Adventures with the Midgardian Fool Chapter 11: Loki

"Alright, listen up, bro. You like him, and I can tell he likes you. And it's a goddamn tragedy, because he looks at you and sees the stars, and you look at him and see the sun, and both of you think the other is looking at the ground!"

Strength, energy, focus, concentration, willpower, every ounce of my mind was used to keep up the façade of sleep as Eli and Ben spoke. It was difficult, very difficult, to keep myself from bolting up in bed and protesting, and at the same time I found myself contradicting myself.

It's not true.

It was true.

I don't see the stars in that pathetic Midgardian!

I see all Nine Realms.

I would never allow myself to fall in love with a useless mortal like him.

I already had.

"I'm just saying, dude. God of Mischief likes you, and you two need to quit blowing your opportunities to tell each other, or both of you will regret it for the rest of your lives."

As Ben's footfalls faded down the hall and away from my room, I focused back on Elijah. The hand that had been gently stroking my head was frozen in place. The voice that had been singing earlier, unobscured by the noise of a shower, had been silenced, and I could feel his heart fluttering within his chest as he held his breath. I don't think he believed Ben's words, like it was a lie that had been dealt to him over and over again. And who could blame him, really? A god and a mortal in love; it sounded like the ridiculous plot to a fairytale.

But it was our plot. It was our fairytale.

I laid there wondering, would this be a good time to sit up and just confess to what Ben had said? Should I not just do what he was urging us to do; confess my feelings for Elijah before fate inevitably tore us apart?

And that's what kept me from opening my eyes and stirring. Fate. My fate, that I would be taken away from this realm come next spring, and endure whatever punishment the Allfather had decided. The only thing that gave me hope was that the likelihood of an execution was slim. Frigga would never allow me to be put to death. It would kill her, and Odin knew that. So whatever fate was waiting for me, I knew there was still a possibility, however slim it might be, that I would see Eli again after.

Eventually, I felt Elijah shift. His arms rested on my shoulder, and I felt the weight of his head rest on top of them. Moments later, the room was filled with his light snoring. Poor man. He had probably already been exhausted from work, then to come home to me being ill with some dreaded Midgardian disease and trying to tend to me. I couldn't blame him for falling asleep, even after the shocking news Ben had dealt him.

I opened my eyes and turned my head to him, only to be greeted by his crystal blue eyes and a smug grin spread across his lips.

"I knew you were faking it, you little shit!" he laughed, "Even I can't fall asleep that fast."

"You tricked me," I stated as I sat up, "I'm impressed."

"Are you saying that I actually managed to trick Loki, the Trickster God? I'm impressed with myself!"

And he had every right to be. Very few bothered trying to lie to me, and fewer dared to make an attempt at tricking me. Most Asgardians were too proud for that, Midgardians were wise enough to avoid doing that, and few people throughout the rest of the cosmos knew of me, so they never even thought of tryng to do that. And yet, here I was. The victim of a simple con played by a simple human.

I don't think it was until that moment that the awkwardness of the situation started to settle in. Ben had confronted Eli about having feelings for me, a confrontation that I had overheard. I was certain we were thinking the same thing. What now? The information was out there. We both knew now, so what would happen now? I desperately wanted to say something, but then again, Ben's words rung true. I looked at Eli and saw the stars, but what if Ben had been wrong and Eli actually was looking at the ground?

"Listen," Elijah finally piped up, "About what Ben said earlier... Is it true? Do you really like me?"

Like? Was "like" really the right word for how I felt? The word felt insignificant; an understatement. In fact, how I felt couldn't be fully decribed in words. Fascinated, infatuated, full of joy just to be near him, happy to partake in his mundane, every day happenings with him, like... grocery shopping, or helping with chores; things I had honestly never even entertained the idea of doing before being banished, but being here, with Ben, Morgan, and especially Eli, I cared not for my life back on Asgard, with their high expectations and disapproving stares. I honesty couldn't care less if nobody came for me once my banishment ended. It wasn't like I was causing Midgard or the Aesir any trouble.

But there were no words that described all of that.

While the idea that I could be with Elijah was a pleasant one, it was also terrifying. It was a truth that I had acknowledged several times since I'd met him. I was a god, and he, a mere mortal, would perish long before I ever would. What then? I would spend the last several centuries of my life mourning and alone. Not even Frigga, with all her motherly wisdom, would be able to console me. It'd surely plunge me into the darkest depths of madness. Worse than Bifrost. Worse than New York, and that was what I could only think would happen.

Then again...

I couldn't lie to Elijah.

"I don't know," I responded, "There aren't any words that describe how I feel. In general, do I like you? Yes. Should I like you? Probably not."

Eli chuckled.

"I figured you'd say something like that," he said, "It's mutual. Do I like you? Obviously; a blind man could see that. Should I like you? Probably not. I mean, I'm a human, and you're a god. I'll eventually grow old and die. You'll live forever."

"Well, not necessarily forever," I countered, "I'll still grow old and die, if something else doesn't kill me first, but it'll take a much longer time."

"You get my point," Eli stated flatly, "It'll never be a question of who's gonna die first. It'll be a question of when am I going to die... but still..."

Although it wasn't spoken, I could see what was going through his mind; all the good times we've had so far, and the bad. Meeting at the convention, getting to know each other at the hotel, living together at the apartment, getting to know Morgan and Ben, moving to the house, exchanging personal life stories, and now discovering our mutual feelings for each other. So many changes in the few months Elijah and I had known each other.

"Does it really matter?" I asked, likely finishing off his thought, "I mean, I don't think love is measured by the amount of time you have with someone. It's about the memories you make with them, about building, growing, and changing along with them, and about staying with them through it all; the good times, and the bad."

An affectionate smile spread across Eli's features, and we found ourselves gazing longingly into each other's eyes.

"Me too," he remarked, leaning towards me, "I believe that, too."

Each second found the space between us growing narrower and narrower until I could feel his breath brush across my face. He tilted his head one way, and I tilted mine the other. I could have sworn that I could feel the heat of desire radiating off the surface of his lips as they hovered over mine, the heat of fever likely radiating off of them.

As Eli brought a hand up to my cheek, a flash of lightning and a clap of thunder sent me retreating backwards against the wall beside my bed. My heart went from racing with anticipation to racing with anxiety. It'd been sunny just moments ago, and now rain beat down against the windows as the wind howled outside.

Damn it! Damn it all!

Eli, who was equally as startled by the sudden change in weather, had moved over to a nearby window and peered curiously up towards the sky.

"That's weird," he commented, "The forecast wasn't calling for showers and thunderstorms 'til next week."

"Well..." I piped up, "... Michigan, right?"

"I guess so. That lightning bolt looked like it was close enough to have hit the house. I'm gonna go make sure everything's all right."

"Alright..." I muttered as he disappeared out into the hallway, but I knew better. Thunderstorms didn't just appear out of nowhere like this, even in a place where the weather was as wild and unpredictable as Michigan.

Slowly, I stood up from my bed and made my way towards the window. The sky was a deep grey, and the rain was already coming down hard. The trees and the corn growing in the field surrounding the property swayed in the wind's wrath. I looked out into the yard and saw Eli doing a sweep of property, checking the trees, house, and neighboring houses for damage. A branch had fallen from the wallnut tree next to the driveway, and the garbage bin had been blown into the ditch beside the road, but none of that was what I was looking for.

"Come on..." I growled, "I know you're here. Where are you?"

Before I could search further, I froze. The hairs on my arms stood on end, and I was aware of someone else's presence in the room; a presence I had felt hundreds of thousands of times.

"You should know it's impolite to enter someone else's home without knocking first," I stated as I straightened myself, concealing my sickly appearance with a thin veil of magic as I turned to face my unwelcome visitor, "Brother..."

Sure enough, standing in the doorway outside my room, soaked to the bone with the rain, was Thor. His mouth was flattened into a straight line that matched that of his brow; stoic and showing neither joy nor disdain as his piercing blue eyes dug into me. Mjolnir was grasped firmly in his right hand while his left was clenched into a fist.

"Hello, brother," he greeted, his deep, proud voice lacking in enthusiasm at having to see me.

"I knew it wouldn't be long before you came looking for me," I said as he stepped into the room, "You just can't stay away, can you?"

"Not with you running around freely on Earth, I can't. Never know what you might be plotting."

For a while, all we could do was stare each other down as we circled in the bedroom. My senses were on high alert as Thor flipped Mjolnir a number of times, and that's when the reality of the situation set in. I was defenseless. I had nothing but my dagger, tucked in it's sheath beneath my pillow. Thor had his hammer and was stronger than I was, especially now, with a fair portion of my magic drained and my abilities scarcely more extraordinary than the most extraordinary Midgardian. If he wanted to engage in combat with me now, I'd lose pretty immediately.

"So..." I spoke up, breaking the silence between us, "What are you doing here?"

"I've come to take you back to Asgard," Thor replied.

I chuckled, "Of course you have."

I'd already known what his response was going to be the moment the question left my lips, but his words still made me take a step back in reluctance.

"Why bring me back?" I asked, "Surely the Allfather didn't order this, meaning you're committing treason, meaning that all of this is going to be more trouble than it's worth. Unless you desire to be banished, as well. Again."

"Father has not settled on a final punishment for you," Thor said, "Meaning that there's still time for you to fall back into his favor. We can be brothers again. Everything will go back to the way things were before."

And here he goes again. Always thinking that things were that simple. Always thinking that things could go back to how they were, and not seeing the bigger picture. There was a reason why I led the frost giants into Asgard, putting an abrupt end to Thor's coronation at the last possible second. He wasn't ready to be king, and he'd probably never would be at this rate.

"Thanks, but no thanks," I said, turning away, "Best to let things be as they are."

Thor's brows furrowed in confusion, "What are you saying? You don't want to go back?"

"Not really, no. I'm happy here, Thor. Like, actually happy. You should be, too. I haven't tried committing mass genocide, or taking over the planet since being put in exile."

Thor rolled his eyes, "What do you want, a gold star?"

I shot him a questioning glance, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Honestly, I don't know. Tony Stark says it a lot."

"Look, there's no reason for me to go back to Asgard," I said sternly, "I still have roughly eight months left until my banishment is up. That should feel like a day to you. Plus, I like it here. I have friends, nobody has overly high expectations of me, and I'm not being drug on foolish adventures with my oaf of a brother every couple of months. Elijah has given me a roof over my head, and he's the greatest thing to have happened to me this millennium."

Thor's face twisted into a disapproving expression. Something in between shock and disgust.

"By the Gods! You love him, don't you?"

"So what if I do? I'm happy. I'm behaving, for once. I'm not doing anyone on Midgard any harm, so why leave?"

Thor set Mjolnir down beside my bedroom door, and stormed up to me.

"Loki, enough of this!" he growled, "You don't belong here. You belong with us on Asgard."

"No, I think you're wrong," I hissed, "I do belong here. I've never felt like I've belonged more anywhere else."

"What of your life on Asgard? Our father, our friends, mother. Are you really going to torment mother like this? Abandoning her and everything she has given you?"

"Don't you dare drag her into this!" I shouted, "Who put me here, huh, brother? Who put me here?!"

"You know damn well who!" Thor yelled, grabbing me by the front of my shirt and drawing back a balled fist, "You're coming home, whether you like it or not."

I tried fighting him, pulling away and trying free myself from his grip. I wouldn't let him take me, even if it meant taking a few punches from the Thunderer.

Before he could land a single blow on me, however, a familiar sound filled the room. It was an airy sound, like heavy metal being tossed into the air. As I turned to where it'd come from, the glint of metal caught my eye, but this wasn't any old metal.

Standing in the doorway, soaked from the rain, with Mjolnir grasped firmly in his hands, was Elijah.

In that moment, I think Thor and I both had the same look on our faces: pure shock. A mere Midgardian was standing here holding the famed hammer of the God of Thunder; a weapon that couldn't be lifted by anyone or anything, no matter how strong, unless they were worthy.

Eli's eyes burned as he stared my brother down. The anger in his expressions sent a chill down my spine. He looked about ready to send Mjolnir through Thor's face, and the fact that he was wielding the hammer at all said that he could very well do it, if he wanted. Because, at this very moment, he was worthy; trying to prevent an intruder from taking me when I had no business going, and Thor was not; trying to smuggle a war criminal in exile back into Asgard, and committing treason to do so.

"Let go of him," Eli demanded, his voice lacking so much emotion, it was terrifying, "Now!"

Slowly, Thor released his grip on my shirt and moved away from me with his hands raised. Just as slowly, Elijah lowered Mjolnir.

"Get out of my house!" he growled, nodding towards the door.

Thor complied with his demand, carefully stepping around him, stopping just long enough to let Eli hand Mjolnir back to him. While it was barely noticeable, his hammer did seem heavier in Thor's grasp than it did in Eli's; a very clear sign of who exactly was in the wrong here.

I continued to stare at Elijah in disbelief as my brother disappeared out of sight. All I could do was try to wrap my head around the spectacle I'd just witnessed, and the even greater spectacle standing before me.

As the front door slammed, Eli turned to me, "That was your brother?"

I nodded.

"What an ass!"

In one swift move, I crossed the room and grabbed his shoulders. Before I knew it, I'd pulled him against me and my lips pressed into his. They were cold and wet from the rain, but still soft, like the petals of a rose. He tensed and let out a surprised sqeak for all but a moment before he relaxed and went silent.

Our lips parted with a scarcely audible smooching sound. I looked into his astonished gaze, which likely matched my own.

"Don't you realize what you just did?" I asked.

Elijah blinked and gave a shrug, "Piss off the God of Thunder, and kiss the God of Mischief?"

If I wasn't so shocked, I would have laughed at his reply. My mind was racing, trying to discern whether or not it'd all been real, or if it was my fever getting to me.

"You lifted Mjolnir!" I gasped, "The one weapon in all Nine Realms nobody can wield but Thor, and you lifted it!"

"Wait a minute..." Eli said, "You're saying that hammer was Mjolnir?"

I nodded.

"And I lifted it?"

I nodded again.

"How?!"

"That's what I would like to know," I replied, "The only people I've seen who have been able to lift Thor's hammer are Odin and Thor himself. Not even I have ever been able to lift Mjolnir."

Elijah and I sat at the edge of my bed, turning over the possibilities in our heads. The only possibility that I could think of, aside from worthiness, was Odin. It was possible that, with his all-seeing eye, he saw what Thor was trying to do and lifted the enchantment on it long enough to get my brother to back down. There was no way that Eli had been able to break the enchantment all on his own.

Whatever the case may be, I was only thankful that it worked. I could only imagine what would happen if Thor would have brought me back to Asgard, forcing me to leave this place I'd come to call home.

It'd ruin me.

000

Ben laughed as we recounted what'd transpired that morning to Ben when he'd woken up that afternoon.

"How the hell did you lift Mjolnir?" he chuckled at Eli, "You ain't worthy!"

"In that moment he was, I guess," I commented, "I wouldn't have believed it either, had I not seen it for myself."

"Damn!" Morgan squeaked as she gawked at Elijah, "Was it heavy?"

Eli shugged, "Eh, lighter than I thought it'd be, but it still had a little weight to it."

"You were grasping it with both hands," I pointed out.

"Well, I basically walked into a six foot, four behemoth about to beat the shit out of my friend. That is not exactly a, 'Hi, how are you?' scenario."

Ben started laughing once more.

"Don't give me that bullshit!" he piped up in a snarky tone, jutting out his jaw to Eli, "I heard about how you and Loki were kissing!"

Eli and I exchanged a glance, guilty smiles playing on our lips. I don't think he could have cared less about what Ben or Morgan thought about it. In truth, he looked genuinely proud about it, and rightfully so. I mean, how many other Midgardians out there could say they had kissed a god. Thus far, I only knew of two: Thor's precious Jane Foster, and now Elijah.

My precious Elijah.

"Does that mean you two is the official?" Morgan asked, bouncing in her seat.

Eli cocked a curious brow to me, "Is we the official?"

I could only lean forward and answer his question with a passionate kiss. In the background, I could hear Morgan gleefully claping and Ben giggling like a loon. It was an answer enough for them, and more than enough of an answer for Eli, and I pulled away for a moment just long enough to verbally confirm it with the broken English I'd grown accustomed to hearing every day.

"We is."

000

DISCLAIMER

I can't believe I wrote this chapter...

I can't believe I wrote this chapter...

I CAN'T BELIEVE I WROTE THIS CHAPTER!!!

So far I'm somewhere between extremely proud and extremely ashamed of this story. I'm loving how it's turning out, but I'm also worried it makes me look like I'm self-righteous (which, personally, I can be at times.)

So to clearify, once again, yes, the broken English is how my roommates and I typically talk in our household.I am in no way implying that I'm worthy of wielding Mjolnir. Honestly, I'm not sure if this is 100% how Mjolnir works. From what I've been able to read up, it's Odin who decides who's worthy enough to lift Mjolnir, or whoever is able to break through the enchantment to it. From what I've read in Norse mythology, such restrictions were never placed on the hammer, but it was so heavy that Thor was the only one strong enough that could lift it one-handed, anyway.There's still a lot more to go in this story, but at least now we're getting somewhere in terms of the romantic part of it.

A brief apology to my fellow fan fiction writer Baphy for being such a tease with that first kiss scene, but I had to pick on you a little bit.

BlueRaven 666