Part III

Loki was already sitting in his car at the restaurant that he and Thor had agreed on for lunch when his phone rang.

"I'm sorry," Thor said in a dull voice when he picked up. "I can't make it."

Loki was quiet for a moment. "That's fine," he said finally around the lump in his throat. "Did something come up?"

There was a long silence. "My dad's in a coma."

"What do you need?" Loki said immediately.

"I don't know." Thor sounded lost. "My mom's been with him for the last six hours, so I'm giving her a break. There's practice tonight, but . . ."

"Find a sub."

"I tried. It's too short notice." Thor sighed heavily, momentarily filling the line with static. "It's not as though I can do much here, anyway. He'll come out of it or he won't."

Loki's fingers tightened around the phone. "I'll find you a substitute. I promise."

There was a smile in Thor's voice when he spoke next. "That's very nice of you, but–"

"Trust me."

There was a pause. "Okay," said Thor. "Okay."

"I'll see you next practice," Loki told him.

"Yeah," said Thor. "Call me if you can't find anyone."

"Bye," said Loki, and he hung up.


Two days later, Thor was back at the pool for Friday's practice. He clapped his hands together and smiled. He hadn't got a lot of sleep the past few nights, but he was in the sunshine with his team, and that was what mattered right now. "Normal warmup, and then give me a fifty free. Ready–"

"Do you want us to do the flip-turn thing?" one of the kids asked.

Thor paused. "The what?'

"The flip-turn thing," another one of the kids said loudly, as though that would help.

"Loki said to count our strokes before a flip-turn because it would make us faster."

Thor felt his world tilt slightly to the left. "Loki?"

Now the entire team was staring at him. "Duh," said someone else. "The guy who subbed for you last time?"

Thor laughed nervously. "Was he helpful?"

"Yup. He's not too scary once you get used to him." Everyone nodded.

"Did you know he almost made it to the Olympics?" asked another kid.

"He did?" said Thor.

"Yeah! He said we could make it to tryouts too, but first we had to be quiet and stop asking him how long until practice was over."

"Good advice," Thor pointed out.

"So, do you want us to do the flip-turn thing or not?"

"You should always use whatever advice a coach tells you," Thor told them solemnly. "Are you ready?"

"Yes!"

"Off you go." Thor casually looked over his shoulder and up at the sunglasses-wearing figure sitting above him. Loki was staring straight ahead.


When Loki got off his shift, he tried to slip away without Thor noticing. He failed. "How can I ever repay you?" Thor asked, stopping in front of him. For a moment, Loki looked surprised. Then his mouth curled into a smile.

"Tell your team to stop being so lazy," Loki said dryly. "Did you know that one of them stopped in the middle of a set to watch a plane fly by? I nearly–"

Without warning, Thor pulled Loki into a hug. "Thank you," he said.

Loki tensed up. Thor smelled like sunscreen and sweat. "It was . . . no trouble. I just switched shifts with the person before me."

Thor released him and smiled. "I will never forget it."


Thor called Loki the next afternoon. "Can you meet me at the pool at six-thirty tomorrow morning?"

Thor could nearly hear Loki's frown. "The pool won't be open. It doesn't open until eight on Sundays."

"Trust me," said Thor, and he hung up.


When Thor drove into the parking lot, there were only two other cars there. Loki was already leaning against one of them. Thor got out of the car and waved at him. "You got your stuff?" he called.

"Yes," Loki called back, and he pulled a bag out of the passenger seat of his car. He slung it over his shoulder and walked towards Thor. He wasn't wearing his sunglasses for once; the sun was barely peaking over the horizon.

They walked together towards the entrance. Loki kept giving Thor side-long glances, but Thor just smiled. There was someone waiting at the entrance. "Hey, Heimdall!" Thor called. The man gave them a nod and opened the gate. As they passed him, Loki's steps slowed. His eyes darted between Heimdall and Thor. "Thanks, man," Thor said to Heimdall as they passed him, and with a last curious glance, Loki followed him into the complex.

"How did you get him to let us in?" Loki asked as they walked towards the pool.

"Oh, he's an old friend," Thor assured him. "It wasn't a big deal. He has to be here at about this time anyway. He works at the office."

"Ah," said Loki, and looked around them. The complex was completely empty. It looked desolate in the pale dawn light. A few birds were pecking around in a patch of grass, and a deckchair that had been left out had blown over in the night. Then Loki saw the pool.

The lane lines hadn't been put in yet. The pool was larger than Olympic-sized, and when it was completely empty of people and dividing lines, it showed. "Oh," breathed Loki, and he dropped his bag on the sidewalk. Like Thor, he was wearing his swimsuit under his clothes, and he stripped his clothes off as he walked towards the edge of the water. His shirt came off last, and then he ran for the water and dove in.

Thor chuckled and took his clothes off at a more subdued pace. He went to the edge of the water and watched. Loki was just a streak under the water. When he finally resurfaced, his head was a dot of black amidst the blue. "You're not supposed to run by the pool," Thor called to him, teasing, but he didn't think Loki was listening. A moment later, Loki dove back beneath the water. When he came back up, he took off at a steady crawl for the center of the pool. Thor dove in and followed him.

Loki did two quick laps of the pool from one end to the other. Thor followed at a more leisurely pace to give him space, but Loki didn't seem to mind being close to him. The pool was wide enough that he could easily have avoided Thor, but instead he came so close to Thor when passing him that their arms nearly brushed. Finally, Loki paused in the middle of the pool and treaded water while he waited for Thor to catch up. Thor stopped in front of him and pushed his hair out of his face. Loki's lips were parted and his eyes were bright. He wasn't looking at Thor; he was looking at the water.

"I love it when they put the lanes in the long way," Loki said, "but this is so much better."

Thor grinned. "You like it, then?"

Loki finally looked at him. "Yes," he said, and his smile was so open Thor felt his chest tighten.

Without thinking about, Thor rested his hands on Loki's hips. The combined power of their legs and Loki's arms kept them afloat, but Thor was careful to not hold Loki too tightly. He looked into Loki's eyes with a smile. He moved closer and bumped their noses together. Loki's smile turned just slightly mischievous. Thor ghosted his lips over Loki's in a kiss, and then Loki surged up and into him.

Loki's lips were cool from the water, but his mouth was hot and his touch was like fire on Thor's skin. His tongue slid across Thor's lips and then his teeth. Thor groaned at his touch, and then he wrapped his arms all the way around Loki's waist and crushed them together. Loki buried his hands in Thor's hair, and they started to sink.

Thor pulled away with a snort of laughter and hastily removed one of his arms from Loki's waist so that he could keep them from drowning. "Not so good at multitasking, are we?" Loki said with a smirk. He lowered his hands to Thor's shoulders, but he did little else to help the situation.

"That was your fault," Thor informed him amusedly. One arm on Loki's waist and one in the water was enough to keep them both steady, however, so Thor caught Loki's lower lip in another kiss before Loki could respond. Loki's eyes slid close, and Thor was very aware that he was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

They swam for an hour until people came out at seven-thirty to put the lane lines in. When they got out of the water, Thor took Loki's hand, but it was Loki who nearly dragged him off to the showers. They kissed under the stream of hot water and Loki ran his hands over Thor's shoulder. "A tree, maybe," Loki murmured agains his lips.

Thor pulled back from him and laughed in surprise. "What?"

Loki linked his hands behind Thor's neck and smiled at him. "Your tattoo. You're more like a tree."

Thor gave him a look that was half incredulity and half amusement. "Is there an innuendo somewhere in there?"

Loki snorted. "No." He pressed a gentle kiss to Thor's lips. "It was supposed to be a compliment, though."

"So I'm . . . what? Reliable?"

Loki patted one of Thor's biceps. "More like oversized." Thor laughed and caught Loki's hand in his own. He kissed it, and Loki smiled.


A few weeks later, Thor swung by Loki's house. "Hey," he said when Loki opened the door. He shifted his weight back and forth and smiled at Loki. "Do you want to meet my parents?"


The hospital room was neat and simple. A monitor hummed comfortably in the background. The monitor was hooked up to Thor's father, who was lying as though asleep on the bed. Thor's mother was sitting by her husband's bedside when they walked in. She saw them and her expression turned warm.

"I've heard so much about you," she said before Loki could open his mouth. He made to shake her hand, but she took his hand and pressed it between her own. She smiled and her eyes crinkled at the corners. "Call me Frigga. Don't let Thor scare you off; I've always wanted a second son."

Loki raised his eyebrows at Thor and Thor just chuckled. "Don't you scare him off," he told his mother, and he kissed her on the cheek and pulled up two more chairs. Frigga finally released Loki's hand and helped Thor pull over the little side table. "I brought a pack of cards," Thor explained, and it was as though Loki was already part of the family.

After three rounds of Go Fish, Loki realized why it didn't feel strange to be there. Every now and then, Frigga would glance at her husband with a slight smile on her lips as though he was there in more than body, as though this was how things always were. Her expression could only be described as love.

Loki ignored Thor's gaze on him and adjusted his grip on his hand. He cleared his throat. "Go Fish."


The next summer, Thor was still the swim coach. "Listen up!" Thor called out to his team. "Four laps of backstroke, and I want you to focus on form this time, not speed."

Loki settled comfortably on the diving block beside Thor. "I'll be watching your flip turns," he told them, "so keep them sharp." He winked at the team and everyone paled.

Thor rubbed his hands together with a bright smile, seemingly oblivious to the effect Loki had on the team. "Right! Then off you go." Five lanes of children pushed off into the water one by one.

Thor sighed happily. "Did you see their times from their second meet? They're improving so fast!"

Loki didn't look away from the water, but he smiled. "Yes, I was there."

"I know! They're great kids, aren't they?"

"For a bunch of brats," Loki said fondly.

Thor wrapped his arms around Loki from behind and propped his head up on Loki's shoulder. "They like you." Loki turned his head away from Thor to hide his smile.

"I think you're mistaking fear for fondness."

Thor rubbed his stubbled chin absently against Loki's neck. "I think I know what I'm talking about."

"Hmm," said Loki. "I was thinking of ordering Thai for dinner."

"Yes, please!" Thor exclaimed. "Oh, mom and dad were thinking of visiting tomorrow. Would that be okay? Dad's feeling well enough to make the trip, so I thought we could eat in."

Loki leaned into him comfortably. "Yes. But only if you cook."

Thor laughed and kissed him once on the head before releasing him. "I will. Oy," he bellowed at the swimmers, "What did Coach Loki tell you about your flip turns?"


Thor and Loki lay in bed, the sheets tangled around them. Loki was resting his head on Thor's chest, and Thor was tracing circles on his back absently. The light from the lone lamp lit them in a golden glow. Loki closed his eyes and listened to Thor's heartbeat. It was even and steady. Over and over . . . Loki slipped a hand down Thor's side to the jut of his hipbone. Thor's heartbeat sped up in response, and Loki's own heart raced to match it. Even when it beat fast, it was so steady . . .

"What are you doing?" Thor asked.

"Thinking," Loki replied without opening his eyes.

"Mhm." Thor's hand had moved to the space between his shoulder blades. The shape it was tracing was no longer a circle – the fish. "Why a salmon?"

"They're slippery and fast."

"That's it?"

"Do you find it to be a false comparison?"

Thor chuckled, but his hand on Loki's back stilled. He pressed Loki a little closer to him. "I caught you," Thor murmured into his hair.

Loki smiled. "Yes, you did."

There was a small silence. "Does this mean you're going to leave me, some day?"

Loki shifted a little so his ear was once again over Thor's heart. Thor's voice had been calm, but his heart was racing fast. "You don't have to worry about that."

"No?"

"No."

Thor's hand resumed its steady circles on his skin. Loki knew what Thor's heartbeat reminded him of. It wasn't a shark, or a turtle, or a tree; it was the sound of a flowing stream, the beat of waves on a shore, the rush of a waterfall. Loki was a salmon, but Thor was the water, and he had never needed to catch Loki in the first place.


Author's note: And that's the end! Thank you all for your kind reviews and the encouragement to continue it. I hope you enjoyed the story. :)