Disclaimer||Obviously, I don't own anything. Frankly, I don't want to. Everything Marvel has done with this so far has been perfection.
A/N: Personally, I am not very well informed with all of the Sciences of Asgard, and the names, and the traditions, so I improvised.
-Please excuse any grammatical errors.
-Please review, it would make my day!
The sunrise was stunning.
Simply stunning.
And upon awaking with a throbbing head and hurting chest, Loki decided it was best to open the small window in his and Thor's room to better see the rising sun. In Asgard the sun was always too close, too blistering bright and uncanny. Here, in Midgard, it was perfect. There was a gently breeze, one that was pure and simple in the autumn air and Loki couldn't help but feel the urge to clamber out onto the gritty roof from the angle of the window. He slipped to his left and seated himself on the jutting flat bank, his feet dangling bare over the gutter filled with moist leaves.
Silently, blissfully, he watched the sun rise.
The sky grew a tinge of beautiful peachy orange, the sun a big ball of glowing fire, and the thin scattered assortment of clouds were pink against the colorful backdrop. The air smelled of rain, and Loki shifted some, the roof still slightly wet from the storm the night before. He decided he liked it up here, up high, with nothing in his sight but fields of corn and a dusty road miles away. In the back of his mind Loki wished he could stay here. Like this. Happy and healing and…loved.
Was that truly the appropriate word?
His toes tingled and his chest bloomed with excited warmth. It was only in the absence of company that he smiled. Yes, he thought, he supposed it was. The wind rippled by again, his hair carrassing whispers against the back of his neck, and the trees ruffled in the breeze. Loki closed his eyes and simply felt.
He didn't open them when he heard Thor rushing about their room, his quickened pace reading of panic. Loki couldn't help the snort of laughter. Thor didn't trust him yet. Not completely anyway. When Thor's steps became more hurried, more thunderous, Loki decided to spare him.
"I am on the roof." Thor's steps stopped immediately before starting up again, and only when Loki heard Thor struggling through the window opening did he decide to open his eyes once more. Silently he scooted over and Thor sat down heavily beside him.
"You frightened me." Thor confessed, breath slightly elevated and Loki turned sleepy eyes to the larger man besides him.
"That was not my intention. I simply wanted to watch the sun." Thor's eyebrows creased together, his blue eyes shining with relieved panic and slowly he turned his gaze before them. The orange was reflected in Thor's deep-set eyes, and Loki watched as the thunderer's mouth pulled up in an easy going grin. Thor whistled. It was a long, drawn out sound and Loki was slightly amused by it.
"That is lovely." Thor sighed, leaning back against the roof, his arms folding back behind his head. "How long have you been out here?" He questioned after a moment, and Loki turned to look back at Thor's stretched out form. He could almost see the individual muscles of Thor's stomach over the tightened fabric of his shirt. Loki looked away, blood pounding and chest surprisingly warm.
"You were really frightened." Loki whispered when the sun was about level with the tops of the trees. Thor seemed to stir, groaning some as he sat up again. His hand came up to scratch the side of his cheek. A habit he had developed when he was eight. He was nervous.
"I suppose I was." Those words shouldn't have made Loki feel so light. But they did and he tried to drown the feeling with indifference. It wasn't working. Especially when Thor turned to him and smiled, his eyes overly bright in the morning hues.
"Why?" Loki found himself asking, his voice shaking some, out of anxiety or fear he was unsure. Thor looked thoughtful, a mask of emotions flooding through his eyes. His face softened marginally and his hand came up, clasping Loki gently about the side of his neck.
"I thought I'd lost you again." And his voice was rough and sincere, and it made Loki's head swim and his heart burn. "I don't think I could deal with that again." And Thor's grip tightened and Loki must have done something revealing, something personally showing, because before he was aware Thor had shifted and pulled him desperately across the space between them. Loki fit snug into Thor's arms, and for a moment Loki was so taken by surprise that he didn't know quite what to do with his arms, which were hanging limply by his sides. Thor had both arms about Loki's back, pulling the smaller god flush against him, and Loki rested his chin on Thor's broad shoulder.
He could feel himself shaking and Thor's grip tightened, protective, and absolute.
"Thor…" The fabric of Thor's shirt muffled his words, and he could feel Thor's stubble against his ear. Thor dipped his head down, setting it gently against Loki's own slouched shoulder.
"Loki, promise me something." Loki braced himself for the words to come. "Promise me that if you are feeling sad, or scared, or alone, that you will come to me and allow me to hold you close." Loki was frightened now; truly he was, because he had never been so close to crying in Thor's presence before. Not since three nights ago.
And his arms no longer held themselves limp but tilted themselves upward, wrapping tight around Thor's thick neck.
And Loki cried.
He couldn't help it or else he would, and he buried his face into Thor's chest, shielding his pathetic show of cowardice from the gorgeous, brave sun. Thor's chin rested atop his head now, and one of his thick fingers ran comfortingly through Loki's dark hair. Loki was sure the front of Thor's shirt was ruined with his tears, and with a sniffling sob he desperately tried to regain control of himself once more.
"Why do all of this…for someone who threatened to destroy everything you cared for?" Loki cried, his voice nearly to the brink of yelling. He was frustrated, oh so very frustrated and confused, and hopelessly, hopelessly infatuated. "I do not understand…"
"You would do the same for me." Thor whispered, and Loki stilled in his arms, wet eyes widening. Slowly he pulled back, his arms falling from around Thor's neck and instead placing themselves against his toned chest. Loki's frail fingers knotted into the fabric of Thor's shirt, and Thor regarded Loki with yielding, imploring eyes.
"Wouldn't you?" Loki found himself incapable of speech. He could only grip Thor's shirt tighter, breath harder, focus on not breaking down again. In the back of his mind he knew the answer. It was obvious after all.
"Yes, I…I believe I would." And when Thor smiled it was brighter than the sun.
"We were wondering, my lord, if you would grant us permission to go and search for them."
"In Midgard?"
"Yes, my lord." Odin sat tall in his throne, the Warriors Three and Lady Sif kneeling respectfully before him. Around them, the walls of the palace shook. Another rumble sounded. Odin grew wary.
"Heimdall will send you, if you can get to him without casualties. Thor is needed here to fight, and Loki…they will leave if we return him to them."
Archie shivered.
Whether it was due to the chilled breeze or something else entirely he had no idea. He only felt as though something was dwelling, ominous and whole over the fragile peace that remained.
He cast a brown gaze over to where Thor was showing Loki the proper look of ripe corn. He smiled warmly over to them. It had been almost a week of their company and he had not grown wary of them yet. In fact, he liked Thor's loud, caring manner, Loki's withdrawn softening light. Decided, he shuffled over to them, bucket of cornhusks in hand.
"Boys, you want to see somethin'?" Thor looked up brightly, expectantly, and Loki seemed only slightly annoyed when Archie took the peeled corn from him. The old man gestured past the field to a small stretch of woods, just a couple yards from the back of the house.
"There's a nice spot, a couple ways back into the forest there. You just walk straight and you can find it. I need some room to prepare lunch, so why don't you boys go busy yourself with some sightseeing for an hour or two?" Thor nodded warmly, taking Loki by the wrist and dragging him along.
Archie watched until they made it past the first line of trees before whistling a light tune and returning into the small house to prepare lunch.
The dirt crunched beneath Thor's boots as he walked, hand still strapped firmly about Loki's wrist.
The light that shone through the trees was bright and revealing, and Loki often found himself gazing up through the leafy foliage. If it was for Thor's leading hand then he was certain he would be lost by now. The sound of birds singing reached their ears, and they sang such pretty, lullaby tunes that when the trees cleared and the hills turned small Thor and Loki were taken aback by the beauty that lay before them.
The grass here was brilliantly green, the sky robin egg blue in contrast and as Loki looked around all he could see was the expanse of emerald. Thor's grip on his wrist slowly fell away and the taller of the two stepped forward, eyes wide and mouth slightly parted.
"It's so peaceful." Loki commented, moving past Thor to climb a two-foot hill. Gently he sat himself down upon it. Thor joined him after a moment, head tilted up to the sky. Loki's eyes seemed downcast, tired, and fighting, and Thor kept a cautious gaze on him until the sun seemed to loose its brightness.
They sat in silence for a while, until Thor couldn't stand it anymore. Hesitantly, because he felt he should do or say something, he reached over and took Loki's hand. It was cold and pale, but Thor's warmed it quickly enough. The light returned back to Loki's eyes and that alone was enough. Loki swallowed, his eyebrows pulling together, and tightly he pulled away from Thor and stood. The thunderer watched his movements; suddenly worried he had done something to upset him.
"Loki, forgive me if I-"
"You have not seen my true self, have you, Thor?" Thor stilled immediately, his muscles tensing at the cynical depth of Loki's words. "That is how you can stand me, because you have not truly seen." And when Loki lifted his eyes they were burdened and changing. Darkening. Thor felt on edge, watching with growing fear as Loki's skin seemed to change, seemed to fade and blue.
And blue it did, up to Loki's forehead, and those eyes that were once so green bled red. Thor found himself rooted to the hill, unable to move no matter how much he longed too. Loki looked so helpless, so disgusted with himself, and he gave a short bitter laugh to the expression Thor's face held.
"Revolting, aren't I?" Loki had never looked so vulnerable. Thor rose cautiously to his feet, taking one slow step at a time until he stood before Loki, only inches apart. He lifted his hands and gently, as though Loki would break beneath his touch, he cupped Loki's face between his hands. Loki's flesh was cold, frightfully so, and Thor couldn't help the shiver that traveled down his spine. The blue of Loki's skin seemed to melt at his touch, the pink coming back into place of blue. Loki stared impassive up at Thor, fear swirling deep in the depths of his pupils.
"I could never find you revolting." Thor argued, head tilting slightly in slight disbelief. "No matter what form you took."
A smile crept its way across Loki's features, soft and flattering, and Thor's heart seemed to leap with a startlingly jolt upon its appearance. He felt in that instant that he was unable to tear his gaze from Loki's, which his hands refused to budge against Loki's warming skin. And slowly, before he was aware of what exactly he was doing he was leaning forward, testing the bounds, knowing nothing but the fire burning in his chest, of the blood pounding in his ears, the flutter of Loki's dark lashes as his head tilted up-
And a rumbling crack broke them apart.
They stood for a moment, unsure and startled, at the clouds that gathered and swirled above them. Thor felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. It looked all too familiar. He turned to Loki, whose eyes were wide and heart was racing.
"Loki, you must listen to me." Thor urged, voice rising louder above the crackling of lightening above them. "You must r-" But Thor never would finish. And Loki never would hear the rest.
Because both gods stood, shocked and stilled, at the Asgardians standing tall in the middle of the field.
I don't know why I decide to write the best parts of this story when I can barely think straight. Ah, well, I hope it turned out alright. Thank you all for reviewing, it means the world! (:
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