Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was a grey day in New York. The previous night the city had been met with dismal rain, lightning and thunder, and now in the evening of the next day, the only evidence remaining of the sky's tantrum, were the dark clouds that tainted the 3pm sky and the melancholic smell of wet pavement and dripping bushes.

For some reason, somewhere in Manhattan, someone felt the atmospheric conditions were just perfect to harvest chaos.

"This" the woman points to the ground as she speaks "this is exactly what you've all been working for since the moment you set foot in this place, which you now call home" she states, with only determination in her eyes as she looks at the group of young adults gathered in a circle around her "for this, my students, is the chance of a lifetime, to make me proud and prove that you have what it takes!"

The woman led the group down the long hall until they halted in front of a big door

"Behind this old oak door lies, probably, the most daring challenge you have and will ever encounter" she pauses, her grey eyes meeting each with everyone else's. "No slip ups will be accepted, go!" She opens the door and hurries everyone inside.

They move swiftly and as if they really had prepared for this their whole lives, it was done with such synchronisation it almost made the woman tear up at the harmony in which her students proceeded. She didn't let her post falter as door keeper, she knew that one false move and the operation would fall apart, she worked too hard for that to happen.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Success.

The group of mentees and the woman regrouped once again in the training grounds, everyone reveling in their triumphant scheme.

Okay, maybe they jinxed it.

"CORALINA FRANCIS" came from the entrance of the outdoor training base, the deep voice everyone knew all too well

The voice of absolute control on those grounds, and the voice that only spoke a threat to the group who was a mere second ago congratulating each other.

But that particular scolding yell was specially directed towards the woman behind the whole fiasco, the one in the most trouble out of the group of young students.

"Oh shit" she muttered to herself at the sight of the fluttering cloak, "okay people, off you go, practice those orange circles" she whispers a command to the group, then rapidly walks towards the angry man at the door.

"Did you like the class's present?" She asks once she reaches the man as she gives him a wide smile full of fake innocence, burshing invisible dust off of his shoulders

"Yes, i thoroughly enjoyed coming back from a meeting with the most obnoxious man i've ever known, just to find my office covered in fluorescent green post-it notes, hilarious, really, professor" the man looked really exhausted, and the little prank seemed to only test his patience on that day; then again, that's normally the only reaction Cora ever got when messing with the sorcerer, and she didn't really care.

"Did you catch the spell that forces you to take the notes by hand, one-by-one, without aid of any sort of magic whatsoever?" she asked him with amusement in her eyes and voice, ignoring completely the glare of the man towering her.

The doctor kept glaring at her for a good minute, until he gave up and rolled his eyes before asking the question he always asked when he found himself in these godawful familiar situations "Why do I even put up with you?"

"Because i'm a hoot" she says very seriously, her hand then is briefly surrounded by a lilac gleam that reveals a tray and hands it to him. "And also, because who else would bake you cinnamon rolls after strenuous meetings with Stark?" she smiles playfully as Strange's eyes widen and his frown is replaced by childish excitement.

"Yeah, you're right" he sighs, immediately going for one of the baked goods. "Don't think you're getting out of this though" he warns, though it sounded all muffled by his mouth full of the cinnamon good, "you're coming with me and you're not leaving until you help me get rid of all the post-its you and your devilish students put in my office" he says, waving the roll at the woman.

She starts to jog away from her friend and yells over her shoulder "Sorry Stephen no can do, i have to teach the youngsters real magic and not those silly little portals you make them do"

"Hey! Those things are useful!" he yells back

"I know they are, but they've already mastered it, this is not karate kid, they have to learn other stuff!" Cora yells once again, she pauses for a second and adds before turning her attention to the class "When you finish with your office order some chinese for the two of us and put it on my tab, ask Wong if he wants some too" he gives her a thumbs-up and lets her alone to properly begin the lesson.

"Okay, so, for the first part of the class, I want you all to tell me different types of shields you've been taught by Doctor Strange so far, and how to cast them not only on yourselves but on people or stuff around you as well, internal and external shielding is what you..."

- - -

"So, what put you in such a bad mood, mister doctor?" asked Cora.

It was the middle of the night and Stephen, Wong and Cora were currently hanging out in Wong's office, as they always did when they were too invigorated to get some decent sleep.

Cora couldn't sleep because she had taken a three-hour nap after draining herself bringing back a dumbass rookie who stabbed himself in the chest trying to conjure up a dagger.

Strange had only now finished dealing with the mess in his office, and apparently taking 6 cups of coffee to give him more energy did just that, now he couldn't stay seated in the same place for more than 5 seconds, let alone go to sleep.

Wong was sleeping like a healthy human being should, until the two magic beings dragged him out of bed for midnight snacks and catching up.

"He is always a little bitch when it comes to Stark, Francis, you know this already" said the librarian sitting cross-legged as the other man scoffed.

"Well, i've said it before and i'll say it a thousand times again: they need to bone" said Cora casually, putting some leftover chinese noodles in her mouth, while the doctor choked on his drink and started blurting out denials.

"Wh-What HEY no, never, ew, no, just- ugh, no!"

"She's right" the librarian shrugged. "Either way, what did he do this time?" asked Wong trying to stop his friend from exploding at the words his other friend had said.

"Yeah, what did your boyfriend do this time?" said Cora before being smacked in the head by an orange wisp that had Wong's name written all over it.

"Shut up, Cora'' warned the doctor.

Then he started telling the other two about how he was called in because they needed a tracking spell for a former SHIELD agent who went rogue and was threatening to reveal secrets of the agency to the world. He went on to say - complain about - how Tony was mocking him nonstop - as usual - and trying to take off his cloak - as usual - and whined like a little baby when the cape swatted his prying hands away - as usual -

"AND when I was finally done with the dreadful spell, he didn't even say thank you, can you believe him? Just a fucking pat in the back and off he went to refill his glass, which he had already done like seven times in the few hours i was there, not even a goodbye, such an ass" honestly, that's what he seemed the most irritated about, and Cora had no problem pointing it out

"Poor little Stephen, the billionaire with daddy issues didn't thank him, Wong, can you believe that asshole?" she cooed mockingly as she patted the sad doctor's head

"You suck" said the pouting man-child, before sighing, "I guess, I mean, you guys know how difficult a tracking spell can be when only given a fucking picture, like, c'mon, not even a strand of hair?"

Cora opens her mouth to correct him but he beats her to it "yeah, yeah, I know Cora 'i can do it easily blablabla', but that's because you're stupidly overpowered" he dismissed

"Comes with being a deity, my dear boys" she tells them sweetly. They laugh and keep talking until they fall asleep sprawled around the office of the bookkeeper.

Oh, yeah, I think it would be appropriate to explain just who the hell Coralina Francis is, right? Well, for starters, Francis isn't her last name, it's actually her middle name. She is around 1700 years old, or like 33 years in midgardian years, the ageing system for her people is weird, somewhat similar to that of asgardians, but not quite.

Not a goddess but she was given the gift of necromancy, healing, and also had the opportunity of being taught Asgardian magic from the early age of 10.

She's been in Bleecker 177A for two years now, helping the boys keep the sanctum afloat, plus getting some much needed peace and quiet.

I would tell you more, like what her last name actually is, or her lineage but, where's the fun in that?

- - -

The three friends were awoken by the blaring of a very peculiar alarm, the one that notified Strange and Wong were needed by the Avengers in battle.

"Ugh, I have to see the asshole two days in a row?" moaned a sleepy Strange

"Yeah man, focus on that, not on how Earth is probably being attacked, but on your enemies to lovers shit" mumbles Wong from his bean bag chair, and soon the men start bickering until a third voice makes its appearance

"This is so unfair, why do i never get called in on these things, with me on board I could literally snap my fingers and the enemy would be turned to dust" Cora complains from the bed she had magicked up last night, for a millisecond stealing a glance towards the wall behind her, somehow making eye contact with the reader.

"Maybe, because they don't know you exist"

"Then maybe they should" she quips angrily

"Not today, if we need reinforcements we'll call, I promise" says Stephen as he walks to where she was now standing to give her a hug

Wong did the same and then they left, just like they did every time 'Earth's mightiest heroes' requested the help of kamar-taj's best sorcerers (that they knew of)

"Always the same 'we'll call, we'll call, don't worry', fucking dumbasses" Cora mutters to herself as she makes her way to the kitchen "Some day, one of them will get super hurt and i won't be able to get to them on time, i'll fucking kill them if they die like that, then they'll be like 'oh no, I wish we had brought Cora along, she would've saved the day' hell yeah I would have, but you were too big of pussies to realise, they don't know i exist my ass, they should, i'm great" she kept thinking aloud, piping up her voice when doing imitations, while she prepared her tea, the few students that passed not even looking at her weirdly, since it had become some sort of habit

- - -

"What the fuck do you fucking mean by 'he's in a fucking coma', Wong?"

Chapter Text

"What the fuck do you fucking mean by 'he's in a fucking coma', Wong?"

So, really funny story, an hour had passed since the two masters of the mystic arts had left, when Cora got the phone call that informed her that Strange was currently hospitalized where he used to work.

"You should come, maybe you could do your weird healing thing, maybe even help the Stark guy, he's pretty much in the same state as Stephen, vegetable" said a worried Wong from the phone

"Okay, watch out, i'm gonna pop up from a portal behind you in like 5 second" she says while working on the tracking gate spell "try not to knock me out this time, big guy", with that she hangs up and walks through the portal that makes her fall on Wong's back in a piggy-back style

Without getting off of him she commands him as if he was a horse and she the rider "Okay Wongy, take me to the idiot"

They got to room 221 and she jumped from her friend's back to the ground, gesturing for him to stay out of the room so she could concentrate.

When she opened the door and set eyes on her friend, it reminded her of the time she looked through his memories and saw how the doctor who she cared so much for looked after that car accident.

It broke her heart having to see him like that in person.

"You dumb, dumb man, you should have let me come with you, I won't always be here to save your stupid ass" she said, both anger and sadness surfacing in her voice.

Her lilac magic surrounded Strange's body as she had to basically bring his soul back to his body, a task she hoped to never have to carry out on a close friend ever again. She could sense the shadows of people trying to get to her, lost souls who had not yet let go of the lives they once had had, she felt the fake pleads in her ears, trying to pull her down with them, but she couldn't care less

After struggling for a few minutes it was done, the shadows had gone away the instance the magic stopped flowing and all there was left to do was wait for the doctor to wake up. He did that, approximately 23 seconds later, not that she was counting.

"Welcome back to the land of the living" she said from the end of the bed where she had chosen to wait, with a soft smile

"Thanks, I could feel my body trying to kick my soul out, like it was a disease, it felt like shit" he groaned trying to sit up

"Yeah, well, next time, remember that feeling and let me come to, at least, cover your back" Cora said removing her smile and letting her face show the fear she had felt.

Seeing how his body had already started rejecting his soul, how he really was so close to just not existing anymore, she had been terrified

Before Strange could give some sort of apology, the door opened revealing Wong and Bruce Banner, behind them the rest of the team minus Stark, who was somewhere in a hospital bed.

"Oh, Professor Francis, pleasure to see you again" Banner walked towards her and shook Cora's hand as she gave him a bright smile.

"You know her?" asked a man with a bow and arrow 'must be Barton' Cora thought

"Yeah, he came by the sanctum a few months ago to return some books he borrowed and we chatted a bit, cool man really" Cora said to Clint and eyed the rest of the team as well, as Bruce awkwardly laughed at the compliment.

"So, how did you wake up Doctor Strange?" asked a redhead with a heavy accent, Cora sensed a magical aura surrounding her, her suspicions were proven right when she felt someone trying to enter her mind, 'oh, yeah, definitely the scarlet witch'

"Healing and a bit of necromancy was needed, the idiot was almost dead" Cora explained and she focused on the witch for a second to get into her head and send her a message telepathically

stop trying to get past my barriers, little witch, it won't work

The girl paled, but instantly stopped trying to get into her mind, Cora laughed lightly at the embarrassed state of the witch, which Stephen caught onto

"Let me guess, you tried to read her mind and she scared the shit out of you by getting into yours instead?" He asked the redhead who nodded sheepishly "Don't worry, happens to the best of us" he assured with a weak smile, still deeply drained

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, Cora is super cool, we been knew, where's Mister Doctor's lover so I can save him too?" Part of the team laughed at the comment, others stood in confusion and Strange shot daggers at Cora, who was being led by Wong to the room across the hall.

She did the same she had done with Stephen minutes before, only this time she had an audience, at least she just had to heal the billionaire's deep wounds and not bring him back from the dead.

"Well, he's already awake, but i feel like he wants to pretend to still be in the coma to see if any of you cries by his bedside, or something like that" Cora says standing up from the chair she'd dragged to the side of Stark's bed, the team all let out a sigh of relief and a laugh as they saw Stark opening his eyes with a frown.

"Hey, you ruined my attention seeking plan" he huffed fixing the mysterious women with a glare, "who even are you?" he added grumply, like a child who just got told off by his mom in front of his friends

"I'm the woman who just saved you from a coma that should have lasted, at the least, two years, you're welcome" She says and sees that Strange, now fully healed, also came by to see, she mouths a 'he sucks' towards the sorcerer who laughs.

"She should be an Avenger" said a guy with an accent similar to Wanda's and worn out running shoes 'Pietro, speedster, Maximoff' Cora deduced

The older Maximoff's comment was met by hums and words of agreement from the rest of the team except, of course, the sorcerers, who apparently didn't want to have their friend leaving them.

"Sorry pals and gals, I can't, I don't enjoy the fighting and constant healing, it's too draining, I can't bring much to the table" she shrugged apologetically

Lies, lies, lies, lies and more lies. She did not drain that easily, sure it tired her if she did too much, but it was not nearly as draining as she had made it sound.

As for the fighting? Cora Francis seeked the 'life or death' thrill one could only find in the battlefield, but she was not here for that, this was supposed to be her break from the fight. Sure, this morning she had complained about not being able to participate, but she knew that if she got a taste of it, she'd become addicted to it, and she can't have that right now, she needs focus

Focus, damnit.

The only reason she should be in the middle of the fight again is if an imminent catastrophe would take place were she not there to stop it from occurring, or if her friends were in real danger, the kind of danger only she could save them from.

Being an Avenger was too much constant fighting, she honestly could imagine being a part of them. But that wasn't a decision she could come to on her own, there was someone else she had to consult first, and for now, she was happy being the prankster mentor in Bleecker street

The fight could wait, the fight would always be there, ready and waiting for her to join it once again.

"But, next time you need the boys, i'll be there, Strange is clearly too dumb to keep himself alive, so i'm not risking it anymore" Cora added for the team's sake.

She formed a portal to get her back to the sanctum, but before walking through it she sent a wisp of lilac magic around the group, healing the remaining heroes' bruises, and after checking everyone was spotless, she left without another word.

- - -

Once back in her room Cora locked her door as she always did when she "meditated"

To any outsider that's what it looked like, in reality, she used a trick she had learnt centuries ago, astral projection with a twist, she would always sit on the carpeted floor in her room, light a few candles just for ambiance, then repeat the same spell she always did, it would let her tavel all of the cosmos, and if she had the need to use her physical body, it would come to her, leaving behind an immaculate illusion of her body right where she had last left it

Great  for sneaking out.

Like any other time, she went home, dealt with some issues, and got it done with

She also talked to that someone she needed to consult and told them about the Avengers proposal, they agreed that Cora could benefit from being on the team,

"But remember there's a certain blonde who's part of the team" they reminded her, but Cora, stubborn as she was, believed that it wouldn't be too much of a problem

She just had to keep her secrets, secret

Cora bid her home goodbye and travelled back to her body in Manhattan, she left her room like nothing out of the ordinary had happened, made some dinner for herself, turned on the TV for some background noise and just lied on her bed thinking until she fell asleep

For the residents of the sanctum it wasn't weird, by that point they were used to the professor locking herself in her room for hours, days, or even weeks. Used to it as they were, they still weren't really sure what she did.

Strange and Wong on the other hand did know a bit more, they had been told by the woman, that it had to do with her whole 'being a deity' thing, when she didn't give more information on the topic, they knew better than to press her about it with more questions

Even if they got into her room to make sure she wasn't dead or dying, all they could ever see was their friend sitting cross-legged in the middle of her room, the palms of her hands firmly placed against the floor as if to ground her, eyes closed and unmoving, and her mouth always humming that same foreign, never ending tune they only ever heard coming from the meditating woman.

Chapter Text

"I can't believe you did that, honestly" said the little girl to her friend who had a baby black wolf on her lap

"I give you my word, my friend" said the other girl with one hand over her heart and the other petting the sleeping puppy "It was bleeding so much, I did what mother taught us last lesson and healed it" she finished with a wide smile, proud of her work

"Well, he got lucky, does he have magic qualities now? you know, your mother said that when the creatures stay around even after being saved by our magic it means you have a bond with the them..." the girl was now in front of her friend petting the cub as well "Oh! you have to give him a name!" Exclaimed the younger of the two, a little too loudly as the wolf had now opened its shining green eyes

"Fenrir" decided the dark haired girl

"Aww, Hela that's a beautiful name, I love it!" the little girl beamed and giggled with her friend when Fenrir licked his new companions' cheeks.

BONG

Cora jolted awake and her magic instantly took a grip on the source of such piercing sound, in this case it was Strange with a cong in his hands and the same group of students who just a couple of weeks ago had helped her fill the sorcerer's office of post-it notes

"Fucking traitors" grumbled the still sleepy woman pointing to the cowering sorcerers in training before snapping her head towards the doctor that had decided to so rudely wake her up "And you," she practically hissed at him "you are now condemned to spend the whole day with me." The doctor, who was still struggling with Cora's magic ties, opened his mouth to object, she sent another wisp of magic that produced a muzzle on the poor man "I'm so glad you accept, my dear" With that she loosens her grip on the wizard and he leaves cursing under his breath something along the lines of 'she can always mess with us and when we try she turns it against us, i hate her'

- - -

The two friends were taking a break in-between lessons and decided to go to the park, grab a coffee and chat a bit. It was a nice secluded spot, far from the kids running and knocking over whatever was on their path, away from the creepy old men in unflattering too-tight bike shorts, and out of sight of paparazzi and reporters who were obsessed with constantly knowing and sharing whatever anyone acquainted with the Avengers was up to.

They sat in a bench, both sipping silently their hot beverages, in peace, at least that was until the goateed man decided to speak

"Who are you, Cora?" asked the doctor, though it looked more like he was asking his cup of coffee as he wouldn't even glance at his friend while waiting for an answer.

Cora on the other hand was panicked but hardly surprised so she cleared her throat and spoke "You know who I am, Stephen" she said with a sigh, not looking at him either "I'm your friend, the one you ambushed with questions when she suddenly appeared in Bangladesh... the one you interrogated for being outer-worldly... the one you welcomed into your sanctum..." Cora continued distantly as she examined thoroughly the tree that currently covered the rays of sun from attacking her light brown skin

"Can you at least tell me something about your past that isn't absolutely vague?" Said Stephen after taking another long sip of his drink

"Alright, you get... 4 questions, but you can't ask anything too complicated, simple stuff, please" Cora negotiated, she knew there were too many questions she wasn't going to answer but she hoped Strange would think about it and ask something good, if not, she hoped he didn't get too mad when she didn't answer.

"Where are you from?" Cora shook her head "Last name?" again "Okay, back 'home', wherever that is, were you a good or bad person?" he asked losing a bit of his composure because of her constant refusal, when she didn't shake her head he replaced his forming frown for an interested glare

"You should know there's no good or bad, we're all nuances, no black or white, we're, I don't know, grey I guess, some darker some lighter" she shifted and caught her friend's death stare "Ugh, okay, I want to believe i was and still am a lighter grey, i'm guessing this was to see if i left because i was bad or something, the answer is no" The doctor opened his mouth, probably to ask why she left then, but she stopped him "I wasn't kicked out, i just needed a break, that's all i'm gonna say about why" He nodded and continued with his questions

"Are you from this galaxy?"

"I think so, yeah"

"You think?" he asked with furrowed brows

"It's complicated, we didn't group planets in galaxies" she explained roughly, shrugging she gestures with her free hand for him to carry on

"Then what did you group planets in?" Oh, no, dangerous question, 'he deserves it though, it's not like i'm giving everything away' she tried to reason with herself 'fuck it'

She coughed an almost inaudible "Realms" averting her gaze completely from the gobsmacked wizard

"God I have so many more questions now" said a very vexed Strange, what was meant to clear some of his inquiries regarding his deity friend only left him more in the dark

She laughed at his irritated state "Well, Mister Doctor, you better choose what you're most interested in finding out 'cause this is your 4th question" and gave him a shit eating grin when he deadpanned at her

"Are you asgardian?"

"Nope" she said simply, smugly popping the P "That was fun, let's never do it again" she said getting up from the bench to throw her now empty coffee cup in the trash, Strange does the same and soon they start walking back to Bleecker 177A.

"Let's just hope this time you get drunk on New Year's Eve, maybe i'll get more answers then" Stephen jokes

"Firstly, you wouldn't. Second, I can't get drunk, unless you get me some of that asgardian liquor from your teammate" Cora says laughing

"Ohhh, so you know Thor then" The wizard felt pleased with himself at the thought of having been able to get more information out of her friend

Poor dummy, he'll only end up extra confused "Actually I haven't properly met him, but I have read his file" she told him nonchalantly

"File? What the hell does that mean- Forget it i give up"

Cora pats his back and gives him a soft smile "good choice, wizard"

"Anyways, would you like to come by tonight?" he asked then, after offering her his arm to hold onto

"Again? I could barely walk after the other night, the students definitely know something, and Wong... don't even get me started on that little shit" she grumbled, eliciting a deep laugh from her friend

"Too bad then" he sighed, then leaned down to her height, "you know how much I love being able to wipe that smart ass grin from your face" 

"Hey" she called out as he walked away from her with his head thrown back in laughter

As they were about to open the sanctum's front door Wong came out distressed and cursing very colourfully

"Wong, hey, dude, calm down, what's wrong" Both Strange and Francis were holding their agitated friend

"Big- shit- big, very, very- invasion and- avengers, they- god" the bookkeeper kept saying words without connection as he tried to catch his breath

"The avengers need us?" Asked the sorcerer to which Wong nodded "Alien invasion?" his question was met yet again by another nod

"And how the fuck did we not notice a fucking alien invasion when we were coming back from the park?" Wong was still trying to catch his breath to answer and Strange just shrugged "Aren't you supposed to sense possible extraterrestrial threats, oh great sorcerer supreme?" Cora asked while sending a message to all the students to get ready for a fight.

"I may had gotten a little warning, but it didn't feel urgent and-"

"STRANGE!" Interrupted Cora with a scolding yell

"and i was too busy finally getting some answers, didn't wanna ruin it... Sorry Francis" She just gave him a look that said 'this-isn't-over-yet' and used her magic to change into her old battle gear.

It was an impenetrable, sleeveless, dark purple, leather armour that fell just above her knees, an old black scabbard, securing her favourite sword, tightly belted around her waist, matched with some surprisingly comfortable black leather pants, and, to finish the look, Cora's best pair of black combat boots, with tiny silver crowns on each side of them

The three stood outside the sanctum, ready to go wherever it was they were needed

"The fight has waited long enough, let us go" she mused, looking expectantly into the horizon

"Shakespeare in the park, Cora?"

"Shut your ass, Stephen"

"He stole that line from Stark"

"I'm not surprised, Wongy"

"Shut up, there's a fight waiting for us, or whatever poetic shit Cora said before" said the flustered sorcerer, walking first into the portal Cora had conjured up

Cora and Wong shared a knowing smile then walked through the portal that would lead them to the battlefield.

Chapter Text

"Let me just say, I did not expect to be visiting Russia today, this armour is basically a vest, it doesn't help with the cold at all" Said the shivering woman the second the three stepped through the portal that led them to where the battle was taking place, "it feels like fucking Jotunheim" she added under her breath

The three walked towards the concentration of the fight, in the middle, the avengers were fighting pretty restlessly, but it was to no avail, the moment an alien was killed, it seemed like three more took its place

"Do you ever take anything seriously?" asked Wong with an exasperated look

"Well, I don't see why I should, these are Chitauri, pretty weak, you just gotta kill the mothership and the rest will go poof" Replied Cora as if it was the most common of knowledge, which to her was.

After seeing the rest of the battered team eyes on her, she spoke again with realization in her voice "Ohh you guys- Sorry, didn't you know?"

"You're telling me the battle of New York would have ended just like that?!?" Questioned an exasperated Tony Stark with the helmet of his suit off, 'Oh, right, the man almost died that day' thought Cora

"Yeah, and I'd love to keep chatting, but there's work to do, nice to see you all again" She said, with a bright smile and a wave to the rest of the heroes, before jumping through a portal

"Where did she go?" asked the black widow, voicing the question that was floating around everyone's bewildered minds

Strange just pointed to the mothership, where a purple ring spat Cora, who landed on top of the alien vessel

"Wong, call off the back-up, it won't be needed" Said the sorcerer supreme to his friend, not taking his eyes off the sky. Feeling everyone else's confused eyes on him, he added "She'll be down in a minute"

As he said that, the whole team watched how the woman above of them clapped her hands, which glowed with entrancing lilac sparks, stopped, crouched, then pressed her palms on the surface of the ship

Her magic flowed from her hands to the aircraft, enclosing it. When that was done, she stood up again and flicked her wrist. Not a second after that minimal movement was made, the whole thing exploded and the woman had vanished from thin air.

Everyone gasped, with a mix of surprise and admiraton. They were all looking from where the ship stood high on the sky to the ground where all the aliens lay dead, back and forth, as if waiting for them to come back to life and start fighting again

A long minute passed, no one moved, but the shock was wearing off and the air was tense as Cora was still nowhere to be seen, worry clouded the group's heads, lowering their heads, ready to pay their respects for a fallen soldier

"THAT FELT AWESOME" Everyone jumped in fright at the sudden scream coming from behind them

"Did you guys see that?" cheered Cora while grabbing Stephen's shoulders and shaking him "I haven't done that in like three centuries!" she said moving towards the other master of mystic arts and doing the same to him "did it look as cool as it felt? 'cause it felt fucking cool as hell!"

"Language!" Cora frowned and turned her back on her friends to search for the voice that interrupted her rave.

She found the owner of the voice, 'Acts like a grandpa, must be the iced captain', she faced him with a menacing stare and sinister smile

Everyone looked shocked at the sudden change of demeanor on the woman, especially the one responsible for this shift.

The silence felt eternal, after what felt like ages, of looking like she was going to murder the man with a frisbee, she was satisfied with the reaction and started laughing, completely going back to her previous cheery state, no trace of that alarming expression left on her joyful face

"Don't have to be so scared captain, you're already pale enough as it is" joked the silver-eyed woman wholeheartedly

The man in question cleared his throat and spoke "Um, yeah, right, well, great job, it was a good... show?" He ended with doubt in his voice fearing to enrage the woman again

"Thanks!" She said and extended her hand towards Steve "Pleasure to meet you, I'm Cora Francis, you may call me Cora and don't worry about the language thing, I found it hilarious, i was merely jesting" Added Cora with a gentle smile for the sake of the poor hero

"Steve Rogers. Pleasure is all mine, Cora" the golden retriever finally shook her hand and the tension in the air vanished

Someone with a blue and red suit stepped forward and addressed the woman as well "M-Ma'am, that- Woah! That was awesome!" He sounded much younger than the rest of the team

"Thank you, Peter, it's just Cora, or Professor Cora if you're feeling fancy, ma'am makes me feel old"

"You are old" muttered Strange from beside her, she elbowed him on his side and continued trying to get to know Earth's mightiest heroes

"W-Wait! How do you know my name?" Asked a very panicked spider-man, this peaked everyone's interest even further

Cora couldn't really explain to them that she had asked a friend from another realm to give her the full details about the members of the team's lives the first time Strange and Wong had mentioned them to her, and it would be weird to just say 'Oh yeah, I know literally everything about each one of you. Cute, right?'.

"Well, Strange told me some stuff about all of you, so I wouldn't, you know, get confused, since there's a lot of you guys" she explained, and it was a complete lie, but, oh well, she'll deal with that later, plus, everyone bought it and Stephen just looked at her questioningly but didn't deny it

After Stark Relief Foundation got there, the sorcerers offered to give the others a lift back to New York, but they said they couldn't just leave the Quinjet stranded in Europe.

"I can take care of that if you want, we can get some shawarma after, Strange said it's Ton- Ouch!" She glared at the goateed sorcerer but still 'corrected' herself, "Sorry, I meant, Strange said it's your favourite victory food" she said, gesturing to the whole team when she said 'your favourite'

Because god forbid Anthony Stark ever found out that the doctor blabbered about him to his magician friends.

Wanda laughed, she looked like she knew something, but the witch couldn't have read neither hers nor Stephen's mind, so, now interested, Cora took a glance at Tony's head to see if that was the cause of the witch's chuckling

'OMG'

'He talks to his friends about me? Cute'

'And he knows it's my favourite!'

'This means I have a slight chance!'

Cora's eyes looked like they were about to pop off her head, she shared a look with the redheaded witch, and they both burst out laughing like madwomen, the group was... confused and slightly concerned for the girls' well-being, so Cora shared Tony's thoughts to the rest, except Strange and obviously Tony

Now everyone but the two who supposedly despised each other, were aware of the weird mutual pining between the men.

After some more laughter, everyone agreed to let Cora take care of the jet, and by 'taking care', it meant she opened a portal under it that would drop the ship wherever it was the jet was parked in the compound, luckily it wouldn't fall on top of some poor by-walker

"That was amazing, lady Cora" She internally winced at the title, the formalities were something she was way too used to.

"Thanks Thor, and, please, i'm no lady, just Cora is okay" She told the god as she opened a big portal for everyone to go through, leading them directly in front of the same shawarma place they frequented every time.

- - -

"My lady, you can't be walking around the palace-"

"Who are you calling 'lady' you oaf? I am a princess" Sneered the girl to the guard, she looked young but not quite a little girl anymore

"Your majesty, I apologize profusely" The man all but begged the girl for  forgiveness, when realization downed up on him

"It's no problem" she assured calmly, "but could you please notify the queen i've come for today's lesson, please?"

The guard just nodded and left his post to do exactly what he was asked to

- - -

The whole group was seated around the three tables they had arranged to fit all of them. They were quiet, everyone focused on eating their food with a tired look on their faces, after all, the heroes had been fighting pretty sorely before Cora came in and wrapped it all up in a matter of minutes. The first to break the silence was Clint

"Are you sure you don't wanna join the team? I mean, what you did today..." he trailed off but was met with nods, he didn't need to add anything, she knew what he meant so she gave a smile but didn't reply

"He's right, and you could still go back to the sanctum, help with whatever it is the magicians need help with" said Tony waving the knife in his hand in a dismissive gesture but still with his signature playful smirk

Cora, again, didn't say anything. She did want to, god she wanted it so much, she was right before, one taste of the battlefield and she becomes addicted. The sanctum was interesting though, sometimes there would be intruders and she always had fun knocking them out, but that wasn't enough anymore. She was in abstinence, and her fix was right in front of her, waiting to be picked up

"You should" Spoke the one and only Dr. Strange after a minute of silence. Everyone's head snapped to the wizard, surprised that he was on board with it, the deity being by far the most taken aback by his approval

"Say what now? Should I feel insulted that you're trying to get rid of me all of the sudden?" Cora asked him with raised brows

"Of you? Never. But please, your giddiness when you got rid of the mother ship today? I'd never seen you so excited and happy, you need it" Said the doctor with his usual flat tone, but Cora knew better, she knew he meant it, he cared for her and wanted to see her happy like he had seen her earlier that day

"What do you say, Wong?" Cora asked his other friend after pondering for a few seconds

"I say go for it, though I believe we'll have to give the dear Avengers some sort of memo about you so they know what they're really getting into" He said it jokingly as to not scare away the super people in the table but the three sorcerers knew they definitely would have to give them a heads up about some of Cora's antics, like not leaving her room when meditating for long periods of times, the secrecy about her past and home, being elusive as hell about a ton of topics, etc.

"So, Cora Francis, would you like to be an Avenger?" asked Steve putting on his captain voice

"Hell yeah, captain"

Chapter Text

It was the big moving day, a week had passed since that exciting trip to Russia and the equally thrilling conversation that took place in that shawarma place.

Cora had taken the week to play pranks on every soul in the sactum in Bleecker street, to make sure they don't forget her. She also spent those days with Strange and Wong, however, half the time the two didn't pay much attention as they were busy perfecting the letter they would send the Avengers about what to expect from the woman they were welcoming into their home.

When she arrived she directly materialised in the middle of the lounge causing the god of thunder, who was the only one currently in the common area, to summon his hammer and point at her with it in a threatening manner

"By Odin's beard, lady Cora, you frightened me half to death, my apologies" Said the blonde man after realizing who was in front of him and putting down Mjolnir

Cora ignored the title and laughed lightly, not that anyone else needed to know but that hammer would do nothing more than give her a slight headache if it hit her, as long as she didn't stop it before that. She was worthy, she knew, she'd checked when it was made.

"No worries, prince Thor" She said with a wink, if he was going to use titles, she would as well "Actually, you're just the man i needed to talk with" She said walking towards a chair by the corner of the room, it looked pretty 'un-used' in comparison with the rest of the chairs and sofas, so she decided to claim it as hers.

The god, who was sitting on one of the big couches placed to her right, gestured for her to carry on

"I wanted to know whether you tend to talk to your family about the Avengers and its members" Asked the closetted deity as casually as possible

Thor looked at her questioningly but nodded in response. With that, Cora's hands shone with tiny specks of lilac dust that were sent towards the god's temples.

"You will not utter my name or any of my qualities, you will only be able to refer to me in ominous ways, such as 'a new friend', 'new teammate', etc, additionally, any magical user who dares look into your mind will not see me, replacing me all together with someone else or as just a faded shadow, the spell can and will be broken if i see it fit" she whispered into the god's ear, her voice echoing all through his mind

His eyes briefly changed from their natural blue to a deep and glowing purple, in a second they went back to normal as if nothing had happened.

Now, I know, it looks pretty sketchy, but this was something that needed to be done, the why she did it was too complicated, but explaining the 'what she did' was easier

The simple spell is meant to keep her name away from the royal family, Thor would be literally incapable of uttering a word about Cora if her name or identity could be decoded from whatever he told them. Sure, he could talk to his parents about the new addition to the team, but he wouldn't be able to say anything about her, such as appearance, powers, and most importantly, her name. On top of that, the little spell would make the man forget the last couple of seconds...

"Yes, lady Cora, what was it you needed to ask me?" Asked the asgardian prince, as if nothing had happened, which to him hadn't

"I was wondering if you could show me my room, prince Thor" Cora told him with a friendly smile

"Ah, I see what you're doing..." he glared with an accusatory finger, for a moment the woman panicked 'Did i mess up the spell? That's never happened before-' Her thoughts were interrupted as the god continued on voicing his accusations "You're using my title because I use a title with you, well played, I'll stop if you stop" Bargained the blue-eyed towering man with an amiable smile

"I accept your offer, Thor" Said a relieved Cora and shook hands with the brawny god to seal the deal. She then noticed that the place had cameras everywhere so she discreetly sent a wisp of magic towards it, if anyone were to watch the security tapes now they would only see Cora and Thor chatting with no weird lilac sparks in between them.

- - -

"Sabrina, Tony requests your presence in the lounge area" The voice she had learnt belonged to the tower's AI, Jarvis, told Cora an hour after Thor had shown her to her room

She frowned, but decided against questioning the voice and just ask Tony, "Sure Jar, please tell him i'll be right there, thanks!" Okay, she knew the AI probably didn't have a conscience and didn't care if Cora said thank you and please, but she didn't feel like taking any chances, who knew, maybe an evil robot would try to take over the world, and if that happened, she'd prefer to be on Jarvis' good side

She walked in the room and everyone was there sat around the coffee table where a card addressed to them lied untouched

"You called me because you got a letter?" Asked the woman tilting her head in confusion

"No, Sabrina, it dropped on the table from an orange ring, so we guessed it's from your witch friends" Said Stark with an eye roll

"That nickname sucks, i'm not a witch, tin man" Said Cora with what seemed to be her signature playful smile

"Then what are you? We know nothing about you, other than that you're like crazy powerful" Pietro's statement was backed up by the rest of the team with nods and hums of agreement

"Well, then I advise you to open the letter" Said the not-a-witch with a satisfied smile

Steve picked up the letter from the table and started reading it aloud for everyone to hear.

"Dear Avengers,

We told you we'd have to give you some information

about some of the stuff Cora does that won't make sense to most of you,

sadly for you, she probably won't explain why she does anything she does,

even if you pester her about it. Trust us, we've tried.

So, Wong and I, Strange, will give you some insight on surviving living with the enigma that is Cora Francis..."

The captain stopped reading when Cora snatched the paper from his hands

"Ugh, 'enigma'? So dramatic" Steve tried to take it back but she put a shield around her to read it in peace, a minute later she gave it back to the group of confused heroes "Sorry, had to proof-read, y'know, make sure there wasn't anything that would make me look too bad... Carry on, please" She said walking away from the coffee table everyone was still around and choosing to listen from her corner chair. This time Natasha took the letter and with a cough she carried on where they'd left.

"She tends to lock herself in her room for hours and sometimes days,

she's meditating, we don't know anything apart from that,

we gathered it has to do with something about her home but we're still not sure,

don't try to break in unless it's been a couple of days,

in that case just go in to check that she's still breathing and then leave her.

Although you guys have the artificial buttler,

so it would be wiser to just leave her be and ask Jarvis to do the check-ups.

Cora doesn't talk about her past, her home or anything regarding her roots.

She's very cryptic about it, as much as we try we never got much out of her,

just that she left wherever she is from for a break, for now that's all she'll say,

please respect that.

Our Cora is a practical ball of sunshine, she is always joking and laughing around,

so we beg you don't ruin that by asking endless questions like we did in the beginning,

dont anguer her, she will put you all in your place, it's ugly how scary she can get.

Also, she's old, like really old, she doesn't act it at all, but sometimes she just throws random facts about say the 1500's that historians don't even know,

for the sake of your sanity, just ignore it.

Also she loves pulling pranks and practically doesn't take anything seriously, be careful

Until you need us again, the sorcerers.

PS: we do not take refunds, she's your problem now ~S.S.

PS2: Strange is joking, we already miss you ~Wong"

"They make it sound like i'm the instigating dog they had to give away because they got pregnant and didn't have enough time or patience for taking care of both" Said Cora when the group had finished the letter

"I'm sure they were mostly exaggerating, don't worry Cora" said the kind Bruce Banner

"Oh no, they most definitely were not, everything they said was right, but, i won't pull any weird stuff until we're all in confidence, no worries" Told the woman with both thumbs up and a big smile

"So... How old are you then?" A man with a metal arm asked her 'I haven't met this one yet, he must be Jame Barnes' she thought

"Sargeant, weren't you taught to never ask a lady's age?" Cora retorted teasingly, the soldier found it amusing and chuckled "If you must know, I should be around 1700 now, lost the count a few centuries ago" Everyone looked surprised, well everyone but Thor, who was used to people in Asgard and other realms living for many millenniums, when he remembered he was on Earth and the life expectancy there was at the most 100 years, he looked surprised as the rest if not more

"H-How-" The two scientists in the team began questioning

"Nope" Was all Cora said and the group took it as confirmation of what Strange meant in the letter of not pressing for answers.

Inside his head Thor kept trying to figure out how she could be even older than him without being a goddess, was she a goddess? Was she asgardian? What was Cora Francis? So many unanswered questions and most of them unanswered would stay.

- - -

The avengers spent the rest of the night eating pizza and drinking as they got acquainted with their new team member, all in all it was a successful night, thought Cora. She decided to turn in for the night, but instead of going to sleep she locked her door, sat in the floor of her new room, closed her eyes and visited her old friend.

- - -

"Queen Cora, I saw you coming" said the tall man with mesmerizing bronze eyes

"Of course you did, good Heimdall" Replied Cora with sarcasm dripping from her tongue.

Chapter Text

"So, shall I ask why you put a spell on the rightful heir to my realm's throne?" Asked the man with sass in his voice

"My friend, you very well know Thor Odinson is not the rightful heir" she said with a pointed stare and her hands on her hips, "You also know very well why I did it, he'll blabber on and on about every and anything concerning his midgardian adventures to dear mommy and daddy" Cora added dismissively

"I should be inclined to advise you not to refer to the royal family with such lack of respect."

"When has that ever stopped me, great Heimdall?" Retorted the giggling woman

"Never, queen Cora" The two friends laughed at the use of titles, very much unnecessary between them

- - -

Back at the tower, Cora had left the group half an hour ago, now only Thor, Clint, Natasha and Tony were left in the sitting room, everyone else had scattered around shortly after Francis had left. After talking about trivial stuff for a bit longer, the god decided to bid everyone goodnight and walk to his room.

In his floor there were four rooms, one belonging to him, another to Wanda and the other two had always been empty, well, not anymore since Cora had been given one of those deserted bedrooms.

The rooms were located in a way that it made a zig-zag of doors in the picturesque hall. The elevator opened to a large hallway, the first door was to the left and belonged to the scarlet witch, the next door was a few meters away from the first door, this one was to the right and it was the, now, only empty room in the floor. The third door was the one where the new teammate was residing in, second door on the left. And finally, the last door, located in the right side of the hall, was Thor's.

Naturally to get to his bedroom he had to pass the other three. When he passed Wanda's he heard the sound of the characteristic rehearsed laughter that were always heard in the sitcoms the witchling was so very fond of.

Thor chuckled to himself at the memory of Wanda making him watch the show "Friends" and saying he was almost exactly like Joey, difference being the god was a gentleman and the fictional midgardian wasn't. He of course didn't understand a word the woman had spoken and had to, later that day, ask Steve what the redhead twin had meant.

As he walked past the second door he wasn't surprised to hear the fainting sound of Maximoff's TV and nothing coming from the empty bedroom. He kept going and as he neared the third room, there was a humming that gradually became louder.

Thor stopped dead in his tracks as he got to Cora's room, he couldn't stop listening to the enthralling noise she made. It was familiar, so familiar, he knew that sound from somewhere, from someone, sometime, somehow. It was on the the tip of his tongue, he was already practically pulling at his hair trying to force his brain to work out where that hum came from

"Valhalla" breathed barely audibly the god

That's the tune his father had taught him, everyone who was placed in Valhalla was welcomed with that beautiful little number the second they crossed its gates. Cora was humming heaven's melody. It made no sense at all.

He went to knock the door but thought better of it remembering the doctor's letter and decided to ask Jarvis

"Sir Jarvis, is Cora awake?"

"Evening, Point Break, Miss Francis seems to be currently meditating. Shall I call Dr. Strange?" The god nodded, it was pretty late but he couldn't just walk away from there now, he needed some sort of answer.

"Hello? Who is this? Do you know how late it is in New York right now?" said a very irritated and sleepy wizard

"Hello, friend Strange, I call because i'm outside Cora's room, as I have to pass her door in order to get to mine... I'm not being creepy" Added quickly the god with a chuckle, he coughed and carried on, "anyway, I asked the Jarvis and it seems that she is meditating but I can also hear her hum a lovely tune, what would that be about?" The god heard the sorcerer let out a sigh from the other line of the call

"Look, Thor, she always does that, we don't know for sure, Wong thinks it had to be something from her home, I reckon it's just a tune she created to concentrate when she needs peace. Don't think too much of it, you'll probably end up with more questions than answers" The doctor didn't even wait for a response, said goodnight and hung up

Thor then started thinking aloud "If sir Wong is correct then that would mean Cora is from Valhalla? But that's just impossible, what would someone from literal heaven be doing in Midgard? No, that can't be. Maybe someone taught her the song, just like father taught me and brother... But who would teach her, father said he only knew what the melody was like because he knew the ruler of the realm... Ugh, what was the name? Freya. Could Cora have met the queen Freya? Maybe-" Thor's monologue was cut off as the door of Cora's room opened showing the woman looking very confused

"Thor, what the hell are you doing?" she asked still confused but with a hint of a smile playing on her face

The god pondered for a minute, maybe he should leave this be for the time being, he really enjoyed Cora's presence, she was like a happy puppy, a very powerful and old puppy, but still. He had his suspicions, he was pretty sure the woman in front of him was anything but midgardian, he wouldn't nag her about it, the silver eyed woman clearly wasn't ready to mix her past with her present, he understood as much, and he respected it. But he difinitely didn't consider her a threat, and that was enough for him.

"I apologize, Cora, I passed by your door in my way to mine and decided to ask Jarvis to check up on you, make sure you were settling in well in your first night here, I didn't want to knock in case you were meditating"

"Oh, don't worry Thor, thanks for checking up, although, it will take a bit more than a knock on the door to break me from a trance" she chuckled and the man joined "Have a good night, god of thunder" She finished with her usual smile and a wave before closing the door.

- - -

"So..." began the woman "Where does Odin think I am now?"

"Just as you requested, I've told him you've left the palace but have put on a cloaking spell that stops me from being able to see where you are"

"My oh my, clever Heimdall, don't worry, if he finds out i'll say I ordered you to not tell him of my whereabouts" She thinks for a second before adding "If he gets too annoying i'll just pull rank" Cora told him wiggling her brows up and down with a big smile

"That always enraged him" Said the gatekeeper with a booming laugh as Cora shrugged with 'what-can-you-do-about-it' look

"I only did it a couple times" Cora told him rolling her eyes

"Anyway, how much progress have you made with the 'death conundrum', Cora?" He asked cryptically, but both of them knew what he meant

"Well, that is part of the reason I left home for the time being, I found the answer! I'm almost ready, I just need to figure out the spell that will be needed and it'll be done!" Announced Cora slightly jumping up and down happily

"I'm very proud of you, your majesty, I believe Odin will be very pleased, he has secretly been hoping you would find a way to fix it" Her friend told her with a gentle smile and a reassuring hand on her shoulder

"I still want to kick him in the nuts, he can really suck" Cora said with a frown looking at her feet, Heimdall slightly snickered before he spoke again

"Oh, I should warn you, prince Thor is outside your chambers, apparently he has heard your hums" Cora grumbled at this and muttered a 'shit'

"What is he doing?" she asked

"He called your friend, the one you had an affair with but is also in love with the man of iron?" He asked for confirmation to make sure he had got it right, she nodded and the man continued "It seems Wong got it right and speculates your humming is from your home. Thor is now pacing in front of your room talking to himself trying to figure out how you could know 'Valhalla's song', questioning what someone from heaven would be doing on Earth, mentioning your mother, etc. Try not to put another spell on him, if you enchant him too much Frigga will recognize the magic next time he visits" Finished Heimdall in an advising tone. Cora nodded but sighed disappointedly

"Damn it, I guess i'll have to cut this one short, ugh, I wanted to visit Lenora tonight... Could you go say hi to her and tell her i'll pop by soon?"

"Of course, Cora, good luck and farewell" Said the man hugging her goodbye, the woman saluted mockingly and disappeared

- - -

Cora had been reading Thor's mind since the moment she opened her bedroom door to when she closed it. So, naturally, she heard what Thor said, or thought, about how he wasn't going to ask and would respect her privacy, she almost teared up at that. She didn't deserve how welcoming the god was being towards her, the man trusted her and didn't see her as a threat even if he knew next to nothing about her, he was willing to, and would become, a great friend of hers

Cora went to sleep that night feeling good, she found new friends in the Avengers, she visited an old friend and she was close to finally being able to get her best friend back. At last, life was giving her the peace and happiness she had been deprived of for such a long time.

Chapter Text

"give it back, Wilson, or I swear to god I will kill you in your sleep"

Was the first thing Cora heard that morning as she walked in the kitchen where Sam and Bucky were arguing and Sam had... Bucky's metal arm behind his back?

"Um, guys? You okay?" Sam nodded quickly and said good morning but the soldier didn't take his eyes off the man who had taken his arm as revenge for who knows what

"Buck, did the mean bird brain take off your arm?" Barnes slowly nodded, still not tearing his murderous gaze from the man next to him

"Sammy, i'm gonna close my eyes, count to five and when i open them, Bucky's arm better be back where it's supposed to be. Got it?"  Cora was a very easy going person and, after two weeks of living in the compound, the rest had learnt that whenever she changed her tone from the bright and playful one she usually had to a slightly more serious one, like she did just now with the falcon, she should be listened to. They learnt after the accident

- - -

CLASH!

Everyone came running to the common room where Cora stood with an uncharacteristic angry frown, in front of a broken window, and they saw just as one of the many suits from the Iron Legion went flying through the empty space that the window had occupied previously, then not a minute later it came back up holding a very shocked Tony.

"What the HELL happened here?" Asked/yelled the russian spy, though there was a ghost of a smile in her face seeing as Stark had clearly been just thrown out the window, still they all needed to know why. Everyone flinched at Natasha's volume, but Cora just turned around to face away from the window towards the group, still with a very unpleased face

"I told him I was busy and he still followed me around like a puppy because he wanted to watch a stupid movie" Cora explained dangerously slow, emphasizing with a hiss the words 'busy', 'puppy' and 'stupid'. Everyone took a step back, Strange was right, she was scary.

"C'mon Sabrina, just one!" The dumb genius apparently wasn't giving up yet

Cora lost all emotion in her face as her stare fell on the billionaire, her eyes changed from the usual happy silver to a killing deep purple. She started to wrap her magic around Stark and made her way to where the big TV and the sofas were, the body of her friend and the rest of the frightened heroes trailing behind, although Tony's body was carried against its will. They came to a stop and with a slight swish of her finger he was gone, until they looked towards the TV, where a very annoyed, confused and still scared Iron-Man was yelling apologies and begging for the sorceress to bring him back

"There's your movie, Stark" She snarled one last time and tried to find her smile back as she made her way to the kitchen, almost the whole team behind her once again "I just trapped iron ass in the TV for following me around, do you wish for the same faith?" She asked with a smile, but this one was intoxicatingly sweet, too sweet to be real, and given the context it clearly wasn't.

"Leave me alone, I said I was busy, I meant it then and I mean it now." She took a breath to calm herself and continued "The spell will wear off in two and a half hours, Tony will be going through many different movie cliches, there's popcorn for everyone waiting in the coffee table, i'm going to visit the sanctum, see ya" And with that she left, teaching everyone the valuable lesson of keeping the woman on their good side, and also everyone got to see a Tony Stark in the big screen being chased by gorillas in the middle of a jungle.

- - -

Cora didn't even get to close her eyes and Sam had already given the arm back "Good boy" Said the woman with her usual smile and patting the man in the head as he made his way out of the room.

Once he was gone, Bucky started thanking her but the woman stopped him and spoke again "I need to talk to you about something" The man nodded and sat on one of the kitchen stools, she stood in front of him with the kitchen island in between them.

"I was walking through the tower last night 'cause I couldn't sleep and I got bored of my room. I passed your room and I heard grunts and cries. Now, correct me if i'm wrong, but I don't believe those were sex noises, it sounded maybe more like... nightmares?" She approached carefully as Bucky scratched the back of his neck nervously

"Look, I'm sorry everyone has already told you this a thousand times, but, what you did all those years, wasn't you, trust me. The only way you'll ever forgive yourself is by coming to terms with it and never forgetting that any life the winter soldier took, that blood is on HYDRA, not you, never you." Cora moved to stand next to him, he was now looking at his hands intently "Until you can do that on your own, would you like me to get rid of the nightmares?" At that Bucky lifted his head and stared in confusion at Cora

"What, um, what would that entail?" He hesitantly asked

"It's a potion, it lasts quite a long time, from seven to ten years, it's not hard to make, I can give you enough to last you until you no longer need it." She explained, but that didn't do much to ease the soldier, then it dawned on her 'Of course, he doesn't want anyone messing with his head again, I'm so slow'

"It's not mind control, it simply gives your mind a little nudge any time it starts replaying old memories or alterations of those old memories. You don't have to do it, but after hearing what I heard last night... I couldn't not offer my help" Bucky's eyes were now watered and glossy, a silent tear making its way down his right cheek

"Thank you so much Cory, so, so, so much" He jumped and embraced her tightly, she smiled at the nickname and immediately returned the gesture and moved her hand up and down his back reassuringly

"Buck?" she asked in a hushed tone, he gave her a muffled 'yeah?' "I think you should tell Tony what happened to his parents, if you keep it a secret it will eventually explode" He broke the hug and looked at her with concern and suspicion in his eyes "I found one of your files after Lagos, Rumlow had it in his secret bunker, I found it and went with Steve and Wanda"

Cora's first mission, they had to stop an ex-Hydra operative from stealing a biological weapon, he tried to blow Steve and himself up, Wanda managed to contain the explosion around Rumlow but almost ended up throwing the ignited man towards a building full of innocent people. Thankfully Cora caught sight of that and sent her own energy to help the witch control the explosion. In the end Brock Rumlow died from third-degree burns, luckily not before Francis had a look through his mind and collected all the information they needed to find whatever tricks he'd had under his sleeve, for example, the winter soldier's files.

Bucky stood still for some time, thinking, and after a moment of silence he sheepishly nodded.

- - -

So that's what happened that day, Cora booked the meeting room A and called Tony, Steve and Bucky in it and she stayed to make sure no one tried to kill anyone, things could and most surely would get complicated.

Poor Tony almost had a panic attack that Cora stopped by using her healing energy, Steve almost had his head smashed against the table when he revealed to Stark that he already knew about the assasination. Bucky just sat there and took some insults Tony threw at him every few minutes.

The whole ordeal was getting too out of hand so Cora intervened

"I'm gonna speak now, so listen very carefully." The angry men immediately zipped their mouths."Steve, it was shitty of you to not try to speak with Tony about this, i'm disappointed in you and Stark has every right to be angry at you" The captain looked down ashamed while the goateed man gave him a mocking smile "Tony, as I said, it's okay and your anger and grief are justified, but if you keep insulting Bucky as if he killed your parents by choice i'll have to shove my foot up your butt. You may want to remember he knew your father and he regrets what those monsters made him do. Remember, it's not you versus him, it's us versus HYDRA" Now the two boys looked away in embarrassment "And Bucky, I know why you didn't and I understand, but you should have made the initiative to talk to Stark, no one here blames you for what you did, and if they do then they'll have Steve, me and, i'm sure, plenty of others to answer to. You're not there anymore, you aren't and never were that killing machine. You're free now and I swear i'll hunt down every last one of those good for nothing bastards and make them pay" She finished her speech with a darker voice than she had intended to, so she fixed it quickly "With jail and not with death... for now, i'll see how i'm feeling when we get to it" Cora said with a bright smile

"Isn't it... two-faced to scold Bucky and I for keeping it a secret when you keep everything from us?" Spoke the man of spangles, not in an accusatory tone, it was more of a shy, curious and definitely scared voice, Cora didn't consider it a rude question, it was only fair of them to question her integrity when it came to the subject of secrets.

"Easy, your secrets are dangerous, to you and those around you. Mine don't matter, I keep them for the sake of having a break, and for the sake of saving centuries worth of explanations" she sighed, then looked at the three of them one more time, "Now, my brave little boys, apologise to and forgive each other"

That was the end of that debacle, it was kind of tense between Tony and the other two, but after another couple of weeks and a robot trying to destroy Earth, they were all friends again.

Chapter Text

"PIETRO! NO!"

Cora immediately ran to the man lying on the ground, multiple bullet holes piercing through his stomach and chest, his breath hitched and forced

"C-Cora... Please, tell... tell Wanda I love her" He let out his final breath and Cora sensed the burst of griefing energy the younger twin had emitted the second Pietro's heart stopped, killing the remaining of Ultron's army with it

- - -

"I'm telling you guys, Stephen's boyfriend and Mr. Seven Phds are up to something"

"I'm sure it's nothing to worry about, Co-"

"Oh, no, it is, I just checked the timeline and boy are you in for a treat" Interrupted the time stone keeper with a mix of concern and amusement, he loved showing, off hence his amusement.

"What do you mean and what did I tell you about snooping around the different future scenarios?" Scolded the woman with a mother-like voice

"Sorry, sorry" he said, "they are creating something they think is necessary to get ahead of future enemies"

"Well, that's not so bad is it?" Pondered Cora out loud

"Yeah wait until the thing tries to take over the worl- OUCH! Cora, Wong just hit me!" Strange whined like a kid

"You can't keep telling her the future, it can mess  everything up" Said a very serious magic librarian

"Well, Beyonce, it won't mess up anything if she is supposed to know" Retorted the other sorcerer in a mocking tone

"Okay, shut up, don't tell me more, just, should I stop them now or when the thing goes haywire and shit starts going down?"

"I've only seen six million different outcomes, and in the ones you wait, you win. But the odds are endless, if I were you, I'd wait. There are two or three realities in which the invention is actually good, but taking into consideration who we are and our usual lack of luck... I doubt it"

"Norns, geez, yeah, okay, i'll see what i'll do, talk to you later, wizards"

"WE'RE NOT-" And she hung up

- - -

"YOU KNOW-"

BANG!

"-I TOTALLY CALLED THIS!!"

"WHAT ARE YOU ON ABOUT NOW, FRANCIS?" Asked a very amused but irritated Stark from the other side of the room

BANG! CRASH!

"YEAH, WE'RE A BIT BUSY, YOU KNOW?" Yelled Clint from the floor he was thrown to by one of Iron Legion

"I MEANT, I KNEW WE WERE GONNA BE ATTACKED BY KILLER ROBOTS SOONER OR LATER!"

BOOM! BANG!

"UGH, I JUST THOUGHT IT WOULD BE LATER" Complained Cora while she stood up from her hiding spot behind the bar and smoothed her long dress

What's going on is pretty self explanatory, but basically, Stark decided it would be great to throw a party. They all danced, drank, talked then danced and drank a bit more.

Now, the previous crowded room was left with only the Avengers, plus some extras, they played the great game of 'Worthy or Not', which Cora refused to be a part of for... reasons, and everyone was having the time of their lives, no deadly missions, no boring paperwork, just team bonding time. At least that was what was happening until some droid called 'Ultron' crashed the fun and started monologuing before attacking the group.

"THOR, THROW THE HAMMER AT ULTRON PLEASE!" The god did as Cora said and immediately after that she sent a wisp of magic to the rest of the robots to bring them down

"Okay, now that that's done, Stark, Banner, I think you owe us an explanation"

"Yeah, what Nat said" Everyone agreed except Cora who was too busy eyeing everyone closely as if she was trying to read what would happen next

- - -

The next week was a mess, everything revolved around Ultron, the team barely slept and they were all on edge the whole time. They had a tip about a deal that was supposed to go down, involving vibranium and Ultron, they couldn't stop it, but at least they got back the scepter and a weird regeneration cradle with a body inside it, which brought us to our current scene.

Everyone was yelling, arguing, telling the others to shut down the machine, Tony saying they shouldn't, Steve calling him names, Pietro tearing some wires off, a bullet going off and Thor storming into the room at the last moment powering the turned-off cradle with his lightning

There was a big moment where everyone just paused and stayed quiet, watching the body jumping and floating.

No one moved, the body flew towards the window in an almost melancholic way, Cora was the first to make her way so as to approach it, but before she could speak the floating body spoke

"Cora Francis, interesting, is that your full name?" The voice of the man? Not a man? Sounded a great deal like the AI Ultron had 'killed' that night at the party

"No, no it's not. Are you Jarvis?" She replied firmly, not harshly, but determined on not showing any kind of intimidation she might or might not had been feeling at the moment

"I'm Vision, but I remember all of you... I did appreciate your manners, miss Cora" He had now floated back and stood in front of her

"Oh, really?! Thanks!" She recomposed herself quickly, trying to stay serious for once, the rest of the team were just warily watching the whole interaction from afar "Sorry, Vision, but are you... like Ultron? What he wanted you to be" She finished not finding another way to word her question

"No."

"Well, that's good enough for me, welcome to the team buddy" She pat the android's shoulder and made her way to the bar on the other side of the room

The rest of the team looked at her in disbelief but she just shrugged and took a long swig of scotch before giving them all her signature smile

- - -

"PIETRO! NO!"

Cora immediately ran to the man lying on the ground, multiple bullet holes piercing through his stomach and chest, his breath was hitched and forced

"C-Cora... Please, tell... tell Wanda I love her" He let out his final breath and Cora sensed the burst of griefing energy the younger twin had emitted the second Pietro's heart stopped, killing the remaining of Ultron's army with it.

Cora got her friend's lifeless body to one of the helicarriers Fury had brought to evacuate the city

"I'll bring you back, Pietro, I swear, I just have to like save this city and i'll be right with you" With that she appeared back in the middle of the floating city and started surrounding it with her powers

"Guys, in thirty seconds the city will be restored to its space, it will look as if nothing ever happened, but you need to get to the helicarriers, the debris and dust could be deadly." She informed the team through comms "Wands, if you're hearing, Ultron is east to you, on a train wagon, barely still alive, go and rip its artificial heart" Cora added, and hoping the witch had heard her she started descending the city.

She wasn't used to this, her magic flooded through her veins, like her blood, and right now, with Novi Grad on her shoulders it felt as though that magic was flowing out of her like a heavy nosebleed. The pull on her magic felt as if it were only her bare arms that were holding the city from crashing down. Cora was getting tired which for her was a foreign feeling. After half a minute, just like she'd said, the city was back to where it should be. She ignored the heaving on her chest and used more of her power to restore everything to how it had been before the battle, in a usual day she could've done that in a second, but this was no usual day, so, after 5 long minutes, everything was back in its place, from the biggest buildings to the graffitti filled alleyways, the only proof of what had happened in Sokovia that day was the dissipating dust storm and the poor traumatised citizens of the european country.

At long last, peace. Well, almost, she still had one last thing to do

"WHERE'S PIETRO?!" She yelled at no one in particlar as she got to the helicarrier she had put him in, she looked for him and found him with his sister kneeled beside him. She slowly approached the two, Wanda didn't even glance her way, she was entranced, repeating a sokovian prayer for her departed brother

Cora knew this was going to be taxing on herself later, but she couldn't and wouldn't let the poor woman she had grown to call a friend, mourn the loss of someone who was not completely lost yet

She didn't want to interrupt Wanda, so she worked on her magic a few feet away from them, sending threads of green and purple energy towards the speedster, trying to not let the shadows bring her down with her. After a minute the whole team was standing next to where the silver-eyed woman was working her magic, heads hung low in grief for their teammate and friend, oblivious to the woman's attempts at bringing him back

Cora had done everything she could and the scarlet witch still had her eyes closed and her hands on her lap, tears rolling down her cheek as she kept muttering over and over the same prayer

Then suddenly they heard a gasp and a string of coughs

"Let me tell you, being dead sucks, guys, don't try it"

Everyone erupted in questions and cheers, Wanda started crying even more, punching his brother for being a 'careless idiot' and Cora watched from where she stood with a big smile on her face

"I don't understand, you were dead, what happened?" Pietro pointed his finger to Cora, the rest of the heroes looked at her with wide eyes.

Wanda stood from besides her brother and walked towards the woman until she was in front of her "thank you, you're an angel, thank you" The witch engulfed the woman in the tightest hug she had ever been given, not letting go until there was a cough behind them

Cora stepped away from Wanda to see Pietro next to her "Thanks, princessa" He said with his usual playful tone, but still with clear thankfulness 'Huh, regarding titles, I think that's the first one who gets it almost right' She thought and laughed to herself while hugging the older twin.

"You're welcome Speedy Gonzales"

The rest of the team welcomed Pietro back to the land of the living and also thanked Cora for everything she had done, even if they didn't really understand much, after some more celebrating she abruptly slid down the wall she was standing against, clutching her head in pain

"Guys..." Nothing "Guys! hey..." Now they had turned around and when they saw her they rushed to her side

Her face showed exhaustion and pain, she had overworked herself and now she was dealing with the consequences. Everyone panicked, Cora looked sick, her breath was erratic and she couldn't stand up

"I'm about to pass out, happens if I drain myself, looks like saving a city and bringing someone back to life takes a toll even on me" She said with a strained laugh, but this time no one was eased by her attempt on lightening the mood as they usually were

"No, don't look so panicked, it's okay, i'm just gonna sleep for a bit..."

And with that she went out cold.

- - -

She woke up exactly three days later, no one by her side, but a lot of flowers waiting for her to get better, she sauntered off to the kitchen and decided to make everyone breakfast while she hummed peacefully

When they saw her, hugs were given around, pancakes as well, and just like that they fell right back into rutine, all thoughts of Ultron long dismissed

Chapter Text

Another day, another successfully raided and destroyed Hydra facility.

Now the team was lounging around the common room having celebratory drinks as they did after big missions.

Clint and Nat sharing one of the sofas, with he archer hugging the russian's legs in a tipsy affectionate state.

The three soldiers sat on one of the big couches, Sam drinking a normal beer and the WWII veterans drinking whiskey, spiked with 'Thor's special juice' as they called it.

Tony and Bruce were both sitting on some pillows they had thrown on the floor, the two drinking some weird cocktail they had created in the lab, apparently the drink was hulk-friendly.

Pietro was standing and every now and then he would pace around the room, unable to stay still for more than a couple of minutes, he and Peter (who was glued to the ceiling because why not) were both condemned to ordinary orange juice, Parker owing to the fact that he was still a minor in USA laws and Pietro because the group learnt the hard way that alcohol only heightened his hyperactiveness.

Wanda shared a love seat with Vision, sipping on her glass of rum and coke and the android drinking nothing because... well, he's an android, although he did hold a glass of water for toasting and cheering.

Lastly, Thor lay on the last sofa, with his legs resting on the arm of the chair Cora was occupying, the two passing the flask of asgardian booze between them.

"Hey Pietro" Said a slightly intoxicated Tony, the speedster who was once again walking around the room nodded for him to continue, so he did "What did you see when you were... you know, sleeping with the fishes?" Finished bluntly, everyone shot their heads up, scolding him for being insensitive "Oh! C'mon! Aren't you guys curious? Sabrina brought him back after almost half an hour had passed, I'm a man of science, I want to know" Defended Stark with his hands up

Silence took over the group as they all turned to the older Maximoff, who shook his head before speaking

"I honestly have no idea, it was weird, one second I was falling and then I was in a sort of waiting room, I can't tell if it was a sort of heaven or hell thing, but there was a big window behind an empty desk that let me see some white gates in the distance..." Pietro trailed off, the team were all in the edge of their seats, except for who Thor looked deep in thought and Cora who was trying her best to look calm and collected "I don't remember much else, then an old woman came from the door and sat at the desk I told you before, she motioned for me to sit in the chair in front of her and before she could speak, I woke up in the helicarrier" Everyone nodded in thought and Banner spoke

"Well, it is said that the human brain can create hallucinations as they die, making you see a dream, or something" He said, the rest absentmindedly hummed, struggling to process the information in their drunken state

"I don't know man, we have proof that gods exist now, look at your right, we have one slouched on one of my couches... Maybe, there is something more after this, who knows?" Said Tony, everyone was surprised at his unusual faithful behaviour and the scientist just shrugged and nodded

"Wait! I remembered something else!" Said Pietro loudly making the heroes jump "The gates I mentioned had some letters written... Ugh, what did they say?" He started searching for the correct word, "Vul- No no, Vil? Agh!" He started pacing in distress, racking his brain trying to work it out "Oh! Valhalla!" He pronounced it like 'Vah-lah-luh' with pride. At this Thor's eyes glowed with happiness, and Cora's with slight fear that went unnoticed by the group

"Val-huh-luh" Corrected the god "It is a common misconception that only Asgardian warriors end up in Valhalla, but as I was taught a couple centuries ago, Valhalla and Helheim are the two afterlife options for creatures from across the realms, including Midgard" Everyone looked shocked at this, probably not expecting that existence after death would be in the hands of the nordic figures

"So, every religion is wrong... what a drag" Said Sam taking a swig of his beer, breaking the silence

"Okay, but wait, if i'm naughty I go to that Hel whatever and if i'm a good boy I go to this Valvala?" Asked a very doubtful Tony "How would that even work? I used to sell weapons to bad people, now I kill bad guys to save Earth and still sometimes accidentally kill or hurt innocent people, what actions weigh more?" The rest of the Avengers voiced their agreement at Stark's words looking at Thor for answers, before she could stop herself, Cora opened her mouth

"It's Valhalla" pointed out the woman "You guys remember last month when we watched that show? 'The Good Place?'" Questioned Francis to the group who nodded, the god of thunder eyeing her with slight bewilderment. She saw that and quickly averted her eyes from him and cleared her throat before continuing "Well, imagine it works like it did in the end, instead of being sent to hell or heaven, you are given different scenarios and you're evaluated on the way you behave. Most creatures, after some time, pass to the good place, Valhalla, there are still some very awful individuals who no matter the chances they are given, have no hope of redemption, those are sent to Helheim" The whole group 'Oh-ed' in understanding while Thor looked surprised

"And how do you know all that, lolite?" Asked the god. Yeah, he gave her a nickname, lolite, saying the color of the gem resembled her eyes when she got mad and they turned into that dark bright purple shade

Cora gulped and answered nonchalantly "I'll have you know, prince of Asgard, I've had my fair share of travels around the galaxies, every question has an answer available if you know where to look, I've read the files" She shrugged and Thor's suspicious glare softened but wasn't gone completely.

He got up to get more pop tarts while muttering 'annoyingly mysterious woman', to which Cora laughed lightly, sending a wisp of magic to trip the god over his own feet

- - -

The now taller and older girl opened the big golden doors and walked with her head held high, grief and pain clear in her eyes, as well as hunger for revenge.

"Oh, Freyasdottir, the woman I was just in dire need to talk to" Said the eyepatched king from his throne, a few feet above from the brown-skinned girl. She didn't kneel nor curtsy as she was taught to, not anymore, not after today

"And why would you need to talk to me, Odin?" Shock and confusion flashed for a second through the man's eye, though he quickly recovered and went back to his oblivious and too innocent stare

"My, my, not even those usual... nicknames you revel in giving me... what was the favourite one? Pops?... No? How very sad" Said the king with that mocking but playful tone the girl used to love, this time, not amused, she kept on staring. "I need a favour from you, Co-" The man was abruptly interrupted by the woman in front of him

"I need a favour from you, my Queen" She corrected with as much venom it scared even the woman herself "Because remember, thanks to you, i'm now Queen. Mother is probably going to be walking through the door soon and Sigrun... well" At the mention of that name, Odin straightened his back in a somewhat defensive manner

"I never intended for that to happen, you must know that, even if I know your head is full of vengeance towards my daughter-" Again he was cut off

"Towards your daughter?!" She exclaimed raising her voice "You were the one who sent the Valkyries to die, to fight your stupid family battle, their death is on you, my sister's death is on you" She said with pain and anger mixing to create this dark tone in her voice that only spoke hatred towards the old king "Now, I presume the favour you were planning on asking of me was about erasing your people's memories?" She asked with a sickeningly sweet smile, after staring at him menacingly a minute ago

Odin nervously cleared his throat and said "Well, yes. As I had asked you before, I want the people of Asgard to forget about the existence of Hela, and while you're at it, change their recollection on how the Valkyries died" the man explained his request waving his hand around dismissively, as if he was merely asking a maid to bring him grapes

She was shell-shocked at his petition. He had the nerve of asking her for something after he had sent the group of warriors to fight his firstborn. The group of warriors her sister was a part of. To fight the firstborn who was her best friend. He sat now on his golden throne asking to change everyone's memories about the pain he caused, to get rid of his own guilt. No, now he pays.

"Of course, but I'll be keeping Frigga's memories untouched" She said again with that wide fake smile she had mastered growing up surrounded by the mess of the royal family, Odin nodded

She started working right there and then on how she would change the remembrances of the asgardians (and anyone from across the realms who knew about Hela or the fight that had taken place between ther and the Valkyries for the goddess' banishment). She was done after five minutes, that's all it took for her to change a whole realm's memories

"Done" The kind gave her a satisfied smile and started gesturing for her to leave when the woman spoke again "I should tell you, dear Allfather, that I changed everyone's minds to think Hela wasn't banished, she is in a quest across the nines, where she is putting her life on the line to protect her people, she will be a heroi in their eyes" She glanced at the look of despair in Odin's face and continued "As for the Valkyries, everyone will blame you for sending their elite warriors to fight Surtur in a stupid attempt to gain reign of Muspelheim. Poor Valkyries, sending them to fight fire giants, your people will hate you Odin, you're welcome!" And with that she turned on her feet and walked down the hall towards the exit of the throne room, not turning to look back to see the disturbed look the king surely had at that moment.

Hearing the slam of the golden doors she had stepped through seconds ago, she teleported to her friend and asked him to take her home

"Thank you, good Heimdall"

"My pleasure, and i'm sorry for your loss, Queen Cora"

- - -

"I'm telling you, Sam, she's high"

"What the hell would she be high on? Would anything actually work on her?"

"What are you munchkins talking about?"

"Oh, hey Stark, Bucky and I are talking about Cora over there" Sam says pointing at the figure of the woman sitting in one of the kitchen stools staring at the microwave oven

"She hasn't moved or blinked since we got here, it's been almost an hour, it's getting scary" Tony nodded and the three sat on the other seats in the kitchen island

"Could she be sleeping? You know, like those weirdos who sleep with their eyes open?" Stark thinks aloud after another five minutes spent observing the woman in silence

"What are you creeps doing?" Asked Natasha who had come from the training room with Clint

"Are you spying on Cora or something?"

"We're literally sitting a couple of stools away from her, how could that be considered spying, Barton?" Said Bucky with an eye roll

The archer shrugged, the three explained what they were doing and soon after, the whole team was in the kitchen, standing in the doorway speculating over what she could be doing and if something was wrong

"Is she even breathing?" someone in the group asked

"Do you seriously have so little going on in your lives that you waste almost two hours watching me?" The whole team jumped and turned their heads to the voice that resounded from behind them and then looked back to the kitchen where Cora's body was still in the same position it had been for the last couple of hours.

The heroes kept looking back and forth from the woman behind them to the woman staring at the microwave, at their confusion the woman spoke again "That's an illusion, idiots" as she said that she raised her hand and the Cora in the kitchen disappeared

Everyone finally stopped and just stared at the real Cora.

"God, where were you then?" Finally Tony asked, being first to recover from his shock. Cora started playing with her fingers and looked away from the group sheepishly

"Spit it out, лолита" Said the russian spy

Cora sighed and mumbled under her breath unintelligible words. Natasha, or Nat as she had insisted Cora called her, looked sternly at the woman, who finally gave up and spoke up

"I went to the hair salon" She said, everyone eyed her suspiciously, her hair was still the same as it was before, straight and dark grey hair that reached just above her waist

"Okay, and now tell us the truth, because your hair hasn't changed one bit" Said the captain with sass and a warning glare, the rest nodding, 'They must be thinking I went and killed someone or something" Cora thought

"Okay, but you have to say I look pretty or I will cry" With that, a light purple glimmer surrounded her head and after a second it cleared out, revealing the now shoulder length hair, which was no longer completely dark grey, now only the front was that colour, the rest had been dyed a beautiful lilac, still with those curls everyone envied so much. The team gasped and didn't speak for a minute, Cora's smile faltered and was about to leave when a high-pitched voice and a tackle hug stoppd her

"O M G CORY YOU LOOK SO CUTE I LOVE IT" Cora laughed at the shrilling voice and laughed as much as she could, being that she was still trying to steady herself

"T-Thank you, Tony- Can you- Okay, please stop now?" She started sweetly, patting her friend's back but soon got fed up and wiggled out of his embrace

"We like it, Sabrina" Said Stark after getting his act together

"Not that it should matter whether we do or don't, but I think you look very very pretty, miss Cora" Said Parker shyly but with a bright smile. The rest of the group were quick to agree and sent their thumbs-up after the purple-haired woman said that if anyone tried to hug her and get close to her hair like Stark had, she would kill them

After some more praise from the team to the puppy-like avenger, everyone decided that they would go out for dinner to a fancy restaurant because, obviously, it was on Tony

"Should I dye my hair too?" Asked the billionaire as everyone piled into the elevator, he was instantly met with booming no's from everyone in the bunch

"Party poopers" mumbled a pouting Tony as the doors closed 

Chapter Text

Cora was bored

Everyone, and I mean every single soul, was on different missions. Naturally, she wasn't, she was only needed in the big ones, her forte in the Avengers wasn't exactly assasinations, massive robberies or hostage situations, it was more like slicing up armies of agents or aliens.

But that day, sadly, none of that was going on. Cora stopped sulking in her chair in the empty living room when she remembered the photograph book she had been meaning to put together to show Lenora next time she visited her.

They were pictures of different occasions with her fellow avengers, she had already done one of her time in the sanctum, now it was time for one with her new friends.

She went to her room and started rummagging through the half assembled book in her bedside. The first picture she remembered perfectly, she had volunteered to babysit Cassie in the compound while Scott Lang had a debriefing of his last mission, but when it was finished he, Clint and Peter joined them, finding Bruce who had wanted to do some outdoor meditation but ran into Cora's and Cassie's tea party and was forced to participate in the joyous activity.

- - -

Bruce, Scott, Peter and Cora were all in princess costumes, big fluffy dresses topped with tiaras, standing around a chair decorated in order to look like a throne, in said throne sat Cassie, dressed as queen, which consisted on pretty much the same ensemble the others had on, except she had a big flower crown, so big and heavy it covered her eyebrows. The men all gave their biggest smiles, holding their teacups with their pinkies out, Cora looking at them with a frown and a concerned look on her face while Cassie sat on her throne posing.

CLICK!

The moment was captured just then by Sam who had the worst shit-eating grin plastered on his face, probably plotting how to use the picture to embarrass or blackmail them

- - -

Flicking through she saw there were a lot of pictures from Tony's birthday party, which, surprisingly, he had only invited close friends to.

- - -

"C'MON THOR" yelled Wanda

"BUCKY IF YOU LOSE I'M SELLING YOUR ARM ON EBAY" threatened Sam

"STEVE, MAKE AMERICA PROUD" fangirled Scott

"CORA,  IF YOU DON'T BEAT THESE SAD EXCUSES OF MEN,  I'LL KILL EVERYONE THEN MYSELF" howled Nat

The two blondes, the brunette and the grey-haired were all sitting in front of a long table, before each of them were four bottles containing 5lts of pure tequila, the super soldiers, the god and the sorceress bet on who could chug the best

Money was mainly put on Thor, the rest was divided between the super soldiers, only Clint and Nat had placed their faith (and $100 bills) on Cora

CLICK!

The camera captured the exact moment Cora and Thor slammed their empty bottles on the table, almost at the same time, the woman winning for less than a millisecond. The archer and the russian assassin jumped in glee, Sam smacked Bucky's head, Scott patted Steve on the back in comfort and slight disappointment and Thor looked like he was about to cry.

- - -

Steve, Sam and Bucky were on the karaoke stage singing 'Hungry Eyes', Tony (drunk) cried, Clint (drunk) cried, Scott (drunk) cried, Thor (sober) cried, Cora (sober) gestured for the photographer Stark had hired for his party to come over.

CLICK!

On the main frame was Cora doing a peace sign, to her left was the karaoke stand where the soldiers were singing their drunk hearts out and on the background the previously mentioned men crying because 'such tragic love story, they deserve each other, why must they have had to wait so damn long' as Thor had put it in between sobs. At the same time, Tony blabbered about missing the 'annoying wizard with the nice ass' , who, sadly, hadn't gone to the party

- - -

"Happy birthday, dear Tony... Happy birthday to you!!" everyone around the table sang and cheered

CLICK!

Stark blew the excessive and unnecessary amount of candles his cake had, his best friends next to him, Pepper to his right and Rhodey to his left

CLICK!

Everyone clapped as the last light went out. Behind Rhodey and Pepper there were two undecipherable frames creeping up to them

CLICK!

The figures reveal themselves to be Wanda and Cora who switch places with the other two

CLICK!

Wanda with a flick of her fingers vanishes the candles and before anyone could react Cora grabs the cake

CLICK!

In the last snap the photographer captures as she slams it into Tony's face

- - -

She laughed at the memories, the chase that had taken place because of the little mischievous act was scary, imagine running from a semi Iron Man semi cake man, it was traumatising.

The next picture was just really sweet

- - -

Cora and Steve sledding down a snow covered mountain, only instead of a sled they were using the Captain's shield. How she had managed to convince him was beyond them

CLICK!

The photograph showed Cora with her usual big smile, happy wrinkles around her eyes, and clutching onto Steve's shoulders, the man had his mouth open in a wide smile, cheering as they both went down

- - -

The next couple of pictures were of the day Nat, Wanda and Cora had planned on having a 'girls day', an interesting day to say the least.

- - -

CLICK!

The first one was a selfie taken by the younger Maximoff. It was just a simple sweet picture of the three friends enjoying themselves, ordinary if you ignored the many weapons displayed in the background, they were in Natasha's room after all. Cora had cucumber slices over her eyes, Nat was eating the remaining slices and Wanda was throwing hers at the other two with one hand, using the other to take the photograph.

- - -

CLICK!

Now that the self-care bit of the evening was done, the two redheads and the purple-grey haired woman were jumping on the bed, dancing to some old rock album with hairbrushes in their hands and invisible guitars being played. Picture credits to dear Friday.

- - -

A knock on the door was all it took for their 'girls day' to be over, at first it was just Peter, who apparently had come to the russian spy to ask her something, his eyes lit up when he saw they were having a sort of party and silently begged for the girls to invite him. They did.

CLICK!

They were all sitting on the bed, Peter was talking about an MJ girl, apparently they had just broken up, Wanda braided his short hair, Nat said some reassuring words while rubbing his back and Cora handed him a tub of cream and cookies ice cream. A perfectly sweet moment captured for all of them to treasure forever.

- - -

'Girls night' was anything but what they had intended it to be, at some point the rest of the guys found out about the woman's plans, probably thanks to Clint creeping around the vents. SInce everyone had decided to come and annoy them they moved from Natasha's room to the game's room. Even though the compound had a very techy and modern aspect, the game's room had a homey basement feeling, with different installations, from arcades to a pool table, a bar and snacks station, and a door that led to their very own theater.

CLICK!

Clint and Sam were by the window on the back, 'birdwatching'. Vision was happy playing bartender with Wanda who handed around the snacks. Pietro and Peter played tag you're it, both of them cheating in their own way, the speedster using his power to catch him quickly and the arachnid climbing the walls to stop the sokovian from catching him. Cora and Thor were giving relationship advice to Bucky, who finally admitted he had a big crush on Steve, meanwhile Natasha and Bruce were doing the same to the blonde super soldier, smitten with the metal armed man, and maybe someone else. And Tony was texting someone on his phone glowing like a kid who had been given way too much sugar.

- - -

CLICK!

The whole team was scattered around the floor sleeping above the blankets and pillows Cora had conjured up, Clint and Tony weirdly enough, cuddling. Sam and Bucky next to each other, though the only contact they made were their subconsciously loosely locked fingers. Thor was spooning Bruce, who had never looked less green. Steve had his head on Vision's lap for some reason. Peter and Pietro were lazily slapping each other in their sleep and finally the women could be seen sneaking out of the room to get proper sleep, on their beds.

- - -

Her favourite pictures were the ones with her newfound best friend, the mighty god of thunder. Once Thor let go of the questions and Cora tried her hardest to not make any too suspicious comments that would bring the questions up, they became very close.

She could already imagine what Lenora would say when she showed her the pictures

"Are you a magnet? Do you have a pull towards befriending Odin's kids or something? Do you have a crush on this one too?"

What can she say? Odinsons like her. And this time, what she felt towards her friend was thankfully only platonic love. But still, the pictures brought a fond smile to her face every time.

- - -

"You have a pop tart problem, your future lady won't like it" said Cora

"Can you imagine a pop tart woman?" Daydreamed Thor

"No, and I most certainly don't want to, get your shit together man" said the woman with an eye roll

"If there was a woman made of pop tarts, then I shall get on my knees and beg for her hand" said the man looking at the cealing as if begging the universe for his wish to come true.

CLICK!

Courtesy of Peter, the picture showed the two friends bickering in the kitchen, Cora sat on one of the counters eating a sandwich while the god looked in a frenzy through the cabinets for his snack

- - -

Stark's parties get wild whenever Thor pops out the asgardian liquor flask, that night was no exception.

CLICK!

Cora and Thor were photographed trying to stand on their hands and drink down seven shots each at the same time. The picture showed specifically the moment the muscular god thought he had seen a spider and freaked out mid-shot.

CLICK!

In the next photo you could see Thor laying across one of the couches with his head on Cora's lap. He had a bright pink boa around his shoulders and an ice bag pressed against his left temple. Cora had a big glowing yellow top hat on her head and had her hands going through the hair of the blonde on her lap, who was drifting to sleep

- - -

"Do you like peanut butter and chocolate ice cream?"

"No, despicable"

"No, it's not!"

"It is"

"No"

"Yes"

"Then why is my tub gone and your face dirty with chocolate, peanuts and lies?"

CLICK!

Thor had eaten Cora's ice cream and he had almost gotten away with it, if only he had remembered to wash his face. Now the picture, taken by a very amused Clint, was of the tall god looking like a scared and sad kid, sitting on his usual couch with a pout and his arms crossed, while the woman stood in front of him, angry and scolding him like a mother telling her child off.

- - -

The photographs went on and on, endless evidence of the friendships she had forged and memories made on the months Cora had been living with the team

When she finished the album, she grabbed it, plus an extra gift from Tony and prepared to project back home

Her room, now soundproof, had a dark purple and forest green colour scheme. All the walls were dressed in plants, tapestries and shelves filled with books, the floor had a soft purple rug that was very appreciated when she had to meditate, the queen sized bed had black sheets mostly hidden by the sea of green pillows that covered almost the whole bed, she liked pillows. She also had a desk next to the wall with the biggest bookshelf, there she had her computer, some picture frames of her favourite moments and a metronome that helped her concentrate.

She just sat on the floor, album in hand, gift in pocket and closed her eyes

Chapter Text

Cora knocked on the cottage's door, if she squinted her eyes towards her right she could make out the angelic gates in the distance.

The door opened to reveal a beautiful girl, light green eyes, pale complexion, blonde and long soft curls that fell on her shoulder, two or three inches shorter than the sorceress but still with a powerful and serene energy surrounding her.

"Got tired of the earthlings already?" Asked the woman playfully, moving outside to talk with Cora by the benches she had on the garden.

"No, Len, actually the opposite, and i've come bearing gifts" She said handing the girl the photo album and a high-tech phone

Lenora put the contraption on the side while she went through the pictures the woman in front of her had brought her

"Oooh, who's that? He's cute!" She said pointing at a picture of Peter doing an overdramatic hero pose on his suit with Cora doing the same on her armour

"Wow, you clearly have an issue, always Odin's kids" Lenora said looking at the multiple pictures of the god of thunder and the woman together

"I knew you were going to say something like that" Cora quipped with an eye roll "And before you ask, no, I don't have any interest in pursuing a relationship with the god of thunder, thank you very much" Added the woman before the other could open her mouth

"Whatever you say, your majesty" Said Lenora earning a light shove on the shoulder

She kept looking through the pictures, occasionally making some snarky comment, but overall enjoying knowing more of her life down on Earth. When she was done, she moved on to pick up the phone, eyeing it like it was a devil's piece of hardware

"I had Anthony Stark make it, it's a thing you can use to communicate with other people, they call it phone or mobile" Cora spelled it out

"I know what phone are, and you know i know" she grumbled, "i just never actually held one" she said with a giggle, which earned a fond roll of Cora's eyes

"Well, it's cute and all, but I don't see what use it could have here, don't these things require satellite signal?" Lenora asked and the other arched her eyebrow as if asking 'and since when do you know that?' to which the girl just shrugged "I've been reading"

"Okay, yeah, you're right, but, it's specially designed to function outside of Earth's atmosphere"

"And how the hell did you manage to get him to do that without him getting suspicious?" Asked the blonde girl

"Well..." 

- - -

three weeks before

The team was around doing their own thing, some were traning, others were in their rooms, others lounging in the common room, which was the case for Cora, Wanda, Sam and Tony.

Cora was sulking silently in her chair, the other three were chatting about a mission they had had the day before, Tony glanced at her and gestured for the other two to look at the gloomy woman as well, silently asking them what was up with her

"She misses Thor" stated the scarlet witch

"Of course I do, I miss my partner in crime" confirmed the woman lifting her head from her hands to face the three avengers

"Just facetime him or something" Sam, very helpfully said

"Are you dense or is it the bird brain?" Teased Cora with her usual playful smile, it faded quickly though, as she added "He is all the way in Asgard, they don't necessarily have reception there"

"What if Tony tried to make modifications to our phones, to make them able to speak across the realms?" Wondered the redhead, "I mean, it would help with missions and stuff", she sheepishly added when she saw all their eyes on her

At that, Cora's interest peaked, although, even if the genius could find a way to make such a thing, she would still have to wait until Thor came back. The reason she was now interested was that, if Tony did it, she could take an extra one to Lenora so she could keep in touch without having to 'meditate' constantly. Still, she knew Stark wouldn't do it just because he was a good samaritan, so she put her manipulation skills to test

Tony was probably about to make some sort of excuse to get himself out of doing it, but was stopped by Cora's laughter "Ha! Wanda, that's a good one" she said through her fit of giggles

"What's that supposed to mean?" Asked Stark confused and defensively

"Well... It's impossible, I doubt you could actually manage to somehow do it, Tones" She said with a fake compassionate smile

"WHAT?! Oh i'll show you impossible Ms Francis, i'll have the fucking phone altered and ready faster than you can say 'Tony Stark is very sexy'" Fumed the billionaire, getting up from the couch and going to the lab, absolutely enraged

- - -

"... I'm very persuasive?"

"Yeah, sure" said Lenora sarcasm dripping from her words "How does it work anyway?"

"Oh don't worry, it's all set up, you have my phone number there, you can send me a text and i'll get it instantly, much more practical than ravens, right?"

"Much" answered the girl admiring the device closely

"And can I have the pretty boy's phone number too?" Lenora said after a minute of observating

"Hel no"

- - -

The second Cora was back in her body at the tower she regretted having given the girl the ability to communicate with her constantly

I'm bored when are you coming back again?

Len

She sighed and typed out her response

I left five minutes ago, and you said you had a meeting in Vanaheim go get ready

Cora x

Yeah, yeah, whatever bye

Len

It came with its perks though, Heimdall had direct contact with Lenora, and Lenora now had direct contact with Cora. Which meant, if the gatekeeper of Asgard saw anything important, word would get to the grey-eyed way quicker than it usually would.

Thanks to this, those last weeks she had been able to prevent many tragedies, without the team's knowledge. For example, right now she was getting back from Sri Lanka, where she had just stopped a terrorist attack from ending 256 innocent lives, she counted them.

And after an exhausting ride back, she was getting on the elevator to see her new family again, ready to relax a bit, when the doors opened in the common floor, weirdly, no one paid any attention to her, and as soon as she heard the unquestionable yelling of the tower's billionaire, the team's captain and Cora's best friend, she realized her relaxation would have to be put off for the time being

"HE CAN'T BE HERE!"

"Please, Stark, a matter has come to my attention that-"

"No, he threw me off this fucking window just a couple of years ago, I want him gone" she heard Tony's voice interrupt the god's

Cora honestly had no idea what could be happening, she checked her phone before walking around the corner, where the voices were coming from. She saw a text and opened it

Sorry, just got word from Heimdall, you've got a surprise back in the tower

Len

When she finally got a view of her friends, she saw them all suited up, weapons pointed at a raven haired figure by Thor's side

Prince Loki

She turned on her phone and quickly sent a text before going back to eavesdropping

Tell Heimdall i'll fucking kill him next time I see him

Cora x

'Just what I fucking needed, another god getting their nose all over my business' Thought Cora to herself before clearing her throat to make her presence known to the team and the guest of honour

Everyone fell silent as they snapped their heads from the tall god of mischief and towards the woman who had just set foot in the room

No one uttered a word as Cora walked with her back straight and her chin up towards the two gods

When she reached Thor her cold and professional demeanor broke into a huge grin as she pulled her friend into a hug. He had been gone for the last two days, again.

"Lady Cora, I missed you dearly" said the god as they broke the embrace

"We had a deal, Prince Thor" she said with a playful glare, pointing out his use of formalities. She still didn't even glance towards the other god present, and the rest of the team were expectant to see how that would play out, certiain that the moment she acknowledged him, she would throw him out

"My apologies, lolite"

"All good, goldilocks, now..." she turned her body to face the man next to Thor, he had his brows lightly furrowed in a judging manner,'how nice', "I don't believe we have met, pleasure to meet you Mr...?" She put her hand out for him to shake and dragged the sentence gesturing for him to finish it

"Friggason" Cora hummed and Loki took her hand in his, but instead of shaking it he pressed a kiss on it. This took everyone by surprise, especially Tony, who looked like he was ready to blast him any second and Steve who had tightened his grip on his shield. The god ignored the glares and spoke again "And who would you be, Lady...?" he asked in the same way she had seconds ago

"Cora Francis, but please, no lady" She said gently, with her usual enchanting smile then turned to face the gobsmacked heroes

"Oh! Tony, you won't believe what Strange told me today over the phone!"

"CORA!" Steve bellowed, his pale face red of anger, the woman didn't flinch but instead glared at the captain with a defiant aura around her that made everyone back one step, including the gods.

"Yes, captain?"

"H-He- You can't just ignore that the man who tried to take over our world is here" He said with a light stammering, Cora eyed him questioningly

"Ah, yes, I remember reading about it..." she trailed off, "Yet, my friend has just tried to tell you that something has come to his attention, and I presume it has to do exactly with his brother. So, instead of trying to scold me for not jumping to conclusions, listen to Thor, he loves his family, but he has a home here too, and he would never put it in harm's way, trust his judgement and hear him out" Once again the sweet and friendly tone her voice usually has was replaced by an impenetrable seriousness that made the team reluctantly lower their heads

With that she turned and faced the brooding prince again and spoke with the same berating tone "And you should stop trying to get into my mind and start talking, Mr Friggason"

"It's Prince Friggason to you, mortal" The god sneered, going from the captivating prince to a wrathful god, enraged by the woman who dared speak to him in such a way

The woman, instead, walked towards him until she was dangerously close to him, even if she was a head shorter than the god, if either of them moved an inch closer their noses would be touching

"Now listen to me, whatever title you had back in your golden palace means shit here, I don't give a fuck if you are a king, prince or peasant, here you are just a poor excuse of a man. And in your situation, you're lucky they didn't put you in a cage the second they saw you" She said in a harsh barely audible whisper "Now stop your whining and start talking, your majesty" she finished, mockingly

She walked away from the coffee table and the huddled group and sat on her chair, she took out her phone while she waited for the team to join her, hopefully ready to have a decent conversation

Just belittled Jotunheim's heir, i'm amazing

Cora x

Congrats, keep it up

Len

She laughed lightly and put her phone down as the others joined her, everyone sitting in their respective spots around the room, except for Thor and his brother, who stood in front of the TV, as if they were about to make a presentation

"As my friend kindly remarked, during my visit, my father decided to banish my brother from his home" some sarcastic laughs could be heard coming from both Stark and Barton

"Let me guess, he tried to take over your home? Again?" Iron Man belittled

"Don't make me put you in time out" Cora simply said, and silently begged her friend to continue

"I also have reasons to believe the attack on New York wasn't entirely his doing... Maybe" he said warily

"Bullshit, are you sure you're not being manipulated right now, Thor?" Clint argued

Loki silently put his arms up, which showed golden cuffs around his wrists, "as much as i'd love to, i am clearly not capable of using my magic at the moment" he sneered with his velvety voice

"Okay, can we just cut the crap? Thor, why would you think that?" Bucky said, the mere implication that someone had maybe not been in control of their actions triggered his sympathy, so he was very eager to hear the whole story

"Some healers may have implied that Loki has remnants of the mind stone in his head, they also said it would not be possible to happen because he used it, but because it was used on him"

There was silence as the group pondered over the new information, but it was easy to see that at least the original avengers were not buying it at all

"I'm not buying it at all" said one of the original avengers

"Is it true then? Loki?" Vision, the voice of reason, asked. The prince refused to give an answer, he just held his head high and stared at nothing

"Okay, guys? Come here" Cora said, calling Tony, Clint and Thor, "I know it's hard for you two to have him here, and Thor i know you want him here, i'm going to give my honest opinion and you can't say i'm biased because Thor is my best friend, okay?" she asked before continuing, "he's the god of lies, i obviously don't trust him, but those healers have no reason to lie, i think we should let him stay" Tony was already opening his mouth to protest, "look, he's already banished, he has to stay somewhere, you prefer a cell? Again? After last time? Or would you rather here, where we can actually keep tabs on him? Also, whether you like it or not, there is a big possibility he genuinely is innocent, what then?"

They stayed silent, Clint clearly had nothing to say, he turned and made his way to the gods, specifically Loki, "you listen to me, okay? I don't trust you, I don't want you here, and i'll be waiting for you to make one step out of line, so I can fianlly try my new arrows on you, I named one specially after you, i'd love to check it out" he said menacingly

"After me? I'm flattered" he grinned devilishly, then went back to his blank stare. Everyone's attention was taking away from the two when Tony clapped his hands twice

"Reindeer games, you're on the empty room their floor, if you try something, who best than the most powerful avengers to remind you: we beat you once, we will again if we have to" with that he turned around and walked to the bar

Cora was lost in thought, going through possible creatures that could have been behind 2012 if it hadn't been the raven haired prince, she knew the list, she remembered names, but only a few were interested in infinity stones

Then she gasped, "Thanos" she said to herself, but clearly she wasn't quiet enough. Loki turned around like a frightened cat, her eye widened ever more, she didn't even need to ask, his response to the name gave her all the information she needed.

Change of plans, I'm going to the palace, find me the location for a titan called Thanos and arrange a meeting with Surtur, thanks

Cora x

Chapter Text

Once back at the palace, she went through her strategy. Cora was enraged, she had always kept close tabs on Asgard's royal family, and there was a big empty space in Loki's life, between the heartbreaking fall from the rainbow bridge to his first appearance on New York. She never stopped thinking that something important had happened during that period. When she asked Heimdall if he had known that the prince was alive, he told her he did but that there had been a cloak spell put over the god of mischief that didn't let him follow his trail, although he didn't know if the god had put it himself or if it could have been the act of a third party, which now seemed like the most possible option

Now she knew, and she was furious, she waited patiently on the head of the long table, it was a sort of meeting room, not modern at all, clearly inspired by medieval interior architecture, it wasn't dark though, the place had a tall ceiling and equally tall windows that let the clear light penetrate the closed space.

Two guards opened the large double doors, one held a snow globe the size of a soccer ball.

"Princess Lenora requested this titan to be brought to Your Majesty, and to pass on that Surtur can't leave his realm, but has sent a giant to bring you there, Queen Cora" said the guard that wasn't holding the miniature titan, bowing his head. The other approached the woman and handed her the globe, also curtsying

"Thank you, Ronaldo, thank you, Borgest, you may leave" Said Cora with a sweet smile

"Let's take you to your new home, huh?" she said to the titan, she was quite troubled with her choices, but one look through his mind and she was confident once agin on her actions

- - -

"Ah, my queen, I apologize for the trouble" Said the fire giant bending down when the woman walked in.

"Please, in other circumstances I would have just waited for you to come here, but this is a matter of urgency" Said the woman sitting opposite to the tower of flames that was Surtur. He motioned his hand to show his attention

"I want to make a trade" She said, bringing the snow globe to the table, Surtur eyed it curiously and she continued "I've known for quite a while, that when Odin casted out the goddess of death, he sent her to you, therefore, she is imprisoned by you"

"If you are implying that in exchange for whatever it is you have there, I should free Hela, I will have to refrain from accepting that deal, my Queen" Surtur said with a concerned frown

"No, dear, I know the dangers her hunger for death bring to everyone, what i'd like in exchange for my gift, would be your permission to let me visit her from time to time, i'll need information on how her imprisonment has been managed, as well" Said the woman with a clear and confident yet soft voice

"Well, I don't see the problem, what is the gift?"

Cora handed him the sphere and explained "It's a titan that made me very mad, do what you like with the little shit, you can break him out of the globe if you'd like, use him as a toothpick if you wish to, I don't care. He has inflicted far too much unnecessary pain, he deserves whatever you give him" With that she bid him goodbye and left.

- - -

Cora didn't see anyone when she got back from dealing with the titan and Surtur, which was understandable seeing as it was almost 5am, she had been projecting for more than 12 hours, and needless to say, she was as hungry as a bilgesnipe. Thus why she made her way to the kitchen, too lazy to walk, she just straight up teleported to the fridge.

"NORNS!" Sounded a terrifed shriek from the kitchen island behind Cora

"What are you doing up, horns?" There in one of the stools facing her was the god of mischief sipping on a cup of tea (that he had almost spilled on himself when the woman magically appeared)

Ignoring her question, he retaliated with one of his own "You have asgardian magic?"

She just furrowed her eyebrows, stared at him for a couple more seconds then turned around to the fridge to carry on with what she had initially gone down to

"Also, why is it that my oaf of a brother always finds himself unable to talk about you, even though you're his 'bestie'. as he so eloquently puts it? And why can't I see your face, or anything about you when I look into his mind?" he continued

"Better yet, why do you get into your brother's head? Not very polite, have you heard about the term 'privacy'?" hummed Cora still with her back to the annoying god

"Says the one who put a spell on him" huffed the prince, taking Cora slightly by surprise, though she figured that a magic user such as himself would be able to find the traces of magic in his brother's mind if he looked hard enough, which apparently he really did

"You don't know what you're talking about, Lackey" says the woman, now audibly annoyed

"It's Loki" said the god with equal annoyance "And for the record, I don't trust you, especially around Thor"

"That's so sweet, and I wasn't expecting 'trusting' to be a prominet character trait of the god of lies" said Cora with an eye roll

"What is it that you're hiding, you quim?" Loki had now left his stool and had started walking towards the woman, who, even if she had her back turned to him, could sense him closer

"Don't test me, greaseball"

Loki kept moving until he was right behind her "I bet you're not even from this wretched planet" Cora didn't flinch from the hiss nor the sudden hot breath hitting the back of her neck

"Who are you, Cora Francis?" when he asked this he tried to grab her upper arm, in a swift move the angry woman had him pressed against the nearest wall with the same arm he had tried to touch her with, twisted behind his back

She didn't say anything else, Loki struggled against hher grip for a minute before she vanished from thin air, leaving the asgardian prince with a sore right arm, rage and just hint of admiration

- - -

The next morning she went back to the kitchen, completely opposite to last night, she found everyone but Loki there, so she put on her typical playful smile

"Good morning, Sabrina" cooed the billionaire, soon followed by the other heroes' greetings

"Hey doll, we saved ya some pancakes over there" said Bucky pointing to the counter next to the stove where, sure enough, two plates with stacks of the delicious food waited to be taken

"Oh, yeah, one of them is for Loki, he hasn't showed up yet, so..." added Steve when he saw her glancin at the second plate confusedly

"Oh..." was the only thing Cora said, with a slight frown that didn't go unnoticed by anyone (except for Clint and Peter, who were too busy discussing the Hunger Games), but no one said anything, seeing as Cora quickly covered it putting her bubbly facade back up

"Cory, yesterday before captain crabby here interrupted you, you were going to tell me something about Strange..." Said Tony batting his lashes once the woman sat down at the dining table, prompting his magic friend to spill any dish she had on his magic crush

"Yes! You won't believe it, he said 'I wish he'd call me to help him track someone'" at the cofusion on everyone's faces she added, "for him that's like the same as saying 'I miss him so much I think i'm dying'" she said with enthusiasm while Stark looked like he had died and gone to heaven

Suddenly the beaming smile that danced on Cora's face disappeared along with her kind and playful aura, and the reason was the man that had just walked through the door

"Oh, look who decided to make an appearance, morning raindeer games" Was all Cora needed to hear to get up from her seat at the table, stomp towards the exit, shove Loki's shoulder on her way and leave the whole team shell shocked

"What did you do, brother?" Asked the god of thunder in a low growl, to which the prince scoffed and rolled his eyes

"I don't know how you deal with her, i merely asked her some questions last night when we bumped into each other" He still didn't understand the fury of the woman, but apparently the rest did as they all let out collective 'Oh's'

"Did no one give horns the 'Cora' talk?" Asked the archer

"Thor was supposed to do it, point break, this is your fault"

"Yeah, now we have to deal with her, last time she set Clint's bow on fire"

The 'Cora' talk was the name the team had given to the speech they have to regularly give about their newest teammate.

Ever since the conference where they made her an official avenger, or when she had her first meeting with the secretary of state. Basically, the speech communicated that you shouldn't ask questions and just trust her power, if you don't, they would not be held responsible for whatever Cora did in retaliation, the UN wasn't really happy with it at the beginning, but it was as if out of nowhere one morning they decided to stop pestering the team about it and just accept it

Just as the blonde god was opening his mouth to defend himself, an orange circle formed in the middle of the room, and seconds after a very angry looking wizard walked through it

"You have all got ten seconds to explain to me why you have Loki on Earth and why Cora is sending me angry texts, I thought I told you to take care of her" Strange all but yelled at the pretty much cowering group

"My brother is here because Odin casted him out... again" trailed off Thor before continuing "As for Cora... Loki angered her with questions" finished the god while anxiously scratching the back of his neck

The sorcerer sighed and ran a hand through his hair "You idiots forgot the 'Cora' talk" Everyone nodded and he just started moving his hands to open another portal in the ceiling, from it fell the woman who had left the room minutes ago

"...gotta go, Strange made me fall from a hole, yeah, yeah, love you, bye" Said Cora, who was talking to her phone before she stood up and straightened her clothes, much to her friend's confusion, who had only been able to catch the ending of her conversation, silently wondering who it could have been

"STEPHIE!" she ran to her friend and jumped into his arms for a hug, he complied and returned the gesture, after the greetings she turned to face the others "Don't worry, Tones, i'm not stealing your man" she winked and everyone bursted out laughing except the two goateed men who flushed crimson

"Doesn't look like it" Natasha snickered

"Please, been there done that" she said happily, the shook her head as if to dismiss any past memories of her nights with the sorcerer

"Enough of that, what did the snake do to you?" Asked Strange giving her a look of concern. Cora shifted uncomfortably, her usual demeanor faltering a bit under the gaze of the man towering over her

"Well, you know- ha! Um, yeah, too many questions... I thought you guys would give him the... What do you guys call it? Oh right, yeah the 'Cora' talk or something" Cora said with an uncharacteristic nervousness on her tone

"I apologize, lolite, it was my duty to deliver the 'Cora' talk, it just went over my head after yesterday" said the god of thunder sheepishly

"If anyone says 'Cora' talk one more time i'll drop kick them" said a very irritated god of mischief

"You just said it" said Cora, and in one second she jumped, kicked the god and left him on the floor. "Okay, now we're even"

"HOW DOES THAT LEAVE US EVEN YOU MEWLING QUIM" roared the recovering prince

"I don't like questions, if you can't get behind that then you better get used to me pinning you against walls and or drop kicking you, mewling quim" said the woman dead serious but with a hint of teasing in her voice, going slowly but surely back to her usual playful ways

"Wait- pinning against walls? When did that happen?!" questioned eagerly the falcon and everyone started wiggling their eyebrows and cooing suggestively at Cora

"Can you really not put two and two together? I got angry at his questions so I ignored him, he tried to grab my arm and I stopped him. Plain as Steve's chicken and rice" she ended with an unamused eye roll

"Hey! Buck said it was delicious, I even used pepper, not just salt" whined the captain, earning a 'seriously' look from Cora

Everyone else just stayed silent, so Cora faced the raven haired prince again "So?"

"I don't think i want a repeat of just now, however I wouldn't mind a repetition of last night's events, though maybe not in the same context as it happened then" Said the god with the same level of playfulness the woman usually had, and that for some reason, caused Cora to momentarily be at a loss for words

"I wasn't asking if you had a dominance or pain kink, greaseball"

"Then what, pray tell, were you asking then, darling?" The nickname definitely didn't help, and the fact he seemed so unfazed by her teasing made it a challenge to keep the back and forth going.

"I was asking if you'd stop being a brat and cease the questioning, my prince" she clarified not letting go of the mocking tone, while she still didn't miss the way something flashed through his eyes at the flirtatious use of 'my prince', something Cora would definitely keep in mind, just in case, of course

"I won't, but I still don't trust you, at all" his voice was once again cold and full of hatred, which did nothing to change Cora's air of confidence

"As I said, never expected you to trust me, just don't be a royal pain in my ass, your majesty" with that she said goodbye to Stephen (who was apparently going back to the sanctum to get ready for a 'not a date' with Tony) and went to her room once again

Chapter Text

"You know what I look forward to the most?"

"Chocolate fountain tuesdays?"

"Us. Being queens" said the girl glancing at the other's tilted head , like a confused puppy

"Us? Pfft, I have no desire for the crown, i'm perfectly happy where I stand now... besides, in my case, Sigrún is the rightful heir" she said with a shy smile, "but you, you'll make a formidable queen, Asgard is lucky to have you, min gammel" praised the grey haired girl

"Oh no, I didn't mean Asgard, i'm gonna be Helheim's queen" said the older girl, chin up in pride

"What? How?" She didn't need know how it'd be possible for the asgardian princess to be Helheim's queen

"I'm the goddess of death, silly, it's sort of a given, I am supposed to reign over Hel's fire, I could reign Valhalla as well, but I wouldn't take that away from you, and on top of that, we shall stick together until both of us get the thrones we deserve" explained the young goddess with a cheeky grin

"That would be so cool, could you imagine? We would practically rule the afterlife!" Beamed the girl giggling, getting excited by the idea

A black little wolf came prancing towards where the two kids were sitting against the big tree in the middle of the royal garden, and licked the cheeks of both of them before settling beside the older one.

"Oh, hi future Sir Fenrir" greeted the dark haired girl quickly, before turning back to her friend "Okay, let's make a pact" the goddess said to which the other girl nodded, with eagerness written all over her face, "no matter what, we'll always come back to each other, queens have to stick together, and we should do so even if we don't have a crown yet, to ensure we'll get there, with the other by our side"

The grey eyes of the girl shone with excitement as she brought her hand to her mouth, spat on it and extended it to her friend

"No matter what"

The older girl looked at her friend's hand with amusement, and a bit of disgust, but then followed the girl's actions, spat on her hand and shook it

"No matter what" she settled

- - -

"...Yeah well tell Alejo to stop crying and that i'll swing by next time" Said a snickering Cora to her phone. The few avengers who were currently in the training room furrowed their brows in confusion, looking at each other for confirmation that they weren't hallucinating and Cora was in fact talking with someone over the phone

"He says he made a new drink especially for you, you have to come back, i'm not tasting any of his weird brews after last time... It tasted like feet" complained Lenora with a groan from the other side of the line

"Whatever, I gotta go, I think it's the first time the heroes have heard me ringing up someone that isn't them, their eyes are about to pop out" the woman laughed as she looked at her teammates "Bye, love you"

"Love you too, but seriously, I don't know how much longer i'll be able to avoid him" Cora didn't grace that last comment with an answer and just chuckled and hung up on the girl

Nat, Steve, Bucky and Clint were the only ones in the training room, the two soldiers had stopped their routine on the punching bag to listen in on Cora's conversation, same as the agents who had been sparring before the woman came in

"Who's Alejo, doll?" Asked Bucky singing the name and wiggling his eyebrows suggestively

"Doesn't concern you, soldier" said the woman with a playful smile, walking towards the closest treadmill

"Oooh, is it your boyfriend?" Asked the manchild that was Clint Barton

"Nope, shut up and go back to your workout, you need it" she said, rolling her eyes, still with her sparkling nature.

"Did you just imply i'm out of shape?" Gasped the hurt archer, Cora paid him no mind and just shrugged at him before turning around and starting her own routine

"Well... you did miss the bullseye earlier today" joked Steve to Clint who shot him a glare

"BY A LITERAL MILLIMETER" exclaimed the agent exasperated, trying to defend himself

"Stop crying, slacker" said Nat and motioned for him to get in fighting stance to restart their sparring, the other two soldiers laughed at their colleague being crushed by the badass redhead and then, they too went back to their workouts

"Oh, and Cory? I don't care about what you say, we're teasing the heck out of you with that Alejo guy" yelled the captain to the woman, the other three backing him up with a choir of 'yes'. 

"I would be disappointed if you didn't" she said with a smirk and they all went on with their own stuff, from time to time making small talk if their routines caused them to bump into each other, an usual and productive training day.

- - -

"Mmm, whatcha cookin' good lookin'?" Asked Cora being lured into the kitchen where Wanda was preparing dinner for the team, she tried to scoop a bit of the stew with a spoon but her hand was smacked by a red wisp

"Keep your hands away from the food and use them to set the table" said the witch with her deep accent coming through as she gave away orders

"Buzzkill" said Cora but complied nonetheless, setting the tablecloth and the plates with a wisp of purple

"Hey, I wanted to ask you something," spoke Wanda when Cora came back to the kitchen to find the necessary cutlery. "Wait, why don't you just set everything up with your magic?" Asked the witch, interrupting her own question

Cora shrugged and continued with what she was doing "I like not depending on my magic, and after so many centuries, I find comfort in doing even the most domestic things, like setting the table" at that the younger Maximoff nodded quietly and kept on stirring the pot on the front hob "What did you want to ask me, witchling?"

The confidence with which Wanda had just bossed Cora around a minute ago was gone, the witch set the spoon down and instead turned to fiddling with her fingers

"Hey, you can ask me anything" Cora said encouragingly, with a sweet and gentle smile "Well, as long as it isn't about personal stuff about me, but you know the drill" she added waving her hand as if to dismiss that idea, she knew Wanda was nosey but, luckily, knew boundaries

"Okay, so, you know how I can't get in your head or anything? Well, the other day I was reading a very, very old book on sorcery and mind manipulators. I found a section where it spoke about different levels of power, and there's a part where it mentions that the most powerful possessors of telepathic abilities can start a connection with other mind readers, while still protecting the barrier that protects them from outsiders entering their mind" explained the young sorceress

"Okay... yeah I know, I read the book, very accurate, the 'house' analogy makes it clearer. Basically, your mind is the house, the mind barrier acts like a door, the more powerful you are, the more difficult it is for other mind manipulators to trespass, in my case, it's practically impossible. Therefore, if the barrier acts as a locked door, the telepathic connection would be the same as me opening the door but closing it behind me to greet you outside, like we're speaking on my mind's porch, if that makes any sense" elaborated the older sorceress, who felt like she was back at the sanctum teaching the students weird magical concepts

Wanda nodded in deep thought, taking in every word Cora had spoken, then after a few more seconds she blurted out nervously and fidgeting, "Can we do that? We could use it when we want to keep secrets or something, please, it gets boring not sharing all the thoughts I hear from all these weirdos"

Cora started laughing at the redhead, the reasoning she gave was so morally incorrect and amusing, better yet was how sheepishly she had voiced her question, or request.

But how can anyone blame the little witch? Sometimes you can forget how young the girl was and how abruptly she'd had to grow up to fit in this world, a normal childhood ruined, forming a girl fueled by revenge, power and loss, then being guided to become a hero putting her life on the line, constantly. Not to mention working alongside the man who killed her parents, no hard feelings though

So, really, how could Cora deprive the, now, young adult from having a bit of fun? A bit of fun that she most certainly wasn't allowed during her stay at Hydra, nor the first years she was under probation with the Avengers? And, really, it was just some mild invasion of privacy, nothing too serious

"Fuck yeah, okay give me a second, i'll do it" she said eagerly and Wanda slightly jumped up and down, Cora closed her eyes to concentrate herself on finding Wanda's mind and forming a link with it

Banana!

AGH you scared me

"It was kind of the point, witchling" she answered out loud to her friend, who was at the moment clutching her chest trying to stop herself from going into cardiac arrest, apparently people get shitless scared when out of nowhere a voice in their head screams 'banana', or anything for that matter

"I hate you" said Wanda with a pout when she got her breath back, she turned her back towards the stew waiting to be served and spoke "Friday, notify everyone that dinner is ready and if they don't arrive in two minutes Cora and I will put spells on their suits so they all look like fairy costumes"

"Right away, miss Maximoff"

"Oooh, let's do that even if they do come here in time please!" Said Cora with mischief in her eyes, helping the younger Maximoff on plating dinner

- - -

Everyone was sitting on their spots in the table, though there was an extra one for the newcomer, who had to be dragged from the library by a hungry Thor

The team was eating and chatting, friendly banter going around the group as it always did, but there were two magical beings who were particularly silent

Did you read Tony's mind just now?

No, but I'm guessing it has to be something along the lines of wanting to be riled by Strange

When Wanda said that, Cora choked on air as she was trying to keep her laughter in. Thor, who was at her right, patted her back in concern, but after a few more coughs Cora just waved him off and let him go back to his interesting talk about pigs and cows with Banner and Clint. Though, from the seat next to the blonde god, a very curious god of mischief kept his eyes narrowed on her

Why is Loki looking at you like that?

How the hell am i supposed to know, do I look like an oracle? Wait scratch that, 'cause I definitely do

Oookay... anyways, I read Nat's mind and you won't believe what I heard happened this morning

Ooh, tell me tell me tell me

Someone was apparently talking with some mystery person over the phone

Cora rolled her eyes at that, of course, she thought she would get a little more time before the teasing began

Please shut up

So... who's Alejo?

"Yeah, Cora, who is Alejo?" Both her and Wanda whipped their heads towards the voice, everyone else's conversation immediately came to an end at the sound of the previously silent god's question

"Hey, it's not cool to get into other people's conversations, didn't they teach you manners down there in golden Asgard?" Questioned the woman pointing an accusatory finger at the raven haired prince

"Wait, what? Who's Alejo? Sabrina's got a boyfriend?" Asked very loudly a shocked Tony

"Yeah, but how does Loki know about it?" Pondered the russian assassin

"You have a boyfriend and told my brother before telling me?!?" Boomed the voice of a very confused yet hurt Thor

"No no no, Thor, don't worry, goldilocks, I don't have a boyfriend, Alejo is a friend from back home, your stupid brother was just being intrusive and eavesdropped on a conversation between Wands and I" explained Cora, rubbing the back of her friend (who was probably at the verge of tears), not forgetting to cast a murderous glance towards the handsome god of mischief while she did so, who in return gave her a mock hurt expression

"Okay, I don't believe you at all. But how did horns over there listen to you? God you were not even talking!" Exclaimed Barton and both Francis and Maximoff shrank into their seats and focused on their almost finished plates

"They were communicating telepathically" revealed a smug looking Loki

Silence fell upon the group as the new information dawned on them, until realization hit one of them like a truck

"They were reading our minds and gushing about it!" Yelled an enraged Natasha, and then, pandora's box was opened, all hell broke loose, pure chaos

I'm gonna kill the goth prince

Don't bother, he's still very much listening to our conversation

"That would be true, yes, very clever, darling" voiced the god with mock praise, over the erupting whines and complaints of the enraged heroes

Go suck a toe, dear

Wait how can he listen to us?

Remember how I said this is like my mind's porch? Well, Loki is the neighbourhood's Karen, hiding behind a bush to fish out dirt

You wound me so

Get out before i kick you out

You wouldn't dare

Watch me

"OUCH!" Cried the god of mischief with his hands over his ears and temples

"Told ya, sweetheart" said Cora with a shit-eating grin before addressing the still chaotic table of heroes, who were now probably conspiring against the two sorceresses "Stop grousing, it's not our fault your thoughts are so loud, we promise we'll stop though and if it means anything, this was the first time we've done such a thing, cross my heart" Assured the woman calmly, eventually everyone carried on with their meal, not without sending more threats toward the two women.

Wanda was chatting with Vision and Pietro, and Cora engaged in a heated debate between Bucky and Tony about strongest metals

Are we really going to stop?

Of course not, but it puts the simpletons at ease if we say we will

Wait, can Loki still hear us? Will he rat us out?

No, don't worry

Yes

Get out

Don't feel like it

Please don't tell anyone, pretty please

The physical appearance of the please makes no difference, little witch

You can be part of the gossipping if you keep your mouth shut

...

yes?

Deal

Yay!

So, Cora...

What?

Who is Alejo?

Why you wanna know? Jealous? You in looove with Cora?

The second that was said, the god, flustered and red as a tomato, set his fork down abruptly and walked out of the room without another word

"Well, I guess he's not gonna do the dishes" joked Cora, trying to dismiss both the prince who had left the dinner table so suddenly, and the furious red that made its way up to the tip of her ears

"Interesting" said the redhead witch, after witnessing both reactions, her mind flying through schemes and plans to get them together, or at least mess with them 

Chapter Text

"All i'm saying is, if he would just let me go through his mind, we could clear up his name" she sighed as she walked with his friend, "your brother is being unreasonable, i'm trying to help you by helping him, but he's not really cooperating" she said apologetically to the taller man to her side

"You wouldn't let anyone go through your mind either, Lolite" 

"Yes, but i'm not currently residing in a world which i am believed to have tried to take over, living with the very same team I fought and traumatised" 

"Talking about me are we?" a voice said from behind them as they made their way to the training rooms 

"Thor, are you hearing something?" she mocked calmly not glancing towards the voice

"Very funny, very mature" he snarled, "tell me, Odinson, does she follow you around everywhere? Your pet?" he chuckled proudly when that made her turn around

"Loki" Thor warned halfheartedly

"Oh, it's no use defending her, such a pesky little thing" he tsked, "I gotta say, brother, nice catch" he said, moving past the woman. He felt the air shift behind him slightly and he turned around just in time to stop a knife from slicing his throat

"You really don't wanna do that"

"Trust me, I really do" she smiled menacingly, before walking towards him again, dagger in hand, and magic twirling around her fingers

"Brother, Cora, just..." Thor started, but seeing as they had already started hand to hand combat, he just trailed off to himself "stop"

The two sorcerers started going back and forth neither of them being able to land a punch, somehow they ended up perfectly situated in the middle of the training room

"You really should practice a bit more before trying to take on an asgardian warrior" he said after once again catching her fist, "maybe that way you'd actually draw some blood"

She retaliated only by smirking as her foot met the back of his knees making him falter long enough for her to throw an energy ball at his chest

"Low blow" he spat, quickly rushing to his feet with now a dagger on each hand, "to be expected from a low being", he said before twelve more Loki's materialised sorrounding Cora, the real prince hidden amongst them

"Think fast. mortal"

Cora closed her eyes for a fraction of a second, as all of them launched at her, she opened them and striked a direct blow to an specific clone, as soon as her sword sliced his cheek, the rest of the illusions disappeared. and left was a disgruntled Friggason holding his hand against his face in pain and disbelief

"Not so chatty, huh?" she finally said, quickly throwing her legs around his neck and bringing him to the ground in a straddle, she used her magic to immobilize him, "i'm not sorry for what i'm about to do"

She saw panic flash through his eyes, but she had already moved her hands to his temples. She regreted it instantly, she saw a hundred different memories, she saw blood, saw the mind stone, saw Thanos, heard Thanos, he wasn't speaking to her, she was seeing it all from Loki's perspective.

But the worst thing was the pain that came with the memories, next thing she saw was snippets of the battle of New york, she saw disaster, she felt helpless, she felt so, so, incredibly helpless, she wanted it to stop. He wanted it to stop.

She gasped for air and when her eyes opened again, she was being held back by Thor, meanwhile Loki stayed on the ground in pure shock

"I was right" she mumbled, she felt sick, "Thor, put- Put me down!" she yelled

The raiven haired god saw as she slowly made her way to him, how dare she? Look at him with such pity? Such sympathy. This woman absolutely revolted him.

She grabbed his hands and he tried to break free from her hold. "You got what you wanted, now leave me alone" he said dangerously low, she didn't seem faced by the comment, better said, the threat.

Her hands once again glowed lilac and the next second the magical restraints around his wrists were gone, Loki's whole face seemed to recover colour, and without even realising it he let out a sigh of relief , which did not go unnoticed by either the woman or the blonde god

The second that was done, she turned around to walk out of that room, her mind not having yet recovered from the whirlwind of such heavy emotions, she'd almost made it out when she felt a sharp pain on her back, a forest green dagger impaled on her back, she chuckled drily, pulled it out and pocketed it away. Her eyes made their way to the god, who tried his best to conceal his own cyclone of emotions, she shook her head and smiled, seemingly composed, then simply walked out

- - -

A knock on the door pulled her out of her daydreaming, silently sending a wisp of magic to open the door, she let whoever was outside in

"Hey, Miss Cora, are you doing okay?" 

"What did i tell you about the miss thing?"

"Sorry, uhm, are you... Should i leave?" Peter asked awakwardly standing by the doorfram, his feet balancing from left to right

"No, sorry, what's wrong? You need me for something?" she asked, turning to face the boy properly and give her his attention

"Mr. Stark actually asked me to come and get you, he didn't sound very happy" he said, absentmindedly moving to tinker with the stuff in Cora's desk

"Oh, right, I kind of went rogue this morning and freed our prisoner of his shackles" she said with a grimace 

Peter grimaced as well, but seemed to think for a second before speaking, "I walked into him after lunch, he seemed more..." he trailed off, "I just know he seemed different, for the better, he even said hello to Wanda and I"

"Congrats, Pete, you might have made an ally out of the god of mischief" she sighed proudly

"So... You and Mr Loki" he started after some seconds of silence 

"Get out" 

- - -

"I'm not hearing it" she said calmly as the billionaire followed her restlessly

"You listen to me right now or so help me god i will-"

"You will? Oh, please let me hear the end of that sentence" Cora said, abruptly halting her walk, "we've got an audience, c'mon, threaten me, see where that gets you" she said with a sweet smile

"This is a fucking team, Coralina, a team! Not your solo show, you don't just go around making big decisions like this without us" 

"You are going to talk about teams, Stark? Sorry, guys?" she said, talking to the rest of the team intently watching, "Was anyone, other than Bruce, aware of Ultron? The big decision our friend made about how the world should be protected?" her question was met by silence

"That's different and you know it" 

"Is it?" the stare off was getting uncomfortable, no one wanted to interfere, but really they couldn't keep having it

"I've redeemed myself" Tony finally said

"Well, I don't even have anything to redeem myself for" she stubbornly argued

"Cora, cut it off" Steve said, fed up with the whole drama, "Tony's right, we're a team, it wasn't your decision to make", slowly all the avengers showed their agreement, Thor being the last to do so

The grey-eyed woman just silently stared at everyone, her eyes threatening for some reason to shut, her mind screaming at her to run away, her mother's voice echoing her disappointments, her lips almost trembling, anguish feeling up her chest, she had never had a panic attack, she wasn't even sure she could have one of those, but still, by the way her throat didn't seem to be letting air in nor out, it seemed possible after all. Her heaving wasn't unseen by the group, but they didn't know how to approach, how to help, they were also slightly ready for a fight. They had never seen her like this

"I need a minute" she said as calm and collected as she could, which wasn't very calm and collected at all. She ignored the calls from Thor and Wanda as she teleported away from the common room and appeared somewhere else

Her hearing was troubled, her senses were betraying her, her sight was dazed and the depths of surfaces were definitely not right, she tried to sit on a cushion and she felt like she was falling for ages before her body finally touched the sofa, her whole face was wet, and she didn't even know where sweat stopped and tears began, in fact she hadn't even realised she was crying to begin with. 

Thoughts and memories mixed in the most inoportune way possible, showing her the feeling she was so unused to feeling: failure. She wasn't allowed to fail, she didn't have that human privilege, she couldn't fail, she couldn't let these people down, she couldn't even imagine having to see them again, the way they looked at her, the disappointment, the discomfort, it made her feel sick, and even though deep down she was aware she was maybe even being dramatic, right at that moment nothing felt more real than her disturbing worries

"Francis, c'mon, look at me" a voice urged her on, "there you go, hey" the voice said when she finally looked up from her cradled position, "your eyes seem to have a fog, can you see me?" they spoke once again, a light shining in front of her immediately after

"What are you doing here Loki? I thought i'd made it obvious i needed a minute" she said in a low quiet voice

"It doesn't matter, just focus on breathing" he shushed simply, his hand tentatively running up and down her back

"I just" she sighed "couldn't believe that your brother didn't stick by my side" she laughed, "I get it, but just- You have no idea the pain he was feeling, how worried he was for you, i just wanted to help him, he's so important and-" her heartbeat once again started to race

"It's alright, the oaf probably didn't realise"

"And it wasn't all because i wanted my friend to be happy", that prompted an eyebrow raise from the prince, "I despise you, believe me, but i do also think you're innocent" she said

Taken aback, he just solemnly nodded once and conjured up a glass of water for the woman

"How did you follow me?" Cora asked once she had downed the drink

"I have my ways"

"Why did you follow me?"

"How were you able to pick me apart from my illusions?" he said instead of answering, this elicited a snort from the recovering woman 

"I just looked for your heartbeat"

- - -

"Miss Cora has requested your presence in the kitchen" Friday announced later that evening

Slowly all the Avengers piled into the room, looking at the woman with her back to them on the counter. She turned around with a sheepish smile and twelve plates floating around her, she started handing them out to each of them as she spoke, "I'm sorry for what i did, I'm sorry i acted impulsively, I'm sorry i walked out, I'm sorry for trying to justify my mistake and trying to shame you into forgiving me" she said, the last part directed specifically to Stark, "Loki has agreed to explain what happened to him, he'll explain what I saw that made me take his cuffs off"

Upon having all the attention on him, the god of mischief cleared his throat and stood up higher, his whole demeanor showing his upbring as royalty, "i'm sure Thor has already told you that after a little family discussion I fell off the rainbow bridge and he assumed i had died, clearly imistaken" he started sarcastically, but his tone became clearly more somber, "when i fell, i just kept falling, i ended up in a deserted planet for, i don't know, a week, when a ship found me, a creature called Thanos had found the Mind Stone, he offered me an army and the weapon to finally have my ruling, the kingdom i deserved, in exchange, i only had to get him the Tesseract"

"So, you were given an offer and took it? My, my, you really are innocent" Stark scoffed, which earned him a simultaneous eye roll from the green eyed god and the grey eyed woman

"I'd be lying if i said i didn't consider it" he remarked, "but I didn't much appreaciate his airs of arrogance and his delirious prophet behaviour, i would just become another pawn, no thank you"

"You declined then" Natasha mumbled more to herself, but the god nodded nonetheless

"I will spare the details, but, as you know, us demented powerful creatures don't really enjoy being rejected", Thor flinched at the way his brother referred to himself as such a being, but refrained from speaking. "He decided to exploit the fact i was still in great harm and suffering from the fall, and took me to the ship, at first he was just trying to negotiate, but when he saw my resistance, torture became his new approach" he felt uncomfortable that much was clear to everyone, he continued, "this went on through the year or so between New Mexico and New York, at last he had vulnerated my mind off to such an extent, that he was able to use the mind stone on me to fulfill his wishes, to turn into his puppet"

Thre group was silent, until Cora spoke up, "I'm sure it's still hard to believe him, and me for that matter, but i've made a tiny compilation of footage and proof i have that back his words", she said gesturing for them to follow her to the TV, in there Friday had already set the whole presentation up, firstly, Shield's footage of his first appearance at the lab where Selvig was working

"Okay, now focus on his eyes, please" the image zoomed up on the god's face, "so, pretty blue if you ask me, now if you'd just look to our guest here, what do you see?" 

"Green, clearly" Bucky spoke, being the closest standing to Loki

"We don't even need footage, you remember Clint's eyes, they were a very deep blue, even his pupils had a foggy blue in them, when he was under 'Loki's' control, now they are their natural blue hue"

She took a moment for that information to settle, then moved to the following, "This one is courtesy of Stark's Tower surveillance" she announced, on the screen a blurry video of Thor and Loki fighting on the rooftop, when the god of thunder finally wins the upper hand and forces his brother to look upon the burning city, "It's too late. It's too late to stop it"

"Oh, god, look at his eyes" the Scarlet witch gasps, just before Loki stabs his brother, "They... they really changed there" she says in disbelief

"My theory, Clint breoke out of his trance by blunt trauma, same goes for when Thor punches Loki: he goes through a second of clarity, but that's not enough, his mind is much more complex, and the brainwashing much more extensive, now add a Hulk to the equation, and there you have it" she clapped, then looked around expectantly

"Cognitive recalibration" the widow breathed out, "I believe you", that earned many surprised glances, "you did good, котенок" the red haired praised with a pat on Cora's shoulder and made her way to her designated couch

"I mean, if the black widow is on my side..." Cora joked and laughed relieved

"it will be a process, but, alright, I think we can agree on Loki no longer being here as a prisoner" the captain finally said after a silent conversation between him and Tony

"And?" she said with a hopeful smile

"And you've officially redeemed yourself, Sabrina" Stark said with a laugh, giving her a side hug 

Loki found himself not being able to restrain the soft smile that made its way to his face as he saw the woman giggling and celebrating

Chapter Text

"IT'S MADNESS! I WANT HIM OUT, NOW!"

"Sir, please, just hear us out!"

That was the kind of chaos Cora woke up to that damned wednesday, it had been just a week since she had taken the cuffs off the god, and the team had gotten used to the trickster parading around the tower, but the outside world still had no idea of the new resident of the Avengers compound

well, until the previous day

Let's rewind a bit.

It was a tuesday, and Cora was on a secret mission, the type of missions she didn't tell the team she was in, the sort of mission that she would get thanks to the intel she got periodically from Heimdall.

Now, how would that be possible? Surely governments, organizations, etcetera would be opposed to the idea of a rogue hero doing whatever the hell she felt like, especially one under the Avengers' wing. That was thankfully, not the case, all thanks to Director Nicholas Fury

You see, she met him after their first big mission, everyone was very worried about her meeting the big boss, what with all her sarcasm, jokes and overall very non-serious and almost irresponsible behaviour.

But it went pretty well.

- - -

"Okay, where is the new one?" Questioned the man as soon as he stepped into the meeting room where Rogers, Stark, Romanoff, Barton and Francis were waiting

"That would be me, Director, pleasure to meet you" she said with her apparently never dying smile, she was smart enough not to make a move on shaking his hand or anything, she just gave him a very childish wave and sat down

"Yeah... pleasure, miss" said the man with an air of superiority and wariness, the other four chaperone heroes were looking at the introduction before them, silently and on edge, fearing that a wrong move from the woman would lead her to a cage, or worse.

"Guys, your thoughts are very loud, why don't you leave so the director and I can have a proper chat" said Cora, more demanding than asking. Fury gave a firm nod and the four scattered away, probably to the security room where they would be able to at least observe the conversation.

"So, miss Francis, what are you? I assume you're not from... around here" said the eyepatched man, sitting directly in front of her

Cora laughed lightly and answered "Well, of course not, given your sources, that's hardly a difficult assumption, Nicholas... or do you prefer Joseph?" Asked the woman teasingly

"I prefer Fury, miss-"

"I'll call you Nickie, but it shall be our secret, I sense you like the whole fear and respect thing you've got going on when it comes to your subordinates" she dismissed, "so tell me, Nickie, what do you need from me?" There was a hint of bewilderment in how the director's lips twitched upwards and his eyes slightly widened, masked to the naked eye.

"We want your story"

"Counteroffer!" she yelled enthusiastically, "I'll tell you just a bit of my story and on top of that, i'll do some missions for you" she said with a toothy smile

"You want to be an agent?" Asked the man, shocked and now unquestionably amused by the woman in front of him

"Yes, Nickie, I have important intel from a friend above the skies, he's a real sunshine, you give me the clear to act upon that intel, and whatever good I do, will have been done under Shield's name"

"So, what? i'm gonna let another alien take care of my planet?"

"Well, you've got Thor, and he's been a dear so far, hasn't he? Apart from the first time he crashed into your planet" she cringed, "consider me an improvement, for example, I have actual decent social skills, I mean, I wouldn't throw cups of empty coffee as a way of asking for a refill, if you know what I mean"

"I very much so know what you mean, miss"

"So we have a deal, Nickie?" Asked Cora wiggling her eyebrows up and down

"Not yet, why do you want to be an agent? You're that big of a good person, being part of the Avengers isn't enough you want to do even more?"

"Where I come from we are trained since we can walk, not for war, it's just in our DNA to fight" she started melancholically, "i've been without a fight for two years, that's why I joined the avengers, but, as it turns out, there aren't weekly alien invasions, so i'm still looking for a way of relieving this ache, you know? Scratch the itch? I figured it's either constantly training without making an impact, or taking advantage of my skills for the better"

The director seemed to take in her words before nodding, "we'll go over the details when you tell me your story, but welcome aboard, Agent...?"

"Agent Coralina, that's the full version of the name, Cora is sweeter though, don't you think?" She blabbed while shaking Fury's hand

"Sure thing, agent Coralina"

And that's how it went, no one but the two knows what happened during that meeting, the security footage of that room was magically destroyed, but at least Cora didn't end up in a cage, so the team took it as a win.

As for the woman, well, she was like the organisation's secret asset. She told Fury, or 'Nickie', who she was, why she was there, ranted a bit about her family drama over ice-cream and pizza, she explained what kind of intel she had and, emphasized the request of keeping her cooperation with Shield on the down low

Fury was a big name, he had connections, important ones, and she had the chance to be on his good side, she definitely needed that kind of ally. He was also trusted by Carol Danvers, so if she said he was trustworthy, Cora had no other choice but to take her word as gospel.

- - -

That's why Cora had been away that tuesday, she was busy taking down a minor enemy that was playing around with gamma radiation, things got out of control very quickly though

She was in the lab retrieving what had been stolen from Shield, and before she knew it, the guys had set off a bomb in the city, Madrid, leaving civilians panicking on the streets.

She could have handled it in a second, but apparently her new 'boss' didn't think so

"The Avengers have been called as backup" announced one of the agents, Coulson on her comms

"Are you kidding me Couls? I had it under control, tell the pirate i'm gonna fucking kill him next time I see him" replied a very angry Cora, who had just sent a wisp of magic around all the scientific equipment to teleport it to the helicarrier and was now making her way down the main street where the commotion was happening

"I'm here as well Coralina, watch your mouth" scolded the director through the device

"Oh, watch my mouth? you watch my mouth, you fucker" and then she started yelling profanities at the director, while she took out the 'bad guys', only stopping when AC/DC started playing out of nowhere

"What the hell is Sabrina doing here, didn't she say she was spending the day in the sanctum?" Stark's muffled and robotic voice sounded from behind his suit's mask

"Yeah, I took a bit of a detour" said Cora with a shrug

Everyone was there in their uniforms, ready for a battle... Everyone

"Wait, what the hell is the greasy god doing here?" Asked Cora with wide eyes upon seeing him there, battle custome on, he even had the horns "Ha, Fury is gonna kill all of you" sang Cora, then tapped her ear piece to catch Coulson's attention on the other side "Hey man, you watching this? He almost killed you didn't he?" She asked still cheerfully, finding the whole thing pretty funny

"Yes, and I'm not so sure if I'm scared or if I wanna get on a quinjet and pay back the favour" confessed a very angry agent

"Oh, c'mon, that was in the past, he is a good guy" The rest of the team eyed her confusedly, she just waved them off and mouthed 'agent stuff' to which the heroes were left even more perplexed, but carried on with the fight nevertheless

"Tell Rogers and Stark that I'm swinging by tomorrow and that they better get their asses ready for my foot" said the director with his usual monotonous tone

"Kinky" giggled the woman before adding "That's what you get for having men as the assigned leaders, if Nat and I were in charge, this wouldn't happen" assured Cora with her playfulness at the maximum

Cora saw the team struggling and sighed, "for earth's mightiest heroes you sure are having a hard time with a little bomb and bad guys in pajamas"

She put an end to the battle, purple magic surrounded the still standing members of the terrorist group, leaving them in handcuffs, and another explosion of lilac engulfed the chaotic city, putting it back to how it was before the bomb had gone off. Thankfully the whole ordeal ended casualty-free and they were able to go home

"Well, that's a wrap, see you at home" Cora said opening a portal and jumping through, leaving the rest to go back in the quinjet

The group looked at each other and after a second two purple rings began forming under two members of the group.

Shortly after, the two fell through the portal and waited to crash against a hard surface, instead, they landed on soft mattresses in the middle of the common room in the tower

"I couldn't leave my favourites behind, sorry, next time i'll ask before teleporting you... anyways, Brooklyn 99 marathon?" Asked Cora from her chair close to the TV (which was in fact ready to watch the american sitcom) to Wanda and Peter who nodded frantically.

- - -

After two episodes of the show the three heard the jet landing and soon the tired and hungry heroes started filling up, angrily glaring at the three slouched figures in the chair and sofa, with three empty ice cream tubes in the coffee table and a pizza box in each of their laps

"Your thoughts are very loud so stop insulting me and go to the kitchen, there's a pizza box and a tube for each of you, go nuts" announced Cora without taking her eyes from the screen

Soon they all scurried towards the kitchen in search of the promised food, quick to come back in time for the beginning of the next episode

in the middle of the best scene, Stark paused it and stared at Cora, everyone looked at him with furrowed brows, Cora just raised hers expectantly

"What the hell were you doing in Spain today?" realization dawned on everyone else, and their confusion was swapped by a look of interest

"I've been working with Shield, this was a mission, stupid Fury thought I needed your help, stupid, stupid, stupid" she muttered the last parts to herself, though, judging by the smirks and held-in laughter of her friends, they had managed to hear her loud and clear

"Since- uh- when?" asked Thor

"Since the time I met Nick?"

"He doesn't like being called that, just so you know" advised the archer, to which Cora just rolled her eyes, knowing full well that they would flip out if they ever found out that she, on a regular basis, called him 'pirate', 'Nickie' and even 'Furry' if she wanted to be exceptionally irritating

"Huh, so you work for Shield like everdeen and our dominatrix" mused Stark, referring to Clint and Natasha (which earned him a punch and a kick in the balls)

"With Shield" corrected Cora with a smug smirk, "And, take it from me, who has practically been spending four out of the seven days of the week with the man, Fury will come here and probably try to take our goth prince into custody" added the woman pointing a finger to Loki, who shivered at the thought

"Don't worry Mr. Loki, I'm sure everyone will do the best they can to keep you here" reassured Peter, he had apparently bonded with the god at some point, probably over video games, Loki proved to be a master at COD and bullying little kids (and unemployed adults) online, who'd have thought?

"Thanks spiderling, but I doubt that the rest of the world will be as quick to forgive me as you all have been" the god said, solemnly. Everyone tried to share more comforting words to the poor raven haired man, but Cora didn't seem to have caught that vibe before she opened her mouth

"Oh, yeah, that's for sure, i mean Coulson is still sending me angry texts about it, last one I think he called you 'emo terrorist with god complex'..." she chuckled with her mouth full of pizza, "On second thought, I wouldn't pay him much attention, he's very salty, he still hasn't fully forgiven me for eating his last brownie" she added while putting the show back on, at her words, everyone stopped and deadpanned at her, which she realized after a minute of silence

She turned around and saw them still glaring at her, confused she turned to her left to ask Loki, and seeing him, staring at his lap with a frown that made him look like a sad puppy, caused her to, for the first time since after their introduction, be nice to the god of mischief

So she tapped on her telepathic connection with the man, blocking the scarlet witch from listening in

Hey, mischief, i'm sorry, I promise they won't take you, not Fury, not Coulson, not anyone. And I assure you i won't stop pestering them until they stop blaming you for what happened, I don't care if I have to explain what happened with Thanos in every language 

Loki didn't answer, but he did look up from his lap towards the woman, suspicious of her words, Cora gave him a tight lipped grin and the god's eyes mirrored an unusual trust in them. They stared at each other for what felt like hours and seconds at the same time, oblivious to the world outside their bubble. Thankfully they both recovered before the rest of the team could notice the way-too-long eye contact

Cora cleared her throat and spoke, getting up from her seat and walking towards the elevator to go to her floor, the show suddenly forgotten, "Yeah, well, we won't let anything too bad happen to Loki, but it doesn't mean Fury won't give you a piece of his mind tomorrow, good luck, losers, agent Coralina out" she finishes when she's inside of the lift, pretending to drop a mic

- - -

So, now that you're all up to speed

"IT'S MADNESS! I WANT HIM OUT, NOW!" That was undoubtedly the director's voice

"Sir, please, just hear us out, it wasn't his fault!" And that was the angelical sound of America's golden retriever, or Steve.

Cora made her way towards the compound's helipad, where all the screaming was coming from, and the scene before her left her somewhere between absolute shock and wanting to erupt in laughter

Fury, Hill and Coulson were there, serious, professional and angry as always. Phil had a gun pointed to Loki's head and the rest of the heroes were yelling in their sleepwear

"Agent, please, put the gun down, I believe my friend has some explaining to do? Kinda hard to talk when you have your brains blown out, don't you think?" requested Cora light-heartedly as she approached them

"Nick, must you really ambush us at the crack of dawn?" She spoke again when the god no longer was being held at gunpoint, this time directing her words towards the eyepatched man in front of her

"Shut up, Cora, I'm pissed" he said with his no bullshit voice, which the woman really paid no mind to

"yeah, well, guess what, dipshit, I'm pissed as well, it's fucking 5am on a wednesday, I love wednesdays, you just ruined my favourite day of the week!" She said exasperated waving her hands around the air for emphasis. The whole team watched the whole thing, once again, fearing that Cora's bluntness would be her demise, which obviously didn't happen since the director just rolled his eyes and ignored the woman.

"Explanation, now" demanded Fury, and so Thor took over and explained everything to him from when Loki fell off the bridge to when Thor took him back to Asgard after New York

"... He's doing good, Fury, and he has yesterday as proof of it, he joined the team on the mission, and he did great" continued Cora after Thor had finished, "Oh! And about that mission, you little shit, I HAD IT UNDER CONTROL!" everyone's jaws fell open when they saw the director's minimal flinch caused by Cora, who just smugly smiled and winked at Wanda and Peter who were shivering from the early morning freeze.

Everyone started leaving the helipad, the soldiers probably to get ready for their matutinal run, and the rest to get breakfast and maybe go back to sleep, until the only ones left were the Shield guests and Cora

She ran towards the man and hugged him tightly

"Nickie! I missed you, are we still on for sundae sunday?" She asked with wide smile and bright eyes when they broke the embrace

The director laughed and nodded, then got a more serious face and spoke "How are you handling it? I know next week is the anniversary" he asked carefully

Cora shrugged and her demeanor made a change, a light frown taking place in her face "a thousand years, man, it still feels like a century ago" she chuckled awkwardly, "I'm fine though, I think i'll go home and finally join the rest, they always hang out in the bar, drink away their pain and cheer for their lost friend, I always mourn alone... but the 1000th anniversary is a good time to finally make an appearance, don't you think?" Fury just gave her an understanding look and gave her another hug, they stayed like that for another minute, the man rubbing the woman's back comfortingly and Cora trying her best to keep her sobs in

"If you happen to see Carol, send her my best please" said Fury when they separated, Cora nodded and they both went their own ways, he went to the helicopter and she stepped out of the helipad and into the elevator

From behind one of the many bushes close to the door, a worried and confused god of mischief dropped his cloaking shield, wondering what the woman was talking about, the woman who one minute did her best to make sure she infuriated him to the core and the next second telepathically vowed to protect him from the earthlings who may take him away.

To say Cora Francis was a bit of an enigma for Loki Friggason would be an understatement.

Chapter Text

"My friends, we are back!" Yelled the god of thunder stepping out of the elevator and into the living room with Cora besides him

"Yeah, point break, we are not blind nor deaf" said Tony without taking his eyes off the TV

"I am kinda deaf, actually" argued Clint pointing to his hearing aid, he too, like everyone else, without breaking his eyes from the screen

"Anyway, what were you guys do- Oh" Steve interrupted himself once he finally looked up at the two figures in the doorway, looking like shit.

The way the captain abruptly ended his question and kept quiet caused the rest of the lounging heroes to turn their heads up and finally look at their friends

"Had a mission, told Fury 'hey man, let me bring goldilocks, he's great'" she said in a high pitched voice, "if I don't get fired it will all be thanks to my cute ass, this man went in without gathering any sort of information and just started sending lightning towards the scientists we had to bring in" explained Cora grumpily, making her way towards Tony's bar in search of Thor's flask and taking a long swig when she finally found it.

"I take it as a win" shrugged a disheveled Thor

"Of course you do" she coughed sourly, "I'm officially done with asgardians" declared the woman, her bloody clothes vanishing and in their place a Led Zeppelin shirt and a pair of mom jeans

"Ouch" said the god of mischief not taking his nose out of his book

"You don't count" dismissed the woman making her way towards her own seat, which was perfectly placed to the left of where the brooding prince was reading

Loki furrowed his brows in confusion, he didn't know whether he should take it as a compliment from Cora, saying that he was an exception to her newly announced asgardian hate, or if she was indirectly telling him she knew he was not fully asgardian, therefore why she hated it him so much, his heritage

"Your thoughts are awfully loud, your majesty" hummed Cora taking out from under her cushion the book she was currently reading

"So you do know then" stated the god, no one was paying attention to them anymore, too preoccupied with their own things

"I know everything Lokes, don't worry I won't tell anyone you are part asgardian part Elsa of Arendelle" joked Cora, slightly easing the fear the prince had about people knowing his true heritage, but forcing him to scowl at her choice of words

"You should take it as a compliment, I always had a thing for real power" Cora told Loki with a flirtatious and teasing tone that did nothing but bring a hint of a blush on the man's cheeks, one she didn't catch since she still had her eyes fixed on her book

"I relate so much to Elsa" said the scarlet witch loudly, having apparently heard a bit of the bookworms conversation

"Merida all the way" argued Clint

"The kids showed me Brave, they were vikings, no choice but to stan" agreed Thor who had been hanging out too much with the twins and Peter

"Cinderella" said Bucky

"Snow White" followed Steve

"Huh, how very revealing, right?" Cora said absentmindedly to the god of thunder, who was now seating in the sofa to her right, earning a few chuckles from the two asgardian princes

"I like Tiana, she's literally me" said Tony

"You're a white man who got his company from his dead daddy, are you fucking kidding me?" Asked the metal armed soldier in disbelief

"Shut up you killed my daddy" replied the billionaire, the same thing he always said to get out of an argument with Bucky, who just rolled his eyes

"Mulan, definitely" said Nat

"I'm gonna go with Tiana as well, plus what Stark said was hella offensive and I'm not gonna let it go unless he dips my wings in gold" announced Sam, who was met with cheers for the good idea

"Really, Sam? Thought you'd say Snow White too" said Cora again and when she was met with confused glances from everyone but the younger avengers and the blushing mess that was Sam she added, in order to save her friend a bit of his dignity "You know... because she talked with birds and all" they bought it and while everyone kept discussing best and worst princesses Cora sent a two thumbs up towards Sam who face palmed at the woman's stupid save.

- - -

"What's that?" 

"Peace offering" 

The god's peace and quiet had been interrupted by the sound of the library's door opening and closing, rather loudly. His eyebrows forrowed, no one really used the library, the Avengers certainly didn't appreciate the gold in paper they had in these walls, better for him, he had his solitude, until he was so rudely heckled by the woman who finally had made her way to him, a plate with freshly baked cinnamon rolls in her hands, the smell almost capable of being tasted

"What's the catch?" he asked with scepticism

"No catch, just felt like being a friend" she shrugged and set the goods in the coffee table, conjuring as well two cups of tea 

"Oh, we are friends now?" he asked mockingly, the woman just nodded like it was obvious, "yesterday you left me to fend for myself against twenty hydra soldiers" 

"Well, you're always saying you want a challenge, I was just helping" she said trying to hold in her laughter

"Oh, hilarious, really, wow" he grumbled, clapping his hands slowly

"Accept the peace offering you moron" she said exasperated, trying to swat his hands away to stop him from clapping

He silently grabbed his tea and sipped, "You know how I take it" he said more to himself

"Yeah, bitter and strong, just like you" 

"Thank you, darling" he said with a smile, making the woman do a double take

"Hey! No, it wasn't a compliment" she protested, "You better wipe out that smile"

"Or what?" he said, his smile even wider now 

She just stood up stiffly and walked away without saying anything else

"Oh, c'mon, you left your tea!" the god tried, even though he was too busy laughing at the glimpse he had gotten to see of a blush before she turned around

- - -

Cora sat on the roof with her feet dangling off the edge of the building, it was saturday night, everyone was asleep and she was gloomily staring into the space with her phone tightly clutched on her left hand against her ear

"... Yes... No, i'll be seeing her group of friends... Sorry, I don't think I'll be able to see you"

"Hey, It's okay, don't worry, you haven't seen any of them in a thousand years, I just didn't want you to be alone tomorrow" replied Lenora trying to reassure the woman, though Cora still sensed the trace of disappointment in her voice, which broke her heart in a million tiny pieces

At the same time, a restless god of mischief wandered around the tower and coincidentally ended up at the roof's door to see, and hear, Cora, the impossibly enthusiastic woman, on the verge of tears and no idea as to why

"I miss you so much, you have no idea, I love you, sunshine" on the other line the girl said her goodbyes and hung up, and as soon as she did that, Cora untied the knot in her throat and let the sobs escape from her mouth and the tears from her eyes, rocking herself back and forth like a lonely little kid waking up from a nightmare

"I know you're there Loki, come on out" she said in a dry chuckle

The god approached her and sat down next to her, both in silence, she, trying to calm herself, and him having a million thoughts swirling through his head

Was this related to the conversation he had heard between her and Fury last wednesday? Does it mean tomorrow would be the anniversary of something? Who was she speaking to? Did she say she loved them? Does she love someone? Does her heart belong to someone else? 'someone else'? What does that 'else' mean? And why would he care? Should he try to comfort her? Should he just leave?

After minutes of both minds going at 200km per hour, Loki finally spoke up

"Why are you letting me see you like this?" He asked in such a hushed voice that if it hadn't been for how closely they were seating, she probably wouldn't have heard it

Cora, who had finally ceased her crying, giggled a bit, looking at the god with slight amusement

"You just found someone crying on the rooftop at 2am after talking with some mystery person on the phone, but you're so self centered that you ask me why I let you see me like that instead of asking about my wellbeing" she ppinted out, "you suck Friggason" what she said was completely true and almost harsh, but the way she said it, so light-heartedly and teasing, it only made Loki roll his eyes

"I'll ask about it after you answer, I promise" he said jokingly earning a friendly shove on his side from the grey eyed woman

Cora sighed in contemplation and defeat, "Because I'm too tired to push you away Loki, that's why, today I just can't" she finally admitted, the god took it as confirmation that the whole thing was, indeed, related to whatever commemoration took place that day (since, well, it was practically sunday)

"Okay, well, if you're that tired to push me away then I can ask you as many questions as i please and maybe you'll answer them" he said, teasingly, he didn't hope for answers at all, at the moment he just supposed that maybe his jesting would bring a smile to the woman, and that, right then and there, was all he hoped to get out of her.

Cora did smile for a second, but it was replaced by a stoic face, Loki could almost see her brain's gears turning as she thought of what she was about to say.

After a minute of contemplation she decided to just go with it

"You wanna know who I was talking with?" She asked him, shifting her gaze from the starry night towards the starstrucked man, they stared at one another for what felt like eternity, Cora waiting for an answer and Loki beginning to question much more than he previously did

He finally broke his hypnotized eyes from hers and answered

"Well, I mean I'm guessing it was your boyfriend, girlfriend, husband or you know just an over all significant oth-" his ranting was interrupted by Cora

"Daughter" she saw as the god's eyes were ready to jump out of their sockets, making her have to hold in her laughter

"Daughter?" Asked the man still processing the information

"Yup, Lenora, she's an angel, most of the times, whenever I meditate it's mainly to project to her" confessed the woman with a much more relaxed look, not scared of the possible judgement the raven haired man could send her way, she trusted him

"I have so many questions" muttered the god

"Well, fire away, unlike the rest of my personal life, I can answer a lot about her... I think, depends on the questions, lightning round?"

"I'm not fond of lightning, thank you" grimaced the god

"No, you idiot, it's when you make a lot of questions and the other person answers them super fast and all" explained Cora after laughing

"Oh, okay, yeah, what's her name?"

"Lenora"

"Age?"

"389"

"What is she?"

"Light fairy"

"You're not one though, you don't have the telltales of one"

"That's not a question" she rolled her eyes

"Okay, is her father a light fairy then?"

"No idea"

"One night stand?"

"Adopted"

At that he stopped, looking extremely uncomfortable around that topic, Cora caught that, and of course she wasn't oblivious to his story at all, being who she was granted her access to vast knowledge about pretty much anything she could desire

"I found her in a forest in Vanaheim, I was just passing by when a woman, I'm guessing the mother, left a little casket with a blanket wrapping a newborn baby, I tried catching the woman, but she vanished from thin air, so she was a fairy, she left her there to die. There was a note apologising to whoever found the baby, begging them to care for her in the way she couldn't, so I did" she retold while fiddling with her fingers, "Fairies age so weirdly though, when I was her age I was barely a teenager, but she already looks like a young woman, a grown little fairy" she finished with a fond smile

Loki looked at her with admiration as she recounted the short story, he almost felt envious of Lenora, they both were left to die, but he had - just weeks ago - been casted out from his home by his own 'father', whilst Lenora had Cora breaking down because she missed her little girl. He couldn't wrap his head around it, how much Cora openly showed her love towards a daughter that didn't have her blood coursing through her veins, he knew for sure Odin had never shed a tear for him.

Jealous or not, one thing was clear, and it was that he was in the presence of possibly the most complex woman he had ever met, so complicated yet simple, so silly yet serious, so closed off yet so loving.

"You seem to be an excellent mother and she an excellent daughter, I wholeheartedly hope to one day have the good fortune of meeting her" said the god with a tenderness Cora had never heard coming from him

"Oh, yeah, I bet she'd love that..." said the woman watching two specific stars, which seemed to shine brighter than any others on that special night, the prince watching the woman's eyes shining even brighter than those stars

"I know I always leave for a few days tops, but i'm going back home for a little bit longer this time, there's a lot I have to deal with, I don't feel like staying until the sun rises and the rest wakes up, I need to go back now" Cora started, Loki suspected what she was trying to do by saying that

"Don't worry, darling, I'll tell the team, you go be with your daughter, or whatever it is you have to do" Cora beamed at his words and was about to start thanking him when the prince spoke again

"On condition that..."

"Ugh, of course, how could I forget who I'm speaking with" she sighed, "go ahead, mischief, set your price" grumbled Cora, only half serious, judging by the ghost of a smile on her face

"You help me pull a prank on the whole team when you're back"

"Really? Done, Elsa" she said sealing the deal by spitting on her hand and extending it towards the god

"I'm not shaking it, that's disgusting" he said not taking his eyes from the hand

"Please do" she said with the best puppy eyes she could master

"No"

"C'mon"

"It's extremely unsanitary" he stressed

"I promise i don't have rabies" she smiled

"I hate you", and he went to shake her hand but was stopped by Cora

"You have to spit too" Loki just rolled his eyes and did as she said while also muttering profanities under his breath that Cora chose to disregard as they finally shook hands

"We basically just made out" said the woman giggling the second their hands pulled apart, the giggles turning into full blown laughter when the god instantly stood up away from her

"Goodnight, Coralina" he said ignoring the blush the comment caused, kissing her cheek and disappearing with a puff of green magic

"Goodnight, Loki" sighed Cora to no one, as she went back to observing the infinite midnight blue, her hand acting on its own accord in order to touch the lingering heat on her face, where seconds before, the cold lips of the god of mischief met the tanned skin of the warm woman

Chapter Text

"Cora?"

"Hey, Brunnhilde, long time no see"

- - -

Two days ago

Cora walked through the gates, the gates that lead her to the magnificently glorious, undying and mystic land, Valhalla.

The heavenly realm was practically infinite, a lot of people were sent there in the daily, after passing the series of trials and errors to determine if they'd be worthy to join the angels on paradise or not, as the realm is always growing in population, it expands itself as it goes.

The place was divided in communes, most creatures stayed with their own species, humans with humans, elves with elves, giants with giants, etc. But every place has its exceptions, there were lots of mixed neighbourhoods, where people detached themselves from what they thought they knew and accepted the rest of their eternal lives, surrounded by beings regardless of their body, only caring for the soul

Cora was making her way towards one of the oldest districts, mostly vikings resided there, plus other creatures who sympathized with the nordic lifestyle.

She finally arrived and hurried towards her favourite bar, 'The Magno', and yes, it was ran and owned by Alexander the Great, or Alejo, for the friends. Don't let it fool you though, after a few centuries of being evaluated he finally passed to Valhalla, leaving behind his old conquering schemes and welcoming a new phase, the one where the only thing that mattered was being the most renowned bar in the neighbourhood, that and his weird and innovative concoctions.

Cora stumbled upon the bar for the first time when her mother died and the crown had fallen upon her, too overwhelmed by grief and the chaos Freya's death had unleashed all around the realms, she drank away her pain and befriended Alejo, who let her crash at the back of the bar for the night, when it was too late in the night to be teleporting.

Since then she made it somewhat of a tradition to visit him once per year, always on Magno's birthday, and that day had already come about that year, so when the man drying cups saw the woman walking through the doors, he didn't know if he should be excited or worried as hell by the double visit he was getting in the same year

"Coralina, what in Hel are you doing? When I was complaining to Lenora I was purely jesting, I didn't mean it for you to literally come here" stressed the man when Cora approached him, worried that he had drawn away the woman from her duties

"Good to see you too man, don't worry, I didn't come here for you" she assured, giving him a quick hug. Alejo feigned hurt at her words, but then furrowed his brows as a way of asking her who she was there for if not him

"Are the Valkyries here yet?" Asked Cora, answering his question. Alejo's face fell as it dawned on him what that day was, he was still proud of Cora for finally spending it with the other victims of the battle, he knew how hard it was for the grey-eyed woman.

"They are in the back, my condolences, my queen" he said softly, she brushed him off with a small kind smile and said her goodbyes before going towards where the warriors would be

Cora had never joined the other valkyries in their commemoration of that battle, their last battle.

Sigrún died, and, at first Cora couldn't comprehend how. You see, Valhalla's royals could only die if it was their choice to do so, most commonly they walked through the Stergne Gate, or 'Door of the Star', residents of Valhalla and royals of the realm could go through it and would become one with the universe, in the shape of a star. Since the royal family had Valhalla's blood coursing through their veins, they didn't go to heaven when they died, because they'd had access to it during their lives. Apart from the door, any other approach would work on them, a bullet, a blade, poison, anything, as long as the person chose their own fate.

For many decades, Cora wondered how her sister could have died during battle, she shouldn't have been wishing to die, she should have been wishin to defend those who were under her protection. It took her many moons of solitude, of regret, of sorrow, before she understood that Sigrún had taken someone's death. Cora looked through uncountable amounts of files regarding the battle, until she finally found the one which reported that her older sister had been impaled by a poisoned sword, it was directed towards one of the other warriors, but she chose to step forward and save her teammate's life.

The sword and poison alone shouldn't have killed her, but given that her mind was set on saving her friend, no matter the price, and that the blade was also greatly contaminated, she ended up fixing her own doom

Sigrún had chosen her fate, thus becoming another bright dot in the infinite of the skies

When Cora finally wrapped her head around it, she couldn't bring herself to see the Valkyries, who all had died and had been brought back together in their after-life, all but her older sister. Even worse, she couldn't imagine seeing the warrior that Sigrún had tried to save.

But finally, she 'grew a pair', as Lenora called it, and joined the women at 'The Magno', where she knew they got together every year, no matter where they were or what they were doing, on the anniversary of the battle.

"Is that little Cora I see there?" Gasped one of the warriors, the first to see her approach the table, Kára, a dirty blonde with pale skin and a scar that went from her left eyelid to her jaw, Sigrún's best friend. Everyone on the table turned their heads following where Kára's eyes were fixated

"Hey" Cora sheepishly waved at the women at the table.

All the confidence she usually had when she was in Valhalla, being queen, was gone the moment she realized she'd have to, actually, talk to the warriors. The ones who saw her go from pink pigtails, to her rebellious 'only dark colours' phase, the ones who were always around her sister, the ones she always felt intimidated by.

Being in front of them now, after a thousand years, made her feel as if she was back to being only 100 years old, tailing behind her sister and friends after watching them practice on the training grounds.

Hildr, a black skinned woman, with one eye a warm hazel and the other a cold teal hue, the oldest of them all, got up from her seat and walked towards Cora, who watched her as she moved, not being able to do so herself, until she felt strong arms around her and the woman's raspy voice

"Thanks for coming, it means a lot" whispered Hildr as they broke the embrace

She made her way back to the table and gestured for Cora to join them. She did and soon everyone was engulfed by friendly chatter, mostly telling stories of their fallen friend.

Cora didn't sulk anymore, after a few centuries had passed she learnt to deal with the fact that she had no family left and instead of mourning, she was washed over by a feeling of indifference. But now, for the first time, she let herself feel, and still not be sad by the remembrance of Sigrún Freysdottir, having a slight feeling that that was exactly the way her sister would like to be remembered

A couple of hours had passed when Cora suddenly realized that of the usual 22 Valkyries, there was one missing, apart from Sigrún

"Um, where is Brun?" Asked the grey and purple haired woman after counting and working out who wasn't there "Does she not take part in these gatherings?"

"What do you mean, Cory?" Questioned Gondul, the sweet ginger that was directly in front of her, eyeing the others who looked confused by the question as well

"Honey, Brunnhilde is alive..." informed Hildr softly, as if speaking to a ticking bomb

"W-what? No, no, they-" she started, "you, all of you, died, she's not- where is she?" mumbled Cora laughing lightly in disbelief, looking around, waiting for someone to call bluff and say it was a joke

"Cora, dear, Sigrún saved her, before the battle ended she fell, we haven't heard from her since then, but she hasn't showed up around here, that's for sure" explained Golma, the bald woman sitting right next to the queen

"We didn't mention it because we naturally thought you knew, given you're the queen of all this" added Skuld with an apologetic look, waving her hands around to give emphasis

Cora got up from her seat after a minute of pure silence, "Sorry, it seems my visit will have to be cut short, i'll see you again sometime soon, bye" she said in a hurry not looking back as she left the bar, throwing a kiss at Alejo before teleporting away from there

"Man, that woman has some unresolved trauma, doesn't she?" yelled the ex-emperor bartender to the group of female warriors, who hummed in agreement and worry that all  that Cora had bottled up during the years, would end up coming to bite the queen when she least expected it to

- - -

"Why didn't you tell me, you big bronce son of a bitch?!" Scolded angrily the woman as she fell through a portal in front of Heimdall, inside Himinbjorg, the gates of Asgard

"You never asked?" Answered the man, as if it were obvious

"Are you actually- Forget it" stuttered Cora, trying to gather her breath after running out of the bar "tell me where she is" demanded the woman, her lungs now calm, but her eyes a deep purple filled with anger

"She's in Sakaar but I must let you know that-"

"Shove your warnings where not even you can see" she snarled, "you're a bad friend, and i'm not bringing you peanut butter cookies next time i'm around" and with that she walked - or stomped - through the newly made portal, not letting the man finish his warning, something she'd deeply regret soon.

- - -

She landed in what looked to be a dining hall, she most definitely was in the Grandmaster's palace, or as she liked to call him, Jeff, who knows why, Cora said that 'Grandmaster' was too long and that he looks like a Jeff. It also sounded silly when scolding him

Talking about Jeff, there he was, walking, or jogging, towards her with an indecipherable look, as was the usual case with that man.

"Ah, Francis, so long, it's been so long, what a delight- Hey topaz! look who it is, the supreme one!" he called to his guard, who just gave him a bored nod, and he turned his attention back to her unexpected guest "What you doing here? It's been... what? Two billion years?" he pondered looking to the sky, "or maybe just ten, i'll never understand the universal time measurement system, I decided to just call it 'pupkins', it's got a nice ring to it, doesn't it? 'Pupkins'. It's been 20 pupkins since you've last visited" the man ranted enthusiastically as he guided her towards the principal table in the whole room

When they arrived and sat, he shut up for a second, giving Cora the opportunity to answer his first question, before he went on about the planet's time organization

"Hi, Jeff, and, well, I'm looking for someone and I got word she's been hanging around this pretty dumpster..." She said while shoving something that resembled pancakes, but with sakaarian ingredients, into her mouth, and they were good

"Mmm, well, we've got a lot of people coming from a lot of places, need some more details, sweets, although I hope you weren't looking for Carlo, you know, my cousin, 'cause I had to you know... pardon him" he said with a grimace "so, yeah, it was a really heartbreaking moment, I also had two crashing down yesterday, brothers apparently, I sent one to fight, the other is-" his rambling was interrupted by Cora who tried to keep her patience during the long and fruitless speech

"Her name is Brunnhilde, know her?" she said, showing the palm of her hand where purple mist revealed a hologram-like image of the valkyrie. The grandmaster shot up from his seat and started clapping cheerily

"Oh, yes, si, groot, oui, Scrapper 142, she's the best..." he started before he trailed off, and his energetic smile got changed by a frown "Sorry Cora, she's a gem, can't let you have her" he said menacingly, "but it was so fun having you here, are you staying?" He finished, going back to his bubbly demeanor in a second

Cora pondered for a second, she thought about striking a deal with him, but something told her she'd need to pull that card out later, so, she decided to fake being disappointed, but tricked him into giving her information about what Brunnhilde, or scrapper 142, did on her daily basis, and left shortly after.

Apparently there had been a fight the night before, and every time the 'Grand Champion' fought, 142 would train him the next day. So she made her way towards what she found out was the champion's chambers, in hopes of running into her sister's old friend. Clearly when she turned the corner and saw who the alleged champion was, she almost had a heart attack

"PURPLE GIRL!"

The Hulk.

"HULK? What the hell? I left for one fucking day and this happens?" Cora questions no one in particular, since she knew Hulk wouldn't give her an useful answer, she looked through the room and saw that one of the windows was broken and sighed

"Okay buddy, i'm gonna need you to explain to me what happened" she said calmly, even if her brain felt like it was on fire and little brain people were running around in panic

"AVENGERS FIGHT. BANNER. QUINJET. HULK COME OUT. CRASH AND LOST" said Hulk while doing different hand gestures to sort of describe what had happened

"The Avengers were in a fight, Banner was in the Quinjet, then you came out and somehow crashed here?" The Hulk nodded in confirmation at the woman's interpretation of his words "Well, what about if we let Bruce come back, huh?" She asked hoping to persuade him into changing back

"NO BANNER ONLY HULK!" he growled, not earning a flinch from the queen, but an eye roll at the uncooperative beast

"Okay, okay, then tell me, what happened there?" Cora questioned pointing at the shattered window

"TINY AVENGER. BAD FRIEND" he yelled angry and sad, Cora felt her eyes widen the second she heard Hulk's nickname for Thor, one she had heard one too many times before, it was obvious the god and the beast had unresolved businesses, and it showed in the hostility between them any time Banner's friend made an appearance

"Thor is here?" She asked even though she already knew the answer, Hulk nodded and Cora felt her heart rate speed up like crazy, if she thought she was panicking before, this would be considered a colossal nerve wreck, what the hell was she going to do?

"Hulk, honey, you have to go and find him, okay? Find tiny avenger, and do not mention to the idiot that i'm here" she ordered, the last part particularly sternly.

He nodded and jumped through another window, instead of the already broken one, and made his way, hopefully, towards the god of thunder, as she had instructed

Not a second after the green beast had jumped off, another figure made itself present in the chambers by the sound of a bottle shattering, making her turn around to face the source of the disruption

"Cora?"

Upon seeing such a familiar face, so out of its familiar surroundings, she gulped down her nerves before greeting the woman her sister had supposedly given her life for

"Hey, Brunnhilde, long time no see"

Chapter Text

"Cora?"

Upon seeing such a familiar face, so out of its familiar surroundings, she gulped down her nerves before greeting the woman her sister had supposedly given her life for

"Hey, Brunnhilde, long time no see"

The brunette ran towards Cora and took her in her arms, the woman was astounded at the display of affection coming from the warrior

"If you are here to kill me as revenge for Sigrún I understand, but I will put a bit of resistance" joked the valkyrie with a hint of seriousness and fear when they broke the hug, Cora just shook her head and smiled brightly

"Today is the 1000th anniversary... Well, at least I think it's still the same day, time here is weird" she trailed off in thought before continuing. "Anyway I visited the other girls for the first time this year, I didn't see you, then they told me you were still alive, so I came here" justified the queen shrugging

"Well, you found me, now what? And please make it quick because I just practically kidnapped a god for pissing me off and I left him at my apartment" Brunnhilde had always been blunt, she was still sweet and a good person, but let's just say, if she invited you over for dinner and you overstayed her welcome, she would have no problem in plainly stating so and showing you to the door.

"A god? The thunder one?" She asked, half hoping it wasn't him, since she had just sent the Hulk to find him, and half praying it was, because if it wasn't Thor, then it was probably Loki.

"No, i'm actually helping him find their way out of here, but his brother, Lackey I think, pissed me off, so i'm keeping him restrained while blondie finds their ship" explained the woman, who by now had made her way towards a bottle of alcohol and downed it

Cora only started feeling the dread of being there now, Thor may let her off the hook, but Loki will remember that Cora said she would be gone for a longer time, she also said she was going 'home', the whole 'her being in Sakaar' would bring so many questions, and if anyone would ask those questions would be the god of mischief

"I want you to go back to Asgard, I know you're trapped here, I can bring you back home" said Cora to the woman's first question, causing her to choke on her almost finished bottle

"I'm not going back to that golden realm, I'm not fighting Odin's fights again, look how it ended" answered Brunnhilde, her eyebrows still furrowed in confusion at the woman's sudden request

"You think I don't fucking know how it ended?" she started exasperatedly, then took a deep breath and carried on "Look, you can do whatever you like when we're out, wherever you like to as well, but, I suggest you go back, tell Odin you're under my wing and working under my jurisdiction, he can't drag my soldiers to the battlefield without Valhalla giving him the green light" bargained Cora, truly hopeful that the valkyrie would accept

"Cool" she said and without any other words she turned around and walked out of the room, now in the hallway she realized Cora hadn't followed her, "Are you coming? I have two gods and a green champion to help!" She called loudly, making Cora grimace at the thought of it, either way she caught up to her and they started walking

"Look, I know those guys, or gods, okay? And they have no idea what I am, and I intend on keeping it that way, so please, please, please refer to me as Cora Francis, you can tell them we met through mutual friends and I came here because my daughter needed something from Sakaar and I ran into you and tagged along" Cora practically begged her friend to get behind that story, thankfully she nodded in agreement, impressed by Cora's ability to make up lies in the moment

A few minutes of silent walking, Cora reminded herself of who Loki was and added something else to her request "I also have to put a spell on your mind, it won't intervene with your memories or anything, but if Loki tries to read your mind to see what you know about me, he will only be able to see things that back up my story"

"Look, as long as you don't play with my actual memory, do whatever you want" she granted casually "but why would he read my mind to find something about you?" Questioned the woman with clear curiosity more than confusion

"Because, I technically live with them and a bunch of other super powered creatures, and they know pretty much nothing about me, no one can read my mind and I get very snappy when they ask too many questions, I only told Loki yesterday that I had a daughter because he saw me have a meltdown" Cora laughed lightly while she spoke but then scowled when she ran into Brunnhilde's back, who had stopped abruptly and turned to watch her with wide eyes

"I thought I had misheard you! You actually have a kid? Wow" her voice was filled with pure surprise, the last time she had seen the woman she was giddily telling her older sister about how she had learnt to conjure up fireworks in her palm, like it was the most amazing thing in the entire galaxy, and now, she had a kid, someone to teach those same tricks, and that, for some reason, was what made the valkyrie realize that she was definitely not a little girl anymore

"But, yeah, do whatever magic you need to do" reassured the valkyrie dismissively, and after sending a purple wisp of magic from her fingertips towards Brunnhilde's left temple, Cora felt the littlest bit more confident about walking through the warrior's apartment door, which was now right in front of them.

She took a deep breath and when the brunette opened the door, the first thing she saw was a god of mischief, chained and looking at the window, planning on not even acknowledging who he thought would only be the woman that had gotten in his current position

Instead, his head whipped towards the entrance when he heard the bewildered remark of a very familiar voice

"It amazes me, you know, the fact that I left less than a day ago and you idiots managed to lose the Hulk and get yourselves trapped in another realm, tell me do you all just wait for me to leave and then decide to be mindless shits?" She asked, rhetorically and very loudly, one would say she was angry, but in fact, she was just trying to cover up her nerves with rage

"What the hell are you doing here Cora?" retorted the god with narrowed eyes when he finally found his voice back from his shock

"None of your business, grease, now tell me what the fuck happened? 'Cause all I got from jolly green was that he crashed a jet and that Thor is a bad friend" she questioned pacing through the small space

"So, you're sakaaran then? That makes no sense... although with you nothing ever does, you're enchantingly unpredictable, but still" mumbled the god, mostly to himself, ignoring Cora's questions just as she ignored his

"How sweet, you're flirting with her" quipped the woman from the bar, downing probably her fifth bottle since they found each other

"Of course he is flirting with me, i'm hot as fuck" said Cora absentmindedly, still pacing through the room as she thought on how to help them leave without blowing her cover

Suddenly the doors opened again and the booming voice of Thor sounded, he, obviously, oblivious to his best friend's presence

"My friends, I have gotten brother Hulk to turn back into brother Banner, but I'm afraid we lost the Quinjet in the process" started Thor, muttering sheepishly the last part, then recovered and added, "but fear not, i'm sure by now our friends will have awoken lady Cora, she''ll come to our rescue" the energetic speech caused Loki to roll his eyes from his chained chair, Valkyrie to grin teasingly at Cora (probably finding amusing that the prince referred to the queen as 'lady'), and the woman in question to snort and smile brightly

"That's so sweet of you, goldilocks" she said, making the two newcomers finally recognize the woman

"What the-"

"Oh, Bruce! I'm so glad you were able to change, Hulk was pretty adamant to do so when I saw him, and Thor, I hope you didn't get any bad cuts jumping through that window" beamed Cora clapping her hands cheerfully as she made her way towards her two friends, giving both a quick hug and inspecting them for any injuries

"LOLITE! I knew the earthlings would send you" cheered Thor

"Oh yes, they were so worried for you three" confirmed Cora at the same time as Loki yelled "They didn't send her" which earned him a hard glare from the woman, confused looks from the two other men and a snicker from the brunette by the bar

"I don't understand" thought aloud the god of thunder

"Yes, and the Earth goes 'round the Sun" muttered the still chained up prince

"Why are you here then, Cora? In a, you know, whole different planet" Questioned the doctor, warily examining his suroundings as he spoke

"Yes, why indeed?" echoed the god of mischief with a shit-eating grin

"I had to run some errands here and ran into an old friend" sighed the woman vaguely, gesturing towards Brunnhilde when she said 'old friend'

"And how on earth do you know a Valkyrie?" Questioned the nosey blonde god, at this Cora briefly panicked, before collecting herself

"Y-You're a Valkyrie?! And never told me?!" Cora gasped with wide eyes, perfectly selling the surprised act

"Didn't think you'd know what that was" shrugged the warrior, playing along

Loki narrowed his eyes not quite believing her, while Thor and Bruce explained to Cora what had happened, how Heimdall had taken them to Sakaar but now had no way of going back, something about the bifrost only being able to take people to the lost kingdom that was Sakaar, but not back.

Cora remembered how her bronze friend had tried to warn her about something before she stormed off, now it made sense, he was probably about to tell her that the princes were there or that she would have to help them get out

When they finished she called them all around her, Loki now free of his restraints

"Okay, Loki, I know you got on well with the Grandmaster, go and get one of his best ships, no tricks or I will hurt you" threatened Cora which merited her a solemn nod "Bruce and Thor, you gather all of your stuff and go to the roof of this building, when we have the ship we'll pick you up from there" the two nodded as well, "Val, you are coming with me, we have a deal to strike" she finished and the brunette mumbled an 'aye aye, captain' while raising her empty bottle

Cora was almost out of the apartment when she heard a condescending voice addressing her, "Sorry, but are you daft? Are you truly not sending any backup with me? You know, in case I feel the need of betraying you and get a few favours from the Grandmaster by handing you in" wondered the god of mischief with his usual teasing tone, earning a growl from his older brother

"No, I trust you" assured Cora simply before leaving the apartment with the rest, leaving behind a frozen Loki trying to recompose his thoughts

- - -

"So, let me get this straight, you, want to take 142 aka my best scrapper, my second best warrior, my new cute friend and a random 'doctor', whatever that means... That would leave me with just my Grand champion" Cora bit her lip at the Grandmaster's words, 'Not really since the doctor is your champion only he's in his less destructive form' she thought to herself, but for obvious reasons refrained herself from voicing it

"Yes, and, in exchange, you and all sakaarans would go to Valhalla, or Helheim if they refuse to do the tests, you'd be a part of our afterlife, instead of that horrible void you'd all go to instead, I visited once, trust me, it's nasty" bargained the woman with the expertise of a queen

"Ah-ah-ah, then that would put me under your jurisdiction, and, well, I don't think I'm a big fan of that" argued the man pointing fingers with a childish pout

"Yes, Jeff, but, if I'm being completely honest, as long as you don't wreck havoc through the universe, I don't really give a fuck about what you do" said Cora, honestly getting kind of tired of the negotiation

Of course she could easily put a spell on him, but as a ruler, you always have to keep the most powerful people on your side. Spells wear off, but debts? Not so much

"Yeah, okay, deal, you've got it" agreed the man, finally.

From Cora's open palm, a long, old looking contract materialized, floating over her hand, an inked quill appearing from thin air and floating towards the Grandmaster's hand, ready to be taken and used for the signing

"You can proofread it if you wish to, though, you should know better than to question the veracity of my words" dismissed Cora, winking at the valkyrie behind her, who had been watching the whole exchange in grave amusement

'Jeff' finally put his name on the piece of paper, handing it over to the woman, and just as it had come, it disappeared. They exchanged a quick shake of hands, just in the sake of old formalities, she then made her way back to her friend

"Bye, dictator, do give my best to your champion" said the queen, cheerily waving before taking Brunnhilde's hand and vanishing in a cloud of purple mist

- - -

"Why don't you free all the gladiators from the contest of champions? Aren't you supposed to be all benevolent? You are just leaving knowing there are prisoners doomed to gruesomely die" spoke the valkyrie as they made their way to where Loki should be

"Firstly, you're being a hypocrite, half of those gladiators are there thanks to you scrapping them up, '142'" she replied, still looking straight ahead, making quotation marks when saying the number Brunhilde was known for in the planet, "secondly, liberty in death" she finished with a shrug indifferently, until her friend started laughing... that had the queen's eyebrows furrowing in confusion

"Dude, if you weren't literally heaven's boss, i'd say you sound like a derailed prophet trying to promote suicide" said Brunnhilde between laughs, answering the unasked question

"Yeah, that's why I spent a millenia away from the living, they usually take offence if I say that they should kill themselves" muttered Cora humorlessly, actually looking back to how many encounters surrounding that topic had ended, "i just have honest knowledge that death is better than life... unless you end up in Helheim but, c'mon"

Brunnhilde in return just shook her head in bewilderment and kept on walking

- - -

"I'm glad you actually followed through, prince of mischief" mocked halfheartedly the woman when they found Loki by the biggest ship dangling with the keys before the queen snatched them out of his grasp

"God of mischief" corrected the man with irritation "I would very much like to know how in the nines you managed to convince the Grandmaster to let you leave this place with us" mused the pestering god, and this time it was Cora's turn to roll her eyes in irritation

"Obvious, I put a spell on him, I am, after all, somewhat of a witch or whatever" she shrugged, earning a nod from the god and silent cackle from the valkyrie. And with that they got on the ship, picking up the other two boys on their way, and out of the sickening planet

Chapter Text

"So, where to, Val? Following my advice or going on an intergalactic tour?" asked Cora playfully from the passenger seat of the ship, Brunnhilde playing pilot to her left and the other three men hanging on the back having a snack around the Grandmaster's orgy table (not that they needed to know what it was)

"I think i'm gonna go back to Asgard" she confirmed "How am I keeping in touch with you if Odin goes coocoo?" asked the brunette after checking that the other travelers weren't paying attention to their conversation

"Oh yeah, about that,  I gave my extra one to Lenora, so I asked her to make some replicas of them to give to my other non-midgardian friends, you know? Heimdall has one, he recently discovered the depths of memes and has been sending them nonstop" spoke Cora while rummaging through her backpack (which she conjured up out of nowhere) and took out a similar looking phone to the one she and her daughter had

"Interesting... 'Stark'?" questioned Brunnhilde while expectioning the phone now on her hands

"Ignore it, it's Earth lingo for annoyingly smart and obnoxious" which earned her a laugh from Bruce, who had decided to step into the pilot cabin with a bowl of something that looked like spaghetti... but definitely wasn't

"Dear, that's deformis limax, which I assure you does not mean 'tasty buttered noodles' or anything of the sort" said Cora softly but trying to hold in her laughter

Just as she was finishing her statement, the scientist had hanging from his mouth the rest of the insect's body and started freaking out once he realized he definitely wasn't eating spaghetti

"LOKI AND THOR COME HERE RIGHT NOW" bellowed the pilot

Like misbehaving children caught in the act, they sheepishly walked towards the two angry women and man

"I can understand that Thor might not have known... but I refuse to believe that you, Loki, saw what poor Brucey here was eating, and didn't know that he was eating disgusting slug" scolded Cora who had fury coming out of her pores, all directing to the frightened trickster god, meanwhile the other god on board had his eyes wide in indignation

"I'm offended, of course I knew it was deformis limax, i'm not stu-" he interrupted himself, knowing that by trying to prove his intellect, he had also proved he had messed with Bruce too, "DAMN IT" cussed Thor,  now too fearing for his life as Cora's glare was redirected towards him as well

"From the god of mischief I almost respect it, but from you... you wound me, Thor" said a very disappointed Bruce walking back to the orgy table with his head hung low

"Go and find a way to make him happy again, goldilocks, as for you..." she ordered then turned to the raven haired prince "I don't want you annoying him anymore" she finished with a glower

"Only if you let me stay here, with you, alone" he said eyeing hatefully the valkyrie piloting the ship, clearly still bitter about whatever had happened between them

"Works for me, I need a drink anyways" and with that the brunette warrior got up and walked away, leaving the driver seat empty and the ship with no operator

Cora instantly scurried to the pilots side and leveled up the controls, a sigh of relief escaping from her mouth when she was sure they weren't going to plummet down to their deaths onto a stray moon

"You are so lucky I know my way 'round this pieces of shit" she joked, back to her cheerful ways

It seemed that that was how it worked, by herself, she was her bubbly self, but, whenever she was mixing her friends from Earth (who knew her as an avenger and sorceress), with her friends around the realms (who knew her as royalty), she was always on edge, almost uptight, careful not to make any mistakes that would sell out her upbring. Like kids who don't like birthday parties where they have to bring their different groups of friends together, because they don't know how to act around all of them in a singular group

But now, with the trickster god, who always seemed to be suspicious of whatever she did, who never ceased to flirt his way to find any answers, who still had no problem to change his ways and comfort her, she felt as safe as could be

She has lived over a thousand years, yet she swears that on that freezing dark morning, in the edge of the compound's rooftop, with her left arm brushing against the prince's right one and their eyes locking into each other, like puzzle pieces clicking at last, in those long seconds, she felt more alive than in all her 1639 years put together

And it was driving her insane

"You should go back to your home... I can drive this and take us back to the compound, I reckon you had big plans for the next week or so" offered the god with a cautious yet sweet smile

"No, it's okay, clearly you dumbasses can't survive for longer than breakfast without me, i'll check in to see that the place isn't in flames and everyone is alive, then i'll leave again" assured the woman, flashing the prince next to her a grateful glance

"Are you, uhm, you know..." Cora looked questioningly at the god, who was uncharacteristically stumbling over his words, "is it okay for me to ask about Lenora?" finally asked the man.

'And he just had to get more perfect, didn't he?'  thought Cora to herself

"Of course you can" agreed the woman with the most enchanting smirk in the whole galaxy, or at least that's what the prince most definitely thought

And that's how they spent the rest of the trip to Asgard - where they would drop off the valkyrie -  talking and sharing anecdotes, she answered every question, from 'what was her first word' to 'what does she have in common with you'. He in return told her happy stories of his childhood, from 'that time I turned Thor into a frog' to 'learning magic with Frigga at night in the gardens, under the biggest and tallest tree'

Through the tornado that were both their minds, if there was something they could both agree on, was the silent prayer of 'please, make this trip never ending'

- - -

I assume you can see me coming, but just in case, we have Brunnhilde, please don't give me away

-Cora x

-Heimdall

Give it a rest, man

-Cora x

"We're here, ladies!" announced Cora as she stopped the ship on the rainbow bridge, right in front of the entrance to Heimdall's workplace

Bruce decided to sit this one out, staying in the ship, Thor and Loki took the lead, behind them walked the rescued Valkyrie and behind the group the grey eyed woman, who had got distracted by staring at the wonders of the golden realm she hadn't properly visited in a long, long time

"Prince Thor, good to see you, Valkyrie Brunnhilde, welcome back, prince Loki, I believe you're still banished from Asgard" was the welcoming the gatekeeper bid the group as soon as they stepped foot in Himinbjorg. The last part of Heimdall's greeting earned him a glare from the woman with purple and enraged eyes

"Yes, well, i'm not here to steal a throne, i'm bringing a lost Valkyrie back to her home, along with my brother and friends, I deeply apologize for such a ruthless crime, good Heimdall" explained the banished prince with sarcasm dripping from each spoken word

"Ah, yes, the friends, I saw one stayed behind, the one they call the hulk" said the bronze eyed man

"He's actually a scientist and hero, who from time to time turns into the hulk" corrected Cora, sour from the lack of respect towards her mischievous friend from her gatekeeper friend

"Yes, I apologize... lady Cora, I must say, from what i've seen you have incredible friends, there's one I find particularly interesting, reminds me of myself" that caused the gods to look confused, Brunnhilde to snicker and roll her eyes and Cora to stifle her own laughter

"Oh, I know who you mean, he is the worst, you've got no idea bow much i regret ever giving him my number" retorted the woman with a teasing smile "don't worry, we're talking about... Alejo" she added to the princes and the Valkyrie, who didn't miss how Loki's eyes darkened at the mention of 'Alejo'

"Right, well, the king and queen wish to speak with prince Thor before his return, and with lady Brunnhilde as well, about her duties" informed the gatekeeper

"I assume you already know, but I'd prefer if you'd pass on to the Allfather and the Allmother that i'm, as of now, working under Valhalla's jurisdiction. I do not serve the asgardian crown anymore, Queen Freyasdottir has put me in charge of training a new legion of elite female warriors" spoke Brunnhilde, repeating the same words she had practiced with Cora beforehand

"Wait, Freyasdottir, as in the daughter of Queen Freya? No asgardian has had contact with her since the departure of my sister, or the fall of the Valkyries, most even think she's a myth" mused the stunned god of thunder

"Yeah, apparently she knows everything that goes around the realms, no idea how, Valhalla's stuff... anyway, she saw me helping you guys, so she contacted me and explained what her idea was, and seeing as Cora had just appeared with an escape plan, I thought, why not?" shrugged the warrior sending a thumbs up towards both the woman and the gatekeeper when the two brothers weren't watching

"Brother, remember how father always used to say I would marry Freyasdottir one day?" beamed the god of thunder with an air of pride, in comparison to Loki who found that reminder very annoying

"Yes, and I remember mother saying she knew her from back when she was still a princess, and in her opinion, she would've been more attracted towards intellect than your brawns" replied huffily Loki

"Wow, you guys are hilarious, fighting over a woman you have never met as if she was a prize, what a lucky lady" exclaimed Brunnhilde amused to the core, glancing at Cora's crimson face

"Queen, Brunn, not 'lucky lady', lucky Queen" remarked Cora teasingly, earning a snicker from Heimdall

"Can we leave, Cora? Apparently not even mother wishes to see me, so I don't wish to unnecessarily prolong this visit, plus, you also have a home to visit" spoke the raven haired prince with false airs of indifference, having moved from bickering with Thor, towards the woman's side

"Of course" she nodded, then turned to her friends "Val, good luck, Heimdall, nice to meet you, Thor, we'll see you later" with that she spun on her heel, grabbed Loki's arm and hooked it with her own, then disappeared in a purple and green cloud, appearing inside of the ship once again

"I'm sure Frigga had no idea you were here, it makes sense, Heimdall shouldn't have let you set foot on Asgard, if the queen knew, the king would too, it could be taken as treason from Heimdall. I promise, I'll help you project, and then you could visit your mother, what do you think?" tried Cora in a comforting tone, giving the prince a side hug and ignoring the curious and confused glances from the man with the 7 PhD's

"It's okay, darling, I deserve it, one day Odin will realize my repentance over my past actions, when that day comes, maybe I'll take you on a walk through the royal gardens, I find them to be the most peaceful place in the kingdom" said the god, slightly leaning into the hug with a melancholic smile

They stood like that for another minute, the prince thinking about his mother, his home and his banishment. The queen reflecting on how she missed those gardens, the memories she had there and how right Frigga was over her previously revealed speculations about her preference of intellect over muscles

"Uhm, guys? Are we leaving... or?" Spoke the forgotten third traveler, breaking the other two out of their daze

- - -

"Friday, explain"

The compound was a mess, empty guns thrown around the floor, stains of paint on every corner, tables and couches were thrown on the side to serve as shields, drapes closed and barely functioning lighting, no sign of life other than Scott's body laying on the ground, attacked by at least 50 shots of red and yellow paint

"Welcome back, Ms Cora and Mr Loki. Captain Rogers and Mr Stark had a fight over a donut, the team is now divided in two and on the middle of a paintball civil war, the captain's team lair is the gym and Stark's team is in the game room"

"Thank you, could you please put me on the speakers system of wherever they all are, to make sure they all hear me?" requested Cora not knowing if she was mad or absolutely dying to join the battle

"Right away, miss"

"You're calling it off, not joining it" whispered the god of mischief, unnecesarily close to her ear, probably recognising the glint in Cora's eyes as they fell on one of the paint charged guns

"Ugh, fine" huffed childishly the woman

"Everyone around the compound can now hear you, miss Cora"

"IF EVERYONE'S ASSES AREN'T IN THE COMMON ROOM IN THE NEXT FIVE SECONDS, I'M GOING TO SLOWLY AND PAINFULLY KILL YOU ALL, COME HERE NOW!" yelled Cora angrily, then turning towards the god with a wide, satisfied smile as she heard the multiple hurried feet that sounded throughout the compound

- - -

"OH BRUCIE I MISSED YOU SO MUCH, LIFE WAS HELL WITHOUT MY SCIENCE BUDDY" that was Tony, a very colourful Tony, running into the scientist's arms as soon as he saw him, completely ignoring Cora's pissed off glare and Loki's eye rolling

"Wait, aren't you in your room? We literally stayed out of your floor so as to not distract you or anything" said Nat, apparently being the least affected by the whole war ordeal, she was playing double agent and played for both teams, obviously

"Yes and no, it's projecting with a twist, I travel in my astral form and when I need it I call on my body, leaving an illusion wherever my body was last, then if I need to travel in my astral form again, I send my physical body back using the illusion as a guide" she explained enthusiastically, and as she saw the confused faces of everyone but Loki and Wanda, her eager demeanor fell slightly "Why do I even bother if you guys suck"

"And what the hell did you do to the kids?" questioned the prince when his eyes fell upon the atrocious state of Peter and Wanda, ignoring Pietro's "hey, what about me?" whining

"Pietro was a coward and hid in the vents with Clint, but the grownups made Peter and I compete, yell at them please" complained the pouting scarlet witch, with her painted finger pointed at Steve and Tony

"My poor babies" cooed Cora running to the both teenagers and cleaning them with a wisp of purple, checking them for any injuries "look at what they did to our little spider and little witch, Loki" exclaimed the woman

"Hey, what about me, i'm only twelve minutes older than her, I want to be babied too" whined the speedster, again, who didn't have a single spot of paint on him

"Sorry, Piet, Clint got you in the divorce, I got Wands" shrugged Cora to the older Maximoff, who just huffed angrily and turned to Clint for comfort

"Witchling, I think now would be an excellent time to try the time out spell we were working on last training session" hinted the god mischievously, and Cora perked up automatically, remembering what the spell was and nodded encouragingly

"You idiots have behaved like children, even more so than the actual children, so like all the misbehaving kids, you get a time out" the woman explained to the frightened group of disheveled heroes, then gestured for the younger Maximoff to do her part

Soon, all the avengers, except for the twins, Peter, Loki, Cora, and Bruce who had already escaped to his room, were trapped inside of individual, floating red bubbles, yelling profanities that the deities and kids couldn't hear thanks to the magical spheres being soundproof

"The spell will wear out as soon as Thor gets back from Asgard" announced the god of mischief while letting out a loud laugh, then patted the young witch's shoulder proudly

"Okay, i'm thinking Brooklyn nine-nine marathon, snacks, milkshakes and a Harry Potter book for Loki, 'cause I know he only pretends to stand the sitcoms because Wanda and I force him to" said Cora giggling, excited to be away of the heroes' tempers and just spend time with the kids and Loki

"I'll handle it" assured Pietro with his heavy accent, then, in a blur of blue, disappeared and came back five seconds later, with five blankets, two bags of varied snacks and the book for Loki

"Wait. Was that a Harry Potter reference?"

"It most definitely was. I started reading them 'cause you love them so much"

"And?"

"You were right. They're incredible"

"Doesn't this remind you of Mr. Loki and Ms. Cora?" Inquired Peter to the two siblings next to him, eyeing the unsuspicious prince, engulfed in his book, and the woman, laughing and awing at the TV show

"How much until they get together?" Asks Pietro taking a crumpled fifty out of his front pocket and slamming it into the coffee table "I say a year"

Wanda conjures up her wallet and adds another, smooth, fifty to the table "a month"

Peter throws two dirty twenty bills and an equally wrinkled 10 note confidently "two months"

"Shush, i'm trying to watch this, dummys" scolded the woman absentmindedly, not taking her eyes from the screen, she was supported by a hum of agreement from the reading god, who wasn't really paying attention, but heard a complaint from the woman, so he just backed her up knowing she was probably right

"Married couple" mumbled hushedly the three at the same time, followed by a silent fit of giggles

The two adults looked at the twins and Peter questioningly, then at each other, and shrugged, carrying on with their own activities, both with intrusive hints of blush and ghosts of fond smiles

Chapter Text

"You took your sweet time"

"Shut up, Hela, i'm here now"

"I'm sorry"

"I know"

- - -

"Here, I think Stark hasn't given you yours yet" Cora tells the god of mischief, handing, yet again, another one of Stark's the modified phones, she felt like a dealer, "it's a phone, the thing they use here to keep in touch even if they are very far from the other, this one was improved to function outside of Midgard as well" explained the woman when seeing the confused frown in the prince's face as he examined the device

"Okay... And why are you giving this to me? So fond of me, you know you'll feel the need to 'keep in touch' with me while you're oh so very far away from me?" teased the god, getting an equally teasing eye roll from the woman

"Obviously, dear" she played along to his manners, "but it's mainly for if you sense that the stupid mortals, plus your brother, are about to embark on a suicide mission or start a war, you call me and I put a stop to it" cleared out Cora "Thor has one too, so I better not get a text saying you stabbed him" added the woman in fake scolding

Loki gasped and slammed his hand on his chest "I'd never do such a thing"

"you've litrally stabbed him like a thousand times, Loki" she said laughing at the mock offended face he was wearing, moving past him and towards the elevator

"well, i'd never do it again" rushed the god, obviously not meaning a single word he had said

"Sure, also, if you get Peter to teach you how the phone works, and if Len and I aren't too busy slaying dragons, we could face time or just do a phone call" offered Cora with an almost hopeful tone

The Spiderman who was just passing by in his suit and with his eyes glued to his phone, typing away with a dumb smile, spared them a glance when he heard his name spoken, "uh, sure, Mr. Loki, we can go over the basics after lunch" he said cheerily, then waved as the elevator door's closed on them

"You slay dragons?"

"Maybe, maybe not..." she sang, "most possibly not, i'm just trying to throw you off so you still have a hard time figuring me out, i'm aware it's become sort of a hobby for you" she answered shrugging, "plus, who knows, maybe all the mystery is what keeps you hanging around me" the woman added nonchanatly, though it made Loki's heart beat in pain at the prospect of Cora thinking the only reason he considered her a friend of sorts was because he had a weird fascination over her secrets, or secrets in general. He stayed silent as the elevator kept nearing them to their floor; the ring and the metallic doors opening were his wake up call.

"Well, I'd be honoured to meet Lenora, probably would be a good opportunity to embarrass you" said the god, nodding to himself for his brilliant idea, walking side by side Cora as they arrived to her quarters

"Yeah, now that you mention it, we will most definitely be too occupied slaying dragons" she joked, pushing Loki out of her room

"Good travels, m'lady" he said chuckling once he was standing just on the other side of the door, taking Cora's left hand and kissing it lightly

"Thanks, m'lord" she said in an overly posh voice, "now leave, greaseball" she teased, trying her best to keep hidden the crimson blush creeping its way to her cheeks

- - -

Texts

Cora & Lenora

Need you to go to Svartalfheim for yk what, i'm also having dinner with you, so wait up for me, mac and cheese?

But you eat so late, i'm a grandma, I need dinner before 8pm. Yes to the mac and cheese

Right, and what the hel do you do between 8pm until you go to sleep at 3am? Stop whining, you're having dinner with the saint of a mother that is moi

Firstly, none of your business, secondly, try not to show up at 11pm, saint

Why? I think that's a decent time to have dinner at, don't you?

Well, we don't share the same blood, why would we share routine preferences?

You're insufferable

Thanks, I got it from you

How? we don't share the same blood, hypocrite

- - -

"Your Majesty, king Surtur assigned me to usher you to Hela Odinsdottir, he also mentioned you'd ask some questions" spoke one of the guards, he was a fire giant, but in order to accompany the woman properly, he shrinked, now no longer a three meters giant, but a tall 6'7'' pile of fire

"Yes, thank you, my main question would be: what did you do in respect to the whole death thing?" asked the queen as they started walking through the endless halls

"We were told that she needed to be near death regularly, whether it was her that caused it or just witnessing. Muspelheim gets attacked regularly, by beings that believe they have a chance against us, arrogant boys seeking gruesome battle, so instead of killing them in the moment, we capture the intruders and give them to the goddess, one per week, sometimes she kills them, sometimes she asks us to kill them, there are occasions where she just waits for them to die from hunger or exhaustion" he says, visibly shivering in the last part, clearly triggered by sickening memories. "Still, she looks very sick, but we can't give her more than a man every several days. Even if we do get attacked very often, it's usually by small groups, so we need to ration the lives, like scarce resources. I know, it sounds cruel, but it is what it is" the guard finished the explanation as they stopped in front of a locked door, earning a thankful nod from the woman

"She's in there, your Majesty, I assume you'll wish to go in by yourself" he was answered with a silent nod from the woman, lost in her thoughts "she was given a soldier this morning, you're lucky, my Queen, she should still be in a moderated mood"

With that, the fire guard opened the door and stepped back to let the woman walk through, closing it behind her. She made her way down the darker hallway, taking note of how the whole place reeked of, fairly enough, death, the dimly lit torches the only source of light, she walked, passing different stacks of bones and many bodies in severe states of decomposition, she just muttered a quiet Valhallan pray as she did, and finally made it to the darkest spot of the cave, metal bars in frot of her telling her she was where she was supposed to be

Stepping from the shadows, she got the attention of the jailbird, who's eyes went wide in a whirlwind of surprise, recognition, pain, happiness and more

"You took your sweet time" spoke the prisoner in her thick accent, lightly joking, voice hoarse from not being used

"Shut up, Hela, i'm here now" scolded the woman, just as softly

Silence

"I'm sorry"

"I know"

"Why are you here?" questioned the goddess, walking around her chains to be closer to Cora

"It's been an interesting couple of years" she answered 

"I meant, why?" she corrected herself with a sigh, "why, after all the pain I've caused you and your family, why would you possibly be here? It's stupid, makes no sense, and... Are you here to kill me? If you are, just do it swiftly, please" rambled the dark haired woman, apparently coming to the realization that killing her would be the only reason Cora would be there for

"Stop that, we have a pact" she said firmly, successfully shutting up her friend "no matter what... we shook hands on it" she added gingerly, momentarily feeling like the little kid she was when the pact had taken place

"I'm a monster, Cory, an evil, unrelenting killing monster" muttered the goddess under her breath

"You are my friend, the one I studied magic with, the one I helped convince the king and queen to let you keep Fenrir, the one who always saved the seat next to her for me at supper, so please, don't call my friend a monster, because i won't have it" defended Cora, still softly but more sternly, her voice cracking at the end, the other woman nodded ever so slightly, but kept quiet

"Look, it took me a while to understand, but, the reason you need death or feel sick when you're deprived of it, is because you feed from it, instead of food, you get nourishment from the energy a body radiates when life is taken from it, basically, your hunger for death is just that: hunger, that's why only one soldier per week still has you weak and pale, because you can't function properly being fed only once in many daysm no one can, only reason you haven't fucking died is that you're still a goddess" she said, stopping for a breath, her friend lost in her words, trying to take them all in, "what happened all those centuries ago, was your appetite changing, maybe puberty, who knows? But you couldn't control it, so you just gave in to it, which is understandable, after all the research I did, if there's anything i'm sure of, is that, that must have been extremely difficult for you" she said with a grimace, Hela lightly nodding with a dry chuckle

"So, the answer to 'what the hell is wrong with Hela?' is answered, the next step is figuring out how to fix it" she clapped her hands, definitely too immersed in her role as story teller, "well, that was the hardest part, you see, I had to go through thousands of different spell books to find something that could help, yet everything had a plot hole, nothing was perfect enough to ensure there would be absolutely no secondary effects, but who am i if not the most genius of all the geniuses in this universe, so, what if, instead of trying to get rid of the hunger, we transform it into something else? Something more malleable? What would that be? A good old regular hunger, where you need to eat nutritious food in order to get energy, not, you know, dying creatures" she finished, an anxious smile on her face, gauging her friends reaction

"So, what do you think?" questioned the queen after the goddess gave no response

"You're right" she laughed, "you are a genius, I mean, I still have like a hundred questions, but I trust you'll have an answer for them" beamed Hela, wiping a single tear from her eye

"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't sure it would work 100%, in fact, after we're finished here, i'm going back to Valhalla to get the last thing I need for the potion, it's a weird flower, rapunzel shit, it only blooms every four hundred years and it's just time for its harvest, I had Lenora get it from Svartalfheim, then i'll be catching up on some meetings around the realms"

"Wait a minute, why aren't you back in Asgard? What is a rapunzel and who is Lenora? Also, meetings? Oh my god, you're queen, aren't you?" exclaimed excitedly the asgardian princess

"We have so much to talk about" sighed Cora

And so she began telling her everything that had happened since she was banished, from enchanting everyone to hate Odin for the death of the Valkyries and making them believe the goddess was protecting Asgard across the realms, to meeting her brothers on Midgard

"It's so unfair, I can't believe you know my siblings and I don't, do they even know of my existence?" questioned sadly the goddess, her raven hair falling almost melancholically in front of her eyes

"They only know that there's an older child, but they were raised being told that one of them would be king, spoiler alert, the adopted one was never going to, another of your father's schemes" said Cora with a huff of annoyance "sometimes, I see Thor and wonder, how isn't he the adopted one? I swear, he's like a golden retriever and you two are snakes, or cats, anyways, really, you and Loki are so similar, it's crazy" the two laughed at that, the younger woman drifting momentarily to the god of mischief, completely involuntarily

"Huh, similar you say? Then you are hopelessly in love with him as well?" teased Hela, erupting in laughter when the other choked on air

"Will you ever let that go? I was like 300, a literal overgrown baby" she whined, completely ignoring the question

"I'm gonna be nice and not press about it, just 'cause you're like, about to get me out of this wretched hole" spoke the goddess before adding "talking about that, when do you think it will be done?"

"Well, after I get that flower from Len, then it's just brewing the thing and voila, you will be back to being the cool grim reaper, and not the killing beast"

"I'm so glad you're comfortable enough to joke about my poor mental and physical state" quipped Hela, Cora dismissed her comment and carried on

"Ooh, I know, I should arrange a super dramatic meeting with papa Odin, I can already imagine it, i'll yell at him for a bit, bring you back, scold him some more, then forgive him, 'cause i'm not a resentful maniac, then demand him to hold a ball in honor of your return" she mused staring at the ceiling dreamily

"You will attend that ball, won't you?" the other woman ordered more than wondered

"No way, your brothers would be there" was Cora's quick response. Hela went on to explain why she should go either way, but she blocked it out when she felt her phone vibrate from her back pocket

How is everything going? How is Lenora?

God of mischief

Must you sign the text like that? I already know you're a god, you say it at least 5 times a day

Cora x

Interesting approach, sadly enough I can't seem to find it in me to care.

Loki

Ha, you changed it, you do care. Also, yeah, everything is good, visiting an old friend, i'm having dinner with Len later

Cora x

I did it just because I thought it looked better, shut up. What friend?

Loki

Nosey much, are we? Just a friend, a very hot and pretty friend ;)

Cora x

Cora stifled a laugh while sending that, knowing well the reaction she would get from the god, it was cruel, just a bit, but he deserved it after the whole Alejo thing during dinner

Enjoy then, have a good rest of the day

Loki

Don't worry, you're just as, if not a bit more, but let's not tell her that

Cora x

Well, of course, still, who is she?

Loki x

You added an x, I can feel the love even from this cave. And i'm not telling

Cora x

What are you doing in a cave???? And shut up

Loki x

As I said, catching up with an old friend, dummy

Cora x

You have very weird friends

Loki x

You've no idea, dear

Cora x

"So, when's the wedding?" Hela's voice ripped her from her dreamy daze, back to the land of... well, fire, though her now fluttered state surely was giving the blazing realm a run for their money

"I don't know what you mean, it was just Lenora checking to see if I wanted mac and cheese, it's something the humans created like 3 centuries ago, really simple, really tasty, sometimes I put dry noodles on top for an extra crunch, you should try it, also when-" rambled the queen incessantly, until the booming laughter of her friend interrupted her

"You expect me to believe that you were ignoring everything I, your best friend who you haven't seen in a thousand years, said, because your daughter was asking you about tonight's menu?" she asked, to which Cora just responded with a nod

"So, if I used what little power I have left, and took that device from you, I wouldn't find that your last conversation was with a certain god of mischief, also known as my brother?" she was still laughing, which eased a bit of Cora's unacknowledged fears

"Okay, yes, I was, but it doesn't mean I said a single lie about the mac and cheese bit, I fucking love it" huffed Cora in childish defense

"Sure, bring me some when you come visit in Asgard" teased the goddess

"Nope, i'll send a guard, also, aren't you going to claim the throne of Helheim?" at the mention, Hela's almost lifeless eyes sparked with an unquestionable glint of joy and passion

"Of course! But, I've kinda missed Asgard. Also, unbelievable! You are like a century younger and already are queen-"

"Yes, 'cause you killed my sister and then my mother decided to kill herself" deadpanned Cora, then laughed at the horrified look she caused on her friends face "I got over it long ago, but guilt tripping you from time to time, is and probably will always be hilarious" said Cora, wiping a single tear, triggered by her fit of giggles

"Yes, I feel so reassured by your amusement over my killing spree on the Valkyries, totally not something I hate myself for" came the response of a grumpy goddess of death

"Well, they are all in Valhalla, happy as ever, and Brunnhilde is still alive, as for SIgrún, I never once blamed you, always Odin, and I promised myself that the moment I could set you free i would also finally forgive him, so... Yeah, i'm only teasing, it's my way of coping, don't take it seriously, you can laugh along, provided that you only laugh at the jokes and not make them, we're good" assured the woman with a cheery smile

After that bit of reassurance, they got back to their conversation, Hela teasing Cora over Loki, showing pictures of Lenora growing over the years, bringing the goddess up to date with a lot of events from the last millenium, etcetera.

It was incredible how the strong bond was still there, after all the years, after all the tragedy, there was something almost poetic in how they were talking for hours on end in a dusty, crumpling cave, divided by bars, yet being able to make it feel like they were just old friends catching up over tea

Chapter Text

- - -

Eight days had passed since Cora had left for her longer-than-usual trip back home, much to everyone's demise. It seemed like the group found themselves barely functioning without the cheery presence of the ancient woman, 

Luckily no wars had been started this time, no Hulks had been sent to another planet, and no gods had been sent to retrieve him, yet the overall mood was clearly affected by the lack of Cora's loud music, or constantly trying little potions in her unsuspecting friends, even the annoying habit of popping out of thin air just to scare her teammates was missed at this point, one would wonder, how they had even managed to survive that long without the woman

Everyone was disturbed in a different way.

Since Pepper was gone as well on a conference over seas, and Strange was busy taking care of the cosmos 'or whatever it is that he does', now Tony didn't have anyone forcing him to get a reasonable good night's sleep.

There was no one else who would listen to Bruce's incessant rant over gamma radiation and his research, and on the two occasions that Hulk had come out, he had made a mess of the gardens when he found out his purple friend wasn't around.

Peter and Pietro made sure to have everything ready for when Cora came back, so that then, the twins, Peter and Cora could have a mario kart tournament. They were obviously occupying themselves with that task, because if they didn't, they'd be sulking over the absence of their little group's mom as much as the rest

Natasha was more closed off than usual, Steve too. Clint tried to lighten up the mood alongside Scott, by playing pranks on the team, but they didn't even backfire, they were just ignored.

Sam and Bucky's constant bickering was full on swing again, both breathing down each other's neck, one of the most annoying consequences of Cora's vacation, if you asked the captain.

The three who were affected the worst were probably the big three: Wanda Maximoff, Thor Odinson and Loki Friggason

The witch had been compulsively cooking and baking, she barely left the kitchen, some thought it was to keep her mind busy, one afternoon, when his brother and Steve tried to get her away from the pots and oven, she blew them off, muttering under her breath, barely audible "Cora could be hungry when she gets back", and locked the kitchen door, everyone was worried for the younger Maximoff, but at least someone was keeping them fed

Thor was used to being away from his family and friends, since he partially lived in both Midgard and Asgard, but no one prepared him for how hellish it felt to be away from his best friend, a kind of friendship he didn't know had lacked his whole life. He was mostly sulking surrounded by empty boxes of poptarts, more specifically the hot fudge flavoured, they were the woman's favourite after all

Loki just practically ignored everyone, and because the rest was too busy moping around and barely paying any attention to their surroundings, it was pretty easy. He was sad he hadn't gotten the chance to 'facetime' his friend, and with his brother locking himself in his room, he felt even more homesick. 

Coralina's story was a bit different, while the Avengers sulked around, she was, well, having the time of her life.

Once the crown fell on her head, she became a very public person - the exception being in Asgard -. Whenever she visited the realms for conferences with other royals, she made sure to always be around the locals. It's tradition in most realms to hold balls when other nobilities come to visit their lands, especially when the nobel is from Valhalla, so in those gatherings, as per the Queen's request, it's always a must to invite the common folk to attend, the more the merrier, always putting on a show for them, singing for them ancient songs, dancing with them when the bands took over, drinking with everyone when the cheers and toasts took place

This way, she barely spent time with the royals, she always preferred to rejoice among the villagers, and for that, they loved her, she was ready to lend a hand at all times, from helping carrying groceries, to even babysitting for a couple who wanted to waltz once during a ball in Vanaheim.

She had a treaty among the realms, where they weren't to disclose anything about Valhalla to Asgard's royal family, there was no book, no file, nothing in the infinite shelves in the golden kingdom's library that had any information about her or her family, or at least what was left of it.

For the Asgardians, Cora was a legend, not even a name was possible to be put on heaven's crown, this didn't stop the people to hush theories in whispers, some swore up and down that they had seen her, that they had a vague memory of such a woman prancing through town ages ago, but they weren't more than that, whispers

They housed her, fed her, taught her, and loved her since she was a child. Then, when the battle of the Valkyries against Hela happened, she vanished and without leaving any trace

She forced the Asgardians to forget her face, her presence and her name, yet her actions stayed, the things she did for Asgard, how she protected and cared for the place and its people. So, indeed, for them, she felt like a legend, a distant memory of pure goodness. Except the king and queen, who were sentenced to remember who they thought of as their protegee, yet betrayed her like they would betray their biggest foe, remembering is their price

When she became queen, she took after her mother, who always kept her private life and her 'work' life as separate as she could. If she had to go and pay a visit to Alfheim's royal family, the queen, a very close friend of hers, and her would spend the day chatting together, but when they had to sit down to discuss whatever it was they had to discuss, she would put everything aside and just focus on what could be done for the greater good, no matter the royal friends she had to piss off in order to make sure she was doing the best in her power for everyone

There's no doubt that over the years many people have tried to take advantage of her benevolence, but she was quick to set the record straight the moment she saw it. She made sure that everyone would get it in their heads that inside the meeting rooms, she wasn't a friend, she was a queen going over problems with other royals, with respect but not any bias, and she expected the same in response

Now, she worked nonstop the whole week, between taking the rails from Lenora (the princess who very selflessly stepped in, covering as queen while Cora was busy playing hero on Midgard) and then revising and brewing her potion in her free time

She still wanted to make time for daughter and mother time, something she was very adamant on, since her mother, as great a queen as she had been, never made time for her younger kid, instead shipping her off to another realm as soon as she learnt to tuck herself in at night

So, there the queen and princess were, sprawled around the large couch, catching up on everything and eating plenty of different sorts of junk food in Lenora's cottage, she felt like the Asgardian palace didn't really fit her aesthetic, so she'd go back to her little home as many times as possible.

"You are the worst, though, it was your idea, you should at least have told him you wouldn't be able to" said Lenora pointing an accusatory finger at her mother

"Shut up, I know, okay? But, I started thinking- Yeah, yeah, shocker, whatever- I started thinking, and Hela's right, when she gets back to Asgard there'll be some sort of celebration for her return, and, well, she wants me to come, but that'll never happen 'cause Kronk and Yzma will be there to welcome their sister back" the woman said, earning a 'well, it's obvious' kind of look from the princess

"So instead, i'll send you as the realm's representative, and imagine what he'd think if he sees his mysterious friend's daughter there in the name of Valhalla's crown, I think, even goldilocks would figure it out" defended the woman nonchalantly, with her mouth stuffed with chocolate covered peanuts

"Yeah, alright, but thanks for asking" protested the princess

"Weird, since I didn't. I'm declaring, notifying, stating what's gonna happen, munchkin" remarked Cora with concealed amusement

"You suck" she muttered, munching defeatedly on her empanadas "and you suck even more for getting Loki's hopes up about meeting me, virtually at the very least" added Lenora matter-of-factly

"What hopes? It was me who was excited for Loki to meet my daughter, he probably couldn't care less" she huffed, as if insinuating that the god cared for her were the most preposterous thought one could voice out. "And it's not like I've been ignoring him, he hasn't brought up the subject so neither have I" concluded Cora, more trying to convince herself than Lenora at this point

"God, you're so dense, dear mother" sighed the girl exasperated and amused at the same time, earning a glare from the woman, shrugging it off she continued excitedly "Oh, norns, I can't believe I haven't told you!" Cora waited for her daughter to elaborate, but seeing as she just kept looking at her beaming with joy and excitement, she rolled her eyes

"Oh, in the name of the almighty protectors of the universe, please tell me" she said with a straight face

"I've been talking with a boy" sang the blonde girl, Cora instantly freezing with wide eyes, ready to begin the questioning, but nothing came out, she just sat there watching her daughter with her jaw dropping to the floor

"Mom? You good?" snickered Lenora, knowing this was the reaction she would get from her mother, after all, this was the first time she had ever brought up any boy or girl in a way that suggested there was something beyond friendship, and the way she had phrased it, it certainly indicated there was

"You, a boy? Why? No, no, who? When? Also, no! You're a baby! I'll kill him, I'm killing him, oh, I hate him, what if he's using you? Does he know who you are? Well of course he does, no, no, you're too young! Len, why? Don't- God, a boy? Ugh, why? Scratch that, I don't care if boy or girl or anything, just no" the rant went on and on for another five minutes, minutes where the grey eyed woman paced from the kitchen to the living room countless times, continuously muttering denials

Lenora on the other hand, was about to explode from keeping her laughter in, she knew Cora would freak out, but this was definitely better than what she had expected, nevertheless even if she was deeply entertained by her mother practically going insane, she decided to be a decent daughter, and sat her down

"Mom, stay there, okay?" once she felt her mother wouldn't jump up and start the ranting again she spoke, "He does not know who I am, he hasn't even seen my face- huh, I should really show him my face, what if he thinks he's being catfished!" she started, getting lost in her own rambling, then remembered the task at hand

"Actually, now that I think about it, I probably shouldn't if we don't want your secrets getting spilled" muttered Lenora, which perked up Cora's attention once again, after she had finally started to calm down

"What the hell does that mean, Lenora Fridda Corasdottir, speak up or I'll... do something that you won't like" she trailed off, furrowing her brows at herself for not being able to think up an actual threat

"Aha, okay..." Lenora laughed, "it's actually that kid from your group, Peter Parker" mumbled the girl closing her eyes in fear

"Okay" was all the woman said after specifically twelve seconds of silence, the princess opening her eyes warily and utterly confused at the queen's reaction

"Okay?" prompted softly, fearing that any loud noise would detonate the ticking bomb that, she feared, Cora was

"Yes, I mean, I'm undoubtedly going to painfully and slowly murder you, but, okay" hummed the woman, dangerously calm for the words that had just come out of her mouth, sending shivers down Lenora's spine, "So, tell me, how the fuck are you speaking with spidey?" she spat, just as sweetly

"Uhm, well, funny story, after you showed me the photo album, I was like 'god he's so pretty, let's take a look', so I cashed in a favour from Heimdall and he got me his number, I did the whole wrong number thing... and, yeah" explained the girl not daring to meet eye with her mother's judging glance

"You know that's really creepy, right?" questioned the woman, half amused by her daughter, half scared for the people little Parker could be talking with

"I mean, it's not like I'm going to kidnap him or anything"

"Well, after this, I wouldn't really put it past you" she countered with an eye roll "Okay, okay, I'm thinking, let's see, does he know you as Lenora?" Cora asked, forming a small plan

"Nope, I was actually considerate enough to use Fridda, in case you got drunk and started telling everyone about how you missed me" teased Lenora

"Shut up" she chuckled, the a frown came over her face as she weighed her options, "Okay, then you can show him your face, as long as you invent a last name, Corasdottir is just... no. And don't give away anything about who you are, you are just a normal teenage girl called Fridda'' said Cora much to her daughter's surprise

"Really? Oh, god, thank you, thank you, thank you, and sorry, and thank you again" beamed the girl, jumping to hug Cora "I really like him, mom" came the muffled voice of Lenora, who had her face buried against Cora's shoulder

"Good, you're both very good kids, don't hurt him, and if he hurts you i'll find a way to make sure he never even stands a chance of setting foot on Valhalla" answered Cora, with a melodic threatening tone

- - -

"So, this is it" Hela said, eyeing the jar filled with a dense, orange, glittery liquid.

After two days of slaving away, in total 10 days since she'd left the compound, not that anyone was keeping count, right? Cora had finally finished the potion, now the goddess just had to go over the final details to make sure she was okay with what she was signing up to, then drink the brew

"Yup, that is it" nodded Cora, she was back in the cave-like room in which Hela was still chained up and behind bars

"Just to make it clear, the only thing this will do will be, make me hungry for... food?" inquired Hela, growing wary by the minute

"Yes, you will still be a goddess, the goddess of death, you'll have your powers, same lifespan, same everything, only instead of having genocidal tendencies, you'll just get cravings for sweets" explained the woman for what felt the hundredth time that evening alone

As Hela opened the crystal flask and drank it in one swig, Cora conjured up a single layered cake, chocolate flavoured, filled with cream and peanut butter, decorated with strawberries and more than 20 candles. In red icing there was written

Happy 'i'm not driven by desire to kill' day

"Here" the woman handed the goddess the first slice, she had to blow the candles since Hela was still too weak

"To you, Hela Odinsdottir, from now on, may your executions be out of pure want, and not survival!" cheered Cora, not taking notice of her very odd choice of words

"For heaven's queen, you are not really the most morally correct, you know?" joked the woman, while moving to grab another slice after having devoured the first in two bites

"How rich of you, Goddess of Death" replied the woman with an eye roll

- - -

"Hela, meet my daughter, Lenora, meet Hela, kind of your auntie I guess" said Cora as soon as she opened the cottage's door with the asgardian closely behind her, taking everything in after centuries of being within the same dark and unreliable stone walls

"Because she's like a sister to you, or 'cause she's Loki's sister and you want him to be my new daddy?" asked the princess with a teasing smirk, walking into the living room with one of her usual floral dresses and her latest flower crown

"I like her, nice to meet you, princess Lenora" nodded Hela with a small smirk, returned immediately by the blonde

"So, what's the game plan?" questioned Lenora, clapping in a plotting and conniving way from her seat at the dining table, facing the two women

"No idea, your mom is the scheming snake out of the two of us, surprisingly" shrugged the goddess, her thick accent just the very same as Cora's, a big contrast with Lenora's, who had picked up more of an australian timbre, lord knows why

"True... Whatever, the idea is that she will be staying here for a week or so, then, you, my precious little child, are going to take her to Asgard, i'll give you the details on what you'll tell Odin later, you'll confirm your presence to the ball you'll be demanding for them to hold, etcetera. You're free to do whatever you want, but when the princes arrive, stay away from them, and put the mental barrier I taught you, don't answer questions, pull rank if necessary" said Cora quickly and in one breath, not even getting agitated as she finished.

"That was hot"

"Ew, that's my mother" 

"Ew, that's my mother" the asgardian princess mimicked, earning a glare form Lenora

"Wait, what will you be doing meanwhile?" asked the young princess, cutting short her bickering with the goddess

"These past two days I haven't gotten any updates from Loki, i'm 90% sure he's either been killed or has killed everyone, I'm going back" she said rummaging through the room to find her phone

"You're leaving us? Ouch" gasped Hela in feigned hurt, only eliciting a roll of the eyes from the woman

"Yes, i'll send you the speech later Len, for the time being your mission is to bring little miss Asgard up to date on the last six centuries, I've covered the first four" winked the queen, before looking around to make sure she had everything

"Hela, if you text me don't sign with your name, Thor sometimes uses my phone to play crossy road" she adds scrunching her nose, then her body disappears, and a body of furious purple energy took its place

That energy, basically her soul, or astral projection, sent a flying kiss towards the other two before levitating away, through the windows and on her journey back to her body, which was all the way over at the compound

- - -

When she got back, the first thing she did was take notice of the time, 5am.

Second thing she did was address the eyes around the premises, "Hello, Friday, dear, how's everything going? Where is the team currently?" asked Cora standing up from the floor

"Welcome back, miss Sabrina, everyone is currently sleeping, should I alert the team of your return?" spoke the AI

Immediately Cora shook her head and told her not to say anything. She made her way, silently, downstairs, and started making breakfast for everyone, surprised by the amount of baked goods overflowing the countertops, 'Wanda' she deduced

At this point, the realization of everything was dawning on her, like a shock blanket being lifted from her shoulders, letting all the pent up emotions flow through her. She had spent the grand majority of her reign looking for a solution for Hela's banishment, today she had succeeded, she had done it, her hard work had paid off, her best friend was no longer in a pit, ripening on that cave that, even if it was located on the fire realm, brought shivers down her spine and caused a deep numbing chill to take over her chest

But, now, she was happy, she had everything. Yes, she still had her countless secrets, her two lives kept finding ways to collide and she kept juggling with her luck, first the Asgardian Gods - brothers of her best friend - seeing her in Sakaar, then Lenora, who apparently thought it would be a great idea to flirt with Spiderman

Or even the time when they met their doppelgangers from another universe, even those people knew a lot of things about Cora, she had to threaten the whole 'cast' to watch their tongues. 

One way or the other, her life was messy enough to keep her entertained, and, more importantly, her pancakes were ready

"Fri, wake the team and tell them Cora has sent them a gift, and if they don't get down here right away I'll, I don't know, you come up with a threat" as Friday got across her message Cora sent the food to the table with a wisp of purple, and then she hid in one of the corners of the room, covered by shadows and the kitchen island, concealing her heartbeat as best as she could since the super soldiers who could sense it if they focused enough

Slowly, everyone started filling into the room, everyone surprised by the food, sitting down on their respective places, Cora noticed how clean the seats were, she deduced that they must've opted to eat their meals in the common room or the kitchen, which was true, they did, but only because it felt wrong to sit as a family, when it suddenly felt so incomplete

"I miss her so much, I need to show her the new glasses with Friday incorporated I designed" spoke Tony, mouth full and voice distant and sad

"I need her to reenact scenes of Boyle and Peralta, it's not the same without my Jake, I miss lolite" whined Thor, his hair looking even dirtier than Loki's in 2012

"So basically, we're all very dependant of this woman" sentenced Nat, to which everyone just hummed, even the god of mischief, who had no witty comment

They're all so sweet

At this, both Wanda and Loki perked up, looking frantically around the room, feeling like they had gone mad, until they met each others gazes, and realized they had both heard it

Cora?

Darling?

Yes?

Oh my god, you're actually here? Where? Please come out

Okay, you got me, i'm a raging bisexual

You're also a dumbass, come out as in out of your hiding spot, wherever that may be

But I want to hear all of you guys say how much you miss me, at least one more

Okay then, why don't you do us the honors, Loki?

Ugh

Loki cleared his throat, getting the attention of most, especially since during that week and a half, he had barely uttered more than two words per day

"Well, as far as it concerns me, during Cora's absence, I've been overruled by an unfathomable feeling of homesickness" he stated, "for some reason" his indifferent tone betrayed by the obvious meaning behind his words

"I missed you too" said Cora cheerily, and very much close to tears, jumping out from her seat "all of you" she added, when she caught herself staring at the Asgardian prince for far too long

After the first wave of shock and greetings and tackling hugs and pancakes had passed, they found themselves back to their routine, telling the woman everything funny that had happened during the short period of time she hadn't been present.

Now there finally wasn't any empty chairs in the long table, it was full and complete, as it should be, and as they all hoped it stayed.

- - -

Chapter Text

- - -

It was the slowest of mornings. No one was doing anything, yet everyone found themselves in the game room, some by the bar/snack bar, others playing cards, most just staring in silence at the ceiling

"We're earth's mightiest heroes, how come we can't come up with a singular interesting thing to do?"

"I don't know Cora, please, if you have any mind blowing ideas, please do share"

"Cut the bitchiness, greaseball" she snarled, the others just ignoring them, "And as a matter of fact, I do have an excellent idea" now that piqued everyone's interest "can the Quinjet work if we take it higher? Say, like, to the exosphere?" the bored heroes looked at her perplexed. "What? I wanna go to the moon" she shrugged as if it was the most common thing to say

"You wanna go to the moon?" questioned Sam, who looked very preoccupied for his friend's sanity (clearly, he wasn't the only one)

"C'mon! It makes sense! Bruce ended up on another planet, which is, by the way, much farther away" she pointed out, "Why wouldn't we just go and have a little tea party on the moon?" she whined trying to convince her friends

The team still looked skeptical, which is why, in Cora's mind, she had to bring out the big guns

"Steve, Tony thinks the moon landing was fake" Cora said loudly, grinning at Thor who was giving her a disappointed mom look, knowing full well that she was just manipulating them.

Instantly, Tony jumped in to back himself up

"I don't think the moon landing was fake, I know it was"

"Fucking traitor-" he muttered menacingly

"Language!", that made him turn his angry glare from the billionaire towards the rest of the team, sighing before opening his mouth again

"Pack your bags, we're going to the fricking moon" and with that, everyone scurried away to follow the orders, too scared of the fuming captain

"I get why you love being the god of mischief, tricking people into doing exactly what you wanted them to do in the first place... it feels amazing" Cora sighed dreamily, snickering to the god as they walked side by side to get ready.

Both them, Thor and Wanda walked out of the elevator together, since Loki had taken the last empty room in the floor, and after they all had gotten ready, they stepped into the lift once again

"Why the moon, though?" questioned the god of thunder

"I wanna see them when they find out there's no flag nor footprints" cackled the woman, as Wanda's jaw fell in surprise and the two Asgardians laughed

"We're having tea though, right, lolite?" Wondered the blonde god, Cora hummed in response, leaning into Thor's shoulder, oblivious to the slight frown that took place in the face of the raven haired prince at seeing the closeness between his brother and Cora

Loki is jealous

Shut up, witchling

Cora just giggled at the two voices resounding in her head, turning towards the god of mischief and throwing him a wink and a teasing smirk as she hugged the blonde man closer before letting go

You're so easy to rile up, mischief

I'll show you riled up, darling

Bring it on

I'm still here, you guys are disgusting... adopt me?

Sure

No

Too late. What? Don't tell me you don't want my babies, rude

"Are you guys getting off or...?" asked the only one in the elevator who wasn't part of the telepathic conversation, apparently they had arrived to the floor where the jets were stored without realising

"Yeah, sorry, just thinking about how I really wanna have a croissant on the moon for some reason, don't know what's wrong with those two though" joked the woman pointing at the asgardian and the sokovian mockingly

As they walked outside, towards the jet, suddenly, a beam of rainbow lights formed in front of Thor, inviting him to step in. Their group of four halted, and the god of thunder showed hesitancy at seeing the mournful look on his brother, knowing he wasn't invited on this spontaneous trip home

"Don't worry Thor, go, we'll tell you how the moon was, something must be going on if you were summoned like this" encouraged Cora with a gentle smile. At the same time, she found Loki's hand behind her back and subtly squeezed it two times in reassurance, which earned her an almost invisible smile

"I'll be back as soon as possible, promise" he stated, aiming his words mainly at Loki.

He walked into the bifrost and just as it appeared, it vanished, leaving as evidence only a mark on the floor that Stark would surely whine about the moment he saw it

- - -

"Okay, bets time" announced Clint once everyone was inside the jet, waving around two hats, one blue, "this one's for the moon believers", and the other red "the other one, for the ones who... don't, i guess" he finished

One by one, everyone put their money where they thought they would win, ignoring the angry and betrayed glares Steve sent anytime money was placed on the 'hat of treachery', as he decided to call it in an attempt to guilt trip them

"Natasha, Wanda, Peter, Cora, Loki, Tony, you're all officially dead to me- Bucky you too?" he yelled, interrupting himself as he saw his best friend/almost boyfriend placing his wager in the red hat

"Sorry, punk, I wasn't going to, but Cora put her money there, that's like the only reassurance I need" shrugged the ex assassin apologetically

"Don't speak to me anymore" pouted the heartbroken captain

"I'm regretting not bringing a herd of cows" snickered Peter, only being understood by the twins, Scott (who had been seeing too much TV with Cassie) and Cora (who just really loved the show)

"I'll magic up some ice cream for you, kid, don't worry" assured the grey eyed woman

"What the- you know what, I don't even wanna know what the connection is" sighed the archer, who was then, much to everyone's dismay, explained in full detail what it meant by Peter and Pietro.

"You know" started Sam when there was a second of silence "most people just go for a walk in the park, catch a movie, go shopping, or do a million other things when they are bored, they don't just up and go to the fucking moon" finished the falcon with a chuckle of disbelief

"Are you serious?" questioned Banner, looking around the ship with a 'can you believe this guy?' face

"Our group consists of: a genius with daddy issues, a second genius who turns big and green, an assassin who prefers bows and arrows to guns, a ballerina assassin, a hundred year-old ex Hydra assassin with a plum obsession, an equally old walking popsicle with a frisbee, a guy with a bird suit and goggles, a man who speaks with ants and can change in sizes, a kid who can crawl through walls, two norse gods, twins with super powers, the android son of the two geniuses and one of the gods, and whatever Cora is" summed up Natasha with an indifferent tone

"Yeah, I don't think we should compare ourselves with what 'most people' would do" hummed Tony, sipping on his thermus, which was definitely filled with some sort of alcohol "And I don't have daddy issues" his whines were met with a wave of sarcastic 'sure thing Tony' from everyone

"I feel like Valkyrie and Tony would get on perfectly, right?" whispered Loki from his seat next to Cora, watching Stark hand out space suits for all the oxygen breathers of the team

"I'd even say they'd work as a couple, if they weren't both as fruity as they are" giggled the woman, making the god revel in the sound of her laugh

On the other side of the ship, the twins and Peter were watching the exchange, "I still have a week and a half for them to get together and win the bet" said the witch, munching on her popcorn

"The way things are going, they'll be having non gravitational sex in the moon" joked Pietro, causing him and his sister to laugh

"Actually, it's a misconception that the moon has zero gravity, it does have it, just not the same amount we have on Earth" explained Peter matter of factly, causing the siblings to deadpan at him

"I know, I know, dial the nerdiness down around you" sighed the spiderling in defeat "this can be considered bullying, you know?" he added

"Hey, if I can't geek out about my powers, and speedy gonzales isn't allowed to brag about how long - or how not long, actually - it takes him to do absolutely anything, then you can't correct anything we say with your cleverness" pointed out Wanda, to which Peter just nodded, especially because of the point she'd made about Pietro, then continued on silently spying on the two most powerful sorcerers in the ship

"Ooh, have I told you? Peter has a girlfriend" sang Cora, laughing at the shocked face Loki pulled

"Really? The kid I caught dancing in maid dresses along Pietro, has a girlfriend? Woah" said the god in incredulity

"And that's not even the worst part" she mumbled to herself without thinking, but the prince still caught it

"What is then, darling?" enquired the mischievous god

"Oh, uhm, yeah, no, it's just he, you know, he didn't tell me, I found out through someone else, yeah" she said, lying a very unbelievable lie, she knew it, he knew it, anyone who heard it would know it, but he had the decency of not pressing on it

"What do you think they needed Thor for?" questioned the god, his voice resembling that of a sad and neglected boy, which, in more than one way, he was, making Cora grimace at the change of topic

"We can ask him when he's back, don't worry about it" said the woman, she hesitated before sheepishly asking something else "Uhm, what did you do, anyway?"

Loki stayed silent for a bit and she thought she had crossed a line and had got him even sadder, those assumptions were dismissed the second she heard the angelical sound of the god's dry and amused chuckle

"I don't know if you were aware, but I had been kept in the palace's dungeons since New York, last time Thor came to visit, the king decided to give me my freedom and magic, so long as the all mighty god of thunder was around to keep my in check" started Loki, stopping to see if he still had the woman's attention

"Yes, carry on, please" she pressed nodding along her words

"Well, I dyed Odin's hair to pink the second I was out of the dungeons, so here I am, banished" finished the god with a slight hint of hilarity at the recalling of his... prank

Cora was definitely having the hardest time trying not to double over in laughter, yet she lost it the second her mind drifted off to the image of the allfather, the man who had played a parental figure during her childhood, that same old man, with his white hair replaced by a - surely - scandalous shade of pink

Not only was it an extremely amusing mental image to have in her head, but it also reminded her of the many times Hela and her would get in trouble for doing similar stuff, like putting wheels on the throne, or stealing food from the kitchen prior to big feasts, even using their powers to turn themselves into rats and hiding from Frigga.

"God, I'd kill to had been able to see Odin's face, totally worth the banishment" she said once she had ceased her laughter, and just by hearing her laugh, the prince couldn't help but agree, 'totally worth it' 

After her laughter died down, in a softer tone she added, "They'll come around, you'll be able to go back to Asgard soon, I promise" earning a soft smile from the prince, one she quickly mirrored

They got lost in each other's eyes; his, green as a jade stone worth more than any diamond Cora could've ever laid eyes on, and hers, the grey resembling a fog that hides behind it everything he never knew he was looking for. And for a minute, there was a compelling force pulling them together, and neither of them had the willpower to fight against it, and if you looked into their minds, at that moment it would've been the last thing either of them wanted

"We're here! Get up everyone, we have a flag to find!" and with the announcement of their arrival, the magnetic force between the god and the queen seemed to fade away, like a poisonous mist cleared under the newfound lunar gleam

"Good luck with that, stars and stripes" Cora called, practically jumping from her previous seat next to the god, smoothing down the wrinkles that had formed on her clothes, as if brushing off what had almost happened a second ago, and without so much as a glance back, she walked out of the jet and into the dusty soil of the moon.

On the other hand, Loki was still seating where he had been seating for the time it took to get to their destination, frozen in place, replaying the whole thing as if he would forget it, as if he didn't think about it the moment would fade, as if he needed to engrave it on his mind that he hadn't been the only one to lean in

"Hey, Lokes, c'mon, you okay?" urged the metal armed man, being the last one to get off the jet, he knelt in front of the god, then waved his hand in front of the man's green spaced out eyes, bringing him out of his daze

"What's wrong, James? Are you okay?" he asked when he realized the soldier was in front of him with a slightly worried look on his face. The two got on very well, bonding over the common ground of having been tortured and controlled, resulting in a pretty wholesome friendship between the two disturbed souls

"I'm fine, man, you were the one with his head all the way in wonderland or something, did something happen? Are you alright?" insisted Bucky, helping the god to his feet so as to walk out to the group of astronaut heroes looking for proof of the moon landing

"No, and never better" sighed the raven haired prince in a haze as he lied eyes on the woman responsible for his internal dispute

Loki relished on Cora, looking ever so blissfully oblivious as she jumped up and down with the younger avengers, revelling on the way her hair floated freely from the lack of helmet, as if under the water 

Cora felt her phone buzz and turned so furiously red she could feel her temperature rising up like crazy

Please tell me for once my eyes deceive me

Heimdall

I swear to myself that if you tell Thor or Hela about this i'll have your head on the silverest fucking platter, shinnier than Skurge's bald head

Cora x

Queen Cora and Prince Loki

Sitting on a jet

K-I-S-S-I-N-G

Heimdall

I hereby revoke you of your post as Asgard's gatekeeper, reason? Treason

Cora x

Heimdall

No words, bye

Cora x

"Cora!!" a voice yelled frantically, without waiting for a response, it started again, "Tell me where the flag is, where is it? Redwing scoped the area and said there's nothing, but it's wrong, isn't it? Now tell me, c'mon, tell us" 

"Clint, since when do you care?" questioned Wanda confused by the, usually level headed, agent's tantrum

"Since I bet Natasha I would use her old ballet clothes for our next mission" yelled the archer, with the group of moon landing believers behind him

"Yeah, sorry guys, there's no flag, but hey, we can put one ourselves" said Cora trying to make them feel better, Steve made a little punch in the air in victory, so she stepped in "it's not going to be the USA flag, cap, only half of you are americans, and that's without counting the ones that aren't here right now" she argued, supported by most of the group, the rest hanging down their heads

"Stop being little bitches, let's just put up one with the avengers' symbol, плаксивые суки" grumbled the russian spy

After figuring out the design for the flag, they spent the rest of the 'day' doing all sorts of random things, both as a whole and individually. Cora kept her promise and gave everyone ice cream, Steve confessed he would like to live there for some reason. Bruce, Peter and Tony collected a million different lunar samples to study in their labs back home. They all played hide and seek in craters, also marco polo without the water, and anything else that came to mind, until they were too exhausted and made their way back

- - -

As if it had been planned in a movie, the minute the Quinjet landed on the compound's yard, the bifrost opened, revealing an overly excited god of thunder

He ran to meet the team at the ship's gate, waiting for the whole group to be around to make an announcement, apparently,

"Loki!" the blonde prince exclaimed with the wide smile still plastered on his face, frightening his brother to death

"Brother, what is the meaning of all-" he started questioning, but was quickly cut off by the revelation of the millenia, at least for the gods and the queen, since they were the only ones who understood

"Hela has returned!"

"What?" the god of mischief muttered in disbelief

"That's not all, brother" he turned, now directing his broad smile to the rest of his friends, "you have all been invited to attend the ball in her honour!" he exclaimed

- - -

Chapter Text

- - -

"Hela has returned!"

"What?" the god of mischief muttered in disbelief

"That's not all, brother" he turned, now directing his broad smile to the rest of his friends, "you have all been invited to attend the ball in her honour!" he exclaimed

This earned a mix of different reactions.

The team was torn between being confused by this 'sister' they had heard nothing about, and being excited because they had been invited to Asgard.

Loki was shell shocked, not quite knowing how to react upon hearing that the older sister he'd never met, was coming back.

And, finally, Cora had a wide smile that was wiped the moment she heard the last part of Thor's announcement, clapping the brothers on their backs before hurrying back to the inside of the ship, she immediately fished out her phone, the second she turned it on she was met by different people sending practically the same message

It wasn't my idea

-Your super good friend Heimdall

It wasn't my idea, promise

-Your best friend in the whole universe

Don't believe them, it was their idea 100%

-Your daughter and the reason for your happiness

So, the best thing she could think of doing, was calling Hela

"Is Lenora staying in Asgard?" she asked the second the call connected

"I'm fine, thanks for asking, yes, I met my brother, it was okay, I was so nervous, ugh, i'm so happy you called so I can tell you all about it" came the response of her best friend, and both of them could practically hear each other's eyes rolling

"Is Lenora with you?" she repeated, more firmly this time

"Yeah, she's staying with us, do you want to sp-"

"Both of you go to the gates, right now, or I swear to my dead mother i won't bring you the poptarts you liked so much next time I see you" after her threat she only heard a muffled 'fuck' then shuffling, until a minute later the voice of her friend came through

"My queen, to what do I owe the pleasure?" the gatekeeper asked nervously, obviously knowing what he 'owed the pleasure' to

"I trust i'm on speaker phone right now, so, who the hell suggested that Odin should invite the whole team to the ball? Because I kid you not i'm one step away from having a fucking Queen of Hearts arc moment" she sighed, causing her daughter to repress a laugh

"It wasn't me, scout's honour"

"You aren't a scout, Lenora"

"Stop bullying my daughter and answer" Cora demanded as the other three went on a rant arguing why Lenora was or wasn't a scout

"It was Heimdall" chorused the two women on the other line of the phone

"You little shit!" she screamed

"You deserved it!" retorted the man in an uncharacteristic loud voice

"What?" was all Cora could ask in her confusion

"You missed my birthday, didn't visit, not even a message text"

"I feel like this has turned into a personal conversation, I'm uncomfortable, aunt Hela" the princess mumbled, to which the goddess hummed, munching on a sandwich she had conjured up sometime during the phone call

"So that justifies jeopardizing my identity staying secret?" she screeched in a high pitched cry

"Maybe I should remind you that the same friends you want to keep your identity hidden from, are just outside of that ship you are currently on" advised the all-seer gatekeeper, having recovered himself... a bit, at least

"You're a bad friend" she sighed in defeat

"And you're a- What do the midgardians call it?" he said in mock deep thought, "Oh, yeah, a fuckhead" he finished, causing a, relieved, laugh from the grey-eyed woman

"Well, I'm guessing I'll have to think up an excuse to decline the all-father's oh-so-rare invitation" the queen chuckled tiredly, already feeling drained from imagining how suspicious and difficult it will be to justify not joining the bunch in their trip to the golden realm

"No!" this time the screaming came from Hela, "How the hell will I be able to survive the ball without you?" whined the goddess of death, something they had when they were young, during the boring parties, they would stick together the whole night, and even pretend to be dating whenever sweaty knights tried to ask them to the dancefloor

"If you hadn't killed my sister..." she exhaled in fake musing, before erupting in laughter at the awkward silence along with Lenora, who was, by now, very much used to the sick sense of humour her mother found so amusing

"For every time you throw that in my face, somewhere in the universe, a puppy dies" Hela said frowning, as she did whenever Cora brought up her past actions

"I shall immediately shut my pretty mouth then, your majesty" Cora replied, exaggerating her accent to sound like an old lady's posh voice

"Cora, prince Loki and mister Barnes are approaching the ship, I suggest you end this call, before, you know..." trailed off the bronze eyed man

"Yeah, okay, buh-bye, Len, you call me later to tell me how the meeting with he-who-shall-not-be-named went" she said, referring to Odin, before hanging up as soon as she heard the unmistakable sound of the Quinjet's doors opening

"Doll? You here?" came the voice of the soldier as he walked in

"Don't your boyfriends disapprove of you calling other women 'dolls'?" teased the woman "although, I think you'd rather worry a bit more about the so-called god of mischief" she added in a mumble when noticing the killer glare said god was sending towards the blushing man

"Shut up, Cora" muttered the, now both, flustered men

"At ease, boys" she said, skipping giddily towards the two, she positioned herself in the middle of them, throwing her arms around the brooding men's shoulders, "what did I miss?"

"Well, the asgardians have a sister, apparently, something about Valhalla's princess requesting a ball in her honour, that was the place you told us we were going to when we died, right?" said Bucky, searching for confirmation, this made the raven haired prince do a double take

"You know about Valhalla?" he questioned, his expression failing to hide his amazement

"You missed the memo, dear, as I told your brother when he first interrogated me: you get a whole lot of answers when you know where, when and who to ask" she cockily stated, like she was giving the two boys the lesson of their lives, in reality she just wanted to move on from that topic as soon as possible

"So, apart from what Buck said, what else, my prince?" she questioned, smirking smugly at how he briefly readjusted his jaw at the use of the title

The god coughed to keep himself on track and answered, "Well, personally, I'm interested in getting the truth, we were always told that, until now, Hela had been on mission around the realms to protect us, my brother's never questioned it, but I have. It doesn't make sense, why wouldn't she come to visit via the bifrost? Why abandon her family for so many years? How does she know Valhalla's princess? Why is she returning now? Where is the youngest Freyasdottir? So many things that make no sense, I'm starting to feel like my brother" he ended his rambling with a snarky remark about his apparently not only sibling, which earned him a slap on the shoulder from the woman

"Youngest Freyasdottir?" wondered the winter soldier, thankfully asking the only thing that mattered to Cora

"The secret Freyasdottir, Freya was the Queen of Valhalla, Sigrún was her firstborn, went on to become part of the Valkyries, later on the youngest Freyasdottir was born, but soon after was sent to Asgard, where she was trained and raised, she supposedly befriended Hela, my sister was a century older than her, they were inseparable.

"When they were older, Freya fell ill, so Sigrún Freyasdottir, had the crown passed on to her. One day, Odin ordered the secret princess to tamper with the Asgardian people's minds, unknown why, but she refused, so Sigrún, infuriated, went to the Allfather, in defense of her little sister's honour, reminding the king that Valhalla was above them

"Odin, embarrassed and angry, used the jurisdiction he had over the Valkyries, and sent them on a mission to Muspelheim, one he knew would prove to be deathly. Almost all the warriors died, including Sigrún.

"After that, the princess had to take her sister's place, and Hela went on her quest around the realms, and it is believed that driven by her wrath, the now Queen of Valhalla, got herself out of the remembrance of Asgard; memories, books, anecdotes, everything, the only thing she left behind was a distant feeling on our people's hearts, they all loved her, but can't remember her, hell, we don't even know her name, thanks to Odin. She hasn't set foot on Asgard since then, and the rest of the realms are sworn to keep her hidden from us"

By the end of the god's narration of the events, the soldier was left shocked at the dramatics of the story, probably pitying the 'secret Freyasdottir' or judging her for playing with other's memories

Cora on the other hand, felt proud that that version of the events was the one that stuck with the asgardians, the part about Odin's reason to send the Valkyries was true, only he didn't send them to Muspelheim, but to fight the Goddess of Death

"I see why your mother thought you two would make a good couple" mumbled Bucky, who had probably been told about the mini quarrel between the brothers when they were in Asgard dropping off Brunnhilde

"From what I've heard, I'd have to agree, truly a dream of a woman" he said, and Cora almost felt a sting of jealousy, before realizing that, firstly, she was the woman they were talking about, and secondly, Loki was just trying to get her back for what she had said when the two men had first entered the ship

"Oh, please, you'll have to try harder to get me all bitter like you, I'm innately the sweetest piece of soul there is" she mocked, pinching the god's cheeks, then turning to the snickering soldier "Aren't I, Buckyboo?" She batted her eyelashes teasingly, then broke down when the god started glaring at them, which only caused Barnes to join in the laughter and mocking.

Fuming, the god stomped out of the ship in search for the rest of them, and to escape the pair, who only followed behind him, slightly behind him since their laughter slowed them down 

"Cora is impossible and James is an atrocious friend" the prince announced when they finally found the rest of their group, who had moved to the common room, since Thor's arrival had also triggered a heavy thunderstorm

"Try dating the atrocious friend, then you make a fuss" mumbled the falcon from where he was cuddled up besides his other super soldier

"I pity Steve so much, he must be so sick of always having to get you two to stop arguing" said Clint as he cleaned his bow

"Trust me, I share a floor with them, he really takes advantage of it, if you know what I mean" joked Natasha, feeling as though if she had to endure that, then she would make it everyone else's problem as well

"Gross!" yelled the three younger avengers, which made the designated parents (Tony, Loki, Clint and Cora) turn to them with wide eyes, since in their overprotective eyes, they were definitely not supposed to know what the black widow meant

"Please tell me we don't have to give them the sex talk now" rushed the billionaire, panicked at the thought of having that chat

"Uhm, well, we're their... life mentors, I guess, so, yeah" said Cora, huddled up with the other three, the twins and Peter looked like they would rather get kidnapped than be about to get the talk from them, meanwhile the rest of the team just found the whole situation hilarious, and were thankful that they didn't have the title of 'life mentors' as Cora had put it

After a lot of debating (and silent panicking from Cora, who had realized one of the kids she was going to have the talk with, was also dating her daughter), the god of mischief had had enough of the bickering between the three adults, so he walked out of the circle and turned to face the teenagers.

"Use protection. No means no. You're entitled to decide whether you're ready or not, and how far you want to go. Communication is key. Pleasure is not a sin. If you have any doubts or questions you can come to any of us, if you don't feel comfortable enough, I'm certain Friday was programmed to only give reliable information on all topics, but I advise you come to us" and with that, he walked back to his seat, and pulled out a copy of 'To the Lighthouse' Cora had lent him, leaving everyone speechless

"Is it bad that whatever just happened turned me on?" Cora said, only registering she had said that out loud when she saw the stares from her friends and the cocky smile of the god of mischief, who still had his nose stuck in the book

"You need to get laid" murmured Nat as she passed her on her way out of the room

"Are you offering?" she yelled in retort, winking suggestively at the russian woman

"Sorry, Ки́са, maybe when you're not in love with the goth of mischief" the woman said before getting on the elevator, leaving both the queen and the prince a flustered mess, not helped by the laughter of the other heroes, except Thor who didn't know whether he was repulsed or excited by the idea of his brother and best friend together

- - -

"Mom, Peter knows what I look like" Lenora mentioned carefully the second she and her mother had grabbed their snacks and made their way towards the couch

The duo was back at the princess' cottage, she was meant to be staying in Asgard with Hela, but decided to take a day away from being pampered up, since the ball wasn't happening for month, in order to give the goddess of death some adjusting time

So, now, the two were spending a lazy evening, loads of snacks, and Gilmore Girls on the TV, one of the many midgardian shows the valhallans had learned to love

Currently playing, there was a scene where the fictional mother and daughter were doing exactly what the real mother and daughter were doing: eating their weight in pizza and noodles while watching the TV

"We're literally Lorelai and Rory" mused Lenora, sparing a glance towards her mother, who absentmindedly nodded

"And Dean is Peter" she said, earning a pillow to her face "I've always been team Jess though" she added with her mouth full of food

"Shocker" huffed the girl, sarcasm clear as day "you know, for the last decade or so I thought Alejo would be your Luke, because Alejo has a bar and Luke has a diner, but now..." she trailed off suggestively, Cora furrowing her brows not seeing what her daughter was getting at

"Now..." she mocked "Now, what, dummy?"

"Allow me to just say that someone else comes to mind..." she said then sighed dramatically when she caught the still confused stare in her mother's face

"Luke has an L and a K, I knows someone else who has an L and a K in their name. Luke is a brooding man in love with a sarcastic, caffeine addicted mother, I happen to know about a brooding man in love with a sarcastic, caffeine addicted mother" she said, proud as if she was giving the presentation of her life, though the pride turned into core aching laughter when seeing the unimpressed look on Cora

"Remember that episode where Lorelai kills Rory? No? Let's reenact it, see if that jogs up your memory" she threatened, though it meant close to nothing to the fairy, who just laughed

"Cora and Loki, sitting in the tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G, first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes baby in its baby carriage" sang the blonde fairy, clapping her hands

"You're spending too much time with Heimdall" whined Valhalla's queen, crossing her arms over her chest and ignoring the kissing noises Lenora was doing, trying to focus on whatever drama the Gilmore girls had gotten in on that episode

- - -

Chapter Text

- - -

Lenora walked through the same golden path her mother had grown up around, the one that started with the golden and brown shiny doors, and ended in the golden throne where the king of Asgard sat, everything was so... golden

Unlike Cora the last time she had been there, Lenora wasn't alone, she had a woman next to her, not much could be described, since she had a hooded black cape that covered everything but her pale chin and the tips of her long raven hair

Unlike Cora the last time she had been there, Odin wasn't alone either, the beautiful queen of Asgard accompanied him, wearing a gown and a smile that faltered upon realizing 'Valhalla's visitant' wasn't the little girl she had raised to become a sorceress, but a stranger all in all

Odin reacted in the same way, since he'd been notified of the visit, he'd been hoping - in vain - that this would be his chance to make amends with the little girl he had mentored to become a queen, the same little girl he had stupidly betrayed

Normally, the throne room meant panic for the ones in front of the mighty chair, and confidence and power pouring through the king in his golden seat, but this time, there was none of that usual hierarchy, you could smell the fear and the nerves  from each person in the room

Odin was finally approached by Valhalla after a millennia of being under the silent treatment

Frigga knew this meeting was important, and she was desperate to rekindle her bond with the younger Freysdottir

Lenora was anxious about meeting the people who formed her mother into the person she'd become

And the hooded person was a nervous wreck, fearing the moment she'd show her face she'd be thrown to the dungeons, or beheaded

What was a quick walk from the door to the base of the throne, felt like a hundred miles march, but when the two foreigners got to the designated halt, everyone's breath hitched.

Lenora didn't kneel nor curtsy, and that would've been addressed if it hadn't been for the princess's companion taking her hood off, revealing the goddess of death

Two gasps and a muffled snicker were heard, the surprise coming from the king and queen, and the amusement from the curly blonde

"Allfather, Allmother, pleasure, I'm Fridda Corasdottir, princess of Valhalla, and its representant this evening, also the rightful heir to my realm's throne" she announced after the royal family soaked in their surprise "I'm here under the Queen's wishes to return Hela Odinsdottir back to her realm" the princess added in order to get rid of the deafening silence

"Father, mothe-" the goddess was cut off before even finishing two words

"But- She was casted out for a reason" the king choked out, never tearing his gaze from his firstborn but neither directing his words towards her

"Look, man, I-" she cut herself off, clearing her throat, she actually had to make an impression this time, Coralina's request

"I'm just gonna stick to what mom told me" she mumbled to herself earning a chuckle from Hela "Princess Hela, was taken out from her confinement in Muspelheim a week ago, after Queen Cora came to the conclusion that, in order for Hela to stop losing energy if she went for way too long without being around death, she had to find another way for her to get her energy from.

"Now she gets her strength from normal food like any other asgardian, she still has her powers and everything that makes her herself, only difference is her new diet and the fact she is no longer any more dangerous to the realm than any other kid of Odin, she's ready to be reestablished here, or Helheim if she wishes to take her merited crown" finished Lenora, nodding to herself for being able to remember the whole thing

"Oh! And the Queen demanded that Asgard throws a ball honouring her return"

A minute of silence, or was it a second? Maybe a year... No one did as much as breathe and think, no one dared to do more than that, and then the unexpected happened

"I'm so glad to have you back home" sounded the muffled voice of the king of Asgard, who in the speed of light went from his seat in the throne, to stand in front of his true firstborn, to embrace her in what some would call the most uncomfortable and awkward hug in history, but perfect for the two nonetheless

"Forgiveness is out of the table, I'm afraid I'm not worthy of such thing, while i may have had my reasons for what I did, how I chose to handle my dilemmas, or better said, lack of handling, was reckless and childish, everything I taught both you and Cora not to be, I'm just sorry I decided to cast out my problems instead of working to solve them" the Allfather said, with pain and regret lacing each word spoken, melting her daughter and wife's heart

Lenora kept quiet for the sake of the family reunion, but all the younger princess could think of was the hypocrisy of the man when in fact those words should have been directed not only towards Hela, but towards his youngest too, who was still forbidden from setting foot in his homeland

"Princess, do you think we'll be able to see Cora any time soon?" wondered the queen of Asgard calmly

"I don't know, Allmother, she's always said the moment Hela was free would be the moment she would finally be able to put the past in the past and forgive you" she exhaled calmly before directing herself to Odin, she does not wish for any more payback, she got her childish revenge when she turned Asgard on its king, and that was enough for her, plus she only did it in the heat of her grief and rage" explained Lenora, not in the golden path that lead to the throne anymore, but instead inspecting the old columns adorning the room

"So she's forgiven me?" asked the king with a glimmer of hope only seen before by her wife

"One would think" mumbled the goddess absentmindedly

- - -

"Okay, but you haven't explained how the hell Odin ended up inviting the earthlings to precious Asgard" grumbled Cora from where she was lounging at her daughter's couch, interrupting Lenora's retelling of the events

"Ugh, okay, your majesty, i'll skip forward" sighed the princess from her own seat in her living room, munching on some cookies Cora had brought with her on her visit

"So, after more pleasantries, they all escorted me to Himinbjorg, I told them i'd stay in the palace until the ball, but I had to get some things from Valhalla"

- - -

"Are you sure whatever you need we won't have? We can send some guards to retrieve your stuff, you're our guest, we should provide for you whatever it is you need, princess Fridda" tried Frigga for the fifth time since they started making their way through the rainbow bridge

The queen wasn't a fan of the idea of the young Corasdottir venturing around the cosmos by herself when she could be safe close to her. Her motherly instincts kicked in the second the princess presented herself as the daughter of the little girl she'd taught everything to, from table manners to how to defend herself from a Bilgesnipe with magic and combat

"If you so wish to, Allmother, aunt Hela can come with me, and we'll be back quicker than you can say 'Chewbacca'" assured Lenora, who had been spending way too much time talking with the Star Wars enthusiast, Peter Parker

"Aunt Hela?" questioned the king, who had barely contributed with the chatter

"Cora says she's family, it's either because she considers you both some sort of guardian figures, or because she's infatuat-"

"It's definitely because she considers you both guardian figures" butted in Hela, with her hand covering Lenora's mouth before she continued

Frigga and Odin, thankfully, didn't question it, and brushed it off as the two being silly after their week-long bonding

"Allmother, Allfather, welcome back princess Hela, and princess Fridda" greeted the gatekeeper the second they all stepped into his work space, not turning his gaze from the stars

"Good evening, Heimdall, how are the realms today?" spoke the king in his own way of greeting

"Harmonious, though, your sons and their friends are about to embark on a quest to, what I believe is, the moon" informed the bronze eyed man, now facing the royals

"I bet you two puddings it was mom's idea" whispered the blonde princess loud enough for the goddess of death to hear

"Pointless bet, it's obvious it was her, you'll have to try harder to get my desserts" countered Hela in the same volume, seriously defensive over her sweet treats, which she had fell in love with immediately after having a taste of the cake Cora made when they celebrated her freedom

"Please, open the bifrost for Thor, Heimdall" ordered the Allfather

"What about Loki, dear?" questioned the queen, though it was ignored by the guilty king

Not even a minute later, the god of thunder stepped through the bifrost, instantly greeting his parents, then waiting for them to introduce the two women

"Thor Odinson, a pleasure, Fridda, Princess of Valhalla" she greeted with a bright smile, extending her hand for the god to kiss "and this is-"

"Son, this is Hela, Hela Odinsdottir, your sister" cut in Odin, earning himself a glare from the fairy princess, though she used that interruption to silently send a spell towards the king and queen to prevent them from referring to her as 'Corasdottir', knowing Hela and Heimdall wouldn't mention her

"H-Hela?" stuttered out the god, looking around like a lost puppy, searching for confirmation that he had not gone insane, that he had not misheard his father, and that he was in fact meeting his sister. The sight almost made Lenora's heart break

"It's nice to finally meet you, bro-" and the rest was muffled by Thor's sudden embrace, tight and breathtaking

- - -

"Are you really gonna make me endure the whole sibling meeting shenanigans? I wanna know how Heimdall screwed me over" whined Cora once again, causing her daughter to roll her eyes

"So pushy" she groaned, fed up with her mother's interruptions, which earned her a wisp of magic to tip her over, she just scoffed

"After a lot of family bonding, you know, stories, questions, 'What's your favourite colour?', 'What beast is the most fun to kill?', 'Have you ever thought about going blonde?', and a whole lot more, we were all still with Heimdall, who deemed it worthy to speak..."

- - -

"Thor, i'm sorry I had to take you away from what seemed to be a very fascinating adventure" started the gatekeeper, with mischievous intentions written all over his bronze eyes

"Oh, yes, lady- the woman you met when we delivered Val" something in his mind made it impossible for him to say the name of her best friend, though he paid no mind to it

"She had this great idea, and after some 'pot stirring', as they call it, she managed to get everyone on board, but worry not, I'm sure I'll get the chance to join them on another opportunity" the god spoke, turning away from his conversation with his sister about the realms they had both visited

"Ah, yes, I've read a lot about that group of people" commented Lenora, causing Thor to do a double take, where else had he heard someone say 'read about' when talking about the avengers?

"Yes, princess, and from what I've seen, you'd get on perfectly with them, they are a very interesting bunch, to say the least" replied Heimdall, suggestively, knowing about the affair between the Valhallan princess and the spiderling

"Yeah..." trailed off Lenora, dreamily looking into the stars, then shaking it away when she realized she was acting questionably

"Did you hear what Thor said? 'Pot stirrer'?" hissed Hela to Heimdall, catching on to the purpose for all the questions

"I think, my King, that princess Fridda and princess Hela would find great friendship in all of them, therefore, why not give them an invitation? I'm sure they'd also be ecstatic to share such an important moment in Thor's life" and there it was, what a mess

- - -

"... and that was basically it, your blonde bestie was on board in a second, good Odin, trying to be a good father agreed, your not-blonde bestie smacked Heimdall without the others seeing, and me, your precious daughter, I stood quietly looking very, very pretty" finished Lenora, waiting for her mother to start yelling profanities any second

Instead, she started laughing

"Are you... did you have any of Alejo's weird ale concoctions?" questioned a worried Lenora when a minute passed and Cora was still rolling over her own laughter

"Oh, fuck, man, I'm done" she sighed, trying to catch her breath, "Sorry, honey" she said taking a deep breath once she felt the giggles trying to start again

"Explain, woman!"

"It's just... he did this to screw you over" Cora concluded, chuckling lightly

"Shut up, no, how?" she asked with narrowed eyes, and chewing her bottom lip, something she did anytime she was thinking hardly

"Listen to your own story! He wanted Peter to go, so you'd be wrecking your brain trying to stay hidden from him now that he knows what you look like" she explained, giddy from her daughter's dismay, as bad as it may sound

"Oh, that son of a- And you're a very shitty mother, you know that?" sighed the young woman, dropping next to Cora in the couch and snuggling against her side in search for comfort

Cora immediately put an arm around her and brushed the tip of her fingers through her hair, still giggling, "This is good, baby, you can meet Pete, and experience something any fairy your age should, you can explain to him who you are, show him your reality, I don't want you living a lie just because I am, it's not fair"

"Thanks, mom, and don't beat yourself up, I got myself tangled into your Midgardian life, I should've just stayed aside, here in Valhalla, my place" she sniffled, she hated feeling that way, like a liability, something she had only ever felt when she'd found out she was adopted

"Silly, silly girl" tutted the woman, sitting up in order to make her daughter face her "my 'Midgardian' life and my 'Valhallan' life, mean shit. You are my daughter, my princess, my little fairy, and you are a part of all of my lives. I never intended for you to feel like you belong solely wherever it is most comfortable for me, you are your own person, and if you choose to go help Peter fight crime in midgard, live in Vanaheim, stay here or join the Valkyries' punk band, I don't care, as long as you let me be a part of that life, just like you are a part of mine. Capeesh? Entendido? Good"

"Okay, maybe you're not such a shitty mom" mumbled Lenora after Cora's very helpful pep talk, causing the former to let a lighthearted chortle

"You bet your ugly ass"

- - -

"Cora, thank god you're back" exclaimed captain Rogers, running to her and hugging her tightly

"We had breakfast together two hours ago, buddy" she let out in a strained voice, trying to get out of the embrace

"They're doing it again" he whined, finally setting her back on her feet, then pointed to the group of heroes in the kitchen, watching amusedly the whole exchange

"Guys! C'mon, you know he doesn't like it, it's bad enough he already has allergies" she defended the crying man, who if you looked at closely, you'd find his nose red as a reindeer and his eyes puffy and red

"But it's just so damn funny" was the perfect excuse from Tony, who was backed by the rest of the bully avengers

"I know, I know, but it's still-" her plea was cut short by the distinctive sound of the captain's explosive, yet somehow dainty, sneezing, and automatically everyone, including Cora who was trying to support him, yelled in unison

"God bless America!"

Which caused uncontrollable laughter to erupt within the heroes, and the butt of the joke, or Steve, to leave the room stumping and sniffing (strictly due to his allergies), with Bucky and Sam close behind trying to cheer him up and assure that they were just messing with him and they'd stop

"You know he's just not gonna stop bitching about it and make you all do extra laps during training, right? And lifting in Pietro's case" Cora said once they were all back to normal and eating their respective lunches

"Yeah? And what about you? Stop excluding yourself from our punishments" accused Clint with a full mouth

"Oh, c'mon, do you really think he's gonna be able to force me into anything? And I can just do my voodoo shit and convince him to leave us out of it, 'us' being Thomas Sharpe and the little witch" she shrugged, sending her magic to get her a chocolate donut from the box in the kitchen

"Thomas Sharpe? I do not look like that buffoon" huffed the god of mischief

"Oh, lolite, is that the young man you thought was hot and wanted to, you know" he winked suggestively as if he was being secretive, when in reality everyone was trying to hold back their laughter, or disgust, which was the case for the youngests in the group

"On second thought, I am pretty much identical to Sharpe" the god hummed with the smugness of a man at the top of the world, which in his mind, wasn't very far from reality, "What do you say, darling? Shall I get a costume and meet you in your chambers?" he questioned flirtatiously, causing the rest to roll their eyes, the teens to cover their ears, and Cora to stumble over her own words

It was a game of sorts, an unspoken one, but a game at last. Whoever got the other more flustered, won, the one who could leave the other at a loss for words, won. After they agreed to be civil, the rage had to go somewhere, so they both found themselves channeling through competitive flirting

Unsurprisingly, they were constantly tied, whenever one succeeded, they were without doubt certain the other was already planning the next move. Just like Cora this morning, when she had purposely dropped juice over the sitting prince and kneeled to dab his lap with a cloth she had conjured up, of course, she was just helping him.

"I'll get you, watch your back, Friggason" she threatened after being unable to come up with a response to his suggestion

"I'll be here all week, princess" he teased with a shit-eating smirk, watching the woman get up from her seat

"For you, it's Queen" and with that she left, leaving the rest of the avengers to let out a collective groan of distress, one they were already used to letting out whenever the two magic users started bickering

"I'm so winning this bet" laughed the scarlet witch towards her brother and her friend

"At this point I will give you an extra fifty just for them to shut up and have eye sex away from us" whispered a disgusted Pietro, who claimed to have an emotional scar forever after witnessing the heated encounters between the queen and the prince

"Amen, brother, amen" mumbled Peter, who was as disturbed as his friends

- - -

Chapter Text

- - -

"I'm quitting school and the avengers, I'm officially done"

Everyone turned from their activities to see Parker, who had come to the compound two hours later than he actually did during the week, storming in the common room, throwing his backpack, aiming pointedly towards the captain, who just dodged the attack without looking up and carried on doodling in a sketchbook Natasha had gifted him for his birthday

"Someone ask him what's wrong, please" said Steve absentmindedly, still not sparing a glance

"Don't, if you do, he won't stop talking" whined Sam, jumping at the opportunity to drag the youngest avenger

"What's wrong, little spider?" asked Cora, partly to spite the falcon, but more importantly, because she was worried

The spider-man was fuming, burning holes into Steve's oblivious head, then, without moving his eyes, he answered Cora, "I got detention an-"

He was interrupted by everyone jumping up and asking him a variety of questions, what he had done, why he had done it, if they had to go speak to the school, etc. but everyone shut up just in time for a hushed voice to be heard very clearly

"I've never been proud-" the inappropriate praise was cut off by a smack sound and a yelp "ouch! Cora!" cried the god of mischief when he realized she was the one who had slapped him in the arm

"Don't encourage it, stupid prince" she scolded sternly, causing the prince in question to hold his arms up in - not so mock - defense

"Explain, Peter" ordered the russian spy, and really, who would dare go against her orders?

"Okay, but before you yell at me, I literally did what Steve always supposedly did"

"Get beaten up in an alley?"

"Hum the national anthem as a way of focus?"

"Put newspapers in your shoes?"

"Pass out from asthma?"

"Why would he get detention for having asthma, idiot?" laughed Sam

"Shut up, I woke up ten minutes ago" shushed Bucky

"Okay, no, all good guesses, but no" interrupted an irritated Peter, knowing that if he didn't, the two would start bickering like a married couple

"For the sake of our sanity, onesie, just tell us what you did, then Cora and Natasha will yell 'you are grounded', and we'll carry on with our day" chipped Clint, who was regretting leaving his nest for some food

"Sorry" he muttered, "I punched a kid in the nose, and, well, broke it" he admitted after an eternal thirty seconds

"What does that have to do with Steve?" questioned Clint, stopping the rest from scolding Peter

"He was a bully" he shrugged

"Pete, I know it's upsetting, but you're too strong, you can't punch them because they laugh at you, it's the same as if Steve went back and punched every bully now that he has super strength, it wouldn't be a fair fight" tried reasoning Bruce

"No, I know, I don't care if they bully me, but he was picking on Ned, he shoved him against the lockers, he was about to punch him- I... he's family, when I had no one, I had him" he said, stuttering over his words, "I'm not sorry" he added putting his head down at the end, probably waiting to be chastised or something

That never came, instead he was met by a bone crushing hug from both Cora and Bucky, plus an almost proud smile from Steve, who had put down his sketchbook

"Please don't make it a regular thing, you're still stronger than the other kids, next time think, defend, don't attack, then call someone, teacher, principal, any of us, someone" pleaded Cora while still holding Peter against her

"Wait, I get the school part, but why would you say you'd quit the avengers?" questioned Pietro after the heart warming embrace broke off

"Oh, you won't believe what they put during detention" he huffed, before standing up straight and opening his mouth again "So... you got detention. You screwed up. You know what you did was wrong. The question is, how are you gonna make things right? Maybe you were trying to be cool. But take it from a guy who's been fro-"

"Okay! Who wants ice-cream, Brooklyn, you look like you want some ice-cream" jumped Steve, taking Parker by the arm and pushing him frantically out of the room with him, leaving the bunch of heroes very confused

After a minute of silent pondering, a light bulb seemed to have turned on in Natasha's head "Oh my god!" she ran towards Clint to whisper something in his ear, whose eyes twinkled with realization not a second later

"Holy shit, you're right" he now rushed towards Cora and did the same, having to interrupt himself as he couldn't stop his giggles from arising

"No way!" she laughed hysterically, walking away from her spot besides Loki and towards Tony, again, to whisper, which was starting to anger the rest of the heroes

"This better be true, my dear Shield agents, i'm getting very excited over here" he billionaire mused, opening a holographic tab to start rummaging through Shield files "Friday, search files on the Captain's school protocol"

In the big TV screen the video of a Steve Rogers in his suit and helmet started playing, repeating the same words a few minutes before, Peter had been reciting

"NO!" comes the ear shattering scream of the captain when he sees all of them around the screen watching the videos he wanted buried six feet under. Behind him came in a snickering Peter with an ice cream cone, which Steve had apparently given him in exchange of his silence

"I got ice cream and Steve still got exposed, my day just got so incredibly better" mused Peter, making them all laugh as well

- - -

"For the millionth time, I'm not going"

"But, Cora!" whined Thor

"No, goldilocks, I have a previous compromise" she sang, booping his nose before getting back to her recipe, "Plus, I'm sure there'll be plenty of other opportunities for me to go to your pretty realm" she said, again, for the millionth time

"That's the whole point, there won't" stressed the god of thunder, falling ungraciously on his stool, watching Cora cook

"Oh, too bad then" she shrugged cheerily, not falling for the man-child's pout

"Loki won't be happy" sang the blonde prince in a last stupid resort to get her to attend the Asgardian ball for his sister, the ball that wouldn't even be happening if it weren't for Cora demanding one

"Well, that's a pity then" she smiled briefly, until the words sunk in her head, "Also, why in Hel would I take into account what Loki would think when making any of my personal decisions? We're not together, and even if, I would not have to feel forced to do or not do shit just 'cause he may not like it" she huffed pointing at him with the carbonara stained, wooden spoon

"My apologies, truly, lolite" he pleaded sincerely putting his arms up, "put down the spoon now, please?" he grimaced, she nodded and wordlessly went back to humming a made-up tune while she made her way around the kitchen, going to move the boiling water into another stove

"He likes you" he says, after a couple of moments passed in silence, fidgeting with an empty pop tart wrapper. The sudden comment startled her and made her spill the pot of boiling water on her right hand

"Motherfuck-" she screeched, jumping around in a mad attempt to get rid of the pain, "Why" jump, "Would" jump, "You" jump, "Do" jump, "That" jump, jump, jump

"I'm so sorry, lolite!" he says getting up and scrambling to hand her a cold towel

"What's with all the yelling- What did you do to her, you oaf?" jumped the god of mischief the second he walks into the kitchen, running to Cora's side, inspecting the furious red burn

Cora's unharmed hand had glitches of her lilac magic, each spark dying out the second they were formed, she was getting more desperate with every flicker of magic that stubbornly faded out the harder she tried

After catching sight of that, Loki was quick on using his own magic, aiming to heal the woman.

At the beginning her power rejected his, yet it wasn't long before Cora's magic recognized the God's benevolent intentions, and allowed him to help her

"How did you do that? You shouldn't be able to do that, my barrier must not be working" panicked the magical woman, fearing that her powers were malfunctioning, therefore putting her in danger

"Darling, breathe" eased Loki, subtly putting himself in between her and his brother, who was still a worried mess, and grabbing the alarmed woman's chin, making her fix her eyes on him

"It's okay, hey, listen to me", he tried to look around for something that would help him, he ended up setting his eyes on his brother, he had absolutely forgotten Thor was there, and he didn't miss the soft look in his eyes, the recognition in his eyes, Loki felt exposed, but she was more important

"You're fine, your powers are working just fine, they recognized that i was solely trying to help you, magic is impressively intuitive, dove" he hummed, using more of his magic to calm Cora's unstable breathing, this time not a single ounce of struggle came from the woman's powers, but it didn't really help the nervous mess she was in that moment

"B-but it makes no sense, I'm- this has never happened before, my magic is mine, it should be my magic that helped me, and it shouldn't let others' even get close to me" she rambled frantically, rocking herself, which made her resemble a frightened child

"It's absolutely normal, I assure you" and at the confused look on the woman, he turned to his bystanding brother, "Thor, please go to Wanda, ask her to come here with the book I told her to read after yesterday's lesson" he said, going back to try and calm down Cora the second the god of thunder scurried to do what his brother had told him to

"What if it's always been like this? What if I've always been faulty?" she kept worrying, practically ignoring the words of assurance the raven haired god offered her

"It's not fault-" but he couldn't even finish before she started again

"And, oh god, I must've been teaching Lenora incorrectly all this time! What if something happens to her and her magic fails her and she suffers for it, it will have been my fault, again" and the spiraling kept going on and on for eternal five minutes, which was when the Maximoff redhead showed up, book in hand

"Is everything okay..." she trailed off as she saw the two master magicians on the floor, one completely slouched and the other crouched, trying to comfort the former

"Wanda, please open up the book on page 328 and read the third paragraph" he asked, looking at her for less than a second before he turned back to Cora, who was intently staring up at a point in the ceiling, her tears left a dark trail thanks to her mascara, and her mouth was kept slightly opened for her sobs to rock through her freely

"Uhm, yes, of course" she said, clearing her throat and beginning her reciting.

"As we've established in previous chapters, since the beginning of time, magic is an intuitive force, with that in mind, depending on its strength, it can think for itself when its host cannot. When the host's mind is too clouded to command their magic, for whatever reason that may be, other magical beings can be of help. The standard magical barrier one has, can be lifted intuitively by the very own power, if it deems that the trespassing energy is benevolent. This can be often seen in groups of sorcerers, where there's a prior strong bond of confidence. Many ancient sorcerers were known to believe that it was also the magic's way of accepting a partner, by letting them heal their host, therefore-'"

"Uhm, yeah, thanks witchling, could you go and tell Thor that everything is well?" the flustered god requested, interrupting the young woman's reading, and upon seeing his crimson cheeks and Cora's wide eyes she nodded and left without another word

"We're not a group of sorcerers with a prior strong bond of confidence" mumbled Cora, in a hardly audible mumble

"Well, no, but, you see, it's not that, uhm-" he stuttered out, his silver tongue betraying him, and not for the first time since he had met her. Luckily, the woman in question, cut him off

"Loki, we're not a group of sorcerers with a prior strong bond of confidence" she repeated, barely louder this time "We're sorcerers, I guess, but not part of a group of sorcerers" she sighed, her face unreadable, which made the god's task of coming up with an appropriate answer that much more difficult

"You were" he said after a second, "what i mean is, you were a part of a group, and not any group, you were with the sorcerer supreme and all that, your magic must have grown used to letting others' in" though his words were spoken in the form of a statement, they came out as more of a hopeful question

"Have you not listened to my whole freak-out?" she exclaimed perplexed, "it has never happened, never in my life... if i got hurt and someone tried to help, it never worked, my magic would repel theirs" she continued, getting up and brushing herself off

As she did so, she caught sight of her hand, no longer on its way to becoming a second degree burn. It honestly looked as if nothing had happened, only evidence of the incident was the cooking pot in the floor around a puddle of now cold water, and the conversation the pair were currently having

"Hey, don't start insinuating things, it's not my fault your magic's in love with me or something" spat the prince, sensing the sudden change of air in the kitchen

"I'm the one insinuating? Me? Question, buddy, who the hell was the one requesting that specific paragraph read? Because it sure as hell wasn't me" Cora huffed, catching herself aggressively filling the pot of water again, but not being in the right state of mind to care

"You were the one freaking out! What was I supposed to do? Heal you then just let you go insane?!" he scoffed, standing dangerously close behind the woman, who harshly dropped the recipient in her hands into the sink and turned to face him

"You weren't supposed to do anything!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms in the air, "I've gone through the worst of the worst, none of that killed me, so you can be damn sure that a splash of hot water won't either" she stated, just as brutally, her finger purposefully smashing against his chest with every statement

"I helped you!" he was full on screaming now

"Good, didn't ask you to" she spat right back

"True" he agreed, with a low and degrading chuckle, "because heavens forbid Cora Francis ever slightly ends up leaning on someone for help, that she ever finds herself in a situation where she has to vocalize a want or need for help, she's just so independent" he mocked, his jaw tightened, his hands clenched, "Who needs support? Not Coralina Francis, that's for sure" it felt like poison dripping from his every word

"Yes, exactly" she said, mimicking his agreeing and faux calm, "and it's not something I'm embarrassed of, I can love, trust me, I can be the most loving, giving and protective being in this whole fucking circus, but need? I don't need anyone, especially not someone like you" she said hushedly, as if it were the most important thing she could ever say

And right now it was, at least the young Cora that lived in the bottom of her heart, who everyone doubted could survive out there in the big bad universe, thought it was

"Someone like me? Wow, Coralina, very big of you, tell me, what exactly do you mean by 'someone like me'? A frost giant? A conniving god of mischief? A friend? A toy to play around with until you are simply bored?" he stopped, chests almost touching, his breath quickened by rage just to be answered by a stone cold stare

"Tell me!" he yelled, and practically slammed his fist against the counter right next to the woman, earning a minimal flinch from her, one that was noticed by both, but commented by neither. Nevertheless, he did take a step back, withdrawing himself from the position they were in, the faint voice of his consciousness acting on its own for a second

She completely ignored his silent move towards cooling off, as she stepped forward until she wasn't the one trapped between flesh and cooking facilities this time

"You know nothing about me, Loki Friggason, stop pretending you do" she spat one last time, vulnerable as a rose and venomous as its thorns

She pushed him towards the door of the kitchen and made her way back to the stove, silently wiping a rebel tear that got away, not expecting to be halted by a hand grabbing hers

He turned her around, making her face him, then with his free hand he cupped her cheek, he got instantly lost in her eyes, and he couldn't, wouldn't, escape from her

Those eyes, those brilliant and furious eyes, that watched him apprehensively, that were alert, waiting for his next move, his eyes flickered to her lips, they looked dry, I could change that, he allowed himself to think

Neither of them moved

"If you really don't want me to, I won't do it again, but I'm not going to apologize for not letting you torture yourself when i knew i could stop it, you can't expect me to see you in pain and just leave you alone to handle it, because even if there's not much you can trust coming from the god of lies, you can trust that I care about you, and that means that i know you can do whatever you have or want to do, but that isn't reason enough for me to let you do it on your own" he said at last, his now softened eyes studying hers like a mathematician would the most complex equation

She finally let the mask fall, and covered a sniff with a gentle smile. She leaned into his hand still holding her face, pretty much nuzzling into it, then pulled away, the grin not only still there, but also growing by the second, Loki didn't need to look into a mirror to know the same smile lied on his face

"Would you help me finish dinner, my prince?" she asked lightly

"I couldn't possibly imagine saying no, dove" he hummed, moving his hand away just to poke her side as they walked over to the messy counters

- - -

They were almost done, pasta had been cooked and strained, the two sauces were finished, and it had all been done with only speaking when they got in each other's way, saying 'sorry', 'excuse me' or 'thanks'. They both liked it that way, it was harmonious, it let them remember how comfortable they were with one another's presence, and that was just what they needed

"I'm not going to Asgard" she mentioned softly, not moving her eyes from the knife, which she was over-drying, to look at Loki, who absentmindedly kept passing her the dishes he had finished cleaning

"I know" he acknowledged, throwing her off with the lack of attitude on his voice

"Oh"

"Oh indeed" he smirked, her cheeks reddening at his playfulness

"Are you going to ask?" she hesitated, a pit forming on her stomach, one that, lately, seemed to appear more and more any time she had to actively lie to him in order to keep her secrets, how cruel

"Nope" he chuckled, instantly soothing the woman's worry, she did have to stop always assuming he only cared about figuring her out, especially when her expectations were so high and how little she felt she gave in return, but anyone would be lying if they said they could blame her for it, even if he wasn't like that, her mind would always go the darkest outcomes

"We should have dinner, before your trip" she stated with conviction, nodding to herself to not chicken out

"Well, that's what we're about to do, you go call the team, I'll set up the table" he offered kindly. The implications of Cora's previous comment going miles over his head

She just sighed and nodded.

Maybe he did understand and he just wasn't interested, maybe he did understand but thought she was joking, maybe she should stop asking herself questions when her answers were feet away from her

And so she stopped herself from leaving, turned on her heels and spoke again

"I meant us" she mumbled loud enough for him to stop searching for the cups and face her

"Darling?" he probed, tilting his head quizzically

"There's a gorgeous restaurant, very old, very fancy, over in 43rd street. Strange took Tony there the other night, apparently they have a tiramisú to die for" she commented elusively, biting the insides of her cheeks nervously

"Sounds good" he gulped, flustered. She was purely trying to get a reaction out of him, he had to repeat to himself, just Cora playing their little game

"It does" hummed the woman, "but I'd like to judge that for myself" she grinned playfully, trying to hide the torture it was waiting for him to get it

"Cora, I-"

"Are you free tomorrow night?" she questioned expectantly, all her fear concealed by that smug smirk that the prince never wanted to see die down

"This is not funny" he answered when he finally got his voice back from the shock

"It isn't supposed to be" she retorted, kicking imaginary pebbles with her feet, "Please" and if her words weren't reliable enough, the look on her eyes surely showed the fear behind her proposal, or better said, the possible rejection that could come of it

He stared at her for a minute, scanned her eyes, triple-checking she wasn't just playing with him, and then, when he'd decided he' be none the wiser if she was lying to him, he decided to just admire her for a second

"Eight o'clock?" he asked with the beginning of the biggest smile he was capable of, an instant sigh of relief letting the woman's lips

"I'll pick you up, mischief" throwing him a wink as she left the kitchen, swaying her hips just a bit more than usual, knowing he was watching her

- - -

Chapter Text

- - -

The air felt heavy, it actually felt as though it weighed you down when you set foot into the room. Just a look around the maids and guards could tell you as much. And if those who merely worked for the Goddess felt that way, what would her youngest daughter be feeling? What would the young woman think? At seeing her mother, a cough away from becoming a star, what did Coralina Freyasdottir feel?

Absolutely nothing

The queen was ill, and there were many conspiracies around it; her majesty shouldn't even be able to get this sick. Some thought it was her loneliness that brought her to this helpless state, some others went to the extreme length of speculating over the thought of the grey eyed princess poisoning her.

Those theories, however close or far from the truth, didn't matter though, did they? Because her mother, her blood, the last bit of family she had, was in a deep slumber, waking up every few hours for a couple of minutes, then slipping away once again, back to the land of the too weak to live, yet too stubborn to die

This girl wasn't the Cora Francis we know yet, she wasn't the fierce woman who wouldn't back out of a challenge no matter how many stab wounds decorated her back or how much weight fell on her shoulders.

This was Coralina Freyasdottir. The kid who was casted away by her mother at the age of ten, who was stripped from her land , who was sent to an unknown golden realm, all of it disguised as educational purposes . That had been more than 600 years ago.

So, what was she supposed to be feeling? What was the appropriate mixture of feelings she should be experiencing? Those where the thoughts swirling around her mind as she stepped into the room and saw her

The woman sleeping in front of her was less than a stranger: s he was the mother who decided that she deserved to learn and master her powers, but still didn't find much importance in having to waste her own time guiding the girl, when she could send her somewhere else

She was the woman that decided that Cora just wasn't worth the trouble

Half of her resented the woman for the love Cora felt she deserved but never got, the other part mourned for the relationship she knew they would never have now. The goddess of beauty was as good as gone, and her youngest daughter could only stand and watch 

"Weren't you taught that it's rude to stare?" resounded the hoarse voice of someone who so many nights ago had put her to sleep with soft and full of life lullabies

"Well, if i did, you wouldn't really know, would you, mother?" came the unwavering response

"I'm sorry, Coco" said the woman through a remorseful smile, using the nickname the girl hadn't heard since the day she traveled through bifrost for the first time and said 'i love you' to her mother for the last

How many nights had she dreamt of those words coming out of her mouth? Many, but they were never in their current setting, normally they'd take place in a beautiful garden, both of them running to hug each other, then the woman would utter those words, I'm sorry, Coco, as Cora nuzzled her little head against her neck and her blonde hair, and it would feel like peace. 

"You may be on your deathbed, but you don't get to apologize" snapped the princess calmly, those dreams had vanished around a century ago, she no longer wished for her mommy, still, she sent a wisp of her lilac magic towards her mother, just to move a strand of hair that was getting on her face

"Not even a crocodile tear?" questioned the older woman, teasingly but with a hint of pain that made the girl's compassionate heart swell

"Do you believe you deserve my tears? Do you even actually care?" retorted Cora, raising her eyebrows in an angry, taunting manner, still, Freya could see her hands clenching and unclenching, as if that empty display of rage would stop the ugly sadness that threatened to make itself known

"Oh, I don't" she chuckled without missing a beat, "doesn't mean it wouldn't hurt to see my daughter a bit more touched when she sees.... well, this" she says, gesturing with her weak arm around the room, then herself. Her eye bags, her boney figure and shineless hair, "And, I do care", that was only met by a grunt in disbelief

"You get what you give" was the strained response, barely keeping herself together from running to her, subconsciously straightening her back anytime the thought flew through her head

"Have you fallen in love, my sweet girl?" the woman asked, after all, she was goddess of many things, love being one of those

"How would I know?" she scoffed

"What's her name?" wondered the goddess, staring at the ceiling with a calm air surrounding her

"H-How would you possibly-" she exclaimed perplexed, "and don't give me that 'mother knows best' nonsense" she added with a huff when the older woman opened her mouth

"Frigga sends letters periodically, keeps me updated on my daughter" shrugged the older woman

"Frigga and I are in the same palace, you could've just contacted me" she said with a dry laugh, not amused

"Easier said than done" came the emotional response

"You found sending me away pretty damn easy, Freya" she hissed

It's fair to say, whoever saw this whole scene play out, would probably grimace at the younger girl's hostility towards the fragile and gentle woman in the gigantic hospital-like bed

"What's your favorite flower? I asked Frigga in my last letter, but she didn't answer the flower question" mused Freya, ignoring her comment , "I like orchids" she added with a light smile

"Blue orchids" she said in a 'ha' kind of huff, finding it awfully poetic that the mother-daughter pair only had blood and flowers in common at this point, it was laughable

"I'm sorry" Freya repeated, surely picking on the bittersweetness of the coincidence

"Yeah, me too" she sighed, munching the inside of her cheeks as if that would stop her from crying, hugging or maybe punching the one who abandoned her, she wasn't sure

"Could you fetch something for me? On the top drawer over there" she requested, pointing towards a small wardrobe by the door, succeeding at taking Cora out of her own mind, which she silently thanked her for

The young woman hesitantly walked towards it, her back facing her mother and her eyes roaming through the piece of oak furniture

"What is it?" she asked when she opened it, inspecting anything and everything without much care

"The blue little bag, it was your father's" she answered, smiling slightly at the reminiscence of the sorcerer who had stolen her heart then left her in the altar

She grabbed it, walked over her mother to deposit the item next to her, immediately going back to standing by the end of the bed, fearing what she would do if she stayed close to her mother for longer than two heartbeats

"It's for you, silly" chuckled the woman, the sound so alike Cora's own laugh, it physically pained the princess, which confused the queen, who had clearly not heard that sound come out of her since the girl was ten

The goddess used what little was left of her magic to get it to Cora without moving, and as the girl inspected the bag, the blonde woman spoke again

"You shouldn't depend on your magic, Cora, trust me, it will come to bite you when you least expect it, try to enjoy the most 'mundane' things, set the table by yourself from time to time, walk to places, don't just teleport, learn how to fight with swords, it's a good tool. All of it is worth it" she told her

That was why she couldn't forgive Freya and just walk up to her and hold her hand as she faded away. Because she shouldn't be teaching her this stuff now, she should've taught her everything she had to teach when she had been growing up.

Freya should've bestowed that great piece of advice upon her as they were walking together, smiling and happy, through a field of blue orchids, searching for the perfect spot for a picnic.

Not there, lying on her deathbed, willing the sky to take her. And not then, as she closed her eyes again, going back to her slumber.

"You're such a complicated woman, Freya" she whispered to no one

When she finally got around to opening the tiny blue bag, she found a ring, not an engagement nor wedding ring, it was just a ring, beautifully simple, a silver band with an emerald stripe in the inside of it and a suspiciously grey gem, which looked like it was waiting for something to fill it with a colour it had once had and now had lost

Then, there was the little note, that stupid piece of paper that would haunt her for centuries and centuries to come

"Keep it safe and wear it when the time is right,

Don't worry, you'll know when that is,

It'll call you"

And she did keep it, but it never called her.

So the ring went wherever she went, but never on a finger, for everyone to see and admire. No, it was hidden, like a secret and a shame.

In her satchel when she left Asgard for good, clutched in her hands when she was named Queen of Valhalla, inside her pocket when she got to Midgard. Everywhere she went

Why wasn't the time right? Was she just never worth it? Was that ring nothing more but the final proof of how, no matter the time, the efforts she makes, the time would never be right for her?

- - -

When Thor got the text, he panicked. 

That was plainly obvious when he stormed into his brother's quarters, as in, the door flew out of its hinges, and electricity trickled around him and his high held hammer, eyes wide as saucers, frantically looking around

"What is the matter with you, you buffoon?" Loki practically hissed, he looked like a frightened cat

Thor looked confused, taking in his surroundings and realizing there was nothing out of place, no blood, no dead brother, all perfectly alright, and now he was just standing in the middle of his brother's room, full battle gear on, what?, Loki just stared at him and sat back on his desk, computer on and his fingers flying through the keyboard as he resumed his search

"But, you said-" the man stopped himself, grabbing his phone and checking to make sure he hadn't just imagined it, but no, there it was, "You just sent me a message that read 'Help', thought I'd find you at the very least bleeding out", Thor said it laughing, but it was a relieved laughter, like he'd honestly expected just that

"Would not be the first time, understood" Loki muttered in agreeance, then he stood up and looked at his brother, he had asked for his help, but he forgot that to get his help, he'd first have to tell him what he needed help with, so it suddenly became much more difficult to say

After seeing his younger brother open and close his mouth like a fish around five times, he decided to go to Loki's computer and see what he'd been looking at. There in bright display, the search bar read: 'First dates on Midgard', and just before Loki could stop him and reprimand him for his nosiness, he found himself trapped in his brother's arms as he very unceremoniously picked him up the floor and hugged him

"Oh, brother, I'm so happy for you right now!" he boomed out, his grip faltering when a dagger found its home in his shoulder, finally letting go of Loki

"As much as it ills me to ask you, you have more experience, and for some reason you managed to have a somewhat stable relationship with Dr. Foster", he begrudgingly stated, though before Thor could boast about his skills he added slyly, "Although, you did also manage to screw that up pretty quickly, so maybe I should stick to the Internet"

"I will ignore that" the God of thunder said in return, his smile not even wavering at his brother's poor attempt at getting rid of the embarrassment it brought him to come to him for help

The following hour was spent trying to cover everything he'd have to cover on his first date with Coralina, rehearsing what he'd say when he saw her, choosing appropriate attire, of course only after they'd done their research on the restaurant the woman had mentioned

Thor found himself forcing his face not to smile so widely when he asked whether his date was with a certain grey-eyed sorceress, but he certainly couldn't contain the strength in which he patted Loki on his back when he confirmed that, Yes, you oaf, who else could it possibly be with? 

They had to endure many articles written by self-proclaimed 'alpha males', as if that title wasn't already ridiculous, the things they assured women liked were to say the least appalling, they did take a moment to thank their upbringing after reading the '10 things chicks like but are too afraid to accept'. They decided to stick with articles solely written by women after that, and by the time eight o'clock was nearing, Thor gave his brother one last proud embrace and let him to get ready once and for all.

- - -

"There's just a lot he doesn't know about me" the woman shrugged

The floor of Cora's room could have sent any neat freak into cardiac arrest, but date preparations were needed, and apparently that was reason enough for Natasha and Cora to throw almost every piece of clothing the latter owned out of the closet, helps visualizing, the russian spy had said.

"That's the only reason you haven't asked him out before?" Natasha asked her with a huff of a laugh, "secrets are not worth a life of unhappiness" the redhead mused out loud

"Who says I need a relationship to be happy?" she argued, absentmindedly fist bumping Natasha, "I'm just weary of getting into something like this with so many skeletons on my closet, and, trust me, I'm not ready to let them out, they're all... dusty" she explained, grimacing at her own analogy, imagining a closet full of as many skeletons as her secrets, painted in dust from all the years she'd kept them there

"If you're not ready, then why are you getting ready for a date with him? It's rude to lead people on" lightly chastised Natasha with raised eyebrows, "even Gods"

"I'm not leading him on, but i don't wanna lay myself on the table if I'm still not a hundred percent sure" she huffed, "It's like a test drive: if tonight goes well, it might force me to, you know, take out a rag and start dusting" the woman added, partially trying to see if her thinking process made sense to an outsider

"Mhm... look, this conversation deviated because you misunderstood my first implication" Natasha admitted with her arms up in mock defeat, "All i was saying is, you should be prepared" said Natasha as she shamelessly rummaged through Cora's clothes

"I'm not putting on lingerie for the first date" replied the woman, for the tenth time, snatching the green lacey set the spy held in her hands

"You can never be too sure, I'm telling you, Cora..."

Natasha then went on giving her, what she was sure were, very logical reasons to why she in fact should wear lingerie in their first date. But Cora felt the words fade out as her vision suddenly became black and white

She panicked, looking frantically around, she felt like she was walking in a dream, not a good nor a bad one, but one of those dreams where you know you're dreaming and you have absolutely no idea what's happening, but you can't wake up, so you just follow along in hopes that that will clear the doubts

She tried to look at the green set of underwear Natasha had been holding seconds before, and that too, was in a dark grey shade... anywhere she looked, different shades of grey

Until her eyes stumbled upon her red coin purse, where a suspiciously faint glow shone, colorfully oblivious to Cora's monochrome current point of view

She walked towards it without thinking, she was in autopilot mode, she was not in control, she figured, this was purely her magic's intuitive acting, right then and there, she was not a host to her powers, she was a shell, a powerless and wordless shell.

When she reached the pouch she felt her eyes widen as she remembered what she kept safe there

She, involuntarily, moved to open it, and surely there it was, the still immaculate blue little bag

"Twisted joke, please just be one of my mind's twisted jokes" she exhaled, muttering to herself, not being able to stop her hands from untying the tiny and oh-so intimidating object

Trying to stop it was obviously to no avail, since the next thing she knew, the glowing ring was on her left pinky finger and the colour had been brought back to her world. Somehow even brighter than ever before

"Hey, you okay?" questioned the redhead, cutting off her still ongoing rambling when she caught sight of her friend staring confusedly at her hand. Thankfully, this managed to break her out of her daydreaming as well

"Just thinking of what a pain in my ass my mom turned out to be" she sighed with a dopey smile, which earned her a confused frown from her favourite agent

"You never talk about your mother" pointed the woman, sitting on the bed, and going full interrogation mode, watching Cora pacing calmly

"Not much to talk about" shrugged the incognito queen

"Oh yeah, I'm sure there isn't" chuckled Natasha, not prying, but making it obvious that she didn't necessarily believe her words, Cora would've thanked her if her head hadn't been so far from the ground as she felt the weight of the ring on her finger

"What time did you say he was picking you up?" she spoke again soon after, luckily bringing Cora back to the present

"I'm picking him up in..." she trailed off, picking her phone to check the time before her eyes widened "Now, actually"

"You look amazing, кролик" praised the redhead softly, pushing her out of her room to find her prince

She had her hair down, braided crown adorning her otherwise boring look. Her make-up, which she'd had to ask Natasha to put on for her, had a beautiful palette of earth tones with a slight hint of green, which was accentuated by the emerald earrings she had conjured for the occasion and the ring, which gem had turned to the most beautiful shade of forest green

She decided to, for one night, stay away from her usual midgardian choice of attire, that being black jeans, band t-shirts that Tony recommended, and leather jackets. Instead she opted for a flowy long burgundy dress. With pleated shoulders and a slit on her left side that reached her thigh, high enough to notice the golden strap that forever held her favourite dagger. Her shoes were simple black stilettos that she swore she could run in, when in reality she knew she had skipped the high heels 101 class.

But she felt and looked straight up out of a dream, and that statement would be easily backed up by the look of utter awe the god of mischief seemed to be in when he opened the door after three loud knocks, if he hadn't been so enthralled by the beautiful piece of art before him, he would've probably remembered the words he was supposed to say, but really, his eyes said it all instead

"Evening, my prince" she said with a teasing bow and a soft smile

"Evening, dove" he said grabbing her hand and planting a kiss on it, much like the first time they'd met, only this time she wasn't just a pretty stranger, and he wasn't a handsome villain, now they were Cora and Loki, and who knows what that could possibly entail

- - -

Chapter Text

- - -

Much to Cora's surprise, instead of teleporting themselves to the area of the restaurant, they had made their way to the garage, and to add to her surprise, Loki stopped in front of a black Bugatti Chiron, the God of Mischief only chuckled at her open-mouthed expression, gently guiding her with a hand in her back towards the passenger seat, opening the door for her and rolling his eyes when she mocked his 'over the top etiquette'

"I don't know what people you're dating, Coralina, but that is just common sense" he said once he'd found his place behind the wheel. He pretended not to notice the red on her cheeks, but he did pat himself on the back. Apparently, their game was never ending.

"So, since when do you drive?" she asked him teasingly, really wishing to veer the conversation towards something that wasn't her dating history. He chuckled as he turned the engine on.

"Since an hour ago, I read- I thought it'd be a good idea" he replied, coughing and hoping she didn't hear his slip up, but she just smiled widely at him, it was his turn to blush, and her turn to ignore it

It was a weird drive, but a good weird. In fact, it was weird how not weird they felt during that drive, especially Loki, who had read on more than one website that first dates tend to feel awkward - some even went to say that it was the norm that it be awkward -. And yet, there was no issue making the whole ride to that fancy Italian place 30 minutes away from the Compound. Really, the weirdness is how right it all felt.

"And, who chose the car?" she asked once they made their way past the gates, it felt like waiting for the countdown, the 3... 2... 1... GO! And then the game began for real, Mario Kart, right? 

"Obviously, me" he scoffed with a smile, "Of course, Stark thinks he chose it, but..." he trailed off, a smirk now, and a side glance that screamed mischief, she tried to conceal the effect that smirk had on her.

"Good taste then" she purred, running a hand through his arm, her eyes smiling at his, and soon she smiled with her teeth as she got the reaction she wanted. He just stared at her, she rolled her eyes mockingly and moved the steering wheel, promptly reminding Loki that he had been driving, Cora took that moment to turn on the radio

"You look beautiful, I think I didn't really get around to actually saying it before", it was said with such a gentle and genuine smile, that Cora couldn't help but mirror it, "At least not with words" he said with a chuckle, which she once again copied. She just couldn't help it.

"You too, I have to say, it's not every day a man has me losing my breath", she grinned when she saw the red on his cheeks, he's pretty like that too, "Must be the suit" she added, poking him in the cheek. He just rolled his eyes and laughed very insincerely.

"And let's not forget, I'm a God, not a man", it was playful, but the hiss when he said man, as if it insulted him, she raised a single brow questioningly. He sighed before answering, "Hypothetically, I wanted us to have a good night, and to do that I had to do some investigation earlier today, and after what some men shared on the Internet, I really would appreciate not being compared to those rats"

"Don't worry, you're nowhere near being like those rats" she complimented lightly, "And also, wait, do you mean like today a few hours before I knocked on your door?" she asked, laughing, Loki just confusedly nodded, "Aw, you asked your brother to help you?" she cooed, her smile fighting not to become a pout

"What?!" he sneered, "No, that would never happen, woman" he spat out, outrageous

But that just made her roll her eyes and stare blankly at him. "I asked Thor if he could help me with something, and he said: 'Sorry Cor, hanging out with Lokes, is it urgent?'" He just ignored her and kept driving. But then he smiled.

"So, you needed help with something?" he asked with pure mockery. She just muttered a 'shut up' in response.

The rest of the drive was just like that, they bounced through jokes, and little stories or facts about themselves that for some reason they wanted to share, then they'd also quiet down and just enjoy the soft humming of the radio, stealing glances at each other and sharing shy smiles whenever they got caught. It was perfect.

- - -

"I'm never listening to Stark or Strange's recommendations ever again" huffed the woman for the millionth time that night, angrily stomping a couple of steps ahead of the God

"C'mon, it wasn't that bad" chuckled the god of mischief, finding the woman's whines amusing, he couldn't even find it in himself to be upset.

"Not that bad?" she huffed, turning around to face him, "We literally climbed out of the women's bathroom window, as far as first dates go, I think it's safe to say you're not supposed to do that with the other side of the party present" huffed the queen, carrying her stilettos on her right hand, letting her feet feel the fresh grass of the park.

"The tiramisú was good though" remarked Loki, poking at the woman's side to coax a smile. He got a light giggle, which in his mind was at least a thousand times better.

"It was" trailed off Cora in her daydream. "Pity all the media got word of where we were, it could've been a pretty magical night", she added with a frown, turning her head to look him in the eyes, the frown turning into a smile, an almost sad one, but a smile nonetheless. "I just wanted it all to be as perfect as possible" she shrugged.

They kept walking in silence for a bit longer. At some point, Loki came to a stop. Cora didn't notice until, in an act of courage, she tried to search for his hand but found nothing.

"Are you okay, mischief?", she asked, walking to his side, voice light but a hint of concern still in her voice. I whined too much, didn't I?, she thought to herself.

He looked at her for a second, examining her features, his eyes were shining with something that Cora couldn't quite pinpoint, and then he grabbed her hand, "Do you trust me?" he asked her in a whisper. She now could see the mischief in his eyes, and she nodded without a second thought.

Immediately, they were engulfed by a wisp of green with lilac undertones, and then, the spot where they had been standing in Central Park was left empty.

"HEAVENS!" she screeched, her hands on her knees as she tried not to topple, it really was an awful experience being teleported by someone else's magic without a heads-up

"Are you okay?" asked the god of mischief in the middle of his laugh.

"Give a girl a warning next time-" halted Cora, getting to her feet and taking a look around her, "Okay, you're forgiven" she mumbled, her eyes seeming to light up almost as bright as the sky, or at least that's what Loki thought.

They stood in the middle of nowhere, green grass was everything you could see for miles, and the only source of light were the hundreds of dancing dots in the sky, all shining their best shines for the full moon.

"From now on you're in charge of our dates" mused the woman with her impossibly wide eyes gazing at the sky as if she was trying to take a picture of it that would last her for eternity.

"Dates?" asked a shocked Loki, who came out of his trance when she spoke, that trance being not having the strength to look away from the woman in front of him, captivated by the admiration she seemed to hold for the view above her, like a child catching sight of a shooting star

"Unless this was a one-time thing, of course" added the grey-eyed woman, sitting down on the slightly wet grass. He didn't even realize he had followed her lead until he felt the cold temperature under him. He magicked up a blanket to lie between them and the ground.

"I fear I'd have to be a fool to make this out to be a 'one time thing', dove, and I must say, I pride myself on my intelligence" he replied, not being able to bring himself to say it teasingly with how comfortable he was feeling, even more when their shoulders touched

"Symbol of love and purity, messengers of peace" she quipped absentmindedly.

"Doves?"

"You've been calling me that lately" the woman hummed, "I like it" she concluded, nodding to herself.

"New ring?" questioned Loki, going over to take her hand in his.

Acting on instinct, she moved her hand away from the god's grasp, instantly regretting it, but she shook her head to dismiss it, "Found it lying around" she shrugged, playing with the green gem that felt as if it was staring back at her, almost judging her, in a way

"I'm the god of mischief and lies, darling, that was basically insulting" he chuckled, putting his open hand in her lap, in a gesture for her to take it

And she did, hesitantly, but she did, and for some reason she could hear both of their rapid hearts. It felt like a dance.

"What's your favorite memory?" she asked after a minute of just looking at their entwined hands, like teenagers in a new-found romance.

"The first time I was allowed to practice magic with my mother" he admitted, but the woman kept on staring at him, urging him to elaborate.

"I always felt alone while Thor played warrior with my father, so when Frigga found me in the library and told me to follow her to the gardens, I remember jumping out of my pile of books and running past her, already knowing that was her favorite place to practice magic, I think the guards had never been more scared, I already had a peculiar personality, so them seeing me acting like an exhilarated child, which i was, was pretty unheard of" he retold with a fond chuckle, one that Cora instantly mimicked, smiling at the God's smile

"Aw, yeah, that's a sweet image" she said, imagining a young Loki, amazed by magic and its limits, running excitedly to learn; then inevitably she thought of herself, and how she had been pretty much the same, always the first in the gardens, always the last to leave.

"It's weird how certain moments just plant themselves on our heads, forever, I mean, we've both been alive for centuries, yet we can still easily put a pin on those primal moments that stuck with us" she mused out loud.

They both stayed still with silent smiles before erupting in pure, unapologetic, shameless laughter.

What were they even laughing at? She had said nothing laughable, nothing comical, but perhaps her words just reminded them of the absurdity of their existence, immortal beings, or those with a very lengthy life, they'd live through it all, yet sometimes it felt more like they were just getting past it. It was a shared thought, it wasn't even needed to be brought up, but it's something they pondered regularly, 'Am I living? Am I actually worthy of my time?' and so they laughed, and they laughed like that, because both of them thought of the same response to that question, 'I am right now'

It was all so dramatically simple.

"What's yours then?" he asked when they decided to turn it down. Cora, who was still recovering her breath, just made a rather loud 'huh' sound, "Your favorite memory", he added with a huff of laughter at the woman's confusion.

"Ugh, so many" dragged the woman, using the theatrical gesture of throwing herself completely on the grass, and just lying there, with the man she was on a date with now propping himself in one arm, towering over her with the only intention of being able to take in every word she had to say

"Okay, then, one of the best memories you have" he sighed in mock impatience.

"Lenora's first birthday" she said with a broad smile, the one Loki noticed she only reserved for talking with or about her daughter, "It was a freezing that morning, I was swamped in paperwork, I'd already made peace with the fact that we'd have to celebrate after I was done. I could only give my girl a good night, not a whole day, I felt awful. Then, around 2pm, there was a knock in my office, I opened it, and practically everyone I knew was there, holding wrapped gifts, casseroles of food, decorations and more, and my friend Alejo brought Lenora. He'd been babysitting. They dragged me out to the backyard, and they set everything up while they forced me to just sit down and enjoy time with my daughter. Then, when it was done - Loki, you have no idea how beautiful it was, fairy lights everywhere even if the sun was just starting to set, meals for every taste, gifts all for my fairy, and friends all there for me and Lenora... it was, possibly, one of the best days I had"

"It's not surprising though, is it? That sort of kindness doesn't just happen, it's inspired" he said with a smile, moving to take a blade of grass that had made its way to Cora's forehead. She just smiled at him, watching him staying inches away from her even as the piece of greenery was no longer part of the scene.

It was as if something switched inside his head, maybe it was the way the night was too taunting to resist, maybe it was the way her eyes twinkled with absolute happiness, or maybe it was definitely the way he caught how her gaze fleeted from his green eyes to his pale lips, but, one second she felt him lean in, painfully slowly, he was begging her to step away, to stop him before he touched her lips with his, before he had a taste of her and became undecidedly addicted to her.

But she didn't, because she wanted his lips on hers, because she didn't need a taste to become addicted to him. For her, it was too late for that, she just had to accept it.

So, at that moment, of both doubt and complete certainty, the god and the queen's mind went blank and in overload at the same time. A kiss that didn't resemble a firework, but instead a whole new year's midnight sky. One peck, two pecks, three pecks, then getting lost in the feeling of this brand-new familiarity. A second or a year, time didn't seem all that important to the two as they broke from the trance they had put themselves in when locking lips.

They just smiled, a smile so strong it threatened to fall off their faces, and then he gave a breathless laugh, one that prompted the woman, still lying under him, to stretch her neck in order to steal one more of those kisses she knew she wouldn't get tired of for a long time

"Love and purity" he mused, still gazing into her eyes.

"Doves?" she said, a giddy smile setting on her still warm lips.

"Yup" he answered simply, lying down next to her, relishing in the way Cora instantly lifted his left arm and lied herself on his chest, not missing a beat before starting a new conversation with the god.

From constellations, to books, to movies, and to weird Midgardian traditions they didn't quite understand and were actually glad they could mock together. They spent the next hours just enjoying themselves. It felt like a ritual - even more after the whole kitchen incident -, they just spent hours together, and inside of them they could feel their souls' heaviness, its presence, and they just couldn't help but think that when people say speak from your soul, they meant something exactly like that. A second or a year, again, time didn't seem all important to the two as they got to know the other between stolen kisses and happy smiles.

And when they finally got back to their floor in the compound, and he bid her goodnight with a kiss on her ring, that annoying little voice in the back of Cora's mind couldn't help but entertain the possibility that maybe, and really just maybe, mother really knows best.

- - -

Chapter Text

- - -

A breeze hit her. Why was it so cold?

She inhaled deeply and shuddered

No.

She looked around her in a frenzy, but she already knew exactly where she was. That fucking forest.

Suddenly her chest started aching, the desperation was palpable

She looked down at her hands and saw the blood first, then she saw the ground, and she saw her

Right, it's going to be that kind of dream, okay.

"Get up, I'm not in the mood to relive old shit" she snarled, kicking the body to get her to get up

"You let her get hurt" was all she muttered, but it echoed, and soon, it was all she could hear

Then it was all she could see

And, somehow, it got infinitely worse when Lenora showed up in her field of vision, a much younger version of her daughter

She stood there, looking up at her with no light in her eyes, her clothes were wet, and her skin wasn't porcelain, it looked ghastly

"You let me get hurt" 

Cora tried to get to her, but her arms slipped right through her, next thing she knew was she was gone, she was standing alone, in the darkness and different voices spoke from behind her, yet no matter how quickly she turned around, no one was there

There was her mother's voice, "We're not so different after all'

There was Odin's, "I taught you better"

There was Lenora's, "Your fault"

There was her sister's, "What a waste of potential"

An then they started appearing, all circling around her, everyone she ever loved, slowly suffocating her. Each of them whispering to her soul the worst things she thought of herself.

Then her daughter came to view again, this time she managed to get a grasp of her hands

"Honey, you have to listen to me, I'm sorry, I never intended for anything to happen to you, I'm so, so sorry" she was pleading, begging for a ghost's forgiveness

"You let her hurt me"

"I found you, I got to you, you're okay, Lenora, you're safe, it wasn't too late", please, believe me, please forgive me, was all she could think

Lenora smiled wickedly, then a melody started ringing around her ears, "Cora needs to understand, she wasn't made for happiness" she sang tauntingly

"Stop it"

"When will she understand? Pain and loss is all she'll get"

"STOP IT!" 

"You really were considering telling him the truth, weren't you? Good luck with that" the fairy scuffed, "Should I get my affairs in order? I mean, you're just going to let me get killed this time, right?"

Cora didn't even get the chance to answer, Lenora was gone with the wind, she was left alone, and a sob racked through her whole body, bringing her to her knees

- - -

Breathing proved to be a particularly difficult task the second she woke up, it took her exactly ten minutes to stop sobbing, then an extra two hours until she felt normal enough to get out of her room and see the rest of the team. She had had to put many illusions on herself to hide things she couldn't control, like the dark circles around her eyes, or the puffiness of her nose, or the faint red lines across her face where she apparently had clawed around in a desperate attempt to wake herself up. Why should she bother her friends? They don't have to be worrying over her, or, even worse, taking care of her, that's her job.

"Just put on your big girl pants and go see your-" family she'd been just about to say, but she shook her head to rid her of that silly thought, "-friends" she smiled to the mirror and got out of her room

When she got to the common room, there were a few of the heroes scattered around, she had to shake herself to forget all the things her friends had to say about her in her dreams, just dreams, Cora. It was already 11am, a somewhat late time for Cora to be emerging from her room, she was more of a 9am kind of gal, which Pietro had no problem pointing the second he saw her

"Someone had a rough night" he whistled, Cora snapped her eyes to his, which widened in fright. He disappeared in a blue rash, and was back not a second later back in front of the woman, a plate on his hands. "Saved you breakfast" he smiled nervously

"Thanks, Flashy" she smiled, ruffling his head a bit and sitting on her self-designated armchair, instantly diving for the pancakes Clint had made for them in that morning, letting out a nearly silent hum of satisfaction. It was then that she noticed the God of Mischief, and all the memories from her restless night came rushing back to her, and she didn't seem to have the option of just shaking herself off. With a wave of nausea, she mumbled some excuse that no one quite understood and scurried out of the room

In the couches, the heroes looked to each other, seeing if anyone might know what was happening with the woman, confusion led to worry, especially for the raven-haired prince with a bouncing leg, pretending he wasn't itching to run and see what was wrong, don't overstep, he told himself, she'll come to you

It was Clint who'd had enough and spoke up, "Just go, dude, you're killing us", Loki didn't dignify the comment, nor the hums of agreement, with a reply, instead he stood up and calmly called the elevator. He felt weird, his hands were clammy, his throat felt tight, and he couldn't control it, worrying felt sickening, he wasn't used to it, but it wasn't the time to be picky over his feelings, he needed to find Cora, maybe he could help

His plan was cut short as the second the doors to the elevator opened he was met with the woman, now with sunglasses covering her eyes and her Sanctum robes peaking out of her bag. He gulped down the worry and let her step out, about to open his mouth, she beat him to it

"I'm going to the Sanctum, they need some help, be back later!", she said, regarding the whole room but the prince, with a fake and charming smile adorning her face, she pursed her lips and started making her way out of the room, wanting a stroll before opening the portal to the city

"C'mon, Sabrina, share with us, what you doing? Need back-up?", Stark called, using his usual teasing voice to hide some genuine concern, as he does. 

"No worries, just Wong needing some help with some books", she said, the same smile, even more strained, though it slightly fell when she caught Bruce looking at her with a confused look

"Cory, Wong's on his way to help us in the lab, remember? Your suggestion?", he said, almost unsure if she was playing with them, her laugh in response almost fooled them, but it was a bit more high-pitched than usual, and even the scientist picked up a thing or two from living with trained spies and assassins

The woman only waved again and walked out, but not before seeing the same look of worry in everyone else's eyes. As soon as she was far enough from the compound, she closed her eyes and entered the mirror dimension, immediately falling to her knees, a guttural scream breaking through her, ripping her vocal chords and echoing all around her body and bouncing from each fragment of glass. She let each and every sob out until she had nothing more to scream, she didn't even notice when shards of glass broke and flew around her, some passed by her side, but when some cut her slightly, she knew she had to calm down, she needed to calm down

It was after ten more minutes of trying to put herself together and failing that she managed to leave the mirror dimension and tend to some of the worst wounds. She had a long day of using strong magic, and she'd need to save energy, so she decided it'd be just easier to put on a better illusion and open the portal to the sanctum, once and for all.

- - -

Nothing. She looked through every possible source, she read every book that had the word nightmare somewhere, she tried every potion she could find, she tried herbs, she tried meditations, any religion or cult, everyone who had at some point sworn to have found the answer to getting rid of nightmares. She tried her own recipe a thousand different times, making the dosage immensely stronger to see if it worked. Nothing.

Five days it had been, and everyone was sure after she'd come back from the Sanctum that day, it had all gone back to normal, she apologised and explained she'd had a rough night, but was all better after some soothing herbal tea from Stephen, and to prove it, she went back to joining the soldiers on their runs, baking with Wanda, helping Parker with his homework. Every morning she woke up with more scratches along her face, each a reminder that her mind had her as its prisoner, and she couldn't even claw her way out, every morning the illusions she had to put over herself grew stronger. 

I digress, not everyone thought everything was back to normal, because for one God of Mischief it had been increasingly obvious that he was getting shunned. No matter where or when, if Cora found herself in the same space as him, she would made some excuse to get away. the first few times, he'd tried to stop her, then, he'd tried to find her after some time had passed, but soon enough, with each encounter -if you could even call them that- going horribly, he started worrying less, and hurting more, what did he do wrong?. He'd get his answers the next day.

That morning, the God of Mischief had found it impossible to keep his focus on the outrageous story his brother was blabbing about, the second Cora entered the room he could only manage half-assed attempts at sounding interested, but his eyes were still seating on her as much as he tried to fight it. He decided to just let it be

That's when he notices it, and he must've not been too preoccupied with hiding his expressions, because he straightened up on instinct and his brother immediately turned to him, eyes alert and worried, that look you can find exclusively in older siblings, and that's when Thor notices as well

They both look at each other, there are no hidden messages in their eyes, what you saw is what it was, their eyebrows furrowed, their eyes both widening slightly, confusion and fear

Cora was startled when she heard Loki's voice in her head, she cursed herself, she had to be way too out of it to get startled by in a telepathic link, even less a now regular link, and, fuck, she could almost see the worry around Loki's air, he'd noticed

'Why are you putting illusions on yourself, what happened?', his voice surrounded her, her lips parted as she made eye contact with him, and then she saw Thor and his face; Why do they worry? Stop worrying, she thought to herself

'Because we care', great, now she'd done it, she hadn't even realized the fact she hadn't concealed that little thought from him

She decided to get up with her almost empty plate towards the kitchen, nothing out of the normal on the outside, really not feeling the desire to have even a fraction of another soul with their eyes on her, she was glad the only other telepathic Avenger was out on a mission. She shook herself almost invisibly, and turned around to signal the gods that they could follow so they'd have a private conversation.

"I'd gladly accept your apologies and get on with my day", she mumbled as she cleaned her dishes

"Apologies for what?", Thor said in confusion, which granted him an eyeroll from Loki

"Well, I believe because Lady Cora here, finds it abominably insulting to have someone concerned about her, isn't that so, darling?", Cora just rolled her eyes and turned off the sink to safely turn around to look at them

They were very comical, if she hadn't been feeling so vulnerable, and her fight or fly hadn't been being pushed to its limits since before she'd even woken up, if all that hadn't happened, she would've probably made a joke about them looking like movie bodyguards, with their deep frowns and their arms crossed across their chests.

"I woke up disheveled, just didn't feel like bringing attention to myself", she sighed exasperated, "Look how well that's going" she muttered under her breath, Thor wasn't one for patience in situations like this, and Loki was left staring at Cora, his mind going a hundred miles per hour, trying to figure the unfigurable woman out, before his brother messed it up. His eyes then locked with hers, and he had to fight the urge to bang his head against the nearest wall, how blind could you have been?, he chastised himself

The youngest of the Gods sighed and stopped his brother from pressuring further, clearly, it wouldn't do any good if Thor kept poking and poking. She was on edge, it was like seeing a wild animal waiting to be unleashed, and he understood, he'd seen the same look in his mirror, after nights of memories. The look of the haunted. 

"Okay, we get it, we were just worried" he nodded, with a quick look, he tried to let his brother know he'd not given up, just follow my lead, urging him to agree, he did, though very reluctantly, itching to get to the bottom of whatever was troubling his friend, but thankfully, Loki was more than doted on the arts of persuasion, "I did mean to talk to you, illusions aside-" he began, almost putting a hand on her waist, before clearing his throat and slowly walking out of the kitchen and towards the elevator, Thor didn't need instructions to know he wasn't meant to follow them, so he grabbed more coffee and another raspberry pop tart.

"-I actually wanted to show you something in my room" he finished calmly, not giving away anything. He looked down at Cora, who was smiling mischievously at him, a playful smile on her lips, he had to clear his throat before he could speak again, "Keep it in your pants, Coralina" he muttered once they were given the privacy of the elevator's closed doors

The ride to their floor was quick and uneventful, save for the pit of dread forming in Cora's stomach, fear and guilt. She managed to hold her head high and followed the God inside his room, but immediately, the smell of scented candles made its way to her nostrils, and she had no doubt there was some relaxing magic in the air. The fact that she'd realized there was magic didn't make it any less effective

"What's all this about, Lokes?" she wondered, failing at stifling a yawn soon after

"This is your afternoon, Dove" he said, guiding her towards his bed, using quick work of his magic to change her into one of his robes, her favorite. "You can tell me about the nightmares and why they led you to avoid me" he said, his words coming out with a bitter tone, which he'd really tried not to let show, he shook his head, "for now, you just try to catch up on some sleep" he said, lightly tucking her in and giving her a kiss on her forehead

"I didn't tell you about the nightmares" she mumbled sleepily, "But I do wanna sleep" she added a bit more coherently, unconsciously grabbing a hold of Loki's arm and cuddling around it, "I'm sorry if I hurt you", words she would have kept to herself if she hadn't been so tired. She only got a slight hum of acknowledgement in response

"Well, I do need my arm back, darling", at the way her face scrunched in confusion and hurt, he shook his head, "Not going anywhere, I'll be sitting just by that chair, doing some reading" he said, moving his body so she could see the cozy armchair by one of the corners of the room. When she still only stared at him, he added, "Go on, darling, I'll be here when you wake up"

She felt weak and small, she was battling against herself, but apparently sleep-deprivation was the perfect excuse to not feel as guilty for her selfishness, "Please, would you stay in bed with me? You can stay reading, I just really don't want to feel alone, I-" she sighed, stupid, "Sorry, I have no right, thank you, really" she tried backing down with her best charming smile, but Loki just frowned

Next thing she knew, he was getting in bed next to her, his arm instantly going around her and her head finding its place falling on his chest, "Thank you" she sighed, her thoughts somehow quieting the second his scent invaded her

"Well, what better way to make sure I can fight off the nightmares?" he replied teasingly, she laughed quietly and within two minutes her tight hold on him had lessened, and her breathing now had soft snores thrown into the mix

The God of Mischief on the other hand couldn't find it in himself to sleep, he came to the conclusion that he had taken his previous statement seriously, he wanted to stay alert to make sure there wasn't a cell in her that wasn't relaxed and resting. At some point during Cora's nap, her illusions faded, and left were was the canvas of faint and furious marks of scratches and the thankfully not too prominent eyebags. His heart ached at the faded lines, hating the fact she'd been hiding it all long enough for her wounds to already start closing.

He sighed and looked down, and there his breath hitched, there were some wounds that could have only come from the mirror dimension, he recognised them, they wouldn't heal without magic, and she had only been covering them up.

He knew he couldn't be close to the only person who could understand the way life left a print in their minds, every Avenger could, they all knew what nightmares were, so, he let a faint sense of pride wash over him at the knowledge that Cora had let him in, not Natasha, not Thor, not Tony, not anyone else, just him. He shook his head to rid himself of such selfish thoughts.

He tucked a strand of her grey hair behind her ear, the he let his fingers lightly each and every scratch, a light green glow taking care of the marks until her face was once again fully healed, then he pushed more powerful magic and let it hover over her whole body as it healed the damage the shards of glass had made. When he was done, she looked alive, and real, not the mask she'd had on during the past days, she even had an almost invisible grin in her sleep. She looked peaceful, and he did allow himself to feel pride over that.

- - -

Again? Was her brain really that uninspired? Always that same damned forest

She figured it wouldn't be long before bodies of her loved ones started to appear, dead and taunting, she'd really like to speed the process up

Sensing a presence behind her, she was ready to be faced with one of her many fears, she made fists of her hands, and tried to even her breathing, they were always meaner when they sensed her distress. But instead...

"Dad?" she muttered, her eyes widening in surprise and confusion, her lips slowly stretching into a smile. In front of her stood a slim man, grey eyes and dark purple hair, tall on his two feet and clad in black robes, his tan skin adorned by battle scars and smile lines

"Hi, Coralina", the man boomed, opening his arms, which she gladly jumped into, accepting the hug 

They both held on tight, savouring the moment, before she had to start asking

"What are you doing here? I thought you were dead!" she exclaimed, there wasn't anger in her tone, but she did have to admit that she wasn't sure her mind wasn't just playing tricks on her

"Very alive, thank you, your majesty", he laughed, playfully bowing, "I'm here because you needed me here"

"You're coming back then? Done with the mystery, there's a beautiful cottage in Valhalla with your name on it", she tried to sound lively, but the anxiousness and curiosity seeped through her, it made him look down in shame

"Sorry, my daughter, I still can't, and before you ask me, no, I can't explain, not yet", he sighed, his eyes holding regret, "I do come with some free advice"

"Which you expect me to follow because..."

"Because you're your parents daughter, and trust me, I want nothing more than for you to stray very far from our ways" he said, he sounded genuine, which confused her to no end. "Let me tell you a bit about your mother", he had to restrain a chuckle from the eye-roll he'd earned from the woman

"You left and six-hundred years later she killed herself, I know the story, old man, I lived through it", she countered, somewhat wishing the nightmare came back, at least that was familiar

"The thing about living through stories is that you'll more often than not, only stay with your side, I have mine, your mother had hers", she didn't give an answer, so he took it as an opportunity to go on, "Your mother was the love of my life, and when you were born, life gained an even stronger meaning, you and her were my motive, my love for you two", he was choking up, so he shook his head and kept going, "It's not judgement day, I will tell you my side, fully, but this is necessary, this conversation, in order for me to come back", she only nodded

"She was magical, the Goddess of Love, it was her gift, yet she seemed cursed to be let down by those she have her hear to. I wasn't the first, nor the worst, of her heartbreaks, I was just the last. Her first and worst was your sister's father, I don't think she ever healed from him, even when we were together. I know she was not the best, and everything positive I have to say about her, definitely does not align with your version, but, at least, know that it's all my fault"

"Spare me, you left, that's fucked up, she shipped me away, that's fucked up, but hey, thanks, now i know I'm even more like you guys than I thought!"

"She'd never given up on love", he stressed

"Until you!", she countered with a dry laugh

"You can't let your fears rule your life, you were destined for love! A great love-story! You deserve it, Coralina, and I need you to understand that!", it wasn't just fatherly love, and she noticed it, there was desperation, knowledge can drive some mad, and she was beginning to see the effects on him, whatever he couldn't say with words, he said through his eyes. But desperation came from her side as well, she threw her arms wildly at the air

"It's very easy to just say that, man!" she cried out, done for, tired of the same internal monologue she had with herself on a daily basis, only now, she also had to hear from her father? Unbelievable. "Do you think I enjoy being miserable? That I enjoy not letting myself get too close to anyone? It's not on a whim, I-"

"You got hurt", he tried, his voice a great soothing contrast, against the nervous ranting

"My daughter got hurt, dad, your granddaughter got hurt", she said, her voice now void of any emotion as she stared at him, "She's all that matters, she's my life, and I don't need any more love", after that last sentence, her throat hurt, it burned, and she must've shown panic on her face, because he sighed and it was gone

"You can't lie in here", he almost sounded disappointed, who it was pointed towards, no idea, but she just mimicked his voice, and he chuckled lightly

In a now defeated tone, she asked, "Tell me, how?"

"Baby steps, kiddo, baby steps", with that, he made some movements with his hands, and in between them, a fog cleared, showing Cora's sleeping body, still draped around the prince, sound asleep

The man could only smirk lightly at the light in his daughter's eyes the moment she set her sight on Loki. Cora's smile only brightened as she recognised the lullaby that the God of Mischief was singing to her. That's when the spiraling began once again. She was horrible, there this God was, on Midgard, arranging for her to have a nap because he somehow figured out what was going on when everyone else thought she was okay, there this God was, caring and worrying for her when all she'd done is lie and lie and lie, in order to what? Why? There this God was, waiting for her to be able to freely love him, and for what? 

"How about you shut that stupid voice and do something about it?", it was the no-nonsense tone that brought her out of it, thankfully

"I don't know what I can do, dad, I'm still scared", he just sighed and put a hand on her shoulder, looking at her and then at the sleeping figure below

"I think that's an awful lot of illusions, don't you, honey?", he said, clasping his hands in front of him with a knowing smile, Cora slightly shuddered but nodded, closing her eyes and breathing in deeply, then breathing out slowly.

When she opened her eyes, her illusions had faded, and she saw everything that Loki did. She saw the primary worry, how he almost jumped in fright, then she saw his eyes water and how he wiped them before he could cry. What made it for her was how delicately he tended to her wounds, after months around him, seeing her use his powers, he always made quick work of his healing, but there, he took such care, he was so intricate to make sure every last fraction of her was safe and sound, she smiled so hard she feared it might tear her face

When she turned, his father was looking at her with the same look he always had by the end of their encounters, the silent 'I gotta go', she shrugged meekly

"I might as well wake up, get this done with, right?" 

"No, child, enjoy this, it's the first time in a week that you can sleep safe and soundly, don't just throw that away, sleep", he said, his voice soothing, she wrapped her arms around him one last time, and turned around to look at the forest. She smiled as she realised there were streams of light seeping through the trees, and she could hear the chirping of birds, and tiny animals jumping from and towards the bushes. She breathed in deeply and took in the feeling of freedom she had missed so much 

Chapter Text

- - -

  When Cora woke up, she allowed herself to play pretend for a couple of seconds, she basked in the smells, she let herself be immersed in the combination that was the smell of pine trees, lavender and expensive leather. Her head burrowed further into the prince's chest, she sighed at his heartbeat, kissing it periodically. But it had to end at some point. She slowly brought her eyes to his and just stared at him, for a very long time she just admired him

"I'm sorry I hurt you", she said finally, her eyes now opting to focus on the details in the God's sheets. It wasn't long before tender fingers guided her gaze back to his

"Want to tell me about the nightmares?", she rolled her eyes, if she had to hear that word one more time... but she nodded, after all, if someone deserved explanations it was the man in front of her

"I don't have the best track record, love-wise, I mean", she started, her legs crossed and her hands fidgeting as she tried to organize her thoughts. "I have power, a lot of it, power many want to hold, power many want to own, I'm lucky enough to be able to use said power to protect myself." Loki furrowed his brows at her words, she wasn't saying anything groundbreaking, he knew what she meant. "Sadly, I also have weaknesses, and being who I am, that will always terrify me, there's always a chance out there that I get hurt, I mean, sure, that's life, but, you know us deities, we can't just accept that we face misery similar to that of a mortal, we are above them, we should not be susceptible to loss and grief, that's for the puny carbon beings."

Her speech brought an amused smirk from Loki, she caught it and held herself back from pecking his lips, she did not deserve his smiles, and she most definitely did not deserve his kiss. 

"Not long after I joined this team, there was a whole ordeal between Barnes, Rogers, and Stark, secrets were the main issue, Steve and Bucky hid something from Tony, hurtful shit.", she stopped when she once again saw the confused stare, "I promise there's a point here", she took in a breath, "Steve kind of called me out, he asked how it was fair that they got in trouble for it when I do just the same, I hide, I avoid, I downright lie", she sighed, the bitter taste of self-hatred poisoning her tongue, "I told them, your secrets are dangerous, to you and those around you, mine don't matter, but that's no longer accurate, now my secrets matter, now my lies hurt other people, and it's like a ship that's going so fast I've lost control of it, so either I find the way to pump the brakes or I crash and die"

"No one will let you crash and die", he scoffed, but she scoffed right back

"Exactly! That's the thing, it's not just me in the ship anymore, if I don't do this right, it's not just me anymore", both times she said it, she felt a shock run through her, all the way from her ring, through her spine, and to her heart. Her mind could only scream at Loki, please understand it's you, please understand I only want to protect you, please

"That's the price of love", he tried to bargain

"It's a very high price", she stammered back, stubbornness blinding her, fear speaking for her

The prince couldn't find the right words, what were the right words? What was he trying to accomplish? Was he going to beg for some woman to trust him? Him? No, that'd be pathetic. Was he going to just blindly accept the imbalance in her own words? And what of the way she had ignored him? They went on a beautiful date and the next time he tries to talk to her there's an ice wall in the middle, placed by her, and he's just going to accept it? She doesn't have the guts to end whatever this was? Fine, she doesn't need to, message received

Cora sees his mind race, his face flinching at his own thoughts. She curses at herself, she curses at his beautiful eyes, she curses at his beautiful lips, she curses at Odin, she curses Valhalla, she curses anyone that comes to mind. She sees his hesitancy, she can feel him retracting himself, rejecting her. It's clear, she's asking him to have patience and he's denying it. Message received.

There's a new kind of cold radiating from both of them, a sort of understanding, an erroneous one at that, Loki's mind is mourning the fact that Cora is clearly not willing to let him in. Cora's brain is zeroing on every sign that points out how unwilling to wait for her the God seems to be.

The two devils on her shoulder keep whispering fight or flight to her ears. Cora's cowardice takes ahold of her. Slowly detaching herself from the god, she stands up from the bed, and in doing so, steps out of the comfort of his sweet fragrance, she frowns. Her eyes are watering and she has no idea how to stop herself from not jumping to his arms, she knows he doesn't want her to.

He itches, his hands visibly twitch with the need of holding the grey-eyed woman in his arms again, he curses at himself to stop, to not overstep, this is clearly what she thinks is better, he won't force her to see him as worthy. His green eyes cloud with tears at that thought, he bitterly growls, out loud.

She hears him, and her blood might as well have frozen, she swallows down the sobs threatening to spill, a cloud of purple smoke surrounds her, her flight finally winning, and soon she was crumbling down on the docks far away from the rooms, far away from him and his lips

If the tears hadn't been clouding her vision, she would've seen how Loki tried to grab her wrist, had tried to stop her from leaving. No, instead she had no doubts that he wanted her as far from him as physically possible. 

- - - 

  Deities tend to egotistically believe the world goes around them and their moods. It's always been like that, they're all a bunch of narcissists to some degree, there's no denying that. If you'd asked everyone pre-Cora and Loki's fight, they would unanimously agree that Tony was the most petty, arrogant, foul person when crossed. If you asked everyone post-Cora and Loki's fight, you would only see their eyes glazing over with the flashbacks. 'The bad week' historians would call it in the future

That same night, after Cora had so unceremoniously left the room, Stark was Mr Great Timing, and called for a bonding night, an excuse to try the newest Avengers themed board game. Cora had reluctantly put on her happy face, thankful for the nap she actually had enjoyed, her calm before the storm. At least she felt more in control of her magic to confront the rest of her housemates. 

The Monopoly board was set, half of the team had learnt from previous experiences and had refrained from joining That left Tony, Natasha, Pietro, Cora, and Steve, going against each other, while the rest used the five as their means of entertainment for the evening, choosing a player and betting on them winning.

Loki had been more than pleased to hide in the library, nose deep in another story, where he could focus on some fictional character's misery instead of his own. The god of thunder had other plans, so half an hour into game night, the two brothers finally walked in, Thor was loud in his greetings, bringing everyone's attention to them, and from beside Natasha, a stiff Cora spat short greetings and threw the dices.

The raven-haired prince had sat down, idle chatter going all around, the group until that point was blissfully oblivious to the tension between the resident ancient sorcerers. Cora pursed her lips when she landed on a "CHANCE" space, thanking Wanda when she handed her the card at the top of the deck. The idle chatter was startled and they all jumped in astonishment when endless curses started pouring out of Cora's mouth and she angrily threw her pawn to the jail box. 

Tony, Clint and Sam laughed, but a pointed glare from her now purple and furious eyes had them shut up, "I hate your game nights, Anthony", she snarled, now twirling a dagger in each hand.

The man in question gulped down his whiskey and smirked that smirk that tells everyone that he's thought of a comeback that'll put him in danger. No one cared enough to stop him, he always finds a way to upset someone during those games.

"Don't lash out at me, 's not my fault the god isn't satisfying you"

No one batted an eye when lilac engulfed Stark and threw him out of the closest window, nor when three daggers engulfed in green followed him on his way down. They did however stare in shock when she blew the board game to pieces and left in a cloud of smoke, and Natasha was ready to start interrogating the god of mischief, when in a furious dark green shine he was gone as well.

Everyone stared at the blown up board game, Tony now in his Iron-Man suit broke the silence first

"Well, we need something else to bet on now", eyeing the purple pawn and the green pawn thrown in the ground, "And I know just what on", his mischievous chuckle was followed by everyone grabbing back the money they'd put on the pool and dispersing to do their own things, meanwhile Tony just moaned in the background about no one following his lead.

- - -

By 10am the following morning Cora thought she had the all clear to get out of her room. Loki would wake at 8am, then have tea and something sweet for breakfast, then he'd go back to his room, and wouldn't leave his room again until 11am, when he had to leave for the group of recruits he had volunteered to train (he lost a bet with Bucky).

Her chest hurt as she remembered how secretly nervous he had been the day before he had to introduce himself, he had confided in her, and they'd spent the rest of the night trying on different outfits and going over the recruit's files, learning their strengths and weaknesses, the more he knew the less surprises they could throw at him.

She rid herself of the memory by stepping out of her room, but her hairs stood when she heard the click of the door to her left, Loki's. She looked up cautiously, waiting to come face to face with him, instead she saw nothing. She sighed and went on through her morning

From the other side of the door, Loki's chest heaved, if anyone could see him he'd die of embarrassment, he felt like a pervert, spying the woman through the crack of his door, waiting for her to step out, and for what? He didn't know whether he planned on ambushing her, maybe he could brush past her indifferently. He shook his head, he just wanted to see her. 

That thought vanished when he actually heard her come out, and instead of sucking it up, he shut the door and grabbed at the roots of his hair in rage, he could hear Cora's voice teasing him, what a pussy, she would say. She'd be right. 

- - -

The second Steve received the files for the mission, he practically bolted out of his office, loudly asking FRIDAY for Cora Francis' whereabouts. He had never experienced grey hairs, but after the last two breakfasts they'd shared he had found at least three.

He sighed when he passed the common room, saying hi to Dum-E who was fixing the broken window, he sighed again when he saw the marks on the wall where Loki had thrown his daggers in a fit, then refrained from cursing out loud when he saw the TV screen was shattered completely, and the coffee table was thrown out of its place

"Could you tell me who was it?", he asked aloud, his hands massaging his temples

"It was Cora, Captain, would you like me to broadcast the footage?", he sighed but nodded. A hologram showed the scene, Cora was with Natasha, Wanda and Pietro, watching the news, when the reporters started their Avengers segment, apparently, Loki had been seen doing healing work in a Hospital's ER. The PR team had nailed it, slowly but surely he was gaining some sort of stable support from part of society. Not Coralina's though, the second they showed his face, she sent the coffee table flying towards the television, then stormed out. 

"Thank you, FRIDAY", Steve started walking again towards the kitchen, his mind trying to keep up with the situation at the compound. Two members of his team were acting irrationally, both of them way too powerful, the best way to make sure no one died was to make sure there was as little pent-up aggression as possible. The mission was easy, far enough from civilians that none would be caught in the crossfire, and the goal was to get rid of research, a group trying to create another mass destruction weapon. So, pure destruction, great for blowing off steam.

Natasha was the first to see him, quick as ever, she smirked when she saw the files in his hands and pointed in Cora's direction. Steve stopped himself from chuckling and instead politely cleared his throat as he approached Cora while she was meal prepping like crazy, chopping and seasoning, and baking and mixing. 

"Well, good morning, Captain Rogers, how is your pretty cute self feeling on this marvelous day?", she exclaimed the second she saw him, her smile was almost a bit too wide, and her cheeriness was just a bit too forced. But in any case, Steve tried to keep his face neutral, if she wanted to speak, she knew she could count on him, alas that ended up translating in a very obvious pity look in his eyes that Cora saw and rolled her eyes at immediately. 

"Seriously? You're gonna- you're going to look at me like that?", the rage was palpable, he swore she looked red. She was breathing in and out rather harshly, and Steve knew what was coming. The magic lovers had a toddler's temper. The only thing he could think of was deflecting her attention elsewhere, that's how he finds himself waving the file in front of your eyes slowly yet quickly at the same time, it was clever, it got her to focus on snatching the folder from Steve's hand, rather than his head from his body.

She smiled when she recognized it as an assignment, she quickly hugged him and thanked him, profusely, he turned to his reflection on the oven and plucked another grey hair. He was tired of the mood changes. 

- - -

The raven-haired prince couldn't shut his eyes, he hated it. It was the fifth mission this week and it was only wednesday, was the captain trying to get her killed? Every night, he was the last one in the kitchen, he hung around the couches, the ones closest to the elevator, and yet when the early hours of the morning reached with no sign of Cora's return and he would, disheartenedly walk to his room, he still couldn't bring himself to fall asleep.

Cora is more than capable. He had to stop telling himself that, that was not the problem, he did not doubt the woman, but what if something did happen? His mind selfishly couldn't help but sulk over the fact that he wasn't in any favorable position to even offer a helping hand should she need it. He was useless.

Then as his head spiraled on and on, he would hear the almost not loud enough chime from the elevator doors opening and closing, then the careful footsteps, the tired kind. He would sense how Cora stopped her steps as she passed his door, hovering, coward. She would soon get to her door and shut herself out. The sudden welcoming of sleep was bittersweet, finally he could rest, but he hated the fact he couldn't be blissed with ignorance. Alas he suffered the knowledge that the culprit for his insomnia had a face and name.

Each night was the same, for the past three nights, she was who knows where, fighting who knows who, and Loki only allowed himself peace when he knew she was safe. That night was no different, everyone had cleared their plates, with loud praises towards Sam, he really had outdone himself with the lasagna. Left in the couches were the God of Mischief, Peter Parker and Pietro. The two young men observed the nervous up and down of Loki's feet, the constant checking of the hour, the annoying sighs that surged every minute

"So, how much longer?", Pietro's heavy accent broke through the silence, directing himself to Loki who could only morph his face into an exasperated confused one, "When are you two going to kiss and make-up? If I have to listen to contractors working on the building because one of you two babies just had to throw on a fucking tantrum" he stopped himself, "I'm going crazy", he wheezed out

After that, he decided that it would be better to retire to his room and keep an ear out for when Cora finally made it back from there. He readied himself for a sleepless night. He made sure to be stocked up on books

- - -

Surprisingly, sleep found him without leaving room to argue, it just took him.

Loki tried to keep control of his dreams, it was an acquired skill, one that had started as a trick to avoid dull dream, but later in life it had become necessary in order to have a few peaceful hours of rest. His desperation was quick to rise bile to his mouth when he realized there was no controlling this one, he was just in for the ride. 

He was walked through a forest, his senses aware but calm, in the distance he could make out figures walking in a group, following the same path he was, only they were farther. He is tempted to do something, catch their attention or follow them, the moon was high and the shadows it provided would make it easy to move without being seen. All of course, if his dreams would let him

Then he's forced awake. Confusion flooded him, he knew he's awake, but once again, he was out of control. He should've felt panicked, he should've been going into shock or fighting with all his might. Instead he just lets it happen, he knows he has to, how does he know that? 

He recognized his power, it wasn't the first time, but it had been a long time since his very essence used him as a means to an end, taking the reigns and only letting him watch from the back of his mind. He is not the biggest fan. But curiosity always gets the upper hand with him, and when he found himself entering Cora's room, Loki felt even more at a loss

He ran to her, she dropped to her knees and he did the same, he slowly regained some control, but his magic is still there, still in charge, it just gave him enough to help her, from what? He knows he has to help, but...

Then he sees the gash on her side, from her left armpit to the opposite hip, there were grey pieces of something like shrapnel but not quite pressed into the wound and her magic was clearly unable to heal with it, a look at Cora's eyes and it was clear she was way too out of it to act on her own, he gulps.

He pushes the thought of how she is the reason he was being controlled by his own magic aside, and brings to the front all his power, delicately but urgently tending to the worst of it, wincing at her groans, whispering sweet nothings at her sobs. He held his hand over her forehead, and a second later the fogginess that clouded her brain, cleared.

Cora came to, and in a way Loki did as well, seeing the other. She was overwhelmed by the desire to kiss him, to feel his breath so close it melted into hers. The mission and all the pain were put to the back of her mind as Loki in all his glory knelt by her side. She had to restrain herself, she knew she still did not deserve his kisses. She wouldn't ever own up to it, but this time, Coralina Francis lost; she looked at his lips, and she knew she'd lost. She brought her eyes back to his, shame and fear in her irises.

But then Loki cupped her cheek with his hand. The God and the Queen still on the floor, blood and magic everywhere, he felt sparks, real and scary and fabulous sparks. Cora's mind was screaming at her to run, to escape, it would be better for everyone. But something kept her from moving, something needed to prove her just how wrong she was

It wasn't until his lips were firmly pressed to hers that they could feel quiet. No external noise, no pressure, nor expectations, just them

It wasn't sweet and giggly like their kisses on their first date, nor quick and playful like the stolen kisses during training, in the kitchen, or during game nights. No, it was pure desperation coursing through their veins, they clashed like they couldn't bare to breath in air that hadn't been stolen from the other. 

Their hands didn't stay anywhere long enough to describe, but they were panting and breath was starting to become necessary. The god allowed himself a wave of fresh air only when Cora tugged his head up and started kissing softly then roughly on his neck, nipping at just the perfect spot next to his apple

"Are you sure?", his words came out harshly, lust painted it, but it covered the loaded reality, was she sure?

She had an out, she took her lips from his neck, she looked at him and saw all the ways she could hurt him, all the ways he could hurt her, her hesitancy wasn't invisible, and Loki was anything but blind. 

Their chests heaved and it was as if their hands had been frozen in space, they didn't move, they studied each other, they tried to step away

They tried.

Strands of green started to flow through him, surrounding them as they moved in between them, same thing was happening but in lilac, Cora's magic dancing and swaying with Loki's. Both of them were furiously running through the air, chasing and running and embracing all at the same time, the two of them silently followed the lights with their eyes, too mesmerized to do anything else. And when their eyes met again, they were goners

In the new light, Cora's grim and bloodied face had never looked clearer, and Loki's usual mask of indifference was completely shattered

Neither of them could say who leaned in first. Their lips crashed once more, a wave of relief flooded them as their tandems of pure and raw power kept dancing together through the room, just as much as the pure and raw need to be held within each other's arms.

His teeth bit softly on her lip, and the silent moan gave him all the permission he needed to slip his tongue and explore her mouth, she wasn't far behind, pulling on his hair to earn herself a groan that allowed her to fight back for dominance. Their hands once again had a mind of their own, he followed her curves and carved them to his memory, she traced every prominent vein and relished in his heartbeat

She took him by surprise straddling him, he took her by surprise when she pushed him down, their cores meeting and eliciting desperate groans from both, she slowly moved her hips, testing the waters, she hid her face on her neck and sucked on his pressure points until her tongue hurt, he tried his best to not rut into her like a wild animal

"You are testing my composure in a way- Norns, in a way no one ever has", his voice was raspy and his words were accentuated by cold hands holding her hips still. That caused her to look up at him, and there he knew that if ever he shall die, he'd die happy having seen Coralina Francis on top of him, with lust and something more adoring imploding in her eyes and flowing through the still dancing strands of magic, "Say the words"

"I'm sure, Loki", she all but whined, holding his face in her hands and kissing him all over again, "I missed you so much, maybe too much", she chuckled awkwardly, her fingers idly playing with the buttons on Loki's shirt, "I want you, my prince", the comment was playful and she batted her eyelashes, but he saw the genuine vulnerability behind and it brought a fond smile to his face

He grabbed her face with just as much need, with painful hunger and desire, his lips devoured hers in a deathly ballad, he had no urge to break from her touch, so out of breath he moved them to the comfort of his bed, hovering over her, he pressed his forehead to hers, and very quietly, just for them to hear, their little secret, he muttered, "You have me, dove"

Chapter Text

- - -

Their heavy panting filled the room, that silent moment where you stare at one another and almost feel like its their eyes that are grounding their heart and lungs enough for them to stop heaving. Still joined at their centers, neither knew quite what to say, but the silence was broken by two innocent fireworks of power emanating from both their chests, purple and green met and exploded together in hundreds of tiny glittering particles

When one of said particles fell in Cora's nose, her eyes widened, and before Loki could question it, a speck fell on his forehead and he jumped, his head butting with his bedpost as he abruptly sat slightly up

"That's outrageous", he exclaimed, his eyes as comically large as hers, "Insane", he insisted

Cora was trying to contain her laughter, but it just wasn't possible anymore, "Did our powers just-", she couldn't finish her sentence before exploding at the horrified look on his face, "Oh, you don't have to look so appalled!", at her carelessness he looked even more appalled

"Are you kidding me?! We just- that was a fucking mating ritual!"

"Well, we didn't really have a choice in the matter did we!?", she argued, pulling at his arm and trying to lay her head on his chest.

Loki pulled his arm back just as quickly, "This is not a game, Coralina! This is serious binding magic", he was met by a sarcastic 'duh doy', "Barbaric and heinous in the most pure sense-"

"Oh, fuck you too, Friggason, we're not werewolves, we're not mates or whatever," she scoffed in a mocking tone, "it's just magic", she added with a roll of her eyes, "Clearly, you couldn't be more disgusted, good news for you, you can choose, so," she started gathering her things, not even thinking about the fact that she was leaving her own room, "don't worry this never happened, and we were obviously not acting of our own accord-"

She was stopped by a hand cradling her cheek, "I wanted it to be different", he muttered, his eyes begging her to stay, guiding her back to the bed "When it dawned on me, the first thing that came to my mind was that I'd somehow taken-", he gulped and tried to get the words out, "that I had taken advantage of you", his voice was the softest she had ever heard, and the words made something inside her ache instantly, her flight response vanished and she leaned into his embrace further, desperate let him know just how much that wasn't true.

"I swear I wanted you with all my being: magic, mind and body", she spoke each word with as much sentiment as she could convey, "all of me wanted all of you", he felt himself let go of the panic that had arisen within him and finally held her close, no magic guiding his actions 

He opened his mouth to speak, but found his throat dry. Without a word spoken, a glass of water was held in front of him, handed to him with a soft and caring smile, he accepted and tried again, "I feel like I ruined the beauty of what just happened with my panic", he said with an awkward cough, tracing different patterns along her skin

"Eh, maybe", she shrugged, earning a soft smack on her arm. They both laughed, "But, hey! We managed to save this before blowing it all to shit", she held her hand up for a high-five, but a lift of Loki's left eyebrow had her pouting, "Fine, you managed to save this before I blew it all to shit"

"Better" he hummed in agreement, while holding her closer and taking in the smell of her hair, a pleased hum coming from his throat

"And, hey", she said, lightly twisting herself to face him, "the night is young, we have plenty of time to reclaim it as ours"

"Temptress", he sneered, in a voice so low Cora wondered if he'd even meant for her to hear him. She didn't have much more time to think about it before lips crashed into hers, and hands grabbed at her hips with a need much resembling the one bubbling from her insides. "I want you", he whispered against her chest, right over her heart

"You have me, Loki", she muttered back, her whisper the most luring song as they moved together until the space between them was just a breath

- - - 

"Dyeing my hair, yes or no", the voice of Tony Stark interrupted the peaceful breakfast, "Just like a gold and red streak on the side", he added, running a hand through his hair to show. 

"People know you're Iron-Man", Natasha sighed tiredly, "You have to let it go, Tony", at that the rest looked at her questioningly, "Someone asked for a picture with me instead of him, and he got handed the camera, so", everyone looked at him with either mock pity or laughter

"Sorely mistaken, Miss triple agent, I'm just digging a trip to the hair-salon", he deflected poorly, "But, it would look great right?"

"How many times do we have to say we do not care, Stark?", came a new voice, which instantly perplexed the team. The last few days, they'd gotten used to the feeling of physical dread at having to be in the vicinity of the fighting couple. The disbelief was clear in everyone's faces when said fighting couple walked into the room hand in hand with smiles and a bit more life in their eyes.

It was quick that they all silently agreed to not even touch the subject and just take the win and be happy that whatever had happened seemed to be over. That didn't stop Pietro and Peter to send knowing looks to Loki, and when the latter caught their secret fist bump, he discreetly sent a wisp of magic to their cups, spilling the warm coffee on their laps, and continuing to guide Cora to their empty seats with a hand hovering over her low back.

Silently, Loki grabbed the back of Cora's usual chair, he could feel her behind him and instinctively he moved his hand, blocking her incoming attack -in the form of poking his sides-. He looked at her hand, then at her with a raised brow

"That's my chair", she replied easily, both standing her ground and trying to move around him so she could sit

"Yes, and I'm trying to obviously steal your spot", he countered with sarcasm, while wrapping his hands around her shoulders to stop her from moving, "Stay", he ordered. And of course, he was only met with more resistance.

While Loki tried and failed to get the woman to just stand for a single second, the rest of the heroes, inevitably, turned to the scene, biting back laughter at the pair. The snickers from his teammates was enough to almost drive him to the edge, so, with a wave of his hands, he momentarily turned blue as he froze her in place, and he made a show of slowly pulling the chair back, a sarcastic smile on his face. He unfroze her, grabbed her hand, and helped her sit down, then pushed her close to the table before taking his own seat by her right.

At her embarrassed blush, realizing she had wrongly assumed he was stealing her chair, everyone chuckled then continued with idly breakfast chatter. Cora was laughing along to a joke Pietro had told, when a shiver ran down her spine and Loki's breath met her left ear, "You do recognize the fact that you make it very difficult to court you, don't you?"

She answered by throwing her arm around his shoulder and giving him a loud kiss on the cheek, "Thank you, my lord and saviour", she teased, but her joke went ignored by the prince, who suddenly looked alarmed, like he had made a mistake, and yes, in his mind his brain screamed at him, how could he have forgotten?

"What happened last night?", he asked her, but he didn't let her answer before his eyes flashed with anger, "Where did you send her?", now he directed his questions to Steve Rogers, who was peacefully finishing his chocolate oatmeal, "Why was she sent alone? She could've died!" Why didn't she have a backup team? And rescue? She came back with half a breath! I'm sure the elevator is still fucking flooded in her blood!" with each sentence his anger rose, and soon he was towering over the table to an astonished Captain America

"Loki, stop", Cora mumbled, warily looking at everyone on the table, who now looked surprised at the outburst, and at the fact that the almost unbreakable woman had been so physically impaired by a mission, it left her feeling naked and vulnerable.

"It was a trap", she muttered, shying away from their questioning glares and their concerned frowns, "I don't know who, or why, but it was not from around here, that's for sure, it managed to get inside my head, it managed to make me bleed, it managed to stop my healing-", she stopped before her breathing got too laboured. "Heimdall saved me", she admitted to the group, the breakfast table turning into more of a meeting table with the change of energies.

The Gods looked at each other in surprise, never before had Heimdall intervened in Midgardian matters in that way, "Did you call for him?" Thor questioned, she only nodded

"What attacked you?", she shivered at Bruce's question

"It took the form of a child, I was taking information from an abandoned experimentation camp, she looked like a prisoner, so I told her I'd help", she sighed, running her hands through her hair, "next thing I know, it turns into something like a demon, and I couldn't stop it from invading my mind, I-", she turned to look at the brothers with fear, "It showed me the fall of the realms" 

- - -

Everyone got to work instantly, Tony ran every database available to find something, some clue they could follow to find their culprit, Natasha tried to question old contacts, asking to keep their eyes open, Thor left to Asgard to speak with the gatekeeper, Loki took over Wanda's training, and the rest focused on training and trying to use each of their skill sets to the maximum

Cora was sneaking to her room to meditate when she was stopped by one Vision, "Hey, man, what're you up to?", she asked casually

"You have always been intriguing, Coralina", he mused, much to the woman's confusion, "I'm lending my help", he answered her silent question, "I am supposed to be a vessel of knowledge, yet curiosity has sneaked itself into my system, the desire to find and understand the answers I still don't have. It's my human trait", he continued, following Cora after she silently gestured to join her in her room

"I don't know what's going on, or how to stop it from hurting others, if that's your unasked question", she confessed, but he just nodded as if it was the most obvious fact

"What is troubling you?", he asked, crossing one leg over the other, and leaning on the couch further

"I know more than I'm letting on", he just looked at her, "Not really, I don't know know, but I know. I have theories, very solid and probable theories", she stopped abruptly, "This is a private conversation, right?"

"I won't divulge anything you share, that's my machine part", he assured

"You make a good therapist, it suits you", she chuckled, before clearing her voice, "there are things that just have to happen, things that are supposed to happen and people all over the world who make sure they happen. You know I'm more than what I let on, you let me know that in our first conversation. I don't know what you know, I'd be honored to know though", he coughed to stop her from rambling, "Sorry! So, I'm powerful, meaning in the whole ladder, I'm above many people, I feel like I'm at the top, I have power over destiny, but not in its entirety. I would be idiotic to ignore all that is above me, all that is in charge of my destiny" 

"And the demon that attacked you, was he your destiny?"

"What do you know about me?", she asked in retort.

They stared at each other for a long time, trying to discern the other's thoughts, the air felt thick even for him, who didn't even need to breathe

"I know your last name, and therefore who that makes you", he resolved in saying, his eyes calculating her reaction

Her mouth was only able to open and close, "How?", she managed to ask

"The stone", he began, "I'm slowly managing to access its knowledge, it's been around since the creation of the cosmos, and sometimes it speaks to me, only in a language I have yet to master", he stood and started pacing, "I still have not grasped much about the afterlife," he tried ignored the gasp Cora let out, "I understand there are voids, there are heavens, there are intricate systems that determine where souls go. But I also know there are disputes, I imagine your terrain is the 9 realms, but what of the rest of the universe? or the universes, plural?"

"Valhalla and Helheim have always been neutral, humans put religion so high on their priorities, yet they have no idea how simple it actually is for them, there are worlds where their afterlife changes almost every week, we have been rock solid for more than seven-thousand years", she sighed, "Sorry, I am somewhat of a politician after all", she said chuckling. "As I said, I'm very high on the ladder, but I'm not entirely alone, there are others at my level, but, because we like our crowns, we have accords set in place, limits and regulations for everyone, it's natural that when given power, some just want more. We're above that, we are peaceful." She bit at her nail, before a disapproving glance from the synthezoid stopped her, "There are a few known people who want to violate the accords, who have tried to invade my territory, infiltrate it", she stopped, looking at the cameras and doing a spell to change the footage, Vision only stared at her in amusement, "I can't be sure who sent the demon, and, again, there are people in charge of making sure that what has to happen, happens, so I might not be even supposed to stop it, who knows?"

"So, what's your next step?"

"I go home, try to find some answers", Vision only nodded and made his way to the wall, ready to phase through it and leave her to do whatever she had to do, she stopped him by calling his name, "Thank you, you have no idea what it means to talk somewhat freely", her eyes glossed with emotion, and the android found himself nodding, accepting the woman's gratefulness, recognizing how real it was

"I hope that only encourages you to come clean with the rest", he said with a light chuckle in his voice, her own joining him. A hearty promise from Cora that she'd be trying harder was covered by alarms baring through the sound system, and quickly the voice of the compound's AI joined

"Incoming attack, southeast wing"

Without saying a word, they jumped to action, both their suits magically settling in, Cora offered a hand to her friend, and they both materialized right where the rest of the team had assembled, her eyes involuntarily fleeted to find Loki, relief flooded her when she saw him helping the Sokovian witch, she hadn't landed perfectly after teleporting them

"Been some time since we got attacked here", Clint said conversationally as he adjusted his bow and arrow, a few strained laughs in agreement was all he got in response. They all looked ahead of them, in the grass, sat awaiting a dark figure, keeping its back to them amidst the chill of the evening. Tony huffed out a laugh, then started making his way towards it

"I think you got lost, Darth Vader, need directions?"

"You'll find that the ones in need of direction", the figure started, a deep saturated voice echoing to their ears even if he wasn't even speaking above a whisper. He started standing up and a red mist covered him, before it cleared, "are you", as he finished, the team saw how he had grown in size, easily beating the ant-man in his biggest form. Sensing the attack, everyone moved to be nearer Tony, who stood ahead of them.

"You're outnumbered, darling", the grey-eyed Avenger challenged, her hands matching Wanda's and Loki's as they readied their magic.

In retaliation, he sent a ball of fire towards her, which she blocked, her hands neatly turning the burning red to lilac, she smiled smugly and threw it back to him, waiting to see her damage, her grin morphed into recognition as in front of their eyes, the demon took in her power and without blinking, took Cora's form

"You're outnumbered, darling", gone was the previous voice, now replaced by an uncanny imitation of the woman's. The shock everyone was going through didn't even get the chance to be spoken, no one had the time to even gasp in shock before a rope of magic shot towards Cora and grabbed her, pulling her to its side. Her own soft hand forcibly cradled her neck and kept her eyes ahead. "Watch, Cory, just stay watching"

The team tried to move towards their teammate, who found herself trapped by her copy, her magic was going into overdrive trying to beat itself, she was failing, bested by herself. The second they got too close for the demon's liking, thirty other copies of the woman materiliazed and wasted no time before attacking them, Cora kept being grabbed by the imposters, teleporting her every other second, in the middle of the battle then far away, so rapidly that the Avengers soon started pulling their punches, afraid to hit the actual Cora.

Steve had one on their knees, his shield high on the air, ready to strike down on her, "Steve, stop! It's me!", she pleaded, making him doubt himself long enough for her to pluck the piece of vibranium off of his hands and have him on the floor above her, "So gullible", she sneered, though her voice much more distorted by malice. The copy was ready to attack him with his own weapon, when with a thud, she fell and vanished from thin air.

The Captain looked up to see Loki offering him a hand, "The trick is in their hearts, the illusions don't have one", Steve just nodded and followed his advice, using his bettered hearing to make sure he wouldn't hurt their friend. After successfully bringing down two copies, he relied the same information to the rest of the team, and it wasn't long before there were only two, both held at gunpoint and immobilized by Stark's latest paralysing tech

Wanda took a step forward and brought magic to the front of her being, trying to get a feel of both minds, trying to decipher who was the imposter, trying to focus over the woman's duplicated voice, echoing "It's not me! Don't listen to her, I'm the real one". She shook her head in frustration, her mind berating her for not being able to get it right, ultimately her head hung low in shame, she couldn't recognize her mentor, "I can't, they both have her walls, I'm sorry", she addressed the team, her accent thick, she went back to look at the women and this time addressed them, "I'm sorry"

One looked at her sadly but nodded, the other stared silently ahead, burning holes into the God of mischief, who quickly felt her eyes on him and retaliated by staring right back

"Okay, just, actual-Sabrina? Put down your barriers for a second and we'll just look at your memories and stuff, if they don't show you in like Hell, or whatever, then we'll know it's you, right?"

"I'm afraid that won't work, Stark", Loki replied, still maintaining eye-contact with her, "If she puts down her barriers, the demon can infiltrate her mind freely, then make us see fake memories". The rest of the voices dissipated as he focused on the two Cora's in front of him, specifically with the one who kept her eyes on him the whole time, he racked his brain, there had to be something he could use to know for sure. He widened his eyes.

He took a step forward and grabbed her left hand, his eyes never leaving hers for a second, as he leaned in and kissed her ring, his eyes closed and without breaking apart from her, he sent a poisoned dagger flying to the other Cora, impaling her in the center of her chest 

The team had already jumped to stop Loki, but they halted when the attack left the demon dropping its mask. Loki paid no mind as the rest of the team moved to take the hideous creature into custody. Under the retrieving sun, the two deities stayed staring at one another, Cora hugged him and thanked him, profusely, she hugged him tight and it was just then that Loki managed to get a pin on her feelings; she had been genuinely scared. He'd helped her. He hugged her just as tightly

"How did you know?", she asked with such admiration in her eyes that they twinkled

He made a dismissive wave of his hand, "Well, just looked for your heartbeat, of course"

"It might be a demon, but it still has a heartbeat", she countered with a roll of her eyes

"No, dove", he said slowly, his right hand on her chin, and the other touching the emerald ring with a sentiment so foreign and inviting, "I looked for your heartbeat"

She smiled a wide toothy smile, an unabashed display of the strongest of fervors. She felt her mouth open, her mind had no time to interject, she couldn't even think about stopping those three little words from spilling and making a mess in between them. Coralina opened her mouth, but all that came out was a bloodcurdling scream, a sound of pure agony that brought the God back to reality, where the team had apprehended the demon after it tried to escape, yet no one had time to react before the same poisoned dagger pierced through her heart, this time the only morph the weapon caused, was the colour that drained from the woman, the venom spitting tendrils of darkness through her veins in her chest, quickly getting to her whole body. She couldn't utter a word, she couldn't move nor make sense of where it hurt worse

Her eyes were bloodshot, and they were the only thing that she could still move, her brain was slowly trying to shut down, send her to sleep, but she tried her best to fight it in panic.

She saw herself, not in the way she could stare hours into the mirror pointing her errors, or passing a window that allowed her to see whether her hair was intact. She saw herself reflected in the icy eyes of her lover, she could take the hint that he was screaming at her, something along the lines of holding on, but she smiled, she saw him and thought hard, she thought those three little words so hardly she might've bled from that if she hadn't already been losing it thanks to the dagger, she kept repeating it in her mind and hoped that somehow he'd know.

I love you, with that, she let go

Chapter Text

The room was kept dead silent, save for the beeping, or the occasional drip of serum, or the rustle of his clothes against the plastic when he moved, which was constant, given the (low) level of comfort his chair provided him. They were enveloped in what he consider a deafening silence. He could hear her slow heartbeat, he could hear the slight whistle she made with each breath, he could hear her last choked gasps, he could hear her smile before she went out, he could hear it all

The room wasn't alight, even if it was morning and the sun was shining outside, he kept the blinds closed; he refused to pretend it had dared to come out. He had no need for the common room and its constant chatter, the kitchen with a different aroma filling his nose with each meal, nor the training room with its lighthearted competitivity, he had no need for their team.

Or, he was afraid, afraid of his own room, and afraid of bumping into Cora's clothes, afraid of finding her in any way, shape, or form around the premises, of feeling her scent hit his nose, when in that medical room her scent was clouded by antiseptic, he was afraid of feeling everybody else's sorrow along with his own, or afraid his mind would play tricks on him, he was afraid of what his nights would look like, and he was afraid she'd be gone the next morning if he left her side.

"No, I do not want to join you for whatever it is you're trying to summon me. I am not leaving", he started, talking seemingly to no one, until a sigh was heard from the other side of the door. "I have all I need, Stark thankfully installed the good showers in every bathroom, I have an illusion bringing me food every few hours, my sleep quality will be just as awful in my own bed, if not worse, and the team can manage just fine without their backup God, brother", respectful of the woman sleeping in the bed before him, he kept his volume low. She needed to rest. Otherwise, he should be worrying for her life and that would tear him to pieces, but it's Cora, so she would wake up, she has to wake up. He kept his volume low because Cora just needed her rest.

The door creaked slowly, light seeping from the outside where no one had the decency of respecting his darkness. How could they be so selfish? Just soaking in the sun, soaking in a new day, again he got lost in the way the world almost mocked him by keeping its constant rotation. He was brought out of it by Thor, who stood on the other side of Cora's bed, a silent tear escaped him, and Loki saw it, but Thor didn't bother wiping it away, he looked at his brother and took in a deep breath

"You look like shit, Loki", despite his insult, the God of mischief found himself smiling at his brother's low volume, he silently thanked him for humoring him, "And you smell like shit, thought you said you were showering"

"I said there were showers", he recoiled at his own words, he opened his mouth then closed it again, how could he tell him without showing how useless and weak he felt? How could he tell him that he could barely leave her side to fucking piss, that as soon as she was out of his eyesight, he feared she'd be gone, that the fear he felt immobilized him so thoroughly that even as he finally slept, he took on the astral form Cora had taught him just to watch over her. "All things I will take care of when she wakes up, until then, I really don't see the urgency", he instead said, coldly, not even looking at him as he said it

"Then think about what she'd think if she saw you like this", Thor countered. Loki had that look Thor had gotten so many times during their childhood, it was a threat for him to shut up. He didn't. "If she saw how you're neglecting yourself, and for what? You want her to wake up and see the shell of a man you're acting like right now?", he was ready to keep going, but Loki abruptly stood up, instantly sealing his brother's lips

"I am the shell of a man right now"

"Loki, I didn't-"

"No, that's just it, I am", he snarled, his voice louder than intended. Wincing, he casted a worried glance at the sleeping woman, "I almost lost her, I know I did, I know what death looks like, and she was so close, I-", his eyes watering, unlike his older brother, he was quick to bring his hands to his eyes and wipe any possible tear away. He took a deep breath to collect himself. With a distant look on his eyes, he spoke up again, "I can't imagine what she'd say, so I will keep looking like shit, and until she herself wakes up and tells me how shitty I look, you'll find me here in this horrid room, looking like shit"

Thor stared at him, his gaze changing towards Cora every other few seconds, until he sighed and pulled out the chair, "I understand, brother, but for Valhalla's sake, just go take a shower, it's been four days, I will look over her in the meantime", he saw the wariness covering his eyes, and he stopped himself from losing his control, "Must I remind you, not only is she perfectly safe with me, but I also almost lost my best friend, and I would like to spend some time by her side without you hissing at me the whole time"

Now, it was Loki's turn to stare, a part of him itched to stab him, but he knew his brother was right. He stood up and with a kiss to the ring on her pinky, he nodded to his brother with a display of shame Thor never thought he'd ever live to see, he wondered if there was anything else he could say, any way that he could fix whatever was breaking. He turned to Cora at that, after he heard the shower running, and his eyes glittered with pain and fear, "I'm sorry, Lolite, I am so so sorry", he muttered gravelly, his voice repeatedly breaking with treacherous sobs, he couldn't stop.

Those five seconds repeated themselves on his head, they wouldn't leave him. His own eyes wouldn't leave him, and her gasp of horror trapped him and wouldn't let go. They had him, he saw how Wanda had managed to enclose Cora's wound with her magic, Loki tried but he was petrified by her side, how did it all happen so quickly? Somewhere in the back of his mind, he took a moment to watch them all move together, like synchronized dancers, Natasha was already calling Dr. Cho, and Vision took the woman's body, snatching her from Loki's side, Bruce had turned into the Hulk, managing to stop Loki from attacking the android when he took Cora away from him. He felt himself let go of the chokehold he'd had on the demon and he panicked, but quickly realized Tony and Pietro had trapped it in an ancient-looking box, he stayed put where he stood, he watched as everyone started making their way quickly back towards the compound, specifically towards Med bay, but he just looked at them. Those five seconds kept repeating in his head.

The demon had been too quick, or he had been too slow. His hammer lied in the ground, it was his silent show of cockiness, show the monster that he didn't need his weapon to best him. He smirked too early, he should've known better than to let only Stark's technology do the apprehending, his hammer should've been there resting on its chest. With the telling sound of a weapon being unsheathed behind him, he dodged the attack before he could even understand what was going on. If he had only connected the dots, if he had been more conscious of where he was standing - directly covering his best friend's back -, he would've taken the dagger without a doubt. 

Back in the aftermath, he only moved when he registered his brother's cries, the battlefield empty save for the two gods. Silently, Thor walked towards the raven-haired prince, kneeling besides him as a sob made its way out of the deepest parts of his soul. Loki on the other hand was catatonic, a river of tears ran down his cheeks, but he didn't sob, nor hiccup, his eyes just cried as he stared at the blood on the grass. Her blood. He offered a hand, and begrudgingly, he took it and got up. 

They walked towards the compound, not a word was uttered. When they saw the group of heroes all in the waiting room outside of the surgery wing they came to a halt, they both moved like they were of the same mind, not sparing anyone else a glance before settling down in the seats closest to where Cora would be wheeled out from, ready to take on the next torturous hours that awaited them

Loki came out of the bathroom, his hair wet and unruly thanks to the towel, he was ready to kick his brother out, he was no longer needed, and he really did not care about being rude about it, but when he set his eyes on them, the way he held her hand softly and repeated his regret almost like a prayer, his body had a mind of its own, and the next thing he knew, he was the one patting Thor on the back, rubbing in a soothing way, "It was not your fault", he said, his voice awkward but the sentiment was truthful, the God of Thunder only shook his head, "She'll wake up, she just-"

"Needs to rest", the dirty blonde finished, his voice hoarse and low in volume, he gave him a tight-lipped grin before taking a deep breath and standing up, "Please, Loki, if anything happens, if you need anything, I'm begging you to let me know", when he got no more than a nod, he sighed and left

- - - 

 The first thing she felt was ease, but that quickly turned into panic. Where was she? She opened her eyes and instantly rolled them. Unbelievable. That damned forest, the same as always: dark but full of life. She tried to get a sense of herself, to understand what was happening. A cold rush of air clouded her, and she laughed as bony fingers caressed her face.

"It's time", a voice said, and a cloaked figure emerged from behind a tree, she was holding her hand out, inviting her to take it

"No, it's not", Cora argued, her voice didn't tremble, but for a second she doubted her own words, but she looked at her face then and saw just the moment when her eye twitched, "Ha! I knew it!", she cackled, finding the resigned sigh she got in response ten times funnier than she would in any other occasion, "What you just did was illegal, you know that"

"You never let me have my fun", was the deadpan response, "My witch is ignoring me", she shrugged. That only made Cora laugh harder

"Oh, so I almost get taken because you're not getting any?", even though it was a question, the sarcasm was unmistakable, "What do you really want, Rio?"

"I'm here to make a deal", both deities sat on different logs, a table between them magically appeared, complete with a kettle and two mugs, "It's not necessarily, you know, legal", she added, a touch of awkwardness in her voice. With that said, the mugs and kettle changed themselves to turn into a bottle of wine and two glasses

"Eh, everything has a price", she dismissed, "Start talking" she sang, while serving them both a good amount of the liquid

"She got the Darkhold", the hairs in her neck stood at the mention of the book, her hand slightly shook as she brought the glass to her lips, and the sip she took was more of a desperate escape than a refreshing drink,

"I know right?", Rio chuckled, but she'd be lying if she said she hadn't had the same reaction

"You told us you got rid of it"

"I did! This one isn't ours", she said, staring at Cora, trying to decipher her

"If she starts digging into the Scarlet Witch, we know what will happen", she starts, her mind racing, "Wanda isn't ready yet, unleashing her now would still be a threat to the multiverse, we can't- I need more time to prepare her, I need more time!"

"I have a plan", she interrupted, pointedly interrupting the increasingly frantic spiraling

"Well, the easiest plan would be killing Agatha Harkness", she said, more thinking out loud than anything. She had to balance her glass thanks to the knife that was suddenly placed against her throat, "Touched a nerve?", the knife pressed further, she only stretched her neck to look at her square in the eyes, an eyebrow raised in question, "Try and remember that you're trying to pitch your deal", the knife was removed with a huff, but she didn't put it away, she held it, playing with it idly

"She needs her coven", Cora only chuckled, "She does!", she insisted

"Agreed!", still chuckling, "She doesn't do teams, I can't help find her one, there's not much I can do to intervene there", she waited for Rio's response, but when she didn't get more than a silent stare, she decided to delve further. She noticed the slight twitch in her eyes, her nose wrinkled, and now fiddling in her fingers, instead of a blade, was a dandelion. But the giveaway were her eyes when they finally met Cora's; the desperation. Cora gasped.

"Please", she heard Rio say, "I know he refuses to go through the system"

Cora felt like words were not a choice at that moment, she could only try to come to terms to what Death was asking her to do, begging her to do. "Rio, you know I can't agree to do that"

"I think I can make you", she countered, Cora only stared, "I know about the demon that attacked you"

Silence

Now, it was her turn to have a knife against her throat, "What do you know? Is it who I think it is? You better tell me all you know, you little shit"

"Do we have a deal?", Rio teased, a smile dancing on her lips at the crazed look in the eyes of the Queen of Heaven

"I get gossip? That's your deal?", her demeanor did a one-eighty, and now her face almost mocked the dark-haired deity

"It's Him", she finally offered. Cora stared at her, gauging her body for any sign she was bluffing, for any sign of deception. After a minute of pure silence, they were interrupted by the stuttered whistle of an owl approaching them, its eyes a beautiful shining grey.

The creature hovered in between them, almost floating at eye-level, it hooted twice, and that was when Cora opened her voice and in a hushed whisper, "Get me Nicholas Scratch", she heard Rio shriek, in shock or delight, a mix of both she guessed, but she ignored it, "Start talking"

"He's tired of you ignoring his warnings", she muttered, a roll of her eyes accompanying her voice, "He wants you to know it'll start soon"

"Of course", Cora said in response, a huff of laughter leaving her as well as an exasperated eye roll, "He is such an infant, he said he'd call when it was happening", she raged, taking a long gulp of her wine, "I can read a letter, almost killing me is an exaggeration"

"Well, he always kind of envied you", she said, a mocking laugh leaving her, before she cut herself

"Yeah, every few centuries he'll do that, he kind of took a break when Freya died - out of respect or whatever - but then he's back at it"

"He's not kidding this time, Lina, this isn't just him messing around, he's getting bored-", realization dawned on her, and she nodded somberly 

"How soon?"

"He thought he'd be more entertained, turns out he pushed the mortals a bit too far, he already found his replacement", Rio shrugged, finishing the last of her glass, "That's all I know for now, I'll be sure to keep in touch if I find out anything else, try asking your dad"

"He isn't the easiest to get in touch with", she laughed, standing up and shaking the dust off her bottom, "Even if he does know, he won't risk it by telling me, and I tend to try and cheat destiny, so, I don't really blame him"

"He got in touch with me a little while ago, he gave me the tip about the Darkhold, I wouldn't have found out otherwise", Cora only nodded, thinking about her dad's visit from some days before, remembering his words, of how important it was that she told the truth, she involuntarily shuddered, understanding that she had an invisible countdown to prepare herself, when the time comes, one way or another, she'd have to get her affairs in order, she sent a reluctant thanks in her mind, knowing that He could've just not let her know, then frowned because she remembered she'd almost died. She clapped when she got the signal from the owl back at Valhalla, tearing her away from her mind

"The kid is a teen, he has a bit of a case of amnesia, and a sigil, he's on his way to steal from mama, have fun!", Rio cackled at the woman's antic, pointed the knife at her a few times, as if trying to balance her mind, ultimately deciding to turn around and run his blade through the forest, the fabric of reality ripping open to give her passage

"Gracias, Coralina"

- - - 

When she came to, the first thing she felt was the antiseptic surrounding her, like a cold blanket, holding her hostage. She wanted to rip the IVs from her skin, those sheets off her skin, and that smell- someone get her out of that smell. The second thing she noticed was that she was alone. She hummed at that, unsurprised. It brought her back to the last time she had been in that same bed, or maybe a different one, they all feel the same either way

She remembered the aftermath of Sokovia, and the weight of an entire city on her shoulders. Most of all she remembered the surprise on everyone's faces when, three days into her coma, she'd welcomed the team with breakfast made from scratch, the table littered with the different flowers her friends had given her during her stay in Med Bay. She had smiled so brightly then.

But now, months later, waking up alone felt wrong, she couldn't explain the heaviness that sat on her chest. Had she expected anything? Because if she had, that's on herself, no one owed her anything. Startled, she brought a hand to her eye, she was crying now? Pathetic, get your shit together, woman. She brushed her tears away and took on a deep breath, opening her lungs- and for fuck's sake, that smell! Antiseptic and what? Leather? Books? Coffee? Who is in charge of such atrocious mix of fragrances?

Then, suddenly, someone was grabbing her hands and cradling her head, and the smell melted into something familiar, "Loki", she found herself sighing, as if in relief, as if she had almost lost him

"You're okay! Thank the Norns you're okay, we were so worried", he rushed, his hold on her never faltering, checking her eyes for any anomalies, then losing himself in that grey he'd only seen in his nightmares, haunting him the last five days

"Everyone else is fine, right?", she asked, her voice now muffled by his chest

"I don't know, I don't care", he answered simply, his hold tightening ever so slightly, "You were the only one injured, dove", she laughed bitterly, 

"How long was I out, specifically?"

"It's almost dinner, so, five days, two hours, twenty-two minutes", She smiled up at him, then took notice of his face—his dark, tired eyes, the faint smudges beneath them. His battle armor lay draped over the back of the hospital chair, still dirty. He always cleaned his armor after a fight.

"Thanks for watching over me, my prince", she murmured against his neck

Instead of questioning how she knew, he pressed a kiss to the crown of her head, whispering a promise—a vow to protect her. The words never reached her ears, but the warmth of them lingered all the same like a blanket to her, managing to let her forget her nightmare, the impending unknown

Chapter Text

"Well, what's our next step? We obviously need to send her somewhere, a safe house is not even close to enough", Steve started

"Apparently, not even the most sophisticated security system in the market is enough for this woman", Tony muttered in disgrace, his ego had taken a beating during the week after the attack on the compound, he'd come to the conclusion that Cora being in a coma was all his fault. He wasn't too different to the rest of the heroes, most of them spiraled around that one thing that they could've done to prevent what happened, as they tended to do.

But alas, Steve opted to ignore him and carry on, "any bright ideas?"

"We're only a week away from our trip to Asgard, maybe I can ask the Allfather to let her stay after the gala, until we know it's safer-", down here was what Thor had intended to say, but the increasingly louder sound of grunting and complaining turned everyone's attention to the commotion outside their closed doors. Muffled curses and thuds against, what they could only assume was, every piece of furniture in the way. It wasn't more than a few seconds before Loki cam wheeling in a recovering Cora into the meeting room

"Yes, don't all throw themselves at her, she was only in a coma for a few days", his snide remark brought everyone out of their shock, and one by one they hugged her tightly and gave each of their versions of basically "we were so scared, and now we are so happy". Once that was over, everyone seemed to change their attention to the God of Mischief, who they hadn't seen in just as long as Cora had been in the medical wing

"Did you tell him he looked like shit?", Thor was the first to speak, examining the polished attire his brother was wearing and grinned at Cora, she only looked at the brothers in question

"Shouldn't you-", Stark's question was stopped short by a glare from the raven-haired god

"She won't be going back to that bed, she is perfectly capable of sitting still and having a say on the meeting, more so if the matter at hand is herself or where you want to send her", Loki said, Cora looked at him with almost actual hearts in her eyes before she turned to the team

"I didn't even tell him to say that stuff", she said excitedly, before tugging the God down and pecking his cheek loudly three times. "But yes, I'm not going anywhere", she stated immediately afterwards, eyeing everyone and their possible rebuttals, she smiled when she saw each of them nod

"We were thinking about using Asgard as a safe house, Heimdall can-"

"Heimdall couldn't even sense the attack coming, I had to call out to him", Loki opened his mouth to argue, but his brother beat him to it

"I hate to say it, but when I talked to him, he said it wasn't from here, he's connected to our realms, to what's from this universe, that's how his seer powers work, yes, now that the demon is locked up in Asgard it's easier, and he can see him, but that doesn't stop a different demon to come and attack her again, he would be none the wiser unless someone pointed it out to him, like Cora did when calling out to him, but we can't risk it being too late", Cora just pointed at Thor with an I-told-you-so grin, Loki looked troubled

"I'll stay", he said after a few moments contemplating, a slight sigh leaving him, Cora looked at him in confusion

"You're not missing the trip, Loki Friggason", she stated, her face void of any amusement as she just shook her head

"Darling-"

"Darling nothing, you will meet your sister, you will see your mom, you will hopefully punch Odin in the mouth - yes, I'm just joking Thor -, and you will come back and tell me all about it"

"Cora, you can't just stay here, alone", Natasha argued, bringing the team back into the conversation

"Mr. Stark and I could design a decision making system that could evaluate the most-"

"Not needed, Parker, I'll just stay with the sorcerers, Stephen does have a somewhat better multiverse tingle", she shrugged, patting Loki's hand when she mentioned the sorcerer's name, he stopped mid-scowl and smiled down at her, "I will, on the other hand, compromise and let Heimdall keep a constant eye on me and this whole situation, he'll warn you if anything happens, worst comes to worst, he can swoosh me right up", she added reluctantly, as if she was really troubled by that bonus

"Why don't you just come to Asg-", Loki again had to shut Stark up

"Okay, let's talk trip preparations, should we?", Steve spoke up, gathering the attention from the whole team, quick to start shouting their ideas and thoughts

- - -

As her spoon grabbed more of the delicious ice-cream, she looked around her and admired the view, the usually busy parlor was almost void of people, as was the little park on the other block, it was clear that the little town respected the sunday rules of 2pm to 4pm is nap time, they laughed at a few rebellious kids who had managed to get themselves to the park, she breathed in the calmness of just spending a lazy weekend away from trouble and work, "I don't think I've ever been as happy as I am right now", she said, smiling at the concentrated look her companion had while trying to decide what he wanted to order

"That's a lie", he responded absentmindedly, then caught himself, "A cute lie, nonetheless", Cora only replied with a fond smile, and ate more of her treat as the raven-haired prince finally made his mind up

She laughed when he saw his order, "That's literally the same I got"

"Is that bad?", he asked, finally sitting down in the little table she had picked while he had an existential crisis over his pick of flavours

"I don't know, just so we could have like more variations"

"We can have any ice-cream we want at any and all times, dove", she reluctantly shrugged, because, yeah, it was true, and swiped up a bit of his ice-cream

"Hey! It's mine, the whole point-", his eyes widened at what he almost admitted, but it was too late, Cora got it too

"Oh my God!", she shrieked, punching his arm repeatedly over the table, "you just didn't want to share, you snake!", his cheeks got impossibly redder with each accusation, and Cora couldn't help bursting into laughter. He tried to get out of the situation but couldn't figure out what to say, so he just rolled his eyes and kept eating, she would stop laughing at some point...

"And then, he freaked out, like I had just taken a bite out of his own flesh and body...", he blocked out her retelling of the funny moment, he was wrong, she did not stop laughing, and she called Wanda to tell her, and that turned into telling Natasha and Pepper who were hanging out with the witch, which then ended up in Clint being added to the call so Cora could tell him as well, now he just lost track of who she was telling

"Okay", he said more to himself, right before he took the phone from the table where she had set it, "Thank you very much, whichever of our idiot friends you are, but this our date, and I'd like to get back to it", with that he sent a kiss and ended the call, smiling to Cora who was staring at him dumbfounded, in return he stared for a moment longer, before swiping out some of her ice-cream for himself, of course, Cora instantly responded with just as much indignation as the prince had previously

- - -

"Are you sure you have everything?", the sight was just as chaotic as you'd expect, having in mind that this was the first outer-space trip for the witchling

"Yup"

"Toothbrush?"

"Yup", she continued to pack more clothes, the bag already looking like it'd be a hassle to close

"What about sheets, are you bringing your own sheets?", Wanda had to stop her folding task in order to look questioningly at the manic woman going from one corner of the room to the other

"Now why would I-"

"You should bring your own sheets, it's just a suggestion, but you never know what sort of royal asses have rolled around those sheets, it's like motels, do you just trust they washed them?"

"Cora, i have everything i could possibly need-"

"Oh, condoms!" the woman practically yelled out

"My boyfriend is a robot!" Wanda snapped back in horror

"Well, who knows? Thor is the god of fertility and it was partly his weird lightning that made Vision come to life" she shrugged before continuing her incessant rummaging

"Okay, no, stop- Cora, stop, please!" Wanda pleaded, finally being able to grab the woman's arm, forcing her to stop her frantic pacing through the witch's room as she made sure the youngest Maximoff had everything she needed for the trip to Asgard

"You're going to an unknown realm, and I'm not going, and I'm freaking out a bit, okay? So, I need to know at least I'm sending you away well prepared, please, just let me do this" she practically begged. It had been the same day she woke up from her coma that it dawned on her that Wanda would be leaving without her to watch over her, nightmares plagued her, she tried to remind herself that the Darkhold had been dealt with, but alas, anyone was able to see the fear that clouded around her whenever the trip was mentioned, she couldn't shake the feeling of impending... something.

"You could always come along though" the redhead mumbled as she folded the last piece of clothing "hey!" she protested when Cora took it away from her

"The last thing you should be worrying about is clothing, witchling" she chuckled shortly, "the second you arrive there, you will be taken to your chambers and basically get forced into classical asgardian attire" she huffed as she absentmindedly re-folded the colorful sweater

Wanda gave up and decided to sit on the floor cross-legged, fiddling with the sweater, "You know, I'm $150 dollars richer?" she said after Cora had set the top back in its drawer

"Really? What did you bet on this time?" she asked with a hum, still not being able to stop herself from checking the girl's duffel bag, again, she had to make sure she had everything

"We had a pool going... on when you and Loki would finally be a thing" she admitted, shrugging when she saw the wide eyed woman

"Yeah, I'm not surprised" she said after a second, going back to her previous activity, "who was in on it?" she asked then, absentmindedly taking out the unneeded clothing Wanda was planning on taking

"Initially, my brother and Peter, then Clint found out, so the rest of the team found out, but the adults bet ice cream instead of money-", she took a gasp of air, and Cora smiled, recognizing what it was, the beginning of a rant. She braced herself

"So technically I am $150 plus whatever amount equals to like 6 tubs of ice-cream I guess. I did for some reason, promise to share with Peter and Clint, also did you know he has a girlfriend? Not Clint, Peter." Coras eyes widened at that. "Well, he says they aren't official yet, but he really wants to be, it's sweet, Peter introduced me to her, because I walked in on them- that sounded wrong, I literally caught them on call while they were playing minecraft, and, aw! They have the cutest little farm, and they have like a thousand pets! In the game, of course. Anyway, she was so sweet, and she likes sitcoms, so, brownie points... she said she just recently finished watching modern family, Pete practically had to throw me out of his room, said i was 'hogging' his girlfriend, and then i ran because Fridda, that's her name by the way, asked him 'wait, I'm your girlfriend?', so that was definitely a conversation they hadn't had until then. And you know I'm nosey, so later that day i may have looked and found out they decided to keep it unofficial until they actually met, to see how the chemistry worked in person and all that jazz"

Cora could only look at her with her eyebrows raised while she delivered her monologue, infinitely amused in the way the witch didn't even realise she had ran out of air until she was finished, still she grasped onto all the words she had uttered. "You good?", she asked with a laugh, when the witch nodded, she spoke again "so, in your opinion, this 'not-a-girlfriend', was, I don't know, cool?" she asked as nonchalantly as possible

"Yeah" she said with a light smile, "I'm sure you'll agree when you meet her" she added, going back to throwing away some stuff Cora was insisting she took, she was sure she would never ever need them

"I'm sure I will" she laughed, rolling her eyes at the witch sneaking the sweater back into the bag

- - -

Goodbyes aren't something Cora has ever been used to, nor are they something she enjoyed

But still, there she was, in the compound's helipad, wishing good travels to a group she had grown to consider as close as her heart allowed it. The group of heroes had been slowly making their way to the top, all with their own bags filled with unnecessary items, but that was something only the Gods and the Queen seemed to agree on, they'll see soon, they told themselves, Finally after waiting for Bucky and Sam for a solid twenty minutes extra, they were finally all ready to call on the Bifrost

"Last minute change of heart? You're my drinking buddy, without you I feel like the gods will be judging me, in a very literal way" said the muffled voice of Tony Stark as he hugged the woman

"Ow, Stark" she cooed, hugging him tightly, "They definitely will, don't sweat it" she said patting him on the back, laughing at the immediate frown that took over the billionaire's face

"Make sure to talk to Stephen about me so he doesn't forget me, Sabrina" he added with a pointed finger

"For the last time, i am not a witch, Sabrina as a nickname is just not accurate" she huffed, her accent more prominent but her smile still not wavering, she then moved onto the next pair of awaiting arms. "Have fun, spidey" she chuckled pulling away, before she realized he'd most probably be meeting Lenora, also known as his 'not-a-girlfriend', "Just not too much fun" she added sternly, causing the kid to make a double take

"Y-yeah, of course, stay safe, Miss Cora" he smiled awkwardly, giving her one last hug before rejoining the group

"Okay, time to reveal that you planned on coming this whole time!" whined the god of thunder as he scooped her up in a hug, she just laughed incredulously at their collective persistency 

"Let go, goldilocks, come back in one piece, and have some faith on your brother" she added, knowing that the blonde prince was troubled by the thought of his brother's behaviour once they were back home

"Thanks, I will make sure to bring him back in one piece as well, little birdie told me he owes you a sixth date already?" he says with a bright smile and a suggestive wiggle of his brows

The rest of the heroes were done with their goodbyes, saving the god of mischief for last, who in turn left everyone confused when he merely gave the woman a hug and a kiss on the knuckles, on the one hand that held the beautiful emerald ring, of course

"We already said our goodbyes earlier- not like that, James" he huffed when he saw the amused smirk tugging at Bucky's lips, though his frown turned into a grin when he heard Cora chuckling at the interaction

"As if he'd actually let any of you see him the slightest bit vulnerable" she laughed, then she turned her back on the prince and cupped one side of her mouth in faux secrecy "he cried like a baby, begging me to go with him, so pathetic" she whispered mockingly to the group, halting abruptly when she felt her feet lift from the floor and her sides being poked by those oh-so familiar slender fingers

"Take it back" he demanded, ignoring the woman's pleas for mercy, the laughter of their friends and the knowing glint in his brother's eyes

"Never!" she managed to squeak out, her hands all over the place trying to grab onto anything she could use to her advantage

"Okay then, I'll bring you with me and just keep tickling you until we're back from our trip" he taunted in her ear, and at this she stopped her resistance. He decided to ignore the pang in his heart at seeing the reluctance the woman had at going to Asgard, something he just couldn't understand, instead he smirked down at the woman in victory

"I take it back" she said jumping away from the god of mischief, "Not" she added quickly running to hide behind Thor like a scaredy cat, Loki reacted instantly, and chased after her

"Okay, can we- Thor, could you stop them? We have to go" said an exasperated Steve from the middle of the pad, watching as the two sorcerers were now playing mouse and cat around the god of thunder

"Sorry, spangles" Cora giggled after disappearing and reappearing outside of the circle of huddled up heroes in a lilac puff, and Loki rejoined the others, absentmindedly tilting his chin up and brushing away any creases that might have formed in his asgardian leather during the chase. He stared directly at her with a small smile, before anything else was said, he blinked back in front of her and kissed her slowly and deeply, her hands gravitated to the back of his neck, and his hugged her waist and brought her as close as they could without having to break their lips apart

When they did break apart, Loki could only stare at her, his mind screaming those three words at him like crazy, tugging at his strings, under not much control of his own, his mouth opened, and he panicked at what he was about to say, and where he stood, and what was happening, and who he was speaking to, but his mouth was already open, and, "I will miss you, my dove", is what he ended up saying, before blinking back to the group, his eyes never faltering from smiling at hers

"Okay, remember we all have our weird intergalactic phones, so please call us if anything happens" reminded Natasha from where she stood in between Steve and Clint. She seemed hesitant about something, but after two more seconds of thinking, she sprinted towards the woman to give her one last hug

"Be careful, Nat, be aware of danger like you always do, but remember to have fun too, please" came the muffled commentary from Cora, her words barely audible thanks to the tight hold the russian woman had on her

"I promise, you have fun, but remember to be careful too, please" the agent retorted when she pulled away, using both her hands to smooth the grey-eyed woman's hair. She gave her arm a soft squeeze and jogged back to the group, and with the farewells all done, Thor and Loki called for the bifrost, and just like that, Cora was alone 

- - -

She had grown accustomed to the seclusion the compound offered, she saw the tower as she walked through the streets of Manhattan, and it only made her more thankful of whatever it was that made Tony move the team from the heart of the city to the outskirts. She felt how drainful it was to be surround by so many people, so rushed, and 'what for?'  Was all she could think. Living and interacting only with people whose lives are so far from what the average human life looks like, it serves as a cushion from reality, from what the real world looks like, what real mortal everyday life looks like, and seeing everyone so rushed, so worried and so aloof, so social yet so socially forced to be so individualistic, it sickened her, she felt the urge to kill everyone just so they could enjoy the afterlife, at that thought, she remembered why she gravitated towards the misfits, and why she'd spent so many years alone without interactions for so many years. Suffice to say, it brought an actual sigh of relief out of her when she finally made it to her destination

"Knock, knock, anyone home?" yelled Cora from outside of the intimidating double doors. Immediately, two figures started making their way down the dramatically wide stairs, visible to her in blurry shapes thanks to the tinted windows, she could see them preparing their shields in case there was a hostile behind the locked doors, and she smiled at their faces when they finally opened the door 

"Ugh, you don't live here anymore, get out, Wong, tell her to leave" were the whining words that first came out of Strange's mouth the second he made out who the visitor was

"He just got his ass handed to him in Mario Kart" brushed off the librarian, opening the door wider, "Ignore him and come in before I kill him... or myself" he muttered, pushing the giddy woman inside of the sanctum

"So, you're staying with us until your new best friends come back?" asked the sorcerer supreme with the saltiness of... well, his saltiness

Both Cora and Wong, having anticipated the attitude, grumbled in unison, then of course bumped their fists when they realized

"Actually not even that, I'm just here for coffee, then I'll get out of your hair, too much humanity, I'll just stay in the tower, maybe pull a prank on the students before that, for old times' sake" she beamed at the sorcerers' scowls

- - -

"Did you really have to do this inside and not on the training grounds" Wong complained as he eyed the mess his precious entrance hall had become. Cora flashed him a bright smile from her place in the middle of the room, floating high above everyone else, ironic. All the students were trying to recover from the shock, some were already moving onto throwing orange restraints towards their ex professor in hopes they could bring her down with them, though clearly failing

She had decided that post-it notes were simply not good enough this time around. And that was an understatement if you saw the condition in which the room she was floating in, was: the floors were shiny thanks to the slippery oil she set for the students to trip on, feathers were stuck in every surface, both humans and furniture, and there were still a few solitary ones that were just hovering in the air, patiently choosing their prey. The cherry on top was the avalanche of shaving cream the students had been met with, which made it so much easier for the plumes to stick to them

Cora's laughter and the students' complaints were shut off when Stephen broke into the room, the woman turned around, obviously expecting some sort of reaction, whether positive or negative didn't matter (after all this time, she still didn't really care). But when she was met by dead silence, it was fair to say she wasn't the only one surprised, though that barely was of any concern, as the sorcerer, without shifting his gaze from the window, gestured with his hands for Cora to follow him

Once they were in the relics' room, in the solitude and privacy that only the magic artifacts could offer them, Strange spoke up

"I played with time and space again" he began, awkward yet somber

"As in?" she trailed off, hoping she'd get more than that ominous piece of news

"I messed up, Cora, I opened it, the multiverse, I opened it and I've already closed it, well, not really me, another me, but I didn't really help it in any way. I think that's how the book of the damned - yes, of course I know about that - and the demon were able to make their way to this Earth" he exhaled in a ramble, not even giving the woman time to give an input before he started again, "and i looked into the future again, because i needed to see what the hell could happen and-", he paused, his eyes glazing 

"Stephen, dear, breathe, please, one in, one out" she eased, moving to wrap her arms around the man's shoulders to ground him back on earth

"-you need to go to the compound, what i saw- you just have to go, okay?" pleaded the doctor, and due to his frantic state, Cora could do nothing other than slowly nod and reassure him that she would

"W-what did you see?" she asked hesitantly in a whisper. He turned to give her a pointed look that refrained her from asking further questions, but she insisted, "Stephen, you have to tell me, you need to tell me"

"Possibilities are endless", he muttered, never one to double down, "You know that, you know that you just need to take my word for it"

"Well, I'm asking for probabilities then", they stared at one another, the longest of silences they'd ever shared probably, "Please, just something", she pleaded, her voice cracking, he couldn't help the wince it brought out of him, he breathed out before looking at her with defeat painting his eyes

"It's basically fifty-fifty, catastrophe or miracle"

"Okay, so-"

"Please, just know, whatever happens up there, you'll always have a place here, you and her" the doctor cut her off, rendering the woman speechless when he swept her off her feet and hugged her even tighter than the black widow had a couple of hours before

Up there?, she wondered fleetingly

"Well, then, I'm just gonna-"

Well, you can tell by the way i use my walk

I'm a woman's man, no time to-

"-Fucking hell, just a fucking minute of peace and quiet" she cursed out loud, fishing out her phone to see who was calling her now

She furrowed her brows when she saw the contact name, belonging to none other than the gatekeeper of Asgard (contact name being 'golden boy'). She looked at Strange, silently asking if this was what he meant, if he had seen this, if he now knew the truth about everything, about her

He nodded

Just a slight movement that made her want to crawl back to Valhalla and walk through the star gate, or at least sleep for a hundred years minimum

But she couldn't, and the ringing of the Bee Gees song was still going strong, waiting to be cut off, so she sighed, and did just that

"What's going on? Is everything alright?" she asked the second the call was connected, her voice was not strong, it wasn't full of faux confidence, it was just tainted by fear, of the unexpected, of the what the hell could be happening right now, and what the hell would happen in the future that could be somehow worse

Stephen heard indistinguishable mumbles on the other line, but he didn't need much confirmation that what he had seen would happen, was already starting to happen. Especially when a second later Cora gave him all the confirmation he needed with her exclamation:

"What do you mean he-" she yelled out of nowhere, cutting herself off in order to maintain whatever sanity was left in her. Turning her head to her friend then back ahead

"Call you in a minute" she mumbled to the phone, before disappearing in a swirl of angry purple magic, not that Strange could say he was surprised

- - -

What is it about having a one on one conversation in whispers? When you're both alone, free to laugh, scream and cry? Why do we limit ourselves to low chuckles, hushed voices, and silent sobs? I bet it has something to do with that intimacy crap

"Gonna miss you" she yawned, sitting up from her lying position and propping herself up in one arm to get a better look at the god tangled in her sheets

"Or you could come with us" he reminded her, kissing each knuckle on her left hand, "with me" he corrected, before planting a kiss right in the infamous ring Cora had decided to keep on wearing

"Don't start, please" she replied hushedly, gently removing her hand from his grasp, "What happened with the kitchen Loki that said he wouldn't pester me about not going to Asgard?" she added, playfully glaring

"I said I wouldn't ask about why you were not coming, don't twist my words, dove, I'm the silver-tongued-whatever" he answered without missing a beat, smiling at the eye roll he caused on the woman

"You're right, you're not asking anything, you're just begging like a needy prince" she joked, giggling when said prince moved the two so now he was hovering on top of her with a malicious glint in his eyes, the one she just. Couldn't. Get. Enough of

"Yup, I'm downright pleading" he admitted in a low chuckle, his lips lingering against her neck then moving away just like that, only leaving a light fan of his breath against her skin, his eyes never leaving hers, goofy grins on both their faces

"I thought a god didn't plead" she teased, pecking him on the lips, "nor a king" she added in a hum

"He will for his queen" he breathed out, with that enchanting smile Cora loved so much

"Not even officially together yet and I'm already your queen?" she taunted, running her hands through his raven locks

"Hmm, and however could we change that?" he said, rubbing his chin as if he were in deep thought

"It's not fair to either of us, especially you, to start something serious when you don't even know the simplest things, like, i don't know, anything, just for the sake of me having my secrets"

"Why do you keep them, then? If what we have is as great and has as much potential as you have repeatedly said, why keep them?" he asked, getting off her, and sitting in front of her instead, Cora following that movement instantly

"I'm trying, okay? I want you to find out from me, nobody else, and I promise you, I'm trying to get my shit together, no more secrets, but I- I just need more time, I mean, i can't just tell you to have a look through my mind and see a millenium years worth of my life to understand, it's dangerous, and you know it" she mumbled, averting her gaze from his eyes, not having the courage to look at the possible hate in them, or even worse, pain

"I've lived so many centuries" he started with a tired sigh, "yet I've never felt as alive as I do with you in my arms" he concluded, admiring the almost shy smile that forced its way onto Cora's face, "I can wait a bit longer, i guess, just don't make it forever, please" he hummed, kissing her with an uncharacteristic sweetness for the god of mischief, she hummed back, both silently agreeing that they had no need to speak further on the subject

"So, even though you're gonna miss me so, so, so much", she stopped to laugh at the eye roll he was giving her, "Are you excited for the trip? You'll be able to see Frigga without it having to be through illusions" she asked tentatively looking at him up and down with a soft smile

"To be quite honest- oh, yeah, so funny, the god of lies being honest, shut up, Cora" he started immediately, seeing the amused glint in her eyes, then stopping his answer altogether to chuckle lightly along with the woman now back in his arms,

"Sorry, sorry, please, you were saying" she said stopping her giggles and looking at him again, braiding a small lock of his hair as she watched him piece together an answer

"I am excited, though i don't trust Thor's words, and i would not be surprised if Odin threw me in the dungeons the second i set foot in the palace" he grimaced half heartedly

"Oh, don't be silly, he's not gonna put you in the dungeons" she laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck and bringing him down to her lips

"I'm gonna miss you, my prince" she said in between kisses

"Same here, dove" he whispered before effortlessly pulling her on top of him by the waist

Damn that intimacy crap

Chapter Text

Coralina has always found herself with an absurd push towards chaos, but sometimes, she has to sit down and ponder for a bit, on whether it isn't actually her that has a pull on chaos. Even worse yet, it's as though she has the opposite of manifestation powers, in fact everything she never wants happening, ends up happening 

Well, not everything, but enough to at least consider the fact that she just doesn't have the best of lucks

She swore either Strange or Wong would get seriously hurt during battle, and that same day she had to stop his first midgardian friend from dying. She didn't want the world to be threatened by robots, but Ultron happened, and she had to save another of his midgardian friends from dying. So, when she got Heimdall's call, she was seriously getting ready to face the fact that she'd have to save yet another one of his friends from imminent death, why was it that she'd let herself get attached to mortals?

"i would not be surprised if Odin threw me in the dungeons the second i set foot in the palace"

"Oh, don't be silly, he's not gonna put you in the dungeons"

Cora Francis was a jinx

- - -

Not a second after leaving the sanctum wordlessly, she found herself in the middle of the compound's common room, already rattling her brains out over what she should do, of what the next step will be, she still had no information whatsoever, but her carefully crafted life was crumbling in front of her eyes, and for a being so high up on the ladder, it felt so weakening to feel the despair, the fear, the unknown

"Okay, talk to me" she demanded, picking up her phone as soon as the beginning of her ringttone's echo bounced against the walls

"The Allfather ordered his imprisonment the second he found out he'd be in assistance, the prince will be set free once he's going back to Midgard, he is not to be roaming around during the visit", came the monotone voice of the gatekeeper, "He hasn't gained his pardon, yet"

"That's such bullshit" she cursed under her breath, pacing around the room, more profanities spilling out of her mouth with no restraint, before she pulled herself together long enough to ask the important questions, "What's the plan?"

"Thor came up with the idea of summoning you up, so you could take him back to the tower, so Loki doesn't have to stay for the rest of the week locked away in there"

"Well, that's less than an ideal solution" she mused deep in thought, he deserves his time home, breaking him out just so he can leave again felt so unfair, how come Frigga has no say in any of it? She kept thinking until Heimdall's voice brought her back to reality

"Look, I know this doesn't sound good, but Thor is like two minutes away, and he'll be expecting to find you, i can come up with some excu-"

"What? No!" she scowled in something close to disbelief, is this what i have become? Am I in such a mania that the people who know me best, assume that my secrets are above my loved ones' well-being?

"Just, give me a second to conjure back up my sanctum robes and delete the last couple of minutes of the room's security footage, then open the Bifrost" she instructed, instantly hanging up on the gatekeeper and throwing the phone across the room

It's happening, god it can't be happening

I'm not a good friend

I'm not a good person

Should have never come here, I should have left the second I saw an Asgardian

Shouldn't have fallen in-

Shit

I should have never come here

So who cares if I was lonely? If it felt like life was swallowing me whole?

What does it matter if this is the first time that I feel like I have a family?

Yeah, but remember what happened...

Of course she remembers what happened, why else would she still be hiding? Lying? Risking her best chance at love? It can't just be all for nothing at all. "Fuck!" she snapped at the mirror, when had she walked to the bathroom? She watched as countless versions of her teary eyes stared right back at her, in the tiny shards of reflective glass

- - -

Some hours before

As soon as they got to the golden realm, the view they got from himinbjorg struck them in the form of inexplicable awe, they looked ahead and marvelled at the shining kingdom, the palace stood regal at the end of the bridge, and everyone, even Stark, had to admit he'd never seen something so magical. Then they'd turn around, to where Heimdall stood watching the cosmos, and any words about Asgard would die in their tongues, as they picked their jaws from the floor, the scenery was unmatched, the stars, the planets, the galactic dust, everything came together in the most overwhelming of sights for the team

Maybe not the whole team, one Peter Parker was going through a completely different story. He was awestruck, that he was, but not by the scenery, not by the million stars, nor the formidable castle at the end of the enchanting bridge, but by the young woman standing next to whom the gods had referred to as Heimdall. As soon as his eyes landed on her, he missed everything.

He missed how she introduced herself as princess Fridda, and how out of nowhere, some guards came and put chains on the god of mischief, he missed how said god merely scowled at the armoured men as they escorted him, as if he expected it, and how Thor had frantically left for the palace with Heimdall and the rest of the team hot on his tail. Luckily, everyone was too lost in their own minds to notice the lack of spiderman in the group, as he had stayed frozen, in the same spot he had been since the bifrost had closed on Asgard

"Fridda?" he choked out, staring intently at her to make sure it was her, pinching his own arm, trying to remember if Pietro had given him any weird-tasting brownies that morning, all to make sure whatever was happening, wasn't just a dream. He tried to fight the memories of drones and machines that managed to alter his reality, he tried to fight the urge of checking for cameras, he tried to trust how quiet his senses were being, he tried to trust that whatever was happening was real

"So, i guess i have some explaining to do, huh" she sighed, an awkward yet enthusiastic grin resting on her face, and if Peter hadn't been as in the clouds as he had been, maybe he would've picked up on the uncanny resemblance that grin had with his teammate back on Earth

He just stood there, for what felt like, for both parts, eternity, one asking himself a million questions, and the other almost regretting ever getting her life tangled up with her mother's friends

"You're taller than you look in pictures" she said, testing the waters

"So are you" he replied without missing a beat, brows still furrowed, not even registering his own thoughts until they were said out loud, his mind too busy still trying to grasp on the little bit of information he could process without going into overdrive. "You said you were from New Haven" he recalled, still in a haze

"Yeah, typos suck, right?" she joked nervously, "I meant heaven" she cringed, she recalled when she came up with that, she had been so childishly proud of it, not surprising though, considering who raised her

"I need you to explain" he said, moving towards her, putting to use what Natasha had taught him about interrogating to analyze the girl's body language, and it was quickly clear: she was scared shitless

"If I do, i'll have to put a spell on you so no one can get it out of you, whether it be by asking or by reading your mind" she spoke firmly

"Sp-spell? You have magic?!" he freaked, but quickly calmed down when he saw the smug grin tugging at her lips, "I mean, yeah, whatever, just tell me" he finished, crossing his arms and closing his eyes, very poorly faking calmness, which prompted an hypnotic chuckle out of the princess

Mom's not gonna kill me right? I mean, I'm her only daughter, she wouldn't... although she has got very close to the mini avengers- omg what if she does kill me then adopts Peter?! Man, that'd be weird, I hope she adopts the witch instead, that one at least could learn a thing or two about mom's magic, widen her field of knowledge and whatnot... Peter on the other hand- well, everything is possible right? Especially my mom killing me, yeah that's super possible right now-

Her internal debacle was, luckily, cut off by a worried Peter, who had just seen Lenora's eyebrows increasingly furrowing, her inner state not going unnoticed 

"Fridda, are you-"

"My name is Lenora Fridda Corasdottir" she blurted out, she didn't mean to, she was actually going to not say anything at all, she really was

"Corasdottir?" 

"It's such a long story and I'm so sorry for only now telling you about it, especially since it clearly seems like I'm only doing so because the circumstances deem it impossible for me to keep it a secret any longer, and I'm sorry I speak so weirdly, sometimes the midgardian slang and the 'proper royal' speaking get mixed up-" she stopped herself, out of breath, "rambling, sorry, just, yeah... sorry" she finished, picking at the non-existent dirt under her nails as a nervous tick

"Yeah, i noticed you do that" he breathed out in a light laugh, making the blonde princess look up in confusion. "The weird shift between modern and almost mediaeval speaking thing, it always reminded me of Loki, or Thor, or..." he trailed off, his mind making the click it had been too scared to make

"Or?" She pressed softly, wanting to finally get it over with so she could start spilling her guts

"Cora" he let out stiffly, his shoulders tensed and his posture both straightened and slackened at the same time, "Corasdottir, our Cora is your Cora as well? I mean not our, like, like she, you know, belongs to us, but-" he had many emotions flowing through him, but he chose to speak, or rather stumble through words, with only disbelief and astonishment

"As I said, it's a long story" she shifted on her feet

"Well, I'll be here all week, so please, your majesty" he urged, giving her a mock curtsy, making her laugh in amusement. Putting aside the chaos of the whole situation, he decided it then and there, that was his new favourite sound

"Okay," she sighed, cracking her neck and knuckles, then gracefully falling to sit on the floor, gesturing for Peter to do the same, "buckle up, grab a snack, 'cause this is like a real shit show, so..."

- - -

Almost half an hour had passed by, Lenora told him about how she'd been adopted, how Cora was the queen of Valhalla, their relationship with Hela. She gave especial emphasis to the more personal aspects of those things, like how she found out she was adopted, the expectations she had to daily live up to, the weird family she had, 

She also let him on little secrets, like how Cora gave Surtur a minified Thanos to make him suffer, something that according to the books, was very frowned upon, since she shouldn't stop a mortal being from going through the process of getting to Valhalla

'If it was so wrong, I wouldn't have been born with necromancing powers, I mean, c'mon, it's the same fucking thing, in both cases I'm prolonging someone's life, the rules can suck it' Cora had said once, flinging around a jam covered spoon, to strengthen her point probably

The princess, albeit reluctantly, told him how she had really gotten his number, which resulted in a lot of teasing from the boy, who's ego felt like it was being lifted up to meeting clouds, she silently thanked the boy's very poor survival instincts, because if anyone told her they'd looked in the books of all human life to find her number, she'd slap them and run away without looking back

It was all moderately fine, Lenora thinking up different fun stories to ease Peter's attempt at wrapping his mind around everything

"You told him? Good" came the voice of the gatekeeper, making both teenagers jump out of their skins, "your soon-to-be step father got locked up, I'm calling your mother" he added in a rush, getting out his phone

"Is that a-"

"-Stark issued phone? Yeah" Lenora finished for him, beaming with a puppy-like grin, quickly retaliated by the other teenager

"Is he calling Cora?" he asked, looking over at the man behind Lenora, not being able to distinguish what was being said

"Yeah, and if Loki being in the dungeons isn't reason enough for her to come down here, just wait until she finds out I told you everything" she laughs, not even joking, which in her mind, made it even funnier

Before Peter could answer though, Heimdall came forward once again

"Both Thor and Cora will be arriving in a matter of minutes, I suggest you both meet back with the rest" he said solemnly

"Oh, right, she must be deleting security footage or something" the princess mused, at Peter's confused look, she added "Because she was supposed to be spending the week at the sanctum right?" 

"Yeah- man, it just doesn't really sink in how much work she puts into this whole secret queen thing, damn" he exhaled in bewilderment, following the girl's lead through the rainbow bridge, waving at Thor when he passed them flying, hammer in hand

"Still can't believe a literal fairy, princess of heaven, likes me, friendly neighbourhood spiderman" he muttered under his breath, hoping the woman in question didn't catch it

She did, and her shy smile and burning cheeks were all that Peter needed to get the courage to link their fingers as they walked

- - -

The bifrost opened and closed in a matter of seconds, revealing to both the bronze eyed man and the god of thunder, a very dishevelled Cora, looking around like she didn't know how she got there

"Thor?" she asked perplexed, "what am I doing here? Is everyone alright? What did Loki do?" she added, selling the whole naive act, although, it was only believable because she actually still felt shaken up by the short breakdown she had allowed herself to go through before being pulled up by Heimdall

"My brother did nothing!" he spat, and Cora, while taken aback by the outburst, could clearly see that he was projecting what he would've probably have liked to yell at Odin

"Why was i brought here, Thor?" she asked more softly this time, sending a swift look at Heimdall to just stay quiet since he already looked like he wanted to butt in. Patience wasn't his highest attribute, weirdly enough

"Odin" he mumbled sadly, "he put Loki back in the dungeons" the god of thunder revealed, Cora's eyes immediately widening to keep up with the lie, "he just doesn't listen to me, not even when the whole team tried to explain the mind control thing, he just-" he cuts himself short to let out an exasperated grunt

Cora moved to hug his tall friend, giving him what little comfort she could, "what's the plan, big guy?" she asked gently

"I need you to bring him back to the tower" he said, Cora nodding slowly, wary of her friend's mood, still soothingly rubbing her hand up and down through his back

"And I'd say I want you to meet, at least, my mother during your visit, but I feel like my brother would take it as treason, to take that moment away from him" mused the god, separating himself from his friend in order to give her a very bright and teasing smile, though the sadness still clearly lingered

And even though her whole being was telling her to run and not look back, Cora couldn't help but let her mind wander and inevitably let her own smile slip away, letting her mind play along with the idea of Loki wanting to introduce her to his mother, it'd be nice

"Heimdall will alert mother when he sees Loki is free, she will be waiting in the gardens, I reckon" beamed the god of thunder as they started making their way towards the palace, and just like that, the smile was gone, and back was the reality she found herself in

For once, Cora felt much more drawn towards the bleekness of the dungeons than the clarity of the gardens

- - -

"You've come to gloat, brother?" Cora could hear from afar, hidden, seeing Thor approach, what she deduced was, Loki's temporary cell

"You should know by now, I'm not" replied the man in question, hurt clear in his voice. It seemed as no matter their time spent on earth, behaving like an actual family, the moment they were back in their soil, the dynamics came back, like those old nasty habits that resurface when you think you had long left them behind

"Then why-" started the younger prince, his voice already getting louder and angrier, though a third voice halted his speech

"-Give me the keys and get out of here, Thor" ordered the woman, not particularly rude, but really not in the mood to be questioned. He was hesitant for a second yet she wasn't budging, and at her defiant glare, he had to remind himself that he'd called her, he'd trusted her, and now he had to let her handle it.

He wouldn't be of much help, he knew that, Cora knew that, and Loki, well, Loki was too enthralled by the woman's presence to possibly even remember his own name, let alone share his opinion or give solid arguments over whether his older brother would or would not be of good assistance.

In his mind it was very justified though, she was glowing, not wearing neither midgardian clothing nor her sanctum robes. She flowed through a thin beige dress, which was almost covered in armour. A classic amongst asgardian female warriors' fashion, a classic that left the god rendered speechless

He was too mesmerised to even acknowledge his brother leaving after giving Cora the keys, too mesmerised to move even when there were no golden barriers keeping him prisoner from and in his kingdom

"C'mon, if we're quick enough maybe we can pull a prank on Odin" she urged, moving to pull him out of the cell by the hands, "Oh, right!" she chirped, suddenly remembering she hadn't properly greeted him, she turned around and pecked him on the lips

That seemed to break him out of his daydream, "What in the norns are you doing here?" he questioned breathlessly as he let himself be ushered through the halls he had grown up around, unconsciously taking notice of how it felt like she had a map of the place, knowing where to turn right, when to turn left.

"Heimdall got me here through the bifrost, your brother asked for help, I'm here, I helped" she said, leaving it to him to fill in the details as she tried to keep her breath under control

They were quick on their feet, Loki because he thought whatever was happening was not under the Allfather's permission, Cora because she was hoping to not run into any other royals that may or may not recognise her, or worse, send her on the Allmother's way

They were already making their way out of the palace, but they stopped so Cora could open up a portal to himinbjorg, clearly that plan was thrown out the window when two intruding figures made themselves known to the pair with a cough

They both looked behind them to find two women, one they both knew as Brunnhilde, her dishevelled braid showing that she had just finished her training for the day, and on the other hand, the second woman, who had a black hood on that she took off to reveal the Goddess of death

"Leaving before saying hi, that's harsh" came the deep accent of the oldest princess

"Hela, I suppose" the newly free man stated, not asked, since they all knew the answer already. He looked rather uninterested, but Cora, who was now only realising they were still holding hands, could feel the slight tug he gave when he saw his sister

"That's me, lovely to finally meet you, brother dear" she nodded, casting a glance to her best friend, who had yet to open her mouth, much like the valkyrie, who was enjoying the scene in front of her a bit too much

"Who's this?" wondered the goddess with a mischievous glint, gesturing nonchalantly to the grey eyed woman

"This is my- uh-" he stammered looking for the right term

"Cora Francis, lovely to meet you, princess Odinsdottir" she greeted, interrupting the flustered prince with a sickeningly sweet smile, refusing to bow to the princess, even if she knew that's what any commoner was supposed to do

At least that was until the god nudged her, urging her to courtesy, so she did, very reluctantly, sending a glare towards the valkyrie who was very poorly trying to keep her laughter in

"Untamed little thing you've got on your hands, dear brother" the goddess tsked, knowing full well she'd be in for it later, but for now, she was having the time of her life. Plus, for some reason, she thoroughly enjoyed the amusement she was bringing to Brunnhilde

If looks could kill, that's all that went through Loki's mind the second he heard the words leave Hela, he snapped his gaze towards Cora, who was still bowing in order to not dropkick the goddess

I'm going to make it a condition that she wears the most embarrassingly bright yellow dress for her ball, was the best punishment Cora could think of, as she kept counting to ten over and over

I can't believe they're still as stupid as they were a thousand years ago, the valkyrie rolled her eyes inwardly

Fuck, she's gonna make me wear an ugly dress, thought the asgardian princess

"I believe she's simply not accustomed to the royal ways" Loki said through gritted teeth, not liking his own way of speaking of the woman, as if she wasn't there

"Yeah, right" coughed out Brunhilde, luckily only heard by Hela, who was still trying to not double over in laughter

"Well, it was great to meet you, nice to see you too, Brun, but we have to get going, adios" she tried once she stood up straight up again, but her attempts at scurrying away were turned down by one of the guards approaching. Loki, still thinking he had been broken out of prison, didn't even have time to panic, since the guard spoke as soon as he had seen the group

"Prince Loki, Queen Frigga awaits your and your companion's presence in the royal gardens" he announced courtly, stepping away but staying in close distance in order to escort the pair

Loki bid the goddess and the warrior with a silent nod, and as soon as he turned around to start making his way towards the dreaded garden, Valkyrie and Hela sent the incognito queen thumbs up and their brightest smiles

To which she simply stuck her middle fingers up

Jinx

Chapter Text

- - -

The two walked again through the palace, a hushed conversation between them, this time accompanied by a golden guard, who was clearly able to listen, but was giving them the best notion of privacy he could by walking several feet ahead

"It's not my fault you're paranoid" she said with a huff

"You made it seem like you were smuggling me out of the dungeons" he retorted in disbelief, causing an amused smile to show on the woman's face

"Sorry, my prince, next time you find yourself imprisoned, I'll make sure to let you know all the terms and conditions of your liberation beforehand" she teased, her coy grin present as ever

As soon as the big tree came into view, and with it, the bench in which a blonde woman was sitting with their back to them, awaiting, that smug look was gone. This, of course, didn't go unnoticed by the God of mischief, though his understanding for the fallen face was, well, nerves

"You've got nothing to fear, dove, she'll love you" he said, rubbing his thumb over the hand he had yet to let go of, not that either of them wanted him to

"Yeah, I guess" she muttered, not being able to tear her face away from the back of the queen of Asgard, trying to picture her face when she finally sees her. One moment she was standing far away from the woman, the next, she and the prince were directly behind her, Loki clearing his throat to get her attention

"Loki!" she exclaimed the second she saw him, not glancing to his companion before throwing her arms around him and hugging him tightly. "Oh, it's so good to see you, my dear", she fussed, her eyes closed as she soaked in his youngest son's presence. And then, she opened her eyes, getting a perfect view over his shoulder, and Cora's eyes widened like saucers at the recognition in Frigga's eyes. Cora quickly started shaking her head mouthing no and please don't over and over, until the queen reluctantly nodded against her son's shoulder

When the mother and the son broke their almost tearful embrace, they both turned to Cora who was just standing, waiting to be introduced, while simultaneously trying to slow down her racing pulse, if it wasn't her that was going through that immense panic, she would have laughed at how awkward and stiff she looked

"And who might this be? I reckon we were not introduced when I met your friend, I would've remembered her face, certainly" the older queen questioned with a sly smile tugging at her lips. Heavens, how Cora had missed that voice, how she wished she could just run into Frigga's arms and tell her all about the life she'd missed

"You did not, mother, this is Cora Francis, the lady I talked to you about" Loki explained, grabbing Cora's hand with a smile, and tugging lightly at her so she wouldn't stand behind him but at his side. She did so, while trying to control the blush at the revelation of Loki telling his mother about her, then falling into a short but efficient curtsy when she stood in front of the queen

Frigga's smile only seemed to get brighter, it made much more sense now why Loki never mentioned a name whenever they talked, Cora must have enchanted him, as she had been taught, to keep herself away from others' memories. To say the Allmother was proud, would be an understatement

"Well, then i believe it is only fair that I get the chance to get to know her as I did with the rest, isn't it son?" moving slightly closer to them, her welcoming smile never faltering

"Mother, I believe we're in a bit of a rush to get back home" the prince argued politely, Cora and Frigga sharing the same fond smile at his use of the word 'home'

Cora surprised herself though, when she shook her head, disagreeing with the prince

"Loki, please, the queen is requesting I meet with her privately, who am I to refuse? It'd be my absolute honour, your majesty" she said, directing herself to both the prince and then the queen. Sure, was she dreading the possible outcomes of a conversation? Absolutely. But she also kept in mind that this was now inevitable, and it could be worse if she tried to escape it. And more importantly, she couldn't help but let her emotions get the better of her, she had missed her

Loki frowned internally at how easily she referred to his mother appropriately, nothing like what he had seen before with Hela. He was glad though, considering the only approval he looked for since his first vanishment, was Frigga's. Call it selfish or shallow, but in his ignorance, the fact Cora seemed to show her respect, and the kind smile Frigga offered in return, gave him utter hope that it would all work out, whatever 'all' meant

"Run along, Loki, she'll be back in one piece and still with her colourful hair" she teased, gesturing for Cora to follow her as she gathered her stuff

"Please don't get seen by Odin or any guards", Cora pleaded in a worried whisper, "I'll be right back, okay?", she promised, brushing a strand of hair out of his face before giving him a kiss on the cheek, which he retaliated to with one on her forehead

"Have fun, dove" he smiled, chuckling at her blush

"You too, my prince" she curtsied mockingly then very ungracefully hurried to Frigga, who was standing a few feet away already, waiting for Loki to leave

"Honestly, what is it with the hair?" the woman broke the silence after a minute of side eyeing the younger queen nervously fiddle with a ring

"You don't like it?" she questioned, her hands flying to her short purple and grey hair, looking up with a small frown, almost childish hurt flashing through her eyes, one thing they had in common, the need for Frigga's approval, apparently

"Oh, absolutely not, hideous" she teased with a laugh, "It suits you, Cora", she added, not wanting their first conversation in a millennium to end up with Cora chopping her hair off. "Now, I'll be honest, hair isn't actually what i want to focus on right now" she said more seriously now, but still with that sweetness on her voice that somehow magically let you know she would never bring any harm to anyone undeserving, and in the asgardian's eyes, Coralina never had and never will be deserving of that kind of wrath

"Really? Like what?" she said jokingly, her nerves not dissipating but rather hiding behind humour, which Frigga found odd comfort in, at least that hadn't changed

"You leave, Heimdall supposedly can't see you for over 1000 years, suddenly one day a fairy pops up as a representant of Valhalla with a mystery person who ends up being my daughter, and oh, norns, the fairy's last name is Corasdottir" she stops with a dramatic gasp, "finally, today all of my kids are home, yet one gets instantly thrown in the dungeons, then is set free because his lady is bringing him back to Midgard, now i meet this maiden and it's the little girl who had once found it difficult to enchant a cockroach, but definitely finds no problem with it at this moment in time, seeing as she's put a spell on both my princes" the queen ranted, clear disbelief over everything still on her voice

"Ta-da?" she smiled awkwardly, walking side by side with her, "Sorry" she mumbled under her breath, which caused the blonde woman to roll her eyes fondly

"I'm sorry too" she sighed, holding her arm for her to take, Cora didn't even let herself hesitate before looping her arm through hers

"You? I tampered with everyone's memories, I am ashamed to admit I even considered meddling with yours as well" she admitted, voice ridden of all playfulness, and filled with remorse and guilt over her younger self's actions

"I am not justifying your actions, young lady, still, you were enraged, you were betrayed, you were mourning, and you had uncontrolled power, you not only lost your best friend and sister, but also, you were let down by someone you considered a mentor of sorts, and i'm sure by me too, and, as if that wasn't possibly enough, you became ruler of a realm shattered by the loss of their princess and the soon demise of your mother, it was chaos and you had to handle it all on your own" she said with a final breath, stopping their walking and putting herself in front of Cora, who was battling against the urge to burst into tears, she was an ugly crier, "so, yes, I'm sorry too, Coralina"

At that, she didn't even check to see who was or wasn't around, even if in the back of her mind she knew no one other than passing guards would be there, and she finally crumbled into a mess of sobs and tears of both happiness and pain, remorse and joy, wrapping her arms around Asgard's queen

"I missed you so much" she mumbled between gasps for air during her sobs, it felt as if she had been neglecting her feelings for centuries, not letting herself feel anything over the golden realm's royal family, and now, here she was, again, and she was feeling it all. The hug was refreshing, like a glass of cold water after running around for hours non-stop, and it was warming, like a hot cup of chocolate milk after being out in the snow for a bit too long

"C'mon, I bet a certain Allfather will be more than delighted to see you" she said with her usual smile, breaking the hug and wiping away any tears Cora had on her face. At the mention of Odin her slightly more relaxed mood shifted completely, you could basically smell the rage fuming out of her

"Oh, i have some words for him alright" she grumbled, starting to walk again, or rather stomp, "Imprisoning Loki? After that fucking speech -don't look at me like that, I can swear all I want- that fucking speech to Hela about forgiveness and, Gods, where do the lies end? Are you sure your husband isn't the god of them rather than Loki?" she carried on, not leaving actual space for Frigga to retaliate, rambling and rambling until they reached the throne room, the blonde queen wearing a calm grin on her face, she was amused by Cora's anger, but also touched by the clear care she had for the raven haired prince. That, and she was also quite infuriated by Odin's actions as well

"After you" Frigga gestured, opening the golden doors that Cora did not consider as intimidating, as she used to, in her maddened state. Promptly marching through the path, the only occupant in the room being the king, and now the two queens

"You pitiful sad excuse of a king!" she yelled, catching his attention, his face one of absolute surprise, "and don't even get me started on your lousy parenting!", that made him raise from his seat, still he didn't even get the chance to get a word in, the moment he tried to open his mouth she started again

"No, you shut up, i talk-"

"Coralina?" came the disbelieving voice of Odin, a hint of emotion that the woman decided to ignore in order to focus on the task at hand, ripping him a new one

"Yes, who else? I said shut up" she mocked exasperatedly, "I slave away, hundreds and hundreds of years trying to figure out the way to bring your daughter back home, so your stupid family can finally be reunited, when that happens, I am led to believe that you have matured... You have no idea how happy the words you said to Hela made me, how truthful I thought them to be" she said, now the anger was visibly showing its true colours of pain

"Co-" he tried again, moving to stand in front of her instead of staying above her in his throne

"I made peace, I did, Odin, I thought, 'oh, well, maybe in a few months i'll pop by, say hi, catch up with good old Frigga and Odin, apologize''" she chuckled drily, "i really wanted to apologize, still do actually" she admitted in a grumble, despite herself, "But you don't deserve it, you don't, and the only reason i can hold the burden of my guilt is you, you bastard, because you don't deserve my spoken remorsefulness" she stressed out, shoving a finger to his chest carelessly

"Do you have a thing for casting your children out? What could you possibly get out of it? Is it some sick form of power play? You say you want to stop the 'lack of solving your problems' then throw Loki in the dungeons a few days later? Stop him from seeing his mother? Shame him in front of his friends, while all he wanted to do was proudly show them his home, for once not being in the shadows of his older brother, who you also casted away? Remember?", she was no stranger to seeing her arguing with Odin, but Frigga had to admit, she'd never seen her as cross as she was now, she couldn't help the guilt bubbling back in her chest, seeing the they had both failed in more than a thousand ways

"You know, he mentioned it", she addded, with a bitter chuckle. "The thought of getting imprisoned for his mere presence flew through his mind, and, after hearing what Lenora told me about her meeting with all of you, I was so quick to dismiss any negative thoughts he had, because Odin is so damn fair now, he is so full of regret and looking for redemption, to make better the suffering he had caused to those closest to him, and he wouldn't go back on his own word, would he? Fucking idiot I was, wasn't i? Because who could be loopy enough to possibly believe your words? So, hope is for the naive and the weak"

She finally stopped, just to get her breath back, a little weight was off her chest now, she had delivered all that came to her head, it was his turn, like the most emotional game of chess. She expected yelling, she expected apologies, she expected him to completely change topics and ask something that would throw her off

He did throw her off, he hugged her

And then he started... crying?

"Are you getting my robes wet with your salty crocodile tears?" she sneered, though she couldn't keep her confusion out of her voice, which did cause a snicker from the third party, who had been silently watching

"Oh, Cora-" he choked out, grabbing her shoulder with a smile that looked too relieved to be one of his rehearsed lies, "Loki?" he questioned in a sudden air of realisation, "my Loki?"

She huffed and rolled her eyes, "your Loki, whatever, yes, by the way, he's staying, and he can stay for longer than this visit if he wishes to, he can also make however many impromptu visits he might want to make, and you have no say over this" she decided, getting into a stare contest with the king

"He's a menace" he huffed, much alike Cora, unrelenting in his glowering

"He dyed your hair pink, don't be a little bitch" she scoffed, eliciting a gasp from the man and a roar of laughter from the queen

"I beg your unbelievable pardon?" he said, a hand on his chest

"You had my pardon, now you don't, if you apologize to your son and behave during this visit, I will consider forgiving you in the next two or three hundred years" she hummed with all the seriousness in the universe

"Counter offer, he does all that, and you have to stay for the ball" said a new voice from behind one of the golden pillars

"You" she practically growled as she launched herself onto the figure, "untamed little thing you've got?! Really?!" she sneered out, conjuring one dagger in each hand, and stabbing the goddess repeatedly, practically just tickling her, Hela retaliated by using her powers and draining her energy the more she stabbed her, they were both soon rolling around near the throne.

"Girls!" Frigga called, trying to stop them before they messed up their pretty clothes. The both of them immediately stood up, Cora sending a wisp of magic to pull at Hela's hair inconspicuously

"I'll stay" she said, closing her eyes with faux serenity, "only because I have to make sure your firstborn wears the most hideous shade of canary yellow dress I can think of" she snarled, not a pinch of jesting on her voice, which caused Hela's jaw to drop, but before another fight could break out, the older queen spoke once more

"We expect you at dinner with the rest of your friends, then after-drinks for catching up, it's an order, and Lenora is to join" said Frigga with an air of confidence most people could only wish to come close to, Odin only nodding in agreement, resembling what Cora had found out was considered a 'male wife', thanks to the class the youngest avengers had put on regarding pop culture

"I- but- you can't-" she stumbled over her words looking around with wide and hopeless eyes

"An order" sang Hela as she made her way to drape an arm around her mother, sticking her tongue out at her friend

"No fucking sense, it makes no fucking sense, I have jurisdiction over this waste of a realm too, you can't order-" she started muttering under her breath, but a questioning glare from the older queen had her shutting up, "so, uh..." she said with a nervous chuckle, "I want kladdkaka for dessert" she concluded, in a very poor attempt to gather back some dominance over the conversation. While the goddess of death perked up at the mention of the cake (she really had grown a sweet tooth since her killing tendencies were more-or-less gone)

"And spicy roasted vegetables, we know" patted the allfather comfortingly, bringing a bright smile to the face of the taller girl. Her mind drifting to countless sleepless nights in the library, studying and practicing, only to be interrupted by a maid sent by Odin, to bring her her designated late night snack: chocolate mud cake, kladdkaka, and whatever vegetables were in their season, roasted and spicied up with a rare valhallan sprout, which she had managed to sneakily plant in Frigga's garden when she'd arrived all those years ago, a plant which if she'd check, and she will, she'd see was still kept alive now, even after all this time. They never questioned the god-awful combination, they just made sure to stay stocked up.

"Wait, no! I'm still mad at you" she grumbled as if she had just remembered the argument from mere minutes ago

Theirs wasn't a new dynamic, and it was oddly reassuring to see that they still were the most dysfunctional functional family, and easily welcomed Cora back into their mess as if she were one of them. It wasn't a big surprise, when Freya had begged them to take her daughter in, Frigga had accepted immediately, the heavens were sending her an apprentice, and the magic in her blood always responded at the opportunity to teach, share knowledge, help. Odin was resigned, and made it clear that if she weren't Valhallan, she would not be there, but it was only a matter of a question: Do you have any advice for me?, from a nervous Cora, and he was a goner, she became his shadow, he saw her curiosity, but also her maturity, accepting how important her future would be once she ruled, and knowing destiny to be unfair, she wanted to be prepared. And Hela was her best friend through it all, the older goddess never doubted lending her a hand whenever little Cora stumbled her way in life. She had once been loved, and the little Cora she kept buried in her mind was ecstatic at the possibility of getting it back

"Dinner will be fun" the brown skinned girl sighed, dreading the prospect of a dinner with her chosen midgardian family, the little family Lenora and she had formed, and the rejoined asgardian family

"Can't wait for you to have to sit through a whole evening being respectful to us" Odin said amusedly, chuckling along his wife and daughter

"You'll have to refer to Len as Fridda, that's what she introduced herself as to the rest" she said with a grimace, "or at least that's what she was supposed to do and say, but you've met her, the day she actually does what i tell her will- sorry, rambling" she stopped her pacing with a shy smile

"Yes, we were informed, don't you worry, and now i understand why she tried to spell me into not calling her 'Corasdottir' when we met" Frigga laughed lightly, "she's a fire though, very entertaining to see her ordering people around"

"Shit, I'll have to treat my own daughter as if she were above me, and with all the royal shit manners" she gasped in realization, begrudgingly joining in on the laughter, it was all too ridiculous

"Oh, norns, do we have cameras here now?" pleaded the older princess with so much malice it made everything all the more distressing

"Odin, I'll forgive you right now, if you vanish Hela from Asgard before dinner" whined Cora

"Hey! Ouch!" cried the goddess, holding a hand over her chest in, probably, mock offense

"I rather doubt that's something you should joke about-", the King said, trying to sound stern, but failing

"Oh, shut up, you killed my sister" she huffed rolling her eyes as the group was making their way out of the throne together, the comment throwing two of the asgardians off

"She copes with humour" informed the Goddess of death with a shrug, backed with a hum of agreement from her best friend

"Yeah, I need to get it all out of my system somehow, you know? To truly get to the fully forgiving bit, and, you know, the look on your face makes it even funnier", she shrugged, before noticing Odin walking out with them, "What do you think you're doing?"

"Walking out of the throne room? May I, Queen Cora?" he questioned with an unfazed stare

She shook her finger in front of his face, "You, dear Allfather, have one last task, go tell your guards to bring your son and apologize for everything" she practically ordered it, he wouldn't do anything on his own if he didn't want to, so when he sighed defeatedly, she sighed relieved that she had got it right, that Odin did feel sorry, she would never justify him, but she did hope that she had given him some sort of kick-start. He nodded, almost a smile tugging at his lips, maybe because he was still thrilled over having one of his first disciples back, maybe because he was finally being forced to do something he just couldn't bring himself to fix on his own account, or maybe because he just couldn't help but selfishly take some credit on how Cora held herself now as queen (something he of course wouldn't voice out in fear of getting his tongue chopped out, by Valhalla's queen herself... or maybe his wife or daughter)

He turned around, asked a guard to get the youngest prince then sat back on his golden throne, sending a nod of thanks to Cora, last to leave the room

She gave him an encouraging thumbs up, then left, barely contributing to the idle chatter between the queen and the princess, as a thousand different schemes flew through her mind to delay as much as possible the exposure of her identity. But she knew, there was only so much she could do to stop what was written to happen

- - -

Chapter Text

- - -

"So, no one knows?" Lenora hushedly asked the goddess of death next to her. They both sent polite nods towards the group of Midgardian heroes as they passed them to get their seats in the long table.

"You know your mother, she pretends to love her discretion, and how she can keep herself 'hidden at plain sight', but at the end of the day, she loves to put on a show" she answered dramatically as she played around with the bread, until a light shove from Frigga stopped her.

"No hushed chatter on the table, don't be rude" admonished the queen with a side glare at the two princesses. Lenora, much like Cora, couldn't seem to pull rank on Frigga whenever she treated her like a child, so she just huffed, like a child

Everyone was seating at the dining room: the Allfather and Allmother sharing the head of the table, to Frigga's side was Hela, then Lenora, to Odin's was Thor, then Loki, who was still trying to hide his delight at being told he could stay, and his confusion when he got no more than a shrug when asking about Cora. He had barely had a moment to ask before he was bein whisked away to the dining room

Since this was a dinner to welcome the group to the realm, it wasn't filled with other warriors, ladies or sirs, it was just the royal family with the avengers, plus an empty seat next to Loki, though he imagined it was for Brunhilde, he had an inkling the Valkyrie had grown very close to his older sister. Which was true, but he wasn't quite right, as he'd realize, once he saw who was walking through the golden doors

"Evening" she curtsied as she messily scurried to the table, smiling and waving at the wide eyed, confused stares from her friends, and ignoring the teasing looks from Hela and Lenora

"We were almost wondering if you'd show up", the Allfather mentioned mockingly, she held back a snicker at the collective wince as everyone took that as a jab at Cora, a sign that he already didn't like her. 

"Pardon my tardiness, your majesties" she said shortly, curtsying for the royal family, even Lenora - which she almost audibly gagged at -, before taking her seat at the table next to the raven haired god, and to her left Bruce, who she happily greeted with a bright smile

"What are you doing here?", the genius asked her softly, noticing how the rest of the heroes kept their eyes one them, waiting for the answer too

"You tell me, man, one moment I'm playing around at the sanctum, the next I'm getting sucked into the Bifrost and here I am" she explained with a shrug before shoving a piece of bread in her mouth. She spared everyone at the table a look, noticing how Peter kept glancing at her, from his very convenient seat just to the right of Lenora, his eyes seemed tight, like he was trying very hard not to say something. Her eyes widened as he made eye contact with her, that was all the confirmation both of them needed, he knew the secret and, well, she knew he knew.

She turned to Lenora who had picked up on the staring contest, as had Hela, the rest of the party losing themselves on the delicious food and the pleasant conversation going around, and if Cora hadn't been too busy feeling all the hope drain from her body, she would've started sniffling at the sight of the Allfather bonding with Loki over, oddly enough, a Midgardian book, while Thor and Frigga talked about the whereabouts of Lady Sif

You told him, you little-

Sounded the voice of Cora through the blonde princess' head

I didn't mean to, i swear

Oh, so if I went through his mind right now I wouldn't find you spilling it all out to him?

Uh, w-what is this? Am i going crazy?

Came the wavering voice of Peter, who had been thrown into the telepathic conversation without warning

You're not crazy, baby, uh... well, my mom knows you know... clearly

Miss Cora, i have so many questions, so many things to say and-

And you'll get your chance, but first, she can very well handle herself, still, I need to make it very clear to you that if you hurt my little girl there will be no corner in this filth of a universe where I won't be able to find you and rid you of your limbs, arm by arm, leg by leg, then make sure you bleed out as slowly as my magic possibly can

She got no response from either, a wide eyed stare from her daughter, and an almost invisible nod from the Spiderman, who was too petrified to even muster a thought. Satisfied with her threat for now, she concerned herself with eating her roasted vegetables, extra spicy, sending a smile at Odin, remembering her favourite dish turned out to mean more to her than she had initially thought

A cough from beside her interrupted her sip of wine, "yes, mischief?"

"Now that you aren't having secret conversations with the spiderling, would you like to tell me what happened from the moment I left you in the gardens until now?" he asked with a frown and a small smirk

"What do you mean secret conversations? No secret conversations, we were just uh, seeing who would blink first, I won" she said in a hushed panic, wondering if somehow now he knew too, she could only wince silently at how obviously panicked she had sounded, as she saw suspicion lingering in his eyes, 

"I could only hear his side, so tell me, miss Cora, what does the kid have to ask you, oh, so many questions about?" he teased, waving a fork at her before plopping it into his mouth

"I-" she sighed deeply, falling once again into a lying disgrace, "might have told him that I kind of begged the Allmother to convince Odin to let us stay" she admitted hesitantly with an awkward smile. She felt the sickness in her stomach she lately seemed to get any time she uttered a lie to the prince, her disgust at herself, her guilt, her fear, her desire to just share all her memories and thoughts to him, her fear

He bought it, which only made it worse, she wished he didn't, she wished he called her bluff, she wished the king of Asgard hadn't been so determined to teach her to prepare for everything when she became queen, because of course that entailed lying as well, she wished she could have been a bit more like her sister, who had always put honesty above all else.

Her sad eyes didn't go unnoticed by Frigga, who had the most primal instinct to stand up and go to her, ask her what was wrong, comfort her, and yet, she couldn't. The queens looked at each other, the older woman raising a brow, silent questioning, the younger one shrugged minimally in  response, then turned back to her food, she counted the potatoes she had left to focus on something other than the vile threatening to raise from her throat. She felt two pairs of eyes on her, though quickly looking around she saw everyone was focusing on their own thing, finishing the last of their food so dessert could be brought to the table

"Actually, maybe Cora could be of help with that, mother", she heard the god of mischief say, instantly she perked up in curiosity, pushing the previous anguish deep down.

"Help? What are you trying to set me up for now?" she asked with a giggle when she tugged on his laced fingers under the table to get his attention

He smiled fondly at her before addressing both her and his family, "I was just telling them that you are a very skilled sorceress, the Allmother is far too busy to keep up with the palace's magic lessons because of the ball, so I was merely suggesting you could help with that" he shrugged, almost shily, wondering what her opinion would be, maybe even scared that she'd be mad for being put on the spot like that. "You were looking forward to a few days back in the sanctum, teaching, I thought I'd help you find the next best thing, since I ruined it for you", he added more softly only for her to hear, the end was mocking, but she frowned at his words all the same, and tightened her hold on his hand, hoping he'd understand just how wrong he was. He got the message and smiled at her, nodding shortly, "So what do you think?", he just couldn't help the urge to show off the woman who had chosen him as her... something (they had yet to get to official labels). Plus, he still was set on figuring her out, and something in the back of his head was telling him over and over that this trip was just the last piece of the puzzle

"You're flattering me, it's something to teach Midgardians the mystic arts, a completely different thing is Asgardian magic" she chuckled softly

"My son does not give away compliments like grains of sand, if he considers you exceptional, then chances are you most likely are", claimed the king, which baffled the group at hearing such praise come from him

"Thank you" she smiled, "your majesty" she added courtly. "I also can't not mention that I had a formidable teacher, I... will forever be grateful to her" she said with a genuinity and humility that surprised the team, never before having seen her not just taking a compliment and keeping it without giving much back, of course they just assumed this was Cora trying to get her not-a-boyfriend's parents to approve of her, but even still, it was a good performance. Of course, that was because she was being purely truthful.

The royal family smiled fondly at her, Cora returned it and looked at Loki with her eyes practically shining, "I think they like me" she chuckled, sending the message telepathically

"They'd be fools not to" he said out loud, still only loud enough for the two of them, "oh, you're staying with me on my chambers, aren't you?" he asked, the two now ignoring the rest of the table to talk secretly to the other

"Your mother did not mention that", she said, though she imagined they hadn't kept her room after all these years, it would've brought questions from the princes, "I'll probably get a guest room like the rest of the team" she shrugged

Loki hummed, and Cora could tell he was not expecting that answer, so she nudged him after taking a bite out of the rich cake

"But I couldn't possibly ask of your parents to fix up sleeping arrangements this late in the evening" she sighed theatrically, looking at him with a small smirk, "do you have any recommendations of where a magical gal could find a nice place to spend the night?" she asked rubbing her chin in thought

"Hmm, I've heard there's a tavern that works as a motel after midnight" he mused teasingly, making the woman scoff

"I've been hearing from someone called Fandral, maybe he'll be of some actual help", she pouted mockingly

"Careful" he simply said before putting his hand on her thigh and resuming the conversation he had put on hold with Hela

She groaned flustered, but reluctantly turned to her left and started another conversation. "So, did anyone get sick from the Bifrost?" she asked enthusiastically to Bruce and Clint

"Don't you say a word" Stark practically growled when the archer opened his mouth

"The idiot kept screaming for his mommy even when we had landed at the golden dude's globe", Pietro said in between laughs, avoiding a roll of bread the billionaire had thrown at him

"Tony, could you save the food fight for when we're not in front of royalty?" chastised Steve, sparing a glance at the king, who was already watching and smiled awkwardly at him, then turned back just as quickly, clearly embarrassed. 

- - -

Almost half an hour later, everyone was clearing away from the dining room, Loki was waiting for Cora to join him on the walk back to his chambers, so he frowned in confusion when she stayed chatting with the Valhallan princess

He approached them calmly, putting his arm around her waist as soon as he was next to her

"Hello, dove" he greeted, kissing the side of her head, then turned to the blonde princess, bowing his head slightly, "Princess Fridda, pleasure to finally make your acquaintance" he said politely, back to his regular stance

The young fairy chuckled at this, "pleasure is all mine, prince Loki, I believe you were quite preoccupied with other stuff when I made my introduction" she joked. Cora sent her a glare that she quickly hid away, brushing a hand through her face to stop herself from killing Lenora

"Well, i expect you were entertained" the god chuckled along, turning to look to Cora who was now forcing a chuckle out as well

"Immensely" she hummed, biting the inside of her cheeks, just like Cora did whenever she was trying to hold herself back from being blunt, "I suspect though, you came here to take back your uh, partner?" she offered, not sure of what to call their relationship

Loki just smiled awkwardly, not denying nor agreeing with the label, mostly because he knew theyweren't ready yet, but mostly, because he just wanted to leave the royals and spend time with the grey eyed woman, "yes, if that's no problem of cour-"

"Actually, i wanted her to stay for after drinks with the Allmother and the Allfather" she said simply, elaborating when she caught the more than confused stare from the God, "I myself am a student, pretty advanced, but still... anyways, since I've been staying in Asgard, I've been joining in on the magic classes here too, Frigga is a formidable teacher, but seeing as Cora will be replacing her, I wanted to talk to her as well" the princess explained with a smile

Cora would be lying to herself if she said she wasn't impressed by how quick Lenora had come up with that

"Very well", he agreed begrudgingly, seriously contemplating arguing against it, but he looked at Cora already looking at him with sad yet hopeful eyes, he just couldn't deny something she clearly wasn't against doing, she was probably even looking forward to it, for some reason he couldn't quite understand. Why on Earth would she be looking forwards to being alone with his family and a random Valhallan Princess? 

"I'll come running to you as quickly as I can, my prince" she promised, kissing him sweetly

"Tell me if you've angered any of them and we have to flee the realm, okay?", he joked, pecking her lips and bowing to the princess once again, then leaving

"Bye, soon-to-be-father", Lenora called out quietly as soon as he left, only Cora hearing, who brought both her hands in front of Lenora and mimicked strangling her

"Doh" Lenora said in her best Homer Simpson voice

"You'd be Bart, you idiot" she rolled her eyes

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, hi mom, how you been?" she asked innocently, moving towards the couches, where Frigga, Odin and Hela were already sitting

"Don't 'hi mom' me" she huffed

"But you're my mom" she said before gasping, "oh no, don't tell me this is a 'you're adopted' repeat, I am already traumatised from the first time I found out, don't know how I'd handle a second" she sighed dramatically, falling into one of the empty sofas

"She's a very amusing child" Hela commented drily as she sipped her drink

"You told Parker, you little shit, of all people, you couldn't have fallen for someone with a better secret keeping capacity?" she whined, ignoring the goddess' quip

"Oh, c'mon, it'll be fine" she brushed off, "and I told him I'd put a spell on him so no one could get it out of him", she added, in hopes that would calm her nerves

"I-" she started again, but gave up, "fine, good thinking on that, munchkin" she mumbled, moving to grab a glass and a bottle of mead, filling the glass to the rim, she put it aside and instead started drinking from the bottle

"Cora" scolded Frigga with a disappointed stare

"In other situations, that would work, but today's been a mess, let me have this at least" she practically begged, setting the bottle by her feet

"At least Len informs others when she's about to use magic on them" Odin said, receiving a death glare from the youngest queen

"That's hilarious! Let me just make a quick call so I can share with Sigrún just how funny you are", she deadpanned, "oh wait!" she mocked, letting out a snicker she was trying to hold back at seeing the Allfather fiddle nervously from his seat

"That's mean, mom" Lenora whispered, not so quietly

"You'll get used to it", she dismissed, then turned back to the queen and king, "it's carrot season, isn't it? They were delicious" she said excitedly, moving the topic towards dinner. Unintentionally showing Lenora that in fact, they did move away from strong topics pretty easily, as they went into a whole conversation over the roasted vegetables and which were the best

The conversation flowed from topic to topic like that, until they hit the subject of the princes

"Well, i don't know, but Cora said that Thor might have a thing for Brun's friend, the scientist that turns big?", Hela quipped, looking at her friend for confirmation, who nodded. "As for Loki, well, ask Freyasdottir" laughed the goddess of death

The king turned to her with raised eyebrows, which only seemed to go higher at the realization that this was only news for him, seeing as Frigga was smiling coily at the blushing Queen

"Was that truly necessary?", grumbled Cora, rubbing her hand through her face disgruntledly, to which Hela only shrugged and looked at her nails

"S-so, Cora and Loki?" the shocked man said, "my son, Loki, and Cora?" he repeated

"Now, honey, don't start saying things you might-" Frigga's pleads were interrupted by Odin's very calm gasp

"I'll have half-Valhallan grandchildren" he murmured with a smile

"Father, you can't possibly be already thinking of their lineage" the goddess exclaimed instantly, quick to point out the man's clear bigotry when it came to how he treated people depending on where they were from or what blood coursed through their veins. The Allfather frowned and was about to open his mouth to take it back when Cora jumped in waving her arms around frantically, almost tumbling down the half empty bottle she had been sharing with Lenora

"Odin, stop talking about grandchildren. Hela, thanks for that, but don't feed on that thought, there are no grandchildren, we're not even dating for heaven's sake!" she exhaled heavily, looking at the both with hooded eyes

"But you are dating, Cora" the youngest princess pointed out, which made her mother's stare, turn to her

"No, we're not"

"Yes, you are" she replied simply

"We're not" she insisted

"Have you gone on more than five dates?" she asked instead, Cora just looked away, "I'll take that as a yes. You're dating"

"My slow son better put a ring on that pretty finger of yours, or I will send him to Helheim and keep him there myself" Frigga hummed with a smile

"I- Frigga!" she whined like a kid being embarrassed by their mom on the first day of school

"Can we go back to pops' very ethnitist comment, please?", the blonde princess said rising a hand

"Did you just call him pops?" answered the queen of Valhalla instead

"Mhm, so? I wanted to give it a try"

"Oh, so that's what she meant in the bridge when she called Hela 'aunt', then said that it was because 'either mom sees you as parental figures or' then got cut off" the king mused out loud

"Yeah, she was actually going to say Cora was infatuated with Loki" the Goddess of death shrugged

"And on that note, i think we got plenty of catching up done for a night, Lenora, have you been getting a reasonable amount of sleep?" she didn't even have to hear her answer, "I know you haven't, go to sleep, everyone go to sleep, bye-bye, nighty night, don't let any bilgesnipe get you, adeu". With that she rushed out of the room, and went straight to where she assumed Loki's chambers would be,

Chapter Text

- - -

The sound of giggles and magic swarmed the room as the small group of witch kids finished their class in high spirits. Cora was crouched on the floor, intently listening to the little girl in front of her, her hair adorned with a flower crown, and one to match hanging from her wrist

"-So the girls, well, we make one for every teacher, as a thank you", the baby witch had been going on a spiral for a few minutes now, trying to make a proper introduction to the accessory in her hands, so Cora decided to take her out of her misery

"I will most certainly accept your gift, Kara" she grinned openly, examining the intricate details and the silver undertones, it was no amateur work, the leaves were knit so tightly yet so delicately, the flowers looked preserved, and a whiff of them gave her the confirmation that they'd been dipped in some sort of conservation potion, she nodded impressed. "What an honour", she added, smiling at the gleam in the girl's eyes

With the class leaving, she adjusted the crown safely in her head, and moved towards the middle of the room with one extra smile towards the group of five girls hushedly giggling while waving their own flower crowns at her.

The classes were typically held outdoors, but since the weather, or Thor, was having a tantrum, they chose to hold the class in a vacant ballroom, a beautiful one at that, but she missed the sun caressing her magic. She felt a slight sense of confinement, it flooded her when she wasn't free to let her magic soar through the open airs. Even with that, she felt calm, and she had the group of witches to thank for that. Her students didn't show the same misery she felt on that rainy day, they made it a whole more entertaining

She was ready to gather her things and leave, but Boris, a boy barely entering his rebel teenage years, had hung back, staring at her from the mirrors with a haunted look, his right hand in his pocket, fidgeting with something. "You okay, little witch? You're trying to have a duel, right? I know I was a bit of a pain about your tardiness today, but I didn't think it'd get to you", she joked lightheartedly, making her way towards him 

Boris didn't really say much, she heard some noncommitted mumbling, but when she was next to him they boy took his hand from his pocket and handed her a letter. In big cursive lettering it read 'To the Grey-eyed Queen', and after turning it on its side, the name signed taunted her, the letters dramatic and glittery, 'From H. W. R.'

"What- Who gave this to you? Boys are taught not to talk to strangers as well, or am I wrong?"

"Hey, I could've defended myself if it'd come to that!", was his indignant response, "It was very odd, I wanted to know how late I was running and suddenly the clock-", Cora, wide-eyed, grabbed his shoulders 

"What did she say?", she questioned frantically

"Uh, just to give you that, and to hurry because I was indeed running late, who was it? And 'Grey-eyed Queen'?", his questions were met by silence as she'd started to guide him towards the exit. Before she opened the doors, she took ahold of his wrist

"Thank you, Boris", she said sincerely, before a mist of lilac flowed towards his temple, a haze in his eyes showed that it had worked immediately

"Bye, Professor! See you tomorrow, I'll be the first one here, you'll see", he called back as he skipped away towards the village, it was still early in the evening after all, and witches deserve their fun

Cora warily looked at each side of the hall before hiding herself away in the room once again,  biting her lip as she inspected the golden envelope. She took her dagger from her holster, and opened the letter, which she half expected to explode, but it didn't, instead, it revealed an old cinema ticket, for a movie called 'Zaniac', the name vaguely rang a bell in her head, like a memory from a different life. Scribbled on its other side, she couldn't help but imagine his voice as she read it:

'You have been formally invited to the End of Time,
14 days from the moment you opened the envelope,
which should be, if I'm not mistaken, precisely 13:03:32,
snacks and drinks allowed, no plus ones,
duration unknown (!) - get a babysitter -,
Q&A afterwards. Toodles!'

Her face visibly sobered, but there was a hidden, repressed even, part of her that felt giddy at the prospect of this very specific event. She remembered their first conversation al those centuries ago... He had come, from out of nowhere, and had been waiting for her in her private office in the palace, a green apple half bitten being the perfect contrast to the full bowl of yellow apples in the middle of the log desk.

He had been there to make his presentation, and as far as first impressions went, he had left a very big long lasting one. She had been Queen of Valhalla for only two years then, and the chaos of her realm, along with all the rest of them, had spread far enough that she'd been tempted to give up one too many times. His visit had given her some sort of guidance, a sense of purpose, much to her thoroughly expressed annoyance. 

She would see him again after that, a few times, and he always wreaked havoc in her life in some new way, and each time it would end with him somehow helping her grow, so, of course, she hates him. The last few times, he had looked tired, and yet, more purposeful in his schemes, she knew that the end was coming, and she knew he deserved it, take that as you may.

She knew what to expect, she knew she had been given a deadline to getting everything in order, because who knew what might happen? She had a role, of that she was certain, but what that entailed, she was none the wiser, he had made sure she was. He could tell her to deliver something quickly, and then she'd be free to come back home, or he could tell her she had to leave, that her place in all of this was far away, or worse, long away, from her timeline, her home, her people.

She disappeared the letter in a flash of purple, and stared at the mirror covering the length of one of the walls. One breath in, one out. She needed to speak to Odin, soon

- - -

His morning had been uneventful, thankfully. With all the preparations for the oncoming celebration, he had been busy with handling the invites to the royals of the different realms, against Hela's wishes, people from all over the nine realms were making an appearance for her daughters homecoming ball, and he was ready for the day to finally come, so they could get through it and then they could return to tri and have some normalcy in their lives, and figure the way to make the palace, and Asgard as a whole, a place all of his children want to be in. But that day had been a well earned slow day, thus far. Their guests hadn't brought any significant destruction apart from the training ground, but that's what it's for, and he had given Loki a few important tasks, and idea he had shared with Frigga the night before, a small way to show his son his remorse, instead of speaking what he knows by now must be seen as just empty words

He'd been ready to end the day, the Allfather couldn't wait to go back to his shared suite, bask in the presence of the woman who had not once strayed from his side, even when he so clearly deserved it. Even when he himself strayed from his path. Frigga was always there, never forgetting the way back, ready to guide him towards their light. He had decided that for him to be at peace, he had to re-earn their love, all of them, and he would.

His feet caried him without hurry, and he found himself roaming the long halls of his palace, looking out on the balconies, he would catch sights of his kingdom that steadied him, the smiles of his citizens, the laughter from his oldest daughter as the Hulk sparred against her, the thundering from Thor, as he sulked the lack of Poptarts in his realm, and the sight of Loki, signing papers while drinking a cup of tea in the gardens, a veil of magic keeping everything dry despite the pouring rain. He vowed to them, he had to be better than he had been

It's at this moment, that one disheveled Cora came rushing at him, desperation seeped from her pores, and he could only frown in concern before she grabbed his hand and shoved him through the closest door to them, gladly it was the empty library, maybe one or two bookworms were there, but it was easily one of the safest places in the castle.

"Coralina, dear, what in the Norns is going on?", he questioned her, pulling his arm from her grasp. She tried to reply, but the conflict was clear in her eyes, and whatever indignation he'd felt, got thrown out of the window, replaced by a knowing smirk, and moving towards one of nooks, taking a seat and gesturing for the woman to take the armchair in front of him. "In need of advice, your majesty?", he chuckled

The woman smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "You have no idea how many times in the last thousand years I've needed advice and couldn't get it, I'd be stupid not to take advantage of the fact that now I can, who knows how long before you go senile", she smiled at how his taunting grin had fallen to a sneer, so to that she added, "Yes, Allfather, desperately in need"

"You have no idea how many times in the last thousand years I've itched to be of assistance to you, I'd be stupid not to take advantage of the fact that now I can", he parroted, "who knows how long before you're overthrown", he too smiled at how her smug smirk fell, and so, he added, "I'm here, tell me"

She took a deep breath, editing in her mind and selecting what little she could actually share. "I have a very important meeting in a few weeks time, and I-", she chewed the inside of her cheeks before continuing, "It could be dangerous, and it could take a very long time, and I don't know how to prepare myself, how to prepare the people I care about"

"And is there a way you could", he trailed off, gesturing with his hands wildly, "not go?", she shook her head, so he sighed. "The labor of a ruler is often overlooked, the payment of a throne seems enough to justify any pain, and yet", he chuckled humorlessly, "you are first and foremost a protector of your people's peace, that doesn't mean your people aren't allowed to tell you wat their peace is and how to best protect it"

"I've been adviced to get my affairs in order, Odin", she muttered, almost like a confession, the Allfather's face only soured

"A wise Queen must never seek war", he mused, her eyes lighting at the familiar mantra

"But should always be ready for it", a sheepish smile adorned her face as she nodded

"Asgard is devoted to the Valhallan crown", Odin assured her, easily, as if he were merely speaking of the ill weather

"Asgard doesn't even remember the face that wears the crown", he only stared at her, is lips pursed expectantly, waiting for her to make the connection., it took her only a few seconds, "Are you kidding me?

"I ill not stop you", he offered, "If you deem it necessary, I will even encourage it. With Hela returning, it's as good a time as any to lift your spell, let the people remember you, let us celebrate you, and if ever the time comes, let us protect you"

"Don't you think your daughter will oppose to me stealing her spotlight?"

"I think she was already plotting for a way to get you to do just that, she'll be all the happier if it's taken care of", he said wit amusement. "If you choose to tell the truth, we'll be there, if you choose to do it all alone, we'll be very disappointed, but we'll be there too, waiting for you to let us lend a hand", his words were left hanging like a pendulum, the Queen could feel her mind whirring to find the best solution. "Go see Heimdall, maybe he can shed some light on your choice"

- - -

"I can see you" he announced without turning around

"Agh, I know" Cora slouched, "It's just no fun this way", she pouted as she stood by her friend's side

"Why do you think it possible to sneak on an all seeing being?" he smugly asked in response

"Oh like it'd be the first time" she mocked lightheartedly, "if I hadn't given you a heads up, who knows what havoc the dark elves would have brought with the Aether in their power" she snickered

Heimdall laughed along, until he turned his expression sobered, a solemn look in his eyes as he stared head. She almost smiled, hoping to not lose any more time, but then, before she could even ask out loud, he beat her to it. "You want me to look at the chances", she looked at him, paying close attention to his eyes, they looked sour, regret and almost pity lined all through his golden irises

"What?" she asked, turning her whole body to her friend, he tried to play it off, but she saw right through him, "Heimdall, don't make me order you"

"I've had a dream, for a while now, but it's come to haunt me as a vision as well, it seems" he mused, his gaze lost in the stars

She cursed, closed her eyes, opened them again, focus, she said to herself, "Correct me if I'm wrong, though I rarely am, has this dream got anything to do with me freeing Hela?"

"Not exactly, but it did come to me the night prior to your first encounter with the goddess", he replied, "Like your friend said back on Midgard, the chances of total disaster and a miracle occurring are just the same, fifty-fifty"

"Tell me everything, everything you can tell me, it's an order, any detail, any clue, do it now"

He didn't speak for a minute, he reached for her temples, and she knew better than to move away from his touch. In a fraction of a second it came to her, vague fragments she couldn't begin to understand the meaning of, just as if she had gone to the store, bought a puzzle with no guide and no picture on the cardboard that could tell her what she was piecing together.

She could see ball gowns, then she saw fire, she saw raven hair, blonde hair, and then a blade piercing through skin, she heard yelling, she smelled terror, she saw herself, that's where she got stuck, she couldn't stop staring into her own eyes, there was something so wrong, right in front of her, something was missing from herself, she saw, at the last moment, her eyes a powerful blue, no longer grey, not even purple, and then...

Then she snapped out of it, shaken, mortified, and hundreds of synonyms i could come up with that would not make justice to the way her heart seemed to be running at full speed, begging to get out of its cage, racing away from the unknown. Her eyes were wide, her arms frantically grasped onto the gatekeeper's shoulders, shaking her head. "You have to know more" she whispered, as if someone could be listening, "Heimdall, you have to", desperation. She couldn't leave it at that, she needed to know what to prepare for, she had people to come back to now, she needed to know what to tell her friends, Loki, Lenora, her daughter, what was she supposed to say to her daughter?

"I'm sorry, my Queen", and for the first time since they met, his tone was not playful, it was not an inside joke, he bowed his head in sorrow, put a hand over his heart as he swore, "Whatever happens, Asgard will be there for you, all of us"

"I'm not strong enough, I never have been, Heimdall" she sighed, her watery eyes still hopelessly hanging onto his, "These are the matters of a warrior turned ruler, that's what the realms need, and I'll never be that"

"You have fought in almost as many battles as any Valkyrie has" he argued instantly, but she just stared at him bitterly

"We both know better than anyone that if it weren't for my immortality, I wouldn't have made it past a gardening class without poisoning myself"

"That may have been so when you were a child, but you've grown" she was about to counter but he beat her to it, "I've seen you at your lowest and highest, I've seen you taking care of the realms, I've seen you defend peace and making treaties, both in the battlefield and from your palace, and recently, I have seen you fight for Midgard, the land the gods had forgotten, you doubted not even for a second before trying your best, call it fair or not, you did it, the Avengers are filled with warriors, and you, Queen Coralina, are one of them as well"

She was silently sniffling throughout the speech, then collected herself when he offered his hand for a handshake, she straightened up, blinked back any tears, and smiled mischievously

"Be a dear, and tell Ylga i'll be needing her in an hour in my old chambers"

"You'll have to lift the curse"

"Baby steps, my friend" she called as she walked away, allowing herself one last deep breath before carrying on

- - -