#“your majesty” dick says with full disdain

[thesulkycroissant]

Still thinking about the Order of the Robins, y'know. So here are a few full pages of them because I love them with all my heart. Like that one quote from B99, I've had the Order of the Robins for like a day and a half, but...

Yes, even Bitewing gets to make an appearance as (I hope) an honorary member of the Order of the Robins.

I love this panel -> "Robins, fly!" In my head, because of the nature of what they're doing, the Robins have established a series of chirps and whistles for communication throughout the city.

Dick Grayson, my beloved 🥰

One thing I find really intriguing about this panel is Tim saying, actually they did get all of us, when Cass is noticeably absent. But of course Cass would be noticeably absent. In my head, she is simply lurking in the shadows (the fic practically writes itself).

Finally, so many things about this panel. The story really shys away from Damian, for the probably fairly obvious reason that he can't be Bruce's son in this AU without a lot of problems. (He could be, Talia is around and looking gorgeous as ever, but Bruce is half-Kryptonian soooo.) But the fact that this is Damian's one line means so much to me. Especially with such emphasis. "No. That's NOT what Robins do."

Of course, Dick saying they're building themselves a nest. Also, Duke appearing to be second in command.

And finally, look at Bruce -

The face of a man who just realized he can adopt SIX children at once lol.

[little-mad]

Downsides of Thievery Pt. 12

~ Previous Part ~ Next Part ~

Gavin felt completely emotionally drained. Between being insulted by Ashryn and threatened by Rael, all he really wanted to do was crawl into a hole and hide from the world for a little while. There was no part of him that was ready to face the alteon Emperor--to be judged and sentenced. Gavin wasn’t even sure he had the energy to plead his case at this point.

As much as he just wanted to run away, there was no escape for the human. He was trapped on top of a gigantic desk. The massive items nearby almost seemed to taunt him, reminding him of how small and insignificant he was in this dimension. “You’re pathetic,” the quill sitting in its inkwell a few feet away seemed to say. “You’re all alone,” Gavin imagined a massive roll of parchment sneer.

“Great, I’ve sunk so low I’m starting to imagine inanimate objects talking to me,” Gavin thought bitterly to himself.

Meanwhile, the alteon Emperor loomed over the human like some kind of divine monument. The man almost looked ethereal, as if he walked straight out of a storybook. His skin, which appeared nearly flawless, was of a cool brown color. He shared Rael’s long black hair, but rather than tying it back, the Emperor wore his down, with a few strands done into intricate braids. As seemed to be the case with all alteons, the Emperor’s eyes were of a striking, vibrant color. Those yellow irises were focused in on Gavin, holding him in their intense stare.

In terms of dress, the Emperor certainly looked the part. He wore a jeweled band around his head that appeared to be made of silver--which matched the metal that made up the leaf shaped earring that hung from one of his pointed ears.

With the Emperor sitting at his desk, it was impossible for Gavin to see a majority of the man’s apparel, but what he could see looked incredibly lavish. The tunic was of a deep blue color and was decorated with silver embellishments along the hemlines. No doubt the garment was made of silk or some other similar luxurious fabric.

“We have much to discuss,” the Emperor began as he looked down at Gavin. “But first, I believe introductions are in order.” There was no hostility in the man’s voice. Unlike with Ashryn, Gavin didn’t detect anything disdainful or accustatory in his tone. Instead, the Emperor seemed perfectly calm and polite; he even wanted to engage in civil greetings. “My name is Ailred. I am the son of Lyris, and the Emperor of Iaela,” he announced smoothly, the words clearly ones he had said many times.

Considering both Rael and the Emperor had introduced themselves without surnames, Gavin had to assume alteon’s didn’t utilize them in the same way many human cultures did. The Emperor had presented himself as the son of “Lyris” though, something Rael had not done. Were he in a better mental state, Gavin may have pondered why that might be, but given the circumstances he would just accept it and move on.

It took a long moment of Gavin just standing there frozen, shifting uncomfortably under the Emperor’s silent stare, before he figured out he was expected to say something. “He wants me to introduce myself,” he realized.

How the hell was he supposed to get himself to speak? This was maybe the very first time Gavin had zero desire to say anything. He didn’t trust himself anymore. The last time he’d opened his big mouth, he’d ended up with a giant hand slammed down beside him. Now imagine the consequences that could await him if he said the wrong thing to a damn Emperor.

At the same time, remaining silent was hardly an option either. Refusing to comply with the Emperor’s wishes could just as easily have frightening repercussions. Gavin really and truly was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

After a few seconds of internal panicking and frenzied thinking, Gavin spoke up. “My name is Gavin--uh Gavin Stone,” he managed to spit out. He tried to force himself to maintain eye contact with the Emperor, but every fiber of his being was begging him to look away from that intimidating gaze.

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Gavin Stone,” the Emperor replied, giving Gavin a nod of greeting before turning his attention beyond him. “Rael, I trust you encountered no issues in retrieving Mr. Stone?” he inquired, reminding Gavin of the fact that his former captor remained in the room, just a few yards away.

“There was no trouble from the humans, your majesty; however I did run into some brigands in the woods who attempted to abduct the prisoner,” Gavin heard Rael explain from behind him. “The offenders did manage to escape, and for that I offer my sincerest apologies.” God, Rael almost sounded like a different person when he spoke to the Emperor. Not that Gavin had any real grasp on what kind of person Rael was. He’d learned that the hard way.

A frown developed on the Emperor’s face. “You did your duty in protecting the human,” he began. “What I’m more concerned with is the fact that these criminals were bold enough to attempt to interfere with Imperial business.”

“Greed can drive you to do some pretty stupid shit,” Gavin thought to himself bitterly.

After a moment of silent contemplation, the Emperor sighed. “I suppose we’ll need to increase the number of patrols in the surrounding woods,” he concluded. “I’ll also have you meet with Captain Saida later to coordinate a search for these would-be abductors.”

If Kaydin and his female associate were smart, they would already be getting as far away from the palace as possible. Gavin could tell the Emperor was serious about this, so if the two thugs didn’t get some major distance from the scene of the crime, there was probably a high likelihood they’d wind up getting caught.

“Now,” Gavin instantly felt the intensity of the Emperor’s gaze return to him, “you are here because you were caught stealing from an alteon diplomat while they were visiting the human realm, correct?”

Suddenly Gavin felt like he was back in elementary school, being forced to answer questions the principal already knew the answer to. The Emperor already knew what the human in front of him had done, and yet he wanted to see Gavin admit to it himself.

Biting back an exasperated sigh, Gavin gave a nod of confirmation.

“And you understand that because your crime was against an alteon, you were brought here to face judgement?” the Emperor inquired, continuing to watch Gavin with those hypnotizing yellow eyes.

Gavin nodded again. He knew he wouldn’t be able to get away with giving non-verbal responses forever, but he wanted to avoid it for as long as possible. Not only because he didn’t trust himself not to say the wrong thing, but also because he wasn’t sure how he was meant to refer to the Emperor. Rael had called him “your majesty” earlier, but the idea of saying something like that sounded so strange to Gavin.

“I realize as a human you are unfamiliar with alteon customs, so allow me to explain the situation,” the Emperor started. “Typically, when I am called to judge a criminal, it is done as an official trial in which nobles and all involved parties are present.”

Gavin supposed that wasn’t altogether different from the trials back home. Of course, rather than having a jury of his peers, Gavin would be judged by the Emperor and the Emperor alone.

“However,” the giant monarch continued, “because you are human, the circumstances are different. I believe a large-scale event would do more harm than good in the long run,” he explained, folding his hands atop the desk. Gavin tried not to focus on them for long, because he and giant hands really weren’t on good terms.

While he was glad to hear he wouldn’t be subjected to some grandiose trial in which he’d be trapped in a room full of a bunch of alteons staring at him, Gavin wasn’t entirely sure alternatives would bode any better. If the Emperor had no one around to criticize his decision, he could be as cruel as he wanted.

“In the meeting which preceded this one, I discussed with my advisors various potential sentences,” the Emperor went on. “I also requested input from Ashryn, as he has some experience interacting with humans,” he added, looking at Rael when he said it.

Gavin suppressed a scowl. He was sure any input from Ashryn had been exceedingly negative. For whatever reason, the guy had it out for him--or maybe he just had it out for all humans in general for some reason.

“Ashryn’s position on the matter was that you need to be made an example of,” the Emperor stated, quickly erasing any doubt that that asshole had a vendetta against humankind. “His suggestion was that you be made a spectacle of, perhaps by placing you in a cage and displaying you in the front hall for visiting nobles and the like to view.”

An instant feeling of nausea came over Gavin. He felt absolutely sick to his stomach. Ashryn was beyond just a dick, he had to be some sort of sadistic demon. The suggestion that a living, breathing, intelligent creature be caged and put on show like some kind of zoo animal was abhorrent. Gavin could hardly even believe what he was hearing.

“Your majesty, forgive me, but doesn’t that seem a bit excessive?” Gavin heard Rael ask incredulously. What was with that guy? Not ten minutes ago he was yelling at Gavin and standing up for his alteon soldier buddy. Now all of a sudden he supposedly cared about what happened to Gavin? It just didn’t make any sense.

The Emperor gave a small shrug. “I don’t know, some of my advisors seemed to like that idea. They believe that if Gavin Stone isn’t properly made an example of, then more and more humans will think they can get away with crossing alteons.”

What was Gavin supposed to do? Should he try to stand up for himself, to excuse what he’d done? Would it even matter? He had committed the crime, that much was fact. So would any excuses even make a difference? He tried to read the Emperor’s face, to look for some kind of sign that he would be understanding, but the man had an expression that was virtually unreadable. “What the hell am I supposed to do?”

-

Of course, of course Ashryn would advocate for some cruel, antiquated punishment for Gavin. It was obvious the guy had some inexplicable resentment towards humans, certainly more than Rael had ever had. He’d been of the opinion that they were inferior, fairly irritating creatures, but never would have gone out of his way to ensure they suffer. Ashryn, on the other hand, seemed eager to see Gavin endure the worst.

And what was worse? The Emperor hadn’t immediately dismissed Ashryn’s suggestion. How could he even consider it? Surely he would never subject even the worst alteon criminal to the humiliation and indignity that would come from being locked in a cage and put on display. Yes Gavin was human, but he was still an intelligent, sentient being. He didn’t deserve to be treated like an attraction.

But what could Rael do? He was in no position to question the Emperor; doing so would be suicide for the reputation he’d worked so hard to achieve. He had to wonder whether the information that Gavin had in fact been hired to steal from the diplomat would impact the Emperor’s decision.

Gavin himself seemed pretty convinced that that bit of information wouldn’t change anything, so it was doubtful that he’d speak up about it. Rael wasn’t convinced. Surely if the Emperor knew Gavin had just been used by somebody else, he would be less harsh with the punishment he issued.

Rael couldn’t speak up about it. He had already taken a great risk with his previous comment. Continuing to speak out of turn in favor of a human criminal could end up reflecting horribly on him. The Emperor may begin to question his loyalty. Rael couldn’t put that all on the line for the sake of a human of all people...right?

The memory of Gavin’s fear-stricken face flashed through Rael’s mind. He cringed internally at the mental image. Gavin had clearly had some level of trust in him, the look of betrayal he’d worn made that much evident. When Rael had used his far greater size and strength to scare the human into submission, he’d shattered any trust that may have developed between them. He had taken the side of Ashryn, someone he hated, rather than risk his status by standing up for Gavin.

Yes, what Rael had done had been the right thing to ensure his reputation remained in good standing. But if it had been the right thing to do, then why did Rael feel so miserable about it?

“If you have something to say on the matter, you have my permission to speak up,” the Emperor told Rael, clearly sensing his hesitation.

“I can’t say anything, I’ve worked too hard to get where I am to risk it for some human!” one part of Rael’s mind insisted, but he was finding that voice was quickly becoming quieter and quieter.

While it was difficult for him to believe he could make such a profound difference, Rael couldn’t help but worry that what he said next could seal Gavin’s fate one way or the other. The Emperor was watching, waiting for a response. Rael had to make up his mind. “Yes, your majesty. I have information concerning Lady Elyth’s stolen ring.”

[bbrandy2002]

Wacky Drabble #16: What Goes Around

Part 2 of Something Flubbed…

This is part of @emceesynonymroll #wackydrabbles

Liam x Riley

Catch up with Part 1

A/N: What started as a crack drabble about tumblr reblogs, of all things, has somehow morphed into a semi-actual story. I'm still scratching my head on how I did it and have just decided to let my Liam and Riley tell the story. Its still mostly crack yo!

Prompt: Was I not supposed to

Word count: 1322

Liam’s right eye was twitching as he shot her a look of pure hell and contention. He stammered for words, unsure of what to say or even think. The last thing he ever expected from Riley was infidelity, believing their marriage was something special, something sacred, something she respected and was devoted to as much as he was. That she had written, in a mediocre fashion, the details of a courtyard tryst with Drake, his best friend of all people, and even relished in the fact that she was doing so, was next to unforgiveable in his mind.

Riley approached her husband apprehensively, wanting to explain herself, if she even could. She clasped her hands together firmly, attempting to control the visible trembling. She knew this was bad, but, was hopeful it could be cleared up quickly. At this point, the truth had to be better than what she assumed he was thinking. Before she was able to inch too close, he held his hand up to stop her. With his mist filled eyes, the ones that were breaking her apart, he began his scathing remarks. “First off…..your friend here just sent you a message asking if some girl named Alyssa should fuck me at Drake’s funeral”.

“Aww, she’s killing Drake off”, her posture slumped as she shook her head disappointingly. Her gaze met his again; realizing he really was in no mood for banter. “Liam, It’s not what you think ”

“Secondly”, he continued with a raised voice, cutting her explanation off, “Did you fuck Drake in a courtyard in Fydelia, writing….and I quote, “his cock is much larger than Liam’s”.

Riley swallowed hard, searching for the right words, ones that were truthful, yet, not so hurtful. She inhaled deeply, preparing to come clean of her offense, "Sweetheart, its just fanfiction and all that Drake stuff was just a really, really bad bet I lost. I swear, I have never, ever been with Drake."

Liam quirked his brow, "a really bad bet, huh?"

"Yes", she answered, tugging nervously at the tie on her robe. " I bet Burnsy I knew Drake better than she knew you, and...."

"Burnsy?"

"...but, when I took Anitah's quiz..."

"Quiz?"

"I didn't know about the mojitos and bears and a bunch of other shit and then Beeps had to make..."

"Beeps?"

"those monster Drake kids that are on my blog and I had to write smut, but, I didn't know how to write smut, so I had to watch porn....oh my god, there was so much porn, and ritachacha wanted to read it and...Im no ritachacha...so I drank and cried and binged on porn and bananas for two weeks solid and I attempted to hide the post but these turmblr girls are thristy and can sniff out smut, even the bad ones and Im so sorry Liam, Im so.....so sorry", she inhaled deeply trying to catch her breath from her long winded tangent.

"I have no idea what the hell you just said", he bit back, completely dumbfounded and baffled by her explanation.

"You don't understand what I said?"

"Do you?", he yelped.

Riley watched with trepidation as Liam tossed the laptop on the bed and eased himself up from the floor, wincing at the shooting pain in his back from the fall, rubbing and massaging the sore spot above his ass.

Riley moved towards him in an attempt to help, concerned about his injuries and wellbeing, but, he jerked away, hobbling to the other side of the room, keeping his back to her.

"Liam", her voice cracking as tears of shame began to fall. "Liam, please look at me....none of that is real..none of it...it was just a dumb bet".

He shot a glance sideways, still not completely looking at her, "so you wrote that you rode Drake's...collosus dick, harder than Seattle Slew because of a bet?".

She chuckled a little, amused by her husband's analogy, before quickly composing herself, "Was I not supposed to?", she replied innocently, "it was a bet, Liam...everyone knows you can't take back a bet".

Liam spun around to face her, shocked at the words that just spewed from her lips, "I see", he nodded, tapping the front of his chin. With a clenched jaw, he breathed deeply through his nose and exhaled sharply, his eyes speaking for him, full of disdain and hurt.

He strolled forward in her direction, stopping just shy of her petite frame. He leaned over until his reddened face was directly in front of hers and just inches apart, his voice clear and firm, "Then I bet your ass won't mind sleeping elsewhere tonight".

Riley's eyes widened, her mouth falling open, unable to find words. She watched in astonishment as he reached across the bed, retrieving her pillow before holding it out to her.

"You can't be serious?"

"Oh, I'm very serious", he stated matter-of-factly, "and if you want back in this bed anytime soon....or my "not as enormous as Drake's" cock, you will delete that fucking blog".

"I don't accept that bet, Your Majesty", she seethed, tossing the pillow back on the bed, sitting herself on the edge with her legs crossed and her hands folded on them. "I'm not going anywhere and I'm not deleting that blog".

Liam perched his lips, gliding his tongue along the inside of his cheek. Realizing she called his bluff, "Fine..", he yanked his pillow up and tucked it firmly under his arm, "I'll be in my study"

"Fine", she shrugged.

"Fine!"

Liam hastily exited the bedroom, slamming the door and did what he said he would do. He opened his desk drawer searching for anything that would take away the pounding in his head and the throb in his backside. He opened the bottle of Aleve and found it empty before throwing it across the room. He kept Riley's Midol in there too for when he needed to quell her bitchiness during certain times of the month. Helps with cramps, bloating, tension, backpain, headaches, irritablity, muscle aches and water weight gain, he had all of them.

Liam unloaded three into his mouth, washing them down with the bottle of whiskey he reserved for when Drake would drop by for a quick drink. He slumped down into his desk chair, still reeling from the audacity and nerve of his wife. He wanted her to feel as bad as he did at this moment, to see how her actions made him feel. It didn't matter if it was real or not, she wrote it. He knew in his heart she and Drake wouldn't betray him that way, but, did she want to? Did she really think his dick was small and that he was an asshole?

He thought to himself as he continued sipping on his drink, how could he make her see and feel exactly the way he does? He contemplated his options for several minutes, when, like a spark igniting, it came to him....two can play this game.

Liam's lips curled into a sinister grin, his eyes lighting up, as he pulled his chair closer to his desk, turning the computer on. He downed the rest of the bottle, tossing it aside, as he cracked his knuckles, preparing to give Riley a little taste of her own medicine.

----------------------

It was early Saturday morning when the sun just started to brighten the morning sky. A bright, warm ray shining through the balcony doors and landing squarely on Riley's face, her darkened complexion glowing more than usual. She yawned and stretched, feeling content from a good nights sleep.

Reaching her arm across the bed, she felt the emptiness of where Liam usually slept. Did she care that he was pissed off with her, of course. She loved him and never wanted to hurt him, but, she wouldn't be controlled, nor, intimidated by him. She was hopeful that by him sleeping in the study last night and a little time away from each other, it would cool him down and they could discuss this rationally.

With another big stretch and yawn, she noticed her laptop still sitting in the same spot on the bed Liam had left it last night. She lunged over and scooped the device into her arms.

Plugging in the charger, she fired up the app and immediately took note of the numerous tags she had from several of her mutuals for the same story. Curious, she clicked on the link taking her to a rather peculiar title:

"Liam Fucks Hana Five Ways From Sunday With His Enormous Dick"

A new collaborative drabble by @fromthedeskofpaisleybleakmore and newcomer @inyourfacerileybrooks-love-liam

NSFW 🍋🍋🍋

He had bamboozled her, and in doing so, somehow convinced Bleakmore to join into his scheme; she knew it was him.

"I'm going to slaughter him...LIAM!!!!!!!!"

Wacky Drabblers and Permatags: @emceesynonymroll @burnsoslow @jessiembruno @sirbeepsalot @dcbbw @romanticatheart-posts @stopforamoment @katedrakeohd @pedudley @of-course-i-went-to-hartfeld @drakesensworld @ao719 @janezillow @eileendannie @texaskitten30 @glaimtruelovealways @fromthedeskofpaisleybleakmore @eileendannie @hopefulmoonobject

[amandaoftherosemire]

Lightning Strikes Part Seven

Fandom: Marvel Avengers AU

Pairing: Thor Odinson X Reader

Characters: Thor Odinson, Loki Odinson, OFC Astrid, Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers

Author: @amandaoftherosemire

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 6,013

Format: Series (Complete)

Warning: Language, angst, the appearance of infidelity,

Summary: Ready to finally give Thor an answer to his request that you move in with him, you travel to New Asgard. Once there, however, you receive information that explains a lot even as it creates new questions. Regardless of the answers, what you discover has the capacity to change how you feel about everything.

A/N: I want to start by saying I’m sorry. That said, this chapter has its place and I promise that I’m building to something worthwhile. I also swear I didn’t do this just to be a dick. I’m perfectly capable of that, but that’s not what I was going for here. 😉

Part Six: Crucible here

Sublimation

Loki walked out of the manor house to meet the jet from New York, a wickedly delighted grin on his face. He'd been anticipating this day for nearly a month, ever since you'd told him the plan. Now that you were here, the fun could really begin.

The jet was of Wakandan design and manufacture and a gift to the Avengers from King T'challa to aid you in your new duties. It had taken the better part of a month to learn how to fly the thing but being the pilot when this baby kicked into gear was out-fucking-standing. You were now the point of contact between the Avengers compound in New York, New Asgard, and Wakanda, hence the gift. You had a base of operations in all three locations, at least you would once you talked to Thor about it, but were expected to spend most of your time in New Asgard, handling what you could remotely and traveling when necessary.

As soon as you'd gotten back to New York from your vacation with Thor, you'd gone to Pepper. You'd told her the entire situation and asked for her help in figuring out a solution. Pepper, both a powerful and ambitious businesswoman and a quietly tender-hearted romantic, had immediately put her phenomenal brain to the task. With the full power of Pepper Potts behind you, it hadn't been too difficult to find a solution that should work for everyone. Thor didn't know yet, but since he'd asked you if you'd decided yet every time you talked, you figured he'd be on board.

You'd been putting him off, gently telling him each time that you still hadn't figured it all out. You'd wanted to surprise him when everything was in place. You were here today because everything was in place. All that was left was to talk to Thor.

You sauntered out of the open hatch into the balmy ocean air, your bag over your shoulder and eyes shaded against the early summer sun, a cheerful grin on your face.

With a sweeping and dramatic bow, Loki offered his arm. You took it as you laughed up into dancing emerald eyes. “Pet,” he purred, mirth and mischief ripe in his tone. “Welcome home.”

Loki filled you in on the gossip as he walked you to the rooms you normally had each time you visited, making you laugh with catty sotto voce commentary on the various people you passed on the way. Once there, however, you chased him off, wanting to change before you saw Thor. Loki had gallantly offered to go push his brother out of his office for you before sauntering out. You frowned after him, mildly suspicious. But without anything else to go on, you opted to chalk his oddly helpful behavior up to pleasure at having you here.

You didn't fool yourself. Whatever Loki felt for you was real and deep, but you also knew that he was pleased to have you there because you entertained him. He had made no secret that he was excited to have a partner in crime, confident in his ability to draw you into his schemes and games. You had to admit it depended on how funny and ultimately harmless his schemes and games were. You had no doubt that the two of you would find plenty of mischief that would satisfy you both and hopefully harm none.

You pulled a sleeveless lace shirt and bustle skirt from your bag, getting ready to wiggle out of your jeans. You wanted to be comfortable while traveling, but pants were always more trouble than they were worth around Thor. To top it off, you hadn't seen each other in a couple of weeks, the only thing that could test his patience and spur him to anything you considered urgency. You flipped the button open on your jeans as you debated the merits of underwear when a beam of sunshine hit something shiny on the table next to the bed.

Curious, you rounded the bed to approach the table. You would have ignored it, but the curtain was almost too perfectly parted to allow a beam of light to fall upon the object. Once next to it, you could see that the object was an earring, what looked to be a pretty one carat diamond. Not only was it not yours, it was also perfectly angled to shine upon the opposite wall. Even had your body not gotten in the way, there would have been no way to be in these rooms any time in the afternoon and miss the thing.

You stood, looking at the small item, considering the wealth of meaning that could imbue anything, should the circumstances be right. Or wrong. You don't know how long you stood there, mulling over the weight location, position, identity of owner, etc. should each have in the calculation of how big an explosion should occur when you next got your hands on either Odinson.

At your back, the bedroom door opened to Astrid, her arms full of clean towels. The last time you'd seen Thor, you'd asked him to assign Astrid to you whenever you were in New Asgard. You were unsurprised to see her, as you'd seen her in the hall on your way in. Astrid, however, looked confused to see you here, then concerned when her eye fell on the sparkling jewelry at the obvious focus of your attention.

"Lady Y/N!" she said softly, her voice low and warm. One of the things you liked about Astrid was her calm no matter how you surprised her. "These are no longer your rooms." You weren't ready to speak, holding on to your temper was difficult enough, so you tilted your head in question.

Another thing you liked about Astrid was her talent at reading nonverbal communication. She stepped forward and slipped her arm around your waist, supporting you without words as she answered. "His majesty commanded that you be put in his private quarters from now on," she explained.

"I see." You pulled away slightly to turn and look at her, your eyes catching and boring into hers. She was on the tall side of average for a woman, a couple of inches under six feet, well-built and strong. She had a lovely, sweet face, with charming dimples that you knew she used as a distraction. Even in the little time you'd gotten to spend with her, you had somehow become genuine friends. This, however, was the first time she looked into your eyes and saw what her king found so compelling about this funny little human. Your gaze was fierce and held a strength she hadn’t expected.

"And was I the last to have these rooms?" you asked, your voice hardening as you saw the change in her eyes. You knew she'd liked you before; your triumph was that she now respected you. Your eyes fell back to the earring on the nightstand.

"No." Astrid's voice had dropped to a sympathetic murmur. "The Lady Jane Foster visited last week." Her arm came back around you and squeezed gently at the tremor that rocked through you. Her tone took on a touch of urgency. "But she slept in this bed. And his majesty slept in his."

You huffed out a breath and even you didn't know if it was a laugh or a sigh. You reached out and snagged the earring, tucking it into your pocket, before turning into Astrid's arms to give her a quick hug. "Astrid, I adore you." She hugged you back, but you could see the worry in her eyes. You smiled sunnily and turned to snag your bag. "Let's go to his majesty's quarters and I'll give you your present."

Astrid's eyes widened. You'd told her the last time you'd visited that you would bring her some human designer shoes so she could see them for herself. Astrid was a fashionista, but specifically for shoes. You had gone with Natasha to her favorite boutique and picked out the prettiest, shiniest, crystal embedded Jimmy Choos with Astrid's caramel hair and bright blue eyes in mind.

The pictures of Human Mistress Guy tucked between the shoes weren't necessarily for Astrid, but you knew she'd be happy to take responsibility for them. Turned out HMG was more interested in enforcing Asgardian social norms than he was in living up to them.

Though most were unaware of it, you had a vast, and some would say insidious, network of connections. You had once been the gatekeeper to Pepper Potts, CEO of Stark fucking Industries and one of the most powerful people in the world. Not only that, you had facilitated the connection between the Avengers and SI, you knew people who knew people who knew people. You could find dirt on almost anyone, almost anywhere.

You figured Astrid would be the best person to ask how her people would feel about the pictures of Human Mistress Guy with his very own human mistress.

Loki stood at the door to his brother's office, smirking as Thor worked at the Stark designed touch computer, clearly in a terrible temper. Thor delegated as much as he could, but he had prepared to be king of Asgard when she was whole and strong. Here on Earth he was, in some ways, painfully out of his depth. And he hated the bureaucracy that went along with ruling more than almost anything.

Loki's voice held a light taunt as he spoke into the silence. "Your delicious little human has arrived, brother."

Thor didn't look up. He knew you were coming; you'd sent him a text on the phone you’d made him take. His lips twitched at the memory of your utter disdain for any form of communication he had suggested other than the little plastic and glass box. The twitch turned to a smirk as he remembered how'd you'd changed his mind about the device when you'd introduced him to sexting.

“I am aware,” Thor growled, annoyed with the world. He was annoyed that he had to deal with this if he wanted to spend the rest of the day as he wished, in bed with you. He was annoyed that you still hadn't given him a straight answer about whether you'd live with him. He was annoyed with himself for not being honest with you about everything. He was annoyed with Loki for being so obvious in his regard and pursuit of you.

"I’ll greet her when I can do it properly." Thor didn't try to stop the smug smile from curving his mouth, even as he kept his eyes on the screen in front of him. He couldn't help but remind his brother that though you may be Loki's pet, you were Thor's lover.

"Suit yourself." Loki was unamused and equally annoyed with Thor. There were few things that Loki found distasteful, self-righteous hypocrisy was one of the few. As long as Thor acted as though he had the moral high ground, Loki would continue to remind him that he was always ready to take you from him. "I certainly intend to."

"Loki." Out of patience, Thor pushed back from the screen, causing it to blip away, and turned to fix Loki with an angry glare. "Why are you trying to make me jealous?"

"Why should you be jealous, brother? After all, I befriended her on your orders, did I not?"

***

You were almost to Thor's office, your hands in your pockets, the right toying with the earring there when the sound of raised male voices had you lifting your brows. It occurred to you that living with both Thor and Loki was not going to be peaceful. Up until this afternoon, you'd been nothing but excited.

The discovery that Thor had had his ex-girlfriend as a guest but had not mentioned it either before or after the fact had put something of a damper on your enthusiasm. However, Astrid's sincere and sweet rush to reassure you had given you pause. You were, at least, determined to remain calm as you asked Thor what the hell. You would lose your shit only if and when his explanation proved inadequate. As for the location of said earring, you knew you had a tendency towards cynicism, but you doubted it had been left in that exact place on accident. The only question was whether Dr. Foster left it there, or Loki.

You had every intention of asking Loki what the hell, also.

Astrid had been utterly delighted, both with her shoes and with the pictures. She'd had a run-in of her own with HMG and was happy to help her new best friend (she really loved the shoes) get revenge for both of them. Astrid knew exactly which gossipy guard's sister was the best friend of HMG's wife's personal assistant. You figured that would be enough degrees of separation to keep both you and Astrid out of it.

Your stomach was already churning, and the dread was shimmering up your spine at the tone in Thor's voice when you got close enough to understand what he was saying. At the words Loki, why are trying to make me jealous? your feet slowed without your brain getting involved in the situation. At Loki's response, you stopped in your tracks. After all, I befriended her on your orders, did I not?

You'd never before known that you could actually feel your heart break. For all that emotion came from the mind, there was still a pain in the chest. Even as the betrayal crashed down upon you, as your breath caught at the enormous agony of it, a calm and detached part of your mind wondered at the physical reaction to something wholly emotional. You latched onto that calm and detached part, knowing only that would get you through the next moments.

You flinched at the sarcasm you could hear in Thor's voice, the warm rumble sounding threatening for the first time. "It’s evidently been a terrible hardship for you."

"‘Charm her, lure her, seduce her if you can.’ Your words, brother." Loki's voice was a taunt and had you leaning on the hallway wall, needing the support to stay on your feet. Every word felt like a blow. "Only now, when I’ve proven her true, you want to pretend I’m encroaching?"

Your eyes closed at the words proven her true. The fucking hypocrite hadn't trusted you but had been lying to you the entire time.

"If you're not encroaching, why do you seem determined to prove her untrue?" Thor's voice held a bitterness you'd never heard before. You couldn't understand why Thor had lied to you, how he could claim to love you when he so obviously didn't trust you. Unless this had never been about you, in which case you were what you had always truly feared: a pet, nothing more than a rope for two spoiled boys to play tug-of-war.

"If you think so highly of her," Loki's voice was bored, as though he were only asking to be polite, "why is it so hard to believe that I might simply like the silly creature?" Thor didn't respond, but the look that flickered across his face sparked Loki's temper. For the first time, he sounded like cared. "It’s not, and that’s the problem. I wasn’t supposed to be myself when I charmed her, was never supposed to actually get attached in any way." There was a pause, then he continued, his voice calm and mocking once more. "My apologies. In the future, you may want to make such commands explicit."

You'd had enough. "But then how would he maintain plausible deniability?" The words were out of your mouth before you had a chance to think about them, but you didn't want them back. You were angrier than you'd ever been in your life and you knew you needed to use it before it ran out and left you the broken wreck you knew were going to become. You'd never had two people break your heart on the same day, but here you were. Maybe it was what you deserved for presuming to fly so close to the sun. You pushed off the wall and closed the last couple of feet to Thor's open office door.

You hoped that one day the sight that met your eyes would seem comical. Both men looked dumbfounded, as though they had been so caught up in their argument that they had completely forgotten the possibility that they might be overheard. The expression of dawning horror on Thor's face only hurt, so you focused instead on Loki and on the flicker of sly satisfaction you saw fly across his face. You used the rage it inspired to dismiss him as unimportant, knowing it would infuriate him more than anything else. Frankly, in this moment he was unimportant; Thor's betrayal so much worse because you truly hadn't seen it coming. You'd always expected Loki to return to form in one way or another.

"You." You fixed Loki with a sternly disappointed glare. You pushed unsurprised exasperation into your tone, and by the irritated flare of Loki's nostrils, you'd scored your point. "I… can’t. With you. Today. I’m too pissed and need to focus. Take the escape hatch and be grateful."

To your surprise and secret gratitude, Loki said nothing more, merely inclined his head and walked out. You stepped back to let him pass, and it took everything you had to not punch him as hard as you could in his sexy brooding poet face. Even the knowledge that you'd be more likely to damage your hand than his face couldn't stop you; only your stubborn pride could do that.

Once Loki was gone, you stepped into the room. Thor still stood behind his desk where he'd stood to yell at Loki when, with a mocking lift of your eyebrow, you pointedly closed the door behind you. As you walked forward to sit in one of the chairs in front of the desk, Thor finally spoke. "Plant, I—"

"Do not call me that." You cut him off quickly, unable to stand the sound of that nickname in the rumble you loved so dearly. The sound of your heart crumbling apart lived in that beloved thunder. You leaned forward to set the earring on the desk in front of you. "Do you know what that is, Thor?" He didn't answer, only closed his eye. "No? You want to guess where I found it?" Your voice was sweet as candy laced with strychnine. At the sound, Thor dropped into the chair, resigned to his fate. Hopeless. "Or do you already have a pretty good idea?"

You waited until Thor's eye opened and met yours. He'd never seen you so angry, but he wasn't a fool. Your eyes were also glittering with tears. His muscles were bunching to propel him to action, his heart leading and desperate to soothe away the desolate look in your eyes, but the hardness on your face stopped him from moving. Harshly, you accused, "And you have the nerve to distrust me?"

"I'm sorry."

"Oh, well then." You scoffed, and mockery coated every word. "You're sorry. Problem fucking solved." You sat back, spread out in the chair in a posture of furious disdain. "I was on my way down here to ask you about that," you gestured, and Thor saw something in your eyes he'd never thought to see, coldness, "to give you a chance to explain. Loki may have called me 'pet', Thor, but you made me feel like one."

You reached out and picked up the earring, twirling it between your fingers by the post and watching the afternoon light sparkle through its facets. Such a pretty thing to be the beginning of the end. You looked up when Thor remained silent, and the pain on his face only spiked your rage. A snarl in your voice and on your lips, you went on. "I came here today to tell you that I’d figured it out, and I'd done it. I’d rearranged my entire life for you. I thought it would be worth it, because I thought the one person in this world that mattered didn’t see me as a pet. I am not surprised that I’ve lived to regret that decision, but I am perturbed that it happened so quickly."

Thor's continued silence, his face growing more and more white with every word out of your mouth, his face twisting in pain, only served to pour gasoline on the inferno about to burst into full and cheerful flame. "I know you've got trust issues. I get it. But that does not excuse what you've done." You were nearly yelling now, but it was the disgust that cut Thor to the quick. "Seduce her if you can!? How dare you!? How fucking dare you!?"

You were shouting at this point, but you couldn't stop yourself. Thor finally spoke, the pained rage in your voice cutting through the agony blocking his own. "Y/N--"

"No!" You bellowed to cut him off as you shot to your feet. You had thought you wanted him to speak, to explain himself, but the moment you heard your name in his gorgeous rumble, you knew if you let him continue you'd end up sobbing and you would not shed a goddamn tear until you were back home. You closed your eyes and took a shaky breath. "No," you said again, more calmly and opened your eyes to look down into the face you adored. "No, Thor, I will not move here, I will not live with you." You tossed the earring onto the desk. "I can't trust you. I told you; betrayal is a dealbreaker. Commanding your brother to attempt to seduce me is a fucking betrayal. Goodbye, Thor."

You turned and walked toward the door. Your hand was on the knob when Thor spoke. "Please." You paused, the anguish in the single word catching at your weeping heart and stopping you even against your will. "I don't want to lose you." You closed your eyes against the tears threatening to fall but didn't turn around.

"Then you shouldn't have lied to me."

As the door closed behind you, Thor sat alone in silence, watching the earring sparkle mockingly on his desk.

You walked quickly, but at a pace carefully under a run. You could still see through the sheen of tears coating your eyes, but the world had become a wobbly, warped mess. You strode with purpose back to Thor's quarters to pick up your bag, determined to leave as little of yourself here as possible. You'd never had a heartbreak like this, the kind that's so huge it feels like grief, like you were mourning the future you would now never have.

Worse, to find out that so much of what had come to this point had been, if not a lie, tainted with dishonesty was yet another thing to grieve, the death of all you'd thought you had. Once you had your bag, you looked neither left nor right, acknowledged no one as you walked quickly to the door that led to the jet and escape.

"Lady!?" The sound of Astrid's sweet voice stopped you at the door to the vehicle bay. At this point, she was the only Asgardian with that ability. She ran up, her face stricken, and you realized you really had made a friend here. You choked back a sob and threw your arms around her in a quick hug.

"I have to go, but I'll be back, I promise." You didn't know how you got the words out past the tears clogging your throat, but Astrid seemed to understand. She nodded and hugged you back, but she didn't try to hold you when you pulled away to run outside.

As soon as the jet was at its cruising altitude and pointed toward New York and home, you put on the autopilot, buried your face in your hands. You couldn't cry yet; you had to stay calm until you were no longer flying a jet tens of thousands of feet above the surface of the Earth. Your heart was wailing, but you held on but for an occasional choking sound that escaped every time you forced the shriek of pain back down.

Bucky was waiting with open arms as soon as you stepped off the jet. You had called him while on your way home, told him what had happened. He'd been appropriately infuriated on your behalf and had promised to meet you as soon as you arrived. He was as good as his word, enfolding you in muscular, comforting arms and holding you close as you finally let go and sobbed. He basically carried you inside, but instead of taking you to your rooms, he took you to his and Steve's.

You didn't argue, especially when Bucky more or less handed you over to Steve, who also folded you close and rocked you back and forth. You couldn't stop crying, but Steve's arms were even more comforting than you'd imagined. You were too wracked with grief to notice when Steve settled you on the couch, but you noticed Bucky's arms coming around you from the other side. Squeezed between super soldiers, you poured onto them all the anguish in your broken heart.

After you calmed, Bucky made you laugh with the offer of triple chocolate brownies and four different kinds of Ben and Jerry's. It healed your heart just a little when he turned on Hot Fuzz, handed you a glass of pinot noir and a brownie, then settled onto the couch at your back, with your legs across Steve's lap. Though it was only a few months ago, it felt like a million years when you'd told Bucky about your Breakup Triage Kit: comedy, wine, and chocolate. You adored him for remembering and taking care of you.

You were fairly embarrassed when you woke up the next morning still on the couch, laying between Bucky's legs with your back against his chest, his flesh arm around you under your breasts. Steve was laying with his arms around your hips and his head on your stomach. Bucky's metal hand rested on Steve's shoulder while Steve's temple rested against Bucky's flesh arm. You would sneak out, but you were completely tangled up in the two men. You'd never been this physically comfortable with either man, but apparently comforting you through a broken heart had changed your relationship. You hoped to god it wasn't going to cause any more grief or drama; you needed a fucking break already.

The sound of someone clearing their throat made you groan aloud. With a roll of your eyes, you let your head fall to the side to meet the mischievous emerald gaze of the lithe god standing across the room. He looked both amused and annoyed, and to your surprise seemed to be keeping the men pinning you down from waking.

"Ahem." His lips curled in a mocking smile as he took in the tangle in front of him. The three of you were fully clothed, and there was nothing sexual about the way either man was embracing you, but there was something undeniably intimate about the curl and curve of bodies asleep together on the couch. Loki filed the image of this tableau away in case it became necessary or amusing to describe it to someone.

You closed your eyes in response to that mocking smile, wondering when exactly your life had become a clusterfuck. "Oh, for fuck's sake,” you groaned, insult and disbelief warring for control.

"Charming, as always, my dear." Loki chose not to comment on your current… predicament… aware that his silence would be more effective in what he wanted to achieve here today.

You rolled your head back to stare at the ceiling. It was more comfortable here, your head pillowed comfortably on Bucky’s sternum. You could hear the taunt in Loki’s voice, the invitation to play, but you could not find within you any answering warmth. You were too sad and too tired to care about dancing to his tune for any reason. Your voice infinitely weary, you sighed. "Loki, why are you here?"

Loki was sorry to hear the exhaustion in your voice. He adored trying to outwit and out-manipulate you and he hated hearing his favorite adversary so weak. His voice softened along with his guarded heart. "I wanted to see you."

"Why?" You wanted to look at him, surprised to hear sympathy in his tone, but you didn't have the energy to really care. You'd long ago purged all the rage and pain in tears and sleep and all you had left was a kind of vaguely exasperated apathy. You had no defense, no deftness, and so opted to not even try to dance or dodge but spoke bluntly with no attempt to hide how you felt.      

"You know why." Loki's voice was gentle, and you frowned at what sounded like sincere remorse in his tone. You couldn't dare believe that he actually felt sorry for lying to you, but you found yourself wondering if you could get a straight answer out of him for once.

"Did you put the earring on the nightstand so that it would catch the light?”

"Yes." You tilted your head to look at him again and he smiled slightly. "I wanted you and Thor to fight on your first day there so you'd spend the evening with me, instead. I thought it'd be funny."

You were scowling warily at Loki's half-smile, confused by his posture of honest confession. "Ha." Loki snorted, and your lips twitched against your will. His smile started to widen until you asked your next question, still mired in skepticism despite the lack of artifice. In fact, his guileless demeanor only exacerbated your suspicions instead of alleviating them. "Did you plan for me to overhear you and Thor?"

For the first time since you'd met him, his eyes softened with what looked like real tenderness. If you didn't know better, you'd think Loki genuinely cared for you. "No," he said, gently, and part of you wanted to believe him, "I wanted him to tell you the truth. I didn't want you angry enough to leave."

You told yourself to harden yourself against him, that he was still playing with you, but you heard yourself ask, "Why do you care?" Your heart was aching; Thor wasn't the only one who'd broken your heart. Though you'd never been foolish enough to fully trust Loki, you'd believed his feelings for you, his friendship, at least, to be true.

Loki waved his hand dismissively, and you saw his discomfort with the honest emotion in the gesture. "Because you're my pet."

You would not play along with this anymore. You would not allow anyone, even in jest, to make you something less. "No, I'm not," you answered and turned your face all the way to the wall. When you'd felt respected, cared for, it had been one thing. Discovering how little regard either man had had for your feelings and dignity made the 'pet' joke a lot less funny.

Loki had never heard your voice so cold, was shocked by the finality in the dismissive movement of your head. He hadn't known, when his brother asked him to befriend you, that he would come to like you. If he had known a human could charm him so, he'd have been on guard against just such an eventuality, because to deliberately deceive in just such a way requires detachment. Because he hadn't known, you'd gotten under his skin. He didn't want to lose his friend.

Loki sighed, and the melancholy in his tone almost had you turning your head. You held out, but surprise had you listening despite yourself. "Because I’m actually quite fond of you, my silly little human."

Your head snapped back around. You couldn’t help it. Loki had never given you so clear a glimpse into the man that lived behind the mask. He was giving you what he could, and the part of you that reminded you to love people as they are rather than how you want them to be spoke up for the first time in Loki’s defense.

That little voice pointed out that you’d never expected honesty from Loki, one of the many reasons you’d still not act on any attraction. A dealbreaker is a dealbreaker, after all. But for a friend you could make an exception when deceit is a fundamental aspect of the friend’s personality.

You also didn’t expect Loki to apologize. You’d no more expect the sun to apologize for shining, or fire for burning. His very presence, his careful words told you he cared.

Unless he’s up to something and needs to charm his way back into our good graces. The cynical voice in your head may have been unkind, but she wasn’t wrong. Still, trying to figure out what mischief Loki was up to was part of the fun of being his friend. You wouldn’t change him for worlds. You knew you’d end up forgiving him.

But not today.

“Well, now.” Your voice was dry and mostly unamused, but the strident tone told Loki his work here was done. “This is a red-letter day. You gave me the unvarnished truth and you were mostly honest about your feelings.” Loki shot you an unrepentant grin and you had to fight to keep the sneer in your face. The burning insult still raged under the surface of your skin, however, and kept you sarcastically steadfast even as you continued. “I love you, too, Loki. I'm so mad at you right now that I could strangle you, but I love you.”

Loki was shocked to hear the words pass your lips. Even as part of him cringed away, a small but vocal part of him gloried in the word, swamped in gratitude for your open and generous heart. “I’ll be waiting when you forgive me, dear one.”

With a last unusually warm and sweet smile, Loki shimmered into nothing. The next moment, both Bucky and Steve began to stir. Steve’s pretty face lifted, a red crease imprinted in his cheek from a wrinkle in your t-shirt.

Bucky’s voice rumbled at your back. “This is gonna sound weird, but, doll, is your superpower being insanely comfortable? I slept like a baby.”

“Me, too,” Steve said, bashfully, carefully and respectfully disentangling himself and allowing you to sit up. “I don’t know how that happened, but it was nice.”

Your broken heart healed a little at the sweetness of these two, the kindness they’d shown in tucking you between them and protecting you until you could stand on your own.

Your voice low, and a little shy as the change in your friendship was still new and uncertain, you murmured, “Thank you. Both of you.” You leaned forward and kissed Steve on the cheek, then turned to do the same for Bucky. “Nobody has ever taken care of me like that before.”

(Except Thor.) You had a new train of thought to torment yourself with now: constant reminders of everything you had and lost with Thor. Wasn’t this going to be fun. You focused back on Steve, who looked as though he could hear your thoughts and had nothing but sympathy. “I needed my friends last night, and you guys more than delivered.”

You patted both men, Bucky’s arm and Steve’s chest, before you stood up, a little wobbly still. Each held out a hand to help steady you.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me,” you said, smiling, and if the smile was heartsick around the edges, neither of them would be rude enough to mention it, “I’m going to go cry in the shower, then I’m going to make an absolutely enormous breakfast for my heroes.”

You weren’t entirely certain why, but you decided to keep the visit from Loki to yourself.

Part Eight: Aphelion here 

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