Note: The promised Daisy/fem!Wade chapter! Took a bit of thinking to work out a plausible scenario without completely overhauling canon to date. I ended up going with an idea I'd previously had which involved SHIELD getting Team Rogers the hell off-planet, and threw in background pairings.
"Just a Friend"
"This sucks," Daisy declared, flinging herself backwards onto the bed. She heard Simmons tutting as she sat primly on the end. "Okay, not the bed. Or the accommodations in general. Having to be here at all… that's what sucks."
"You know the director made the right call," Simmons said.
"I don't know about that. I mean, I like Coulson. I do. He's like a father to me. But don't you think this was a little extreme? Some lifelong crush on Captain America's got him acting crazy."
"I'm not sure he's even spoken to Captain Rogers yet," Simmons said, and Daisy glanced at her. "How's the bed?"
"Comfortable," Daisy said. "Too comfortable. I'm gonna have to sleep on cushions on the floor until I get used to it. The Iliad is hardly the Plaza."
"How do you like your quarters?" Sif asked, bounding into the room. "Have you seen yours yet, Healer Simmons?"
"I'm seeing Daisy settled first." Sif frowned, tilting her head. "Skye is going by her birth name in honour of her parents. I'm getting used to it."
"Ah," Sif said. "I shall make sure that Odin is aware of this. What title would you like, Lady Daisy?"
"I don't know," she said, sitting up and curling her arms around her knees. "Agent Johnson will do. D'you have an Asgardian equivalent here? Female knights?"
"I am the only female knight in Asgard," Sif pointed out.
"…I'm in good company, then. What did May choose?"
"Simply to be called May. Not Lady Melinda."
"I'll go with Daisy."
"As you wish," Sif said, bowing to each of them. "Your rooms are next door, Healer Simmons. I will return before dinner."
"Thank you," Simmons said, and Daisy nodded to Sif before the woman strode out.
"So we've left Earth behind," Daisy said. Simmons' shoulders slumped, and she nodded. "Maybe the gate guy, Heimdall… maybe he'll help you find Will? It's worth a shot, right?"
"I… I suppose so."
"You don't wanna leave him stranded on whatever that planet was, do you?"
"No! No, of course not. It's just… with Fitz…"
Daisy sighed. "Yeah, but he's not your soulmate. Will is."
"I know! That's part of why I can't leave him there. I just wish Fitz could find his soulmate. It's no substitute, and your soulmate should never be your rebound. Oh, I hate this, Skye! I mean Daisy. I hate it so much." She bent over where she was sitting, covering her face, and Daisy scrambled up to kneel behind her. She wrapped her arms around her friend from behind, and kissed the top of her head.
"It'll be okay," she promised. "The ATCU is gonna do what they can, intercede on SHIELD's behalf. Fitz and Mack are working on a way to send messages back and forth without having to rely on Heimdall. We can ask the gatekeeper if he can find Will, and the planet with the two moons. You still have the pictures, right?"
"If HYDRA wants anything to do with this—"
"You know Asgard doesn't have any ties to HYDRA, barring that incident with Ward and Lorelei, and she's in prison here," she said. "Repeat after me: everything will be alright."
"Everything… will be alright."
"Like you mean it, Simmons."
"Like you mean it, Simmons. Hey!" She slapped Daisy's hand away. "Fine, I'm sorry. No repeating." She breathed in and out a few times. "Everything will be alright. Everything will be perfectly alright. We'll get Will back. The superheroes still on Earth… on Midgard, they can take care of any problems, including HYDRA. We've sent all the information we had on them to Tony Stark. The grown-ups can take care of the big problems. Everything. Will be. Alright."
She continued to tremble, so Daisy kept holding her.
Darcy had no idea why she was here. Sure, she wanted to see Thor's sparkly palace, but why did they think she'd be safer out of the way? She understood that Jane would feel awkward being in Asgard since she kinda got Thor's mom killed the last time, but why send just Darcy away? It's not like she was on any real superhero radar or anything. Barely registered on Ian's radar…
Ian. Was that what this was about? Instead of making her suspicious by sending him to the other side of the planet, they sent her to another friggin' dimension. Jeez, talk about star-crossed lovers. They were just fooling around. Nothing serious. Darcy was saving the 'serious' stuff for her soulmate, like most normal people. It was the only explanation for why Selvig was still on Midgard, and Darcy had been shanghaied to another world.
"Hey, aren't you the Falcon?" she said, staring at the guy she was pretty sure was Sam Wilson. Sure, no goggles, but she recognised the facial hair, and knew he was supposed to be here. Besides, how many dark guys were in Asgard? Hogun and Heimdall were the only two she'd seen so far.
"Sam Wilson, at your service," he said, and Darcy may've squealed.
"So cool to meet you!" she said, pumping his hand up and down. "Can I get a selfie with you? Battery's still working, even though the service is, like, zero."
He laughed, and was cool enough to let her take a couple of pictures, including one where she squeezed his upper arm muscles and nearly fainted. Then Captain America came and joined them, and Darcy ended up complaining about the fact that she and Jane had been stuck in Europe again while they were fighting bad guys, and that if she'd been there she totally would've been able to stop Stark from building the killer robot. And if that didn't work, she would've tased Ultron.
"Miss Lewis, please come with me," Agent May said. In a definite no-nonsense tone.
"Yes, ma'am," Darcy said, following her like an obedient puppy. Or duckling. She tried not to think about Agent May as a mother duck, because she was fifty percent sure the woman had telepathy. Like a blank-faced version of Romanov, who Darcy would never get to meet, either.
"I think the subjects of Stark and Ultron are still fresh," Agent May said.
"Oh yeah," she said, and she winced. "But it's still totally true. I'm an awesome scientist wrangler. I keep Jane and Eric alive and doing Science!, even though I don't get paid for it. Totally earned those six science credit points, by the way."
"Maybe you could wrangle our scientists when they get carried away here."
"Something to do? Aw, yeah! Lead me there, my good lady. Bee-tee-dubs, when's Agent iPod Thief joining us?"
"Director iPod Thief is still rounding up superheroes-in-hiding," she said.
Darcy mentally congratulated herself for the almost-smile she thought she saw there.
"So who am I wrangling?" she said.
"Fitz has jumped right into the deep end," Agent May said. "He's still heartbroken now that Simmons has found her soulmate, and we had to leave all our research behind, so he's working out his frustration. King Odin found work for him to do."
"Thor's dad is being a real sweetie-pie letting us stay here, isn't he?" Darcy said.
"I hear he was insistent."
"Cool." They stopped at a door, and Darcy heard the distinct sounds of mechanical tinkering. She peeked through the window, and saw the lower half of someone's body beneath a huge table-like machine. "Uh, is that safe?"
"So I've been told."
"Yeah, but if he's heartbroken isn't he gonna be reckless?"
"Not yet," Agent May said. Darcy frowned, adjusted her woollen beanie, and then pushed open the door. She cleared her throat as she approached the machine, and the pair of legs. Before she could offer help, the legs slid out further.
"Can yeh hand me that… silver doodad with the wheels?" Fitz asked.
Darcy froze. He was heartbroken over Simmons – whoever that was – finding her soulmate. She had to remember that. Kneeling, she grabbed the only silver thing with wheels, which didn't look like any tool she'd ever seen. She slid it under the machine, and Fitz grunted. After a minute, he emerged, forehead streaked with grease of some kind, and a hollow look in his eyes. He smiled grimly, and wiped his hands on a rag.
It would be weird if she didn't say anything, and she didn't have any more words in her soulmark, so it had to be soon. After opening and closing her mouth a couple of times, she made up her mind.
"Is that an official word in Scotland?" she asked. (It was a Scottish accent, right?)
"W-what?" His jaw dropped.
"Doodad," she said. "I mean, it works in Word, but with all the Harry Potter fan fiction I write my personalised dictionary has gotten outta hand. There's only so many times you're willing to put up with squiggly red lines under Voldemort or Quidditch or Expelliarmus or Weasley. Am I right?"
"Uh…"
"Hey, I'm Darcy Lewis," she said, holding out her hand. He shook it, and she was glad he'd used the rag. She'd still have to wash up before dinner. "Intern to Dr. Jane Foster."
"F-Fitz. Uh, Leo Fitz. Dr. Leopold Fitz."
"Nice to meet you, soulmate," she said. "Listen, if you just want a friend that's okay. I think I was sent here to keep me away from my intern, but Jane and Thor are old-fashioned like that. I'm cool with whatever you want. Serious, not serious. Platonic or non-platonic. Just lemme know when you're ready, okay? In the meantime, when did you last eat or drink? Or sleep? C'mon, my temporary job as SHIELD scientist wrangler starts right now."
Phil shook off the shiver which had wormed its way down his spine. He was pretty sure he wasn't being watched. The ATCU was creating distractions elsewhere while he rounded up the last of the superheroes he was taking off-world.
"You're sure about this?" he asked Barton. Hawkeye hummed a confirmation, which wasn't good enough, but Phil had learnt to lower his expectations.
"Question is if he's sure," Barton said.
"The kid is seventeen. He's not old enough to drink or smoke, let alone vote."
"And? How old were you when you joined SHIELD?"
"…Good point." He paused, scanning the area, and noticed the moment Hawkeye realised what was going on. "I thought you said it was just one?"
"Yeah, just Parker," Barton said. He nocked his arrow and stepped into a sliver of light. "Spiderman? Which side are you on? And who did you bring with you?"
"I didn't bring anyone," the teenager said, emerging from the shadows.
"Come on. Who's your friend?"
"I swear, I didn't…" The boy's face turned resigned. "Wanda. Wanda Wilson, you get your ass out here!"
"As in Deadpool?" Barton said. "Why the hell is she hanging around with you?"
"Aw!" Deadpool jumped into a wider patch of sun, like a spotlight. "He didn't have anyone else to give him pointers, the poor baby. I figured he needed a guiding hand. If ya know what I mean." Her mask moved with her eyebrows as she waggled them up and down. Phil groaned, and joined them in the middle of the room.
"What are you doing here, Wilson?" he asked.
"Is this a one-Wilson gig? Because I was on the super scene before the Falcon."
"No," Phil said. "Both of the Maximioff twins… actually, they're—"
"Please, please, please can I come along? There's a bounty on my head again, and Spidey here might need my help! He'll be all overwhelmed as soon as you put him in front of Captain America."
"Look, I think Stark's become a bit unhinged from grief," Parker said.
"Not surprising," Phil said. "This trip to Asgard can only be made with the assistance of its gatekeeper. If you're trying to spy on us, it won't work." He chose not to mention that Fitz was supposed to use the notes Lewis had smuggled into Asgard to create a more efficient way of transporting between the realms, as having an engineer on board might be the missing key for Foster. Especially an engineer of Fitz's skill.
"I'm not trying to spy," Parker said. "That'd be pretty stupid, since you're all professional spies anyway. I'd never get away with it." Reasonable enough.
"We're going to Asgard!" Wilson exclaimed, and she danced around, singing to some random invisible person called Celia. Phil sighed, and glanced at Barton, who nodded. Well, he'd trusted the archer's judgement before, and one time it even gained them the Black Widow. If Barton's instincts were telling him to trust Spiderman… and Deadpool, Phil would go with it. He'd never regret following the instincts that had told him to recruit Barton, instead of taking him out.
"Is there anyone you want to reassure before you go, anyone you want us to keep an eye on?" he asked. He knew about Parker's aunt, but there didn't seem to be anyone else who could be used against him.
"Just my Aunt May—"
"Send her a message saying that you're going into hiding, but not where, or who with. I have someone tracking your outgoing messages. Barton, I'll arrange transport."
"Yes, sir," Barton said, watching Parker and Wilson.
"Can't believe I'm taking Deadpool to Asgard," Phil muttered, fishing out his cell phone as he walked out the door. "Rogers will kill me. May will kill me."
May hated leaving Andrew behind, but after they'd rescued him from Ward he'd felt like he owed the ATCU. So when SHIELD had to go off-world, he'd offered to work with them and keep an eye on things at that end. It was only the main staff from the Iliad who'd agreed to go to Asgard, especially with HYDRA still on their trail.
"Why did you choose Asgard?" Lady Sif asked.
"It was Coulson's decision," May said.
"Did he have a reason?"
"We're allies." When Sif continued to watch her, May added, "And I think it has something to do with his soulmark."
"Ah," she said. "When he arrived he did indeed look around with interest. I was not sure whether it was curiosity or—"
"Or something else."
"Aye." Sif smiled. "If he is searching for his soulmate here, there is no nobler reason. Does he have reason to believe the other half of his soul will be here?"
May pulled out her phone and found the picture Phil had allowed her to take. "This is his soulmark. It's the same kind of writing Jane Foster has." Sif's smile dimmed slightly, and when she studied the photo it dropped completely.
"What!"
"What is it?" May said.
"That writing…" Sif's gaze darted back and forth, and her breathing grew heavier.
"What is it?" she repeated.
"I know that hand. It…"
"It what, Sif?"
"…It resembles Loki's script."
May stepped back. "Impossible."
"I know. He is dead."
"And he killed Coulson. They've met before. He didn't get his soulmark until after he came back to life…" Sif still looked troubled. "Could you translate it for me?"
"But Loki is dead," Sif whispered.
"I got the impression that it wouldn't be the first time you've thought that."
"No, that is true."
"…What does it say?"
"Oh, forgive me," Sif said, shaking herself. She peered over May's shoulder at the image. "It says 'You have found all you searched for, Son of Coul?'"
"I don't think those were his first words to Coulson on the Helicarrier," May said. "I read the official report, and Coulson told me what happened."
"If Loki is alive, Thor must be informed. Odin must be informed!"
"Let's not jump to conclusions," May said. "Do you have any samples of Loki's writing? We could show them to Coulson when he returns."
"Come with me. He wrote often in the archives."
Phil ticked off the last person he'd had to bring to Asgard. He was still considering returning to America – he couldn't leave the Koenig brothers or Fury in charge indefinitely – but he needed to finish explaining himself to the Avengers. And since half of them were in Asgard, he should start there.
"I'm not introducing you to Odin unless he asks," he told Deadpool.
"Got it," she said, saluting him. "I've met him before, anyway, in a different chapter. Different ship this time, of course—"
"Okay," he said quickly. "Sif is taking me to see the king now. Please don't get into any trouble while I'm away?"
"I'll keep an eye on her," Parker said, dragging Deadpool away.
Sif led Phil into what he assumed was the throne room. Odin sat up high, holding a sceptre (probably 'magical') which brought back bad memories. He waited for the monarch to speak first.
"My king, this is Phillip, Son of Coul," Sif said, sweeping her hand to indicate Phil.
"You have found all you searched for, Son of Coul?" Odin said.
Phil noticed Sif's jaw drop, and her head swivel back and forth between them. He brushed it aside and nodded.
"Yes, thank you, your highness," he began. And then Sif leapt between them, and May appeared out of nowhere to stand in his way as well. "What the hell, May?"
"Where is Odin?" Sif growled.
"What?"
"That's Loki," May said, her back pressing against Phil's front as she tried to force him backwards. He glared at the back of her head.
"What are you talking about?" he said.
"He said your soul words!"
"I have seen an image of his soulmark, and it is in Loki's hand," Sif said, still staring at the man on the throne. His eyes… eye had widened, and Phil was torn between hoping this was real and hoping it wasn't. At least he wasn't the one offending whoever this was.
"Father," Odin (?) murmured. And no, apparently it wasn't Odin, because the man's double appeared in the corner of the room. He strode up the stairs to the throne and took the sceptre.
"Go," Real Odin said. "I will explain."
"Um—" Phil wasn't sure where he was going with that, because Odin stamped the sceptre down on the floor, and he was suddenly in a new place. A bedroom, by the looks of it, and didn't that put him on edge. He looked around, and the Odin disguise melted away, leaving a horribly familiar face in its place.
"Hello again, Son of Coul," Loki said.
Shaking his head, Phil backed away. His chest started to ache, the pain growing worse until it was like he was reliving the stabbing on the Helicarrier. He could almost hear Thor's bellow in the background, feel the ice cold of whatever had pierced him, and cried out when his back met the wall. He sank to the ground, legs unable to hold him up anymore, and he tried to control his breathing as he pressed further back. He was probably looking at Loki, but couldn't focus. Everything pressed in on him. He couldn't breathe. There was a weight on his chest, his lungs, keeping him from drawing enough air.
"Shh," Loki whispered, and Phil realised the man… his soulmate… was holding him tightly. "I'm here."
"I don't think… that makes it… any better," Phil panted. Loki eased his grip, but it didn't make breathing any easier. He tried to take deep breaths nonetheless, like after he'd had a nightmare. It reminded him that he was alive. As long as he could breathe, he was alive.
"If… you wish me to leave…?"
"Don't see that… happening. Your dad… sent us here."
"My quarters." Phil felt cold lips against his forehead, and shuddered. "Whatever troubles you, it will pass. You are safe with me—"
"I wasn't before!" Phil squeezed his eyes shut, leaning into Loki's embrace involuntarily. "You killed me."
"You are my soulmate now," Loki said. Phil couldn't stop shaking, and Loki held him closer. Phil didn't know whether this was a good or bad thing. "As Odin is no doubt explaining at this moment, he placed me on the throne when we discovered my soulmark. It was Midgardian writing, and once we deciphered it… it contains 'Your highness', indicating that I would likely be a king when I met my soulmate. It was either Asgard – as Odin – or Jötunheim. He wished to keep me under observation, so Asgard it was. That is why we were happy to welcome your people here."
"Great," Phil gasped. He couldn't control the trembling in his limbs.
"What… what can I do to help you?" Loki asked. "Tell me."
"B-breathe with me." It was impossible to think beyond that. Fortunately, Loki seemed to understand what he meant, and moved one hand to Phil's cheek. He turned his head around, and pressed their foreheads together, breathing slowly. Phil tried to match it, relying on the regular puffs of air he could feel against his lips. It felt like Loki was too close, but if he moved away Phil might lose it. Terrible, contradictory feelings. But steady breaths helped.
"There," Loki said, and Phil realised that he was breathing normally by himself. "Do you feel better now?"
"Yeah."
"You're safe. I would never deliberately hurt my soulmate. You must believe me. I may be a monster, but my kind… we're terribly protective of our soulmates."
Phil nodded. He didn't really know what to say. Loki bowed his head, pressing their cheeks together.
"I will do everything within my power to make this right," he vowed. "I swear on the soul I once believed myself devoid of."
"You… you thought you didn't have a soul?"
"The other children, and later members of the court… they would say that I had no soul because I had no soulmark."
"That's ridiculous!" Phil said. "I didn't have a soulmark until after I came back to life. Until then, I believed either I'd die young or my soulmate would lose their first soulmate young. On… Midgard, we believe everyone has a soul."
"I… I did not."
"Oh." As Freudian excuses go, it wasn't bad. Didn't excuse mass murder, but he understood how someone could go crazy if they thought they didn't have a soul.
"…So Coulson's soulmate is the guy who killed him," Daisy said, staring at May and Sif. They nodded as one. "Great. And I thought Ward was bad enough."
"Daisy!" Simmons said, bouncing into her quarters. She must've spoken with Heimdall, because it seemed like that was the only thing which could cheer her up.
"Loki is DC's soulmate," Daisy said. That wiped off Simmons's smile, which made her feel bad.
"Oh," she said.
"I'm gonna go back and ream Odin out for sending them away like that," May said.
"You mean you didn't already do that?" Daisy asked.
"Oh, I did, but not nearly enough," she said, and she stalked out of the room. Sif gave Daisy and Simmons a not-very-reassuring smile, and followed May.
"Well… Fitz found his soulmate," Simmons said. "I just heard about it. It's Darcy Lewis, Jane Foster's assistant."
"Hey, that's great!" Daisy said. "Wow. We're really in a good place for finding soulmates, aren't we? Spoken to Heimdall yet?"
"I was on my way back from there when I ran into Fitz and Darcy. She was trying to find the kitchens to feed Fitz, and told me they were soulmates. Heimdall can send me to Will, although I suspect Director Coulson won't let me go without an escort."
"I don't know whether I can go," Daisy said. "If the monolith is dangerous for Inhumans, what does that say about the planet?"
"Of course, if Coulson is stuck elsewhere for the time being, I suppose I'll have to direct my questions to Agent May." Simmons was lost in thought now. Daisy was happy for her, really. She'd be getting her soulmate back.
"Go find her, then," Daisy said. "Before Odin kicks her out for being disrespectful or something. He might have to okay Heimdall opening the gate for you, especially if your planet is dangerous and sentient."
"Oh, and Coulson has brought the last few supers, if you want to meet them."
Daisy shrugged. It was better than sitting around and brooding. She followed Simmons, pocketing her phone out of habit, and traced the loud chatter to an open area with large windows, and a huge table laden down with food. She recognised the SHIELD agents who'd come on the trip, and most of the superheroes, even though everyone was out of uniform. But one person wasn't; a woman dressed all in red and black with a mask, and hanging around a teenager she didn't know. She could only guess that it was Spiderman, and that the woman in costume was…
"That's Wanda Wilson, aka Deadpool," Mack told Daisy, and she nearly jumped out of her skin. "Tagged along when Barton okayed it."
"Anything I need to know about her?"
"She'll talk your ears off given half a chance."
"That's positive," Daisy muttered. She told herself to get it all over with, and trotted down the stairs. Deadpool looked up, and made a beeline for her.
"Hi, I think you're my soulmate!" she said brightly. "We're gonna be the best of friends, I can tell."
Daisy stared as Deadpool grabbed her hand and shook it. Probably time to speak.
"Hi," she said. "I'm Skye. I mean, Daisy. Daisy Johnson."
"I knew it!" Wanda said, and she spun around. "Let's find somewhere private and get to know each other. I wanna know everything about you. C'mon."
"Uh—"
But Deadpool dragged Daisy down a hallway until they found an alcove with another great view of Asgard, and tugged her up to perch on the ledge. Daisy figured it couldn't be too dangerous, with her SHIELD training and her powers, so she sat beside Wanda, letting her feet dangle over the bushes far below.
"So, tell me all about yourself, whatever name you want me to use," Wanda said.
"Go with Daisy," she said. "It was Mary Sue at the orphanage, but I chose Skye. Then I found out that my birth name was Daisy Johnson, so I use that now to honour my parents' memory. They… they tried. I have to give `em that."
"Cool," Wanda said, and she shuffled closer to Daisy. "Sexual orientation?"
"Uh!" She curled her fingers around the marble. "Straight. So far. I've only been in relationships with guys…"
"Wise," she said. "You wouldn't wanna bond with me anyway. Too much crazy up here." She twirled a finger around beside her ear. "Plus, I was horribly scarred in a bunch of experiments, waaaaaaaay before you were born. And I annoy the crap out of everyone I meet. I'm surprised I even have a soulmate. You'd have to have the patience of a saint to put up with me."
"I could," Daisy said. "For my soulmate."
"I'd show you my soulmark, but it's on my skin—"
"They usually are."
"And my skin isn't exactly a work of art."
"Show me anyway?"
With a heavy sigh, Deadpool rolled her left sleeve up. Daisy saw what she meant about her skin immediately. It was wrinkled and blistered and scarred, and surely it hurt? Blinking away tears of sympathy, she studied the soulmark, and confirmed it was her writing. She tugged off her t-shirt and swivelled around so Wanda could see the mark on her back.
"Wow," she said, tracing the letters and making Daisy shiver. "I made my writing as pretty as I could, to make up for the rest of me. If you're gonna be stuck with me for a soulmate, you may as well have a nice-looking soulmark."
"It's beautiful."
Deadpool lowered her sleeve again, covering her flesh, and Daisy pulled her shirt back on. She looked out over the horizon again, and briefly wondered how her first conversation with her soulmate was going compared to Coulson's. Was he okay? If pressed, Daisy couldn't say whether she preferred this to Coulson being with Rosalind Price. Bit of a hard choice.
"At least I was prepared for a platonic relationship with my soulmate," she said, finding the quiet unsettling. "Your words… about us being best friends… wasn't sure whether you'd take one look at me and decide that you preferred platonic, or if there was some other reason. Your orientation?"
"I'll hit on anything that moves, and some things that don't," Wanda said. "It's me, not you, sweetheart. Flirting is safe, because no one's gonna take me up on it. If my personality doesn't put them off, my face does."
"Will you take off your mask for me?"
"I'll do anything, but I won't do that. They'd probably throw me in the dungeon here for being… well, me."
"I wouldn't let them do that," Daisy promised, resting her hand over Wanda's. "As long as we're soulmates, I'll defend you."
"Say, has your soulmark changed much? I die a lot, so I wasn't sure…?"
"No. But then I only got my soulmark after I became Inhuman, and I didn't even know I had one at first. Lincoln… he's a friend of mine. He mentioned my soulmark, and then he had to tell me what it said. You know, I really thought I'd be the one to speak first." Deadpool tapped the side of her nose. "Yeah, I know. My name is in your mark. Both of them. Someone probably mentioned me to you."
"Something like that."
"So you're okay with staying friends?" Wanda nodded. "Okay. I'm cool with that."
As Wanda started to chat away a mile a minute, Daisy wished that things could be different. If she could bond with her soulmate, maybe she'd feel whole again. But there was no way Wanda would agree to bonding, for the sake of Daisy's sanity if nothing else. It was sweet, but disappointing, and Daisy wondered whether there was someone in Asgard who could help them. And that she had access to gay porn, because that would probably be helpful if they could bond. A bare arm against a bare back? Yeah, not a typically platonic bonding position.
Dinner was tense. May kept scowling at Odin, who politely ignored her. Simmons alternated between vibrating with excitement over being able to find Will, and looking guiltily at Fitz. Darcy was keeping up a loud conversation with Fitz, obviously trying to distract him. She'd have her work cut out once they brought Will back to Asgard, but it seemed she was determined to help her soulmate through his heartbreak, and be there for him when he was ready to move on.
As for Coulson and Loki, they were still gone. Odin had insisted that it wasn't the right time to bring them back yet, which made Daisy wonder what was supposed to happen. It's not like Coulson would want the man who killed him… right? Even if they were soulmates? Which, by the way, she still found hard to believe.
She turned her attention back to the meal, observing the interactions between the superheroes taking refuge in Asgard. Would they ever be able to go home?
"I wouldn't worry about it," Deadpool said.
"About what?" Daisy said.
"Whatever you're worrying about! This is magical fairyland. Everything will turn out well. I mean, the author promised a happier chapter with us, so she's not gonna overwhelm us with angst. Otherwise she'd be going back on her word. She already did it once by writing Rogers with D—"
Shut up, Deadpool! This is a long chapter, okay?
"Are you feeling alright?" Daisy asked.
"Just dandy," Wanda said. "Y'know, we'll have to leave Asgard when the Maximoff twins are brought here, so there won't be two Wandas. Although I think they're still citizens of wherever they come from—"
"They are. Coulson arranged for them to be transported out of the US so they'll be safe from the Registration Act if it goes ahead."
"Then we can stay longer? Sweet! We should go exploring tomorrow. Are you down for that? We can play twenty questions again."
"There's a lot about me which is classified," Daisy said. Wanda pouted.
"Even from your soulmate?" she whined.
"I… I guess as long as it's not mission-related… I could probably tell you some of it."
Wanda brightened, and dug into her large helping of whatever the meat was. Daisy watched her for a moment, and then continued her own meal. Until she knew what all this stuff was, she was sticking to the food which looked the safest. She didn't know how many Midgardians had eaten Asgardian food before, and it would suck if one of them had an allergic reaction to a staple ingredient.
"Where are you sleeping?" she said.
"I've got my own room next to Spidey," Wanda said. "In case he needs a familiar face around. Besides, I don't share a bed with people much. It sucks to sleep in uniform." She plucked the red material. "I'm more comfortable without it."
"Uh-huh. We could go exploring after breakfast, then? So neither of us stumbles into the wrong room?"
"Great plan!"
"And hopefully Coulson will be back by then," Daisy muttered, glancing at the two empty chairs to the left of Odin.
Loki woke entangled with… someone. It was a new sensation. He was reluctant to open his eyes, in case it all disappeared, but curiosity prompted him.
A man. Slightly surprising, and thank the Norns they were both still dressed. Loki noticed that his skin – not the man's – was blue. Why was he in Jötun form? Why… why was he in bed with anyone at all?
Then his mind cleared. Of course. His soulmate. Loki had met his soulmate. Who was now stirring, pressing against Loki instead of away from him. He looked up, blinking, and Loki remembered their meeting. The Son of Coul. How he had backed away from Loki, curled up as small as possible, and seemed to leave his mind. Loki could hardly blame him for the reaction, considering…
"You stayed," he murmured.
"Don't know my way around here," Phil said, and he yawned widely. "What if your door's locked with magic? I wouldn't be able to get out."
"I am sorry."
"Mmm. You kept saying that yesterday." Phil rolled onto his back, absently picking up one of Loki's hands and playing with his fingers. It was terribly distracting.
"For you to have me as your soulmate…" Loki shook his head. "Do not feel forced to accept me."
"No one can force me to do anything." He paused. "Except your father."
"He is not my father," Loki said.
"He raised you. Made sure you always had a roof over your head. I wouldn't nominate him for Dad of the Year, after what you've told me, but…" Phil sighed, and stroked the inside of Loki's wrist. Even more distracting. "It seems that if you'd been introduced to the concept of self-acceptance early enough, and hadn't been told that all Jötun were monsters, things would've turned out differently. Not exactly A-plus parenting there."
"I must accept responsibility—"
"And not everyone who has a terrible upbringing commits mass murder. But you're how many centuries old? Compared to the decades most humans suffer through?"
Loki blinked back the moisture building in his eyes. "You cannot forgive me."
"I can try," Phil said. "I will try, Loki. I know many people who've done horrible things in their past which they wish they could take back. Romanov calls it red in her ledger."
"I am aware."
He nodded. "I can't discriminate against you when you come from a different culture, and when you've been alive for so long, just because you killed me. And many SHIELD agents, not to mention those you brainwashed…" Loki flinched, and Phil cleared his throat. "The point is, if I have to forgive anyone for past crimes, to help redeem them, I should start with my soulmate."
Loki yearned to lean down and kiss the other half of his soul, but forgiveness would take a long time. For now, he would content himself with endeavouring to earn it.
Christmas Day
"Are you okay?" Darcy asked, glancing at her soulmate.
"Yeah," Fitz said. Jemma and Will were kissing near the Christmas tree Jane and Thor had brought from Midgard. Jemma's baby bump was barely visible beneath her sweater, or 'jumper' as she and Fitz called it. Darcy had been pretty sure Fitz was getting over her – hoping for it, really – so she told herself that he was probably only thinking about what might've been. Because Jemma and Will were married, and now expecting.
"Then turn that frown upside down," she said, poking the sides of his mouth. His lips curled up in response, and he turned pink.
"Is this a smile or an upside down frown?" he said.
"Making a Simpsons reference, I love you," she declared, and she kissed his cheek.
"I… uh…"
"Wow. If I'd known that'd get you so flustered, I would've done it sooner."
"Well, y' see," he said, wringing his hands. "I was thinking… we could get married."
Darcy couldn't help looking at Will and Jemma, no longer kissing but still staring at each other moon-eyed. "Why?"
"Not because of that," Fitz said. "Because you're my soulmate, and… and I'm no good at talking about feelings, but I want to marry you for you, not for anything else. I'm over Simmons, Darcy. It's you I want to spend the rest of my life with. I've been trying to think how to ask you for weeks…" His cheeks were bright red by now, and Darcy had to kiss him.
"Wow, finally got the guts to spill about the overwhelming passion you feel for your soulmate?" Daisy said dryly. Darcy grumbled as she pulled back, until the words registered. Fitz looked pissed; Darcy grinned smugly.
"Overwhelming passion, huh?" she said. Fitz mumbled something which sounded like 'Shut up', but since he didn't speak clearly enough it didn't count. "You told Daisy before you told me?"
"Needed the encouragement," he said.
"These babies weren't encouragement enough to speak up?" Darcy said, indicating her breasts. Impressively, Fitz didn't look at them.
"I respect you more than that," he said.
"Aw." She pecked him on the lips again. "You're too cute. C'mon. I'd buy you a drink but it's all on the house."
Deadpool skidded past and jumped Daisy, who barely caught her in time. Wanda planted a big smooch on her.
"Coulson just told me that the American government's pulled its head out of its ass, and we can go back home whenever we want to," she said. "Also, HYDRA's gone. It was a close thing in some big Christmas Eve battle, and now they're begging for their superheroes to come home."
"You know I'll go wherever you go," Daisy said. Fitz squeezed Darcy's hand.
"Same here," he said softly. "Whether you continue to work for Jane, or join SHIELD, I'll be there."
"We'll make it work," she agreed. "I don't know whether it's safe for Jemma to travel while she's pregnant—"
"That doesn't factor into it," Fitz said. That was practically a declaration of love right there, and Darcy was sure she was gonna melt. "I think… I think Loki will probably want to make amends on Midgard, and Coulson has to pick up the reins again at SHIELD sometime, so they'll probably return. Most of them will."
"If we're gonna get married, let's make it before our new gang has to split up," Darcy said. Fitz's jaw dropped. "No take-backsies on the proposal."
"N-no, of course not."
"Sweet. Now come and kiss me under the plant that definitely isn't mistletoe because they have a thing about it here."
There's a story in Norse mythology to do with mistletoe killing the most-loved Prince Baldur. I think it goes that mistletoe was the only thing which could kill him, and Loki arranged it that someone threw it at Baldur. The only way to bring Baldur back to life was if everyone cried over him, and Loki refused to, so the prince stayed dead. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure that's the story. Of course, since that probably isn't in Marvel canon anywhere, that last line was just a (literal) mythology gag.
Okay, so I wasn't sure how to finish this without dragging it out by another 5000 words. Then I decided 'Hell, it's nearly Christmas', and decided to take a short cut. I guess you'll have to wait until the Headcanon for this chapter is posted to see what else happened. This was at least a happier ending than the previous couple of chapters, while still having 'Civil War' in the background. Sorta. And a more hopeful outlook for Coulson and Loki than in 'Author is Cruel', whichever chapter that was.
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