The end of Loki and Natasha's week came and went, and the both of them stayed exactly where they were, as though Thor had never asked for them to return. Loki sent men to track Helbindi down, among them Bylestir, the youngest of Laufey's children. While the Aesir produced few children, for whatever the reason, the Jotun didn't seem to have that sort of problem. As the youngest he was eager to prove himself, promising his new king he'd return with their brother and men in tow within a matter of days, taking a small band of his own.

He returned on time, as promised, with the heads of those who he'd brought and wide, dead eyes. There were words carved into his blue flesh, words such as traitor, and psy, and others she was told didn't translate but could guess were awful none the less. How Helbindi could do that to his kin . . . well it didn't make any damn sense. What was more, Bylestir was barely able to mumble out that he'd joined forces with the Other, the very man who'd killed Laufey, and by extent with Thanos. He brought the men to their opponent's side as well. The bastard.

"Our list of allies grows thinner every day," Natasha found herself muttering as Loki recounted their losses for the hundredth time.

"At least Thor secured Alfheim," Loki said as his hand shot out to take hers and squeeze tight. She let him, chest aching. The engagement had been confirmed not two days after he'd told her and every time she heard it, she found the pain increased. The wedding had been announced to take place at the end of the month.

"Yes, he did that." She swallowed her pain. "I want to go to his wedding, Loki. You ought to go as well, though I understand if you cannot." She said, clearing her voice so it remained resolute. There was no backing down on this. It might've been her last chance to hold him, be with him in every sense of the word, before he was sworn to another.

She still didn't want to believe it, and doubted very much that it would hit her until she saw them say their vows. Her chest tightened. Then it would get even worse.

"It's too dangerous. With Helbindi searching for every, and any, weakness he can find-."

"Allow me to rephrase this," Natasha cut. "I am going to the wedding. You will stay here with your people and your kingdom if that is what you wish, I won't hold it against you. In fact, I'd rather you stayed here."

His eyes narrowed. "He's going to be married. He's already been promised and likely consummated it early. What if you mess up the arrangement between us and Alfheim? What if you lose their support?"

"Had it been me getting married you'd do the same thing. Don't deny it," she growled. She was over his petty antics, his excuses born not out of a desire to see them succeed but out of his own need and desire. He had a point, that was without a doubt, but he couldn't have cared less for the alignment with Alfheim, and instead saw only what he wanted and how to keep it. "I'm going, Loki. I would appreciate your understanding , but with or without it nothing changes. I'm still going."

He caught her arm in hand, his eyes narrowed, as she made to pull away from him. "You are married. To me. And you agreed to those arrangements knowing all too well that this was always a possibility."

"Remind me why I married you again?" She couldn't help but ground out. Pain flickered in Loki's eyes and he released her as though her touch had burned him. She ought to have felt bad, maybe even apologized, but she was too furious to even consider it when all she wanted to do was beat some sense into him. It didn't help that she hadn't been able to spar, or even find a partner for it, damn size differences. She was going crazy with all this extra energy and aggression, but there was simply nothing to be done about the matter. Loki caught her again as she made to storm out, trying to kiss her, but she shoved him away.

"Are you serious right now?" She demanded, incredulous. Honestly! What did he think would happen? "Piss off."

"I will not be cuckolded by him. You are my wife," Loki said, his eyes slitted and words chilled. He advanced on her without listening to her telling him to leave her alone. "You will never claim Thor or Asgard. You are my wife because I was the one who would take you, who loved you. Thor is as fleeting as the bloody storms he calls. Do you think he would have taken you? Hel, Natasha, after what you did to the both of us you're damn lucky that I did!"

Her fist struck his face. Hard. She made to repeat it, blinking furiously as she aimed for his gut, but he caught her fist. Her head instead knocked against his, forcing him to let her go, even if her head spun as a result, aching.

"Go fuck yourself, Loki," she spat as she turned on her heel.

"Oh, queen like behavior-that'll win Thor over," he called after her, not knowing when to stop when he got rolling.

"At least I'm better off with him," she snarled, slamming the door behind her. Where she was going hardly mattered, and she heard Loki's anguished shout reverberating around the hall she'd left him in. Honestly, what was it with him and the blood self-destruct button? Didn't the asshole understand the concept of enough being enough? He'd never quite figured out where the line was between acceptable and not, but even though she was aware of his inability to keep from harming everyone else around him just to spite them, didn't make it any easier to live with him.

She hurt even more than before and she had to stop just outside the walls of the castle. It wasn't necessarily safe for her to be there, never sure about who lived in the town still, or just how enticing Helbindi's offer might've been. She could all but hear Loki chiding her for being so careless, as though she was a child who didn't understand the rules he set down were supposed to be for her protection, but she gritted her teeth and moved her fingers the the knives at her side. She'd be fine.

Besides, she could do with a nice fight, something to take her mind off of the idiot she'd married and his hateful words. The cold winds whirled her skirts and the furs she kept herself wrapped in at all times, pulling them all the tighter around her as she stepped out and around the edge of the castle. Keeping herself pent up in there was going to be the death of her, she knew it, and though she understood Loki's fears he really needed to trust her. She'd gone and done many a thing without his aid before, had followed Thor to Midgard in order to ensure that he returned to normal without Loki's assistance, had followed him there when he was attempting to follow Odin's plans for the convergence. Didn't he understand that if she could hold herself up that well without backup outside of her own intelligence and creativity that she could at least manage to take a walk or two by herself? Perhaps it would be best if he joined her on them, if he had to. He'd barely left the palace as it was unless it was to check on the status of his people, to assure them that he was doing everything he could to hold those who'd done this responsible. But aside from that? It would do them good to see their king mingling with them more often, she was certain.

Though at the same time she considered not proposing the idea to him because, if he actually listened to her for once, she wouldn't get a damn moment away from him.

To her displeasure Natasha didn't get the fight she'd been looking for, but refused to return inside until well after dark had fallen, the little sunlight that Jotunheim got swallowed up by the ever changing landscape. It was childish of her, she knew, to wait for so long, but Loki deserved it. She'd had a whole speech planned for when he told her off, and indeed he rushed to her with a furrowed brow the moment he caught sight of her entering the great hall.

"Loki-."

"There's been trouble on Vanaheim. You and I are both to go check it out," he said, voice a whirl so that she was left, mouth open and head spinning as she struggled to comprehend it all. "We ought to have left some time ago had you not been absent."

Good to know he'd been worried. She pushed the sarcastic comment down as she considered what he was saying. "What happened? Thanos?" She felt her blood go cold and her heart beat a little faster.

He shook his head. "Helbindi."

Shit.

A/N: Thanks so much for reading and for sticking with the story! Hope you're enjoying it, and thanks for all the support!