The politics & the bedchamber
Now, Loki liked Anthony. He really did.
But any way you sliced it, the man was a deplorable influence...
"I didn't break the Bifrost. If anyone, Thor did."
Those pesky attacks of honesty had got to stop. Loki was NOT the God of Lies... but he was the God of Mischief and that necessitated a measure of obfuscation, not compulsory forthrightness.
Frey raised an eyebrow and wiped that away with an airy hand gesture.
"And if that brute has any idea about how the Bifrost actually works, I'll marry a bilgesnipe. And speaking of marriage..."
The rest of that visit had left the Trickster a bit reeling.
His not-Uncle certainly got plans... And moves.
Loki wasn't sure what he thought about the idea of being, alternatively, the King Consort and/or Queen of Vanaheim, when all was said and done.
Contrary to the rumours Sif & co liked to propagate, the Trickster had not mothered Sleipnir. He'd merely been present when one of the royal mares foaled, and, sensing seidr, had taken over the care of the little one when the mom didn't survive the birth... And he'd been desperate enough for Odin's approoval to give him the horse when the AllBastard expressed a smidgeon of interest... effectively cutting himself off his care and companionship.
Any child with Frost giant Angerboda where figment of imagination: If Loki had met (not even to mention intimates.) another Frost Giant before that ill fated conversation with Laufey... Well, his life would have been quite different.
And as for Narfi and Vali...
Loki never spoke of his marriage and children. Hodr and especially Badr had been "perfect" Aesir, favorites of Odin (who was their mother was anybody's guess). Badr, especially, made Thor look like a shrinking violet.
Since they spent their days fighting with each other (there used to be more willing "training partners", but enthusiasm waned after the first dozen or so deaths), was it any mystery that those two killed each other on the training grounds one day?
Obviously, since search for a culprit started immediately... And settled on his children, while Loki was already on babysitting Thor & co detail on Vanaheim.
He'd come back to Asgard to learn both his babies were dead after Odin forced their seidr open. Vali, being a shape shifter, changed to a wolf and killed his brother.
What happened to Loki himself when he protested on coming back home... Well, it had been one of the first time, but not the last.
It had taken Sygyn, poor grieving Sygyn, to take her own life for the "magnanimous Allfather" to relent.
Loki was sent to Frey's court to heal... And, Loki supposed, to be out of sight and out of mind for a while. Long enough to brush that disaster beneath the carpet, at any rate.
It had been some of his most peaceful... and educative years, once he'd recovered his sight.
Till Odin had needed him again and "granted" him return to Asgard... for the meagre price of never talking about what happened.
As if he'd wanted to, really. Especially since everyone, Thor included, seemed to think it had just been an "infortunate incident" they generously forgave since it was somehow his fault?
So, no, Loki was not entranced by the idea of marriage...and, since it was Royalty, children.
The Trickster could certainly see what was in the union for Frey. The Vanir was reigning in Alfheim (if in name only) and Vanaheim (behind the scenes). And union with Loki would bring both the very real connection to Jotunheim AND the very legal status of Asgardian Prince.
Loki could appreciate the beauty of Odin's machinations biting him on the ass.
The Dwarves would side with whomever the balance of power was going for. So far, it had been the Aesir, but that could always change.
Especially as the Allfather had gotten more and more stingy in paying the bills in recent years... As Loki well knew.
Surtur and what remained of the Dark elves were going to be harder to convice, but the Thanos threat was likely to be a great unifier. No love lost for Odin or the Aesir there anyway.
And Helheim... Loki didn't recall Hela. Yes, she was before his time, but there was not a trace of her in the various Asgardian libraries. Or anywhere else, for that matter... Maybe in the other realms, but, well, Loki was not going to find anything if he wasn't looking for it in the first place.
And yes, the trickster was always finding stuff out he wasn't supposed to. Not that time. Made him wonder what Hela would be like, actually. Seriously pissed off seemed like a safe bet, somehow.
They could probably bond over that, if nothing else, as Frey had pointed out.
In bed.
Which was a way to push his advantages (so to speak) and make a case for a more formal union? In any case, Loki was not adverse, and his not-uncle revealed himself to be a considerate partner. It was nice to be touched without violence or pain for once.
It had been years.
And yes, Anthony.
Yes, Loki had though about it... So had Anthony, for that matter. Some looks said all.
They'd both decided, in silent agreement, not to follow up on that.
Loki didn't know what the human reasons were for the step back, but then, he had his own. The main one being that there was no point in indulging in that pastime if you weren't really able to let go.
Which was more likely to crush the human to death than anything. Loki was not as dismissive of Mid... Terrans, as he'd made it out to be during his fake invasion (when he'd just parroted Odin), but there was no getting around the fact they were different. Terrans were more fragile, like it or not.
Honestly, the Foster woman was lucky Thor wasn't on Terra that often, because she was courting disaster.
It was not how Loki liked things in the bed chamber, so he'd pushed the temptation aside. On top of any other considerations, Goose had been quite clear that she had projects regarding Anthony... And Loki was not crazy enough to get on the wrong side of THAT Flerken.
Who was, really?