The Witch's Familiar

Chapter 60

"Sabrina, good to see you back!" Stark called as he zoomed past you in the opposite direction. You waved to him.

"Hands on the broom!" Loki growled in your ear. Loki didn't like flying and while he knew that you were an excellent flier, he hated anything that felt like you taking chances, including diving off the Avenger's tower, and apparently flying with only one hand. The tower you understood, but you flew with one or fewer hands all the time. Hell, you'd played sports on broomstick for centuries. You had enough balance to ride the thing like a skateboard, even with Loki riding pillion. Not that you'd do that to the god.

You laughed. "I'm not going to let you fall, Lokitty," you reminded him as you dove to evade a blast from a monster. The team cheered to see you back, though they could only let themselves be distracted from the battle for a moment to celebrate your proper return. You'd celebrate in earnest after the battle.

First, you had to survive the battle.

"Magelet, can you put me down anyway?" Loki asked, his grip around your waist tight. He really hated flying, especially when it wasn't on his own volition. You looked for a safe location and flew down to the ground when you spotted Thor. Loki would be safe fighting alongside his brother.

"Don't make me save your ass again, Lokitty," you warned when you stopped your broom low enough that he could safely hop off the broom.

You saw the look of relief in his eyes when his feet were back on solid ground. You also saw the look that said he knew you weren't staying with him. You had your own task in the battle and that wasn't at his side. You had to help the whole team. You also saw in his eyes that he accepted that and loved you for it. "If you are injured after I just got you back, I shall be quite cross with you," Loki informed you before he would let you leave his side.

"I expect nothing less," you told him and hopped up to stand on your broom. You saw Loki's brilliant proud smile as you drew your wand and began to fly around the battle to help your friends. You shot off spells as you flew around the battle. It felt so good to be back to normal, to be human again, to help your friends and loved ones.

The battle was quick with all of you working together and you could leave the monsters for Shield to clean up when their team arrived.

The second the monsters were dead, your friends rushed over to you to hug you. You hugged each of them tightly, glad to see them again properly. They ruffled your hair, hugged you close, and all said how much they'd missed your human form. They'd missed actually speaking with you.

You spent all of the post-battle dinner catching up with your friends and half-curled in Loki's lap in the restaurant. You'd caught a glimpse of yourself in the restaurant windows, and saw to your horror that you still had the cat-ears and tail. You'd known it was likely, you'd been stuck as a cat for months, which was much too long to stay in animal form. And try as you might, you couldn't get them to go away again.

"They're adorable, magelet," Loki reassured you when he caught you looking at the cat-ears.

"They're not right..." you said softly, not having another explanation.

Loki gave you a warm, understanding smile and donned his own cat-ears for you. Then with a smirk, he gestured at the rest of the table and gave all of the Avengers cat-ears again. You laughed in delight as they all (besides Thor who was used to Loki's antics) freaked out over having cat-ears. Especially Stark, who demanded that they be put back immediately.

It was perfectly normal and felt like home.

Though you felt the soft ache of something missing. The feeling of loneliness, of the hole in your soul. No, not the ache of losing Sera, something similar, but different. Witches needed familiars to be whole.

You were feeling the ache of not having that support, not having that magical bond.

Loki raised your hand to his lips and kissed the back of it, drawing your attention back to him. His magic pulsed down your joined hands and you felt it faintly. He wouldn't be able to do it forever, but he could strengthen you now.

He could briefly mask the symptoms of not having a familiar.

Even in human form.

It wasn't the same, wasn't as strong, but it would be enough to help you finish healing.