Loki Misses the Asgardian Prison System

Chapter 129

Steve was very much not expecting the Queen of Asgard to show up at his door, and honestly, he has absolutely no idea what to do right now.

He steps out of the doorway and gestures for her to come in, and in his mind, all he can think is that he's really glad he keeps things neat. The worst offense would be the hamper of dirty clothes in the corner of the room, but everyone has one, right? Although she is a queen. Maybe her servants...

This really isn't important right now, is it?

Before Frigga had shown up, Steve had been lying in bed with Snowflake resting on top of his legs. Now that he's standing up, Snowflake seems a little bit lost, but the sight of Frigga seems to excite her because she jumps off the bed and trots up to her. Frigga gives the cat a strange look, and Snowflake responds by rubbing up against her legs.

"Sorry; that's just Loki's cat," Steve says sheepishly. "She's been getting lonely since he stopped letting her in his room, and I figured it was either here or in front of his door."

Frigga crouches down and picks her up. Snowflake gets settled in her arms, and when Frigga positions her on her back like a baby, the cat purrs quietly.

She looks up at Steve, a sad smile on her face. "He has another cat like this once," she tells him. "He took him from Midgard centuries ago."

Steve cracks a smile at that. "Really?"

"Mm." She nods, a fond smile on her own face as well. "I don't know how long he had that cat in his room before his father and I found out, but I can't imagine it was a short time."

"I'm guessing he couldn't keep it," Steve surmises. Just the way she says that makes him think they didn't live happily ever after.

She shakes her head. "His chambers were too small and the Palace was too big and too busy. He understood, too, that the cat was better off where it came from, but he was still heartbroken when he had to bring it back." She looks down at Snowflake, purring contentedly in her arms. "I'm glad he had the chance to try again."

Steve's not sure what to say to that, so he just smiles awkwardly and nods. He's glad Loki had the chance to look after his cat, too. He just wishes it hadn't come to such an abrupt end.

Frigga raises her gaze to meet Steve's. "You asked me if Loki was alright," she says. "He's not."

Steve had already assumed as much, but actually hearing her say it makes his heart stop. He swallows hard. "Oh." What does he even say to that? He watched his teammates re-traumatize his friend and now he's not okay. That's... not good.

"He's asking to go home," Frigga says. "Back to the dungeon, far away from here. I don't know whether it's a good idea – I don't know whether my husband will agree to it at all – but he wants to leave, in whatever way he can."

Steve nods solemnly. "I don't blame him." If he was in Loki's place, he'd want to go far, far away, too.

"He's scared," Frigga says. "He's scared of being alone. He's scared of the universe snatching everything he cares about from his grasp, and if he remains here, that will be inevitable."

"I know." He woke up in a world where nearly everyone he loved was dead. He completely understands why Loki wouldn't want to go through that. He's just not sure how leaving now is going to fix it. Isn't it just going to speed up the process? He'll feel the same grief; he'll just feel it now instead of later.

"If he is allowed to leave, please don't think this is a reflection of you," she says. "He cares for you a lot. Thor had told me before that he did, but I hadn't realized how true that was until I saw him speak about you. You may be the dearest friend he's ever had."