magic and crowns

"Well, what's our next step? We obviously need to send her somewhere, a safe house is not even close to enough", Steve started

"Apparently, not even the most sophisticated security system in the market is enough for this woman", Tony muttered in disgrace, his ego had taken a beating during the week after the attack on the compound, he'd come to the conclusion that Cora being in a coma was all his fault. He wasn't too different to the rest of the heroes, most of them spiraled around that one thing that they could've done to prevent what happened, as they tended to do.

But alas, Steve opted to ignore him and carry on, "any bright ideas?"

"We're only a week away from our trip to Asgard, maybe I can ask the Allfather to let her stay after the gala, until we know it's safer-", down here was what Thor had intended to say, but the increasingly louder sound of grunting and complaining turned everyone's attention to the commotion outside their closed doors. Muffled curses and thuds against, what they could only assume was, every piece of furniture in the way. It wasn't more than a few seconds before Loki cam wheeling in a recovering Cora into the meeting room

"Yes, don't all throw themselves at her, she was only in a coma for a few days", his snide remark brought everyone out of their shock, and one by one they hugged her tightly and gave each of their versions of basically "we were so scared, and now we are so happy". Once that was over, everyone seemed to change their attention to the God of Mischief, who they hadn't seen in just as long as Cora had been in the medical wing

"Did you tell him he looked like shit?", Thor was the first to speak, examining the polished attire his brother was wearing and grinned at Cora, she only looked at the brothers in question

"Shouldn't you-", Stark's question was stopped short by a glare from the raven-haired god

"She won't be going back to that bed, she is perfectly capable of sitting still and having a say on the meeting, more so if the matter at hand is herself or where you want to send her", Loki said, Cora looked at him with almost actual hearts in her eyes before she turned to the team

"I didn't even tell him to say that stuff", she said excitedly, before tugging the God down and pecking his cheek loudly three times. "But yes, I'm not going anywhere", she stated immediately afterwards, eyeing everyone and their possible rebuttals, she smiled when she saw each of them nod

"We were thinking about using Asgard as a safe house, Heimdall can-"

"Heimdall couldn't even sense the attack coming, I had to call out to him", Loki opened his mouth to argue, but his brother beat him to it

"I hate to say it, but when I talked to him, he said it wasn't from here, he's connected to our realms, to what's from this universe, that's how his seer powers work, yes, now that the demon is locked up in Asgard it's easier, and he can see him, but that doesn't stop a different demon to come and attack her again, he would be none the wiser unless someone pointed it out to him, like Cora did when calling out to him, but we can't risk it being too late", Cora just pointed at Thor with an I-told-you-so grin, Loki looked troubled

"I'll stay", he said after a few moments contemplating, a slight sigh leaving him, Cora looked at him in confusion

"You're not missing the trip, Loki Friggason", she stated, her face void of any amusement as she just shook her head

"Darling-"

"Darling nothing, you will meet your sister, you will see your mom, you will hopefully punch Odin in the mouth - yes, I'm just joking Thor -, and you will come back and tell me all about it"

"Cora, you can't just stay here, alone", Natasha argued, bringing the team back into the conversation

"Mr. Stark and I could design a decision making system that could evaluate the most-"

"Not needed, Parker, I'll just stay with the sorcerers, Stephen does have a somewhat better multiverse tingle", she shrugged, patting Loki's hand when she mentioned the sorcerer's name, he stopped mid-scowl and smiled down at her, "I will, on the other hand, compromise and let Heimdall keep a constant eye on me and this whole situation, he'll warn you if anything happens, worst comes to worst, he can swoosh me right up", she added reluctantly, as if she was really troubled by that bonus

"Why don't you just come to Asg-", Loki again had to shut Stark up

"Okay, let's talk trip preparations, should we?", Steve spoke up, gathering the attention from the whole team, quick to start shouting their ideas and thoughts

- - -

As her spoon grabbed more of the delicious ice-cream, she looked around her and admired the view, the usually busy parlor was almost void of people, as was the little park on the other block, it was clear that the little town respected the sunday rules of 2pm to 4pm is nap time, they laughed at a few rebellious kids who had managed to get themselves to the park, she breathed in the calmness of just spending a lazy weekend away from trouble and work, "I don't think I've ever been as happy as I am right now", she said, smiling at the concentrated look her companion had while trying to decide what he wanted to order

"That's a lie", he responded absentmindedly, then caught himself, "A cute lie, nonetheless", Cora only replied with a fond smile, and ate more of her treat as the raven-haired prince finally made his mind up

She laughed when he saw his order, "That's literally the same I got"

"Is that bad?", he asked, finally sitting down in the little table she had picked while he had an existential crisis over his pick of flavours

"I don't know, just so we could have like more variations"

"We can have any ice-cream we want at any and all times, dove", she reluctantly shrugged, because, yeah, it was true, and swiped up a bit of his ice-cream

"Hey! It's mine, the whole point-", his eyes widened at what he almost admitted, but it was too late, Cora got it too

"Oh my God!", she shrieked, punching his arm repeatedly over the table, "you just didn't want to share, you snake!", his cheeks got impossibly redder with each accusation, and Cora couldn't help bursting into laughter. He tried to get out of the situation but couldn't figure out what to say, so he just rolled his eyes and kept eating, she would stop laughing at some point...

"And then, he freaked out, like I had just taken a bite out of his own flesh and body...", he blocked out her retelling of the funny moment, he was wrong, she did not stop laughing, and she called Wanda to tell her, and that turned into telling Natasha and Pepper who were hanging out with the witch, which then ended up in Clint being added to the call so Cora could tell him as well, now he just lost track of who she was telling

"Okay", he said more to himself, right before he took the phone from the table where she had set it, "Thank you very much, whichever of our idiot friends you are, but this our date, and I'd like to get back to it", with that he sent a kiss and ended the call, smiling to Cora who was staring at him dumbfounded, in return he stared for a moment longer, before swiping out some of her ice-cream for himself, of course, Cora instantly responded with just as much indignation as the prince had previously

- - -

"Are you sure you have everything?", the sight was just as chaotic as you'd expect, having in mind that this was the first outer-space trip for the witchling

"Yup"

"Toothbrush?"

"Yup", she continued to pack more clothes, the bag already looking like it'd be a hassle to close

"What about sheets, are you bringing your own sheets?", Wanda had to stop her folding task in order to look questioningly at the manic woman going from one corner of the room to the other

"Now why would I-"

"You should bring your own sheets, it's just a suggestion, but you never know what sort of royal asses have rolled around those sheets, it's like motels, do you just trust they washed them?"

"Cora, i have everything i could possibly need-"

"Oh, condoms!" the woman practically yelled out

"My boyfriend is a robot!" Wanda snapped back in horror

"Well, who knows? Thor is the god of fertility and it was partly his weird lightning that made Vision come to life" she shrugged before continuing her incessant rummaging

"Okay, no, stop- Cora, stop, please!" Wanda pleaded, finally being able to grab the woman's arm, forcing her to stop her frantic pacing through the witch's room as she made sure the youngest Maximoff had everything she needed for the trip to Asgard

"You're going to an unknown realm, and I'm not going, and I'm freaking out a bit, okay? So, I need to know at least I'm sending you away well prepared, please, just let me do this" she practically begged. It had been the same day she woke up from her coma that it dawned on her that Wanda would be leaving without her to watch over her, nightmares plagued her, she tried to remind herself that the Darkhold had been dealt with, but alas, anyone was able to see the fear that clouded around her whenever the trip was mentioned, she couldn't shake the feeling of impending... something.

"You could always come along though" the redhead mumbled as she folded the last piece of clothing "hey!" she protested when Cora took it away from her

"The last thing you should be worrying about is clothing, witchling" she chuckled shortly, "the second you arrive there, you will be taken to your chambers and basically get forced into classical asgardian attire" she huffed as she absentmindedly re-folded the colorful sweater

Wanda gave up and decided to sit on the floor cross-legged, fiddling with the sweater, "You know, I'm $150 dollars richer?" she said after Cora had set the top back in its drawer

"Really? What did you bet on this time?" she asked with a hum, still not being able to stop herself from checking the girl's duffel bag, again, she had to make sure she had everything

"We had a pool going... on when you and Loki would finally be a thing" she admitted, shrugging when she saw the wide eyed woman

"Yeah, I'm not surprised" she said after a second, going back to her previous activity, "who was in on it?" she asked then, absentmindedly taking out the unneeded clothing Wanda was planning on taking

"Initially, my brother and Peter, then Clint found out, so the rest of the team found out, but the adults bet ice cream instead of money-", she took a gasp of air, and Cora smiled, recognizing what it was, the beginning of a rant. She braced herself

"So technically I am $150 plus whatever amount equals to like 6 tubs of ice-cream I guess. I did for some reason, promise to share with Peter and Clint, also did you know he has a girlfriend? Not Clint, Peter." Coras eyes widened at that. "Well, he says they aren't official yet, but he really wants to be, it's sweet, Peter introduced me to her, because I walked in on them- that sounded wrong, I literally caught them on call while they were playing minecraft, and, aw! They have the cutest little farm, and they have like a thousand pets! In the game, of course. Anyway, she was so sweet, and she likes sitcoms, so, brownie points... she said she just recently finished watching modern family, Pete practically had to throw me out of his room, said i was 'hogging' his girlfriend, and then i ran because Fridda, that's her name by the way, asked him 'wait, I'm your girlfriend?', so that was definitely a conversation they hadn't had until then. And you know I'm nosey, so later that day i may have looked and found out they decided to keep it unofficial until they actually met, to see how the chemistry worked in person and all that jazz"

Cora could only look at her with her eyebrows raised while she delivered her monologue, infinitely amused in the way the witch didn't even realise she had ran out of air until she was finished, still she grasped onto all the words she had uttered. "You good?", she asked with a laugh, when the witch nodded, she spoke again "so, in your opinion, this 'not-a-girlfriend', was, I don't know, cool?" she asked as nonchalantly as possible

"Yeah" she said with a light smile, "I'm sure you'll agree when you meet her" she added, going back to throwing away some stuff Cora was insisting she took, she was sure she would never ever need them

"I'm sure I will" she laughed, rolling her eyes at the witch sneaking the sweater back into the bag

- - -

Goodbyes aren't something Cora has ever been used to, nor are they something she enjoyed

But still, there she was, in the compound's helipad, wishing good travels to a group she had grown to consider as close as her heart allowed it. The group of heroes had been slowly making their way to the top, all with their own bags filled with unnecessary items, but that was something only the Gods and the Queen seemed to agree on, they'll see soon, they told themselves, Finally after waiting for Bucky and Sam for a solid twenty minutes extra, they were finally all ready to call on the Bifrost

"Last minute change of heart? You're my drinking buddy, without you I feel like the gods will be judging me, in a very literal way" said the muffled voice of Tony Stark as he hugged the woman

"Ow, Stark" she cooed, hugging him tightly, "They definitely will, don't sweat it" she said patting him on the back, laughing at the immediate frown that took over the billionaire's face

"Make sure to talk to Stephen about me so he doesn't forget me, Sabrina" he added with a pointed finger

"For the last time, i am not a witch, Sabrina as a nickname is just not accurate" she huffed, her accent more prominent but her smile still not wavering, she then moved onto the next pair of awaiting arms. "Have fun, spidey" she chuckled pulling away, before she realized he'd most probably be meeting Lenora, also known as his 'not-a-girlfriend', "Just not too much fun" she added sternly, causing the kid to make a double take

"Y-yeah, of course, stay safe, Miss Cora" he smiled awkwardly, giving her one last hug before rejoining the group

"Okay, time to reveal that you planned on coming this whole time!" whined the god of thunder as he scooped her up in a hug, she just laughed incredulously at their collective persistency 

"Let go, goldilocks, come back in one piece, and have some faith on your brother" she added, knowing that the blonde prince was troubled by the thought of his brother's behaviour once they were back home

"Thanks, I will make sure to bring him back in one piece as well, little birdie told me he owes you a sixth date already?" he says with a bright smile and a suggestive wiggle of his brows

The rest of the heroes were done with their goodbyes, saving the god of mischief for last, who in turn left everyone confused when he merely gave the woman a hug and a kiss on the knuckles, on the one hand that held the beautiful emerald ring, of course

"We already said our goodbyes earlier- not like that, James" he huffed when he saw the amused smirk tugging at Bucky's lips, though his frown turned into a grin when he heard Cora chuckling at the interaction

"As if he'd actually let any of you see him the slightest bit vulnerable" she laughed, then she turned her back on the prince and cupped one side of her mouth in faux secrecy "he cried like a baby, begging me to go with him, so pathetic" she whispered mockingly to the group, halting abruptly when she felt her feet lift from the floor and her sides being poked by those oh-so familiar slender fingers

"Take it back" he demanded, ignoring the woman's pleas for mercy, the laughter of their friends and the knowing glint in his brother's eyes

"Never!" she managed to squeak out, her hands all over the place trying to grab onto anything she could use to her advantage

"Okay then, I'll bring you with me and just keep tickling you until we're back from our trip" he taunted in her ear, and at this she stopped her resistance. He decided to ignore the pang in his heart at seeing the reluctance the woman had at going to Asgard, something he just couldn't understand, instead he smirked down at the woman in victory

"I take it back" she said jumping away from the god of mischief, "Not" she added quickly running to hide behind Thor like a scaredy cat, Loki reacted instantly, and chased after her

"Okay, can we- Thor, could you stop them? We have to go" said an exasperated Steve from the middle of the pad, watching as the two sorcerers were now playing mouse and cat around the god of thunder

"Sorry, spangles" Cora giggled after disappearing and reappearing outside of the circle of huddled up heroes in a lilac puff, and Loki rejoined the others, absentmindedly tilting his chin up and brushing away any creases that might have formed in his asgardian leather during the chase. He stared directly at her with a small smile, before anything else was said, he blinked back in front of her and kissed her slowly and deeply, her hands gravitated to the back of his neck, and his hugged her waist and brought her as close as they could without having to break their lips apart

When they did break apart, Loki could only stare at her, his mind screaming those three words at him like crazy, tugging at his strings, under not much control of his own, his mouth opened, and he panicked at what he was about to say, and where he stood, and what was happening, and who he was speaking to, but his mouth was already open, and, "I will miss you, my dove", is what he ended up saying, before blinking back to the group, his eyes never faltering from smiling at hers

"Okay, remember we all have our weird intergalactic phones, so please call us if anything happens" reminded Natasha from where she stood in between Steve and Clint. She seemed hesitant about something, but after two more seconds of thinking, she sprinted towards the woman to give her one last hug

"Be careful, Nat, be aware of danger like you always do, but remember to have fun too, please" came the muffled commentary from Cora, her words barely audible thanks to the tight hold the russian woman had on her

"I promise, you have fun, but remember to be careful too, please" the agent retorted when she pulled away, using both her hands to smooth the grey-eyed woman's hair. She gave her arm a soft squeeze and jogged back to the group, and with the farewells all done, Thor and Loki called for the bifrost, and just like that, Cora was alone 

- - -

She had grown accustomed to the seclusion the compound offered, she saw the tower as she walked through the streets of Manhattan, and it only made her more thankful of whatever it was that made Tony move the team from the heart of the city to the outskirts. She felt how drainful it was to be surround by so many people, so rushed, and 'what for?'  Was all she could think. Living and interacting only with people whose lives are so far from what the average human life looks like, it serves as a cushion from reality, from what the real world looks like, what real mortal everyday life looks like, and seeing everyone so rushed, so worried and so aloof, so social yet so socially forced to be so individualistic, it sickened her, she felt the urge to kill everyone just so they could enjoy the afterlife, at that thought, she remembered why she gravitated towards the misfits, and why she'd spent so many years alone without interactions for so many years. Suffice to say, it brought an actual sigh of relief out of her when she finally made it to her destination

"Knock, knock, anyone home?" yelled Cora from outside of the intimidating double doors. Immediately, two figures started making their way down the dramatically wide stairs, visible to her in blurry shapes thanks to the tinted windows, she could see them preparing their shields in case there was a hostile behind the locked doors, and she smiled at their faces when they finally opened the door 

"Ugh, you don't live here anymore, get out, Wong, tell her to leave" were the whining words that first came out of Strange's mouth the second he made out who the visitor was

"He just got his ass handed to him in Mario Kart" brushed off the librarian, opening the door wider, "Ignore him and come in before I kill him... or myself" he muttered, pushing the giddy woman inside of the sanctum

"So, you're staying with us until your new best friends come back?" asked the sorcerer supreme with the saltiness of... well, his saltiness

Both Cora and Wong, having anticipated the attitude, grumbled in unison, then of course bumped their fists when they realized

"Actually not even that, I'm just here for coffee, then I'll get out of your hair, too much humanity, I'll just stay in the tower, maybe pull a prank on the students before that, for old times' sake" she beamed at the sorcerers' scowls

- - -

"Did you really have to do this inside and not on the training grounds" Wong complained as he eyed the mess his precious entrance hall had become. Cora flashed him a bright smile from her place in the middle of the room, floating high above everyone else, ironic. All the students were trying to recover from the shock, some were already moving onto throwing orange restraints towards their ex professor in hopes they could bring her down with them, though clearly failing

She had decided that post-it notes were simply not good enough this time around. And that was an understatement if you saw the condition in which the room she was floating in, was: the floors were shiny thanks to the slippery oil she set for the students to trip on, feathers were stuck in every surface, both humans and furniture, and there were still a few solitary ones that were just hovering in the air, patiently choosing their prey. The cherry on top was the avalanche of shaving cream the students had been met with, which made it so much easier for the plumes to stick to them

Cora's laughter and the students' complaints were shut off when Stephen broke into the room, the woman turned around, obviously expecting some sort of reaction, whether positive or negative didn't matter (after all this time, she still didn't really care). But when she was met by dead silence, it was fair to say she wasn't the only one surprised, though that barely was of any concern, as the sorcerer, without shifting his gaze from the window, gestured with his hands for Cora to follow him

Once they were in the relics' room, in the solitude and privacy that only the magic artifacts could offer them, Strange spoke up

"I played with time and space again" he began, awkward yet somber

"As in?" she trailed off, hoping she'd get more than that ominous piece of news

"I messed up, Cora, I opened it, the multiverse, I opened it and I've already closed it, well, not really me, another me, but I didn't really help it in any way. I think that's how the book of the damned - yes, of course I know about that - and the demon were able to make their way to this Earth" he exhaled in a ramble, not even giving the woman time to give an input before he started again, "and i looked into the future again, because i needed to see what the hell could happen and-", he paused, his eyes glazing 

"Stephen, dear, breathe, please, one in, one out" she eased, moving to wrap her arms around the man's shoulders to ground him back on earth

"-you need to go to the compound, what i saw- you just have to go, okay?" pleaded the doctor, and due to his frantic state, Cora could do nothing other than slowly nod and reassure him that she would

"W-what did you see?" she asked hesitantly in a whisper. He turned to give her a pointed look that refrained her from asking further questions, but she insisted, "Stephen, you have to tell me, you need to tell me"

"Possibilities are endless", he muttered, never one to double down, "You know that, you know that you just need to take my word for it"

"Well, I'm asking for probabilities then", they stared at one another, the longest of silences they'd ever shared probably, "Please, just something", she pleaded, her voice cracking, he couldn't help the wince it brought out of him, he breathed out before looking at her with defeat painting his eyes

"It's basically fifty-fifty, catastrophe or miracle"

"Okay, so-"

"Please, just know, whatever happens up there, you'll always have a place here, you and her" the doctor cut her off, rendering the woman speechless when he swept her off her feet and hugged her even tighter than the black widow had a couple of hours before

Up there?, she wondered fleetingly

"Well, then, I'm just gonna-"

Well, you can tell by the way i use my walk

I'm a woman's man, no time to-

"-Fucking hell, just a fucking minute of peace and quiet" she cursed out loud, fishing out her phone to see who was calling her now

She furrowed her brows when she saw the contact name, belonging to none other than the gatekeeper of Asgard (contact name being 'golden boy'). She looked at Strange, silently asking if this was what he meant, if he had seen this, if he now knew the truth about everything, about her

He nodded

Just a slight movement that made her want to crawl back to Valhalla and walk through the star gate, or at least sleep for a hundred years minimum

But she couldn't, and the ringing of the Bee Gees song was still going strong, waiting to be cut off, so she sighed, and did just that

"What's going on? Is everything alright?" she asked the second the call was connected, her voice was not strong, it wasn't full of faux confidence, it was just tainted by fear, of the unexpected, of the what the hell could be happening right now, and what the hell would happen in the future that could be somehow worse

Stephen heard indistinguishable mumbles on the other line, but he didn't need much confirmation that what he had seen would happen, was already starting to happen. Especially when a second later Cora gave him all the confirmation he needed with her exclamation:

"What do you mean he-" she yelled out of nowhere, cutting herself off in order to maintain whatever sanity was left in her. Turning her head to her friend then back ahead

"Call you in a minute" she mumbled to the phone, before disappearing in a swirl of angry purple magic, not that Strange could say he was surprised

- - -

What is it about having a one on one conversation in whispers? When you're both alone, free to laugh, scream and cry? Why do we limit ourselves to low chuckles, hushed voices, and silent sobs? I bet it has something to do with that intimacy crap

"Gonna miss you" she yawned, sitting up from her lying position and propping herself up in one arm to get a better look at the god tangled in her sheets

"Or you could come with us" he reminded her, kissing each knuckle on her left hand, "with me" he corrected, before planting a kiss right in the infamous ring Cora had decided to keep on wearing

"Don't start, please" she replied hushedly, gently removing her hand from his grasp, "What happened with the kitchen Loki that said he wouldn't pester me about not going to Asgard?" she added, playfully glaring

"I said I wouldn't ask about why you were not coming, don't twist my words, dove, I'm the silver-tongued-whatever" he answered without missing a beat, smiling at the eye roll he caused on the woman

"You're right, you're not asking anything, you're just begging like a needy prince" she joked, giggling when said prince moved the two so now he was hovering on top of her with a malicious glint in his eyes, the one she just. Couldn't. Get. Enough of

"Yup, I'm downright pleading" he admitted in a low chuckle, his lips lingering against her neck then moving away just like that, only leaving a light fan of his breath against her skin, his eyes never leaving hers, goofy grins on both their faces

"I thought a god didn't plead" she teased, pecking him on the lips, "nor a king" she added in a hum

"He will for his queen" he breathed out, with that enchanting smile Cora loved so much

"Not even officially together yet and I'm already your queen?" she taunted, running her hands through his raven locks

"Hmm, and however could we change that?" he said, rubbing his chin as if he were in deep thought

"It's not fair to either of us, especially you, to start something serious when you don't even know the simplest things, like, i don't know, anything, just for the sake of me having my secrets"

"Why do you keep them, then? If what we have is as great and has as much potential as you have repeatedly said, why keep them?" he asked, getting off her, and sitting in front of her instead, Cora following that movement instantly

"I'm trying, okay? I want you to find out from me, nobody else, and I promise you, I'm trying to get my shit together, no more secrets, but I- I just need more time, I mean, i can't just tell you to have a look through my mind and see a millenium years worth of my life to understand, it's dangerous, and you know it" she mumbled, averting her gaze from his eyes, not having the courage to look at the possible hate in them, or even worse, pain

"I've lived so many centuries" he started with a tired sigh, "yet I've never felt as alive as I do with you in my arms" he concluded, admiring the almost shy smile that forced its way onto Cora's face, "I can wait a bit longer, i guess, just don't make it forever, please" he hummed, kissing her with an uncharacteristic sweetness for the god of mischief, she hummed back, both silently agreeing that they had no need to speak further on the subject

"So, even though you're gonna miss me so, so, so much", she stopped to laugh at the eye roll he was giving her, "Are you excited for the trip? You'll be able to see Frigga without it having to be through illusions" she asked tentatively looking at him up and down with a soft smile

"To be quite honest- oh, yeah, so funny, the god of lies being honest, shut up, Cora" he started immediately, seeing the amused glint in her eyes, then stopping his answer altogether to chuckle lightly along with the woman now back in his arms,

"Sorry, sorry, please, you were saying" she said stopping her giggles and looking at him again, braiding a small lock of his hair as she watched him piece together an answer

"I am excited, though i don't trust Thor's words, and i would not be surprised if Odin threw me in the dungeons the second i set foot in the palace" he grimaced half heartedly

"Oh, don't be silly, he's not gonna put you in the dungeons" she laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck and bringing him down to her lips

"I'm gonna miss you, my prince" she said in between kisses

"Same here, dove" he whispered before effortlessly pulling her on top of him by the waist

Damn that intimacy crap