#dad!loki

"Why is it so cold?" You muttered, voice muffled against his neck. 

He sighed, as if annoyed (though not really) by your repeated question. You felt him turn his head towards the windows in your bedroom. 

"Probably because snow seems to be covering everything outside, darling."

You looked at him in disbelief, pulling away slightly and sitting up so you could take a look outside yourself. The first snow of the year was always a sight to behold, everything getting covered in a fresh, marshmallowy white.

"I knew it would snow, but I wasn't expecting this much..." 

"Mm. A wintery surprise, then." Loki replied, clearly barely interested in your fascination with the first snow of the year. 

As you laid back next to him again with a sigh, annoyed at his nonchalance, you found yourself relaxing nonetheless, his hand finding your back and gently caressing it at a soothing speed. 

The patter of feet against the hallway floor broke the peaceful quiet. Then, even more of a disturbance came in the gentle creaking of your door as it opened eerily slowly, a tired sigh coming from the culprit as they caught their breath. 

"Sweeping?" Came a tiny whisper from the door, likely unable to see your forms on the bed due to her height. 

"No, darling. We're both awake." Loki replied softly, voice immediately warmed by affection, his free arm moving to the edge of the bed so his hand could hang off it aimlessly, encouraging Freyja to come closer. 

She let out a sound of glee at the news that both her parents were awake as she stomped over to Loki's side of the bed, curling herself around his hand as she hugged it. Loki grinned down at her, moving his other arm from around you so he could pull her onto your bed.

“Mornin’…” Freyja said, settling happily onto Loki’s chest.

Loki grinned up at her, petting her head and gently caressing her black curls.

“I do believe you mean ‘good morning’, my sweet darling.” He cooed, pinching her cheek ever so gently.

She giggled at the gesture, nuzzling her cheek into his fingers.

“Funny.” She announced before turning to look down at you, still curled into Loki’s side.

She smiled wide, extending her hand out towards you and waving excitedly with her hand only a few inches from your face.

“Hi, mama!” Freyja said, now bouncing slightly on Loki’s chest and making him let out a grunt of discomfort.

“Hello, baby,” You greeted your daughter lovingly, sitting up just enough to place a kiss to the palm of her hand.

Freyja suddenly gasped as if remembering something important.

“Snow out!” She squealed, pointing clumsily out the window.

“Yes, my sweet. Is that why you’ve woken up so early?” Loki rubbed her back calmly.

Freyja nodded, so excited she couldn’t stand still. She moved again, little hands now squeezing his cheeks together.

“Snow!” She repeated, bursting into shrill laughter once she noticed the face Loki was now making because of her.

Loki grinned at her laughter, his eyes swimming with warmth and love. He pulled another face at her, sticking his tongue out, which only made her laugh harder before mimicking him as best as she could. You watched on, smiling at the sight. It was something you never thought you’d be able to give Freyja; the three of you, together, like you’d always hoped for. Loki had become so different with her. Because of her. Never before had he truly and genuinely seemed so light, his heart evidently softened from having such pure love surrounding him every day now that he was finally a permanent fixture in his daughter’s life. And yours, too, naturally.

The two eventually stopped, Freyja struggling for a bit to catch her breath from her laughter as she rested her head against his chest, giggles still leaving her occasionally. Loki seemed to have a smile stuck to his face, too.

“You wish for us to go play in the snow, is that it, my darling?” Loki asked, encouraging her to voice her desires clearly and with pride.

She shook her head adamantly, making her curls bounce gently.

“Oh? Well, then what do you wish for, my princess? Anything you would like.”

“’Cakes!” She told him, looking down her nose at him. Truly, if her looks weren’t enough, that exact expression instantly proved who her father was.

It only seemed to make him prouder of her, though. If anyone else had tried that with him, he likely would’ve had a few choice words for them, but for her, he would only spew the sweetest of praises.

“Pancakes once more, my princess? You seem to ask for these every week-end.” Loki sighed dramatically, throwing his head back and making her laugh.

She booped his nose, just like he so often did to her, thinking of it as a way to resuscitate him from his ‘collapse’. Loki took in an exaggerated breath and sat up slightly, making her grin proudly at her supposed skills.

“’Cakes now, daddy!” She repeated, not having forgotten, much to his chagrin.

He sighed and turned his head towards you, blinking his lashes innocently at you. You did the same back at him, the two of you finding yourselves very suddenly in a battle of wills.

“She seems to have asked you for pancakes, dad.” You said, your words innocent as you inched him towards doing the work.

He raised a disbelieving brow.

“Are you trying to manipulate me, darling? In front of our perfect daughter?” He gasped for effect (for Freyja’s sake), covering up her eyes with one hand.

“She asked you!”

“Yes, and you’d risk me going at this alone? I’d bloody well burn it all to the ground! A homemade Ragnarok in our very kitchen, if you so wish it, my love. Free of charge and made with love.” He grinned brightly at you, his snark palpable.

You huffed.

“I’ll help.” You announced reluctantly, to which he replied with a pleased grin while Freyja blew spit bubbles (intentionally) against the palm of his hand, trying to irritate him.

“You really are the very best of all, did you know that?” He cooed, that air of false innocence still working overtime to make him see anything but ill-intentioned.

That’s how all three of you found yourselves in the kitchen at 7 in the morning, Freyja dancing circles around the both of you and Loki trying to stop her from getting in the way (too much) whilst you gathered the simple ingredients for pancakes. Freyja had insisted on music, and Loki had obliged by using his magic to make a nearby speaker play all the classic holiday hits at a soft volume.

Loki eventually picked her up, deciding that keeping her in a single spot would be better than letting her tornado around the kitchen.

“I see snow!” She squealed into Loki’s ear, making him wince, as she looked over his shoulder and out the windows, now able to see clearly from being held (much) higher than her usual vantage point.

“Yes, dear, there is still snow outside. Not much can change in mere minutes.” Loki replied calmly as he watched you finish up the batter.

Freyja sighed dreamily, resting her cheek against his shoulder as she watched the snow blowing about gently outside. Loki smiled fondly down at her, rubbing her back, which was a habit he didn’t seem intent on breaking.

As you got to cooking the pancakes, Freyja gasped and pointed at something out the window yet again.

“Santa!!!” She shrieked.

Loki turned his head at her words; eyebrow already cocked in disbelief. He chuckled once he saw what her little hand was waving towards.

“No, my dear. That is simply someone wearing a red coat with their hood on.” He kissed her cheek to ease her pout.

“But Santa…”

“Santa will visit you on Christmas Eve, hm? With all the presents you have wished for, if you’ve been a good girl.” He reminded her patiently.

“Been good!” She announced immediately, looking at him innocently.

He smiled, kissing her head.

“Of course you have, my darling. I am your father, after all. What else could you have been besides good?”

They giggled together, Freyja bumping her forehead against his briefly, before Loki turned his attention towards you.

He wrapped his free hand around your hip while you slowly worked on getting the pancakes done, though you mostly watched their dynamic unfold with a gentle smile.

“Look at mama, hm? She is making us breakfast diligently. She is so very kind and generous with us, Freyja, don’t you agree?” Loki said, kissing your temple. Freyja quickly followed suit, craning her neck to reach you until Loki turned her so she could kiss your temple, too.

“Is she not the nicest mama?” Loki asked Freyja, to which she replied with enthusiastic nodding.

“She deserves all she could ever want for Christmas.” Loki’s eyes twinkled as he spoke, gaze set entirely on you. You rolled your eyes fondly at his incessant innuendos. “Perhaps even a kiss from Santa Claus himself.” He suggested, surely mentioning you guys’ secret plan to have him dress up as Santa for Freyja’s benefit on Christmas in order to have the holiday come alive for her. She was only nearing 4 years old, but she had been talking about Christmas for months and was unbearably excited for it.

Freyja frowned, shaking her head adamantly.

“Daddy kiss mama onwy!” She insisted fiercely, placing one hand on your shoulder and one on Loki’s, keeping you close. “Not Santa!”

Loki laughed at her protectiveness; she was just as fierce as him.

“Of course, my darling. Only daddy kisses mama.” He soothed her, his grin nothing but devious as he looked at you.

odin and thor adored you, but no one could compete with frigga

"their smile reminds me so much of yours" -frigga

"y/n will be trouble, i can tell" -odin

"oh, yes. just like their father. i can't wait to take them on adventures across all the realms, i'll be known as the best uncle ever" -thor

you grew up as asgardian royalty, abilities being honed by the witches of the realm like frigga and loki

"like this, father?" -you, materializing a dagger half the size of you "look familiar?"

"clever one, you are" -loki, smiling proudly "you want to be my little helper?"

you nodded and he tasked you with "borrowing" artifacts from the vault

after all, a young asgardian royal is the best scapegoat for stealing from the king

as you grew, you learned more about your father's gripes against your family. and as he was your father, you took his side naturally

loki was everything odin was not to him—attentive, understanding, supportive.

and as he was your only parent, you felt in debt to him

you'd follow any order he gave

you were convinced he deserved the throne of asgard and thor was a false king, he wasn't as regal as loki

so you helped him. you helped the frost giants sabotage your uncle despite your uncle thor always being loving and fun. the guilt of his banishment ate you alive

but loki assured you you'd done amazing and you would one day sit on the throne like him

"my child, you have extraordinary potential. you've never disappointed me, i know i can trust you with my plans" -loki

you couldn't betray loki, he was your father. and soon you'd find odin was not his

you and him were frost elves, not asgardians

enchanted by magic to shield you from this truth

loki's plan was soon foiled when uncle thor's banishment ended, you feared the consequences of siding with him

but that was your father, and you could not betray him

you and him escaped asgard, seeking a new purpose as you wanted your father to be fulfilled

and without him, you had no idea where you'd be or what you'd end up—with your father, you had guidance

that's when you found yourself on midgard in search for the tesseract—serving thanos in his quest for the infinity stones

"my mother is in this realm?" -you

"oh, my dear y/n, your mother should not concern you—she will never fit into our purpose" -loki

"why did she give me up?" -you

"she was afraid of what you'd become. a witch like me" -loki "not everyone understands what we are. you saw how odin treated me—us, even. he would never honestly consider us for the throne. here on midgard, we can rule everywhere"

"where do we start?" -you

loki treated you as his little prince(ss), ensuring you'd be well taken care of when earth was his to reign

"i will get you whatever you please, we won't have to fight for power anymore. i can give you whatever you dream of" -loki

the chitauri army was at your disposal and you helped launch the attack on new york, trying to impress your dad and thanos

you were desperate for approval now, desperate for a new home and a place in the universe

"y/n, you can still be saved! my brother has warped your mind, you come with me and back to your people!" -thor

"uncle thor, i don't know who my people are anymore" -you

"nonsense! you have always been accepted as an asgardian. come home to your family" -thor

"i can't abandon my father" -you

the battle was lost, you and loki were sent back to asgard for trial

which didn't go the way you thought it would at all

loki attested that you were forced to be his general, you protested his orders but had no other choice. you were young and impressionable

thor backed this story, claiming your loyalty in him faltered and you helped defeat him

your uncle thor didn't want you to suffer for your father's sins, but your father wanted a spy in asgard

you were permitted supervised visitations while loki remained in the dungeons, and regardless of loki's fate, he was grateful you were free. but it was impossible for him to speak of his new plans

it brought you some peace of mind not carrying out a secret agenda against your family

frigga babied you once you were back home

"my darling y/n, i am so sorry for what you've been put through. the lies, deceit. you deserve to be here as much as anyone else, don't listen to the fables you've been told" -frigga

"thank you, grandmother. i'm sorry i've disappointed you all with my actions" -you

"you have done no such thing, y/n" -frigga, fixing your hair "you are a product of your environment and unfortunately, my son had been misguided in his quest for power"

"is grandfather upset with me?" -you

"he is upset your father twisted your image of him. he worries you hate him when he loves you so dearly" -frigga

"grandmother, i don't know who i am anymore. am i midgardian? jotnar? asgardian? i feel i don't belong...anywhere" -you

"you feel that way?" -odin "he turned you against us all and now you're confused. i feel terrible letting this happen"

"grandfather, i'm sorry. i don't mean to hurt you—" -you

"this is not your fault, y/n. i am sorry you have been put in this terrible situation. your father will not poison your mind any longer, not if i have anything to say about it. he is forbidden from seeing you" -odin

"odin, no, that is not the answer. y/n needs their father" -frigga

"look where he's gotten them thus far. confused, alone, guilty. i cannot stand by and allow my only grandchild to suffer like this" -odin

frigga feared this would only turn you against your family even more

she sent thor to enrich you, but it was more for supervision without confining you to the palace

secretly, she was visiting loki to tell him what had happened

"he's taking y/n away from me?! that is my child, he cannot do this!!" -loki, freaking the fuck out "my child! not his! he cannot do to y/n what he has done to me!"

"calm yourself, my son. this anger will not help you win them back" -frigga

"he will poison y/n with his lies! you cannot allow this!" -loki

"you did this to yourself, loki. you could have been a loving father, you chose to be a tyrant. these are the consequences" -frigga, vanishing

had it not been for the chaos of the dark elves, you may have lived the rest of your life peacefully, figured out for place and become honorable—but life was not so simple

the dark elves killed frigga, forcing thor's hand to free your father

"y/n, i thought i would never see you again" -loki, grabbing your face "you have been through far too much. you will be safe with me"

but in seeing you fight to save asgard, fighting with valor and working with thor to ensure the safety of your people, loki feared you lost respect for him. that you were no longer loyal to him. you;d be better off as an asgardian warrior than whatever his plans were. but his plans were ever changing

you watched your father die trying to save you from malekith, a sacrifice you'd never forget. until you came back to asgard and found odin on the throne

you could see right through your father's deception better than anyone else

and when the two of you were finally alone, you confronted him

"it all makes sense now" -you

"what does, my dear?" -"odin"

"the sacrifice, of course. it was the only way to ensure you weren't locked back in the dungeons. my only question is: where is grandfather?" -you

loki transformed back into himself and smiled proudly like he always did when you proved how much like him you were

"you never fail to amaze me, my child. i feared i'd never see you again. now we can rule together as i intended" -loki

"and what will thor think of this?" -you

"thor is too busy with his puny midgardian friends, he won't be an issue" -loki

"'puny' midgardians?" -you

"don't tell me you sympathize with them—or do you identify with them?" -loki "abandon that side of you and rule with me—without your doubts"

"...shall we?" -you

“Are you sure it’s ok for me to be here?” You asked as you and your Fiancée got on SHIELD’s helicarrier.

“Of course it is, sweetheart. I want you to be protected from every kind of threat.” Steve says.

“You’re such a sweet talker.” You say.

“Isn’t that why you’re going to marry me?” He smiles.

“Yes and I’m marrying you, because I love you.” You smiled.

Steve smiles and kisses you softly.

“Have a seat and I’ll be back in a few minutes.” Steve says.

“Ok.” You replied, kissing him before he walks away.

As soon as you sat down at the big table, Thor immediately notices that you are the spitting image of Loki.

“Excuse me, ma’am?” Thor says, getting your attention.

“Yes?” You asked.

“I couldn’t help but notice that you look a lot like my brother.” He says.

“Who’s your brother?” You asked.

“Loki.” He tells you.

You thought to yourself for a second. Why does that name sound familiar to you? Oh yea. You remember your mom telling you that she had a fling with a guy named Loki.

“Is it possible that you’re his daughter?” Thor asks.

“I don’t know. Although, my mom told me that she had a fling with a guy named Loki years ago. He left before she could tell him that she was pregnant with me.” You tell him.

That was enough information for Thor to figure out that you’re Loki’s daughter.

“What’s going on?” Steve asks as he walks over to where you’re sitting.

“Thor thinks that I may be Loki’s daughter.” You tell him.

“What makes you think that?” Steve asks, raising an eyebrow.

“She’s the spitting image of Loki.” Thor says.

“Are you sure?” Steve asks.

“There’s only one way to find out.” You say.

“Follow me.” Thor says.

You stood up and followed Thor to where Loki is being held. Steve went with you guys, holding your hand.

“Brother.” Loki says as soon as Thor enters the room.

Thor and Steve looked at Loki and then looked at you. The similarities between you and Loki told them that you’re definitely Loki’s daughter.

“Try to talk him out of the attack.” Thor says.

“I’ll try my best.” You say.

“Be careful.” Steve says.

“I will.” You say.

Steve gives you a soft peck on your lips before walking out of the room with Thor.

“I don’t need another agent to tell me what to do.” Loki says.

“I’m not an agent.” You say.

“Then why are you here?” He asks.

“Thor seems to think I could possibly be your daughter. Now that I’m standing in front of you, I see what he was thinking.” You say.

Loki laughs out loud after you said that.

“That’s funny.” Loki laughs. “I don’t have any kids.” He says.

“Are you sure about that?” You asked.

“I’m positive.” He says.

“If you think you’re positive about you not being my dad, then I hope you don’t mind me asking you some questions.” You say.

“Fire away.” He says.

You found a chair and brought it over to the glass pod Loki is in, sitting down in front of the pod.

“Before today, when was the last time you came to Earth?” You asked.

“Years ago.” Loki answers.

“Do you remember a woman named Y/M/N?” You asked.

“Yes.” He answers.

Loki frowns as you continue to ask him questions.

“Why are you asking me these questions?” Loki asks.

“My mom had a fling with a man with the same name as you. From what she told me, everything sounds right to me.” You say.

“I don’t know what you’re trying to accomplish here, but what you’re saying isn’t true.” He says.

The more Loki looked at you, he could tell there was something about you that’s different from the other humans he has encountered today. He just couldn’t figure out what it is.

“Enough with the questions!” Loki shouts, standing up. “I’m here for one thing and one thing only and that’s becoming the ruler of this planet.” He says.

“About that, you can’t do that. Whatever your plan is, that’s horrible and will hurt lots of people or worse, your plan could possibly kill people.” You say, trying to talk him down.

“You really think I care about people getting hurt or killed? You couldn’t be even more wrong.” He walks towards the glass. “For all you know, you could be one of those people who gets hurt or killed and I’ll standby and watch while you suffer in agony.” He says evilly, pounding his fist on the glass.

You gasped and jumped out of the chair when he pounded on the glass.

“You think your soldier fiancée is going to save you? He’s not going to know what hit him when he sees you dead in the midst of what I have planned.” He says evilly.

Your eyes teared up when he said that. You ran out of the room while Loki laughs wickedly, watching you exit the room.

“Hey, hey. Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” Steve asks as you entered the room.

You didn’t say anything. You walked over to your fiancée and hugged, breaking down in tears from what Loki said to you. Thor and Steve exchanged looks. They quickly realized that Loki upset you from whatever he said. While Steve is consoling you, Thor goes to the room where Loki is.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Thor asks. “That woman is your daughter.” He says.

“I don’t have kids and you know it. She was just trying to get information out of me and what she said isn’t going to stop what I have planned.” Loki says, saying the last part of his sentence wickedly.

———

You teamed up with your fiancée, Natasha, Thor, Tony, and Clint to stop Loki’s attack on New York. While Steve, Natasha, Thor, Tony, and Clint are doing their part, you’re going to attempt to stop your dad’s attack getting any worse than it already is. You went to Stark tower where Loki is, going straight to the top floor. Loki looks at the elevator when he heard it ding.

“Well, if it isn’t the soldier’s fiancée.” Loki says as you got off of the elevator.

“Dad, you have to stop this before it gets worse than it already is.” You say, walking over to him.

Loki sighs and walks over to you with his scepter in his hand.

“What makes you think you can get me to stop all of this?” Loki asks.

“I know deep down, you don’t want to do this. If that part of you is listening, then you have the power to stop this.” You say positively.

Loki laughs at what you said.

“That’s funny.” Loki laughs.

Loki stops laughing and grins wickedly when an idea came to his mind.

“I have an idea.” He begins. “You can join me and rule Earth with me.” He says.

“Why would I do that?” You asked.

“There’s something about you that has the power to do what I’m doing.” He says.

“I’m not going to rule Earth. I’m nothing like you.” You say.

“If you claim to be my daughter, you will rule Earth with me.” He says, grabbing your arm.

As soon as Loki, grabs your arm, he watches your skin turn blue. What you said about being his daughter is true and that’s enough proof for him.

“Frost Giant.” Loki says to himself. “You really are my daughter.” He says.

“I told you.” You say.

“That means you are like me.” He says.

“No I’m not. I don’t use my powers for bad. I use my powers for good.” You say.

“You will use your powers for what they’re supposed to be used for and your fiancée will see it.” He says.

You opened your mouth to say something, but a gasp left your mouth as you watched him lift his scepter. Loki puts the tip of his scepter against your forehead to brainwash you, but nothing happened. He frowns in confusion and tries again, but nothing happens. You used all of your strength to push Loki away, using your powers in the process. You got back on the elevator and left the building as quickly as you could.

“And to think I was actually excited to meet my dad.” You say to yourself, your eyes tearing up.

As you were running and looking for your fiancée, you used your powers to get the alien like creatures out of your way. Then suddenly, one of the alien like creatures lands in front of you, which startles you and makes you stumble and fall. You stared up at the creature and scooted backwards as it approaches you. Then you scrambled to stand up and ran as fast as your legs would let you. The alien like creature uses his weapon to trip you, which makes you fall down.

“Stevie?” You say in a shaky voice through the ear piece.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” Steve asks worriedly.

“I need your help.” You say, your voice still shaky.

“Where are you?” He asks.

“Not too far from Stark tower.” You say.

“I’m on my way to you.” He says.

Your blood ran cold when the alien like creature lifts his weapon. You had a feeling that the creature was going to kill you before Steve got there. Little did you know that your dad was looking down from the top of Stark tower, seeing the alien like creature in front of you and about to kill you. He feels something inside of him change when he saw that. He jumps down from Stark tower and kills the alien like thing with his scepter. You watched the creature’s dead body fall to the ground before looking up at your dad. You weren’t sure if you should thank your dad for saving your life or run away from him.

“Y/N!” Steve shouts when he got to you.

You looked over at your fiancée. He helps you up from the ground.

“Are you ok?” He asks softly.

“I am now that you’re here.” You say.

Then Steve looks at Loki, narrowing his eyes at him. He walks over to him and shoves him against a nearby car.

“What did you do to my fiancée?!” Steve growls.

“I saved my daughter’s life.” Loki says.

Steve wasn’t sure if that was true or not so he looks over at you.

“Is that true, honey?” Steve asks.

“Yes.” You answered.

Steve looks back at Loki, his eyes still narrowed at him.

“Thank you.” Steve says.

Loki gives Steve a nod as an you’re welcome as he walks away from him with you, holding your hand.

———

You, Steve, Natasha, Clint, and Tony are standing around Loki. He’s cuffed up and about to be taken back to Asgard by Thor. Loki has a softened expression on his face as he looks over at you.

“Can I just say-” Loki starts to say, but Thor put a mouth guard over his mouth.

“No.” Thor says.

Steve looks over at you as you let go of his hand. He watches you sit down on a nearby bench with your head down with the look of sadness on your face. He walks over to you and sits down next to you, wrapping an arm around you to comfort you when he heard you sniffle.

“Do you want to tell me what’s on your mind, sweetheart?” Steve asks softly.

“I always imagined what it would be like to meet my dad. I thought it would be fun, but it- but it turned out to be a disaster.” You say, your voice cracking.

Steve’s heart breaks for you. He hates what meeting your dad did to you. You told him what you thought it would be like and he saw firsthand how much of a disaster it was.

“I’m not sure if I want to have a relationship with him or not.” You say.

“Whatever you decide, I’ll support you no matter what.” Steve says.

Before taking Loki back to Asgard, he walks over to the bench you and Steve are sitting on to make sure you’re ok.

“I wanted to make sure that you’re ok before I take your father back to Asgard.” Thor says.

“I will be.” You say.

You stood up to give Thor a hug.

“If you want, you can visit Asgard anytime you want.” Thor says.

“I’ll keep it in mind, uncle Thor.” You say.

You sat back down on the bench next to Steve. You two watched from the bench as Thor took Loki to Asgard. You leaned back on the bench and sighed.

“I hope wedding planning will distract me from what happened today.” You say.

“Me too.” Steve agrees.

———

A few months go by since you met your dad and his attack on New York. You and Steve are almost finished planning yours and his wedding. All you two have little details to finish up and then you two are ready to get married. One of those little details has something to do with your dad. Thor is going to take you to Asgard so you can talk to your dad and meet your grandparents.

“I’m going to miss you while you’re in Asgard.” Steve says softly.

“I’m only going to be there for the day.” You say.

“That’s too long to miss you.” He says.

You giggled softly and kissed him softly and sweetly.

“I love you, Stevie. I’ll see you tonight.” You say softly.

“I love you too, sweetheart.” He says softly.

You walked over to Thor and stood next to him.

“Are you ready?” Thor asks.

“Yes.” You replied.

Thor raise his hammer in the air, which sent you and him to Asgard. You were amazed by Asgard the second you two got there.

“Heimdall, I want you to meet my niece Y/N.” Thor introduces you and Heimdall.

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Y/N. Thor has told me so much about you.” Heimdall says and smiles.

“It’s nice to meet you too.” You smiled.

Then Thor took you inside where your grandparents were standing at the door, waiting for you and Thor.

“Is this our lovely granddaughter?” Odin asks.

“Yes.” You smiled.

“It’s so nice to finally meet you, darling!” Frigga says.

“It’s so nice to finally meet you guys too!” You smiled.

“Thor told us that you’re getting married soon.” Odin says.

“I am! Me and Steve are getting married next month and we would love for you guys to come.” You say.

“We wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Frigga says with a smile.

“I would like for my dad to come to my wedding too. I would like to talk to him if that’s ok.” You say.

“We’ll take you to him.” Odin says.

Thor and your grandparents took you to the Asgardian cell that your dad is in. He looks up from the book he’s reading, smiling widely when he sees you. It wasn’t an evil and a wicked smile. It was a happy smile.

“We’ll be outside if you need anything.” Thor says.

You gave Thor a smile and then looked at your dad. Loki puts his book down and walks over to the window.

“You’re here.” Loki says with a smile.

“I am.” You replied.

“I’m glad you are.” He smiles.

You gave him a small smile.

“Thor brought me to Asgard so I can talk to you about something important.” You say.

“What is it?” Loki curiously asks.

“I’m sure Thor has been keeping you in the loop with mine and Steve’s wedding. I’m here to tell you that I want you to come to mine and Steve’s wedding.” You say.

“I would love to come to your wedding, darling.” He smiles.

“I have conditions.” You say.

“Whatever it is, I’ll do it.” He says.

“No tricks at my wedding and me, Steve, Thor, and the Avengers will be keeping a close eye on you. Me and Steve don’t want our wedding to be ruined. Promise?” You say.

“I promise, princess. I won’t do anything to ruin yours and your fiancée’s special day.” He promises.

You stare at your dad for a few seconds, studying him to make sure he’s speaking the truth.

“Good. I’ll see you next month.” You say.

You spend the whole day in Asgard before Thor took you back home to Earth. It’s amazing there. You absolutely love it there.

“Did you enjoy your day in Asgard?” Steve asks.

“Yes. I met my grandparents and they showed me around.” You say and smiled.

“I’m glad you had an amazing day and got to meet your grandparents.” He smiles. “I cant wait to meet them next month.” He says.

“Me too.” You smiled. “Also, I told my dad no tricks on our wedding day and he promises not to ruin our special day.” You tell him.

“Good. That’s good.” He says.

“I can’t wait to marry you next month.” You say softly, kissing him softly.

“I can’t wait to marry you.” He smiles.

His daughter groaned in protest and pulled the duvet over her head, shielding herself from the imposing bright light. She hoped Loki would get the hint that she didn't want to get up yet. 

Loki sat on her bed and tugged at the duvet impatiently. “Come now, don't you love your father?” He teased as he peeled back the duvet to reveal her face.

Squinting from the sudden brightness the teen whined petulantly.

“Daddd, it's the weekend! You never had to deal with Midgardian school and it shows, you don’t even realize how cruel it is waking me up so early today.” 

Loki didn't miss a beat. 

“Precisely, the weekend – the optimal time to spend some time with your father who misses you very much,” he ruffled her hair making her huff.

“Mom, dad's being clingy again! Come get your man!” She yelled, despite not knowing her mother's current whereabouts. Loki gave her a playfully stern look. She narrowed her eyes at him and Loki's expression softened. “Why don't we take a day trip to Asgard?” He tried. His daughter perked up at the suggestion.

“Aha! I knew you'd like that idea,” he grinned triumphantly as he stood from the bed. “Come down for breakfast. Though I suggest you fend for yourself. Your mother is experimenting with the waffles again. They're awful. I will eat them, of course, to make her happy, I will. But they are truly astoundingly awful.” He said conspiratorially.

Loki's daughter burst into laughter.

“I'm gonna tell her you said that!” She threatened playfully.

“Do not dare! Lest she decides to start experimenting with more recipes just to torture me,” he grimaced. “I do think we should ban Asgardian ingredients from our kitchen, it's been getting out of hand.” 

“I wonder if I can get Thor to stop sending them…” he muttered to himself as he left the room.

–

“Any plans for the day?” The love of his life tilted her head, hands clasped tightly around the mug of lukewarm coffee. 

“Thought we might pop up to Asgard for a visit,” Loki smiled. He reluctantly brought another piece of waffle up to his mouth under his wife's watchful gaze. 

She looked from the waffle to his expression and hummed in thought.

“You know… I'm behind on some work, you two gonna be okay on your own?” She asked, observing him with a practiced knowingness.

Meanwhile the teen shoved another spoonful of cereal in her mouth, the crunching sound briefly caught Loki's attention, making his eyes flick to her. 

She scrolled through her phone feed, barely paying attention to either of her parents, she certainly wasn't bothered by her father's suffering.

If only he could have something other than these waffles–

Loki's love cleared her throat, interrupting his train of thought. He turned his head.

“Hm? Oh!” He exclaimed, realizing she was still waiting for an answer. “Darling, I can handle looking after my daughter, I am a god after all,” he twirled the fork with another piece of waffle and, distracted by his conceit, happily popped it in his mouth. 

His face fell for a split second at the taste. He quickly washed it down with some coffee and grinned at his wife, trying to mask his crumbling facade. 

They’re not that bad, he tried to convince himself to no avail.

She suspiciously narrowed her eyes at his action but said nothing regarding it. 

“Do I need to remind you of the multiple misadventures you two have gotten into over the years?” Her tone was pointed as she said it. 

While the accusation did hold some truth Loki thought it was somewhat unwarranted to label it ‘misadventures’. 

Besides he'd never let anything happen to his little sunshine. He prided himself in being a good father, albeit a fun one which did have the potential to get them into… situations. But definitely not misadventures. He found that word quite offensive.

“Merely us having fun.” He waved a hand dismissively. “Back me up here, sunshine?” He looked to his daughter. 

She glanced up from her phone.

“Yeah, mom, it's fine. I never got hurt,” she smiled reassuringly. Her dad wasn’t exactly the strict type like her mom. While he did hold authority when needed, it was clear that he wanted to give her a different upbringing than his own. He valued connection and affection more than command and control. 

“Do not drag her into this,” his love rebuked Loki. “You two nearly gave Odin a heart attack on multiple occasions!”

“As if it is my fault that the old fool can't handle Mischief squared.” Loki scoffed. He didn’t see what the big deal was.

His wife rubbed her forehead at his insistence of using that ‘team name’ again and again. “I want her safe, Loki.” She warned, all too aware that taming the god of mischief was a futile feat.

“And she will be,” he leaned over to press a kiss to her lips in an effort to calm her nerves. 

Their daughter looked up at that and scrunched her face.  “Ew! Get a room!” She whined. They chuckled at her immature outburst. 

“Ew? Ew? How do you think we made you?” Loki smirked and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. 

“I am noping out of this conversation,” his daughter groaned.

“It was on a chill winters day, your mother was wearing–”

His love slapped his upper arm playfully as she saw the pleading look of her daughter. 

“Loki, give it a rest.” She scolded mirthfully. His eyes softened. “Alright, alright, I'll go get us packed,” he pressed a kiss to her cheek.

“You didn’t finish your waffles,” his love pointed out, her eyes holding a mischievous glint that Loki didn't catch as he stood from his seat. 

“Ah, yes… I find myself rather full already,” he said before making a hasty exit. She glanced after him unbothered then moved to the sink to begin washing up, humming a song softly under her breath. With Loki having left the room the teen couldn't help but speak up. 

“Mom, look I don’t want this to upset you but I just thought you should know… dad doesn't… like your waffles,” she said cautiously, carefully watching for her mother’s reaction. Her mother chuckled from where she was hand washing a bowl. 

“You're laughing?” The teen was utterly confused, her spoon now abandoned in her cereal as she studied her mother. Why was she laughing?

“Oh honey, I've known about it all this time. I'm trying to teach him a lesson about being honest instead of sparing my feelings. He’s yet to learn.” Her mother faced her, mischief dancing behind her eyes and in that moment as she laid eyes upon her, their daughter understood why her parents were together. They were two halves of one whole. 

–

Loki and his daughter travelled the Bifrost and landed in the watch tower with the Gatekeeper. The teen hunched over gagging from the queasy sensation the rainbow bridge gave her. She may have been a demigod but Midgard didn't have anything close to this in terms of transportation. And she was thankful for it. She’d hate to endure this type of travel daily. 

But underneath the small – or medium sized really – torture of the travel of gods, she was more than happy for her feet to be planted in Asgard yet again. After all, unlike Midgard, Asgard was the place where her magic was allowed to run wild and free.

When her body started feeling normal, she straightened up, noticing the Bifrost's protector. “Heimdaaaaall!” She drawled cheekily. “Still stuck in the same spot?” She grinned provokingly.

“She has a remarkable amount of your qualities.” He commented dryly to Loki before turning to the young Mischief. “Hello, little truant.” A small smile tugged at Heimdall’s lips. “You know my eye sees far and wide, and my ear hears all, I have no need for travel by means of foot, or Bifrost for that matter.” 

“Truant?” Loki narrowed his eyes at her and while she wasn't exactly afraid of her father, it did make her nervous.

“I don't know what he's talking about!” She defended quickly. “I've been at school, you can check my school app!” She quickly pulled out her phone from her pocket.

“Oh, I know you enchant that to change the statistics!” He hissed. She gasped, clutching at her chest in a dramatic manner. “I do not!”

As they glared at each other Heimdall noticed their perfectly mirrored expressions. Nobody in the Nine Realms would ever be able to deny that this was indeed Mischief's daughter, from her attitude down to her very likeness. He supposed that for crossing a mischievous mortal with a mischievous god… this was an appropriate result.

“And,” Loki added pointedly, “you know the rules, no Midgardian technology when we're on Asgard.” He scolded her before holding out his hand. She groaned, giving the phone up reluctantly. “We will discuss this back home with your mother.” Loki declared.

“You traitor!” She accused Heimdall before stomping out of the watch tower, her magic crackling at her fingertips. She was going to tell her parents about it… eventually.

Heimdall's laughter boomed through the room. “I apologize,” Loki said, magically storing the phone into his pocket dimension. It closed in on itself in a glow of green.

Heimdall straightened himself. “It's nothing that can't be handled. We handled you after all, did we not?” He side eyed Loki with prideful nonchalance.

It was true, Loki had changed drastically in all his years, especially after meeting his love and getting a daughter. Mellowed, per se. At least at a quick glance. The God of Mischief would after all forever rule his domain. It was in the details… like his stealthiness, wit and silver tongue.

Loki patted Heimdall's shoulder. “Don't make me freeze you up again.” 

Another booming bout of Heimdall's laughter unfurled around them. “Welcome back, my prince. I think you will find things have changed quite a bit since your last visit…”

His last visit… Thor's coronation. Yes, Loki supposed things have changed under his brother's rule. For one, Thor kept sending Asgardian ingredients to Loki’s wife and Loki really needed to have a talk about it with his brother. He even considered pleading Thor to stop on a few occasions when the god awful flavor of those waffles spread throughout his mouth. But those were low points for him. He was still a god, he would not plead.

“It's good to see you, God of Mischief.” Heimdall nodded his head in recognition. Loki's lips twitched into a smile momentarily. Being known for more than just his mischief had its perks, he would not admit it, but he liked that people’s gazes had softened when they looked at him these days.

“Likewise, Gatekeeper.” Loki left the tower with a curt nod and followed after his daughter.

–

“Is this going to spoil our day, sunshine?” Loki asked worriedly, giving his daughter a concerned glance as they walked towards the throne room in tow of a royal guard. He had hoped they’d be able to skip the formalities but it seemed like his brother had a different idea… One where he got to show off his throne. Loki didn’t exactly blame him. He would’ve done the same.

She sighed. “Of course not… Look dad, I was going to tell you. I just felt awkward about it…” She trailed off, her eyes fleeting around the palace halls. She knew they had to talk about it eventually.

“You felt awkward about skipping school?” He raised an eyebrow, not at all following what she was getting at.

“No. Awkward because of the reason why I skipped…” She took a deep breath. “I like someone, I skipped class with them,” she muttered under her breath, bracing herself for a possible shitshow.

“Oh… you…” Loki tried to process it all. His treasure was growing up. Soon enough she probably won’t even want to hang out with her father. Loki frowned at the thought. No, that couldn’t be but… he had read literature on the topic. As kids grew up they tended to distance themselves from their parents. Was this what was happening here? Was he losing her?

To some boy or girl or what have you, no less?

No. This was unacceptable. He had to come up with a plan to keep their connection alive. He would not lose his daughter.

While Loki got unusually quiet, his daughter got more and more anxious. If this was the quiet before the storm she wanted to delay the storm. The guard opened the door to the throne room, stepping in to announce their arrival. Before Loki could say anything more his daughter already ran into the room.

“Uncle Thor!” She exclaimed ecstatically, running towards him with open arms.

“Ah, my favorite niece!” Thor beamed as he stood from the throne and made it down the dais to hug her.

“I'm your only niece!” She laughed, looking up at the god of thunder.

“So you are,” he chuckled. “Brother,” Thor grinned as Loki walked closer, the blond pulled him into a hug too, patting his back with a little too much force than Loki would prefer. “You said you'd visit more often!” Thor accused, his lips tugging into a slight pout.

Loki reluctantly hugged Thor back. Admittedly he hadn’t gotten used to how clingy Thor got after Loki moved to Midgard and his visits to Asgard got more sparse. Of course, Loki would never admit it out loud but he missed his brother as well. Even if his pats could use a less heavy hand.

“Well you know, ruling Midgard requires a lot of my attention,” Loki raised his chin as he stepped back. “I'm sure you can understand seeing as you are king yourself now.” He smirked. Of course, Loki wasn’t ruling anything except kitchen appliances in his home these days but any chance he got to get under Thor’s skin he would take.

“Do not joke about that matter!” Thor scolded him. “It is my duty to protect the peace of the realms now just as father did once.”

“Why can’t he joke about that?” Little Mischief looked between her father and uncle in suspicion. She had a feeling she was missing some context. She was right.

“Well little one, it was before your time when your father–”

“Exposed Midgard's weak points so they could make informed decisions about how to handle their planet's security moving forward.” Loki cut in quickly. “They should thank me, really.”

Thor and Loki stared at each other wordlessly until Thor's face broke out into an amused smile at the notion that Loki's daughter had never been told about the New York incident. Thor leaned closer to her smugly.

“Nearly annihilated New York.” He whispered as if revealing a secret, because apparently it was a secret that was kept from her. Loki rolled his eyes at his brother as irritation creeped up his back to his neck and color rose to his cheeks at the reminder of his past doings.

“You what?!” Little Mischief gasped, turning to her father. 

“Your uncle is exaggerating.” Loki scoffed. She had no need to know about his… troubled past. It was… well, in the past. And besides, Loki had spent much of his time since atoning for his crimes.

“It took assembling the Avengers to stop him. I was part of them. Me and my friends–we stopped him.” Thor gloated.

“Wait… wasn’t mom an Avenger?” Her brows furrowed in confusion and then she slowly pieced it together. They never told her how exactly they met… but… holy shit, did her mom really fall for someone who was trying to wipe out New York?

Loki smirked as he watched recognition wash over her expression. “I don't want to know any details!” Little Mischief said quickly. “Very well,” Loki shrugged, agreeing.

“Now have you secured the goods?” Thor then whispered as if the royal guards would judge him any less while witnessing the exchange, if he did so.

“The blasphemous tarts? Indeed,” Loki handed over the box of poptarts that materialized in his hand. “I do not understand why you enjoy these, you have countless pâtisseries here on Asgard, each one better than the last, they can make you tarts!” He stressed.

Thor, already opened a packet of his favorite Midgardian treat, munching on it, offering some to little Mischief. “It's not the same brother.” Thor sighed happily at the bliss of his favorite poptart flavor.

“Dad, uncle Thor is right,” she agreed, biting into one herself. Loki shook his head but made a mental note to pick up some more boxes of the snack for his daughter on the next grocery store run… which he definitely didn’t do himself because it was below him as a prince and a god but if he had… he would be hiding under an illusion while he browsed the store aisles. But he definitely didn’t do grocery runs like some domestic Midgardian.

“Are father and mother near?” Loki asked curiously.

“Ah, I’m afraid not. After my coronation father decided he wanted to travel the realms.” Thor shook his head. “I do have my duties to attend to soon…” Thor hummed. “Shall we meet later?” 

“Of course, brother, later.” Loki nodded. “Come, little one, we have an agenda.”

–

“Focus and let your power flow to your palm. Picture it there and let it materialize,” Loki said gently as he watched his daughter try to copy tiny fireworks flowing out of his hand.

It was a trick his mother had taught him long ago, in his youth. Loki hated to sound sentimental but he missed his mother dearly

… and after the newfound knowledge of his daughter being infatuated with someone, he had quietly hoped he'd be able to converse with Frigga about it.

He wasn’t sure how to handle these new developments… or the little voice in his head saying that his daughter will run off with some person and be lost to him forever. Loki found himself in desperate need of his mother's wisdom regarding parenting. Of course, to his luck Odin had dragged her on a bloody tour of the realms.

Loki's daughter squinted in concentration, trying to push her powers to her palm just like Loki instructed. Only she couldn't succeed.

“It's not working.” She grumbled, plopping down on a tree trunk, resting her head in the palms of her hands and staring out at the water of the Asgardian lake, defeated.

Loki’s gaze softened at her disappointed expression. “You're overthinking it, sunshine. You just do it.” He smiled softly.

“What are you? Sponsored by Nike?” She quipped. Loki laughed at her jest, taking it in good spirit. She could be a real grump sometimes. He sat beside her, observing how the water shimmered from the Asgardian sun. 

“You know, I failed plenty of times. Magic, but even more so life is not without failures. What's important is that you try again.” 

Looking at her father when he said that, she detected a tired glint in his eyes, faint yet noticeable enough; for the first time she saw not just her dad but the god who had not always succeeded, who had made plenty of mistakes.

“What uncle Thor said about… about New York…” 

Loki swallowed thickly as she brought up the topic. 

“Do you… Do you still think about it?”

“Every day.” Loki replied quietly.

Neither spoke for a moment, the pause filled with the chirping of birds, a stark contrast to the heaviness passing between them because of their conversation.

His daughter tapped him on the shoulder. When Loki looked at her, misty eyed, little fireworks flew from her palm.

“Feel better?” Little Mischief murmured.

“You did it!” Loki huffed a soft laugh, overjoyed. 

She smiled, feeling sorry for her dad at the sight of his glassy eyes.

“Dad, you don’t have to beat yourself up about New York.” His daughter pulled him in for a hug. Loki accepted the gesture, wrapping his arms around her and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

“It's the Asgardian pollen,” he admitted.

“What?” Little Mischief asked as she pulled away to determine if her father was lying.

“Why do you think I spent so much of my youth reading instead of climbing trees with Thor?” Loki crossed his arms.

“You're pulling my leg.”

His fingers moved idly over the TemPad, skimming through case files without really reading them, however rolled his eyes when his own name popped up.

Mentally he didn't know why but he reviewed it once more.. Maybe with fresh eyes or just a bit of self punishment.

He had seen it all before really- his failures, his missteps, his deaths. Flipping through records of his own history like an outsider peering into a life he barely recognized.

But then-

His scrolling stopped.

The file was tucked away, buried deep in a section that shouldn’t have caught his eye. It wasn’t labeled like the others, just a series of numbers and letters meant to be overlooked. But Loki had spent enough time in the TVA to recognize a deliberately misplaced file when he saw one.

And he knew, instinctively, that it was something they didnt want him to know.

He clicked it open prepared for nothing in particular..

Subject: (Y/N) [REDACTED]

Location: Stuttgart, Germany

Confirmed Conception

Status: Active Timeline Variant

Loki eyes narrowed as he thought about the name... (Y/N)? It was vague but like a small sentence in a very long book.

Shrugging he started to read though, however his brow began to come together as he read through- However the further he read the deeper his stomach sank... Memories of Stuttgart surged forward, unwelcome and sickening. The way he had strutted through that crowd, basking in the terror he had cultivated...

How before he had raided that Gala he decided that a personal need was deserved. The way he had chosen you foreign student, vulnerable, alone because he could.. nothing then a boost to his ego-

He had known what he was doing. He had known you were afraid, 'agreeing' only out of fear. And still, he had gone further.. Something that made his wince and sigh-

As he pushed through the file his stomach dropped with each sentence and his eyes widened-

Loki slammed the TemPad onto the desk, shoving back from the screen as if it had burned him. His chest heaved, nausea curling in his stomach.

"Loki."

Mobius seemingly to have appeared out of nowhere, Loki assuming due to pounding of his heart in his ears to not hear the man- who was currently leaned against the cubicle, arms crossed, gaze steady but unreadable. Compared to Loki's admittedly terrified look.

"You knew."

Mobius didn’t flinch. "Yeah."

Loki’s lip curled in what could only be a twisted snarl, something he hadn't sported in some time "And you hid it from me?"

Mobius sighed, stepping closer to the God. "I didn’t hide it. I just… didn’t tell you."

Loki only lets out a bitter laugh, Closer to a sob then a real laugh tho "Semantics."

Möbius tilted his head with a light shrug. "You weren’t ready."

Loki anger simmered in him as he felt his eyes water "And now I am?"

Morbius studied him for a moment before gesturing to the TemPad. "You found it, didn’t you?"

Loki clenched his jaw. "That doesn’t mean I know what to do with it! A child- MY Child!"

Möbius exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "Look, Loki. I knew this was gonna shake you. And yeah, maybe I should’ve told you sooner. But back then? You had enough on your plate trying to figure out who you even are. You were still running from your past, trying to prove you weren’t that guy anymore."

Loki felt his anger seemingly deflate, his body almost crumbling into itself as he felt hisbeyes water further.. turning back to the TemPad, staring at the photo of yohr face, with a shaking hand he pulled the device back to him, now resting it in his lap as he hovered over it like someone would take it from him.

He felt tears run down his cheeks as he didn't even bother to hide it-

"My mother would be so ashamed of me..."

He mumbled softly, unsure why that was the first thing to pass through his lips was this given the gravity of this, but it did?..

He flipped to the next file, And his eyes softened at the picture. More tears falling as he wiped them with the best of his abilities, Reading more as a watery smile went over his lips at the name.

"Dahlia"

"Hold still, baby, I can’t button your coat if you’re wiggling," you sighed, fingers fumbling with the tiny buttons of Dahlia’s blue jacket as she giggled, squirming like an excited puppy.

"Mama" Dahlia huffed wrinkling her nose, her small hands gripping her favorite toy of this week currently a frog with an admittedly fucked up face since it had been from the bargin bin. "I big now!"

You smiled despite yourself, brushing a stray dark curl from her face. "You’ll always be my baby, no matter how big you get."

Dahlia rolled dramatically her bright green eyes- his eyes- but she leaned into your touch anyway. Having recently leaned how to roll her eyes and the meaning- Aka her whole body did a circle movement when she rolled them.

"Goofy"

You chuckled out, Setting her down as she rushed off to you could only hope to get some other random toy, However that was wishful thinking- her dark hair bouncing behind and for a second she looked like him..

Closing your eyes, you exhaled softly, trying to push the memories back. Trying not to think about the few shlrt nights that had changed your life.

You had never really wanted to think too deeply about it all- even at the time had mixed feelings if you even truly wanted that night either or if you were just too terrified to think of what other options you haf. But you had been young, alone in a foreign country, and utterly terrified of thw good before you.

Loki had been everything you had been taught to fear dangerous, unpredictable, cruel.

His desire for power and to rule, as if to establish this he had turned his attention to you, voice dripping with venomous amusement as he issued his demands, every King should have a few stress relieves- Concubine or sorts but lower which is what you had been and had done what he asked. Like a snake that wrapped around you- terrifying, cold, but unique in its own sick way.

Even now, years later, the shame still clung to you. The knowledge that you had been a toy for a god. Even when you closed your eyes you still saw yourself looking up at him as those green eyes stared down at you like some pet- However those would get smothered away.

By Dahlia…

She was yours. Yours to love, to protect, to raise far away from the shadow of the man who had terrorized a city, a world and you.

She didn’t know who he was. She never would, And you were happy with that. However whenever you looked to her, You felt a tinge of worry... Half her blood was of another world-

How long did you have before that would rear it's ugly little head into your life? However that would be for another day, hopefully a lifetime away.

Dahlia ran back to you, as those dark thoughts got washed away by her bright smile. Now adding to the ugly little frog was a equally fucked up horse, Snorting a bit of a laugh. However scooped her up in your arms as you got the house keys.

The Threads of Fate: Chapter 42 Part 4 master list

England ~800 CE

You crouched low in the grass, fingers stained purple as you dropped berries into the small woven basket balanced on your knee, the air smelled of summer, warm and green, heavy with the hum of bees. You were halfway lost in thought when a sound split across the field, behind you the thunder of hooves shook the ground. Raiders, charging straight for you.

“Of course,” you muttered.

Dropping the basket as panic surged, you ran as fast as you could to the safety of the trees, hoping to lose them within. You weren’t being dumb enough to use magic this time; last time you’d tried to hold off an army by yourselves it had seen Baldr nailed to a crucifix.

Baldr cursed loud enough to rival Thor on a bad day when he came out from the treeline to see you tearing in the opposite direction to where he left you and what he could only describe as half of Denmark on your heels. He had been at the stream with his horse and now regretted leaving you alone.

Groaning long and theatrical, loud enough to be heard by the gods themselves, he mounted his horse and tore across the field trying to get ahead of the raiders. In a blur of motion his arm hooked you clean off the ground and into the saddle.

Breath labouring hard in your ears, feet pounding hard against the ground, you didn’t hear Baldr gallop up behind you and you let out an ear piercing scream as you were lifted off the ground, knowing you were probably done for.

“Do you have any self-preservation?” Baldr barked against your ear as you clung to him, the horse’s muscles straining beneath you both. “Now I know how Loki felt!”

“I was picking berries!” you shrieked, trying to keep your balance as he veered sharply to avoid the first arrow shot your way.

“Berries,” Baldr repeated flatly. “While half of Scandinavia is invading England.”

“They weren’t supposed to be violent!”

“They’re Vikings!” he snapped, his voice cracking with disbelief as another arrow whistled past. “What did you expect?”

Later, after a desperate sprint into the woods, he shoved you inside a half-rotten hut, barring the door with his shoulder. His hair clung to his forehead in sweat-damp strands as he rounded on you.

“What,” he demanded, “did you think would happen?”

You crossed your arms, chin tilting high. “Not attack me?”

Baldr’s laugh was sharp, incredulous. “They are Danes! They pray to us!”

“But the history books say–”

“Stuff your history books!” He jabbed a finger at your chest. “You’ve seen Loki fight.”

You bit back a retort. He wasn’t wrong.

Hours later, when the danger passed, the two of you found yourselves wandering into a nearby village. It was small, just a scattering of houses around a long hall, smoke curling from the thatched roofs. The people were already drinking, already singing, their voices thick with mead,and there in the center of it all stood a carving of Odin, his one eye painted dark, a spear carved into his wooden hand. Beside him, Thor with his hammer, and a smaller statue of a woman you recognized instantly, Frigga.

Baldr stopped dead, his mouth curving in an odd smile. “Well. That’s surreal.”

“Surreal?” you whispered, staring up at the statues. “They don’t even know we’re real.”

“They never did.” Baldr lifted a hand, almost touching the wooden Odin before pulling back. “We’re stories to them. Nothing more,” he spat. “And thanks to Odin we are two gods who never existed.”

You nudged him with your elbow. “Come on, admit it, it’s better this way. No worship, no responsibility.”

He barked a laugh and shook his head. “If Loki were here, he’d already be halfway through convincing them to build him his own statue.”

You snorted. “And it would be taller than Thor’s.”

“Of course it would.” Baldr’s grin returned, wide and teasing. He glanced down at you, a flicker of warmth breaking through the hard lines of his face. “You’re lucky, you know. If Loki had found you first, he’d have left you to those raiders just for the fun of it.”

You rolled your eyes. “And you didn’t?”

“Please,” Baldr said, feigning offence. “If anyone’s going to get you killed, it’s going to be me.”

“Comforting.”

“Accurate.”

You shoved his shoulder, he shoved back and for a moment, beneath the shadow of gods carved in wood, the two of you laughed like siblings playing at being human, as if the weight of time could not touch you.

*~*~*                                    *~*~*

The laughter still lingered between you when the villagers spotted the two of you and before you could protest Baldr found himself being dragged by the wrist toward the longhouse.

“Absolutely not,” he muttered under his breath, digging his heels in as though that would matter against six enthusiastic farmers.

“Oh, come on,” you teased, smirking at him as one of the women grabbed your arm. “You’re the one who said they worship us. Seems like the least we can do is accept free food.”

“I said they pray to us. Not kidnap strangers into a mead-fueled nightmare.”

The longhouse smelled of smoke, roasted meat, and sweat. Wooden benches lined the walls, furs thrown across them to soften the hard planks. Torches burned low, throwing shadows that danced across faces flushed from drink. Someone shoved a cup into your hand the moment you stepped inside and you barely had time to protest before Baldr had one too.

“Don’t drink too much,” you whispered, tugging on his sleeve.

“I’m immortal,” he muttered back.

“And terrible at pretending to be mortal,” you countered. “One wrong slip and we’ll have a hall full of warriors calling us gods again.” Nose wrinkling when you remembered that time in Crete.

His grin was sharp as he raised the cup to his lips anyway. “Let them. I’d rather be a god than a fool caught picking berries.” Baldr ignored your glare and leaned down to whisper in your ear. “Smile, or I’ll tell them you’re Loki in disguise.”

You elbowed him in the ribs, keeping your smile fixed as a platter of food was thrust into your hands. “You wouldn’t dare.”

He smirked. “Try me.”

The feast was loud and raucous but you did your best to blend in, picking at your food and laughing when others laughed, though Baldr kept shooting you warning glances whenever you slipped into too-modern speech. At one point, a warrior slapped Baldr on the back, nearly toppling him forward, and shouted something about Thor’s hammer.

Baldr’s jaw twitched. You knew that look – the one he wore whenever someone poked too close to truths best left hidden.

He gave you a look that could have killed lesser beings. “If I so much as hint at knowing more than I should, this whole place will decide I’m Odin’s lost son or something. Do you want to be trapped here for thirty years?”

You grinned, sipping from your cup. “Could be fun. You’d look great in wolf pelts.”

He leaned back, eyes narrowing. “You are the most infuriating companion in all the realms.”

Asgard - Present day

A couple of weeks later Loki found himself walking toward Thor’s wing. As much as he hated to admit it Loki needed to talk to him, not about anything specific, though the vision gnawed at the back of his mind, but maybe it was enough to simply share the space with him like he used to.

Sighing at the prospect of a night out, one he honestly did not feel like, Loki lifted a hand. As he went to knock on Thor’s door he heard footsteps, and turned his head to glance down the corridor and immediately froze. There, coming toward him, was Helena. 

Panicking, Loki quickly veered toward the nearest door, not bothering to check which one, and slipped inside before she could spot him. Leaning back against the door with his eyes closed he let out a quiet laugh of relief when Thor dismissed her outright, feeling grateful that Muninn had interrupted them when he had. Hearing her footsteps become distant Loki opened his eyes and finally took stock of the room he was now in.

"What in the world?" he breathed out in shock. It looked like the room from his dreams. 

Gaze landing on the fireplace and seeing the carved images there recognition dawned that this was the very room he occupied when he dreamt of the woman and the newborn baby. But it was in Thor’s wing?

Pushing himself off the door, Loki moved slowly through the space, eyes darting over the clutter. Trunks and boxes were stacked haphazardly as though dumped in a hurry and while the room itself looked as though it had been untouched for centuries, dust covering every surface, the boxes were far less dusty which meant they had to have been placed in here more recently.

Opening one of the trunks Loki frowned. It was full of clothing and not just any clothing, but fine garments for a noblewoman. Pulling out a sky blue dress, its hem patterned with swallows, he inspected the weave and stitching hoping it that might give away who owned them, noticing this particular one was from Álfheim, the sort only royalty could afford, and he knew his mother had never owned a dress like this. Frown deepening Loki looked around wondering whose room this was?

He hesitated and questioned if he should dig further. Whoever these things belonged to clearly did not want them to be found and he could not recall anyone visiting or staying after what was supposed to be Thor’s coronation so who it may have been must have arrived after his fall. 

Curiosity getting the better of him, Loki opened another trunk to find a stack of books within. Rummaging through to see if the genres and titles might give away who they may have belonged to, he came across one cover that made his breath catch. Feet carrying him to the bed before he could stop himself, dust puffing into the air as he sat, Loki stared at the leather bound back praying it was not what he thought. It had to be a copy. It had to be. Turning the book over with unsteady hands he saw the title and panic clawed through him making his heart pound harder.

Hamlet.

His Hamlet.

There was no mistaking it was his, the embossed "L" in the right hand corner left no doubt in his mind. 

“What is this book doing in here?” he whispered. Hoping the pages might explain, he opened it, eyes scanning the first page.

I thought about giving you the world, but it wouldn’t fit in the wrapping paper.

I thought about the stars, but they seemed too showy.

So instead, I settled on something smaller, hoping you’ll actually keep it.

Happy Birthday, Darling

~ L

P.S. The book’s now yours. Keep it, please, you deserve to have something to call your own. I don’t yet know how to give you what you wished for... but one day I will. I promise.

Loki’s throat tightened, he could almost hear the echo of his own voice shaping those lines and yet he had no memory of ever writing them. Nothing but the phantom ache in his chest of something lost.

A hollow, bitter laugh scraped his throat. “Ridiculous,” he muttered, voice faltering as it cracked under the weight of the emotions warring in him. Bitterness won and rose to drown out the ache. “A promise broken then. How very like me.” 

Loki snapped the book shut, fingers trembling, heart hammering so loud it drowned out thought. He refused to sit there another moment surrounded by trunks, dust, and ghosts he did not remember summoning.

He needed air. Anything but this room, these ghosts, these words that were his and yet not his.

Tossing the book onto the bed, he surged to his feet and strode from the room, chest tight, head spinning. The tavern with Thor tonight was the anything he needed to escape this.

*~*~*                                    *~*~*

“So how were your months of freedom?” Loki sneered, leaning back in his chair, one brow raised like he could already guess the answer. “Fun? Enjoyable?”

“It was only a month,” Thor replied with a shrug. “And just business in Vanaheim. Nothing exciting.” He waved a hand vaguely, as if the whole trip had been a mild inconvenience. 

The wedding had been a grand affair. The hall had glittered with golden light, laughter spilling into the rafters as music twined with the clatter of goblets and the scent of roasted meat. Fáelán had stood at the centre of it all, taller than he had been in the months since your death, his shoulders straighter and his gaze more certain. He carried himself with a quiet steadiness, each word spoken with the confidence of a man who had stepped fully onto his path. Thor had felt pride stir in his chest, though it was tangled with something wistful. Under better circumstances Loki might have been proud too. He might have smiled at the way his youngest son had taken his place with conviction, might have leaned close with one of his sly comments that never quite hid his true feelings. Instead, Thor could only lament that neither of his parents had been there to see it, their absence heavier than the crown on Fáelán’s brow.

“So what is old Njörðr up to these days? Still as obnoxious as ever?” Loki asked, the corner of his mouth twitching like he was daring Thor to sugarcoat the truth.

“He’s good, mellowed out mainly because Skadi makes him happy,” Thor said, smiling faintly as he took a sip from his mug. “Though I would expect so after almost two and half thousand years together.”

Loki froze mid-bite of his bread, eyes narrowing sharply. “Two and a half thousand? Skadi’s our age?”

Thor’s eyes went wide and he waved a hand frantically. “I, er, um, two years! I meant two years, of course! I was just thinking, after him being, uh, close to two thousand you’d think age would... well, you know,” he trailed off into a nervous laugh.

Loki’s lips curled into a faint, unimpressed sneer. “Well, I suppose it’s better than Skadi and I,” he said, leaning back in his chair. “She was ever the headstrong type. I can’t believe Odin ever thought we would have been a good match. I don’t want or need someone to boss me around. I get enough of that from him!”

Thor gave a small, awkward smile, nodding as if agreeing with Loki, though his mind wandered. ‘You and Skadi’, he thought, watching the faint flare of Loki’s impatience. ‘So alike. Headstrong. Independent. Stubborn to the point of brilliance. And how I wish you were still with us’. He shook his head lightly, forcing the thought away before Loki noticed. “Yes,” he said, keeping his voice casual as he lifted his mug. “You and Skadi; at least you dodged that.”

Loki snorted softly, muttering under his breath, “That’s one way to put it.” He stabbed a piece of food with his fork for emphasis, the motion sharp, almost defensive. His grip lingered a moment too long before he set it down again, annoyed at himself for reacting at all to something he shouldn’t care about.

Thor studied his brother across the table, noting the way Loki’s fingers drummed lightly against the rim of his mug, eyes darting to the fire, then back to him, as though trying to gauge whether the words he was about to say would be judged. The tavern hummed around them, patrons laughing, mugs clinking, music drifting through the air, but Loki seemed to exist in a bubble, detached from the noise, caught in a storm Thor couldn’t quite see.

“What’s got you out of sorts?” Thor asked, trying to sound casual, though his voice carried an unspoken invitation to share.

Loki’s gaze flicked to the bustling tavern again, the firelight catching the sharp angles of his face and reflecting across Thor’s own earnest expression. Finally, after a pause that stretched longer than Thor liked, Loki leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice. “Thor… can you answer me honestly?” There was a vulnerability there that Thor rarely saw, and it made his chest tighten.

“Depends on what you’re asking of me,” Thor replied with a teasing grin, lifting his tankard as if to deflect the seriousness.

Loki’s shoulders tensed, then slumped as he muttered the words that made Thor choke on his drink. “Do I have children?”

Thor sputtered, coughing into his hand, eyes widening. “What makes you say that?” he managed between fits of rasping air, surprised by the sudden weight of the question.

Loki let out a slow sigh, eyes flicking down to the table as though answers might be written in the grain of the wood. “A dream… maybe; but it felt more like a memory.” His tone was hesitant, and for a moment Thor could see the conflict etched across his features, a faint trace of uncertainty lingering beneath Loki’s mask. “It’s probably nothing.”

*~*~*                                    *~*~*

It grew later and Loki finally stood, swaying slightly as the tavern’s warmth and alcohol settled heavy in his chest. 

“Well, this has been fun,” he muttered, forcing a steadying step, though he knew he had likely drunk more than he should have. 

The room spun just enough to make the chairs and tables blur at the edges. Thor waved after him, half-absorbed in his own mug and laughing with other patrons, forgetting entirely that he was supposed to be keeping an eye on his brother.

Loki staggered through the palace streets, words slurring under his breath. “I don’t need anyone. I’m fine alone. Perfectly fine. A wife would only boss me about, tell me what to do. I don’t need a handler.”

The bravado collapsed even as he said it. Each syllable rang hollow against the stone walls, bouncing back like a jeer. He wasn’t fine. He knew it in the marrow of his bones. Once, he had been meant for more, a wife, children, a family, but the Norns had stolen it all when they allowed Sjöfn and her daughter to die.

At the edge of his vision the phantom woman from his dreams lingered: warm, untouchable, taunting him with visions of a life he had never lived but wanted

“Leave me be, witch,” Loki whispered, voice cracking under the weight of loss. The world tilted, streets blurring as grief and confusion pressed down, heavy enough to make even his steps falter.

The alcohol fogged his judgment as Loki drifted through the palace halls, each corridor echoing with ghosts. Whispered confessions clung to the stone; laughter, high and fleeting, slipped through the cracks of memory. He wasn’t watching where his feet carried him until he stopped before a door. Closed. The handle refused to turn.

Loki frowned. It was never locked. A knot of panic twisted in his chest, Baldr’s name flashing through his mind before he could understand why.

The thought scattered as the door swung open. A figure stood framed in the threshold. Loki’s breath caught, his heart stumbling against his ribs, recognition flaring. Before reason could intervene, his hands rose of their own accord, cupping the figure’s cheeks. And then he kissed them, desperate and unthinking, as though some part of him had been waiting centuries for this single moment.