Toxic

35 | Starving

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Italics are a flashback.

•••

"I can't believe we're all here," Summer laughed with tears rolling down her cheeks. "I thought I'd never see you again. And you're all so grown up!"

Quite a few of the Avengers and her three kids sat around her, absorbing every second together, not a dry eye in the tower.

Freyja smiled and squeezed her mother's hands. "We can't believe it either."

"And guess what else?" Siv piped up, a big grin on her lips. "You're a grandma now!"

"Yes, I know! Your father-" she paused to correct herself. "Loki, gave me some pictures."

Siv's smiled slowly fell and her heartbeat quickened. Her mouth agape, she asked, "Wait, what? How?"

Oblivious to the sudden mood change she create, Summer fondly shook her head. "Oh, I don't know. Nearly everything that man does is a mystery to me."

Landon leaned forward in his seat, protective of his mom. "Mom, how does... How does Loki treat you?"

"Things are good. It was difficult after you all left, but we made it through." She chirped, as if her brain was hardwired to respond in such a way- which it was. "We love each other and he treats me likes the queen he promised I'd be."

Landon shook his head. "That's not love. That's abuse."

She opened her mouth to respond, but her words died in her throat as his statement just barely broke past the potion and the lies Loki drilled into her. Abuse... She grew silent, her body registering it to be true, while her head told her otherwise. She just hadn't heard the truth in a long time.

With furrowed eyebrows and unfocused eyes, she quietly said, "Abuse can feel like love."

"Abuse can feel like love...." He repeated. "Why?"

After a beat, her eyes trailed up to meet his, unwavering. "Starving people will eat anything."

•••

"I know you're upset, but you can't take it out on your mother." Thor told the kids as sternly, but as lovingly as he could.

"Dad, it's just-" Siv cut herself off with a frustrated sigh. "She claims she loves him, but he's a monster. Our mother is in love with a monster."

"Don't say that," Landon snapped. "You know it's not real love."

"I'm just going based on what she says!"

"Yeah but you know she's not all there right now. She's been manipulated, abused, and practically mind controlled for years!"

Thor sighed, and that was enough to silence the two. "The last thing we need is to turn on each other right now. As thrilled as I am to have Summer back, I'm fearful as to why she's here. If she's here, Loki's normally not too far behind."

"I just don't understand why he'd come back to harass us after all these years." Siv exasperated. "He has mom all to himself and that's what he wanted for so long... why would he potentially ruin that for himself again?"

"We don't know if he's here yet." Landon pointed out. "We don't know his intentions."

"Exactly," Siv huffed. "We don't know his intentions. That's what makes this so terrifying."

"Guilt." Thor whispered.

"What?"

"Guilt," the god repeated. "He could feel guilty after all this time. Your mother told me years ago, before you all were born, he'd... reward and punish your mother, to have her be the wife he wanted her to be. If she 'disobeyed' him, she wouldn't have access to hot water, proper food, get locked in a closet... but if she did what he asked of her, he'd reward her with the basic necessities. Hot water, food, a bed, social interaction, things that are a person's right." He listed off. "But if he felt especially guilty after a punishment or if he felt like he needed to win her over, he'd pamper her. Extravagant food, jewelry, clothes, whatever he'd think make her feel better. What if this is a reward?"