Stepbrothers
Chapter Two
Loki had long digested the news of his father's newfound paramour. Yet, the regular comings at evening of Francine Odinson and her son Thor was setting his teeth on edge.
His father seemed serious about her and, on her part, she seemed having a cooler head but equally serious. Francine Odinson was a petite, chubby woman who gave her blond hair and blue eyes to her son. Yet, she was not to be underestimated by her size or chubbiness. She was Loki's father's new partner, a rather respected lawyer up there in Houston. Apparently she had to move due to family problems and transfer her only son, her pride and joy. She didn't share much about that and neither did Thor. To Loki, that was grounds for being cautious about those two... Fran was amiable, chatty, everything classy and polite, happily cheering about everything, questioning Loki about his private stuff with a large smile that reached her eyes. She was all cuteness and niceness.
Loki hated her guts.
She was sitting at HIS MOTHER's place. HIS MOTHER's chair. Sipping tea in HIS MOTHER's silver cup. Walking around in HIS MOTHER's boudoir as if she owned the place since she was fucking HIS MOTHER's husband...
Luckily she hadn't touched the precious piano yet. Loki would commit murder if she even just asked who was the musician in the family.
Concerning Thor, he was just the biggest pain in the ass. Following Loki everywhere at school, when they were both free, chatting his mouth off, giving Loki migraines... Luckily they were both busy most of the time and Thor, having been made Mr. Popular Guy, was often surrounded by the rest of the so-called popular crowd and their usual grovelers.
It was more difficult to avoid him at home where he was supposed to be the courteous host (as his father made him very clear, holding his arm to the point of bruises) and make conversations with the unwanted guests. And then Thor was harassing him with a chitchat as annoying as his mother's, following him all around like a puppy, even in Loki's bedroom, his safe haven. Always smiling like an idiot, always making jokes that were not funny, always asking stupid questions that Loki answered by a simple yes or no.
Loki just wanted to scream at him to get lost.
The first evening they were invited, Loki had been very polite but also very distant. It had made the respectable guests a bit unsure and his father to go mad. Loki was too big for a whooping, as people would say, and his father had too high an opinion of himself to stoop to that level. But, as a lawyer, he had a way with words that made Loki almost go insane.
So, Loki yielded for a bit of peace and forced himself to be more companionable. It was simply unbearable each time he had to answer or smile to them... The usurpers, the impostors...
Loki had not much hope. As his father often said, this was his house he had paid for and expected each and everyone living under it to follow his lead or get out. Loki clenched his teeth for there was a hint of truth behind those words. His father was boss and Loki had not many prospects for now. He wouldn't go to university until the end of the year and it was still far away. Not to mention he wasn't sure he was going to go to his desired college either and he refused to settle for less.
He wanted out as soon as possible for there was no way he was going to win this one.
So clenching his teeth until further notice it was...
One day the morning routine had been totally messed up and probably for good. Once Loki had been dressed and ready to go down, he realized that his father's office was empty... And his bedroom more than likely closed.
Loki felt nausea coming. Last night, again, Francine and her son had remained for dinner until very late. Loki had went to bed, sick and tired of the lovey-dovey display (in front of her mother's pictures on the dresser...) and Thor's silly chatter.
So neither her, nor her son had gone home apparently.
That explained the presence of Thor in the kitchen, grinning from ear to ear, as if everything was a good joke. He was eating buttered toast, probably made by Manuelita, and drinking coffee out of one of Loki's mother's porcelain cup, the ones she used the most, with a delicate gilded lining.
"Hello there !" He raised the cup to Loki, as if toasting him. " Slept well ?"
Loki's mind went to a various scale of state, from "absolute disbelief" to "engage manslaughter." Several retorts went through his brain, from "The hell do you think you are doing in MY house ?!" to "You are dead meat."
But he chose caution instead. He simply smiled as neutrally as possible and started to sit down in front of Thor for breakfast, hoping that no one would see his shaky legs and his knuckles white with rage.
But Thor might have finally guessed something. For his own grin froze and he looked at Loki as if he was seeing him for the first time.
Loki saluted Manuelita and thanked her gracefully in Spanish as she was serving him his usual porridge. He ignored Thor's weird examination.
"Didn't know you spoke Spanish..." He said. "I thought you were taking French classes."
Loki made a discreet sneer. "I don't need to study Spanish." He gave a larger one to Manuelita who answered with a fond chuckle. "Manuelita used to be my baby sitter before being queen of the house !" Both of them laughed. "She only spoke Spanish at that time, so it became a sort of second language to me."
Manuelita said then a private joke that made Loki laugh even more but left Thor baffled because he couldn't understand it. He waited for Loki to explain but, of course, Loki went simply back to his breakfast and Manuelita went out of the kitchen as if Thor was not even in the room.
Again, Loki ignored the fact that Thor was not smiling any more.
Loki heard Thor exhale loudly, like an athlete about to do a very hard exercise. He didn't raise his head to see his face. Otherwise he would have seen how serious it was.
"I get it, you know." Thor calmly said.
"What ?" Loki said, his eyes still on the morning newspapers.
"You don't want me here, nor my mother."
Loki finally looked at the boy in front of him, one of the two persons he hated the most at this very minute. Instead of a rancorous and outraged face, he was surprised to see only sadness and resignation.
Yet, Loki didn't want to yield to it nor to believe in its sincerity. He pretended neutrality again, to avoid any confrontation. He didn't believe owing Thor anything. This conversation was taking a turn Loki didn't like one bit.
Thor sighed and left his toast in the plate. A gesture that seemingly meant business...
"Look, no need to beat around the bush with me. You hate my guts and my Mom's, I get it."
Loki couldn't entirely hide his tiny jump of surprise hearing the truth being in a so matter-of-fact way said by someone's else mouth.
"Now, why would I hate you ?" That was a lame answer but Thor had taken him aback. He wasn't that much inspired. Thor made a cynical grin.
"Come on, Loki ! I am not blind. You are miles away. You don't participate in an actual conversation. You don't do more than the minimum of politeness. You don't want anything to do with any of us !"
Loki remained silent. His nerves were ready to collapse. How dare he ?! How dare that Texan jackass tell him what to do and how to behave ?!
"Look, I understand. We are here, like two bulls from Houston, Texas, in your mother's china shop. Of course, your only wish is to see us out but I swear to you..."
Loki didn't hear the rest. His brain was set upon 'your mother's china shop.' For the first time ever, Thor had finally mentioned her. She was like a taboo between him, Fran and Larry. They were acting as if her picture was nowhere in the house, as if half of Larry's dressing room wasn't still full of all her clothes, bags, hats, shoes and jewels, as if the massive piano was not dominating the living room, dark and shiny like an accusation ? This silence, this absence of any kind of acknowledgement was like a deafening noise to Loki's ears.
They must have heard it too if Thor was putting the subject on the table. Yet, him speaking about his mother so casually after so long a silence was close to blasphemy. Again, how dare he talk about her as if it was nothing, as if she was a relative of him ? Thor was nothing. He had no right to act like that. He had no right to decide about Francesca's fate or how Loki should feel about it. The retard was babbling like the fool he was, smiling like an idiot, encouraged by Loki's quietness. Words like 'truce', 'best interests,' 'our parents' ( 'our' ?! Loki screamed in his mind) and stupid stuff similar to it were pouring out of the oaf's mouth that didn't seem in any will to stop. He was now making enthusiastic gestures and was sporting a smile full of bright white teeth. Possibly, he was thinking that Loki agreed with him, or at least listened to him. Yadda, yadda, yadda, blah, blah, blah. It was like a puppet monkey smashing its tiny cymbals. Boring to death.
"... So what do you think ?" Thor asked abruptly, still with his expectantly bright smile.
Loki jumped again. He had spaced out and had no idea the hell the retard was talking about.
"Erm, about what ?" Loki awkwardly babbled. It was lameness day, indeed, he reprimanded himself. He had to focus.
Thor's expression changed from joyous hopefulness to dismay.
"About trying to be friends, Loki ! As I told you, we cannot go on like that for long. Your father is serious about my mom, I can see it. So whatever might happen, we should be nice to each other, like, friends... I mean..." Thor's tongue died seeing the face Loki was making. Loki was trying to hide the fact that he simply wanted to punch Thor. He was pursing his lips badly and in the same time trying to smile. He had no idea that looked awful.
"You don't want to ?" Thor finally asked, making half a question, half a statement...
Loki's mind went fast for a suitable answer that didn't sound like "Go to hell."
"Why, of course..." Loki smiled, knowing that nothing he was saying or showing sounded true. "I'll be glad to..."
Thor gave him a long look that clearly meant he was not fooled. Then sighed again, as someone that has tried everything.
"Well, as long as you understand..." Thor answered as if he had decided not to press the matter any further.
Loki smiled sweetly and went back to his tea.
In his head he was screaming various imaginative insults to this pretentious beef who thought he was the fucking dog's gonads...
Curiously, things went smoother after this morning discussion.
Knowing that Thor was conscious of Loki's animosity towards him and his mother was unexpectedly a relief. Loki was still pretending and pretending good. Better, in fact, now that he was sure Thor had taken a strong dislike in him. Golden boy couldn't stand not being Mr. Popular for everyone. Loki was adamant that the spoiled blond brat would persuade Mama to go steal someone's else's husband since they were not entirely welcomed here. Loki chuckled. Their departure would be a matter of time.
Life at home and school was rather peaceful. Indeed, they still had unwanted guests at evenings sometimes but their visits became less frequent. And on that time, Loki was pleasant enough but ignoring Thor's piercing glares. Damn oaf acted weird.
At school, said damn oaf finally kept his distance. Always surrounded by his court of morons, making himself quite a name in the school. He was definitely the star of the football team, now, having won several matches of something like that. So, Thor was never alone and always a cheerleader or rich girl or two were hanging on his arms like leeches. Loki snorted. Thor had plenty on his mind, things better than trying to win the good graces of someone that was so low beneath him in popularity standards.
Yet, he did. He actually tried to see Loki alone, out of the house. He failed to sneak away in the deserted corridors of the school Loki used to haunt to be in peace. Of course, with his heavy footsteps, he was recognizable from miles away and Loki always managed to dodge to the library or the lab where it was impossible to talk.
Loki knew that this was getting on Thor's nerves but the object of his harassment had nothing to say to him and didn't think Thor had anything of any interest to say to Loki.
Loki intended to play this game of fools as long as it took for Thor to understand Loki was not going to yield anything to him nor his mother... Ever.
They were all reunited one evening, again.
Loki hoped it would be one of the last times. The mood was easy and quiet. As usual only Larry and Fran chatted while Thor and Loki remained more silent. In fact, for once, it seemed that their parents had forgotten the boys' presence. Loki felt his belly quiver. They looked close, very close. Far from hinting any suspicion of separation or even detachment, they seemed glued to one another to the point of not taking care of their respective offspring. That was not so surprising in Larry's case but it was for Fran. It made Thor smile, far from being offended.
It made Loki anxious. For the first time in weeks, he wasn't so sure Thor's opinion on this matter, not to mention his, was not going to be taken into account by either parties.
Loki prayed that the dice had not yet been cast.
He knew how to read his father. Years of silent and careful observation had helped him how to translate his facial expressions and his moods into actions to come.
Tonight he had no clue.
At one moment, his father laughed at one of Fran's anecdote. A laughter Loki had not heard since his mother died. It made his blood chill. Something was going to happen that was not going to be in his favor.
Still laughing, his father throw his napkin on the table. He had the attitude of someone about to take a big step.
"By the way, since we are all here..." He started rising up. " I have something to declare..."
And he fumbled in his pocket to retrieve a box.
Loki didn't see his father bending on one knee to Fran, he did not hear the proposal, he did not see Thor cheering like a stupid schoolboy, he did not see Fran's tearful acceptance...
All he could see was the red blinding his vision. All he could hear was the blood beating a drum in his ears.
