Chapter Text
CONTEXT:
MCU, set in a universe where Thanos never showed up and Loki never died. Loki, Thor, and Valkyrie set up New Asgard together and then Loki left for a little while. He tried his hand at being a private courier for a few years, but now he's given that up and is coming home with something precious…
Chapter 1:
It was supposed to be just another quiet, relaxing, summer's night in Norway where the sun refused to set. Everyone who wasn't asleep was either drinking in one of the local taverns, hanging about at home, or spending time with friends and/or family.
Thor was, however, anxiously and excitedly awaiting the return of Loki. He almost couldn't believe it when he had received the transmission. His brother, the god of mischief, had satisfied his wanderlust for the time being and was coming home. Not just for a visit, either. Loki had been absolutely clear in his message that he intended to settle.
Thor only half believed that last part. A few years at most and surely his brother would wander off again to pursue some new scheme. For now, though, he intended to make the most of the time they would have together.
The god of thunder paced the beach back and forth repeatedly, making deeper and deeper imprints in the same spot to the point he would almost consider it a trench of muddy sand.
How long would it be until Loki got here?
Thor didn't have to ponder that question for too long as he saw something descending down from the sky, making the ground and the waters rumble and ripple as though they too were eagerly anticipating just who was coming back. The ship was easily recognizable. Loki had put in an extraordinary amount of effort to personalize the ship and make it very clearly his. Its pointed design widened out near the back, making it look like it was the shape of a candycorn, but it was painted the original colours of Loki's royal leathers. Gold. Green. Fortified. There were even little snake and crown embelishments just in case anyone every questioned who it belonged to for even a single second.
Thor's heart raced and his face lit up in pure delight as he rushed over to meet the extending ramp which came out of the cargo hold only when the ship powered down on the beach. He half expected a crowd to gather, but the late time of night ensured their reunion would be a bit more private. Deep down, he was relieved he would get his brother all to himself for this. They could talk. Catch up. Spend quality time together as brothers.
When Loki came into view, not even evough time passed to draw breath as it was forcibly squeezed from his lungs.
"YOU HAVE RETURNED!!!" Thor pulled him into a crushing, bully of a hug.
Much to Thor's surprise, Loki didn't even resist. He didn't fully return it, but managed a very polite arm raise and a few pats. "Good to see you too, brother." he mumbled more quietly than what he ought have. Loki looked mostly the same with one exception. He had a scar just barely clawing its way up from his chest which was covered and barely reaching the base of his neck. "I have much to tell you." he whispered.
"As do I!" Thor replied enthusiastically as he pulled away, noticing the scar. "No doubt you will have to tell me how that happened."
Loki frowned, pulling his shirt up a bit more. "Oh, this? You have yet to see the extent of it. It is rather unsightly."
"Show me." Thor gave a single nod, encouragingly.
Loki led Thor inside the ship, but not the way they came. He was very specific to avoid going throughthe cargo hold, instead going through a hatch on the side of the ship, leading to the main control area and living space.
The inside was surprisingly cozy with low lighting, the same colour scheme, and the entire inside of the ship designed for ultimate comfort. Every sittable surface was plush and well kept, every knick knack from his travels like strange alien artifact, figurines of unknown species, and a jelly slime snow globe not only had their own place, but were protected in case the ship itself ever endured any turbulance.
Thor let out a low whistle. "I have never seen this place look so good. You have truly outdone yourself and made it your own. Spared no expense and… treated yourself."
Loki let out a pleased hum, sitting on the far-too-comfortable captain's chair which overlooked the rest of the space. "If I do not treat myself well, then who will?"
Thor chuckled at that. "Fair enough." his expression shifted when he saw Loki take his shirt off. The scarring told a story all on its own.
Loki had, at one point, had a massive hole put in his chest. A hole that should have killed him from the all encompassing size of it spreading all the way from one side to the other reaching almost from shoulder to shoulder and stopping just above his stomach. The hole had been healed, but the scarring remained.
But the scar was not the only thing Thor noticed. Loki was wearing a silver chain around his neck and at the very end of it was a beautiful ring made of white and rose gold which fused together in a twisting pattern.
Another untold story?
"What happened?" was the only question Thor could manage to ask, staring in bewilderment.
Instead of the grim expression he'd worn before, Loki was smiling now. It was not a smirk or a mischevious grin or a delighted expression that would precede a cackle. He looked genuinely, softly, warmly happy. It caught Thor completely off guard.
"Everything." Loki replied, removing the chain from around his neck before putting his shirt back on.
"What is that expression? You look…content. What did you do? And where did you get that ring?" Thor could barely contain his curiosity.
Silently, Loki gestured for him to sit down, which Thor did in the closest plush forest green chair he could find. The one next to Loki but down a level since the controls only had one seat. It was clear his brother intended for there to NEVER be a copilot.
"I am sorry, brother. I truly wished you could have been there. I wanted you to be there, but the situation was impossible and so…unexpected." Loki began to explain, being infuriatingly vague.
"What situ-" Thor was about to ask yet another question, but the words were choked out of him as he watched Loki take the ring off the chain and put it on his left ring finger. Thor's jaw dropped but he stood abruptly, caught somewhere between disbelief, fury, confusion, and happiness. "YOU'RE MARRIED???"
"We eloped." Loki explained, crossing one leg over as he rested in his captain's chair, still smiling.
"How… when. . . why? WHO? YOU? MARRIED. I … I cannot fathom it." Thor began to pace, this time for an entirely different reason than on the beach. "Was it some sort of cruel trick? A manipulation? An act of desperation? Did you blackmail someone? Are you being blackmailed?!"
Loki chuckled, leaning back with a contented sigh. "Calm yourself before you burst a blood vessel inside that thick skull of yours. Her name is Opal. I found her by accident in a black market."
"You BOUGHT her???" Thor tripped onthe uneven floor.
"No, you imbecile." Loki rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "I was looking for the food court on a space station I do not normally frequent. Slipped past a locked door by tailgaiting an unsuspecting fool. I was following the smell of cooked meat and sugar. What I encountered instead was wide selection of odd monsters all set to be sold and butchered. I barely had five minutes to look around before I had a hole blasted through my chest. These people detected me despite my use of illusions and a heavy cloaking spell. I went invisible when they told me I was not supposed to be there. They STILL got me. Do you have any idea how powerful someone has to be to do that?"
"Sounds frightening." Thor rumbled, giving a single nod of acknowledgement.
"I was thrown into the feeding trough of the very beast I had been looking at." Loki explained further, letting out a deep, uncomfortable breath. "I was carefully devoured along with about two thoudand pounds of sugar. Hence, the smell matched what lured me in the first place. No doubt a previous victim to a different monster."
Thor's face paled, his eyes widening in abject terror. "It ate you? How did you escape? Did you cut your way out? Also, how did you recover from the hole in your chest?"
"The beast healed me." Loki replied, lowering his voice just a little. "Her insides have intense healing properties as does her mere salivation. It was not right away. I tried to reason with her. Tell her that they were fattening her up for slaughter. She understood. She had no idea until I told her, having spent nearly her entire life in that cell. Her keepers were highly abusive to her, blasting her with freezing water and shocking her with long electrified rods. The moment she realized she was on death row, she forced her own way out with me still inside of her. She released me, we escaped in my ship, spent a few weeks on a barren moon, then she joined me in my courier runs. Not to mention she somehow managed to explode the entire space station before we left."
"Loki…" Thor approached, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Tell me you are not married to some highly intelligent animal. Please."
"She's not an animal. Would you like to see her?" Loki smiled again, this time a bit more playfully. "And she has the ability to shapeshift into a more goddess-like form. An ability that was surpressed by a collar they put on her. I was quite surprised."