Once we depart from Titan, Jane gets everyone organized and tells us when dinner will be served. Then we are dismissed and I spend the rest of the time in my room, lying on my bed until the sweat starts to flow and then standing by the window, staring out into space. I rub my fingers across Nebula's pin the entire time, the repetitive motion of my fingertips gliding over the smooth carved wood almost therapeutic.

Dinner is a quiet affair, with almost no one saying anything. The recap of the interview is watched in silence, with only Jane making any sort of comment about our performance. Then we all retire to our rooms and I am left with a long, damp night as I alternate between sleeping and sweating and pacing around the room restlessly, still sweating.

Between the thought of seeing my parents and Gamora again tomorrow and Veers coming to live in Asgard, I can't get a single coherent thought to cross my mind, just snippets and unintelligible words. Around two in the morning I fall asleep on top of the sheets, the quilt having been tossed to the floor earlier on. Although my sleep is fitful, I manage to receive a couple hours of rest before a knock sounds at my door.

My first instinct is to bolt out of bed, assuming a defensive position before I can even think about it. The twin daggers that appear in my hands I didn't even consciously summon; it's simply a reaction at this point, a result of my time in the Contest.

Gamora would have been pleased by my swift reaction.

With a sigh, I dispel the daggers and that thought from my head and walk to the door, opening it up to see Veers standing on the other side. She's wearing a faded green wraparound tunic with dark sweatpants and has her arms crossed over her chest.

"What is it?" I ask.

"Can't sleep," Veers answers apologetically, lifting her shoulders into a slight shrug. For a moment, we just stand there in silence, before she adds, "And I can't stand to stay in my room anymore."

I step aside and gesture for her to enter, and the Kree strides inside, her muscles stiffening slightly. After glancing out into the corridor and seeing no one out there, I shut the door and turn back to Veers.

This is slightly awkward, her being in my room. I know she's technically my girlfriend now, and that everyone in the entire galaxy probably knows about us being a couple. But still. My mother was always very strict about proper behavior when it came to the opposite sex, and so Gamora and Nebula were never allowed into the bedchambers of Thor and I, and vice versa, even just to hang out. Frigga would be frowning now if she had seen me let Veers into my room, but what was I supposed to do? I know what it's like to not be able to sleep.

Veers is standing by the window, staring out into space. There's a long moment where neither of us says anything. I take a look around my room, the quilt crumbled on the floor, and then Veers speaks. "I take it you can't sleep, either."

"Not really, no."

She turns around as I walk over to stand beside her. "You told me once that Asgard was fading," she says quietly. "Tell me about Asgard again, but this time tell me what I can expect." Her voice is devoid of emotion, simply resigned to the future. I can't help but be reminded of our conversation on the balcony, before the Contest, and how different this is from that.

"Asgardians don't like Kree," I say quietly, looking down at her. "But that isn't much of an indication for your future. We don't like Thanos, either, but Gamora and Nebula, his daughters, are tolerated."

"Tolerated," Veers repeats, her voice holding an edge of mockery. "That's what I want to be, of course. Tolerable."

I roll my eyes, despite myself. "Veers, come on. No, the people won't like you, but what does that say? My mother will ensure you adjust to Asgardian life. You'll be living in the palace, in the champions' wing, with Thor, Valkyrie, and I. It's not as bad as it sounds. Just...trust me, all right?" They're not fond of me, either. Then I remember how the people all knelt to me when I volunteered for Heimdall and don't bring up that final point.

Veers is silent for a moment, glancing back out the window. "I didn't want to have to disturb you. There's just nowhere else to go on this ship. I only have you." I don't know what to say to that. "Normally, I fight Yon-Rogg when I can't sleep," she continues. "But now he's dead and there's no one but myself to blame for that."

"It was him or you," I tell her, and she turns back to me.

"No, it was him or you," she says emphatically, arms still crossed over her chest. "And I chose you. And now I'm here."

"Thanks for that," I say sarcastically. "Really feeling the love."

"I don't want to live in Asgard," Veers whispers. "I wanted to go home to Hala, to Starforce. Loki, no offense, but Asgard is your home, not mine."

What if I told you Hala wasn't your home, either?

But I don't say anything.

Veers turns away from me and walks over to the door. "See you tomorrow, I guess," she says over her shoulder, and leaves the room. She doesn't come back.

As we eat breakfast and await our arrival at Asgard, Thor and Jane make attempts at conversation among our group, but neither Veers nor I are in much mood for conversation, Valkyrie is drunk, and Hela only contradicts anything Thor and Jane say, so they give up.

The Bifrost finally appears before us shortly after we complete the last jump and Jane goes through the group trying to raise morale. "Let's show some happiness to be home, Loki!" "You're a champion, Veers, the cameras will expect to see you as one!" And she is right, about the cameras. Veers and I are still considered a couple by the media, even though I seriously doubt we actually are. At least not anymore.

The Statesman hovers alongside the Bifrost and Veers and I stand by the ramp, waiting for it to open. I feel my insides twisting and I can't wait to see my parents, my home again. I did it. I won. Whatever it takes, I promised, and I did it.

The ramp opens, extending to connect us with the Bifrost, and Veers and I descend down it. My gaze falls on my mother and father, waiting for us expectantly, and it's all I can do not to race down the ramp and fling myself into my mother's arms. I'm home. I'm actually home.

"Loki!" Frigga exclaims, her smile stretching across her face. She moves forward as I step off the ramp, enfolding me in an embrace, and I hug her back. I made it home, I did it. "I love you, Mother," I murmur.

"I love you, too, Loki," Frigga says as she draws back, touching my cheek with her hand. "I'm so proud of you. So very proud."

"Loki," Odin says, and I turn to look at my father. He awkwardly places his hand on my arm and then he's giving me a hug, which I return after a moment of hesitation. I don't remember the last time my father hugged me, but it feels good, although strange. Is this how Thor feels, to be loved by Odin?

"Did I make you proud?" I ask Odin as he pulls away from me. "Did I bring you honor?"

Odin just looks at me for a moment, his look full of pride yet marked by sorrow. "You are my son. You have always brought me honor, Loki. Always. I just...sometimes I choose not to see it."

Behind me, Veers clears her throat, just slightly, as Hela, Valkyrie, Thor, and Jane descend the ramp to the cheers of the welcoming crowd. I turn, extending my hand to my ally, and the Kree takes it, stepping forward. "Mother, Father," I say. "May I present to you Veers, of Starforce."

"Welcome, Veers," Odin says formally, and Frigga smiles at her.

"Welcome to Asgard, Veers," she greets, holding out her hand to her. "I hope you will be happy here."

I see Heimdall, standing behind my parents and off to the side, and his cloudy amber eyes meet mine as I glance at him. He nods at me. "Well done, Silvertongue."

Where's Gamora?

I scan the crowd around Odin and Frigga, searching for my best friend. I find Nebula first, and she gives me a slight smile. I tap the pin on my tunic and grin back at her before continuing my search for Gamora.

When I finally see her, she's standing a little bit off from the others, her muscles tense. I make my way towards her as Odin and Frigga continue speaking with Veers. Gamora sees me and our eyes lock.

My stomach twists into a knot and I almost stop, panic seizing me, but I keep walking. There she is, she's right in front of me. I stop as I reach her and we stand in silence for a moment.

Gamora looks exactly the same as when I left, but there's something different in her eyes, something fierce and wounded, like a dying predator. And she's still standing like she's about to go to war. My own body stiffens. This is the moment where I find out whether we're still friends or not, if what shattered was that strange moment or our friendship.

"I did it, Gamora," I say quietly. "I did it. I won. I won the Contest of Champions. Whatever it takes."

Gamora is silent a second more, and then she speaks. Her expression doesn't change. "What did it cost you?"

I can feel my heart sinking. "I beg your pardon?"

Gamora doesn't respond, just turns away and threads through the crowd, away from me. For one excruciating moment, I can't breathe. All I can do it watch her walk away.

What did I expect? The daughter of Thanos and the son of Odin – this life was never possible. I have fooled myself by remembering her fondly, of dwelling on the feeling of her fingers on mine, of the way she made me swear to return home, to return to her, or so I believed. But no. For us to be more than friends was never written in fate's diary. It was just a footnote belonging to an alternate timeline.

And I saw by the look in Gamora's eyes what she felt about my kissing Veers.

I glance back to my parents and see Veers staring in my direction. Except she's not looking at me, she's looking past me, after Gamora's rapidly retreating back. And her own expression has grown harder. She won't even meet my eyes.

Looking back after Gamora, I'm in time to see her step through the gates leading into the city. I feel a hollow sense invade my body, and I'm surprised to feel that hollowness isn't empty. I thought it would be, but no, it's filled with loneliness and a dull ache.

I won the Contest, I fulfilled my oath, and still I lost Gamora.

Whatever it takes wasn't enough.