Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Turn the heat on, sweetheart—it’s too cold.”

To most people, that would have been nothing more than a simple statement, muttered by a woman who was still half-asleep.
But Ty Johnson had never been most people, and he instantly felt a jolt of fear run though his body. No longer sleepy in the least, he sat upright in the bed, his piercing eyes
looking down at his peaceful fiancée. Dawn had only awoken long enough to mutter those words, it seemed, and was now breathing slowly again, her eyes firmly shut in sleep.

“Okay.” He whispered shakily, knowing that she probably wasn’t listening. Heart pounding, he slowly forced himself out of the bed and walked slowly into the dimly lit hallway.

Now alone, he finally let out a long, ragged breath.

Thankfully, his breath did not seem to have any effect on the air around him. There was no rush of cold and, as he frantically felt various parts of his body, he concluded that none of those were abnormally cold either. It had been nearly six months since their godly counterparts had left them, and Ty had hardly given a thought to his days at Hod. Not surprisingly, he had been the happiest to see that side of him go and—aside from the initial challenge of getting Dawn to remember him without his godly essence—things had been so much simpler since.

With the help of her recordings, and several days of deep discussion, she had remembered (mostly) and they had been able to pick up where they had left off. In fact, things were even better than they had been before, since her fears about living with the god of darkness had lifted and she had simply been able to enjoy him for who he was. They were just Dawn and Ty, living as they were meant to be.

Or so he had assumed.

It was probably nothing, he reasoned as he leaned against the nearest wall to steady himself. He was probably overreacting to a simple request. But hearing her mutter that she was cold had just brought a plethora of buried fears rushing back. He was trying his best to shake it—after all, all people got cold sometimes.
It was normal.

But, by all logic, she shouldn’t have been cold on that warm summer night…

He wouldn’t have been worried if it hadn’t been an unnaturally balmy day. Although he had gone to bed in nothing but his boxers, he was hot. The former god of cold and darkness was sweating, while his fiancée had just rolled over to complain of the cold.
Ty found great assurance in the fact that he did not feel cold in the least. Perhaps she was just getting sick, he reasoned. It probably had noting to do with him.

And yet…

Something about it simply did not sit well.

Drawing another deep breath as he attempted to push his worries from his mind, Ty walked further down the hall and slowly turned the thermostat dial up a few degrees.
It was going to be a long, hot, night.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ty walked into the kitchen to find Dawn wrapped in a large woolly blanket. He had been disappointed to wake up in the bed alone, but the smell of toast and bacon had quickly wafted into his nose and he eagerly got out of bed to join his fiancée. The pair loved to cook for each other, and they took great pleasure in preparing surprise meals.
Ty knew that he was in for a treat and last night’s worries had faded.

…until he saw the blanket.

“Good morning, sweetheart.” Dawn greeted, rising from her seat to give him a peck on the cheek as he entered. The warm blanket stayed securely around her shoulders, even though the kitchen was sweltering with both sunlight and the heat of the over.

Ty tried to smile, but he was certain that it was not convincing. Worry swirled within him as he cautiously took his seat at the table.

After taking a sip from a steaming hot cup of tea, Dawn looked towards him with a much more genuine smile.

“Why so glum?” She asked, her tone cheerful. Apparently, she did not seem to think that anything was amiss.

“I, well…” Ty stuttered, unsure what to say. They had hardly talked about god stuff since that day in the woods, and he had been incredibly happy about that. He was reluctant to bring it up now and create worry and tension, especially since he wasn’t sure that anything was actually going on. But it was hard to shake that nagging feeling…
He decided to proceed with caution.

“How are you feeling?” He asked.

Her brow furrowed slightly. “Fine, I guess.” She said with a shrug. “I’m a bit surprised it’s so chilly in the middle of summer, I suppose—but I figured a nice warm breakfast would help warm us up.”

Dawn paused, and he watched as her eyes surveyed him briefly. Her smile suddenly began to fade.

“You’re only wearing your boxers.” She stated, looking him up and down. “It’s far too cold for that.”

Ty felt his breath catch in his throat and his mind began to race. She genuinely thought it was cold, but a quick glance at any thermometer would have been enough to prove that it wasn’t.

“Are you sure you’re feeling okay?” He pressed. For once, he hoped that she felt dizzy or nauseous or felt any sort of mortal symptom that would ease his greatest fears.
Dawn placed her hot tea down on the table. “I feel fine.” She stated, her voice quieter than before. “Just…cold. Even my tea is cold. Are you…”

Ty could sense the fear in her voice and he quickly chimed in. He couldn’t stand to see the look of fear in her eyes—and the way she was looking at him stirred up far too many bad feelings. Ty knew she didn’t mean it, and probably wasn’t even away of it, but he could tell that she wasn’t just looking at Ty anymore. She was looking at him like he was something else.

Something he had never wanted to be.

“I’m not cold.” He said quickly, hoping that would provide reassurance. “In fact, I’m pretty hot right now. Because it’s thirty degrees outside and we don’t even have the fan on in here.”

Ty reached out and placed his hand on the side of her steaming mug of tea. He focused his energy on it, thinking of cold and darkness like had had so many times before. But, thankfully, the steam remained.

“See?” He began, sitting back down with a small sigh of relief. “Perfectly normal. That nearly burnt my hand.”

Dawn gave a slow nod before looking back down at her drink. “That’s the third cup of tea I’ve made this morning.” She stated, he voice laced with even more worry than before. “I thought the kettle was broken because they all came out cold…but it’s not cold, is it?”

Any sense of relief Ty had felt faded instantly.

He had just touched the mug, and it was scalding hot. He could see the steam from here and his hand still felt warm.

But, apparently, it had cooled the moment it touched Dawn’s lips. He could remember the first time that had ever happened to him—it had been two days after his 21st birthday. That had been the day he realized that nothing would ever feel warm again.

“This doesn’t make any sense.” He muttered, reaching out to place his hand on Dawn’s arm.

As he feared, she felt cool to the touch. He knew that he had been colder back when he had his powers, but she was unnaturally cold, especially in this heat.

“But, you’re human. And I’m supposed to be human. The gods are in Asgard. It’s all over now. It’s supposed to be over.”
Dawn stood up abruptly, her chair clattering backwards.

All the colour had drained from her face and she stumbled towards the counter for support.

“Oh my god.” She muttered, rocking back on her heels as she looked resolutely down at the marble surface. Dawn knew something, and she was purposefully avoiding his gaze.

“What?” Ty pressed, rushing to her side. “What it is? Please, Dawn, tell me.”

There was a brief pause.

“Ty.” His fiancée whispered, finally turning towards him and placing a cool hand on his warm cheek. “I was going to tell you tonight. I had a dinner planned and everything. I…but…”

She trailed off, her face etched with worry. “I thought everything was normal now. I never even considered…and I didn’t think it worked this way anyway. I don’t think you’ve ever really been human, even without the powers and that explains everything right now, and I have no idea what we’re going to do…”

“Dawn, slow down.” Ty cut in as he reached out and pulled her cool body towards him for a deep embrace. “Whatever is going on, we’ll figure it out. We always do. Just tell me.”
He felt Dawn draw a deep breath before she looked up towards him. The former god could see tears welled in her eyes and his heart instantly sank.

“I’m pregnant, Ty.” She whispered.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chapter Text

It had been nearly six months since the Johnson men had gathered for an official meeting. Sure, they’d hung out many times during that period, and had generally been getting along better than ever now that godly complications were off the table—but when Ty had called them all in a panic and told them to get to his place immediately, they had all been reminded of old times.

And, as they had arrived to see a pained look on Ty’s face, all present knew that this was not going to be a lighthearted afternoon.

“So, what’s all this about?” Anders asked, taking a seat on the arm of Ty’s deep blue couch. He was always the one to break the ice, and everyone could tell that there was a lot of tension in the air. “Michele and I were in the middle of something rather important and I’d like to keep this quick.”

“Some things never change.” Mike muttered, giving his brother a playful eyeroll. Thankfully, the two had not had a falling out over Michele’s new relationship with Anders—probably because the oldest brother’s new romance with Hana had helped to dissolve any ill will.

Ty, however, was not feeling as lighthearted as Mike and he scowled at his two older siblings.

“This is far more important than your sex life, Anders.” He snapped. The dark-haired Johnson had been pacing around the small living room since they had arrived and the others had been too wary to question him. Hod or not, Ty was still the moodiest of the brothers, and they all knew not to pester him before he was ready.

“I’ll go get Dawn. She’s resting.” Ty muttered, before stalking out of the room.

The others exchanged quiet looks, wondering what the hell was going on.

“Well, this is a shitty way to spend a Saturday.” Axl muttered before reaching forward to grab one of the beers Olaf had brought with. Their grandfather, as always, was still hoping for a party, despite the dire tone in Ty’s voice when he had called.

“At least grandpa had the right idea.” He stated, taking a slow swig.

Moments later, Ty and Dawn entered and the four newcomers watched in confusion as Ty pulled her out a chair and wrapped a large blanket around her shoulders. The room was undeniably warm, and she was already wearing several layers of unseasonable clothing.

Once again, it was Anders who spoke first. “Bit hot for wool, isn’t it Dawn?” He asked, trying to sound lighthearted. “If I didn’t know better I’d ask if my brooding brother was up to his old tricks again.”

Neither Dawn nor Ty smiled.

Instead, Ty let out a deep sigh as he took a seat next to his fiancée.

None could deny the distinct look of pain in his light blue eyes.

“Dawn is cold.” He stated, the worry apparent on every inch of his face. “But it’s not me. At least, not in the way you’d think. Pretty sure it’s still my fault, though.”

“Wait…what?” Axl muttered, brow furrowed. The others looked equally perplexed.

None of the confusion was lifted and Ty could tell that his family was going to need more information, no matter how little he wanted to give it.

“You’re not making much sense, Ty.” Mike said gently. He, at least, could tell that his brother was upset and was astute enough not to crack any jokes. “Is Hod back somehow?”

The other three looked on with increased interest. Sure, the simplicity of normal life had been nice…but they had all missed the excitement of their old ways, to some extent. They’d made the best of it, certainly, but it had been hard to shake the feeling that something had been missing for the past several months. They had all been born to be gods, after all, but then suddenly, they weren’t.

“Woah…” Axl breathed, sitting up straighter in his spot as his eyes widened with excitement. “Is Dawn Hod now? That’s so cool!”

“That’s also impossible.” Olaf chimed in, taking a swig of one of his beers. “Dawn is 100% human, and she wouldn’t be able to house Hod, even if he had somehow returned from Asgard. Humans are incapable of such things.”

Dawn let out a shaky breath and Ty instantly reached out to squeeze her hand supportively. “Well, that’s not reassuring.” She muttered, her gaze firmly fixed on the floor.

Ty looked up towards his grandfather, his brow furrowed. “So…even without a god inside of us, we’re not exactly human, right? Even now?”

The oldest Johnson leaned back, his hands placed leisurely behind his head.  “Well, strictly speaking, no.” He replied with a slight shrug. “Don’t worry, without the gods’ powers’ there is nothing to set us apart from humans in practice. But genetically, we’re still different. We had to be to house the gods. Doesn’t really matter now, though. The gods are gone.”

Ty, however, did not look reassured.

“Fuck.”  He muttered, placing his head in his hands.   “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”

“Wait…so, something godly is going on here? With you guys?” Anders asked, looking back and forth between his brother and his friend. “Are we going to get our powers back? Not gonna lie, that would be pretty handy because…”

“Shut up, Anders!” Ty spat, standing up from his chair, eyes flashing with rage. “This isn’t about you!”

Anders threw up his hands in a sign of surrender as he wisely backed off.

There was another long pause.

“Then tell us what it’s about, Ty.” Mike urged gently. His brother was clearly agitated, and they all knew that these sorts of problems often required support.

Ty drew a shaky breath before looking towards the blonde woman who had remained largely silent in her spot.

She gave him a slight nod.

“Dawn is pregnant.” He stated, turning back towards his family. “About a month along, we figure.”

The room instantly erupted with noise.

“Wow! Congrats, bro!” Axl proclaimed, jumping up to wrap his brother in a hug.

Anders gave him a pat on the back while Olaf passed him a fresh beer to celebrate.

They all began to talk loudly, and only Mike was observant enough to notice the grim looks on Ty and Dawn’s faces.

“Guys. Guys!” The oldest brother cut in, standing up from his spot. “This is exciting news, but I think you’re all forgetting how this started.” He stated, eyebrows raised. Ty nodded in somber agreement. 

“Buzzkills.” Anders muttered as they made their way back to their seats.

“Dawn is pregnant, and she’s cold. As in, really, deeply, cold. In summer.” Mike continued, clearly grasping the oddness of the situation.  “Am I right?”

Dawn nodded.

There was no way that Dawn’s unusual symptoms were merely a coincidence.

“Couldn’t it be, like, one of those weird pregnancy things?” Axl asked innocently. “I mean, don’t must women go kind of crazy when they get knocked up?”

Dawn scowled and Ty gave his brother a piercing glare.

“Think about it logically, Axl.” Ty snapped, arms crossed firmly across his chest. “I’m the former not-quite-human god of darkness and cold. And things with this family are never that simple.”

“Yeah, but the gods are gone and…”

“And somehow things are still fucked up.” Ty cut in.

Mike gave his brother a sad smile. “So, what do you think is happening, then?” He asked, looking towards Ty.

The man let out a deep sign before sitting back in his chair and shaking his head with frustration. “No idea.” He said as Dawn placed a comforting hand on his back. “But it seems like, somehow, this baby—my baby—is already manifesting some of my former powers.”

“How is that possible?” Anders pressed, looking towards Olaf. If anyone had any sort of inclination, it would surely be him.

Unfortunately, Olaf simply scoffed. “Fucked if I know.” The man replied, shaking his head. “I mean, even when gods and goddesses with their full powers have babies, they don’t show any signs of power until their 21^st birthday.” He paused. “And when a god and a mortal have a child, most of the time they simply turn out mortal—like Thor’s daughter.”

The others nodded in agreement as their grandfather took a large, thoughtful, swig of beer.

“And yet…” The oldest Johnson continued, looking towards the only woman in the room. “Somehow a human woman impregnated by the so-called former host of Hod seems to be carrying a baby that already has its fathers’ tendencies.”

“My former tendencies.” Ty interceded. “I’m not cold anymore. I’m not supposed to be anything anymore!”

Olaf shrugged again. “Well, I guess we’re missing something then.” He stated, much more nonchalantly then the situation required. “Maybe the gods didn’t go back to Asgard like we thought. There were a hell of a lot of confusing prophecies around and everything got really confusing. Maybe Frigg’s weird creepy brother was wrong.”

The others looked around the room, all attempting to come to terms with that statement. That would certainly explain Dawn and Ty’s situation, but it didn’t really make sense in the greater scheme of things. They had been powerless for months now, and none of them had felt even the slightest hint of godly power. That meant it was over, didn’t it?  

“But,” Axl began, shaking his head in confusion. “We saw the gods depart on my wedding day. And none of us have any powers. Zeb still doesn’t remember me from before, everyone we used to know has forgotten about us…the gods can’t be back. We’d know.”

Olaf opened his mouth to reply, but before he could the sound of a new voice sent a jolt through the room.

“They’re not back, dear Odin.” The new arrival stated, a cocky grin on his face and he leaned against the frame of the open door. “They never truly left.”

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chapter Text

“Colin! What the bloody fuck are you doing here?”

Mike, usually the calmest of the bothers, lunged forward at the sight of this most unwelcomed visitor.

Anders, acting quickly, grabbed his brother’s wrist and managed to pull him back. He was no fan of the (former?) Loki either, but if the man had any information that could help, now wasn’t the best time to beat him into a pulp.

Unfortunately, old feuds had to be set aside.

“Never left? What the hell does that mean?” It was Ty who spoke this time, and it appeared that Dawn’s hand on his shoulder was the only thing currently keeping him in control.

The Johnson’s hatred of Colin Gunderson was no secret, and it had clearly not faded after months of separation.

“Hod, Ullr, please.” Colin said smoothly, his smile unflinching. “That is no way to treat a guest.”

“Don’t you dare call me that.” Ty spat, his fists clenched. “And you’re not a guest, you’re an intruder. How did you even know we were here!?”

The new arrival simply chuckled. “I do hope you’ll forgive my eavesdropping.” He said, waving his phone in front of him. “I had my assistant set up a handy little Johnson alert. I knew you idiots would figure it out one day, and I didn’t want to miss the looks on your faces when you did.” He paused, still grinning. “I must say, though, I didn’t think even you lot would take this long. There are only two more days to go.”

Mike jerked forward again, but this time both Anders and Axl were holding him back.  

“Stop being so damn cryptic.” The oldest brother hissed, his eyes narrowed dangerously. “We’re in no mood to put up with your crap.”

Colin, much to everyone’s annoyance, simply scoffed. “If I were you I’d learn how to put up with my crap…I plan on being around for the rest of our immortal lives.”

Before anyone else could say another word, Olaf took two large strides in the visitor’s direction and, quite uncharacteristically, slammed him down into a nearby chair.

“Sit and talk, you little weasel.” He said with unusual fierceness. “I’ll make it my mission to make your eternity miserable if you don’t cut this shit and tell us what the fuck is going on.”

Colin laughed again, clearly still amused. But he threw up his hands in mock surrender.

“Okay, okay, clearly you’re all a bit touchy today.” He remarked, rolling his eyes. “You should be happy, Olaf.” He continued jovially. “You were right all along and you’re not the world’s shittiest oracle. Things just took a little longer than expected.”

The oldest Johnson crossed his arms menacingly and the intruder wisely continued. “You see,” He began, voice still dripping with arrogance. “The wedding of Frigg and Odin was actually rather misleading.”

“The gods departed. We all saw it.” Axl stated skeptically. “What’s misleading about that?”

“Ah, well, yes, it did look that way.” Colin continued, leaning back in his chair. “But they—we—weren’t exactly departing. It was more like…recharging.”

“I told you to cut the shit.” Olaf repeated.

“Right, well, while you lot were all running around and planning the ceremony I did some actual research and I discovered that this was how it was supposed to happen. The wedding of Frigg and Odin was meant to send the godly essences to Asgard, not for good, but simply to prepare for their—our—full assentation. Our bodies needed time to prepare, and they needed time to gather everything. Part of them left us to receive our full powers and to summon Asgard to the earthly plane,” He paused, leaning forward for dramatic effect, “But they are still tied to us. They are us and we are them, that was never going to change. After a brief six months, our bodies are ready and they’re ready to return to us so that we can finally be complete.”

“Wait…so, this was just a hiatus? We were just being prepared for our full powers?” Anders asked, his eyes wide. As annoying as Colin was, he had a vested interest in all of this and there wasn’t much reason for him to lie. :And what do you mean by ‘our bodies are ready?’ Have we been becoming more god-like this entire time without even knowing it?”

“Exactly.” Colin replied with a wink. “My favourite Johnson gets it. Part of our godly essences went off to gather the powers while the rest of the essence stayed behind to slowly rid our bodies of anything human. It’s a subtle process—we weren’t very human to begin with and as soon as the last scraps are gone, we’ll be ready to unite the two essences and ascend.”

He paused, smiling at the six grim faces before him.

“Do you really think I would have agreed to help with your ceremony if it meant losing my powers for good?” He asked with another roll of his eyes. “I thought you were at least a little bit smarter than that. I agreed to help because I knew what was really taking place, and I needed to leave the Stone of Asgard at the site of the ceremony to make sure everything went smoothly.”

Olaf’s gaze snapped towards Colin. “You had the Stone of Asgard? How?” He demanded, a flash in his eyes.

“I have my tricks.”

“What are you talking about?” Axl interjected, voicing what everyone else was currently thinking. You could always leave it to the youngest Johnson to be blunt and to the point.

“The Stone of Asgard, according to the legend, acts as a portal between the real of the gods and the real of men.” Olaf explained, his eyes still locked on the intruder. “It was once in the deep woods of Norway, and was the place where gods would appear when they wished to mingle in mortal affairs. No one has seen it in centuries, which is one reason why none of us could ever visit other worlds…”

“But all of that is about to change.” Colin finished, “The stone is nearly recharged. We are nearly recharged. A new era is upon us.”

“NO!”

Ty’s voice was so loud that it nearly shook the room. The brother who had called this meeting had been quite silent since Colin’s arrival, but not even Dawn could hold him back as the trickster finished sharing his revelations.

“Give me one fucking reason why I should believe any of your shit.” Ty growled as he made his way aggressively towards the once and future Loki. “You come here, and you spew this crap that goes against everything we saw that day. You’re fucking with us again, aren’t you? AREN’T YOU?” Before anyone could step in, Ty had grabbed Colin by the collar of his neatly pressed shit and thrown him onto the ground.

“Ty, Ty, please.” Colin said, finally somewhat rattled as he scurried off the floor. Even without their powers, the two were natural enemies and had never managed a peaceful interaction. “You’re the only one who has been fucking anyone, I assure you.” He continued, nodding towards Dawn. “As evidenced by the little god-spawn currently growing inside your lovely fiancée.” 

Dawn placed a hand on her stomach as Ty let out another cry of rage. This time, Anders and Axl both jumped forward to hold him back. After a short scuffle, Ty stopped struggling against them and his rapid breathing finally slowed.

His rage, however, was as strong as ever. “My child will not be a god. I am not a god.” He hissed. In the olden days, it was probable that Colin would have been turned to ice by now. Luckily for the unwanted visitor, however, no surge of cold appeared,

“On the contrary,” Colin replied smoothly as he dusted off his jacket. “You’re more of a god than ever and, in two days, everything will be complete, like it or not.”

He paused, looking towards Dawn. “You’re right about one thing, though.” He continued with relish. “That child is not a god. It’s a demi-god. And things are about to get interesting…”

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx          

Nearly twelve hours had passed since they had kicked that arrogant bastard Colin out of his house, but Ty’s head was still spinning from all of the revelations he had brought.

It was, of course, still possible that the man had just been messing with them. He was a natural trickster, after all, but something about his face had convinced Ty that none of this was a joke. Colin had spoken with undeniable excitement and certainty—it was no secret that he loved power, and it was logical that he would be excited about the scenario he had outlined. And he had made several valid points. Would he have helped them with the ceremony if it meant losing his powers? Knowing Colin, most certainly not. Everything had been so frantic and confusing back then that, Ty supposed, none of them had had time to question the man’s motives. They had needed him, and he agreed. And now that had come back to haunt them.

Once Colin had left, the Johnson’s had continued to discuss the situation for several hours. Olaf had told them more about the Stone of Asgard. It seemed that, if Colin had not brought it to the ceremony, it would not have been possible for the godly essences to split in two and go off on their quest to turn them into full gods. To be fair, if he hadn’t brought it the ceremony might not have been completed at all and the world could have been destroyed by a series of natural disasters…but even still, Ty found himself full of bitterness at the man’s deception.

Even if this was inevitable and necessary, he didn’t have to withhold this information from them for six months. He didn’t have to let them think that it was all finally over.

Yes, it had been the best six months of his life, and he had been certain that his supernatural past was fully behind him. But having everything he had always wanted—mortality, Dawn, a normal life—dangled in front of him and then abruptly snatched away…

Somehow, that felt worse than not having it at all.

The loss he felt today stung him to the core.

Even though it had been entirely unintentional, he also felt as if he had deceived the woman he loved more than anything in the world.

They had been reunited after all of the chaos and, once her memories returned, he had joyfully told her that he was finally just a normal guy. He had promised her a god-free life. He had promised her everything they had ever wanted.

And now, he had to break his promise.

In the worst possible way.

His blissful ignorance had been snatched away and the love of his life was now burdened with a godly mess that she had never wanted.

He knew her well, and he could tell that she had been fighting to hold herself together that day—but the strain of it all was apparent on her face. She had slipped out of the room as the brothers continued to discuss Colin’s news and Ty had discovered her in the bed, under heaps of blankets. He knew that she didn’t want him to see her pain, but the tears had stained her face as she slept.

The sight had broken his heart, but he could not lay any of the blame on her.

He had no fucking clue what was going to happen in two short days but, if Colin was right, he was probably going to become a fully-fledged god. Having Hod’s powers had been bad enough before—but he knew that what he possessed only scratched the surface of the god’s true potential. The powers had become diluted over the years. But now, once everything was complete, they would be back in full force.

He could not even stand to think about what that might mean…

Ty let out a ragged breath in the silence of his dark kitchen. Despite everything he had been through in his life, the thought of it all still seemed so surreal at that moment. He was standing in a perfectly normal home, with his perfectly normal fiancée sleeping down the hall. He had just discovered that she was pregnant, which should have marked the start of a happy new phase of their perfectly regular lives.

As he caught sight of himself in the small mirror near the window, Ty stopped his frantic pacing and paused. He even looked so mundanely human, he thought glumly. That was how he was supposed to be.

Except…

Except, perhaps, for those icy blue eyes, which suddenly seemed more colourless and otherworldly then they had before. Yes, his eyes gave him away to any who were keen enough to look.

He had always had the gaze of a god.

Unable to stand the sight of those icy orbs for a moment longer, he looked away, sadness and rage coursing through his tired body. He wondered, bitterly, if the child would inherit his unnatural eyes.

It had, apparently, already inherited some of his other undesirable qualities. It was already emanating coldness at one month. There was no telling what else might come. Thankfully, as far as they could tell, the baby probably wouldn’t harm Dawn, but it was already apparent that she would not have an easy pregnancy. Olaf had assured them that successful god-human offspring had been born in the olden times and he was pretty sure that there were no reported incidents of powerful demi-gods harming their mothers from within. Ty had tried to feel relived by this news—but the fact was, he was still undeniably anguished by the thought that he had put his beloved in this terrible position. She was already suffering because of what he was.

She had wanted a child. They both did. But she had never asked for a demi-god.  Neither of them had even known that such children were possible, and both had assumed that Ty had become human on that fateful night anyway.

But, as it turned out, he had never been human. On the contrary, his body had quietly been becoming more god-like with each passing day without him having any inclination. If Colin and Olaf were right, they were practically full-gods already. As soon as the final piece returned in two days, their fates would be sealed.

And for him, he thought bitterly, that meant an eternity of darkness and cold.

He could never escape his horrible fate.

Letting out another pained sigh, Ty finally flopped into a nearby chair. He glanced sadly at the plate of yellow cupcakes on the table and tried to fight off the distinct tickle he now felt in his eyes.

He had already cried enough today, he figured. And he now faced an eon of sadness.

Finding that plate, which Dawn had hidden in the back of the fridge, had set him off earlier. As it turned out, she had been planning to surprise him that night in their customary way.

‘Congratulations, Dad.’ She had written in beautiful white icing.

She was going to surprise him with their favorite dessert and, for a brief happy moment, Ty allowed himself to picture what a joyful scene that would have been.

But, instead, she had revealed her pregnancy and she tearfully clung to him with fear, and they had discovered how abnormal things would be thanks to one of their least favourite individuals.

Everything was so supremely fucked up and it felt as if his world had come crashing down in only a few short hours.

He didn’t know how long it would take to pick up the pieces. He didn’t know if it was even possible to pick up the pieces.     

But, as long as he still had her, Ty knew that he could never stop trying.

Chapter Text

“There you are. I was worried.”

Ty jolted out of his restless slumber to see his fiancée leaning against the kitchen door, a surprisingly serene look on her face.

It appeared that she was well rested and, aside from the thick sweater she was currently wrapped in, nothing seemed amiss. It also seemed that he had accidently fallen asleep with his head on the kitchen table and he groaned as he stretched his extremely stiff neck.

“Was a bit worried you’d gone off to do some mysterious Norse thing in the woods.” She continued with a small smirk as she walked over to join him at the table.

Ty tried to muster a smile but the thought of that sent a chill through his body. If Colin was right, he would be doing mysterious Norse things in the forest tomorrow…

And he did not want to think about it.

“Sorry, I was too wound up to sleep last night. After everything. Came out here to think and must have drifted off.” He replied, stretching the kinks in his neck once more for good measure.

Dawn gave a small chuckle before placing her hand on top of his. He was relieved to see that she was, apparently, so calm and collected that morning. It was a pleasant surprise after everything that had happened yesterday. He just hoped that she wasn’t pretending for his sake…

But, despite his relief that she was not tempted to run for the hills, the coldness of her outstretched hand served as a reminder of their grim reality.

Unfortunately, yesterday had not been a terrible dream.

“How are you feeling today?” He asked reluctantly, his pale blue eyes searching hers. As much as he wished that they could avoid the topic for one last blissful day, he knew that that was impossible.

Their days of happiness were officially over. And by tomorrow, everything would be different.  

It was probably better just to rip off the band-aid.

Dawn took a breath. “Okay, I think.” She replied honestly. “Yesterday was so overwhelming…but it’s good to know what’s going on, at least. And physically, I feel fine. Just cold.”

Ty closed his eyes for a moment. He had felt a terrible pang in his chest as soon as she had said the word cold.

This was all his fault, and the guilt of that threatened to crush him.

“Dawn,” he began, grasping her hand more tightly then before. “You don’t have to be brave for my sake. This is all so unexpected. So terrible. This isn’t what you signed up for and I understand if you want to…”

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence.” The blonde cut in, her eyes flashing. “Don’t suggest for a second that I want to run away from you or from our child. Yeah, you’re right—this wasn’t how I pictured things, but the only thing I really and truly care about is being with you. I fell in love with you when you were a god, I loved you when you became human, and I’ll keep on loving you no matter what happens.”

Ty tried to smile once again but still found it nearly impossible. She was so overwhelmingly wonderful, and he knew that he did not deserve the devotion of this amazing woman. Part of him felt like the luckiest man alive. But, at the same time, he knew that she didn’t fully grasp the seriousness of the situation. Relatively speaking, she was still new to all of this supernatural stuff, and she didn’t know how truly fucked up it all was.

“I’ll always love you too,” He whispered, looking away in an attempt to keep his emotions in line. “But we’re entering uncharted territory now. The Hod you knew before was just a fragment of what I’m about to become, and you know how dangerous I was back then…”

“Ty…”

She began to speak, but he cut in before she could continue. “Dawn, I know you’re going to say that we’ll get through it. But the truth is we have no idea what is going to happen tomorrow. Or what is going to happen to our child.”

It was hard not to falter as he watched her face fall, but Ty felt compelled to continue.

“I don’t know how strong I’ll be, or if its even safe for me to be around humans. What if I hurt you? What if I have even less control than I did before?” He drew a shaky breath. He could tell that Dawn was not happy to hear these fears, but he knew that he had to lay it all out. They had deluded themselves for long enough, and she needed to brace herself for what was coming in the little time they had left.

Tomorrow might be the end…

“I also have no idea what happen when the portal to Asgard is opened, but I’m guessing that the universe isn’t going to let us get on with our normal lives. I’m not Axl, thankfully, but we’ll probably all have to rule in our own way, and I have no fucking clue what that entails.” He continued. “And the baby…”

He trailed off as he watched Dawn move her hand to her stomach, her face etched with worry.

“I’ll do my best to find out everything I can, but there haven’t been any demi-gods since the gods fled their homeland. When they took on new hosts, the rules changed. But now, things are back to how they once were and the only thing we know is that I have already condemned this baby to a life of cold and isolation. I’ve damned them by…”

“Stop it!” Dawn had grown increasingly upset as her fiancée spoke. She stood up from her chair abruptly, hardly noticing as it clattered backwards onto the marble floor. “Stop it right now!” She proclaimed again. “The only think I’m hearing from you, over and over again, is that YOU DON’T KNOW anything right now. And that’s fine. I get it. This was all a shock and none of you know what the hell is going on. But don’t sit there and tell me to always expect the worst! Yes, it’s complicated and there will probably be challenges, but you are not going to stop being you. And this baby, this baby that we both want so badly, was created out of love. Our love. And that’s fucking magical. If the last few days are any indication, it is going to have some pretty amazing abilities because its father is a god. That’s a blessing. Not a curse. So you need to stop with all of this pessimistic shit and see the bright side right now. We should be celebrating what we’ve made. We should be happy.”   

A tense silence fell over the room, and Ty knew that it would be best not to provoke her now. She was clearly worked up, despite her earlier calmness.

And yet, unwisely, he was unable to resist.

“You’re human. You’ll never understand what it’s like!” He shot back as he too stood up from his spot. “It is a curse. Bringing darkness and cold wherever you go is a fucking curse, and this child is going to hate me as soon as it figures out that this is my fault!”

“Ty, stop—”

“It’s true, Dawn.” He cut in, icy eyes full of pent up pain. “You have no idea what I’m about to become. You should leave. Get as far away from me as you can and, if you decide to raise that child, don’t tell them about me. Find a human man and try to give the baby a normal life. Give it the life I can never provide.”

Dawn brought her hand to her chest, shocked by his outburst. “If I decide?!” She countered, her voice dangerously low. “Don’t you dare suggest what I think you’re suggesting.”

Despite himself, Ty felt the tears welling up once more. His mind was swirling with a mess of emotions and they surged within him as he caught sight of the yellow cupcakes which were now sitting on the counter.

He didn’t want to suggest that. The mere thought filled him with immense pain. She was right, they should have been celebrating what came from their love. But…

Father. He should never be a father.

Not like this.

The lord of darkness would always be alone.

With an anguished cry, Ty threw the plate of lovingly prepared treats onto the floor, watching as shards of glass and icing were smeared across the cold tiles.

He heard Dawn shout his name, but he was too taken by his rage to respond as he stormed towards the door.

He needed to go.

He needed to get away.

She would be better off, in the end…

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx