Asgard's New Princess

Chapter 27-Darkness & Light

Chapter 27

Dead.

Loki was dead.

Thanos vanished, but I barely noticed. I bolted across the clearing, fire exploding from me like fireworks, and dropped at his side, suddenly icy cold, like all my heat had left me.

"Loki," I muttered, "Loki, stay with me. Stay with me. You're alright. Loki!" With clammy hands I felt for a pulse. No luck.

"You're not dead, you're not dead," I muttered faster than should be humanly possible. "LOKI! WAKE UP! WAKE...Wake up..." I dissolved in tears.

My head fell to his chest, ugly tears spilling from my eyes onto his torn and stained shirt. Not armor. It was just a plain green shirt.

He couldn't be. There wasn't any way for him...I felt my heart rip in half.

No. No, no no! How could he be...I only saw him a few days ago! He couldn't be, he wasn't! I wouldn't allow it!

"You never said goodbye!" I bellowed, not lifting my head. "How dare you! How dare you die without saying goodbye to me!"

"Eren?"

I didn't move. Whoever it was could have their way with me. They could torture me, kill me, heck, they could destroy earth and Asgard and make me watch them burn! It still wouldn't be as bad as this.

"Eren!" The voice sounded more urgent.

I didn't move still. I didn't care if they were dying. I needed Loki back. If I could get him back, then maybe I'd care. I'd give a flying crap about something, anything.

"Eren, you weren't supposed to be here."

"Who cares?!" I screamed, punching back without looking. They touched my shoulder, and jerked. It must have been almost frozen. "I don't care," I sobbed, my head still on Loki's chest.

"Eren, look at me. Please, look."

"GO AWAY!" Why couldn't they leave me alone?!

"Eren."

I was sick of it. Sick of all of this. I'd take it out on this poor, irritating person, and make them suffer how I suffered.

Spinning as quickly as light, I pried open my eyes to find my target.

And sat petrified.

Loki was staring down at me. "Eren, it was a fake. A corporeal illusion. I'm still here."

I flung myself forward and buried my face in his neck, breathing deeply and not trying to stop my tears. "You-stupid-moron," I said through my tears and hiccups.

"You weren't supposed to see that." He pulled me close. It helped some, but as soon as I was calm enough to think, I pushed away and began hitting him.

"LOKI ODINSON I SWEAR ON MY LIFE IF YOU EVER DIE AGAIN I'M GOING TO KILL YOU."

He chuckled and grabbed my wrists. "That would defeat the purpose, wouldn't it?"

I sighed and sat back on my feet, my entire calf buried in the snow. "Why did you leave, again? Why didn't you at least say goodbye?" Tears were still rolling freely down my face.

He looked intensely uncomfortable. Good. I'd hit him again if he wasn't prepared for it.

He didn't answer for a long time, but I needed to hear his voice. I stood up and held out my hand, carefully averting my eyes from the corporeal illusion. He took it and stood, then began rubbing my arms, like he was trying to warm me up.

"What're you doing?" I asked.

"You're frigid, like ice." I looked down at my fingers and suddenly felt the pain that comes from being icy cold.

"Oh. Easy fix." I reignited the fire, and a little wave of it made Loki cringe for a moment, but then he looked deeply ashamed and came closer to me.

On our way back through the forest, I was leaning against him a bit. The closer I could be, the more sure he was alive I'd be. "Did you leave because of me?" I asked.

"No. I could never leave you, Eren." His tone was heavy. "I left because while you were sleeping, I saw your dream. I put the pieces together."

"What are you talking about?" I couldn't remember any dream.

"I made you feel like an outcast, and you're the only one who never did to me. You always made me feel like a person, not a monster."

I stopped, pulling him to a stop as well. "Loki, you never made me feel anything like that. What on earth could make you think that?"

"Your powers; how I treated them, how I reacted to them."

His flinch, and ashamed look. I shook my head and smiled. "For two minutes, I thought you were scared of me. After that, I knew why you wouldn't come near me, and I give you space when you need it. You never made me feel like that, Loki."

He smiled and kissed the back of my hand. "Eren, you are a beautiful girl. I couldn't imagine anyone being more perfect."

"Yeah right." I could think of several.

"I wouldn't lie about this. My life has been marred by dark events, dark occurrences, for years. Most of my life. You're one of the only good things about my life."

"Loki..."

"Eren, it's very true. In my darkness, you are the only light."

I smiled. "Every hero needs a villain. I'm glad I got you."

He leaned down to me. "I love you, Eren."

"I love you, Loki."

He kissed me, and while there weren't any fireworks or mariachi bands, there was the sense of completeness. The sense of belonging. One I only felt around Loki. My Loki.