Title: while the king was looking down, the jester stole his thorny crown

Fandom: Highlander/Avengers movieverse

Disclaimer: not my characters; title from Don McLean

Warnings: so much fluff; Methos being parental; inaccurate Norse mythology

Pairings: none

Rating: PG

Wordcount: 645

Point of view: third

Prompt: Highlander/Thor, Methos + Loki, like rain from the sky

When Loki wakes up, the palace is gone in place of a bungalow, and there's a beach right outside the door, a shining sun, and dolphins playing in the surf. He stares out the window, at Hel walking along the shore, naked as a newborn.

"C'mon out, kiddo!" Hel calls, waving at him. "You could do with some playtime."

How long has it been since Loki actually played? Not since Thor began training as a warrior, for sure. Pranks, yes, thousands of them. But taking time off purely for fun?

Hel runs into the waves, trying to pounce on a dolphin. Of course, he belly-flops into the water and emerges laughing, shaking his head. The dolphins laugh at him.

"Oh, why not," Loki mutters and strips off his clothes.

.

"Do you like the name 'Loki'?" Hel asks.

Loki shrugs.

"Hmm," Hel says. "Do you really want to be a villain?"

Loki shrugs again. He's exhausted; who knew play was so tiring? His whole body aches, but it is a good ache – he feels, well, proud. He'd managed to pounce on a dolphin before Hel did. He also managed to outswim a shark. Of course, he was wearing a giant serpent's form at the time. Hel laughed about something called the Midgard Serpent and refused to explain.

"Shall I rename you, then?" Hel offers. "You had name before Odin stole you; he named you something else. And now you're with me." He pauses as Loki raises his head, and smiles a bit bashfully. "I suppose I should have asked if you'd like to stay first."

Loki nods. "I think I'd like to try something new," he muses, stretching to his full length and groaning. "At least you've been honest with me. That's something no one else managed."

"So!" Hel says, "a new name for me and you." A few minutes of silence pass and Loki's almost asleep when Hel continues, "Well, I'm Adam, of course. And you, my adorable younger brother – Danny. That's a good name for an adorable younger brother."

"Being a brother hasn't gone that well for me," Lo-Danny says.

"You haven't been my younger brother," Adam replies. "Sleep now, Danny. Lots to do in the morning."

.

In the morning, the beach has changed to an apartment in a busy city and it's raining. "Where are we?" he asks, walking into the kitchen. "What are you doing?"

"I'm making breakfast," Adam says. "How d'ya like your eggs?"

"Um. I'm not sure I've had Midgardian eggs," Danny admits.

"Alright. We'll start with scrambled and go from there." Adam scoops the eggs onto a plate and sets it on the counter. "Eat!"

Danny sits on the stool. "Where are we, Adam?" he asks again.

Adam smiles, pouring more eggs into the pan. "We're in Toronto."

Pausing in separating his eggs, Danny asks, "Why are we in Toronto?"

Adam just shrugs. "Why not?"

.

For a week, Adam teaches Danny how to live a non-prankster, non-warrior, non-prince, non-villain life. Surprisingly enough, it's not boring.

"Why are you showing me all this?" Danny asks as they leave a bank, having just opened an account.

Adam puts his arm around Danny's shoulder. "I'm teaching you how to be immortal," he says. "Now, c'mon. There's a movie I want to see."

.

Danny could leave. He could become Loki again, Loki Silvertongue, Loki the Liar. But Adam treats him like no one ever has before, and it is so refreshing. He is not a scapegoat, not a toy, not a burden or an afterthought.

"What d'ya wanna do today?" Adam asks on the seventh day.

"Can we play with dolphins?" he asks in reply.

"Of course," Adam says, and just like that, they're on a beach, the sun is brilliant, and there are dolphins leaping out of the water.

Danny grins and rushes past Adam into the surf, shedding his clothes as he goes.