"Don't fucking touch me!" The god of mischief yanked his arm away from the goblin king's grasp. The reaction really shouldn't have surprised Jareth, but he couldn't help the small twinge of pain at Loki's outburst. He chided himself for it. Even after all this time, he was still annoyed that the god elicited any feelings at all from him. Jareth steeled his features and stepped closer to him.
"You came to me, Loki, remember? You could at least show me some courtesy and tell me whats wrong."
And there was so obviously something wrong. The dark circles under his eyes were a tell0tale sign that he hadn't been sleeping well, if at all, and the look of…apprehension…no, fear, gave Jareth pause. Loki was not usually one to show fear.
The god turned away from Jareth and walked to the window of the goblin king's throne room. He knew it would be a bad idea to involve Jareth, but he was so used to the monarch's presence that it had been second nature to come to him. And yet he couldn't bring himself to regret coming here; he couldn't leave Jareth wondering.
He hadn't meant to yell at him, but the moment the king had touched him, the memories sprang to his mind; memories of those long slender fingers gliding over his bare skin as he peppered feverish kisses along Jareth's neck. It had been too much for him to bear, and he had snapped at him. He turned around to face the goblin king, and had to catch his breath. Gods, even after all this time, he found the man dazzlingly beautiful. He closed his eyes to clear his thoughts.
"I-I'm not going to be seeing you again after today, Jareth," he said.
The king eyed Loki warily.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that I am dying."
Jareth kept his expression blank and closed the distance between himself and the god.
"How?"
"Does it matter? There is nothing you can do that I haven't already tried."
Jareth shook his head.
"How do you know? My magic is not the same as yours, Loki. Perhaps there is a way…"
"…No. There isn't, Jareth. Leave it at that…please."
Jareth sucked in a small breath of surprise at the plea. It seemed Loki was determined not to let Jareth try to help him. It made him angry, but he knew better than to try and convince this man to do anything he had decided not to do.
"Then why did you come to me?"
Loki could see the anger etched on Jareth's features, and he wasn't surprised. But although they had shared a bed many times, they both still had their secrets, and he knew Jareth would understand at least, his wish to remain furtive.
"I came to you to say good bye."
He wouldn't say what he truly felt, not even now, and he knew Jareth would be equally as stubborn.
"Good bye…" Jareth mused. "Then…I will bid you good bye."
How very formal of him. Jareth wanted to say so much more than that. He wanted to grab loki by the collar and shake him until he came to his senses. He wanted to magic them both away to his bed and fuck him until they both forgot about everything but the way their bodies felt, skin to skin. But he wouldn't tell him how he truly felt. He had tried to give his heart away before, and he wouldn't be able to bear it if it was thrown back in his face again. No, he wouldn't tell the god he loved him.
But he did.
A tear trailed its way down Jareth's cheek, and he let it fall, not caring whether Loki saw his weakness or not.
Loki felt his own eyes begin to well with tears, but he straightened himself up and held them back.
The goblin king let his gloved hands fall to Loki's waist, and he pulled him close against him, his lips finally locking with the god's in a fervid kiss that neither one of them wanted to end.
"I love you." It was barely a whisper, and Loki wouldn't have been sure Jareth had really said it if he hadn't felt his lips brushing against his as he mouthed the words. His breath caught in his throat, and he took a small step away from Jareth to better see his face.
"I don't care if you don't feel the same. I have already fallen in love with you."
Jareth turned his head away to hide the fear in his eyes. He had realized that whether he told Loki or not, the fact would still remain that he loved him.
Loki took another step back, his heart beating quickly in his chest.
"Good bye, Jareth," He whispered as he disappeared. "I love you too."
