Shadow Angel (Avengers Fanfic)

Chapter Twenty-Four

Crystal's POV

"Heimdell." I bid in greeting.

"Queen Crystal." He nodded in turn.

"How much trouble am I in?" I asked, pausing.

"A lot, but not by who you think." Heimdell said, turning his gaze back to the galaxy.

Understanding that he would say no more I spread my wings, swooping through the doorway before flying higher. Halfway to the palace I felt warmth flood me and the connection opened up once more, Loki?

A growl was the only answer I got and I picked up my speed, getting to the palace in seconds. I let my instincts take over and found him. I landed on the balcony of the room we shared, gently opening the glass door.

I found Loki.

He was completely transformed into a Frost Giant. He was tearing things apart, though the room looked like it had already taken a beating. The furniture was broken into pieces and the closet door was off its hinges.

I moved to the closet silently and looked inside, all our clothes from earth and the few stunning dresses I'd had the privilege of wearing since I'd arrived were shredded. No seamstress, no matter how talented would be able to fix them.

"Loki." I whispered, picking up a piece of the dress I'd been wearing when he'd asked me to be his wife. "Why?"

"You." The word came out as more of a snarl.

"Why would you do this?" I demanded raising my voice.

Loki turned on me and started stalking towards me. For the first time in my life, I was afraid of him. I was afraid of what he'd turned into, what he'd do to me and what he'd do after he calmed down. I don't know what I did but please don't let him leave me.

I started out the door and Loki came after me. He tackled me through the door and I screamed when my back hit the ground. Loki pinned my arms above my head and sat on my stomach.

"What did I do?" I asked, seeing the hurt shinning in his red eyes.

"Queen Crystal!" I heard a dozen or so voices chime at once.

"You left me for him. While I was sitting in our bed waiting for you to come home from training, you were with him, drinking." Loki whispered.

I rolled us easily so I was on top of him and I held a hand up to stop the guards, ordering, "Back to your posts."

"You stayed in his home, while I waited for you." Loki growled, his anger returning just was quickly as it had vanished.

He got back on top of me and repinned my arms, digging his knees into my sides. I cried out in pain as his hold on my arms tightened.

"Crystal!" Thor's voice boomed.

"Do not interfere!" I yelled, throwing my head back in pain.

"Why? How could you!?" Loki cried.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry I left dammit! I was suffering," I took in a small breath, as much as I could with his weight on top of me, but it was long enough for him to interrupt me.

"And you think I wasn't??" He growled. "I sat in a cell wondering if something had happened to you. But you, you left. You decided you'd rather be with him than wait for me."

"No." I clenched my teeth in pain, his grip was getting too tight, way too tight. "No, I waited, I went crazy in this palace waiting for you. I couldn't handle it anymore, so I hid. I love you, I wanted to wait, but I couldn't handle it."

"Because you're weak, pathetic. You're not fit to be my mate." I heard a loud crack and I screamed in pain. Loki instantly released my arms and sat back with a horrified look on his face, his Asgardian appearance returning.

"Get off me." I practically hissed.

He scrambled off me, allowing me to stand on my own. I cradled my surely broken forearm to my chest and could only look towards the floor. Weak. Pathetic. Where have I heard that before?

I gave a humorless chuckle, "You know, that's the last thing my brother ever said to me. Come to think of it, that's the last thing a lot of my people said to me. They called me weak for not carrying out my brothers plan, for saving them after my brother put them in danger."

"Crystal-"

"No, no you don't get to talk. Neither do I though, I have no room to talk. I'm just as bad as the next person, just as weak and pathetic as any mortal." I spat in the silence.

"Sister, are you-"

"It's broken Thor, surely." I stated.

"I'm so-"

"We don't get to talk. Remember? I'm weak and pathetic, I'm not fit to be yours. But you have no room to talk either." I interrupted Loki, trying to shift my arm to a position that didn't burn like a motherfucker.

"You're right, I'm not fit to be yours." Loki stated sadly. "I throw tantrums. I do idiotic things without thinking. I, I hurt you."

I'd never been so conflicted in my life. My heart wanted to reach out and comfort the beautiful sad creature in front of me. My brain wouldn't allow it, my thoughts were filled with such an anger that you can only feel towards someone you love so intensely.

"Well aren't they the pair." I heard a voice say from behind one of the pillars.

"I know." Another sounded.

I knew the voices well enough, Hogun and Frandall.

Loki's eyes suddenly filled with the same anger I felt coursing through my own veins, and suddenly I wished it would just disappear from both of us. Leave us better than before somehow, but I didn't want to be pushed further, I didn't want him to be pushed further. I didn't want to do the pushing.

"We are quite the pair aren't we?" Loki asked, putting his hands to his hips. "We're both so damn self destructive that we can't see how absolutely perfect we are for each other. I hate myself for everything I've done in my life time up until I met you and you hate yourself because of what your people have done to you. We're so busy hating ourselves that we can't see past it."

"Loki." Thor and a few others breathed, apparently not expecting the confession. It wasn't new news to me though.

"That's not true. We've obviously seen past it otherwise we wouldn't have seen our love for each other." I stated. I then shifted my stance, "Wait, I'm supposed to be the aggressor here."

Loki smiled only slightly, "Love, let me have a turn for once."

"No, I like when you have to talk me down." I said, trying to keep my own smile from my face.

"You're the one smiling traitor!" He yelled suddenly, the look in his eyes telling me he didn't mean a single word.

"And you're the bastard who can't glare to save his life!" I yelled right back.

There was an astonished silence in the room. I mentally broke into hysterical laughter thinking about how this must look to them. We'd just pointed out the very thing we hate about ourselves, and with such malice.

I looked into Loki's eyes and my blank stare melted into a soft smile, "I am sorry."

He took a few long strides to stand in front of me, resting his hands on my hips, "No. I'm sorry, love. You surely didn't deserve such a welcome."

"I mean, I did leave."

"And I'm glad you did. I was just overcome. Please, forgive me." Loki pleaded, taking my good hand in both of his and resting our hands on his chest as he stared into my eyes. He shook his head after a few seconds, "You already have, I should've known. Come on, let's get you to the healer."

As Loki gently led me away I heard a faint, "What just happened?"

And I only smiled, knowing that no one else had to understand us, we understood each other.