Two Birds On a Wire
Two birds on a wire
Standing in the courtyard, it is almost possible to forget we’re in Hel, surrounded by the dead who were deemed unworthy of Valhalla. Though one look at Hela’s ghastly appearance and death-laced smile immediately grounds to reality.
One tries to fly away
A slight breeze pulls the air around us and chatter from the city drifts through, but none of us care. Loki stands to my right, completely still, glaring down at Hela and Saint leans against my left, content to let us handle whatever we're doing.
And the other watches him close from that wire
A guard lumbers down the stairs, carrying a case, wooden it seems. The queen only gestures for it to be opened, not bothering to touch the case.
He says he wants to as well
Silently he pops it open, revealing a dark ring on a piece of fabric. Without any comment she slides the band over her pointer finger, twisting it slightly to make it glow faintly before black curls down her hand in lazy swirls.
But he is a liar
“The palace, Asgard, midgardian year 2012?” She prompts but looks towards Loki.
I'll believe it all
“Try for outside of Frigga’s quarters, May 12, around nine in the afternoon.” He offers it quietly, her smirk deepens before shifting her gaze back to me, making that unsettling feeling scrape along my bones and the screams scatter to the corners of my mind.
There's nothing I won't understand
Run, run, run
I'll believe it all
As she raises her hand, Loki grips my hand tightly and reflexively my fingers curl around Saint’s collar, but Hela’s gaze doesn't falter with mine.
I won't let go of your hand
Eyes of death watch mine of insanity, “Remember our deal, Adhara.”
Two birds on a wire
Briefly I catch Loki’s head turning towards me before she sends us back. Black crowds us, making the courtyard fade away and the breeze becomes nonexistent.
One says c'mon and the other says "I'm tired"
Momentarily the ground disappears, Saint’s weight hangs heavily on my arm and Loki's grip only tightens further before a hard surface returns under my feet.
The sky is overcast and I'm sorry
At some point my eyes close, once they open again the strikingly familiar courtyard appears. One I left what seems to be an immeasurable amount of time ago, yet it's not the same.
One more or one less
“She did it,” He breathes beside me, but I couldn't care less.
Nobody's worried
Safe, safe, safe
I'll believe it all
I did it, yanking the hand still holding mine, forcing him to turn from the younger courtyard garden to me. Pulling my hand free I wrap myself around his neck and hold him tightly, earning me a shocked laugh and arms looping around my back.
There's nothing I won't understand
“Oh my star, I'm so so sorry.” he whispers brokenly into my hair.
I'll believe it all
Go, go, go. Move, move, move
I won't let go of your hand
Trying not to flinch at their incessant pitch, I just grip the back of his shirt tighter, desperately trying to reassure myself that I really did it. That he's here and won’t fade into dust within my grasp.
Two birds of a feather
He won't ever fade away… it was a price I was willing to pay. A bargain I was willing to wage.
“It's alright darling,” Hands splay along my back, rubbing soothing circles… I'm shaking, but I don't get the chance to truly save this moment.
Say that they're always gonna stay together
Loki tenses under my touch and Saint’s low growl fills the room.
Say that they're always gonna stay together
Can I ever catch a god damn break? The warmth of his mind, that was comfortably wrapped against mine, slowly fades. Retreating, readying for whatever the fuck appeared behind me.
But one's never going to let go of that wire
The device chirps behind my back and five breathing patterns fill the air. As his hands fall from my back to his sides, my own release his collar and find the blades at my hips.
He says that he will
“Be careful, something isn't right here.” He whispers through my head as I slowly turn, Saint’s growling climbing higher as their booted feet scuffle about the room.
“Appears to be a sequence violation.” One of them states as I finally face them.
But he's just a liar
All covered in heavy black gear, some hold a staff of some kind while others hold devices that are still warbling. “Branch is growing at a stable rate and slope.” She continues, starting at the device, barely sparing us a glance.
Two birds on a wire
Then, quickly, she glances at Loki then the device again. That can’t be fucking good… “Variant identified.”
One tries to fly away and the other
“I beg your pardon?” Loki fires back and my grip tightens around the handles, but none of them seem concerned at myself or my growling boy
Watches him close from that wire
Looking all too pleased with herself, others are finally paying attention… to Loki. The device chirps in her hands again, “On behalf of the Time Variance Authority, I hereby arrest you for crimes against the Sacred Timeline. Hands up.”
He says he wants to as well, but he is a liar
As if one cue, the others raise their weapons, each buzzing to life. “You’re coming with us.” Though she's serious, I can already feel the amusement leaking from behind his shields and the laugh rumbling deep in his chest.
“I’m sorry. Who’s “us”?”
Two birds on a wire
“Last chance, Variant.” The woman barks with a chuckle as the others begin to close in, making Saint's fur stand up along his spine, ready for my command. Before I have the chance to let him raise hell, that familiar warmth dances around the edges of my mind.
One tries to fly away and the other
"Duck, darling"