Inspired by an amazing fanfiction called "Append" by GalaxyThreads.

In human years, Hela is 27, Thor is 17, and Loki is 14.

Her little shadow was missing, and at first, she didn't think anything of it.

Hela had meetings to attend to and political webs to help Father untangle. Honestly, her baby brother's absence went unnoticed for more than a quarter of the day. Training to become queen was no small task and the busyness of her schedule kept her largely blindfolded to the world around her that morning.

That is, until Thor joined her for lunch—unaccompanied.

It wasn't as if Loki had nothing better to do than follow his older siblings around. Quite the opposite, actually. However, on dull summer days when there weren't any classes to attend, he could usually be found tailing Hela because "political conundrums were so much more entertaining than sparring with Thor."

Swallowing her second bite, Hela glanced at her younger brother, who appeared to be enjoying his meal immensely.

"So, where did you and your friends ditch Loki this time?"

Scarfing down a mouthful of food, Thor flashed her a look of confusion laced with a bit hurt. "We didn't ditch him anywhere, I swear! In fact, he ditched us. Well, me, at least."

Her raised brow silently prompted him to explain.

"I tried to get him to spar with us," Thor said in a rush, "but he refused! Even though I kept nagging him, he just wouldn't come!"

"Thor, it's fine. I was only teasing. Goodness."

Though her brother was visibly relieved, Hela's unease only continued to grow.

"What was he doing instead?"

"He mentioned something about reading?" Thor shrugged, then swallowed. "I can't remember."

"Hmm." She was being ridiculous, she knew this. So what if Loki didn't feel like following her around or sparring with his brother? She wasn't going to push him.

Even though he was acting a bit odd… But still.

Still…

"You last saw him in his room, then?" She could only hope that her probing came off as subtle.

Thor shook his head. "I caught him on his way back from the healers'. I think he was helping Eir again."

Hela pursed her lips, already rising from her chair. On a day when Asgard is swamped with the most complex political activity it's seen in over a century? Not likely.

"Right. Well, enjoy the rest of your sparring, brother."

Thor glanced up from his plate, brows furrowed. "Not hungry?"

"I haven't had much of an appetite all day." A warm smile was enough to pacify his worries. "I'm sure I'll feel more up to eating at dinner tonight, if the blasted curia regis doesn't rob me of that pleasure as well."

"Right, well… I know you're busy, but, uh, you haven't forgotten about tonight, have you?"

Wracking her brain for the significance of that evening proved to be a failed venture. Unfortunately, Thor didn't give her much time to search her memory, picking up almost instantly on her veiled confusion.

"Oh, don't tell me you forgot already!"

"Thor," she replied, with all the patience in the world, "it's been a very trying day. Have mercy on your sister, won't you?"

But Thor shook his head, a mixture of amusement, disbelief, and the slightest dash of hurt glazing his eyes. "Loki's going to be so disappointed."

"All right, look: just because I can't remember what it is we were going to do doesn't mean it's not going to happen."

Thor just shrugged. "I mean, it's just a shower. It'll happen again… in about half a million years."

Shower? Rain shower. Hail shower. Nighttime. Darkness. Sky. Stars. Shower…

Meteor shower. Of course!

Imbecile.

"Right! Of course! Yes, yes of course we're still on for tonight. I'm sorry, I don't know how I could've forgotten a thing like that."

Thor flashed her a sympathetic smile. "Busy day?"

"Oh, you have no idea."

"Which is why I thank the Norns every day that I wasn't born first. That way, I'll never have to be king."

"Never say never, Thor. You'd make a brilliant king."

The thunder god snorted, but his smile grew wider. "See you tonight, then."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Not bothering to push in her chair, Hela made a beeline for the east wing. One thing she would never stop being grateful for was the close proximity of her bedroom to those of her younger brothers. After all, someone had to keep an eye on them.

Loki's was the door on the right, shut as tightly as ever. Of course. If there was one thing her youngest brother valued above all else, it was his privacy.

Fortunately, privacy had never made it to the top of Hela's own list of priorities. She barged in, half expecting to see him passed out on the floor—and praying to the Norns she wouldn't.

Silence greeted her at first, but only for a brief moment. The floor was thankfully free of any unconscious little brothers, however, the string of wet coughs that sounded from beneath the bed covers sent shivers down her spine.

I knew it. And rarely was her sisterly intuition ever wrong—she'd had over a thousand years to perfect it.

"Loki!" Only the top half of his face was visible—the rest of his body having been swallowed up by the thick blankets—but it was enough for her to see his flushed skin and glassy eyes.

She was at his side in an instant, scanning his shivering form while she waited for the coughing to subside.

"Oh, Loki… How long have you been like this?"

After one final cough, he gazed up at her. "This morning? Or would that be yesterday morning? It's st-still today, isn't it?"

"Yes, it's still today." Under brighter circumstances, his comment would've made her laugh. Even so, she felt a small smile stretch her lips. "Yes, it's still today. Now, tell me: what hurts?"

"Everything," he moaned.

Right. He was burning up, yet shaking like a leaf at the same time. Right…

"Have you told Frigga?"

"What?" Loki's attempt at a chuckle quickly turned into another coughing fit. "You mean go whine to my mother that I'm sick and need her to hold my hand? In case you haven't noticed, I'm not a child."

She fixed him with a hard, knowing stare, then watched him shrink beneath it.

"I didn't want to bother her," Loki amended after a wet cough. "She seemed busy."

Hela sighed. "It's this stupid peace treaty. I don't think anyone is quite sure how it's going to turn out… Never mind all that. Thor told me you've already been to see the healers?"

Loki's nod was weak. "Earlier… Before it got b-bad."

"Don't you think it would've been a good idea to go back, oh, I don't know, hours ago?" Loki winced, but she wasn't finished. Just the thought of him lying alone, suffering without relief for the better part of the day made her physically ill. "I'm sure Eir has a tonic you could take for the coughing, at the very least. And yet, you're still here in this bed, growing sicker by the minute, it would seem."

"I—" Burying his face in the crook of his elbow did nothing to hide the next ragged coughing fit. After what seemed an eternity, he finally managed a few words. "Too… Too t-tired."

That was the moment in which Hela's heart broke.

"You should've called me," she whispered, brushing a wayward strand of hair off his forehead. "Or Thor, or someone."

"Too t-tired," came the same reply. "Besides… you… the peace t-treaty—"

"Is not—and will never be—more important than you. Besides," she added with a smile, "we have to get you better before the shower tonight. Once every half a million years, remember?"

But Loki was already shaking his head. "I'm not going to m-make it."

"You will if I have anything to say about it."

"N-No, I m-mean: I'm not going to make it." With a whine that could only be attributed to Loki's classic drama queen reputation, he sunk deeper into his pillow. "I'm going to d-die here in this wretched bed, Hela!"

"You're miles away from Death's door, dear brother."

"How would you know? You're n-not… not the one practically burning to death."

"You're forgetting that I'm the Goddess of Death. I know what it looks like—and what it doesn't. You've probably caught the bug that's been going around the kingdom."

"B-But my immune system is supposed to be one of the b-best. That's what Mother says—" Several more coughs took his voice captive and Hela found herself swallowing against the grating sound of them.

"Well, it would appear even the very best are capable of becoming ill. Now, you just sit tight while I go fetch Eir."

"Because I was j-just dying to jump out the window the m-moment you left."

"Cute. I'm serious, though. I know you're not fond of the healers, but stay put."

"Yes, Mother."

"Good." Planting a quick kiss on his forehead, Hela strode toward the door.

"Now you'll get sick, t-too," she heard him whisper through a shredded throat.

Turning, she flashed him a soft smile. "Well, if that's the case, it will make the affection that much more sweet, now won't it?"

Her brother's attempt at a smile summoned another string of coughs that had him curling in on himself.

"I'll be quick. I promise."

Don't worry, brother. I promise…

The cough continued to linger and the heat still clung to his skin, but Loki had been insistent. So had Hela.

Everyone else had advised the little prince to stay in his room for the evening, but according to Loki, he was already feeling so much better—a claim made from within the eye of a hurricane of coughs.

Frigga had given him a knowing look, but had allowed him to accompany his siblings out to the gardens nevertheless.

Lying on her back, it was all Hela could do to keep her eyes open. The accumulation of her worry for Loki and her anxiety over the treaty—on top of her incredibly busy day—was at last beginning to wear on her. Maybe this was due to the fact that her body was finally getting a breather, a moment of rest. Or, perhaps it was the warmth of her brothers cuddling on either side of her that brought about this sudden fatigue.

"So, once ever half a million years, then?" she inquired, swallowing down a yawn.

"Yeah," Thor replied and she caught him glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. "That means you saw the last one, right?"

"Did anyone ever tell you how absolutely hilarious you are? You know I'm not that old."

"Could've fooled me—Ow!"

As she gave Thor a light elbow jab to the ribs, she heard Loki snicker beside her for a brief moment before tumbling back into a short coughing fit.

"How long do these things generally last?" A tinge of worry laced her tone, but she was certain the boys hadn't caught onto it.

Thor just shrugged, still rubbing at his chest. Once he had finished hacking up a lung, Loki was the one to explain.

"Not too much longer."

Hela raised a skeptical brow. "If I recall correctly, the last time you said that, we stayed out for three hours."

"That's because those were the Midgardian Northern Lights," Loki stressed, as if this excuse made everything crystal clear.

"Yeah," Thor chimed in, "and those last all night."

"No," Hela corrected as a particularly stunning meteor pierced the heavens, "we waited all night. The actual display of lights didn't last but a half hour."

"It was worth it, though," came Loki's hoarse whisper. "Wasn't it?"

Smiling, Hela tugged them both closer. "Of course, it was."

It's always worth it with you two.

"We do have to get you back inside soon," she said after a few moments of comfortable silence. "Frigga will have all our heads if I bring you back half-dead on your feet."

She could almost feel Loki rolling his eyes. "I'm not dying, Hela."

"Oh? Funny, I thought you were…"

It was Thor's turn to snicker, earning a half-hearted glare from his brother.

"Well," Loki responded, voice sullen, "not anymore."

"Oh, good. I'm so glad you're not on Death's door anymore. Frigga will be so happy to hear that."

Loki mumbled something that sounded an awful lot like he wanted her to shut up and watch the shower, but of course, Hela knew her little angel would never say something like that to his big sister.

Still, a smile tugged at her lips.

"So," Thor began a short while later, "what's next?"

"Next?" Hela couldn't hold back her chuckle. "Can we finish this activity first?"

"It's never too early to plan, you know."

Oh, Norns, she knew.

As Loki drifted in and out of sleep beside her, and Thor jabbered on about some sort of amazing underground cave he'd discovered on Vanaheim, Hela watched the stars fly by, marveling at the fact that she was lucky enough to be blessed with two wonderful little brothers.

Despite those trying days when they got on each other's nerves—because honestly, who doesn't have those days?—she wouldn't trade them for the universe.

For them, she would do anything.