Chapter title is from Mark Ambor's song "Belong Together." *wink* "sleep is friends with DEATH" *wink*
Chapter Ten: Belong Together
Thor hated being confined to his room and wanted to help out more, as a king should, but Eir had given both brothers a stern lecture about resting and not overworking themselves.
So, the two had plenty of time to discuss a whole variety of topics including how to rebuild Asgard if Earth did not want them there. They even, after running out of alternatives for a home planet, began reconciling their relationship as brothers.
Currently, Thor sat at his desk, reading over the supply report from Brunnhilde. Loki lounged in a nearby chair once again flipping through the financial records. Luckily, their little skirmish on Kitson paid off—Banner had taken enough money to pay for supplies and fuel without needing to stop at the closest planet every time. They could travel a lot faster this way, which felt nice for a change.
Brunnhilde's scratchy handwriting started to blend after an hour of staring at the paper. Leaning back in the chair and stretching, Thor yawned and looked at his brother.
"Loki?" Thor said.
Loki looked up from his paper and raised an eyebrow.
"It's getting late. Why don't you shower first? I will handle the rest," Thor suggested.
"You have never been good at doing math," Loki replied. Still, he slipped off the chair and disappeared into the bathroom. Ten minutes later, he reappeared, dressed in his unofficial nightwear and long hair curling loosely around his pale face.
A twinge of jealousy washed through Thor at his brother's lengthy hair. He missed his gorgeous, blonde locks but at least his hair didn't get in his face anymore. Maybe he'll grow it back out or not, who knows? Once they reached Earth and not under the constant stress of ensuring his people's survival, he would actually have time to decide something as stupid and simple as figuring out how his hairstyle.
Loki lay down on the bed, snuggling under the covers. He fell asleep shortly after, his breaths evening out. Thor stayed awake for another hour before standing and taking a shower.
He removed his eye patch and set it on the nightstand next to the bed. The lamp on Loki's side shone a soft yellow so Thor walked over to turn it off.
Loki lay curled up on his right side, facing the lamp, somehow sleeping despite the light shining on his face. They had previously decided to share a bed after Thor caught Loki sleeping in a corner. There were no other rooms available and Thor did not want to displace a family for Loki to have his own room when Thor's bed could fit the Hulk, so they agreed to share Thor's quarters. In their youth, Frigga often found them snuggled together in either bedroom because Loki often had nightmares and came to Thor for comfort.
As a warrior, Thor could fall asleep in the most uncomfortable conditions, occasionally surrounded by other soldiers. Although his status as prince, and now king, provided him the option to have separate sleeping arrangements, he much preferred to involve himself in the thick of things and have camaraderie with the other men.
Contrarily, Loki tended to indulge in the benefits of personal space. Whenever he joined Thor and his friends in their adventures, Loki either went off by himself or stuck to Thor. Now, however, they shared a room simply out of practicality—and because Eir would have a fit if she discovered Loki did not have a proper bed to rest in.
Loki looked peaceful sleeping, his long, dark lashes contrasted with his pale skin. A little color had returned to Loki's cheeks, more healthy than the deathly pale shade a few days ago. A strand of hair had fallen over Loki's left eye, twitching slightly in tandem with Loki's soft breaths.
Thor smiled at how Loki hadn't changed in the way he slept. Much to Loki's annoyance, Thor always teased him about looking like a kitten whenever the younger prince curled into a ball to sleep.
Leaning down, Thor tucked the loose strand behind Loki's ear and placed a gentle kiss on Loki's forehead.
"Good night, brother," Thor whispered before turning off the lamp and climbing into his side of the bed. Shortly after, he joined his brother in the land of dreams.
The nightmares left them alone that night.
-oOo-
Finally, after a few weeks of resting, Eir allowed the brothers to return to their tasks. While Thor seemed excited to move about and communicate in person, Loki fell silent and thoughtful. A dark cloud followed him, and if anyone asked him about it, he blamed it on his slow recovery.
An impending sense of doom clung tightly around Loki's chest, slowly suffocating him, and it had nothing to do with the realization Odin might have cursed them.
He knew he messed up—made a fatal mistake. What happened on Kitson—releasing a surge of energy as large as he did—was suicide in more ways than one.
He could have died and probably would have if not for Sigyn and Eir ensuring he survived. However, though Eir said he would not run the risk of falling ill again if he kept his sedir usage to a minimum, it felt like he only delayed the inevitable. The fight on Kiton surely sent a beacon, alerting a certain someone to the Stateman's—and Loki's—location.
For years, Loki managed to evade his former captor's grasp when he failed his mission on Midgard and escaped to the relative safety of Asgard. Now, with Asgard's destruction and Odin's death, floating in the vacuum of space left him completely vulnerable to any impending attacks. All his efforts to remain free started to feel like they were done in vain.
Thanos would certainly notice his outburst of magic on Kitson, and if not to reclaim his former thrall himself, then the Mad Titan would send his Black Order to capture Loki. To make matters worse, Thanos would want more than Loki's undying fidelity—he would want the Space Stone contained in the Tesseract hidden in Loki's dimensional pocket.
In the heat of the moment on Asgard, it had seemed like a good idea to grab the Tesseract from Odin's vault before Surtur destroyed the realm. The Infinity Stone would have survived the annihilation, but nothing would prevent Thanos from finding it if left unprotected in the wreckage of Asgard. Loki had told himself he took the Tesseract to hinder Thanos's genocidal plans; now, he realized it only drew a larger target on his back and gave Thanos another reason to search for his lost Jotun.
Loki didn't want to go back, didn't want to face Thanos's wrath and once again be at the complete mercy of the deranged alien. The year or so in the Void had completely broken him, and he swore he would do everything in his power to escape it. He never intended to survive falling from the bridge into the Void, and if need be, he would rather die than let Thanos claim him again.
On the other hand, if Loki killed himself, it still wouldn't stop Thanos from taking the Tesseract because ripping open someone's dimensional pocket took less effort without the living person fending off any attacks. And nothing would stop Thanos from slaughtering everyone Loki had ever loved simply out of revenge for disobeying him. Being dead, Loki could do nothing but watch through the veil of the Afterlife as the Mad Titan massacred half of the entire universe.
Any decision Loki made, intentional or not, always seemed to lead him down a dead end. If he died, then Thanos could find alternative ways to complete his plan. If he lived, then Thanos could not only capture Loki but also torture Thor and Sigyn as recompense for Loki's betrayal.
He couldn't win, not while Thanos lived because no matter what Loki did, he or someone he loved would get hurt. An intentional decision like letting go of Odin's spear after fighting Thor on the Bifrost resulted in him falling into Thanos's clutches where he endured unspeakable horrors Loki swore he would never share with Thor or Sigyn. An unintentional action like the energy burst on Kitson could only result in being captured again by the very monster he strove to avoid.
Fighting it would do nothing to change his situation. Thanos was coming, and he couldn't stop it. Bargaining had gotten him nowhere, and if anything, Loki hoped Thanos would accept his defeat and leave Thor and Sigyn alone—taking Loki's life to save the others. In the worst-case scenario, since Thanos liked balance, Loki would rather let Sigyn live over Thor simply because Sigyn lacked the power and motivation to fend off an army. She also had both of her parents and other reasons to live, move on, and start a family without him.
It was only a matter of time before the Mad Titan found him—and Loki swore he would do everything in his power for destiny to harm only himself.
Instincts brought him outside the healing wing, and he found himself waiting for Sigyn to finish her shift. Eir must have allowed her to return to work because Loki caught glimpses of Sigyn moving through the swarm of patients, performing her usual end-of-the-day duties.
He had timed it perfectly and smiled when Sigyn stepped out of the temporary healing wing a minute after he arrived. She must have been preoccupied with her work because she jumped when she saw Loki.
"What are you doing here?" Sigyn asked, skipping straight to the point instead of lingering on formalities. The bluntness of it kind of stung since Sigyn usually preferred keeping the peace and not coming across as rude.
Her eyes narrowed, clearly showing that their previous conversation in the bedroom had not fully healed the schism between them.
"I want to talk to you. In private," Loki said. Lying would only make this situation worse, and as much as he hated the thought of Thanos targeting Sigyn, it would do the young woman no good if she faced the threat unprepared for what would come.
Sigyn, showing she still had some amount of connection with him, noticed the subtle flicker of trepidation on Loki's face. Saying nothing, she nodded and waited for Loki to continue.
Loki's hand twitched, wanting to entangle his fingers with hers, but Sigyn's posture clearly said she did not want him touching her. Instead, Loki motioned for her to follow and he led her to a secluded corner of the ship.
When they finally reached the enclosed spot, Sigyn frowned and raised an eyebrow in a brief
display of impatience.
Standing before her and seeing the worried expression on her tired face, Loki suddenly reconsidered telling Sigyn about Thanos. After their conversation about Odin, curses, and Hela, Loki contemplated not piling on further problems. She didn't deserve him dumping all his issues—consequences only he created and should bear alone—onto her and expect her to fix it.
Besides, telling her about the Void would force him to remember the horrific events he had spent years shoving into the recesses of his mind. If he didn't want to think about what had happened, then she certainly would not want to know.
Regardless, he knew waiting would only worsen their circumstances and leave her fighting blind. Knowledge is power, and any information she had about the impending attack would give her a little more than absolutely nothing.
So he took a deep breath, swallowed whatever ounce of pride he had left, and forced himself to speak.
"I don't expect you to understand what I'm about to say but I need to tell this," Loki started.
Sigyn's expression shifted from confusion to worry.
"I know I made a mistake—plenty of mistakes—and I will take full responsibility for my actions. However, there is another part of the story—something I never told you or Thor or anyone other than myself," Loki continued. He took another deep breath, his right hand absentmindedly drifting off to pick at his left palm, a nervous gesture he had picked up from watching his mother.
"I have always believed you were hiding something," Sigyn interjected. "You have never kept secrets from me, and if we are to rebuild our relationship, I suggest you start being honest for once."
Loki sighed to mask the slight flinch at Sigyn's harsh words. He hesitated before forcing himself to look Sigyn straight in the eyes. "I know. I-It's challenging for me to even think about it but this might be the only chance I'm going to get before…"
"Before what? Loki, you are starting to worry me," Sigyn said, grabbing hold of Loki's shaking wrist. Her violet eyes blinked up at him. "By the Norns, you're sweating!"
Indeed, it beaded on his forehead and stuck his hair to the back of his neck. His palms were clammy and the heat of anxiety closed and dried his throat. In tandem with his shaking, his heart rate hammered away, threatening to burst out of his chest. Nausea flipped in his stomach, he forced it down to avoid losing his lunch over Sigyn's clothes.
The world ground to a halt, squeezing in on him like the bonds of metal shackles anchoring him to the asteroid rock. Every breath hurt as he forced air through his dry throat. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't breathe...
"Woah, easy, it's alright," Sigyn's voice came from somewhere near his side, distant and yet close, muffled yet too loud for his aching head to handle.
"Loki," Sigyn said gently, her hands on her shoulders like steady rocks, an anchor in the storm. "It's alright, take deep breaths for me."
To his credit, he tried, he really tried but the ship faded away, shifting into images torn from his memories.
Before him, Sigyn's gentle expression turned into the sharp-toothed snarl of the Other, the twelve-fingered Chitauri servant of Thanos who oversaw Loki's imprisonment. Two Chitauri soldiers held him in place, their fingers curled around his forearms.
The bright lights of the Statesman shifted into the dark, gloomy Sanctuary—the only light coming from the distant stars dotting the black emptiness and the occasional glowing orb set into the walls. Rocks formed divisions in the asteroid, blocking off sections to create Thanos's throne room. The stone floor led to Thanos's floating chair—the damn chair.
"How is the training coming along?" Thanos asked from his seat on his stupid floating chair. He always called the sessions 'training' which always angered Loki. He didn't require any training—only pets and soldiers did, and he served no master to warrant 'training'.
The Other, standing to the right of Thanos, answered in a gravelly voice, "He is stubborn as ever, refusing to obey our commands and retaliates any chance he gets. He just recently injured one of the guards."
Thanos's attention shifted to Loki, his expression unreadable aside from a slight displeasure. Loki met Thanos's eyes, defiant despite the exhaustion weighing him down.
"He injured one of the guards?" Thanos asked, his deep voice and menacing glare sending shivers down Loki's spine.
"Yes," the Other replied. "He escaped his bonds and used his magic to conjure a knife and stab the nearest guard. We subdued him before he could inflict more damage."
Thanos's eyes narrowed as he glared at Loki kneeling before the floating throne. "How did he manage to conjure a dagger in his condition?"
"Come a little closer, and I'll show you how," Loki hissed. Despite the venom in his voice, the last thing he wanted was to have Thanos descend from the throne and take matters into his own, ugly, purple hands.
As if sensing Loki's true thoughts, Thanos placed his hands on the throne's armrests and pushed himself to his feet. Startled at the sudden movement, Loki flinched, causing the guards to tighten their grip.
Thanos strode over, stopping a foot away from the disgraced prince. Determined not to show any sign of fear, Loki craned his neck to maintain stubborn eye contact with the Titan.
"I would choose your words carefully, runt," Thanos growled. "I would hate to cut out your tongue if you refuse to learn your place."
"Nothing you ever do to me could make me follow your orders. I refuse to work with a psychopath—"
A harsh backhand cracked the still air, snapping Loki's head to the side. The coppery taste of blood filled Loki's mouth as a large hand around his neck hauled him to his feet. They were eye to eye when Loki spat a glob of blood into Thanos's face.
Thanos growled, using his other hand to wipe the blood from his cheek. His dark eyes glowered, his breath hot on Loki's slim face.
"A psychopath, you say?" Thanos said, his fingers cut off Loki's airway. "You have already caused pain and destruction on three realms: Jotunheim, Midgard, and your homeland of Asgard. You almost wiped out an entire race and you threatened to kill your brother. The lying and backstabbing you have done already set you on a path of darkness. You tore your family apart—"
"If not for Odin, none of it would have happened!" Loki hissed, his hands clawing at Thanos's thick forearm in a vain attempt to loosen the grip.
"You lie to others but yet you cannot see the lies you tell yourself," Thanos continued, ignoring the futile struggle. "I am granting you a chance for redemption. Help me free the people of this universe from pain and starvation."
"I would rather die before I willingly help you!" Loki snarled.
Thanos frowned and let Loki drop onto the hard ground. The rock jutted into his frail body, and he gasped as the impact knocked the air from his straining lungs.
"Do not mock me," Thanos warned, glaring down at Loki's crumpled form. "I have studied the ways of life across thousands of planets and they are all on the same path of destruction. They need to learn a lesson so future generations can thrive in peace and prosperity. And you need to learn what happens to those who defy me."
At a nod from the Mad Titan, the Other hefted the scepter, the blue orb housing the Mind Stone glowed in anticipation. The guards grabbed Loki again and hauled him to his knees. Loki's eyes widened as the Other handed Thanos the scepter.
"Wait," Loki cried, trying and failing to yank his arms from the guards.
Thanos rarely got involved in Loki's 'training' but the sessions always were worse whenever he did. The Other usually oversaw the sessions and reported to Thanos. He had already used the scepter on Loki once before, and the memory of the Infinity Stone warping his mind sent panic flaring in Loki's chest.
"Please, I don't—"
"I am finished trying to convince you through words," Thanos said, lowering the pointed end of the scepter to hover over Loki's heart. "It is about time we try...alternative methods of persuasion."
"No!" Loki screamed as a sadistic grin spread across Thanos's face. "Please!"
The scepter's tip sank into Loki's chest and a wave of light washed over him. Tendrils of energy raced along his nerves, snaking their way to his brain. Like a river of fire, the Mind Stone flooded his head, reshaping the patterns of his mind.
Loki shook his head, fighting the tide's overwhelming destruction. Something inside his chest snapped, and he felt himself shove the guards away as a counterwave pushed against the Stone's onslaught. It wrapped around the flood, blocking its path and shoving back the waters until the force of it burst out of its container.
Loki opened his eyes just in time to see Thanos sail backward through the air and strike his throne hard enough to knock it off-kilter. The scepter clattered onto the ground out of both their reach, a faint layer of green light encasing the once-yellow orb.
The guards lay unconscious, more green light glowing from their prone bodies. The Other also sat, his limbs sprawled awkwardly, in the center of a faint crack in the rocky wall.
Thanos groaned, pushing himself to his elbows and then to sit upright. In the middle of his tunic, a dark charred circle burned through to his skin, the edges of the impact glowing green.
Shocked, Loki looked down at his hands. The same green light danced around his fingers, and for the first time in a long while, he felt strong.
"You!" Thanos roared, shaking off the sudden attack. The Other also started stirring but the guards still lay motionless.
Spurred into motion, Loki took off running, sparing a glance to find Thanos stumbling to his feet.
Panic consuming his body, he let himself run through the Sanctuary, not knowing where to go.
Anywhere but here. Anywhere but here. Anywhere but...
"Loki!" a gentle voice exclaimed, ripping him from the panic-stricken escape attempt. "Try to breathe, okay? With me. In, out. In, out. In, out..."
Slowly, Loki matched her tempo, breathing to ease the throb of pain in his chest. The scent of lavender and cinnamon wafted into his senses, calming his tense nerves. Above him, the stars blinked out of existence and the ragged edges of the Sanctuary shifted back into the smooth floor of the Statesman.
In front of him, Sigyn cupped Loki's flustered cheeks, her voice warm and comforting when she said, "I'm here. It's okay, Loki. I'm here." Her familiar healing magic twinkled a soft purple around her fingers, the smell of lavender and cinnamon increasing as she held his face in her hands.
Loki gasped out a few more breaths before shaking his head and rubbing a hand across his eyes to blot out the last bits of the memory stuck in his head.
"I'm sorry," Loki muttered, his voice wavering. He reached up and clasped Sigyn's hands, pulling them from his face. Her magic faded, and the calming scents lingered briefly before waning.
"It's alright, you are safe."
"No," Loki choked out. "No, we are not."
A question formed on Sigyn's face and she looked even more concerned. "Loki, I don't understand."
Loki shook his head, panic unfurling again. "Thanos is coming and when he does, he will not stop until he gets what he wants."
"Thanos? Who is Thanos?" Sigyn took a step back from him, and although she stood only a few feet away, it felt like the chasm between them had widened further.
"I cannot explain why but he wants me," Loki said.
"Loki, you are having a panic attack, try to calm down," Sigyn assured. She lowered her palms like someone placating a spooked horse.
Loki gestured wildly. "I am not having a panic attack! I am being serious! I know I sound delusional but please listen."
"Then tell me. Prove to me why I should trust you, should love you again," Sigyn said, her voice cold as she frowned. "I want the truth, straight from the source. No lies, no deceptions."
Any remaining ounces of his ego vanished as emotions won over his resolve. Dropping to his knees, he clutched one of Sigyn's shaking hands in his own. He pressed his forehead against the back of her hand and closed his eyes, letting everyone loose.
"I kneel before you to profess my love to the woman whose hand I currently hold, and whose heart I wish to earn yet again. I speak to you plainly, all truth and no lies, because, Sigyn, I could never lie to you, not anymore. I wish I could undo what I have done, but I cannot explain why I committed those atrocities on Midgard because no amount of words could accurately describe the..." Loki paused, shoving down the nauseous, "horrors...I experienced while in the Void and at the...mercy of the Mad Titan they call Thanos.
"If I could go back and do one thing differently, I would choose to...find a better way...other than letting go on the bridge...to end my life, if only for the chance to stop myself from falling into the hands of that monster.
"What is done, is done. But, Sigyn, if you do not believe anything I said before, believe this," Loki stared up at her and reeled his head in surprise to find tears pooling in her eyes. Loki blinked back the sting of tears in his own eyes and continued, voice wavering, "Thanos will stop at nothing to reach his goals, and I have done everything in my power to slow him down, but it is not enough. I cannot stop what is coming, but I will not let him reach you. I refuse to let him anywhere near you. Trust me, Sigyn, and know I would not lie about the choices I made—willingly or not—while under the control of Thanos.
"I have done nothing but survive for the last few years, and I believe my time is coming to a close. But you"I kneel before you to profess my love to the woman whose hand I currently hold, and whose heart I wish to earn yet again. I speak to you plainly, all truth and no lies. I wish I could undo what I have done, but I cannot explain why I committed those atrocities on Midgard because no amount of words could accurately describe the...horrors...I experienced while in the Void and at the...mercy of the Mad Titan they call Thanos."
"If I could go back and do one thing differently, I would choose to...find a better way...other than letting go on the bridge...to end my life, if only for the chance to stop myself from falling into the hands of that monster."
"What is done, is done. But, Sigyn, if you do not believe anything I said before, believe this. Thanos will stop at nothing to achieve his goals, and I have done everything in my power to slow him down. I cannot stop what is coming, but I will not let him reach you. I refuse to let him anywhere near you. Trust me, Sigyn, and know I would not lie about choices I made—willingly or not—while under the authority of Thanos.
"I have done nothing but survive for the last few years, and I believe my time is coming to a close. But you—you have your whole life ahead of you. You deserve a happy life, even if it is not with me."
The room went still, filled only with the sounds of Sigyn's breathing and Loki's suppressed shudders. Salty tears finally broke free and rolled down his cheeks, and he turned away to hide them from Sigyn's view.
Life would be so much easier if he had Sigyn by his side. He could deal with the nightmares, panic attacks, constant paranoia, and depression as long as Sigyn was there to help him. He wanted her—needed her. Nevertheless, despite his desires, he wanted her to be happy and safe from the clutches of the universe—to live a good and healthy life. As much as it hurt, Loki knew the best way to keep her safe and happy was to keep her as far away from him as possible.
Sigyn's free hand slowly reached out to brush her fingers against his cheek. They splayed across his jawline and gently guided Loki's head forward and up to meet her gaze. Tears painted her freckled cheeks, her eyes pinched in a failed effort to reign in her sadness.
"I may not understand, but it does not mean I will not try," Sigyn said. "So much has happened in the last few years. I thought you had died. Several times. On the bridge, then Svartalfheim, and now when Hela..."
She shook her head to clear the memories of the attack. "I thought I lost you and when you were in the dungeons, I tried to forget about you. I tried to move on, but I could not. A part of me wanted to believe you were still the same person I grew up with, but everyone kept telling me otherwise."
Loki would have hung his head if not for Sigyn's fingers tilting his chin upward. "I know. And I admit my actions have pushed you away."
Loki slid his hand to clasped Sigyn's wrist, gently pulling her hand away from his head. Standing, he released her hand and put space between them, letting the chasm widen once more.
"I cannot leave you here, and there is nowhere in the universe where I can hide from Thanos. He wants me, and if you stand in his way, then he will take you out, too. I cannot let it happen—to even give him the opportunity to hurt you," Loki said.
"There is nowhere to go, Loki," Sigyn pointed out. She wrapped her arms around herself, not bothering to wipe the tears from her face. "If he is as big a threat as you say, then I refuse to leave you to face it alone."
Loki froze, startled at Sigyn's admittance. He stammered, unable to form a response.
"You are hurting, and I cannot let the man I love suffer alone. All those years ago, we swore our loyalty to each other, and while things have become difficult between us, I will not forget our promise." Sigyn stepped forward. "Whatever you are going through, let me go through it with you."
Loki backed away, stopping only because he ran into a wall. "No, I cannot let you. It's too dangerous and you have no idea what Thanos is capable of. He's determined to wipe out half of all living beings, and he wanted me to help. He doesn't take 'no' as an answer."
"You wanted to know if I still love you." Sigyn spread her arms. "Is this not proof?"
"Thanos will hurt you."
"You cannot make those decisions for me. I want to trust you, and yet you continue to push me away."
"Because I don't want to lose you!" Loki shouted. Sigyn jumped and said nothing when Loki reached out to grip her by the forearms. An idea popped into his head, and only desperation pushed him to follow through with it. "The only place Thanos cannot reach is the Afterlife..."
"The Afterlife?!" Sigyn exclaimed. She wriggled free from his grip and shoved him off. "Are you serious? You're going to kill me?!"
"No!" Loki backpedaled, holding his hands up to show he meant no harm. "I would never hurt you, not intentionally. I may make mistakes because I do not think of the consequences, but this is the only idea I can think of to keep you from Thanos. There is a way to slip through the veil into the Afterlife without dying. It requires a connection from the other side to bridge the gap and let the person pass unharmed."
Sigyn scoffed. "You do not have a connection with anyone in the Afterlife. I do not see how this is possible…"
"I have been to the Afterlife before, and I know you remember when I returned." The images were fuzzy at best, but he clearly remembered what had happened while trapped in the Afterlife. Funny how being in the land of the dead resulted in a new life coming into existence. "I want you to relay a message for me. Hela will understand."
"Hela?!" Sigyn waved her hands in the air to slow down the conversation "We barely escaped her attack on Asgard and now you want me to give her a message? Loki, you are not making any sense, and I think you should calm down before making brash decisions."
"Please, Sigyn. Hela is my daughter, I am sure of it."
"We are not aware of the full effect of the curse. All we have are scraps—"
"And of those scraps, do you not remember an infant? An attack from Death herself? Odin vowing to separate my children because he was scared of future prophecies?"
Sigyn hesitated, contemplating his words. She ran a hand through her hair, then smoothed down her dress, and blew air through her nose. Chewing on her bottom lip, she settled with her hands on her hips and stared at the floor.
Tapping her foot, she shook her head in either disbelief or denial. Then, before Loki could think, she reached out, grabbed a fistful of his shirt, and pulled him toward her.
Their lips locked seconds after their bodies collided. Sigyn's fingers weaved through Loki's hair, and after the initial shock wore off, Loki cupped her cheek and wrapped his other hand around her waist, pulling her against him.
"Do it," Sigyn whispered against Loki's lips.
"What?" Loki asked, pulling away to breathe.
"Do it. Send me to the Afterlife. I will relay a message to Hela."
"You don't—"
"I believe you. And if not, then perhaps I am better off dead than at the mercy of Thanos."
Loki heaved in a deep breath and nodded. "Tell Hela that Thanos is coming. She will know what I mean."
Sigyn's fingers tightened in his hair and she pushed his head down to kiss him again.
Breathing in the scent of her and feeling her warm body pressed in against his, Loki let his sedir loose. It curled around them in a bubble of green energy, enveloping Sigyn in a shower of glimmering light. Lips locked, he latched onto the aura of his daughter, anchored his magic, and gave it one last push.
Eyes closed, he felt more than saw Sigyn fade. Slowly, she disappeared, letting his magic consume her like the Bifrost sending her off to a realm rarely accessible through anything other than death.
Before she departed completely, Loki linked his mind with hers, sending one last message telepathically:
I love you.
-oOo-
"Do you really think that it's a good idea to go back to Earth?" Loki asked, staring out at the endless abyss. His thoughts shifted to Sigyn, hoping she made it to the Afterlife alive. Unless Hela contacted him, he had no way of knowing if his teleportation spell worked.
Sending Sigyn to the Afterlife had exhausted him and he knew he still needed to tell Thor about Thanos. He wanted to wait for his health to return, but he knew the countdown to Thanos's arrival would not stop to give him a reprieve.
"Yes, of course. People of Earth love me, I'm very popular," Thor replied, almost cheerful. If only Loki felt the same way.
"Let me rephrase that," Loki said, internally sighing at Thor's obliviousness. Thor's naivety often required more energy than Loki currently had to explain certain things to the king. "Do you really think it's a good idea to bring me back to Earth?"
"Probably not, to be honest," Thor replied, with a grin. Loki smiled half-heartedly in return. "But I wouldn't worry, brother. I feel like everything is going to work out fine."
A small smile tugged at Loki's lips. Throughout everything they had been through, it felt natural to stand side by side with his older brother. Thor's optimism must have been rubbing off on him. Hopefully, everything would work out fine.
Of course, fate hated him.
Any thoughts of hope quickly faded as a large shadow blocked out the stars. The brothers craned their necks to stare at the immense spaceship rising from the abyss to dwarf the Statesman. The cruel outline of the ship caused Loki's knees to go weak and he stared openmouthed at Thanos's ship.
"No," Loki gasped.
Then their world exploded.