Here is the long-awaited Chapter 9! I am so sorry that it took so long for me to upload this, but I had a Maths test to study for, and an English essay to write. I tried to make this chapter longer as well, but that didn't turn out so great.
And in my rush to upload this, I understand that it might still be a little rough around the edges. But I probably won't be getting around to uploading Chapter 10 for a few weeks (sorry!)
The good news is that I will be working on my other fan-fiction a little bit, so you can distract yourselves with that. Reviews are welcome, as always. PM me if there's anything you think I should change.
Thank you!
Loki ashamedly wiped his nose with a sniffle on his leather jacket sleeve, lifting himself up off of the ground. To be helpless like this reminded him of when he had been a child, and those memories, unlocked only moments ago, were not to be remembered without care.
He did not know how he had lost control his memories like that and accidentally shown Danny what he had thought was long-forgotten. And then, he had left her in the middle of a large park, when it was dark, and where anyone could take advantage of her.
All he could think of that was that he should never had taken advantage of the girl and her mother's hospitality and instead should have attempted to make his own way in the world. And besides, when had Loki, of all gods, needed anybody's help?
The God of Mischief straightened up from his slouched position and tried to wipe away the new tears from his reddened face; he was no longer a helpless being, and he needed no-one to make his way in the world for him. He was Loki, and he was alone.
…
Thor was not one to cry, even in desperate situations; there was a solution to every problem, something which he had learned at a very young age. But when it came to family, he could not bar his emotions.
That was how he thought of Loki; as family. They had been through so many things together, and when the blonde had kissed Loki...
Maybe when the god was dreaming, he could visit him once again. He would have to be careful though, in case the ravenette decided to wake up and attack him. That must be what Loki wanted to do.
Thor hated how there was so much conflict in his life at the moment, but in a way, it was teaching him a valuable lesson; that Loki had to learn to deal with his own problems instead of loading them onto everyone else, especially Thor.
...
He would take Danny back to her mother, and then he was going to leave the two of them alone. He must have caused them so much strife, just turning up and loading all of his problems onto them. Well, he hadn't really discussed his problems, but just his presence must be a burden.
Loki leant so readily on those around him simply because they wanted to support him. Or maybe it was just in his mind that he thought that they wanted to help.
He once again wiped away tears and headed in the direction to where he had thought that he had left Danny. While deep in thought, he did not notice the cloak of red that flashed to his left. He had to think about where he was going to live and how to survive. Already his stomach was grumbling, and he tried to quiet it unsuccessfully.
"Danny? Where are you?" he yelled loudly, scouting the abundant forest around him. The girl had vanished into thin air, and Loki was worried as to what had happened to her. Had another person happened upon her and stolen her away?
"Lieth?" said a timid voice from behind him and he spun around instantly, shoulders sagging in relief as he saw that it was Danny.
"Danny. I am sorry that I ran away, it was unwise of me to leave you alone."
"That's okay. It was a little scary being left alone here, but I was okay. It wasn't your fault at all."
"That's nice of you to say, Danny, but I should never have left you by yourself. Shall we go back to your mother's now? There is something that I would like to discuss with both of you." The little blonde girl tugged at one of her pigtails worriedly and looked up at him.
"Can we go out for ice-cream before then?"
"What is 'ice-cream'?"
"You have to try it," the child said with a wide smile, taking him by the hand and dragging him onto the moon-lit path. Loki was only just beginning to realize the beauty of Midgard, which it held not in true, untempered nature but in alien creation. He breathed in the night flowers scent along with the smog, and welcomed them both.
He had already made up his mind about what he was going to do. Odin could be either happy or annoyed with his decision, but it would not change his mind. And if Thor showed up... As usual, he would change everything.
...
Loki was in happy spirits when he arrived back at the apartment with Danny, cheerfully remembering the ice-cream that he had tried. It was unparallel to any other dessert that he had tried before. And there were different flavors as well!
"We're home, Mommy!" shouted the blonde girl, rushing ahead of him to hug her mother happily. "Lok- Lieth took me out for ice-cream!"
"Did he? That was nice of you, Lieth." Valerie smiled as the man awkwardly leant against one wall and tried to look casual.
"There was something that I wanted to discuss with the two of you, but I believe that Danny is weary and would like to go to bed so we may talk privately?"
"Go on, honey," said the woman, patting the girl on the head and pushing her gently towards the stairs. "Don't forget to brush your teeth!"
"I won't!" yelled the child back as she ran up the stairs, leaving behind Loki and Valerie to speak to each other.
"We should probably sit down in the kitchen," she offered, walking through the archway and shivering as her bare feet touched the cold linoleum that covered the kitchen floor. She sat down on one of the wooden chairs and watched as the ravenette man slid fluidly into the chair opposite her. "So, what was it that you wanted to talk about?"
"I have taken advantage of both yours and Danny's hospitality long enough. Leaving tonight would be the best option for me to tak-"
"You're leaving?" interrupted Valerie incredulously. "I don't mind if you stay here a little longer." She blushed at how desperate her words sounded even in her ears and dreaded how they must have sounded to Lieth.
"It is fine," he said with a smile. "I thank you for everything you have done for me in the past few days, and I wish you the best in the future. Maybe I will meet you at some later date."
"Is there any way that I can convince you to stay?"
"Unfortunately, no. Tell Danny that I am sorry, and... Give her this." He pulled a small, thin object out of his pocket. "I... She will understand once she uses it for the first time. Again, thank you, Valerie." He rose up from his seat with his unusually casual grace and reached out for her hand that rested on the table.
He lifted it to his mouth, cold lips burning it for a few seconds before he dropped it and abruptly left her alone in the kitchen.
...
Thor watched this whole ordeal, praising his brother in his own, silent way and followed him out into the corridor. There were some many questions circling in his mind;
Where was Loki going?
How was he going to survive?
Did this act of leaving allow him to return to Asgard?
What was he planning to do?
...
After standing outside the door for a matter of minutes, Loki sighed and tried to piece together a plan of what he was going to do. The first thing he had to do was find a place to stay for the night. The second thing he had to do was find a place to live. And thirdly...
Did he really want to confront Thor still? The god nodded to himself as he stepped into the lonely elevator; that was one thing that he had definitely decided upon, and one thing that he was definitely going to do.
He pushed the ground floor button and continued to wallow in the shallow thoughts of what he was going to do. It was too late in the night for him to find a permanent place to stay, but was there anyone on Midgard who liked him enough to let him stay?
...
"Who is it?"
There was yet another group of persistent knocks as Steve groaned and lifted himself up off the couch where he must have dozed of for the night. He tiredly opened the door and peeked outside with bleary eyes.
"May I come in?"
"... Loki? What are you doing here in the middle of the night?"
"The receptionist downstairs was nice enough to let me up here once again, which surprised even me. I swear that she will do anything to get rid of me."
Captain groaned and opened the door wider to admit the god.
"Fine, you're allowed inside."
"I see that you have graciously put some pants on since the last time that I saw you." The other man blushed and straightened the creases out of his pajama pants.
"That doesn't matter. What exactly are you doing here?"
"I'm staying the night."
"Wait, what?" He watched incredulously as Loki sat down on his couch, then stretched his long legs across it as if he owned the place. "No, no, no, what if one of the other Avengers show up and see you here?"
"And what would an Avenger be doing, showing up at your 'secret hideout'?" the god asked, raising an eyebrow questionably.
"N-nothing. But it could happen, you know?"
"Come now, Steve. I have nowhere else to stay, and it is only for the night. I am sure that my presence will not bother you in the slightest." Captain attempted to come up with the words, to tell him to leave, but he couldn't.
"Fine," he sighed. "But you have to promise not to... mischief anything." He waved a hand vaguely. "No pranks at all."
"Is that it?" asked Loki with a hint of amusement in his voice. "You have my word, then. No pranks."
"Good. I can grab you some spare blankets from my cupboard and you can sleep on the couch. That okay with you?" The ravenette nodded vaguely and closed his eyes, presumably to start daydreaming. Rogers sighed and walked slowly down the hallway.
If someone showed up at his apartment, they would kill the traitor that was currently reclining on his sofa. Captain wouldn't wish that on anybody, and Loki hadn't tried to kill him. Yet. Besides, who was going to show up?
"Tony," he whispered to himself, pulling at a jammed blanket angrily. The man was always coming to annoy him at the most inopportune times, and he somehow managed to bypass his locked door almost magically. Steve had long ago given up trying to keep him out, and simply accepted the fact that the billionaire had easy access to his apartment.
More angry thoughts entered his mind and he pulled harder at the blanket; this only succeeded in a large pile of sheets and blankets launching themselves at him and crushing him beneath their weight as he fell to the floor.
It only took one easy swipe of his arm to dislodge them, but he was still grumpy about the mess he had made. Captain was a tidy person, and messes annoyed him.
The super soldier picked up a few blankets and began carrying them into the lounge, sighing at the mess he was leaving behind him.
"Here are the blankets- what the hell?"
"What?" Loki asked innocently, looking up from the couch where he appeared not to have moved.
The only thing he was wearing was a pair of dark green boxers, and the god appeared not to be miffed by Rogers exceedingly reddening face. Even he was shocked at his reaction. Was it that strange that Loki had... undressed?
"Where are your clothes?"
"I magicked them away. Why do you seem so shocked at my attire? Isn't this the way you were dressed before?"
"Yes, it's just that... Look, here are some blankets." He cautiously handed them to the god, who took them with a grin. "The bathroom is the first door on the right down the hallway. The kitchen is at the end of the hallway if you turn right through that archway. And my bedroom is at the opposite end of the hallway if you need me."
"I'm sure that I won't need to knock on your door, but thank you for the offer." Loki pulled the blankets over him and waved him away.
Steve left on that note, hoping that Stark would not deem him worthy of a 'daily visit' in the morning.
...
Loki lay there, staring up at the ceiling dreamily, counting the cracks in it. He was casually pondering old memories when Thor appeared from nowhere.
"I knew you would come."
"I know. I can't help you get back in Asgard."
"It is nice simply to see a familiar face." The blonde sat down on the couch opposite him, making the other god turn onto his side to look at him. "So, why are you here then?"
"I asked Father to send me here to keep an eye on you."
"That wasn't the only reason though, was it? I remember my 'dream' perfectly clear." The God of Thunder had the curtesy to blush at this statement.
"I may have been... rash, in what I did the other night, and I apologize for that."
"Why are you apologizing?" Loki propped his head up on one elbow to have a better look at him. "Do you regret it?" There were a few moments of silence where only their breathing was to be heard before Thor answered,
"No."
"Then what are you apologizing for?" Loki sat up on the sofa and continued to stare intensely at the Asgardian prince.
"We were brothers-"
"We were never brothers," the ravenette said softer than he had first intended. The blonde sat there quietly before making an internal decision and went to sit next to Loki.
"Loki, do you mean to say-"
"Nothing needs to be said here, Thor." The God of Thunder suddenly leaned over and cautiously kissed him, the two of them closing their eyes together.
Loki's lips immediately warmed and he suddenly realized just how cold he was, even with the blankets, and he pressed himself closer to Thor; the prince was the perfect temperature.
"Are you sure of this, brother?" The God of Mischief did not bother to correct the blonde as he pulled him back for a longer and deeper kiss.
"Yes," he whispered throatily against Thor's mouth, feeling himself be pushed back down onto the sofa. The prince gently pulled the blankets off of him and they slid to the floor stealthily without a sound. He began kissing down Loki's neck as the god clicked his fingers and the other's clothes, except for his boxers, disappeared.
The God of Mischief's skin began to darken slightly as the cold hit his skin, and he strived to pull Thor closer to him as he hungrily kissed him again, tongue delving into the other's mouth to explore.
The prince's rough fingers ran gently down his side, stroking the silk boxers over his ivory skin.
"I will not regret this, Loki," he whispered once the Traitor had pulled his tongue out of his mouth, and the god laughed.
"Good. Then hurry up and take me already."
