- today, on midgard -

Natasha felt the cool breeze hit her sweaty face as she plummeted to the earth from the Quinjet, disobeying Steve's orders to "just stay on the Quinjet until we land, dammit!". She had found the perfect spot in the ocean to dive for that was near enough to land for her to just swim the distance. She heard Steve's muffled cursing all the way down as she took a deep breath, the water below engulfing her at once. After a few moments of kicking and wiggling, she popped her head over the water to take in a much needed breath. Steve glowered at her.

"You followed me?" She asked, more impressed than she was offended. The cool water made her comfortable again, but she knew the second she made it to shore, she'd be sweaty and uncomfortable yet again.

"Did I have a choice?" Steve asked breathlessly, looking around for the shore. When he caught sight of it, he began swimming.

Yes, actually, she thought to herself, you could've stayed on the Quinjet until we landed dammit!

"Did anyone else decide to tag along?" She asked him when they reached shore, wringing her hair out.

"Just me."

"Good." Natasha wanted nothing more than to be alone, but if she was going to be stuck with anyone, she was glad it was Steve.

"So, listen . . ." Steve began, but Natasha spoke before he could continue.

"Don't." She said plainly, "Please."

"Nat, we have to talk about it-"

"It's been two months, Steve-"

"Exactly." He said. Natasha stopped in her tracks but didn't face him. He stepped in front of her to catch her gaze which only made her revert her eyes further. "It's been two months and no one is talking about it. Not even Wanda. Especially Wanda." Nat sighed. He was right. Not only was everyone avoiding the conversation, but they were all acting like it had never even happened. "We just . . . I need to talk about it."

It had been two months since the Battle of Sokovia and Natasha still needed rest. They all did. That day had taken something from everyone, and they each needed time to rejuvenate themselves. To come back to themselves.

"Scheißen . . ." She mumbled to herself, looking Steve in the eyes now. He had a hard, scolding look on his face that pleaded for her consolidation. Natasha brushed her fingers through her hair as she walked tiredly towards the green ahead, nothing but forest in front of her. Steve followed close behind as the Quinjet landed not too far from where she and Steve were. They both decided to meet them all there - after a brief venture of their own.

"What's there to talk about, Steve?" She spoke at last, pushing huge leaves and branches away as she made her way through the forest.

"Well, we could start with Pietro." Natasha tensed up at once, suddenly wishing Steve hadn't tagged along.

"Don't."

"He died, Nat. And no one has said anything about it. Not even Wanda. She acts like he just went away or something, I just . . . I don't understand."

"She's grieving, Steve. She just needs time."

"Talking about it is part of the grieving process. I would know."

"Well, that's your grieving process. She'll talk when she's ready." Steve remained silent for a few moments, the crunching of branches and grass matched with the crashing of the waves behind them all they could hear.

"I barely knew the kid but he was a kid. We have to take responsibility for letting him die." When she heard his voice crack at the last word, Nat finally stopped to look at Steve. He held it together well, she had to say, but one more word and the waterfalls would come.

"Pietro died saving Clint. Saving the entire human race, really." This time, Steve looked away, but Nat moved her head to catch his attention, which he willingly gave her. "He died a hero. And when the time comes, we'll avenge him. That's what we do." She gave him a reassuring smile and a gentle squeeze on his shoulder, which he returned with a sad smile and a nod.

Nat removed her hand from his shoulder and began walking again, Steve inevitably trailing close behind.

"Now no more talking." She said, not looking at him, her face deadpan as usual. She hadn't meant it quite so literally, but Steve knew when Natasha needed time in her own thoughts. Despite how dangerous he knew that could be, that's exactly what he gave her.

It was nice, the silence, nothing but the sound of rustling leaves and the occasional wild animal from a distance. This tranquility was something Nat didn't get very often, if at all, and she wished she could just stay here like this forever.

The day began to pass much quicker than Natasha had hoped, the sun setting in vibrant oranges and reds and midnight blues. Before she knew it, it was dark, and the Avengers were nowhere to be seen. Nothing but the sound of crickets and illuminated stars in the sky. Still, she wasn't complaining.

"I think I see the Quinjet from here." Steve broke the silence, his voice barely above a whisper. She couldn't understand why he was being so quiet, like they were hiding from something, and had almost forgotten that he was even here. He was some five feet behind her, striding silently through the grass. Nat smiled at his consideration.

"Roger that, Captain," she joked, earning an eye roll at her pathetic joke he'd heard too many times before (especially from Tony), "You go. I need a few more minutes."

"In addition to the entire day?" He chuckled, but Natasha didn't return the gesture. Steve nodded once in comprehension as he left her there with her own thoughts. He could only imagine what she could be thinking about. Natasha didn't like to confide in anyone. She knew Steve, just like she knew Tony, Bruce, Clint, all of them. Still, she couldn't quiet the nagging voice in her head that prohibited her from trusting any of them fully. It was something she knew she had to work on, adjusting to her new . . . family. It was so hard to think of them as such.

A few moments had passed as Natasha walked aimlessly, thinking about nothing and everything at once. She could see in the dark a dim light of some sort and directed herself towards it.

"Ah . . ." Natasha halted in place, listening for the abrupt cry of pain coming from within the woods. She tiptoed cautiously toward the foreign voice, using as much of her eyesight as the dark would allow. The dim light grew bigger as she approached it and soon she could tell that it was a small fire, like someone was camping out near it. She had no idea what she was getting herself into, but when she saw the flames glow and crackle, she knew that she wasn't alone. "Shit!" She jumped at the sudden outburst, this time louder and more aggressive. Regretting the decision to find trouble, Natasha began backing away, slowly and as quietly as possible. Within three steps, however, a branch cracked loudly beneath her feet - or at least it sounded that way in the deafening silence - and somehow, the silence deepened.

Natasha stood in place for what felt like ages, not making a sound. She instantly regretted not following Steve to the Quinjet and wished she could bolt in that direction with him but knew it would lead whoever was here right to the Avengers, and she refused to put them in any unnecessary danger. Curse the team for letting Tony pick the vacation spot this month, she thought.
She waited for someone to say something, but no one said a word. Instead the fire, the only thing making it easier to see, extinguished. Natasha's heart pounded in her chest as the darkness blinded her, losing one of her most valuable senses. All she could make out were basic outlines, the moonlight revealing bits and pieces of her surroundings here and there.

"Who's there?" The voice finally spoke cautiously, defensively even.

She didn't say anything at first. She wasn't sure what her best option was in this moment. She was either going to kill or be killed, and though she didn't feel like dying, she hoped it wouldn't be the former. There was a long silence before it was broken once again.

"Look, I'm not gonna kill you. Just . . . tell me who you are." It wasn't until this last sentence that Natasha realized who she was talking to. Her heart dropped to her stomach when she realized, her entire world crashing down around her. It couldn't be - what were the odds of finding him here, in Sokovia, just two months after the battle against Ultron? Nat inched closer to the floating voice carefully, no longer afraid. When she pushed past the patch of long leaves blocking her view, the moonlight illuminated the man she'd spent the last year searching for at last, and his face lit up a bit at the sight of her as well.

"Natasha?"

"Will you stop staring?" Jane asked exasperatedly as she continued typing away on Darcy's laptop. Vision was sitting next to her in the warm cabin, just watching her fingers move around the keyboard effortlessly.

"My apologies, Miss Foster. But at the risk of sounding redundant," He started, breaking her concentration, "I still do not understand why you insist on completing Miss Lewis' work." Jane rolled her eyes at his constant concentration break that, she calculated at this point, was every fifteen minutes.

"Vizsh, I really need to finish this."

"It's just . . . You must know she won't be back in time to submit it-"

"She has a paper due in two days," Jane interrupted loudly, "An interview with her mentor - me - that she never even started, and a project that I can't even finish without her. So, I need all of the focus that I can get right now, okay?" Vision chose not to respond, for a reason he was unsure of. He felt a certain emotion, one he could not quite understand, one he certainly had no name for. He made a note of it for later.

"You're like a little She-Hulk," Tony interjected, having listened in on the conversation from across the room, although it didn't take much listening in to hear, "it's . . . unsettling. One more poke and she'll turn into a ginormous rage monster."

"Tony, not now."

"It's alright, I'm not here to annoy." He surrendered, walking over to the desk in which she was working, "Or interrupt. In fact, I wanna help out. What can I do?" Jane looked at him, bewildered that he was offering to help her do homework, especially considering it wasn't even her homework.

"What are you getting at . . .?"

"Hopefully that paper." She still didn't budge, so he tried a new tactic. "Take a break, Einstein. You look terrible." She scoffed at this and continued typing, to which Tony's response was one quick swoop of his hand, shutting her laptop mid-sentence and holding it out of her reach.

"Tony!"

"You haven't slept in three days and you're going to lose consciousness sooner or later. I vote for sooner." He placed the laptop in Clint's lap who was texting on his cell phone on the couch, ignoring the entire situation. He looked up at Tony in annoyance but guarded the laptop with his life anyway.

"He's right," Wanda interjected as she walked into the kitchen directly next to where Jane was sitting, "You should get some rest."

"See? Even Sabrina the Teenage Witch agrees with me." Jane rolled her eyes at Tony in exasperation, falling back against the chair, blowing a piece of hair that had fallen in her face away.

"I am tired . . ."

"There you go! Tired, sleep, wake up, repeat. That's what normal people do, you know."

"I can't sleep, okay?" She snapped, "I have nightmares every night. I'm afraid to fall asleep." Jane avoided everyone's gaze. Tony exchanged a worrying look with Clint, who simply shrugged.

"Listen," Tony started, placing a soft hand on Jane's shoulder, "I know I've been . . . well, kind of a dick," Jane cracked a smile at this, Tony could tell, but still didn't look up at him. "Darcy's your friend. I know that. But she's done something that I think you'll understand better hearing from her."

"But when?" She pleaded, looking at him now, "When is she coming back?" Tony sighed. Jane caught Clint's eye for a second but he looked away before she could say anything.

Wanda felt tears well in her own eyes as she froze in place, the fridge open and a carton of eggs in her hands. When is he coming back? She thought to herself, fiddling with the box. Vision could sense Wanda's sudden anguish and rushed to her side. He didn't understand why he felt compelled to - she wasn't physically hurt in any way. Still, he felt she needed someone to come to her aid and when she looked up at him and smiled, he felt a certain joy that he couldn't quite place, but he knew it felt good. Wanda impulsively took his hand and held it in hers. Vision didn't understand this gesture, furrowing his eyebrows - or rather, where his eyebrows would be - and held their entwined hands up in front of his face to examine them.

"What does this gesture mean?" He asked her curiously, eyeing her hand as her thumb rubbed his knuckles. She chuckled.

"It's a gesture humans share with someone who is sad and needs consolidation. Someone they care about." Vision looked at her suddenly, shock in his eyes.

"I do care for you, Wanda. I wish for you to be happy." Wanda smiled at this and nodded.

"I know, Vizsh."

"Okay, lovebirds," Tony interrupted Wanda and Vision's interaction, earning a death glare from Wanda and a confused look from Vision, "I'd tell you to get a room but, unfortunately, we're sharing one." Wanda flicked her fingers at Tony, sending a wisp of red toward his face. It hit him in the forehead, causing him to yelp in pain and Wanda to laugh heartily. Vision smiled at her laugh.

"What the hell was that?" He asked her, holding his hand to his forehead.

"A mild migraine," she responded, "it will subside in a few minutes." He scowled at her which only made her laugh more, and Jane felt herself laugh at the event transpiring before her. She was angry at the Avengers for keeping this secret from her, that was true, but she understood that they had orders to obey. And they were more than welcoming when she needed a shoulder to cry on - even Tony.

Tony broke Jane's reverie by taking her hand, turning her palm up and fishing something out of his jeans pocket. He placed a baggie of pills into her hand, earning a confused look from her.

"They're anxiety pills." He said plainly, shrugging off shame and embarrassment nonchalantly, "Pepper made me take them a couple years ago. She got me a new prescription when she found out about Ultron." Jane closed her fingers around the baggie, looking Tony in the eyes. "They help with the night terrors and sudden feelings of impending doom." Jane cracked another smile as Tony smiled sincerely back. Jane caught Clint's eye again, and this time she was the first to look away.

"Well," she said, "I guess I'm going to bed then."

"Yes, you are. I'll work on this, uh . . . what's her major again?" Jane chuckled as she removed a pill from the bag.

"Don't worry about it. And Tony," She quickly swallowed the pill dry, shoving the baggie into her hoodie pocket, "Thanks." Tony smiled as he turned to Clint, who was just staring at him.

"I'm a hero." Tony stated proudly, earning an eye roll from Wanda, but Clint just stared. Tony sighed heavily at this, waiting for Jane to disappear around the corner to the bedroom.

"I had a few panic attacks here and there, it's nothing." Tony said to Clint, "You would too if you were staring death straight in the eye while tossing a goddamn bomb into a wormhole in the sky." Clint didn't say anything, just continued with his arrows, not really sure what he was even still doing here. The battle in Sokovia had ended two months ago and ever since that day, Clint - and all of the Avengers, really - didn't quite know what to do with themselves. Of course, Clint had a family to return to. He popped in every once in a while, to make sure everything was okay with Laura and the kids. If he was being honest with himself, though, he had a hard time cooking breakfast and watching TV with the wife and playing silly games with the kids and just being normal. No matter how much he loved his family, he couldn't leave the Avengers for good. He's tried.

"I can't believe you actually got Jane to go to sleep." Clint said after some time had passed since Jane's departure. Tony switched off the TV with the remote as he yawned, stretching his legs and arms with relief.

"Used my fairy dust and everything." He said quietly, "Speaking of, you seen Steve?" Tony asked. Clint just shook his head. Vision sat on one of the seats with Wanda spread out onto the rest, her head resting on his lap in deep slumber. He shook his head as well. As if on cue, Tony saw Nat's silhouette in the dark, another figure by her side. Tony rose quickly to her defense, swinging the door open as she approached. Clint followed close behind, bow and arrow propped against the wall beside the door if he needed it.

"Guys," her voice sounded through the silence as she approached them, a metal arm gripping her waist cautiously, "Where's Steve?"

- today, on asgard -

Thor's arm gripped Darcy's waist protectively as he guided her through the halls of nosy stares and whispers, his mother trailing far behind.

Darcy's tear stained face was rosy, her lips swollen and her eyes bloodshot. Thor felt incredibly sad for this Midgardian he's grown to love so much. He could only imagine what she was feeling, and the worst had only yet to come.

"Thor," she suddenly spoke, her voice shaky and small, "I'm sorry-"

"No need for apologies." His big voice interrupted her. He didn't look at her, for fear of the inevitable tears at the sight of hers. He could sense her gaze and tried his best to keep himself together, at least until he was out of sight.

"Will I see him?" She asked. Thor remained silent for a few moments, waiting for an empty hall so he could speak to her properly, without the constant whispering as a distraction.

"You will." He said once they were truly alone. The hall was dim and colder than he remembered, but it matched the atmosphere within the halls of Asgard. "Darcy, I'm afraid to tell you . . . you will be placed in the cell next to Loki's."

Darcy's heart dropped. She knew she would see him in passing, or at least that was what she was led to believe. How would they both cope with knowing they are on either side of each other every day? What would she do? What would he do?

Frigga caught up to the two and exchanged glances between both of them.

"It's time, dear." She said to Darcy, who only then realized that they were standing in front of the doors to the dungeons. She nodded in agreement, latching onto Thor's gigantic arm and exhaling a deep breath she hadn't realized she took.

"Let's do it." She said bravely. Frigga smiled sadly at her and opened the doors. Darcy stared down the long room, feeling a rush of relief when she saw the cells. She had expected the cells to be dark and cold, an isolation similar to solitary confinement on earth. But the cells were bright, all white walls and a magic transparent barrier that glowed yellow upon contact.

There was one cell she noticed in particular that seemed different than the others. It was trashed, as if the prisoner had lashed out and thrown everything in the cell around. It was at this thought that Darcy felt her heart jolt uncomfortably. She didn't need to look into the cell to know who's it was.

Her feet felt heavy as she walked forward, her eyes beginning to sting as they dried. She was glad she wore her comfortable black leggings and black knit sweater - she'd be wearing them for a while.

She walked on, but it didn't take long to get to where she was going. Darcy's world crashed around her when she saw his face, his bright green eyes looking into hers at last, a look of utter misery written all over them.

"Loki . . ." She let out all breath in the name, stopping abruptly in her tracks. Thor and Frigga allowed them both a moment of reuniting silence, holding Darcy's arms so that she couldn't escape. They both knew she wouldn't try to, that she wouldn't have even thought of it, but they were required. Still, as Darcy released herself from their grips to walk slowly towards Loki's cell, they didn't attempt to stop her.

Loki bolted from his spot against the back wall of the cell to meet Darcy in the middle. When they met at the barrier, they both instinctively threw their hands up to grab the others' but were greeted with a magnifying jolt from the barrier, a rippling effect of gold masking their faces for a brief moment. When it subsided, Darcy saw the tears that had slipped from Loki's eyes and instantly felt a lump in her throat.

"You stupid girl. . ." Loki chuckled through his cries, his voice raspy and low. Darcy laughed sadly, a single tear spilling over her eye.

His hands matched hers on the barrier for a few moments before Thor's hand wrapped around Darcy's arm gently. He didn't push her, instead letting her move at her own pace. She mouthed a final I love you before turning inevitably to Frigga, who strode towards the trio to claim Darcy's other arm.

"Wait," Loki pleaded, moving with the three, "please-"

"Enough." A booming voice sounded through the halls of the dungeons, starling everyone within the voice's radius. Frigga's face hardened at the sight of her husband, staff and all, a frown on his face. Loki saw Odin stand on the steps and not once did Odin look at him.

"Father," Loki said, and this simple word shocked all four of them. Odin simply scoffed.

"Oh, am I now?" Loki couldn't mask the despair in his face. Everyone had arrived at one of his low points, unbeknownst to him that today was the day Darcy would be escorted to the dungeons. Frigga, Thor, and Darcy looked back and forth between Odin and his Son of Mischief cautiously as he strode toward Loki's cell. "If I recall correctly," he started once he was face to face with his son, the magic barrier between them the only thing keeping them separated, "you committed treason on multiple occasions to steal my throne. Does this not sound familiar, son?" Loki felt a tear fall down his cheek and he cursed himself for allowing any sign of weakness to shine through in front of him.

"Odin!" Frigga cried in shock. Odin directed his attention to the three outside of the cell, his frown growing even more.

"Why has she not yet been imprisoned?" Darcy cowered away from him as he approached her, snatching her arm violently and dragging her to her own cell. She heard Loki shout angrily at him as he threw her in, waving his arm and sealing the cell with a barrier.

"Father-" Thor started, but Odin silenced him with a hard glare. Frigga latched onto her son protectively, giving Darcy an apologetic look.

"You. . ." Loki banged his fists on the barrier to get the Allfather's attention, "You will rot in Hel, you miserable bastard!" He shouted, his nose pressing against the barrier. "I, Son of Laufey, will see to it! Do you hear me?!" Odin ignored his son as he walked out of the dungeons, leaving a disgruntled group behind him. Darcy wiped away her tears as she cowered to the corner of the cell closest to Loki's, putting her hand on the wall.

"Loki. . ." She whimpered, her voice barely above a whisper, but he heard it. She was humiliated and scared but for the first time in three years, she was with her love again. Nothing mattered but this.

Loki rushed immediately to her side when he heard her sweet voice, and Thor and Frigga straightened themselves up.

"We will return in the morning," Frigga stated plainly, turning away with her son, "I'm sorry." The last thing that she had heard before closing the doors to the dungeons was spoken in her own son's voice, broken and hushed, a voice she almost did not recognize.

"I'm sorry," he said, "I'm so sorry. . ."

A/N Oh man, I haven't updated this consistently in, like, three years haha Sorry if it's kind of dragging . I'm just setting things up but it'll get interesting I promise! Also, sorry for the lack of tasertricks in this chapter – I've grown an unhealthy obsession with a certain pair of comrades *wink wink nudge nudge* so they will be very prominent in this story as well. Expects lots of cute tasertricks moments in the next chapter though :D P.S. I'm (obviously) a huge MCU fan, but I've only seen the majority of them once so if that becomes obvious in any scenes or character interactions, don't hesitate to let me know! Enjoy and as always, thanks for reading!