As the Queen led Willow through the palace, they talked—it wasn't an unusual conversation though she was fairly curious about the super soldier's life, listening intently to whatever Willow could tell her in the time it took them to reach the dungeons.
"I can get you in there, but you'll need this to get back out," she held out a small silver dagger inscribed with blood red runes, "and once you do...once you've obtained what you came for, head straight for the Observatory. Don't look back. Don't come back. Do you understand?"
"Yes, ma'am."
Willow slipped the dagger into her belt as she watched with a sad smile.
"Will you tell him I love him?" She said softly.
The young woman looked up, startled.
"I—well, couldn't you—"
"I have a feeling I won't be seeing him for a long time. I may have spent more time with him than anyone else, but I still know so little about my son and if he trusts you," she reached out to place a hand on her shoulder, "then so do I. Now go."
She pointed the way and Willow hesitated before nodding and running off.
The hall led to a larger area lit by the jumping flames of torches that lined the dungeons and what Willow had imagined in her head was nothing compared to what she saw. Cells containing strange creatures and otherworldly beings lined the path as bright white blocks, cut off by some sort of transparent yellow shield buzzing low in her ears.
She didn't have to go very far before finding Loki's cell, the god of mischief facing the wall opposite her with his head bowed and his hands crossed behind his back.
Just as she was trying to figure out exactly how the Queen would get her in without being present, the divider disappeared with a hiss, causing Loki to turn around in surprise at the sight of Willow cautiously stepping into his cell. The wall quickly surged back into place and they faced off with each other, testing the waters between them in strained silence.
"How did you get here?"
"What?" Willow raised a brow. "You didn't miss me?"
Loki let out a heavy sigh—whether it was because of the young woman he'd gotten trapped with for three days and bore most of his soul to while under threat of high-pitched noise and a blade or because he was simply exhausted, he couldn't say.
Perhaps it was a mixture of both.
What he did know was that Willow was here now by some stroke of personal luck, still bothering him like the pest he had branded her as and even though she was fairly stubborn, following him to Asgard was much more dedication than he thought she had.
"I don't know what you want from me," he grumbled, "I've given you as much as you asked for."
"I don't think you should be in here, to be honest," she said absently, walking around the prison cell as though she were observing its conditions.
"Excuse me?"
"Everything you told me is the truth."
"And what difference does it make at all for you to know the truth? He wouldn't listen. He never does," Loki turned away, "and now you can see why I did not bother in the first place."
"You're really gonna resign yourself to this?"
"It is not my end," he shrugged, "merely a complication of sorts."
"Yeah well, if it makes you feel any better, he didn't believe me, either. None of them did."
The god of mischief paused at this, but did not look at her, merely knitting his brows together in slight confusion while keeping his tone utterly impartial.
"You went before the Allfather?"
"I wasn't planning to, but apparently I couldn't come see you without his permission," Willow said, making a face to herself.
"And he said yes?"
She scoffed.
"He ceremoniously kicked me out after I supposedly," she made air quotes around the word, "insulted him."
A corner of Loki's mouth lifted at the thought.
"You are brave, I will admit that much. Stupid, but brave," he turned back around with a mischievous smirk.
"Well, I had to talk to you."
"Do you truly not look upon me in such a state with triumph?"
"No, I don't," she murmured, moving closer with some newfound concern that she didn't know she had for the god of mischief, "and I think you know you're better than this."
"You don't know anything about me."
"True. But, somehow the people who do know you seemed to think you were worth the trouble otherwise I wouldn't be here to confirm that what I believe is true and I'm not just running around like a headless chicken defending you."
He said nothing and simply strolled across the room with that impassive appearance of his that wore at her nerves, but he was listening to her that much she knew.
"What you did was wrong, you and I both know that. It doesn't mean you did it because you wanted to and I get he's a shit dad, but you need to tell him everything you told me. You're still his son. He can't keep you in here forever," she insisted.
"You think I wanted this? All of my life, I was fed lies and deceit and now that is what I have become. It is what I am. A lie...and that is all they see me as."
"Loki, I know you were being tortured in the bunker and if they know what I know, they could understand—"
"They won't."
"You haven't even tried!"
"Leave it alone."
"Why won't you let me help you?!"
"Help me what?" He whirled around, eyes flashing angrily as he jabbed a finger at her. "You haven't the slightest clue of what I've been through, what I'm going through! You know nothing!"
Loki took in a sharp breath and Willow glanced down at his hands, a slight tremor to them before he curled them into fists. His gaze was fixated as he stumbled back with a shake of his head.
"Enduring endless torture," he said raggedly, a hand reaching up to press against his chest, "and the rage...the pain...what do you know of pain?"
Willow didn't know to respond because he did not accuse her of trying to understand his pain—he was asking her a genuine question and for a fleeting moment, she could see that agony and suffering in his eyes before he swiftly turned away from her.
"You need to go," he croaked, his tone low and on the verge of cracking as he tried to keep his composure.
"No. You're hurt. Someone is hurting you."
"Leave."
"I'm not going anywhere—"
It was quick as lightning, so quick that she, with all her amplified senses, couldn't have seen it coming—the way Loki surged across the room and pinned her against the wall, one fist balled up near her head and the other barred across her chest with a dangerous look upon his face.
They were mere inches away from each other and the close proximity of the god of mischief caused her heart to quicken as his eyes glinted darkly. She was holding her breath as they stared at each other and the fiercely intense energy that surrounded them sent a jolt up her spine.
It was something Willow could barely admit to herself and she felt a smoldering heat creeping into her face when Loki tore his gaze from hers. He skimmed past her nose and down to her lips of which they lingered for the shortest of moments before coming back to look at Willow.
Her mind had gone completely blank—something quite out of character for the young woman—and she didn't know how to react to the situation she'd found herself in when he slowly withdrew.
"Leave," he painted his voice with as much warning as he could.
"I can't."
"Yes, you can."
As Loki backed away from her, she realized that nothing she was saying would make a difference. There truly was no way that he could escape such a fate if even the Queen couldn't save him.
"Once you've obtained what you've come for...don't look back. Don't come back."
Willow clenched her jaw and slipped the dagger from her belt.
"I'm not letting you stay here."
She marched over to the shield and truthfully, Willow had no idea what she was doing, but figured it would be worth a try as she plunged the blade into the transparent energy. The dagger's hilt glowed a fierce red and she pulled it down, slicing a gaping hole in it as easily as if it were butter, much to her relief.
She turned back to Loki who was watching with a dumbfounded expression.
"Let's go," she urged, waving him forward.
"Why are you doing this?"
He sounded wary, but his eyes told a different story, one that said everything he couldn't possibly say to her in that moment.
"Maybe it's because you trusted me," she finally admitted with simple directness, "so trust me again when I say you're not the monster you think you are."
Loki made no move to follow Willow and she huffed impatiently before climbing through the hole.
"Hurry up!"
"You do know that aiding a criminal's escape is the death penalty?" He called after her.
Willow turned with a shrug.
"I've done worse."
——————
The god of mischief would not have lived up to his name if he didn't a know a way out of the palace without getting caught as he led the super soldier through Asgard under cover of disguise.
He had no idea of Willow's intentions, but she was offering him a way out and he'd be a fool if he didn't take it.
They threw back the hoods on their cloaks once they reached the bridge and Willow glanced at the Observatory.
"Wouldn't the big guy be a problem?"
"He already knows we're coming. This place should be crawling with palace guards," Loki murmured, looking around suspiciously before they continued to make their way down the bridge.
It wasn't until they moved closer that Willow realized with a sinking dread exactly why there were no palace guards.
Thor stood at the opening of the dome with a betrayed expression that pierced the super soldier in her heart.
The last thing she wanted to do was break his trust in her, but she was determined to see her actions through.
"Loki."
"Hello, brother. Surprised?"
"Should I be?" He retorted before turning to the young woman.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"We're leaving."
"You know I can't let you do that."
Her eyes darted down to where he gripped his hammer, raising it ever so slightly and moving into a firm stance.
"We don't have to fight, Thor. Your brother is innocent, we can't just let him sit in a prison cell and rot!"
"And you intend to take him back to Earth to be persecuted?"
"I intend to help him," she said curtly.
"You will go home, Willow, but Loki stays here."
The young woman glanced up at the god of mischief out of the corner of her eye to see that he was looking at her as well—they came to a silent conclusion, one more reluctant than the other, and before Thor could react, the super soldier swiftly pulled her spear from her back and jumped in the air, twirling around and slamming one end across his shoulder.
Loki dove forward as Thor stumbled to the side, barely righting himself in time to deflect his brother's double blades.
They began to fight amidst clashing metal and bursts of magic, each trying their hardest to bring about the fall of the other as they dodged and countered blows. Thor finally gained the upper hand as he kicked Loki in the chest, sending him to the ground.
"You know I cannot let you leave!" Thor growled, kneeling beside Loki and placing Mjolnir on his stomach while holding the handle.
"Are you afraid my escape will brand you as a disappointment? Welcome to my world," he said with a breathless laugh.
"Loki, what you've done—"
"Don't pretend to understand me now, brother. You really thought I'd sit in that prison for the rest of my days?"
"Thor!"
In their furious fight, neither noticed that the Bifrost had been opened and the god of thunder spun on his heel to see Heimdall unconscious near the bottom of the platform.
Willow was standing a few feet away from the man, breathing very hard but victorious as she pointed a fist at him.
"Let us go," she ordered, "I'm only gonna say it once."
He slowly straightened and they stared each other down as Loki scrambled to his feet and hurried to the young woman's side.
"Your father won't listen, you and I both know that. All this is gonna do is earn him something worse than being locked up, so you might as well give us a head start."
"You think your brother will listen to you? The minute they see Loki, they're going to kill him!" Thor snarled.
"Steve...Steve will understand."
"You say that for your own peace of mind. Whether here or there, no one will listen!"
"Then, we'll run."
"Willow—"
Thor attempted to take a step forward and the young woman released three electric discs, one hitting him in the neck while the other two bounced off of his armor. He fell to his knees as Willow sprinted for the Bifrost, Loki's hand clasped firmly in her own.
She had the desperate need to turn back, but her determination wouldn't let her and she held her breath as they jumped for the bridge. In a whirlwind of colors and space, they ended up in the exact same place where Willow could see almost the whole of New York—Stark Tower.
A shuddering gasp escaped her lips as she looked out over the city and the reality of what she had done came crashing down on her head when a groan of pain caught both of their attentions.
Thor, whom they thought was successfully incapacitated, had managed to follow them at the last minute and was now pushing himself to his knees with a look of rage and pain.
Loki was quick to yank her over to the door when it suddenly burst open, forcing them to stop as Steve and Natasha emerged onto the platform with matching expressions of shock, the assassin hurrying over to help Thor to his feet.
Willow's heart was pounding wildly as her brother's eyes suddenly honed in on their locked hands.
"Get away from her!"
He made to lunge at them, but she quickly blocked his path.
"Wait!"
"What are you doing?!"
"He needs help! Please!"
She was too tired to plead with her brother anymore than she already had. Willow simply waited for his answer when Steve clenched his jaw in realizing exactly what was going on and she knew by the look on his face that Thor was right—none of them were going to listen.
"He won't find it here."
The young woman bowed her head, squeezing her eyes shut with an exhausted sigh before looking back up at him.
She had already gone farther than she thought she would with this situation and was seriously considering giving up whatever foolish notions she thought she could achieve when Loki gently squeezed her hand. Such simple contact served as a reminder, one that she desperately needed in that moment, and it gave her the confidence to do what she needed to do next even though her head, in a constant battle with her heart, resisted.
The click! of her gun sounded, loud and clear as if they were all in an empty room, or so it seemed to Steve as he found himself at the end of the barrel.
Willow was looking him directly in the eyes and he was searching her own for any kind of explanation or sane reasoning that would lead her to hold him at gunpoint for a murderer.
It was by no coincidence that he found absolutely nothing.
"Move."
"Willow—"
"Don't make me shoot you," she said harshly.
Her tone was one that Steve had seldom heard, one that she saved only for the most gravest of situations and one that he'd found himself on the receiving end of only twice and both times he had listened without questioning her.
Now, this being the third time, he was torn—complying would mean letting Loki go, but after everything he had done, there was no way he'd willingly do so. On the other hand, Steve knew just how serious his sister was and that she would, without a doubt, pull the trigger.
And so, he moved.
Willow's hand shook a little as they walked past Steve, but she never dropped her gun until she reached the door where he gave her a meaningful look.
A silent understanding passed between the siblings.
If you walk out now, there's no turning back.
She held his gaze for a moment before slowly closing the door and by doing so, Willow was firmly establishing that understanding and at the same time, securing the fate of both her and Loki. A weird feeling twisted at the super soldier's stomach and he didn't understand it at first until he realized it was the same sick feeling that he'd gotten when he learned about HYDRA.
Betrayal.
Shock.
Hurt.
"Steve, she's not on the side of the law on this one," Natasha said, walking over to his side with Thor leaning on her for support, "we're going to have to find them and you know when we do, it's not going to look good."
He didn't answer her at first, still staring at the door with the hope that Willow would come back and what had just happened was all some kind of joke—that his sister hadn't actually chosen Loki over him.
But, she didn't come back.
And he knew she wasn't going to.
"Then, we'll find them."
"Now what?" Loki asked as they finally made it out of the building and into a nearby alley, hoods over their heads and keeping watch across the crowded walks.
He turned to the young woman who was still visibly shaken by the encounter she had with her brother.
She was beginning to breathe in a quick and agitated way when Loki, who was a little uncertain about what was happening, peered down at her questioningly with his face close to hers.
She realized how near he was and pulled away, straightening her cloak and attempting to steady her nerves at the same time.
"Are you alright?" The god of mischief inquired.
She faced him with a deep inhale and brushed her hands down the front of her uniform.
"Fine."
"Good. Now," he looked around the alleyway, his eyes traveling over the faded brick buildings in open disgust, "where are we off to?"
Willow paused and Loki took notice of the way she froze.
"Tell me you have an idea."
"I have one," she said defensively, "just...not at the moment."
He gave her a long, hard look.
"You haven't had one since you broke me out, I assume?"
"...maybe."
"By the gods, woman."
She rolled her eyes and waved him after her as she slipped out of the alleyway, pulling her hood back up.
"Come on," she linked her arm with his, "I know somewhere we can go."
——————
☀︎ celine's corner ☀︎
hope you enjoyed this chapter :)