With only Loki on the planet as your ally, you had become a lot closer than you thought you would with someone you had once wished to see die. A friendship had quickly been forced between you, without anyone else to turn to but you quickly realised how well you got along. Maybe it was the isolation from anyone you knew, or maybe it was genuine attraction, but it didn't take long before your friendship became more, and you were spending most of your time in his chambers instead of your own.

It wasn't perfect but it made you happy, somehow Loki made you feel normal in a world where nothing was normal to the life you had expected to have as a child growing up on Earth. You didn't need to hide from those who would be disappointed in the relationship, no one either of you knew having been in the same solar system let alone planet, at least not until you started paying attention to the Grandmaster's arena and that his champion had once been an avenger. Even then it wasn't too concerning, there was no way for Bruce, who you had only since seen as the hulk, would find out you were there, thanks to his role being within in the arena, but things only became more concerning when it seemed that an avenger's reunion was occurring.

Another of the scrappers had brought in a possible fighter for the arena and you knew as soon as you saw him that he could ruin everything you had created on that planet. If Thor saw you or Loki, or even the two of you together, you would lose it all and that would likely include your life. As soon as you saw him, you sped off to find Loki, pulling him by the hand all the way back to his home to stop anyone else from hearing your conversation.

"What is the rush?" He laughed, taking both of your hands in his as soon as the front door had closed behind you.

"Your brother, he is here," you whispered.

His face paled. "Thor is here?"

"A scrapper brought him in. The Grandmaster is putting him in the arena tonight. It was bad enough to know Bruce was here but now Thor as well. We will not be able to live in secret any longer."

Loki raised your hand to his lips, pressing a gentle kiss to the reverse of your hand. "No one will know. Neither will see us."

You shook your head, fear running through you. "I'm scared. What if somebody finds out about us?"

"Are you ashamed of me?" He chuckled, pulling you closer to him.

"This is not a joke. If Thor or Bruce managed to see us and let anyone else know we were once enemies and now lovers, we would be sent into the arena, and we would not have the pleasure of being massacred like the others by the hulk, even though I'm sure he'd love to get his hands on you. We'd be sent in to fight one another until one of us was dead and then the survivor would go against his champion to meet the same fate."

"I promise you, no one will ever know," he said softly. "We cannot allow our pasts to haunt our present."

You let out a sigh. "I do not know how to believe that, but I trust you."

~*~

Written by Charlotte.