parenting 101
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Eight days had passed since Cora had left for her longer-than-usual trip back home, much to everyone's demise. It seemed like the group found themselves barely functioning without the cheery presence of the ancient woman,
Luckily no wars had been started this time, no Hulks had been sent to another planet, and no gods had been sent to retrieve him, yet the overall mood was clearly affected by the lack of Cora's loud music, or constantly trying little potions in her unsuspecting friends, even the annoying habit of popping out of thin air just to scare her teammates was missed at this point, one would wonder, how they had even managed to survive that long without the woman
Everyone was disturbed in a different way.
Since Pepper was gone as well on a conference over seas, and Strange was busy taking care of the cosmos 'or whatever it is that he does', now Tony didn't have anyone forcing him to get a reasonable good night's sleep.
There was no one else who would listen to Bruce's incessant rant over gamma radiation and his research, and on the two occasions that Hulk had come out, he had made a mess of the gardens when he found out his purple friend wasn't around.
Peter and Pietro made sure to have everything ready for when Cora came back, so that then, the twins, Peter and Cora could have a mario kart tournament. They were obviously occupying themselves with that task, because if they didn't, they'd be sulking over the absence of their little group's mom as much as the rest
Natasha was more closed off than usual, Steve too. Clint tried to lighten up the mood alongside Scott, by playing pranks on the team, but they didn't even backfire, they were just ignored.
Sam and Bucky's constant bickering was full on swing again, both breathing down each other's neck, one of the most annoying consequences of Cora's vacation, if you asked the captain.
The three who were affected the worst were probably the big three: Wanda Maximoff, Thor Odinson and Loki Friggason
The witch had been compulsively cooking and baking, she barely left the kitchen, some thought it was to keep her mind busy, one afternoon, when his brother and Steve tried to get her away from the pots and oven, she blew them off, muttering under her breath, barely audible "Cora could be hungry when she gets back", and locked the kitchen door, everyone was worried for the younger Maximoff, but at least someone was keeping them fed
Thor was used to being away from his family and friends, since he partially lived in both Midgard and Asgard, but no one prepared him for how hellish it felt to be away from his best friend, a kind of friendship he didn't know had lacked his whole life. He was mostly sulking surrounded by empty boxes of poptarts, more specifically the hot fudge flavoured, they were the woman's favourite after all
Loki just practically ignored everyone, and because the rest was too busy moping around and barely paying any attention to their surroundings, it was pretty easy. He was sad he hadn't gotten the chance to 'facetime' his friend, and with his brother locking himself in his room, he felt even more homesick.
Coralina's story was a bit different, while the Avengers sulked around, she was, well, having the time of her life.
Once the crown fell on her head, she became a very public person - the exception being in Asgard -. Whenever she visited the realms for conferences with other royals, she made sure to always be around the locals. It's tradition in most realms to hold balls when other nobilities come to visit their lands, especially when the nobel is from Valhalla, so in those gatherings, as per the Queen's request, it's always a must to invite the common folk to attend, the more the merrier, always putting on a show for them, singing for them ancient songs, dancing with them when the bands took over, drinking with everyone when the cheers and toasts took place
This way, she barely spent time with the royals, she always preferred to rejoice among the villagers, and for that, they loved her, she was ready to lend a hand at all times, from helping carrying groceries, to even babysitting for a couple who wanted to waltz once during a ball in Vanaheim.
She had a treaty among the realms, where they weren't to disclose anything about Valhalla to Asgard's royal family, there was no book, no file, nothing in the infinite shelves in the golden kingdom's library that had any information about her or her family, or at least what was left of it.
For the Asgardians, Cora was a legend, not even a name was possible to be put on heaven's crown, this didn't stop the people to hush theories in whispers, some swore up and down that they had seen her, that they had a vague memory of such a woman prancing through town ages ago, but they weren't more than that, whispers
They housed her, fed her, taught her, and loved her since she was a child. Then, when the battle of the Valkyries against Hela happened, she vanished and without leaving any trace
She forced the Asgardians to forget her face, her presence and her name, yet her actions stayed, the things she did for Asgard, how she protected and cared for the place and its people. So, indeed, for them, she felt like a legend, a distant memory of pure goodness. Except the king and queen, who were sentenced to remember who they thought of as their protegee, yet betrayed her like they would betray their biggest foe, remembering is their price
When she became queen, she took after her mother, who always kept her private life and her 'work' life as separate as she could. If she had to go and pay a visit to Alfheim's royal family, the queen, a very close friend of hers, and her would spend the day chatting together, but when they had to sit down to discuss whatever it was they had to discuss, she would put everything aside and just focus on what could be done for the greater good, no matter the royal friends she had to piss off in order to make sure she was doing the best in her power for everyone
There's no doubt that over the years many people have tried to take advantage of her benevolence, but she was quick to set the record straight the moment she saw it. She made sure that everyone would get it in their heads that inside the meeting rooms, she wasn't a friend, she was a queen going over problems with other royals, with respect but not any bias, and she expected the same in response
Now, she worked nonstop the whole week, between taking the rails from Lenora (the princess who very selflessly stepped in, covering as queen while Cora was busy playing hero on Midgard) and then revising and brewing her potion in her free time
She still wanted to make time for daughter and mother time, something she was very adamant on, since her mother, as great a queen as she had been, never made time for her younger kid, instead shipping her off to another realm as soon as she learnt to tuck herself in at night
So, there the queen and princess were, sprawled around the large couch, catching up on everything and eating plenty of different sorts of junk food in Lenora's cottage, she felt like the Asgardian palace didn't really fit her aesthetic, so she'd go back to her little home as many times as possible.
"You are the worst, though, it was your idea, you should at least have told him you wouldn't be able to" said Lenora pointing an accusatory finger at her mother
"Shut up, I know, okay? But, I started thinking- Yeah, yeah, shocker, whatever- I started thinking, and Hela's right, when she gets back to Asgard there'll be some sort of celebration for her return, and, well, she wants me to come, but that'll never happen 'cause Kronk and Yzma will be there to welcome their sister back" the woman said, earning a 'well, it's obvious' kind of look from the princess
"So instead, i'll send you as the realm's representative, and imagine what he'd think if he sees his mysterious friend's daughter there in the name of Valhalla's crown, I think, even goldilocks would figure it out" defended the woman nonchalantly, with her mouth stuffed with chocolate covered peanuts
"Yeah, alright, but thanks for asking" protested the princess
"Weird, since I didn't. I'm declaring, notifying, stating what's gonna happen, munchkin" remarked Cora with concealed amusement
"You suck" she muttered, munching defeatedly on her empanadas "and you suck even more for getting Loki's hopes up about meeting me, virtually at the very least" added Lenora matter-of-factly
"What hopes? It was me who was excited for Loki to meet my daughter, he probably couldn't care less" she huffed, as if insinuating that the god cared for her were the most preposterous thought one could voice out. "And it's not like I've been ignoring him, he hasn't brought up the subject so neither have I" concluded Cora, more trying to convince herself than Lenora at this point
"God, you're so dense, dear mother" sighed the girl exasperated and amused at the same time, earning a glare from the woman, shrugging it off she continued excitedly "Oh, norns, I can't believe I haven't told you!" Cora waited for her daughter to elaborate, but seeing as she just kept looking at her beaming with joy and excitement, she rolled her eyes
"Oh, in the name of the almighty protectors of the universe, please tell me" she said with a straight face
"I've been talking with a boy" sang the blonde girl, Cora instantly freezing with wide eyes, ready to begin the questioning, but nothing came out, she just sat there watching her daughter with her jaw dropping to the floor
"Mom? You good?" snickered Lenora, knowing this was the reaction she would get from her mother, after all, this was the first time she had ever brought up any boy or girl in a way that suggested there was something beyond friendship, and the way she had phrased it, it certainly indicated there was
"You, a boy? Why? No, no, who? When? Also, no! You're a baby! I'll kill him, I'm killing him, oh, I hate him, what if he's using you? Does he know who you are? Well of course he does, no, no, you're too young! Len, why? Don't- God, a boy? Ugh, why? Scratch that, I don't care if boy or girl or anything, just no" the rant went on and on for another five minutes, minutes where the grey eyed woman paced from the kitchen to the living room countless times, continuously muttering denials
Lenora on the other hand, was about to explode from keeping her laughter in, she knew Cora would freak out, but this was definitely better than what she had expected, nevertheless even if she was deeply entertained by her mother practically going insane, she decided to be a decent daughter, and sat her down
"Mom, stay there, okay?" once she felt her mother wouldn't jump up and start the ranting again she spoke, "He does not know who I am, he hasn't even seen my face- huh, I should really show him my face, what if he thinks he's being catfished!" she started, getting lost in her own rambling, then remembered the task at hand
"Actually, now that I think about it, I probably shouldn't if we don't want your secrets getting spilled" muttered Lenora, which perked up Cora's attention once again, after she had finally started to calm down
"What the hell does that mean, Lenora Fridda Corasdottir, speak up or I'll... do something that you won't like" she trailed off, furrowing her brows at herself for not being able to think up an actual threat
"Aha, okay..." Lenora laughed, "it's actually that kid from your group, Peter Parker" mumbled the girl closing her eyes in fear
"Okay" was all the woman said after specifically twelve seconds of silence, the princess opening her eyes warily and utterly confused at the queen's reaction
"Okay?" prompted softly, fearing that any loud noise would detonate the ticking bomb that, she feared, Cora was
"Yes, I mean, I'm undoubtedly going to painfully and slowly murder you, but, okay" hummed the woman, dangerously calm for the words that had just come out of her mouth, sending shivers down Lenora's spine, "So, tell me, how the fuck are you speaking with spidey?" she spat, just as sweetly
"Uhm, well, funny story, after you showed me the photo album, I was like 'god he's so pretty, let's take a look', so I cashed in a favour from Heimdall and he got me his number, I did the whole wrong number thing... and, yeah" explained the girl not daring to meet eye with her mother's judging glance
"You know that's really creepy, right?" questioned the woman, half amused by her daughter, half scared for the people little Parker could be talking with
"I mean, it's not like I'm going to kidnap him or anything"
"Well, after this, I wouldn't really put it past you" she countered with an eye roll "Okay, okay, I'm thinking, let's see, does he know you as Lenora?" Cora asked, forming a small plan
"Nope, I was actually considerate enough to use Fridda, in case you got drunk and started telling everyone about how you missed me" teased Lenora
"Shut up" she chuckled, the a frown came over her face as she weighed her options, "Okay, then you can show him your face, as long as you invent a last name, Corasdottir is just... no. And don't give away anything about who you are, you are just a normal teenage girl called Fridda'' said Cora much to her daughter's surprise
"Really? Oh, god, thank you, thank you, thank you, and sorry, and thank you again" beamed the girl, jumping to hug Cora "I really like him, mom" came the muffled voice of Lenora, who had her face buried against Cora's shoulder
"Good, you're both very good kids, don't hurt him, and if he hurts you i'll find a way to make sure he never even stands a chance of setting foot on Valhalla" answered Cora, with a melodic threatening tone
- - -
"So, this is it" Hela said, eyeing the jar filled with a dense, orange, glittery liquid.
After two days of slaving away, in total 10 days since she'd left the compound, not that anyone was keeping count, right? Cora had finally finished the potion, now the goddess just had to go over the final details to make sure she was okay with what she was signing up to, then drink the brew
"Yup, that is it" nodded Cora, she was back in the cave-like room in which Hela was still chained up and behind bars
"Just to make it clear, the only thing this will do will be, make me hungry for... food?" inquired Hela, growing wary by the minute
"Yes, you will still be a goddess, the goddess of death, you'll have your powers, same lifespan, same everything, only instead of having genocidal tendencies, you'll just get cravings for sweets" explained the woman for what felt the hundredth time that evening alone
As Hela opened the crystal flask and drank it in one swig, Cora conjured up a single layered cake, chocolate flavoured, filled with cream and peanut butter, decorated with strawberries and more than 20 candles. In red icing there was written
Happy 'i'm not driven by desire to kill' day
"Here" the woman handed the goddess the first slice, she had to blow the candles since Hela was still too weak
"To you, Hela Odinsdottir, from now on, may your executions be out of pure want, and not survival!" cheered Cora, not taking notice of her very odd choice of words
"For heaven's queen, you are not really the most morally correct, you know?" joked the woman, while moving to grab another slice after having devoured the first in two bites
"How rich of you, Goddess of Death" replied the woman with an eye roll
- - -
"Hela, meet my daughter, Lenora, meet Hela, kind of your auntie I guess" said Cora as soon as she opened the cottage's door with the asgardian closely behind her, taking everything in after centuries of being within the same dark and unreliable stone walls
"Because she's like a sister to you, or 'cause she's Loki's sister and you want him to be my new daddy?" asked the princess with a teasing smirk, walking into the living room with one of her usual floral dresses and her latest flower crown
"I like her, nice to meet you, princess Lenora" nodded Hela with a small smirk, returned immediately by the blonde
"So, what's the game plan?" questioned Lenora, clapping in a plotting and conniving way from her seat at the dining table, facing the two women
"No idea, your mom is the scheming snake out of the two of us, surprisingly" shrugged the goddess, her thick accent just the very same as Cora's, a big contrast with Lenora's, who had picked up more of an australian timbre, lord knows why
"True... Whatever, the idea is that she will be staying here for a week or so, then, you, my precious little child, are going to take her to Asgard, i'll give you the details on what you'll tell Odin later, you'll confirm your presence to the ball you'll be demanding for them to hold, etcetera. You're free to do whatever you want, but when the princes arrive, stay away from them, and put the mental barrier I taught you, don't answer questions, pull rank if necessary" said Cora quickly and in one breath, not even getting agitated as she finished.
"That was hot"
"Ew, that's my mother"
"Ew, that's my mother" the asgardian princess mimicked, earning a glare form Lenora
"Wait, what will you be doing meanwhile?" asked the young princess, cutting short her bickering with the goddess
"These past two days I haven't gotten any updates from Loki, i'm 90% sure he's either been killed or has killed everyone, I'm going back" she said rummaging through the room to find her phone
"You're leaving us? Ouch" gasped Hela in feigned hurt, only eliciting a roll of the eyes from the woman
"Yes, i'll send you the speech later Len, for the time being your mission is to bring little miss Asgard up to date on the last six centuries, I've covered the first four" winked the queen, before looking around to make sure she had everything
"Hela, if you text me don't sign with your name, Thor sometimes uses my phone to play crossy road" she adds scrunching her nose, then her body disappears, and a body of furious purple energy took its place
That energy, basically her soul, or astral projection, sent a flying kiss towards the other two before levitating away, through the windows and on her journey back to her body, which was all the way over at the compound
- - -
When she got back, the first thing she did was take notice of the time, 5am.
Second thing she did was address the eyes around the premises, "Hello, Friday, dear, how's everything going? Where is the team currently?" asked Cora standing up from the floor
"Welcome back, miss Sabrina, everyone is currently sleeping, should I alert the team of your return?" spoke the AI
Immediately Cora shook her head and told her not to say anything. She made her way, silently, downstairs, and started making breakfast for everyone, surprised by the amount of baked goods overflowing the countertops, 'Wanda' she deduced
At this point, the realization of everything was dawning on her, like a shock blanket being lifted from her shoulders, letting all the pent up emotions flow through her. She had spent the grand majority of her reign looking for a solution for Hela's banishment, today she had succeeded, she had done it, her hard work had paid off, her best friend was no longer in a pit, ripening on that cave that, even if it was located on the fire realm, brought shivers down her spine and caused a deep numbing chill to take over her chest
But, now, she was happy, she had everything. Yes, she still had her countless secrets, her two lives kept finding ways to collide and she kept juggling with her luck, first the Asgardian Gods - brothers of her best friend - seeing her in Sakaar, then Lenora, who apparently thought it would be a great idea to flirt with Spiderman
Or even the time when they met their doppelgangers from another universe, even those people knew a lot of things about Cora, she had to threaten the whole 'cast' to watch their tongues.
One way or the other, her life was messy enough to keep her entertained, and, more importantly, her pancakes were ready
"Fri, wake the team and tell them Cora has sent them a gift, and if they don't get down here right away I'll, I don't know, you come up with a threat" as Friday got across her message Cora sent the food to the table with a wisp of purple, and then she hid in one of the corners of the room, covered by shadows and the kitchen island, concealing her heartbeat as best as she could since the super soldiers who could sense it if they focused enough
Slowly, everyone started filling into the room, everyone surprised by the food, sitting down on their respective places, Cora noticed how clean the seats were, she deduced that they must've opted to eat their meals in the common room or the kitchen, which was true, they did, but only because it felt wrong to sit as a family, when it suddenly felt so incomplete
"I miss her so much, I need to show her the new glasses with Friday incorporated I designed" spoke Tony, mouth full and voice distant and sad
"I need her to reenact scenes of Boyle and Peralta, it's not the same without my Jake, I miss lolite" whined Thor, his hair looking even dirtier than Loki's in 2012
"So basically, we're all very dependant of this woman" sentenced Nat, to which everyone just hummed, even the god of mischief, who had no witty comment
They're all so sweet
At this, both Wanda and Loki perked up, looking frantically around the room, feeling like they had gone mad, until they met each others gazes, and realized they had both heard it
Cora?
Darling?
Yes?
Oh my god, you're actually here? Where? Please come out
Okay, you got me, i'm a raging bisexual
You're also a dumbass, come out as in out of your hiding spot, wherever that may be
But I want to hear all of you guys say how much you miss me, at least one more
Okay then, why don't you do us the honors, Loki?
Ugh
Loki cleared his throat, getting the attention of most, especially since during that week and a half, he had barely uttered more than two words per day
"Well, as far as it concerns me, during Cora's absence, I've been overruled by an unfathomable feeling of homesickness" he stated, "for some reason" his indifferent tone betrayed by the obvious meaning behind his words
"I missed you too" said Cora cheerily, and very much close to tears, jumping out from her seat "all of you" she added, when she caught herself staring at the Asgardian prince for far too long
After the first wave of shock and greetings and tackling hugs and pancakes had passed, they found themselves back to their routine, telling the woman everything funny that had happened during the short period of time she hadn't been present.
Now there finally wasn't any empty chairs in the long table, it was full and complete, as it should be, and as they all hoped it stayed.
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