Introducing an Asgardian to Earth's modern technology was the funniest thing someone could ever see. Watching Aria get freaked out by the toaster in the kitchen the following morning was hilarious, but I could sympathize. I was once the clueless Asgardian.

"It doesn't explode," I told her easily as I walked in. She looked at me, a little surprised at my attire, then back at the toaster. "It won't bite you either."

"Why are things so complicated on Earth?" she asked.

"Because it's Earth." I tugged on the sleeves of my shirt. "Steve caught me up on what you told Thor yesterday."

"Steve?"

"Captain America. The guy in the red, white, and blue outfit. It'll take you a while." I smiled, but then it quickly disappeared. "He told me the Queen was dead."

Aria sniffed. "She is. It was terrible, Kiara. The Dark Elves, they attacked Asgard."

"What for?"

"I don't know, all I know is that she was killed and I was there for her sendoff." She wiped her eyes. "I think if you want that story, Thor is the person to ask."

"How is he?"

"I think he's preoccupying himself in every way possible to not think about it. I don't blame him. I wouldn't want to remember that my mother was gone, too."

"Do you know where he is?"

"Not sure. You're going to have to start looking."

It would give me something to do. Bidding Aria a goodbye, I wandered the tower in hopes of finding Thor. I know he won't want to talk about it, but I need to know. I need to know what I've missed. Thor, if you're listening, I need to speak to you. You know why I'm asking. I only want to hear the story once, and then I will never talk to you about it again. Asgardian's honor.

I'm on one of the upper levels.

Alone?

Yes. Why?

Just wondering what I'm walking into. Give me a few minutes to reach you.

I was preparing myself mentally for the conversation. How did you bring up something like that?

Even as I entered the room Thor was in, my mental preparation went out of my head. His face screamed grim, and I began to wonder if I was going to regret this conversation.

"So, Dark Elves," I started nonchalantly. "That's what I missed?"

"It was much more than that, Kiara." Thor couldn't even look me in the eye. "A powerful force possessed Jane. My mother was killed in cold blood."

"Who's Jane?"

"Jane Foster. The woman I've been...seeing."

I tilted my head. "Since when?"

"Since a while."

"You never told me."

He shrugged. "You never asked."

"I don't put my nose in people's private lives, Thor. I'm not Tony."

That got a chuckle out of the God of Thunder. But that laughter faded from his face, his eyes especially. "There's something else, Kiara." For this, he turned his head towards me. "It's about Loki."

"I don't like where your tone is going."

"He's gone."

I swallowed. "Gone as in...?"

"Dead."

"A-again? No. That's not possible. He faked his death before, Thor. He tricked us all."

"Not this time. In our attempt to stop the Dark Elves, Loki sacrificed himself. He died in my arms, Kiara."

I had a familiar feeling come back to me: where someone had sucked the air from my lungs. How everything stopped in my body, and all I could feel was the shock. Loki. Dead? Again? Definitely? "H-he's not gone," I insisted.

"If you reach out to him, he won't answer."

I shook my head. "You must've been deceived."

"I wasn't. Jane can vouch for me on this too."

"Even then I won't believe you. He's not dead."

"Kiara—"

"How long?" I asked sharply.

"I'm sorry?"

I sucked in a breath. "If he's been dead, how long?"

"A while."

My mouth parted in horror. "A while? Loki has been dead and you've kept this from me?"

"I was trying to spare you pain."

"Mission not accomplished!" I screamed. "I thought we were friends, Thor."

"We are, Kiara."

"Friends don't hide deaths from each other!" Tears gathered in my eyes. "Especially Loki's! Y-you know what he means to me! You know what we went t-through! And here you had the audacity to hide this from me!"

"Kiara," Thor said warningly.

"What?" I snapped sorely.

"Your hands."

I glanced down. My hands were fists, and they were burning bright blue. I was hot, definitely no pun intended there. I was enraged. I was heartbroken. "Who knows about Loki's death?"

"Few. You are one of them."

I snorted. "I should be so lucky."

"Kiara, I'm—"

I stormed out before he could finish that sentence.

* * *

Loki, please, stop with the fake deaths. I refuse to believe you were murdered. Come back. Stop playing dead. Stop this, for me.

I had been at this for hours since I left Thor with a bitter taste in my mouth. Unfortunately, the son of Odin was right; I got no response from Loki. After a few tries, each as pathetic as the next, I threw in the towel. I was reliving this pain all over again.

I sat, numb, on the bed in my room, eyes fixed on a point of the comforter. I didn't want to feel anything. I didn't want to interact with anyone. I had come back straight to my room and kept myself in it since.

Kiara?

Go away, Steve.

What's wrong?

Don't come find me.

Why not?

I want to be alone.

You have been, apparently. Nobody's seen you except for Thor and Aria, and that was this morning. What happened? What's wrong?

Nothing.

You know I don't buy that.

Just back off, okay?

"You know I can't do that." I heard Steve step into the room. "If you don't want to be seen, find a better hiding spot."

"Gee, why didn't I think of that?" I snarled.

"All right." His voice got softer. "There's one of three things this is about."

"Three?"

"It's either about Seth."

"Which it's not."

"It's about Aria, but I doubt it since she just got here. So that leaves Thor. What did he say to you?"

"He's dead, Steve," I said hollowly. "Loki."

"Kiara..."

"He didn't fake it this time. According to Thor, he died in his brother's arms. Tell me how that's a fake death." I looked at Steve, daring him to do so.

My boyfriend exhaled. "It's not."

I sniffed. "How's Aria?"

"She seems better. Tony's getting her more accustomed to the easy things about life."

"She sounds like she's flourishing."

"She's struggling. She's come from a dark spot, Kiara." He joined me on the bed. "You are too."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that you're grappling with a lot right now and this is how you're dealing. I want to help, but I can't if you don't let me."

"Maybe it's because I don't need you to."

"This isn't about me questioning whether or not you're capable of overcoming this. I've never questioned your ability to do so." Steve rubbed one of my arms. "This is about me being the person that I am. I'm making sure that you're going to be okay and right yourself."

I blew out a breath. "Did I ever tell you how difficult it is to be mad with you?"

"Maybe once or twice." He offered me a teasing smile. "I won't tell if you're not okay with it."

"Keeping another secret?" I raised a brow. "Am I sure I'm looking at Steve Rogers?"

"I'm not the guy you first met."

"You're definitely not."

I didn't understand it, how Steve was so persistently stubborn and somehow he managed to not poke an angry bear. It has to be because of our bond. There's just no other explanation. 

**[sigh] even though we know Loki isn't really dead, I feel Kiara's pain.

Gods help Loki the day she finds out he's alive, again. And faked his death, again.**