It was the third swerve that sent Loki over the edge.

He shot another glare at his brother, who never took his eyes off the rain washed road ahead.

"Perhaps we should switch," he suggested, hoping Thor would pull over before their next swerve turned into a full-on spin out. "We both know I'm the better driver here."

At this, Thor flashed a smirk his way and it took everything in Loki not to scream at him to get his eyes back on the road.

"Who got their driver's license first, again?"

It was a rigged question, but Loki was hardly swayed. "And who didn't let theirs expire for two months straight?"

When Thor's expression soured, Loki knew victory was within reach.

"How was I supposed to know it would expire so soon?"

"It was a temporary license, Thor!"

"Why do they even have to expire at all? You take the test one time, you're set for life. It should just be that simple. Besides, I was on my way to renew it, anyway."

"Oh, please," Loki drawled, trying his best to ignore the way the rain had begun to pound harder against the windshield, "you wouldn't even have known if you hadn't been pulled over."

Thor, apparently, had no comeback, so Loki continued to press the issue. "Which just goes to show that I'm the better driver and therefore the best equipped to get us home in this storm."

"What, this?" And the way Thor took a hand off the wheel to gesture toward the rain made Loki's heart skip several beats. "This is nothing. Trust me, we'll be home in no time."

"Nothing? Thor, we can barely see out the front window!"

"You can barely see," Thor shot back with another smirk.

Crossing his arms, Loki sunk deeper into the passenger seat. "It'll only get worse as we get closer to the coast."

"Loki, we're going to be fine."

Of course.

"At least keep your eyes on the road," Loki found himself grumbling after a few long seconds of silence. "And if you say 'they never left it in the dirt place,' you'll find yourself lying on the side of the road as you watch me drive away." When he risked a quick glance to the side, he was irked to catch his brother in the middle of concealing a smile. "And I won't be coming back for you."

"Oh, Loki, we're fine. I can see just fine, and besides, we're almost there."

"If you consider a half hour outside of town almost there."

Thor opened his mouth—to make a few more pathetic reassurances, no doubt—but the shrill ring of a phone stole his spotlight.

"That's mine," Thor said before fishing the ear-piercing little device out of his pocket.

"Yes, thank you for stating the obvious. I desperately needed that."

Instead of replying, Thor fumbled with the screen, fingers stretching to reach that stupid swipe feature.

"Please tell me you're not going to answer that."

At least Thor had the decency to hesitate. "I was going to. Why?"

"While driving?" Loki rolled his eyes. "In the middle of a thunderstorm? Brother, sometimes your brilliance truly astounds me."

"All right, you answer it, then." And before he knew it, Loki was the one fumbling with the phone. "It's Val. Have fun."

One dirty look later, Loki had the screen unlocked and an "only slightly concerned" Valkyrie shouting in his ear.

Because what was taking them so freaking long? Where were they? Have they even looked out the car window lately, or were they truly Norway's biggest idiots?

Oh, and she almost forgot, she wasn't talking to Loki until he apologized.

"Right. Not happening."

Silence.

Because why not?

"Fine." Showcasing his annoyance with a sigh, Loki reluctantly handed the phone back to his brother. "She won't talk to me."

"What did you do to her this time?"

"This time? Don't give me that look. I didn't do anything."

"Oh," Thor murmured, "it's been too long a day for this… Val! … Yes, it's me this time… No, I wouldn't want to talk to him either…"

The look Loki shot his brother was returned with a smirk, then a thick wall of concentration.

Yes, you had better be concentrating if you know what's good for you.

Left to his own devices, Loki sunk further into his chair, his own gaze fixed just as intently on the road ahead.

We're going to be fine.

It's going to be fine. Thor said…

No, Thor promised…It's going to be fine…

Still, his heart rate refused to give him a break as it continued to climb higher and higher.

Fine. We're fine.

Right.

And we're almost there, his mind helpfully supplied.

Right. We're almost there.

Still…

His breath hitched at the next swerve, though he couldn't find it in himself to feel any sort of embarrassment over the fact.

Thor said they were going to be fine, so they were going to be fine. It was as simple as that.

Simple. Right.

Another swerve.

We're fine.

Another bump.

We'll be fine…

The next swerve was more of a wild slip and skid.

It was also the last straw.

"Thor, I think it's time to hang up." Though he'd been aiming for forceful, his tone never rose above a near whisper.

"Just a minute more," came Thor's hushed response.

"No, now. You're distracted. You need to concentrate fully on the…" And that's when he saw it. The bright headlights not ten feet away. Ten feet—

Wronglanewronglanewronglan—

The other car was in the wrong—

Time.

They were running out of—

"Thor! Thor, stop, there's—!"

His hand was on the wheel before he could stop himself, jerking the vehicle into a hard left turn.

"Loki, what—?" Thor fought him for the wheel. Back and forth, back and forth. They were losing traction, losing control—

Thor!

A searing flash of light coupled by the screeching tear of metal stopped Loki's heart completely. He was sure of it.

They were still moving, but it was wrong.

They were moving fast, but it was wrong.

"Loki!"

It was the last word he heard before his brother's voice was drowned out by a thudding crunch, crunch, crunch! that Loki was certain was the sound of his own bones being crushed.

When Hela had knocked him out of the Bifrost, she'd sent him into a tumbling spiral. He'd felt utterly sick as well as helpless. It was a feeling he'd hoped never to find himself trapped in again.

He should've known he could never be that lucky.

I've never been lucky.

As the world around him spun in a seemingly endless cycle of pain and adrenaline, Loki found that his mind was alarmingly blank.

He couldn't move. Couldn't think.

Couldn't breathe.

Thor…

All right… Thor said they would be all right.

Promised…

He promised…