"Where the 'ell you two f'hink you're goin'?" Laufey slurred from his position laid out across the top step, having somehow managed to wedge his lanky form in between the two rotted banisters
Several expletives crossed Loki's mind upon seeing his father. He'd obviously pushed his limited store of luck too far. Thankfully, long
ingrained self-preservation instincts kicked in.
"Go on Les, I'll catch up." Well maybe less self-preservation and more disaster-handling. Apparently, Les had no such instincts because he hesitated at the top of the stairs glancing fretfully between Laufey and Loki. "Go," Loki repeated forcefully.
"Look 't cho given orders 'n all that," Laufey sneered as he stumbled to his feet, effectively blocking Les's escape. "Actin like you're tough shit."
Sensing the upcoming fight, Loki gave his brother a little shove past Laufey, along with a look that brokered no argument. It took a few long seconds before Les finally accepted his fate and shot down the steps and up the street towards Thor's before Laufey could stop him.
"What are you doing out here on the steps?" Loki asked in an attempt at distracting Laufey.
"'S none o' your business, runt. Where th' hell you f'hnik youre goin'? S'posed to be in your lil hidey 'ole anyway. Til I say you can leave." He emphasized the last with a shove forcing Loki back a step.
"It's been a week," Loki said, trying to keep his voice strong and level knowing he'd fail miserably. He couldn't take another evening stuck inside that miserable excuse for a "room."
"'N you think thas nuff time for takin a swing at'cher ole man."
Another shove sent Loki back through the front door and into the living room.
"I, I, I, I," Loki stuttered.
"I, I, I," Laufey mocked. "Spit it out you little shit."
Laufey kept pushing forward until he had Loki backed against the wall closest to the door. He pointed the mouth of his bottle - which Loki realized was broken from the neck down - at Loki. "You spend all tha' time o'er there wit ose rich bastards. Gettin' to f'hink you're all high 'n mighty 'n shit. But chou're still jus' the worthless lil runt your bitch of a mother lef' behind. Ma lessons not reminded cho of at?"
Laufey's breath stank of the cheap whiskey that had turned Loki's stomach for as long as he could remember. With his father right in his face and that stench floating around him, Loki found it difficult to breathe. And, finding it difficult to breathe, his normally silver tongue turned to lead.
Laufey smiled cruelly in the face of Loki's obvious fear. "What? Nuffin' smart to say? Maybe 'em lessons paid off. Makes me fhink 'is punishment oughta become a permenant thing."
And that was where all self preservation instincts ended. He couldn't live like this full time. One week had been torment enough. Between school, home, and a lack of sleep, Loki had been dancing on the edge of a breakdown for several days now. If Laufey thought he'd been successfully cowed, he would follow through on his threat.
Loki squared his shoulders and raised his eyes to meet his father's. "I wouldn't waste a smart comment on someone who isn't capable of understanding it."
Laufey's eyes narrowed even as a cruel laugh spilled past his lips. He pushed Loki into the wall with enough force to jar him. "Cho f'hink you're so much better'an us now, eh? Someone throws you a bone of attention 'n you think it means they like you? Your nothin' but a damn charity case to 'em. A pet whose use is 'bout run out. They'll kick you to the curb when they realize you're going nowhere. That cho'll be stuck here wid the rest of us. So you'd best stop pretendin' you're better than those of us who will give you a chance to make a livin' when you've proven yourself a right fuck up."
Loki's mouth felt dry as the words assaulted him. His father had always known just what to say to get under his skin. Though the years has toughened him against such things, they still managed to lance through him. Exposing all of the aches and open wounds that had marred him for so long.
Unfortunately, those words hit every place his father knew they would and Loki's mouth opened before his brain could fully register that he was speaking. "I don't need to think I'm better than you, it's ingrained knowledge at this point."
He managed to avoid Laufey's fist, ducking out of the way at just the right moment. However, he wasn't lucky enough to miss the broken bottle his father still clutched in his hand. The glass caught the top of his left cheekbone and cut up through his eyebrow. He let out a loud curse at the sharp sting. Blood dripped down into his eye before he could fully regain his senses, but panic kick-started his adrenaline allowing Loki to focus seconds after the initial shock.
Thankfully, luck seemed to be attempting a bit of reconciliation for leaving him in the lurch so many times before. Laufey overbalanced and followed his fist to the floor. Too drunk to make it back to his feet, Loki's father began spitting curses and threats at him. But Loki didn't stick around to hear them. As soon as Laufey hit the floor, Loki bolted out the door to safety.
The Borson's house was easily the most impressive house in a neighborhood full of impressive houses. The mayor's budget allowed for no expense to be spared. Yet unlike many of the other extravagant homes in the Asgard subdivision, the Borson's home maintained a refined eloquence in its luxury. It stood out for many reasons in such a high standard neighborhood.
Some residents looked on it in envy for its quiet refinement or for it's unobtrusive beauty. Other looked on it with the warmth of those who knew the Borson's and their famous hospitality personally. Though disagreements abounded over which held better standing - the home or the family within - one thing could be agreed upon by all residents; Loki Silver had no business being there. The single stain upon the Borson's home and name resided in the family's intent to allow the wayward teenager access to their home and lives at all times. His presence had led to several neighborhood watches and late night calls to the police as fretful residents saw a strange bedraggled figure walking down their pristine streets.
The resident Good Samaritan, Frigga Borson, continuously attempted to dispel these ridiculous prejudices to no avail. She'd taken every opportunity to show the people of Asgard that Loki was in fact a good kid who simply needed the opportunity to prove it. Regardless of her many failures in this endeavor, Frigga persisted. Secure in her righteous knowledge of the boy and an unrelenting belief in him.
Despite the hostility, Loki had left the shadows of backyard fences and the neighboring wood line long ago in favor of allowing all the busy bodies in the neighborhood to fully see him as he sullied their streets. Still, the ever present sense of not belonging had never quite left him. It remained As a heavy weight that settled on him as he strutted through the tidy yards and beautiful houses, the knowledge that he was less than pushed down on him forcing his shoulders into a slouch and turning his stride into an almost guilty shuffle. Clinging to him like a second skin. Burrowing into his mind and branding his inferiority on his skin for all to see.
So really walking down the street with a torn shirt and a bloody face shouldn't have felt all that strange. But somehow this time felt different. Maybe because it had been a while since he'd had so many consistent beatings in such a short time or maybe it had something to do with Les waiting for him or maybe (just maybe) it had something to do with the way Natasha Romanoff had smiled at him and stood up for him today.
He knew she didn't live in this area, knew that she was in fact sitting in a restaurant with Thor and his friends right now, yet he couldn't stop himself from glancing over his shoulder every few seconds terrified she might pass by. That she would see his disheveled form walking down the pristine streets of the Asgardian neighborhood and that she would realize what everyone else already had. He wasn't someone worth standing up for. He was barely worth the pity that had provoked Frigga and Thor to bring him into their family so many years ago.
Loki managed to make it to Thor's driveway before he fell too far into his tendencies for self pity. Lucky for him, since such thoughts didn't tend to lead him towards positive actions. And Loki had plenty of negative actions to account for at the moment. He didn't think he could handle any others, thank you very much.
"Loki!" Les's voice called out as the younger boy rushed down the long drive to meet Loki halfway. "Holy shit, I was so worried!" Les began talking before he'd so much as reached his brother. "Dad looked pissed and he's never fun when he's drunk, and you yelling at me to leave like that while he's still so angry at you for the other night when you got me out of trouble but got yourself into it, and I heard you mouthing off to him, are you trying to die, I can't believe he'd just been sitting out there on the stairs, how long-"
"Les!" Loki yelled, grabbing his brother's shoulders and forcing him to stop. "I'm almost positive that you haven't taken a breath since you started that ridiculously long sentence and I did not just save your ass so that you could suffocate yourself. So chill out man."
Les took a few deep breaths then had the grace to look sheepish. "Sorry Loki, I just- what happened to your face!"
Well at least they'd made it to the garage door.
"It's nothing, Les. Just a little scratch."
"A little scratch!" Under any other circumstances, Les would have been highly embarrassed by how high his voice went while making that observation. "You need stitches."
"No. I don't." Loki responded as he fished the spare key out of the lock box Frigga had installed for him five years ago.
She'd given up on giving him his own key after Laufey had disposed of the third one. But being the mother hen that she was, Frigga couldn't allow him to go without a way into her house. So she'd badgered Odin into having a small lock box installed on the far side of their four car garage. From the garage Loki could access the breeze way and the back door to the Borson's home. He had to walk right past Thor's room on the bottom floor to get either the couch or the room they'd set up for him when it became obvious he and Thor spent more time together than apart. Frigga had been rather proud of herself with this design because it meant that he could never properly sneak in after an incident with Laufey. Thor could sleep through a hurricane on most nights, but let that side door open and the oaf would be wide awake before Loki got fully into the house.
"Loki-" Les began to protest.
"No, Les. I don't need stitches and I'm not going to the hospital, so drop it."
Les shook his head but capitulated. "You have a key?"
"Of course I do," Loki answered absentmindedly as he let them both into the house.
"Since when?"
Loki ignored him in favor of walking to the room that had been officially dubbed his three years ago and ruffled through the draws for yet another long sleeve shirt. One preferably not covered in blood. He then slipped into the closest bathroom in search of a well used washcloth that wouldn't be missed.
"So, since when do you have a key to the Borson's house?" Les repeated, leaning against the doorframe, apparently content to watch Loki clean himself up.
Loki shrugged. "Long as I can remember really. Laufey threw out a couple of keys when I was around your age and Ma refused to let that stand. So she worked around it."
"Why do you call her that?"
The hard edge in Les's voice called Loki's full attention. "What?"
Les's brow was creased in confusion and his mouth turned down. "Mrs. Borson," he said, gaze intently focused on the stylish tiled floor, "you call her Ma. Why do you do that?"
Loki's shrug evidently wasn't enough of an answer.
"She's not your mom," Les pointed out. "She's not even related to us. What about our mom?"
"Farbauti was your mother not mine," Loki replied causing Les's eyes to snap up. "I know you love her and she probably loves you, but there's no love lost between her and me."
"What-"
"You were young when she left. Be thankful for that and let it go. Frigga is the closest thing I've ever had to an actual parent so she gets the title. She's more than earned it."
Les dropped his gaze once more and shoved his hands deeper into his pockets, mumbling something Loki couldn't quite distinguish. He sighed and dropped the washcloth.
"Les," he began placing his hands on the younger's shoulders and forcing him to look up. "It's…" Loki let out a long breath. "It's complicated. Laufey has a lot of shit that he never dealt with and it pent up until it exploded all over us. Farbauti had to deal with it as much as we did and it ate her up."
"But mom-"
"Left. You as much as she left me. More than me probably since she actually liked you." At Les's defeated air, Loki tried for a joke. "Perks of living in her womb for so many months." And failed miserably.
So miserably in fact, that it startled an equally miserable laugh out of Les. Encouraged, Loki continued.
"Farbauti cares about you and Bindi, but I'll always be the reason her marriage to Laufey was fucked. With Frigga… shit Les I'm not good at this kind of thing."
Loki ran a hand through his hair and leaned back against the opposite side of the door frame. When he focused on the small green hand towels Frigga had put in this bathroom explicitly for him, Loki found it a bit easier to explain.
"Frigga's the only adult to ever look at me and see something more than Laufey's mistake. She's the only person who ever believed me when I said something was wrong and she's done everything she can to help me out. Thor too. They're good people Les."
Les wrinkles his nose. "Odin's a bit of a dick."
"True," he chuckled. "You know…" Loki hesitated, uncertain of exactly how to frame his next words. "If you… if you ever needed someone, after I'm gone, Ma would help you too."
"Loki-"
"I'm serious Les. I'm not staying here after this year. I've saved up enough money and have a few colleges in mind. I'm leaving and I'm worried about you."
"What about Bindi?"
"Bindi's a prat."
"He won't leave. He'll take over Dad's business."
"That still leaves the factor of him being a prat. And I don't trust him to watch out for you."
A long moment passes while both brothers do their absolute best to keep their eyes as far from the other as possible. As I, by some unknown means, staring at the various decorations around them would somehow mend the chasm that had so suddenly opened between them."
"But you trust Mrs. Borson?"
"Absolutely."
Les didn't look sold, but Loki had all evening to endear him to the idea. He had to leave Marvel after this year. But he also had to leave Les in hands that weren't likely to throttle him when the more suitable target was gone. If he could get Les to trust Ma, then maybe, just maybe, he could actually leave.