"Prince Regent!"

Loki fought against the groan rising in his throat.

"Prince Regent!"

Fortunately, Brunnhilde did all the groaning for him. "Ugh. Will he ever just give it a rest?"

Loki made a non-committal hum before steeling his nerves, plastering on one of his most genuine fake grins, and turning toward their most recent irritant.

"Lord Einar. What a pleasure it is to see you. Again."

Beside him, Brunnhilde tried in vain to conceal a snort. Fortunately, Einar didn't seem to notice the slight.

"For the fifth time today," Loki added, trying to keep his irritation at a low simmer. "What is your complaint this time?"

Lord Einar straightened his spine, rising to his full height, which landed just under an inch taller than Loki. "Bold of you to assume I am coming to you with a complaint."

Loki raised a brow. "Aren't you?"

"Certainly not!" After an indignant sniff, Einar continued, "I was just curious as to when you were going to do something about the royal court, or lack thereof."

"Hmm, the royal court…" As Loki pretended to ponder this concern, his feet painfully reminded him that they hadn't had a proper rest since he'd left Brunnhilde's house that morning. "And what about the court, exactly?"

"Well, it's no secret that the curia regis is no more. As acting regent, I assume you're well-aware of the fact that one simply cannot rule without a proper council."

"Oh… Oh, no. I wasn't aware of that. Were you, Brunnhilde?"

For her part, Val did an excellent job of feigning confusion. "No, I had no idea. Serving as a Valkyrie and pledging myself to defend the royal family definitely didn't give me access to the court 24/7."

"Hmm, I thought not. Well, Lord Einar, now that you've brought it to my attention," Loki said, doing his best to ignore that twinge of pleasure blossoming in his chest at the sight of Einar's obvious frustration, "let me think… I have Brunnhilde, a very experienced and adept former Valkyrie. I also have Heimdall, the Gatekeeper and all-seeing eye of Asgard."

"New Asgard."

"Oh, right, Lord Einar. Do forgive me." Hand over his chest in mock humility, Loki shared a knowing look with Brunnhilde. "So you see, between the three of us, I believe New Asgard is in good hands for the time being."

"I was by no means questioning your authority, my prince, but—"

"But, you were questioning my council."

"I would never—"

"Ah, but you did," Loki cut in, his tone now devoid of its coy amusement. "And as Prince Regent, I will not have you questioning my authority. You may have been a noble in the old realm, but here in New Asgard, our nobility is severely lacking. Everyone is equal. Lords, common folk, and beggars alike rest on the same tier, and I intend to keep it that way. Am I clear?"

Einar worked his jaw, then gave the briefest of nods. "Crystal, my prince."

"Wonderful. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have to attend to matters of actual relevance. Good day, Einar."

And if the red-faced man noticed the blatant lack of title before his name, he made no mention of it as the three parted ways.

"I just don't understand." Loki carded a hand through his hair. "Is there a giant banner across my chest or something that says: Please bother me, I'm not busy in the slightest?"

When she made a show of studying his chest, Loki finally let himself savor a deep eye roll.

"None that I can see."

"Thank you. You're honestly too helpful sometimes."

"I try."

Loki pursed his lips. "Hmm."

The weary sigh that escaped his lungs danced atop the wind as they made their way through the village.

"In all honesty," Brunnhilde remarked after a moment of blessed silence, "I think the people are excited about your idea."

"Felman's idea, you mean."

"Whatever. The fact is that you ran the numbers. You're the one turning the dream into a reality. And you're the only one not giving yourself enough credit."

"I'll give credit where credit is due, thank you very much."

"Again: whatever, your majesty."

"Sometimes, you truly are impossible."

Out of the corner of his eye, Loki watched Brunnhilde's lips tug into a smirk. "Right back at you, Lackey."

"Loki."

"For the last time: whatever."

As Loki swallowed down a chuckle, several children who had gathered to play stopped their game to wave at him.

"Play, young children," Brunnhilde sighed as Loki returned the wave with a grin. "May you never grow to be annoying, nagging sons of b—"

"Watch it," Loki hissed between his teeth. "Little ears, don't forget."

"Yeah, yeah. Sure. They probably hear their parents swear all the time."

"Well, they don't need to hear it from you."

"Fine," Brunnhilde replied, lips pursed as she kicked a stray ball back into the fray of children. "I wonder what Heimdall's up to."

With a shrug, Loki spared the kids one last glance, a fond smile tugging at the very corners of his lips. "He said he had to check on something."

"Better him than us, then. He just better make it back in time for the final meeting of the day."

"He will, I'm sure."

"And if he doesn't?"

A dry chuckle brushed past Loki's lips. "First off, you're paranoid. And second, I try not to think that far ahead these days."

"Oh, please. You think further ahead than anyone I've ever met. I mean, do you ever stop thinking? Or is your mind constantly calculating every possible outcome to every freaking situation?"

"Uh… I'd say that the last one is closest to the truth."

"Impossible man," Brunnhilde muttered under her breath.

"Speaking of…" Loki risked a glance at his house just coming into view. "I should go update Thor."

"Will he even listen to you?"

"Probably not, but he is the king. He needs to know what's going on with his people."

"Our people."

Loki felt his jaw tighten a bit. "Yes… Our people."

One year… One year and the feeling of belonging still hadn't settled into his bones.

Maybe Thor had been right after all. Perhaps you truly do belong on Sakaar.

Alone.

Exhaustion fell over him in waves, churning his empty stomach and leaving him with a piercing headache.

"You deserve to be alone and you always will be."

Perhaps Sif had been right after all—

Brunnhilde chose that moment to slip a hand atop his shoulder and the warmth of the touch startled Loki out of his jumbled musings.

"Want company this time?"

Though an affirmative sat on the tip of his tongue, Loki felt his head begin to shake. "You go on ahead. I won't be long. Besides," he added with a bit of a forced grin, "someone has to get everything set up."

"Uh huh. And what about the meeting?"

Loki spread his arms as he started his backward retreat toward his house. "For after the meeting, of course. If my hints were anything to go by, Heimdall should be bringing more dessert."

"What?" She cracked a grin. "Tired of shortcake?"

"Just a little."

He refused to squirm under her studious stare—he refused to squirm for anyone. Though, he couldn't deny that her glares grew in intensity every time she flashed one his way. Every time she suspects weakness…

Shut up!

"Look," he pressed when her eyebrows remained cocked and ready, "I won't take long, I promise. He probably won't even listen to me, anyway."

"But you'll tell me what he says?"

"Don't I always?"

He never gave her the chance to reply, vanishing into a cloud of green that transported him swiftly and safely onto his front porch.

Where the real battle awaited him, teeth and claws primed for a fight. Why did these talks always have to end in a fight?

Not this time, came Loki's grim thought. This time, he was too tired to try any harder than a one-sided conversation as he lingered on the sidelines of Thor's vision.

Clearing his throat a few times had become second nature to the young prince, even though he knew full-well that the sound always failed to capture his brother's attention.

"Thor?"

Nothing but a brief hum answered him as the thunder god's eyes remained glued to the screen; his hands gripping the controller tighter than he'd ever held Mjolnir.

"Right, well…" Though Loki couldn't help but clear his throat again, he refused to rock on his heels. It shouldn't be this hard. "If you're even listening, I just wanted to let you know that we've begun the first steps to creating a sustainable economy for New Asgard."

Another hum, this one even more disinterested than the last.

"And tomorrow, Brunnhilde is going to work on obtaining another loan from Stark. The first one is nearly depleted and there's still so much left to do." So much… "Oh, and what little still remains of Asgard's nobility have begun to complain. Again. About literally everything."

Had Loki's inspection of his brother not been so intense, he would have missed the slight nod Thor offered him.

"But I told them off—like you would've, I hope. And the fresh fjord air seems to be doing wonders for the children. They're less pale these days and have recovered quite nicely from everything… You know what I mean. Well, no, I suppose you don't, but the euphemism stands nonetheless." A slow exhale was all he needed to temporarily banish the pain sprouting up in his chest. "Anyway, I just thought I would keep you up to date. You are the king, after all. And what sort of king doesn't know what's going on in his own kingdom?"

What sort of king, indeed?

When Thor let out a sudden whoop of joy, Loki forced himself not to jump. "Yes! Do you see that?"

Loki didn't even bother to glance at the screen. He knew what he would find. He'd heard that same exclamation a hundred times. A new high score. How thrilling. And it wasn't as if he didn't care, it's just…

… He didn't care.

"Look! Loki! Do you see that? Where's my phone?"

Loki spotted the device right away, and though it sat on the armrest well within eyesight, Thor began fishing through the pile of trash cluttering up the other side of the couch.

"Where is it? Come on… Loki, do you know where…?"

"I haven't the slightest idea," Loki said, his tone artfully keeping his secret as he snatched up the phone and stuffed it in his jacket pocket. "I'm sure you'll find it someday."

"Someday? I need it now."

"Perhaps you're sitting on it? Why don't you hop up and take a look? Maybe set a record for how long you could go without sitting back down again? Who knows, it could be very entertaining."

Gradually growing more irritated, Thor shot his brother a glare. "We'll find it faster if we both search. Come on."

It was just one invitation of many that Loki would've accepted in a heartbeat once upon another time. Now, however, he blew out a low whistle and shook his head.

"I'm terribly sorry, brother, but I'm busy at the moment."

"Busy? You're just standing there!"

"Like I said: busy. Maybe while you're searching, you can take a moment to mull over everything I just told you. If you were actually listening, which I doubt."

Thor had the gall to look affronted, but Loki couldn't find enough energy to revel in his brother's imbecilic expression. "I was listening."

"Really?" Cocking a brow, Loki crossed his arms and stared Thor down. "All right, what's New Asgard's most sustainable resource?"

Confusion danced across Thor's face. "Uh… hunting."

With a cutting edge to his voice, Loki made the sound of a buzzer. "Aaaand we have a loser because that answer was wrong. I never said anything about resources."

"Well, what is it, then?" Thor pressed, his tone tinged with exasperation.

Oh, he's exasperated, is he?

"I'm not going to tell you."

A growl rumbled in Thor's throat. "Loki…"

"You used to be smart. You figure it out! I'm done trying to spell everything out for you."

Before Thor could make another comeback, Loki stormed across the room and into the kitchen, switching the phone out for two beer cans and leaving it there in the fridge to freeze.

"Here!" Thor managed to catch the first drink thrown at him, but the second smacked into his chest with a dull thud.

"Ow! Loki!"

"Down a few more of those and this conversation will be no more than a fuzzy memory! That way, you won't have to worry your pretty head about it. Per. The. Usual. You've developed quite a steady streak of letting me down, so please, don't stop now. Focus on the win—like you always do."

Drained as he was, Loki couldn't handle the cries and protests he knew would follow him out the door, so he teleported himself onto the front porch once more.

Pain swirled in an endless tide around his skull, closing in until Loki was certain his brain would explode. Which wouldn't be such a bad thing, really.

Then, he wouldn't have to think. He wouldn't have to plan.

He wouldn't have to deal with everything.

As he trudged down the path to Brunnhilde's little house, Loki recalled a time when he could simply vanish for hours on end and no one would even bat an eye. He could wander through the gardens or explore the depths of Asgard without a single care in all of the Nine Realms.

No one would search for him. No one would care.

Stop lying to yourself, won't you?

No… Whenever he would disappear off on some lonely adventure, Thor would always come after him.

And nine times out of ten, Thor would find him. Always.

What he wouldn't give to have his brother come after him again. Just like old times.

Just like…

But that was then. This is now. And as much as Loki despised his current reality, there was no escape this time. We can't bothrun away.

Except, Thor was still there. And yet, he's gone, isn't he?

Sometimes, it felt as if Thor had died.

Is this what he felt like every time I…

Loki sucked in a breath, hoping the chilly evening air would clear his mind of every unwanted thought.

Well, that would take nothing short of a miracle.

Things had been going so well on the Statesman—better than they had since before Thor's botched coronation. And Loki had dared to hope that life would only get better from that point on. That his relationship with his brother was finally on the mend.

Even after Thanos attacked—even after life went spiraling back down into a black hole of chaos—they had still been together. Fighting side by side, just like Thor had always wanted.

Just like you always wanted. Stop lying to yourself!

Now, they were still "together," in the most rudimentary sense of the word, but Loki had lost hope long ago that they would ever be truly together again.

Brunnhilde's house felt like a haven for the lost when it loomed over him at last and Loki could've wept at the sight of it.

"How'd it go?" The Valkyrie's questioning gaze followed him as he dragged himself over to the couch.

"How do you think?"

"That bad, huh?"

The most Loki could offer was a weak shrug. "It could've been worse, I suppose."

Brunnhilde scoffed. "It can always be worse. I thought we were trying to focus on how we can make it better."

"Oh," Loki said with a sigh, leaning his head back until his gaze met the ceiling, "I'm tired of trying to make everything better. What exactly is better, anyway? It's just a word—a stupid little word out of which you and I are supposed to pull some sort of marvelous reality for everyone but ourselves."

Something brushed against his shoulder and Loki was slightly startled to find Brunnhilde hovering over him, a glass of water in hand. "Here. I know you're tired of beer. Also, you're rambling again."

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Loki accepted the drink. "I find it difficult to care at the moment."

"Well, I care." Brunnhilde settled onto the other side of the couch. "It's annoying and it makes me fear for your sanity."

"My sanity is the least of my worries, right now."

"Well, it's top on my list, so knock it off before I call Bruce or something, okay?"

"Fine." Suddenly parched, Loki downed half his glass, choosing to ignore the slight tint that clouded the water. "Is Heimdall here yet?"

"If you look around and see him, then yeah, he's here."

"Funny."

"Like I said earlier: I try."

After finishing that last of his drink, Loki made a face. "Once we've stabilized the economy and whatnot, remind me to have filters installed on all the faucets."

"It's gross, isn't it?" Brunnhilde smirked before making a show of drinking her beer. "Yeah, I took one sip of that water and thought I was gonna puke, so I ditched it in favor of this."

"You know, you can't live on beer, and actually, it can kill you."

"Do I look like an idiot? You and your brother, I swear…" Brunnhilde muttered. "You practically live here, have you not noticed the gatorade in the fridge?"

"Oh, right. Because that's so much better."

"Better than crap water."

"Well," Loki said, dragging himself into the kitchen, "crap water—as you so masterfully put it—or not, I spent the worst parts of the day battling dehydration." He filled his glass and downed it in seconds. "And I'd rather not spend the slightly better part in the same manner."

Clasping a hand over her heart, Brunnhilde made a face that could only be described as sarcastically sappy. "Aww, my house is the best part of your day?"

Loki pinched his fingers together. "Slightly. I said slightly better."

"Hey, better is still better."

"True." With a grimace, Loki finally set the thrice empty glass in the sink. "How in the Nine does your water taste that terrible?"

"It's crap water. Always has been, always will be."

Brows furrowed, Loki turned on the tap again. "Has it always been bronze, though?"

"What?"

As Brunnhilde moved to join him in the kitchen, the front door opened and Heimdall burst into the room. The tight expression on his face sent Loki's heart hammering.

"What is it?" Because if that was the Gatekeeper's resting face, Loki didn't even want to imagine what his concerned expression would look like.

The answer, when it came, hit the prince like a knife to the chest. "There's been an outbreak."

Whatever he'd expected Heimdall to say, it hadn't been that.

Please, not that.

"All over the village," Heimdall continued, a bit breathless, and Loki wracked his brain in an effort to remember when he'd last seen the man look so emotionally unstable, but to no avail. "The people. They're just... collapsing. And they're not waking up again."

Brunnhilde cursed under her breath, but Loki barely heard it. He was already racing toward the door.

"Show me."

Let me know what you think so far! Also, if anyone has any ideas for scenes they would like to see in this fic, I would love to hear them! 3