Loki slipped out of the room that he and Thor shared on the Statesman.
The clocks read ‘3:14 AM’. Of course, when you’re in space, time of day isn’t really applicable, but it helped to keep everyone on a schedule so that when they got to Midgard, living on a planet again wouldn’t be too much of a shock.
Loki walked slowly and silently down the halls. He had been unable to fall asleep that night and had finally decided to just get up and begin doing some of the simpler tasks he had planned for the day.
He slipped into the kitchen and took a seat on one of the stools. With a couple simple hand gestures, a mug of hot herbal tea materialized on the bar in front of him. He took a sip and sighed.
Then he formed a bright, glowing orb over his head and reached for a paper that sat on the bar. The day before, he had asked one of the cooks to count up all of the food supplies they currently had so he could figure out when they’d have to make a trip to get more and report it in the next council meeting.
He looked over the numbers and quickly began working through the math as he continued to drink his tea. Finally he sat back, glaring at the number that he had ended up with as if it insulted him.
23 days
Twenty-three days, with rationing, till they ran out of food. He groaned. He knew the number would be small but actually having to face it was tough.
On the plus side, money wouldn’t be a problem. Being close to the Grandmaster had had its perks, one of which was the money that he had happily dished out.
No. Money would not be a problem. Time, on the other hand, would likely be their biggest adversary on this voyage.
Loki startled from his thoughts as the feather light pitter patter of feet came from the hallway. A second later, a young girl with brown, elbow length hair and dark eyes appeared in the doorway. She looked to be no more than a couple decades or so in age — probably about four if she had been Midgardian.
She looked surprised at seeing the prince and began to shrink away.
“Wait,” Loki said softly. “It’s alright.”
She stopped moving away but stayed where she was, slightly tucked behind the door frame.
Loki slipped off the stool and crouched on the floor. He crooked a finger at her, beckoning her forward and repeated, “It’s alright. Don’t be frightened.”
She shuffled a bit then came forward, and it appeared that the invitation was all it took to break down her barriers as she scurried over and wrapped her arms around Loki’s neck, sniffling lightly.
He stiffened a bit at the sudden unexpected closeness, then relaxed as he brought a hand up to gently pet her head.
“Oh dear. Now what happened to make a pretty little girl like you look so sad?” Loki asked.
“I miss my mother and father,” she said so softly that he almost didn’t hear it. She sniffled again.
Oh. Loki suddenly found himself wishing he hadn’t asked.
He sighed, scooping her up and stood, then returned to his seat on the stool with her cradled against his chest. He let her cry as she squeezed her arms tightly around his neck.
And, he thought bitterly, wasn’t she the perfect representation of all they had lost? By the time she was Loki’s age, the realm of Asgard would be nothing more than a clouded over memory. She would never know what it was like to go swimming in Asgard's sweet streams or spend a night in the Asgardian mountains, looking up at Asgard’s constellations.
She was Asgardian, yes, but her understanding of what being Asgardian meant would never be like the understanding of those who had grown up and lived on the realm. She would never be Asgardian in the way her mother and father had been.
The thought made Loki shiver.
As the girl’s tears finally stopped, Loki offered her his mug that instantly refilled with the warm, sweet tea. She watched in amazement as it refilled itself, then took it in both hands and drank several gulps before she handed it back to him.
“What’s your name, little one?” he asked.
“Vali,” she whispered.
“Alright, Vali. Are you ready to go back to bed now?”
She immediately shook her head and fear filled her eyes. It was a fear that Loki knew well.
“Oh dear. Are the monsters refusing to let you sleep?”
She looked down, then nodded her head slowly.
Loki smiled softly. “Well then, lucky for you,” he said, bringing his left hand up, “I just happen to know exactly how to chase those ugly monsters away.” He opened his hand, and fireworks lit up over it.
Vali’s eyes widened. She reached a hand out, running it back and forth through the illusion. A small smile creeped onto her features.
After the illusion had dissipated, Loki stood and carried her silently back to her sleeping bag that lay on the floor with the other orphans and the couple of people who had volunteered as caretakers.
He tucked her in then brushed a knuckle along her cheek. A soft green spark lit against her skin as it guided her into a safe sleep where no monsters could reach her.
~~~
Loki had expected it to end there, but a couple nights later, a tiny knock sounded against his and Thor’s door. It had barely been loud enough to wake them at all.
“Who is it?” Thor asked groggily.
There was no response. Just a pause, then a repeat of the quiet knock.
At that, Loki had a suspicion and flicked his wrist, causing the door to open. Vali stood there with her arms hugging herself. There were tears in her eyes.
Loki considered, for a moment, getting up and taking her back to bed, but that seemed like too much work for his half asleep brain. Instead, he conjured on a night shirt, as he had previously been in nothing but soft, black pants and held a hand out to her.
Thor looked confused as the little girl ran to Loki and allowed him to pull her onto his bed and under the covers. Loki offered no response though as his eyes fell shut again and his new bedmate nestled up against him.
The next day, Loki introduced Thor to Vali and explained what had occurred a couple nights prior when the two had first met.
From then on, Vali would show up every couple of nights or so, whenever the monsters in her dreams refused to let her sleep, in hopes of receiving comfort, and Loki always obliged with an open hand and a soft pat to the head. And Thor decided that perhaps they were the best thing that could have ever happened to each other.
Imagine the pain he felt when he found himself kneeling in front of her and telling her that Loki wouldn’t be able to chase away her nightmares ever again.