MaLoki 20 themes: on midgard

15. Crows

Japan’s crows are large, brutish things, even if they make up for that by resembling ravens in intellect as well as size. At the start of his exile Loki befriended a few, grateful for the familiarity, but the partnership was brief; the intelligence that made them worthy companions also gave their eyes too sinister a gleam.

Loki knows there are reasons enough for the references to murder or unkindness. He is less sure if it is hope or fear that causes him to give each flock of Japanese crows a second glance, and scan the skies for two familiar silhouettes.




10. Divinity
see MaLoki volume 5, in which Hel stabs Yamino, leaving him for Loki and Narugami to find once they return

The gods are close enough to immortality for the difference not to matter; Loki has never felt mortality's edge this keenly. He watches Narugami-- watches his own hands reach out uselessly to brush Yamino’s hair from his face-- thinks of punishment and irony and the power that has been taken from him.

The blood seeps through the makeshift compress, stains Narugami's hands. This is the point when Loki finally realises what it means to have lost his divinity: kneeling next to Yamino, whose skin is cool to the touch of Loki's childish, clumsy fingers, and being unable to do anything.




Bonus theme 1. The End Of The World

Loki doesn’t know when it started, but the petty joys and frustrations of Midgard have slowly come to, if not overshadow, at least mitigate the gravity of divine concerns. It’s not that Loki’s ever lost sight of the circumstances of his exile; he merely sees no harm in surrendering, just a little.

Which is partly why he finds himself staring, one trembling finger outstretched in accusation, as Narugami cheerfully demolishes what was to have been the grand finale of tonight’s dinner.

“N-Narugami-kun… my chocolate gateau…”

“Loki-sama,” Yamino said with a pleading smile, “it’s really not the end of the world…”




19. Meeting in the Rain

Heimdall isn't expecting to meet Narugami under a shop awning. Still, there have been odder coincidences, so Heimdall doesn't wince when Narugami greets him far too cheerfully for someone who's escaping the rain, or even when Narugami squeezes in next to Heimdall, wrings rainwater out of his cheerfully yellow employee shirt, and goes on about his latest job in a stream of enthusiastic chatter.

It's a bright-skied sort of rain, far from a proper storm. Heimdall can't help thinking of the past; of how Narugami could be any other skinny teenager, now, clocking arubaito hours while waiting out the rain.