Shine Again (An Avengers: Infinity War/Endgame Story)

Chapter 42: The Coronation

Spencer laughed as she took a seat on a bench in the palace's great hall. The night's festivities were well underway. She had just finished dancing to some upbeat song with Bucky only moments before. He sat down next to her, a smile on his face. Spencer hadn't seen him- let alone his smile- in ages, and she was more than happy to spend the evening taking it all in. Everyone else was so busy it had allowed them some time alone, even despite the huge party going on.

The coronation had just concluded about two hours prior. Thor and Loki were now both officially the Kings of New Asgard, making Layla and Anja respectively their consorts, with Anja more than likely becoming a queen sooner rather than later. Usually the crowning ceremony was done by the previous king, but since Odin was long gone, Heimdall led the ceremony that evening. It was all a big to-do, and Spencer was honestly in awe of it all. She had never been a part of something so formal and important, and it was a special night she would treasure always.

Between watching her friends unofficially become royalty and getting to finally spend some time with her long-lost love, this was turning into a pretty perfect day. Even despite the ever-looming threat of Thanos. She had spent some time before the coronation catching Bucky up on all of the nuances that weren't covered in the big team meeting that morning- namely all the personal details. He also filled her in on what he had been up to in Wakanda in her absence. Spencer was honestly just happy to have him back, even if it was likely going to be short lived once again. She had something to tell him that she admittedly was dreading.

A cold metallic hand came to rest on the top of hers, breaking Spencer from her thoughts as she looked over at Bucky. He had a small smile on his face, and while she loved it, she knew he was still far from being okay again. He had been through much, and it was going to take a lot more than a few months of extensive treatment in Wakanda to undo all the damage. Bucky would likely need at least a few years more of therapy, if not a lifetime of it.

"This is some party," he said loudly, breaking her thoughts.

"Did you expect anything else?" Spencer replied with a laugh.

"To be fair, I didn't know what to expect," Bucky countered. "I hadn't met any Asgardians before today. Nor did I think I would be witnessing a coronation when I agreed to tag along."

"Good points," Spencer answered. "Even those of us who knew Asgardians didn't anticipate any of this."

Bucky snorted. "I'm sure Anja and Layla weren't anticipating it either."

It was a good point. Spencer was sure neither of her friends imagined they would be in this situation. Hell, Thor and Layla's relationship was still relatively new, so Spencer was more than sure Layla was certainly caught off guard by all of this. It was why she wasn't being given any title more than consort for now. Thor wasn't rushing her to make her queen, and Spencer was sure Layla was grateful for that, even if she had been the friend who historically rushed things. Anja, on the other hand, was a whole different issue. She had been uncharacteristically eyeing Loki from the moment he had shown up with the others at Stark Tower. They had hit it off more than anyone had anticipated, and had a few months now under their belts relationship-wise. Anja didn't think her crush was ever going to amount to anything, that it was unrequited. And here she was, all but officially engaged to the man. Even still, Spencer doubted Anja ever thought she'd be in line to be queen.

Spencer glanced across the ballroom, trying to place her friends amongst the crowd. Layla was standing a few tables away, her arm linked with Thor's as they talked to Steve and Natasha about who only knew what. Layla was wearing a fancier dress than she was at the meeting- a red gown with lace details on the bodice and the upper part of the skirt. She looked a bit more comfortable than she did in the dress from that morning. Her blonde hair had been piled onto her head in some sort of braided updo that Spencer was sure was only being held together by some magic other than bobby-pins.