Veiled Sights

Summary: Loki couldn't stand anymore his life in Asgard. He does the unthinkable and dive himself into Yggdrasil, nobody prepared him for his life on Midgard or Tony Stark for that Matter. Slash.

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine, not even the plot. I don't own anything, I don't want it either. No copyright infringement is intended... blah, blah, blah...

AN: This 'is' for a prompt on the Avengers Assemble. OP asked for Loki going to Midgard and making a life for himself along with Tony Stark. I'm paraphrasing... it's an ongoing project, so yeah. Enjoy I guess. It's NOT beta'd, so beware...

Prologue

Loki always felt the same pang of anxiousness and pain when he looked at the scene in front of him. The All-father and the Queen doting and praising Thor, they kissed him; they hugged him, they drank on his every word. Thor was the Golden Son, The Warrior; The Crown Prince. He took a good look at his family, he always did… they were all blondes, robust and beautiful. He sometimes considered the fact that he wasn't their son. He didn't fit with his family looks. He was dark, little; gangly and awkward… he was the Sorcerer, the person people talked behind his back; the one that was never going to fit. The spare, the second best; the darkness whereas Thor was the light, it made him fell empty and hollow inside.

He listened to his older brother laugh with hopeless abandon. He smiled sadly along with Thor. Loki retreated and put his forehead on the wall, closing his eyes. He sobbed, quietly and carefully that nobody could hear him. He felt a few tears running down his cheeks. It was a pain in his chest nobody seemed to feel, a splinter that seemed to always get deeper and deeper. He was always in dichotomy: he wanted to disappear with the same frenzy he wanted to be noticed.

"Are you alright, your highness?" A voiced could be herd. Loki jumped exalted and erasing the best he could his tribulations he looked behind.

"Um~ I'm fine…" He spoke with soft voice. The servant smiled, the child always had a pleasant voice, the voice of an Enchanter; like a whisper of the winds sharp, but kind with a tight accent.

"If I may so bold, m'lord; you don't look too well."

"My stomach is a little unsettled." He lied, granting the worried servant a smile.

"Then you should rest…"

"I will, I will go to my room and rest…"

1

Thor dragged Loki to every single craziness the older could think of and Loki, considering himself the worst pushover of god-kind history; followed right behind like a marionette. He wanted to stay in his room reading, but Thor being whom he was didn't take 'no' for an answer. Loki didn't understand too much, why… his brother had a lot of friends, so why was always him whom he came for help with his crazy ideas?

The Royal Brothers were walking the castle halls. Loki had a resigned look on his face and Thor had a shit eating grin plastered all over his face. He didn't know why Thor was so happy about. His brother had been trying to kill some monster, he didn't even care to know what it was and this day it almost killed him were it not for Loki using a spell that tricked the beast, so his brother could escape. His brother while escaping landed on the monster's body a deadly punch, accidentally; resulting on the monster's death; but it was nothing to be proud of or be so happy about it. What pleasure did it bring to kill a mindless beast that didn't represent a challenge beyond brute force?

When the Throne Room was on sight, Thor grin was about to break his face and the blonde kid ran to where their parents were.

"Father! Father! I made it! I made it! I killed the beast! It was glorious father!" Thor yelled for the world to hear running like a stampede, climbing on the All-Father's lap. Loki just sighed again. Was his brother mentally challenged or something? Didn't his brother understand how close he had come of dying? If it wasn't for that spell, he would have returned home alone with the responsibility of telling their father; his precious son had just been killed by a beast. He shivered; he didn't want to imagine that scenario.

His mother's diaphanous sight crossed with his muted green. She smiled warm and kindly, shifting from all the worry she showed, before the tale of her golden son. He returned the gesture, he loved his mother dearly; he loved her so much it hurt.

"How are you faring, beloved?" The Queen asked placidly.

"I am well, mother." He answered truthfully, bowing lightly.

"This is what you have to aim to, my boy, Loki!" The All-Father told him boisterous like his older son. "Thor told me how you helped him to slay the beat!" His father proud face fell onto him. Loki smiled, but his smile didn't reach his eyes. Frigga noticed the hollow in his younger son's eyes, but she decided to remain silent.

"So, my precious Silver-tongue…" The Queen asked extending her delicate, but strong arms; so she could place her child on her lap. "What have you been doing in your free time?" She asked touching his perfect and sharp nose, making the melancholic child to giggle.

"Indeed! Indeed! My son… have you skinned a wolf? Or maybe duelled with one of our warriors and won?!" Odin asked full with energy. Thor and Odin were looking at him with the same fervour and energy, which only made him to feel more tired.

"I am afraid not, All-father. I am not much of a warrior…"

"Nonsenses! You are the best warrior I know brother! I would not be telling father about our adventure if it was not for you!"

"Well said, Thor! Well said!"

"Let the poor boy talk, husband."

"Forgive me, my Queen. I'm listening Loki."

Loki shifted on his mother's lap, really uncomfortable.

"I have found the branches of Yggdrasil, father."

"That is amazing beloved! So young and you can already see the branches?" His mother asked in awe. Loki just nodded tiredly knowing what would follow.

"Indeed it is a great feature to accomplish being so young… but Loki, my son… what I have told you about Sorcery? They are the womanish arts! You are a man! Your duty is to fight, to get stronger! Not to be reading books about sorcery and trickery! It is not proper."

"I apologize father. I will endeavour to correct my faults."

"I am sure you will, my son; because all men on our family are born to be Great Warriors!"

"Yes! Great Warriors indeed father!" Thor followed, throwing enthusiastically a fit to the air.

"That's my boy!"

2

Loki's tears were like a broken well. Why? Why it didn't matter if he told the truth or just blatantly lied? Nobody ever seemed to believe him. He noticed his mother knew what was happening, but she couldn't interfere. She wouldn't, it was a great burden to be who his mother was. All seeing Frigga… he didn't blame his mother for what it happened to him. He couldn't, his mother was the only ally he had in this world of warriors and big men that didn't used their brain for much.

He sobbed and had to stop because of the pain. He took his finger and carefully placed them on his sewed lips. How could have Thor condone such brutality upon his person? He was telling the truth, he nobody belied him. Hi couldn't take much more of this, he needed to do something! This was going to end on his death… his own brother! The person he thought he could let himself fall and never touch the ground had just held him against his will while his mouth was sewed. It was stupid! He didn't cut Sif's hair! Why by the nine realms would he need that silly girl's hair? He had more important things to do! And it didn't matter he had fixed a problem he didn't caused; he still was punished for it.

He couldn't take it anymore! He had tolerated a LOT! He could take the talking; the scorning… the fact that everybody despised him because he chose to be a Scholar and a Sorcerer over a warrior. He had learned to make deaf ears when his father decided to sharply point out how disappointed he was that Loki didn't care too much about what it truly mattered. For them it wasn't enough, it wasn't enough that he had taken time to become a great warrior, but he didn't enjoyed; for them it didn't mattered, for the Aesirs it was never enough it never matter when it came to his person they didn't even care how many times he had save his brother from his own foolishness. He was tired, he wanted to scream, but his voice had been taken away from him.

He needed to make a decision. He was never going to be enough for his family and trying had proved to be a danger to his life. There was only one option, so everybody could be happy in the end… he needed to step down, he needed to disappear; for the sake of his family, for his own sake they needed to break their relations before something regrettable happened.

He bespelled himself so not even the yenta of Heimdall could find him… he walked favouring the shadows so nobody would see him, he had enough shame for the eternity. He walked, stalking with his powers, until he reached the perfect spot. He took a deep breath when he saw the border. His stomach felt queasy and the sight made him dizzy for a while. A step below his feet was the abyss, the always welcoming and silent blackness…

This was not the first time he had considered ending it all, but he didn't want to die that was what the rest of the Aesirs wanted, to put an end to his unnaturalness. He wanted to live, he wanted to see it all… it maybe sounded cliché and naïve, but he wanted to be happy. He wanted to know happiness. He opened his arms and closed his eyes, trying to listening to the emptiness; the only answer he obtained was the uncomfortable pressure in his ears caused by the insurmountable silence of the outer space.

He sat on the verge, trying to look for an answer; the only thing that eventually appeared in front of his eyes was the branches of Yggdrasil. He could always see them when he concentrated, but he didn't know them. He couldn't surf them, because he needed some else to explain the path to him that one was Heimdall and they didn't like each other. He didn't know why, the god seemed to like his brother just fine.

He suddenly had an epiphany… he could run. He didn't need to know which branch was which, when he just wanted to run. Any realm was better than this one. He knew a lot of things could end badly for him, rushing blindly to Yggdrasil, but he already wanted to kill himself. It was a win-win situation.

Loki returned hastily to the castle and without delay began to pack his things make them so they could fit on his pocket. He was taking only the necessary and some objects that had sentimental value, he knew he was just hurting himself by taking those token of the life he was trying to leave behind, but he couldn't; he wasn't that heartless.

He waited until everything was silent. He wanted to say goodbye to his mother, but he didn't have such luxury, so when the moment came he ran away never looking back.

TBC