Epilogue: Aftereffects
By Lady Crysiana and Yasha-hime
Mayura had her arm linked with Loki's as they walked through the
front gate towards the house. "I can't believe we've been gone for a month..."
she mused. "...who should we worry about most?"
"Your father," Loki said promptly.
"...not your children?"
"The volume isn't as ear-splitting."
"Papa doesn't make the food we eat."
"Yamino-kun couldn't poison us if he tried."
"Hel-chan has access to the kitchen."
"Hel wouldn't do that."
Mayura considered it. "No, I guess she wouldn't."
Upstairs in Hel's den, Hel abruptly muted the Beauty and Sin eyecatch.
Heimdall glanced at her. "What is it, Hel?"
"Otousama?"
Heimdall headed out of the room and down the stairs. "Loki?
Mayura?"
"Busted," Loki grimaced to his wife.
Mayura beamed at Heimdall. "You're back to normal again?"
"Huh?" Heimdall looked at himself. "Oh, that.
I broke the seal while you were gone."
Hel walked down the stairs past Heimdall and stopped in front of
her father. "Otousama," she said coldly.
"Hel," Loki greeted warily.
Hel slammed her hand into her father's chest and yanked his soul
out. Unlike when she'd taken Odin's eye, she didn't do any physical harm.
Just turned her father into a very startled and unhappy ghost.
Yamino had hurried into the room when he heard Loki and Mayura's
voices. Now he gaped at Hel. "Neesan! Why did you..."
Mayura's eyes widened. "Loki-kun!" She suddenly fell
to her knees as Loki's power left her. She shrieked and curled into a ball
as it felt as if she were being ripped in two, as if part of her soul were being
stripped away. Finally, the flow of power stopped and Mayura knelt, gasping,
with her arms around herself.
Loki's body glowed pale gold for a moment, then shrank back into
the form of a child. An unconscious child, but still. Loki's ghost looked
down at it. "Hel, that wasn't nice."
"Otousama left. Otousama didn't call. Otousama sent an ugly
postcard!" Hel did not look at her father; she regarded her brother
instead.
Yamino frowned. "Yes, but...that's not a reason to kill him."
He hurried over to help Mayura to her feet.
"Yes, it is," Hel said adamantly. Her father's ghost
winced.
"It won't help to say I'm sorry, will it?"
"No," Hel responded flatly.
Mayura leaned limply against Yamino. After a moment, he picked
her up and cradled her in his arms. She stirred slightly, shakily. Loki would
have been Upset with his son, being somewhat the possessive type, had he not
been rather busy attempting to cajole his daughter into returning him to his
body. "I'll buy you the entire five-season volume of Pretty Sin, or whatever
it is, on DVD!" he offered desperately.
Heimdall coughed and glowered at Loki. "That's 'Beauty and
Sin,'" he said coolly. Hel gave her father a hard, flat look. Loki winced
as he saw his chances drop below zero. "Nonetheless," added Heimdall,
"you should return him to his body, Hel."
"No."
"You hate Mayura that much?" Heimdall asked mildly.
"Enough to kill her husband, the father of her child and leave her alone?"
"Not alone," Hel denied. "Mayura-okaasama has us.
And Otousama isn't welcome in Nifelheim."
"It still hurts her more than anyone," said Heimdall
calmly. "She's the one who would be raising a half-god on her own."
"...sou ka?" Hel reluctantly queried her stepmother.
Mayura blinked to clear her head, and said softly, "Sou da.
I care for all of you, but Loki...please give Loki back."
Hel glared at her father one more time, then picked him up, crumpled
him into a small ball (the look on his face, while you could still see it, was
an absolutely priceless combination of indignation and dismay), and stuffed
him back into his body.
Heimdall leaned over Loki. "You do, of course, owe me now."
"Owe you what?" Loki demanded warily, sitting up.
"You could always come through on the promise of the five
seasons of 'Beauty and Sin.'" Heimdall looked amused. "Of course,
your being sealed again is amusing enough."
"I'm going to have to discuss it with the Norns," Loki
sighed. "You'll have to wait until next month for the DVDs. I maxed out
all of my credit cards."
"I discussed my situation with the Norns a little while ago.
I think they're still hiding in their house."
"Sou ka. I should probably go and talk to them while they're
still intimidated, then." Loki climbed to his feet and turned to Mayura.
"Would you like to come? You can help me buy presents for everyone who's
still mad at us. Or at least pick them out."
"As long as you let Freyr throw Mayura's baby shower, he'll
stop being mad at you," Heimdall contributed with a smile.
Yamino set Mayura on her feet, then steadied her when she wobbled.
"Alright," she said.
"...I suppose," Loki said, wincing as he remembered parties
Freyr had planned before. "Yamino-kun, would you mind working with Freyr
on it? I know you wanted to do it yourself..."
Yamino beamed at Loki. "Of course I can work with him on
it." There was a particularly Loki-ish gleam in his eye.
Heimdall eyed Yamino. "I'll make sure that I'm not there
for that discussion."
"I'm tempted to op out of the baby shower entirely,"
Loki said with a nervous look at his son. He grabbed Mayura's wrist and dragged
her out of the house.
Mayura blinked but followed Loki easily. "I don't think it'll
be that bad..."
"You've never been to a party hosted by Freyr," Loki
said wryly, still holding Mayura's hand. He carefully refused to notice that
he looked more like her kid brother than her lover and husband at this point.
At least his ring still fit.
"Where are we headed?" asked Mayura.
"To visit the Norns," Loki explained. "The three
goddesses of fate. You've met them before--White Night Fortune-telling."
"Oh, them." Mayura thought for a moment. "They
seem like nice people."
"They are, usually," Loki said. Then he sighed. "But
they have a snarky sense of humor."
"Like the dress thing?"
"A very, very, very good example, yes."
Mayura smiled. "And the outfit he was in when they changed
him back, too."
"...eh?"
"It was really dorky. I think Freyr took pictures."
Mayura added, "They changed Heimdall back when we were in the furniture
store and they changed his clothes at the same time."
"Pictures? Ooooooh."
"You can ask him about them at the baby shower."
"If the Norns don't have any," Loki said thoughtfully.
"They won't if it means you're going to amuse them at a party."
"The might, if I tell them I'll ask Heimdall to come look
for them," Loki countered.
Mayura frowned. "What did he do to them?"
"I don't know, and I'm not sure I want to," Loki admitted.
"..." said Mayura.
"It's best not to ask in a case like this. As long as there
are no visible marks."
"...right."
Mayura looked around Loki's backyard. K-chan was dancing on a
table (which Heimdall had already retreated under) while Yamino glowered at
Freyr from his place near the food table. Thor was standing there, looking
confused as to how he'd gotten there, but headed for the food table anyway.
Loki, who was not only still a child but had been given kitty ears and a bell,
idly kicked Heimdall out from under the table and gave the Norns a sour look
as they arrived. It was left to Hel to greet them and tell them how much her
Otousama appreciated the ears and the bell.
Heimdall Smiled at the Norns and waved cheerily.
The only thing that kept them from bolting was the fact that Hel
turned and gave Heimdall a small frown of annoyance.
Heimdall sighed and turned to Loki. "You just need to know
how to talk to them," he said.
"I know how to talk to them," Loki responded. "As
long as Mayura isn't around to 'help.'"
"You mean, 'And I had him try on this cute hat but he wouldn't
keep it on and it had cute kitty ears!'?"
"Who told you about that!?" Loki demanded.
"No one had to. It's the Norns."
Loki still looked suspicious.
"And it might be on video. Somewhere."
"...probably, knowing them," Loki admitted reluctantly.
"Actually, 'somewhere' is 'Hel's VCR,'" said Heimdall.
"...you know, every time you open your mouth lately, Ragnarok
sounds like a better and better deal."
"No it doesn't. You have an unborn child."
"I suppose I can put it off a few more years. As long as
you swear on your right eye never to produce children with my daughter."
"I will never touch your daughter," said Heimdall.
"Official oath," Loki demanded.
"Shouldn't you be worrying about Hel and not me?"
"You're closer, and have had considerably less success at
killing me."
"But I'm not the one who would be dragging her into
bed."
"Consider it an excuse to refuse."
"She'd just kill me. ...and then sleep with me."
"No, no, I made her swear never to do that to any man. Or
woman, for that matter."
Heimdall eyed Loki suspiciously. "Are you sure?"
"Very. I made her reaffirm it when she started talking about
that Alec guy being pretty."
"...right. Fine, I swear by my right eye that I will not
have sex with your daughter."
"It's not the sex I object to, it's progeny," Loki corrected.
"In the event that she inherited your fertility, my version
is safer," retorted Heimdall.
Freya decided to arrive just then, on the arm of someone she'd
met at the gate. Koutaro couldn't resist both peeking down Freya's blouse and
trying to cop a feel.
"This may be true," Loki allowed.
Freya waved to Freyr.
"You have to wonder what kind of power your children might
have. Since originally their mother was the goddess and you were the human,"
commented Heimdall.
Freyr noticed Koutaro copping feels and immediately challenged
him to a duel. Koutaro asked if he got to choose the weapon, in that case.
"You know, it's entirely possible that's why Odin sent people
to kill me."
Freya crossed her arms and glared at both of them.
"It must be interesting to know she's carrying twins, though."
"Shh. I haven't told her yet, and I don't think she knows."
Freyr ignored the glaring and agreed to let Koutaro choose the
weapon. Koutaro promptly chose kisses and set the terms that the one to collect
the most in ten minutes would be the winner.
Freyr choked.
Koutaro set about collecting kisses, beginning with Mayura.
"Are you going to let him do that to your wife?" Heimdall
asked. Then he said, "Excuse me while I go hide under the table again."
Loki trotted on over to where Koutaro was trying to steal a kiss
from Mayura. Mayura had already pushed Koutaro away with the understanding
that he was looking forward to a kick to the groin if he did it again. Loki
gestured to Koutaro to bend down. Koutaro, curious, did so. That was when
Loki grabbed him by the ears and bussed him soundly on each cheek and then on
the lips. "That makes four," he said cheerfully as Koutaro reared
back in shock and horror.
Freyr was by this point busily trying to drag Heimdall out from
under the table. "You have to help me!"
"No I don't," retorted Heimdall.
Mayura fell over laughing.
Koutaro felt the need to purify his lips. Thus he grabbed Freya,
dipped her, and tried to suck out her tonsils. Freya decided that going with
it would work just as well as anything else.
"Yes you do!" Freyr insisted, yanking on Heimdall's
ankle. "You're my boyfriend!"
"...he's making out with your sister," said Heimdall
pointing.
Freyr forgot to let go of Heimdall's ankle as he raced over to
"save" his sister.
Mayura watched the ensuing madness with wide eyes. This caused
her to completely miss the ensuing madness behind her, which consisted, unsurprisingly,
of an eating contest between Thor, Gullinbrusti, and Fenrir.
The Norns quietly attempted to take their leave, only to be stopped
and kissed by Koutaro first (despite him having a black eye and a split lip),
and then stopped again and forced to return Loki to his normal, adult form.
They looked at each other as they finally escaped.
This crew was always going to be a lot of headaches.