard? Of course, he changed the rules up a tad bit. While Thor may have been stripped of his hammer, Loki would keep his magic.

And while this may not seem like much of a punishment, Loki begged to differ. Last time he had been in Midgard, his pride had been left damaged and his defeat had been the final humiliating blow. He was risking reopening those wounds by seeking salvation in that realm. Those wounds may still ache and taunt him, but he would not allow things to play out the same way again. It would be different this time.

He would not be blindsided again. He had a plan.

The atmosphere seemed to hum eerily before a large explosion of blue light infected the night sky. The earth trembled and quaked as a body crashed violently into the asphalt. However, not a single soul was around to witness the impact that had shaken the deserted lot. In the midst of the smoldering crater lay the god of mischief, breathing heavily on hands and knees.

His hair lay in disarray, his eyes obstructed by a curtain of dark hair. His body was covered with a sheen of sweat that could be seen visibly seen under the glow of the moon. A singular bead of sweat rolled down from his brow and down to the tip of his aristocratic nose. He shuddered, exhaling heavily through pale thin lips. His arrival had been anything but smooth, but he supposed that is what happened when you allowed the Tesseract to blindly toss you from one realm and into another.

Loki's lean figured doubled over, before coiling like an eel. He was shaking with the same ferocity of a rattlesnake ready to strike—one could almost taste the venom from the hiss that resonated from the back of his throat. However, his wrath remained silenced as he exhaled all that malice through his nose. His body was trembling with anger and pain and something unhinged and wild swirled in those molten green eyes.

He was seething.

A moment ago, he had been laughing at how ludicrous the events had unfolded, but now was just angry. How had he allowed himself to slip up? He should have dealt with Odin from the start. Had he grown soft while playing a ruse on the Asgardian kingdom? He felt both disgusted and irritated with himself—but most of all, he was angry at the All-Father. He cursed all of the Nine Realms for his circumstance. Why did a god like him have to flee when he had had everything in his hands? It was utterly disgraceful.

And now his body was damaged, and his plans would take even longer to transpire. He hated that he had turned to this realm for shelter, but unfortunately it held what he needed to rule.

The dust settled down around him as he let out another shaky breath. He let himself collapse onto his side, allowing his emerald cape to coil around him like a cocoon and cradle his rage until only his shallow breaths remained. His hate lingered even after his body relaxed and he lay still, listening to the darkness around him. Nothing could smother the hatred that simmered within him, for hate had become the very foundation of his core.

His fingers twitched at his sides, feeling the grooves and cracks under his form. A wave of déjà vu swept over him, as he recalled the time the Hulk had left him imprinted on the ground. He stiffened at the recollection but was quick to stomp those memories out. Instead, he decided to focus on the present. Once he was feeling better, he would need to hide all this evidence—especially the Tesseract that had transported him here. Thanos and his army were still actively seeking the artifact. If he did not hide it, they would find it and everything would be ruined. This was the path the fallen prince had chosen to tread and there was no turning back now. He was forced to play a hand he had not wished to. Had he not hesitated months ago, he would not have to be crawling back to Midgard now.

There was nothing but mere silence in the air—any creature that had witnessed the fall and crash of the Norse god had fled with fear. Nothing stirred in the dark and all was quiet, except for the sounds of his shallow breaths and the rustling of the wind-blown leaves in the distance. The smell of the brisk air was strong and biting, even with the dust now filling his lungs. There was something soothing about the emptiness, but nothing could extinguish the wrath that still thundered within him.

Why had Thor allowed them to keep the scepter? He had taken the Tesseract with him but had allowed the mortals to keep his weapon here. Humans did not deserve such power. It was almost insulting to think they could ever begin to even understand the power inside the scepter. He was aware that S.H.I.E.L.D. had taken it into their possession, but the whereabouts of it still remained a mystery. It did not help that the Avengers and his dear adoptive brother was here to make sure it would remain out of reach of someone like him. It would be risky and reckless to just go after it blindly—but it was his and he would claim it once more. He would not run for eternity when a throne was beckoning for him to rule.

Yet, he hated that there had been no hesitation to flee here. It almost seemed like forever ago, but he had once wanted to rule the realm as their king. He had wanted to rule this realm and make the inhabitants kneel before him as he ruled with an iron fist and a firm hand. After all, humans are weak without subjugation and he is but a merciful god. He would have been the sovereign they needed, and they would have feared him as equally as they loved him.

But now that plan left nothing more than a bitter taste in his mouth. His last visit here had ended in with his humiliation. He had had his victory snatched out of the palm of his hand by a ragtag of so-called heroes.

It had been degrading. Midgard was nothing more than a consolation prize in comparison to what he truly wanted. The unfortunate reality was, that he had finally gotten what he wanted and had lost it. Asgard had been within the palm of his hands for months. And all the while, no one had even noticed that the true Odin was amiss. He had ruled with a tenacity of a true king and everything had been going oh-so-smoothly—even with loose ends still at play. The Chitauri and Thanos were in no doubt still actively seeking him out for vengeance, but no one would ever look for the dead and know where to find the missing.

And to think this had all began when he had decided to fake his death. The plan had been a simple one where he would finally be a hero and free himself his imprisonment. The devious idea had come to him as he steered the skiff toward Svartalfheim. He had reluctantly fallen into the role of saving Thor's mortal, but it had been the only way he would get justice for his mother. It also turned into a golden opportunity to be finally free of his confinement once the ash and dust had finally settled. Thor would leave his fallen body behind and he would be left to deliver the news to his father in disguise while Thor had his hands tied with Malekith.

The plan had been absolutely ingenious. Loki had predicted that Odin would send the Einherjar after them, but from there on fortune and fate would dictate the turnabouts. He would kill the elite guard and steal his identity—all it had taken was a swift dagger and a bit of magic to trick them all.

Loki returned to the palace in disguise, planning on delivering the news personally himself before disappearing completely. He had to make sure everything would come to a proper conclusion when it came to Asgard.

And oh, how fortunate had decided to favor him once again. The scheme turned out to be even better when the king fell into Odinsleep. When the All-Father heard the news of Loki's death, he simply collapsed.

Loki's death had been the final nail on the coffin—but he refused to acknowledge that Odin ever cared for him. He was not his son. He was just some fool groomed to be used and doomed to be mocked and have his so-called birthright dangled in front of him like a plaything.

He sneered.

His title as a prince should have been enough conviction that he could one day become king, but alas, he was never given that opportunity. After all, he was but a stolen relic from the war—a monster that parents warned their children about. He existence was merely there to take the blame. Loki was none other than a pawn for the great king and a scapegoat to the rest of Asgard. He was never expected to be a king—instead he was destined to be a sham. Fate was cruel and unjust to him. He had been an unwanted runt to the Jötunn and a criminal to the Aesir he paraded around as.

The only person to have ever truly accepted him for who he was had been his dear mother. Her death had been a shock, but it should have been no surprise really. Everything that was ever good in his life always turned out to be a mere illusion. It was his destiny it seemed.

He laughed. He had been so naïve—nothing but a fool caught up in a great lie. How had the god of lies been so blind? If it had not been for Thor's hastiness, he would have continued living blissfully unaware of his true heritage.

His lip curled.

Loki had always been second best, for Thor was the golden child who's glory cast a large shadow over the younger prince. In a realm where magic was eclipsed by physical power, he never stood a chance for splendor. He felt a lump form in his throat. It did not matter what Loki did because his brother was always the one on the pedestal. Thor was the king and the hero, while fortune forced him to play the fool and the villain.

But for once, fate decided to be fair and just and to deliver him an opportunity to clutch onto. As Odin's body lay like a giant unstrung marionette, it occurred to him that this was the opportunity for greatness. His plans to escape to Alfheim were no longer of interest. He decided to take matters into his own hands—destiny had played him the fool long enough. Last time the king had fallen into Odinsleep, Loki had been in too much grief over the treachery and reality of his ancestry—but now, this time things would play out much more differently.

The plan had evolved—there was no longer any interest in fleeing and hiding away the rest of his life. No. This was a chance for him to step away from the shadows. Everything had changed so quickly before his eyes and seeing that throne glitter in the Asgardian sunlight, all gold and glorious, sparked life into his sleeping agenda. He had never truly lost his ambition to rule, especially when he could hear something screaming within his very core to take what was rightfully his.

His entire soul craved for it.

And that is what Loki exactly did. He took back his throne. However, he could not just simply step in as he was. That would undo the whole opportunity, for the people of Asgard would never allow a criminal as their ruler. He knew better. There was no benefit in ruling a kingdom he would have to fight tooth and nail for to keep. Instead, he chose to hide the true king and cast his illusions. Loki simply took his place, and no one would ever know the difference.

His older brother had been the only problem left to deal with. Odin had always planned for Thor, his one and true son, to become king—but the stupid oaf knew nothing more than war and brutality. He was foolhardy and arrogant and had no true grasp of strategy. All he did was swing that bloody hammer.

So, he was taken aback when Thor spoke so fondly of him. It had been shocking to hear such humbling words spill forth from a mouth so accustomed to sprouting haughty nonsense. There had been no brazenness in his tone and he had spoken sincerely from his heart.

This did not change the fact that the god of thunder had to go. Loki may have been surprised by his brother's honesty, but those honeyed words would do nothing to soothe the bitterness that had long ago been sown within him. He still had to be dealt with properly and in order to do so, he would have to appeal to his adoptive brother and strike him when his defenses were down. Thor may be a seasoned warrior, but Loki had always been the cunning opportunist.

He would settle this.

However, the plan never came to fruition—instead it took a very unexpected turn. His older brother confessed that his little brother would have made a much more suitable king and he denounced himself, forfeiting the throne for his Midgardian lover. The gesture had been both sickening and sweet, considering the mighty God had thrown his birthright for a mere mortal. Nonetheless, Thor left Asgard and returned to Midgard to live out the rest of his days with Jane and the god of mischief was left with one last issue to resolve—what to do with the latent king?

When Odin had initially fallen, he had been prepared to end it all. However, he found himself incapable of killing the man he once knew as his father and the fact angered him. How could he still care for someone like him? How could they call him the god of lies, when the comatose Aesir was clearly better suited for that title. The only thing Loki ever wanted from the All-Father was his acceptance—to be equal to Thor.

And he could not get any kind of approval from a dead king.

Odin would have gotten his just deserves in due time. Unfortunately, Loki underestimated just how much time he had to deal with him. He had chosen to hide the king away and rule the kingdom. His ambition did not just lie with sitting upon the Asgardian throne—no, he wanted to rule all the realms. But, he could not do so when his kingdom was damaged.

The Dark Elves had left Asgard with destruction and casualties. It would take time for him to rebuild and fortify everything before he could engage in his next course of action. He may have been deceitful to the realm's inhabitants, but he did no harm in the play. Asgard was just a part of a greater plan.

However, not dealing with the true king ended up costing him.

Odin had been far from pleased to know his adoptive son had been masquerading around as him. Loki did not have to be in his presence to know so. When he had heard Odin's voice booming through the palace walls, he knew the mistake he had made. It had felt like he had been doused with ice water, for he still had so much more to do. But he had no choice but to flee because he knew his punishment would be much more severe this time.

If he had reacted that way to Loki's deception, he would have loved to see how the All-Father would react when he found out that his eldest son had given up the crown for a Midgardian. He knew the king would eventually try and contact Thor, but that would be a problem to deal with as it caught up to him. Odin will have other problems to deal with first.

Right now, he knew if the king got a hold of him everything would be lost. His punishment would be far worse than death, especially now that Frigga was no longer around to keep his fury at bay. Loki was not stupid and knew his mother was the reason he had simply been imprisoned instead of disciplined like he always had before. He had seen plenty of people executed for lesser crimes.

She had also been the reason why his imprisonment had been so accommodating—other prisoners were not given the pleasures of books and furniture like he had been. But now, the queen was dead and the king was angry. One prince had given up the throne in the name of love and the other prince had been denied of what he had been promised all his life. The fates could not have weaved a story far more tragic than that.

Loki barely had time to escape Asgard. He knew the vault would be vacant and the key, the Tesseract, would be resting there and waiting. After the fiasco with the Avengers, the cubical object had been used to rebuild the Bïfrost and it had become the source of power for transportation.

Odin may have been able to repair the bridge with his own powers, but something of that degree would have more than likely killed him as a result. Instead, it had been decided that the Tesseract would be the solution and Odin summoned enough power to send Thor to fetch it and stop the chaos that he had brought to Midgard. When they had returned to Asgard, the artifact was given to Heimdall for safekeeping and the bridge was back again to keep Asgard connected to the rest of the realms within Yggdrasil.

And of course, Heimdall was the gatekeeper for a good reason—with those golden eyes he was capable of seeing anything within the nine realms. He not only possessed vast sight, but he also possessed expertise in combat and the strength to support it. He was the absolute perfect loyal soldier to the king.

And for that, he had to go once Loki stepped in. Odin had placed his loyal watchman in prison for his admitted treason— there was no doubt that he would not have been in there for very long, but Loki made sure that he did. Heimdall would have ruined his plans as soon as he looked at him, for the sentry was quite difficult to trick in person. He had always been the only person that could ever see through his ruse and his silvertongue always seemed to turn to lead in his presence. The last thing he needed was the accursed sentry ruining his plans like the last time he had.

Heimdall would not ruin his plans for escaping either. The Bïfrost and the vault lay vacant for months—forgotten and abandoned with the gatekeeper imprisoned. No one dared to venture to the dormant observatory and it had made it all the much easier for him to run down the iridescent bridge and pry the Tesseract from its chamber with no hiccups. With it gone, there was no easy way to travel between the realms. He was the only one who knew of the secret passageways and Odin did not possess the power to send a multitude of people after him.

But he did know that his father would not rest until he was recaptured. He closed his eyes—he doubted the All-Father would keep Heimdall locked up anymore, but Loki was safe for now. The sentry may be capable of seeing all, but from afar Loki had the advantage. His magic was foolproof from here and he was completely capable of keeping himself hidden away from those golden eyes.

Loki slowly and shakily stood, causing broken pieces of blacktop to crunch loudly under his feet. The Tesseract lay just a few feet away, wedged between the broken asphalt, but perfectly fine. It glowed softly within the canister it sat in. The familiarity of the situation washed over him. However, this time, there was no scepter in his hands and no mind-controlled soldiers serving on his side.

He dusted himself off and glanced around the vacant lot, noting the buildings around him were empty and decaying—all long-forgotten industrial relics. There was not a soul around for what looked like a few miles. He thanked Valhalla that he had managed to land somewhere so remote. It would give him an opportunity to heal and gather information before he conducted his next plan of action. Last time he was here, the Chitauri scepter had helped him greatly and it would help him again.

Loki would get back his scepter.

But he also knew it would not be so easy. S.H.I.E.L.D. had possession of the weapon and as much as he hated giving them any credit, he doubted that they would keep it somewhere obvious. He needed a plan. He may have initially taken the Tesseract when he had first arrived in Midgard, but things would not play out the same way.

The biggest obstacle that stood in his way would be his brother. Thor's allies did not pose as great of a threat as the thunder god did. He could deal with the mortals and their giant green pet. The problem he had to deal with now was not allowing it to get to his head. He had been so reckless and overly confident before. He needed to be a lot more delicate this time, considering he had an advantage for now—everyone outside of Asgard believed him to be dead and he could use that to his advantage.

But this was beyond infiltrating a base. He knew better now. Loki could not afford to underestimate these Earthlings once more. That had been his downfall before and it had ended up with his pride being torn apart. He may have failed, but he knew he would do the same again. He would not allow a repeat of his mistakes.

No.

He was going to approach this matter a lot more different and work on a plan before taking any further action. It was important that he remained a couple of steps ahead. They did not call him the god of mischief for nothing.

After all, fortune has finally been favoring him and the scepter would be his again.

Author's Note: Phew. So this one is a bit of a doozy. I'm trying to keep to the canon as much as I can, but this is going to end up straying off canon as it progresses. For now, Age of Ultron is going to be disregarded because you know, the mind stone is in someone's forehead.

I would also like to clarify some possible confusion—Loki sustaining damage from a fall. Need I remind you, that he basically fell through realms to arrive on Earth. I would assume he would use up a lot of his magic to keep up his disguise as Odin and thus him landing like that would probably shake him up and leave him injured for at least a few days.

There will be a lot of parallel comparisons and some easter eggs, because who doesn't like those? Loki is essentially following a similar schtick to what he did last time he was on Midgard, but now he's by himself—but don't underestimate a trickster. The reason why he took the Tesseract instead of a secret passageway was to keep Odin busy, since in the comics it is powering the bridge, which is why it wasn't broken in Dark World. S.H.I.E.L.D. should also have no clue about that, since technically Thor returned to Asgard after The Avengers movie. Just a bit of a note on that.

If anyone else has any other questions, let me know! Thanks for reading.