Just Seeing not Touching
It all started with that faithful moment where I died. Now don’t get me wrong I knew I was going to die. I was calm. I had lived eons on the universe, and I was finally going to go to sleep. My name is Seren and I was a dying star until a seer from across the galaxy pulled my soul away into a container to be Loki’s soulmate.
>...................<
It had started like any other day, a typical family vacation for all the avengers. Tony had planned it obviously; he couldn’t let this be handled by anyone but himself. From the construction of the three-story beach house to the final touches and integration of the latest interfacing with Friday that he could come up with. So even if the house was alone almost all year long it could be protected from any break ins, or any other kind of undesirable personas related to avenger business. Loki had become part of the avengers some time ago. Not that the entire group had agreed to this from the get-go, but it had been an eventful couple of years. From being able to break out from Thanos’s mind control and warning Tony of Thanos, all the way back on the invasion of New York; to killing Thanos alongside Nebula and Gamora on the battlefield in Wakanda. Things had changed for the better.
Now he was a valued member that was weirdly like an uncle to Peter and Shuri. A bad influence non the less because let’s face it he is Loki, God of mischief and chaos, but he is also Loki silver tongue, he has those kids wrapped around his finger just as much as they do him. Tony and Stephen, where planning their wedding as enthusiastically as the next couple on New York. Thor was very avidly courting Miss Pepper into the next dimension. Steven and Bucky were rekindling their lost relationship after their recoveries in Wakanda. Almost every one of the avengers got a considerable time of recovery in Wakanda after the battle. Even Wanda and Pietro had their own time there. Vision, in the end decided to not part ways with the infinity stone on his being and continued to pursue a relationship with Wanda. Banner has started to communicate better with Hulk.
But here is the thing, not everything was addressed properly. You see, there was a tiny thing that Loki forgot. When he was a child, a travelling seer gave Loki a soulmate. Frigga had obviously overseen the matter from a distance, she was always worried that her lonely child would stay that way forever. So, when the seer approached Frigga with the news that a soul for her son had been in the horizon, she urged the seer to try and lure it in for her tender-hearted son. Of course, Loki had to agree to this, even if it was under the guise of a cheap trick of a travelling seer that could not be true. And so, that day the seer approached a young Loki and asked him if he was interested in having a beautiful starlit soulmate that would share their life with his. That would love him and cherish him no matter what happened. Loki, not believing the seer, yet still having a shred of hope in the confines of his soul gave his consent to be brought this soulmate she spoke of to him. The seer took his hands into hers and started chanting. When the shining light of a star much like the one of Nidavellir, crossed the cosmos and landed in the awaiting hands of the seer and his, Loki could not believe his very eyes. The light of the star was as beautiful as he imagined it would be, for a soul that is. He never imagined that the entrancing light would condense to form a doll.
That’s when he lost all amazement and just grew frustrated. How could his soulmate be a doll was beyond him. The seer urged Loki to speak to the doll, to introduce himself and to speak daily to her, as she was his soulmate. Since he only needed to rest her in a pool of water big enough for her to gain consciousness again, she was awake, but could not move on her own. Loki took the words of the seer in stride and took the doll, thinking nothing of it and for a time he would speak daily to this doll. Still not believing the seer that a mere doll would be his soul mate. After a long while, the poor doll was forgotten in Loki’s pocket dimension where all sorts of stuff would end up. From books to infinity stones, the doll would see Loki from time to time. Just a glimpse of him, like that centuries passed, and he was now a grown man. Handsome as ever and cunning as his mother. Yet he had forgotten about the beautiful doll that was supposed to be his soulmate a long time ago. There she was with beautiful long silky strawberry blonde hair and green pearlescent eyes. Seeing him and growing bitter all the same. For how he could forget her in such a way. Yes, she may not be able to speak to him or move at all, but she could see and hear him.
Now she was being discarded like a used-up toy. Worse of all, he left.
>...................<
The vacation time had ended for the avengers, and so everyone in the three-story secluded beach home was either packing or cleaning up for the day to head home to New York the next day. Peter, as per Tony’s instructions was in charge of going the next day around the house to make sure everything was unplugged, safe for the fridges and the security system, and that the water taps where properly shut off before they left. Tony was talking with Friday on the latest update to the security system to the house before they left. Everyone was too busy packing their belongings or doing a last minute clean up to notice that Loki was sitting on a garden chair by the pool outside. Casually taking out different miscellaneous things and setting them on the table in front of him, from his pocket dimension. He was planning on leaving some things at his designated room in this house, since it was bare of anything that made it his to begin with.
Loki was planning on leaving a small set of books that he had already read like a million times and had memorized by heart at this point. Small trinkets here and there to decorate his room in the best Loki way possible, but that it would not reach a gaudy and obnoxious level like the decoration back in Asgard. Then he found it, a doll. He did not remember why he would have a doll of all things in his pocket dimension. He had to admit it was a very delicately made doll. Strawberry blonde hair, pearlescent eyes and a beautifully made dress decorated with stars. Beautiful as starlight. For hours he wracked his mind on why he would have such a thing in his possession. Yet he could not figure it out at all. Then of all people that could have walked out into the pool area, there came Thor in all his lovesick glory to see his brother intensely looking at a doll that he himself had not seen for a good while. He in change remembered who the doll was. Thus, he questioned his bother on it. It had been a long time since he had seen the doll in Loki’s hands now. Loki was surprised by the mere fact his oaf of a brother could remember something that he didn’t.
"Tell me brother", Loki inquired, "how is it that you know this doll and I can not seem to remember it at all." As he placed the doll on the table, as to not wrinkle the pretty dress of the doll in question. Thor taking the seat beside his brother, just looked at him surprised. "Well, I guessed you had hidden her away", mentioned Thor while gesturing towards the doll, "but you always had this doll with you when we were children". Explained Thor to Loki. "Yes, but that does not explain why I have a doll in my possession at all Thor". Argued Loki back as he sighted heavily, exasperated with the whole ordeal. Thor just looked at Loki in a quizzical manner and asked him if he did not remember saying, in a very annoyed huff, to him that a seer had told Loki that the doll was his soulmate. With that prompt, it seemed that the memories within Loki’s mind had finally jumbled back together. With a look of sudden realization that quickly changed into distaste he took the doll from the table and tossed it into the pool.
Thor could not figure out why his bother would so such a thing in the first place. As far as he knew that was Loki’s soulmate in all but name. His mother had told him about the plan with the traveling seer before she was even allowed to approach Loki with the offer of a soul mate. Now, Loki had seemingly forgotten about the doll all together. Next thing he sees, Loki had thrown the poor doll into the pool. Thor tried to get up, to attempt to rescue the doll from its watery grave but Loki stopped him with a grave expression that left no room for argument. Loki got up from his place on the garden chair, with it making a grating screeching sound on the concrete. He gathered his books and other trinkets on his arms and headed inside to be on his room for the rest of the evening.
It was night already, they were going to head home early in the morning the next day, but Thor could not make himself move from the chair. Frigga had tasked him to protect Loki and that doll was part of it. Yet, he knew that if he tried to retrieve it from the bottom of the pool his brother would stab him. He had no choice but to leave it there. At some point Pepper had come out after Loki left Thor to his own devices outside beside the pool. She didn’t say anything at first. She just took a seat across Thor and reached across the table between them for his hand to take it into hers. Thor was distraught with Loki’s actions at the moment. He had seemed content with the vacations that Stark had planned and was, actually, getting along with the children as well. Now he seemed to be in a sour mood just because of the poor doll. Then he felt the reassuring and gentle presence of Lady Pepper near him. She was a steady force for him. Even more now that she had accepted his proposal to courting her the proper way that a prince soon to be king should. Of course, he had asked Stark for his blessing beforehand. They had been together when they were younger, and now they were like siblings. Thor had to do it the proper way.
That was a matter for another moment in life. Thor may be socially obtuse most times but this one time he was sure that whatever his bother was doing was wrong in some way shape or form. He on one hand understood that it may be a future cause of conflict if it was not addressed in the proper way. On the other hand. Leaving it be, was the safest option, concerning his brothers recent flare of negative emotion regarding the supposed soulmate doll that was in Loki’s possession not mere hours ago. Even if Thor’s thoughts where conflicted Pepper knew that he would seek her advice. Thus, Thor after some odd five minutes of their hands being intertwined decided to make his plight known to his Lady. His tone was that of insecurity and conflict. A thickness of apprehension while retelling Loki’s encounter with the traveling seer back in Asgard. Thor further explained how Frigga had made him promise to protect Loki in the future. How, Frigga worried for Loki had approved of the seer to bring him an actual soulmate. A soul that would be bonded to Loki’s soul for the time he would live until his death. The two souls were meant to be together.
“For this is in in itself very rare an occurrence”, explained Thor in a very vulnerable tone that Pepper had only heard when he had asked to court her many months ago. “Not everyone has a soulmate in the stars for them, we can find people that we can share our souls with but not to that level, it is almost impossible.” Commented Thor in a sad tone. For he had thought that his previous Lady, Jane Foster was his soulmate from the stars. Turns out that he was not destined like his brother was. Thor was to find his love with another that knew the pain of loving another but coming to terms that it would not be their place. Since they both knew that it would hurt all parties involved in the long run. Such was the case with Pepper and Tony. She was strong, yes. But not to the point that Tony needed at al times. She is a sense could not keep up. After some time, Tony and Pepper reached that understanding and decided to end their relationship on good terms. As to avoid a bitter end, that would no doubt poison them. In the end that would never happen. Tony and Pepper where like siblings even before their short relationship, even Rhodey thought it was for the best.
Pepper reasoned with Thor that maybe it was for the best to leave the topic for another time in the future. She assured Thor that she would get Peter to get the poor doll out of the pool in the morning before they left for New York. Since it seemed a bit cruel to leave her there for the rest of the year or however long it took for their next vacation to come by, plus it would be bad for such a delicate item to be under water for that long. Thor felt at peace with the reached agreement on the matter. The doll would not stay under water for long with that outcome. Just for the night. With that decided they both entered the house to rest for the early travel the next day.
Pepper felt strange in a way, she found herself giving human qualities to a doll that Thor believed was a soul. She obviously did not question it. For the sake of everything that was real, she was in a very serious relationship with a God of all people. Something like that was not out of the ordinary. Turns out that magic was real too. She would be lying if she said that it was easy, it wasn’t. First, he was a God, from another culture no less. But he made her so happy. His care and love for her could rival anything on earth, she was sure of that. It made Pepper cry sometimes, the pure and sheer love that he could demonstrate for her not only with his words, but with his actions as well. An outstanding devotion that was inhumanly possible. Sometimes Pepper felt her heart would implode, she felt her love for him was small at times. What no one knew was that at times when they where deep into conversation or just basking in each other’s presence at the end of a very busy day, their eyes would let everyone see just how beautiful their love was.
>...................<
The next morning had come, and everything was a hectic mess. Of course, that is to be polite about the situation. Nobody had washed the dishes the night before, and Steve had forgotten to put both his clothes and Bucky’s in the drier the night before. Tony and Shuri had come up with a new interface that would allow Friday to control everything in the house. From turning on the lights to updating all the functions of the house. It would even be able to switch the roof for solar panels when needed. So, Tony was tinkering that update with Friday. Peter was going around the three floors of the house unplugging every lamp, tv and console that he could find and closing off every faucet in every single bathroom that he could enter as well. It was no easy job, for a beach house it was ginormous. It had 18 bedrooms and six bathrooms in total. It was big, and that was an understatement.
Thor and Pepper were packing their last things, they where the only ones to be on time out of all the people in the house. Tony had forgotten the Roomba, so Pietro had to pass the vacuum cleaner on all the rooms that were used before they left at 11:30. It was 9:30 now. Shuri had to leave in her own transport sent from Wakanda, so she was gone before Tony woke up at 8 am. Wanda and Vision were preparing the lasts bits of breakfast for all in the house, so they where occupied. Stephen had to leave for Kamar Taj at 9 since he started giving classes to the new sorcerers. He had left with a quick kiss to Tony and off he was through a portal to Nepal. Bucky went on a quick run on the beach, so he was coming back later.
Loki, the broody bastard was still in his room. He had stayed awake all night long just being restless. He had taken out more things to leave behind on his room and rearranged them ten times before he felt mildly tired at 4 in the morning. None the less he still looked out his window to see if the wretched doll was still in its watery doom. It was sadly. He had thought significantly about the whole situation. He was not angry, just dissatisfied, disappointed even. The doll had not shown any signs of being remotely alive. That meant that it was a fake, meant to make him miserable in the long run. That was Loki’s mistake. He had not bothered to check the doll for any trace of magic of any sort. Maybe his actions where childish, when he tossed the doll into the poll, but now he felt it was of no consequence in the least.
Wanda had announced that breakfast was ready, and Thor went up to Loki’s room to urge him to come out of his room. Thor was still a bit preoccupied, but Pepper was going to ask Peter to rescue the doll from the bottom of the pool, so he put his thoughts on the back burner of his mind for the moment. Right as Thor was going to knock on Loki’s door, the door opened and out came Loki. “Heard your loud steps all the way here so I thought it would be wise to come down for the day”. Deadpanned Loki when he saw his bothers surprised look when he opened the door.
Not long after that it was time to leave, the quinjet that was going to pick them up was arriving in 10 minutes. Just in the nick of time everything was finished, Pietro had finished vacuuming the floors, Wanda and Vision had washed, dried, and put away all the dishes. Thor was helping Loki pack the last things to get their bags out to the front porch. Peter had finished all his tasks and was putting his bags outside. Tony was getting scolded by Pepper because he didn’t even pack his stuff, he was going to leave them at the house. Pepper did the same thing. She was indulging a little bit and left some of her older clothes in the house.