Sebastian barely manages to stay on his feet, his instinct is to shrink away from the agonizing shrieks, from the threat he can feel so dangerously close. 'Too close!' his mind screams, eyes closed tight against panic and fear, one hand covering his ear in a desperate attempt to block out the noise and the other reaching, grabbing hold of something solid. The only thing keeping him moving is the firm grip on his arm and the distant knowledge that it is Loki.

Despite their strange cat and mouse relationship, despite Thor's warnings, despite what he has read and the absolute that Loki could be even more dangerous than the Nightmares, Sebastian trusts him. He's drawn to him. A cold light in the dark. Except he doesn't believe Loki is cold. Not in the places where it matters. Loki is a master of deception, a King in his own Realm of misdirection and lies.

But he's even more than that and Sebastian can't turn his back on him.

Stars burst behind his eyelids and he can no longer feel where his hand grips Loki or where his feet trip over cobblestones, but Sebastian clings to the last shreds of his sanity and the part of himself that trusts Loki.