Chapter 13! Yay!
Life is still busy, but I'm trying my best to write and edit and whatnot when I have free moments. I've gotten rather effective, though! And it's all thanks to you :) Because wow, your reviews keeps me motivated! Seriously :) it's ever so rewarding to post a chapter :) so thank you!
Disclaimer: tis' not mine!
-o-
Chapter 13 - Tree-Browsing
He woke up the next morning, and instantly realised something was different. It took him a moment to realise what exactly that was, however.
Amber.
Memories of the previous evening came back to him in a rush. The kiss, the walk home, and then… Naked skin, soft moans, and his name…his name, in whispers, at first, but then – a cry of his name as she came undone.
They had fallen asleep – entangled limbs and entwined fingers – and he had barely believed it was true.
It was true, however, because she was still here – naked skin flush against his body. She was sleeping still, and her soft breathing tickled his neck.
He couldn't quite believe it. He didn't actually dare believe it just yet, not until she woke up and told him that she wanted this as well.
He turned to his side – facing her – and pulled her closer. She sighed in her sleep as she tilted her head back. If she opened her eyes, he would look right into his.
He lay there for a bit, studying the sleeping woman. By the nine realms, he wanted her to wake up and tell him she wanted him as well. That she would be his, and that this thing – them – was right.
He brushed a lock of hair away from her face, and kissed her nose, resulting in a slight frown. He had tickled her, apparently.
He kissed her nose again, and that was when she opened her eyes – he held his breath – and the first thing she did was to kiss him. In the next moment, she pulled back, and he met a pair of wide eyes. Eyes filled with questions.
To hell with it, he decided, and just kissed her. She melted in his arms, and the world ceased to exist again.
-o-
After spending quite a while in bed, they got up, and Loki showered before walking into the kitchen, finding her there – like every day.
It was unsettling, gave him a feeling that nothing had changed. Perhaps nothing had changed? Perhaps that was just a one-time thing? He didn't think so, but he didn't exactly have the best experience in such things – or life in general. Things did not work out for him.
He sat at the table, trying to convince himself that she would not do something like that. She would – he did not quite know what she would do, but she would let him know in some way, if this was not what she wanted. If she did not want a true commitment.
And then, she changed everything.
"How do you want your bacon, love? Ridiculously close to raw, or charcoal?"
She had never used endearments before. He let out a relieved breath.
"Charcoal?" he asked, amused.
She picked up the plate on the counter next to her, and turned toward him. "This," she said and picked up a piece of bacon. She proceeded to crush it between two fingers, and raised an eyebrow. "Bacon-dust is on the menu as well. Apparently."
"How very exotic."
She chuckled as she turned toward the oven again. "I like that description. I shall, however, try again."
-o-
"Loki, love," he heard her voice yell from somewhere in the flat later that day. "Could you please come here and do some manly lifting?"
He chuckled as he put down the book he was reading, and went to find her.
She was in the storage room, trying to manhandle a box - unsuccessfully.
"This thing," she said, and poked the box. "It's not being very cooperative. I have no idea how I managed to get this up there in the first place."
He took a hold of the box - lifting it down without effort, and she gave him an amused look. "Thank you, love."
She proceeded to give him a quick kiss before focusing on the box.
He was more or less constantly surprised over the fact that she kept kissing him, using different endearments for him, and then go back to - whatever she was doing.
Something had shifted in Amber. She acted exactly the same, and completely different.
He was still trying to get used to the fact that he could touch her without having a particular reason for it other than because he merely felt like it.
Oh, he'd had lovers before. Countless lovers. But not like this. Things were different in Asgard. Love did not mean the same as it did here.
And he had not been with anyone he wanted to touch all the time - merely to touch, nothing else.
In Asgard he would have considered this to be a weakness, in a way. To need someone, that was a weakness. And people would eventually exploit that weakness.
But Amber was different. He could touch her - just to touch her. He could stand behind her when she cooked, and he could have his arms around her, just because it felt good.
And she did the same as him - she touched him whenever he was within touching-distance, basically. He found it surreal. Because never had anyone - anyone - wanted to touch him in such a way.
-o-
She had decided to join him in the shower - something he fully approved of. She hesitated, however, and he gave her a puzzled look. "What?"
She sighed. "Perhaps I'm overstepping some line I don't know of, but my curiosity is getting the better of me. Do you turn blue..." She gestured up and down. "Everywhere?"
He paused, trying to figure out how he felt about this. She had not been appalled by his frost giant shape, but it was something different entirely - seeing the whole picture.
He would show her at some point, he assumed as much, so why not get it over with?
He didn't look at her when he shifted. He didn't want to see her eyes, in case they did not show that complete acceptance she had showed so far.
He heard a small gasp - in amazement or disgust, he didn't know - and then there was a long moment of silence.
But then, he felt soft fingers brush over his chest, and he finally dared look at her.
She was not looking at him - not his face, anyway. She was occupied with studying him, something that had made him feel extremely uncomfortable, had it not been for the awe in her eyes.
She was not appalled. She was awestruck.
An amused smile appeared on her face, and she finally met his eyes. "You are an extremely fascinating man," she said, smiling at him. "And breathtakingly beautiful."
Breathtakingly beautiful. That was how she saw him in his frost giant shape.
Loki couldn't quite breathe.
Her hand came up, brushing his cheek, and then she stretched up, and kissed him.
A moment later, she was smiling at him, and then proceeded to turn on the water, squeaking when it was cold.
Humming, she adjusted the water, and didn't even look at him - as if he wasn't standing there like a human-shaped blueberry - complete with devil eyes.
Apparently happy with the water, she smiled at him again.
"Do you truly not mind?"
The question came out before he could stop himself, and he felt extremely vulnerable.
She shook her head. "I truly don't mind. I wouldn't mind if your regular colour was blue. Would have been inconvenient - considering people would react to a blue person walking around, but it would be perfectly fine with me."
He did not know what to say, so he merely embraced her instead.
-o-
Amber was at the university, but he had the day off, so he was sitting in the sofa with a book on his lap, relaxing.
Until there was a flash of light, of course.
He was on the floor in a heartbeat, completely ready for...anything.
He was terrified as well. Terrified, because this was the moment where it all fell apart.
He walked slowly toward the kitchen, and peeked inside.
The sight that met him was not what he had expected.
Frigga.
She was not looking at him, however. She was looking at the fridge.
"Mother," he said without thinking. Although, who was he trying to fool? She was his mother, was she not?
Frigga looked at him, and there were tears in her eyes. "Loki," she said, breathlessly. "How I have missed you."
He didn't push her away when she embraced him, and it made her let out an almost strangled sound.
She took a step back, and gazed at him for a long moment with searching eyes, as if she could find the answers to her questions in his eyes.
"Will you tell me how you fare?" she eventually asked, and the hopeful tone in her voice made him want to just give in, and drop the pretences.
He had always been close to his mother. She had been one of the very few people he shared his thoughts with. And she had been the only one he shared his most inner thoughts with. In those quiet, peaceful moment he shared with Frigga, Loki was not the God of Lies. He was merely Loki.
"I will not breathe a word to Odin - nor anyone else, if you wish. I swear to you."
After gazing at her for another long moment, Loki sighed.
"Would you care for a cup of tea?"
"Yes, please."
-o-
He had no idea where to begin. So he told her as much.
She gestured at the fridge. "You could tell me about the pictures?"
He looked at the pictures. "That one," he said, pointing at the one of Amber and him with wild hair and swirling snowflakes around them. "Is from when we were suddenly ambushed by snow and wind. And Amber decided that the moment needed documentation, for reasons unknown."
"That one," he continued, pointing at the one of him in the sofa. "Is another 'this moment needs to be documented' merely because I looked peaceful."
"That one," he said, pointing at the one of Amber. "Is when Amber tried to bake with food colouring. The colours are extremely strong - you need no more than a drop to colour an entire cake. I have no idea how she managed to get everything on her face, however. And considering how everything I do needs to be 'documented' I decided to return the favour. She tried to disagree."
"That one," he said, pointing at the one of Amber and him with garlands in their hair. "Is a case of me having no idea of how utterly insufferable the woman is."
"That one..." he trailed off, looking at the picture of himself laughing. "It is rather clear what that is."
"The last one..." He shook his head. "Is a moment of insanity. She strolled into the living room like that, and then tried to convince me I needed to be as festive as her. I pointed out that I do not need face paint to be 'festive'." He paused. "She has read it all - all the scary stories to scare children. Even as a child, she read them. And still..."
"She does not mind."
Loki shook his head. "She does not."
"Why are they…there? And not framed?"
He couldn't help but look amused. "This is a human thing. Amber frequently declares 'this is going on the fridge'. I am yet to figure out what exactly decides what is suitable to 'go on the fridge' and not."
"It seems…careless. To not take better care of them."
Loki shook his head. "I will show you," he said, and then picked up his phone, found the camera, and leaned in to take a selfie with his mother.
And if that wasn't the most hilarious thing to happen this century, he did not know what was.
He smirked. "Smile."
She looked puzzled, but smiled, and he took the picture. "Now," he said, pushing some buttons, (Amber did this so often that he had learned how it worked) and heard the sound of the printer in the hall. "Wait a moment."
He fetched the picture, and went back into the kitchen, placing the picture on the table in front of his mother.
She stared at the picture before gingerly picking it up. Her hands were shaking. Her lower lip was almost trembling. A tear escaped her eye, and she brushed it off with the back of her hand.
"Please," she almost whispered, "allow me to keep it."
He had not been prepared for the emotional reaction from his mother, and looked at her with surprise, realising he could not take the picture from her. "You may keep it," he said, and another tear escaped Frigga's eye.
They sat there for a bit, only to be interrupted when Amber called. He decided to answer.
"Hello?"
"Hello, love. How is your day?"
Her tone was overly light, and he rolled her eyes. "Out with it."
He could hear her laugh. So he was right, then. She wanted something.
"I was wondering if I could convince you to go Christmas tree shopping."
"Pardon?"
"Christmas tree. We need a Christmas tree."
"You are planning on bringing a tree into the house."
"Most definitely. With or without your help. I am currently tree-browsing, but they are...somewhat of an inconvenient size."
"You are tree-browsing," he deadpanned. "That is ridiculous."
"Be happy I don't drag you into the woods to chop down a tree ourselves."
"Consider me happy. Now, let me see if I understand this correctly. We are buying a pine tree, so we can place it in the living room."
"See? You got it. And then I will be frequently annoyed by all the pine needles everywhere because I have to vacuum all the time. And then we will just throw out the tree after New Year."
"How delightful."
"I know you would see reason. Now, will you, or will you not assist me in purchasing a pine tree when convenient?"
He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I will assist you in purchasing a pine tree when convenient."
"Thank you! Will you also assist me in decorating said pine tree?"
"Absolutely not."
She laughed. "Very well. There will be climbing. Will you catch me if I fall?"
"Always," he said softly, and then they said goodbye.
He had momentarily forgotten Frigga's presence, and froze when he realised she was looking at him. Studying him, more like it. He sat there, frozen on spot, for a long moment.
Sentiment. That was the general theme of everything he did these days. Sentiment. And sentiment was definitely a weakness.
In the end, he realised he did not actually mind that much, and he raised an eyebrow. "I am apparently crucial in the event that is purchasing a pine tree. Would you like to come?"
Frigga stared at him. First in pure disbelief, but then her expression changed, and he could see something akin to excitement in her eyes.
"Yes," she said, and then paused, cocking her head as she gazed at him. "Are you lovers?"
The bluntness of the question had him taken aback for a moment, but then he sighed. "Yes. It is a recent development."
"Good," she simply said, and it made Loki pause. "I mean it," she continued. "Good."
"And what of the Allfather? Will he agree, do you think?"
He didn't know why he asked. He did not care whether Odin approved or not. But...he wanted to see Frigga's reaction to the question.
"Believe me, he will," Frigga said with steel in her voice. "And if not, I will poke out his remaining eye."
Loki stared at his mother for a long moment.
Just when I thought the world could get no stranger, he thought, shook his head, and went to fetch clothes for his mother.
-o-
He had called Amber to tell her Frigga would be accompanying them, and she had declared 'the more, the merrier' in an enthusiastic voice, something he had chuckled at.
They found the pine tree-market, and Loki found the whole situation completely hilarious. And surreal.
It did not take them long before they found Amber, and she beamed when she saw them.
Frigga was actually faster than him, and promptly walked over to the beaming woman, embracing her.
Amber looked slightly taken aback, but smiled softly at Frigga.
He reached them, and raised an eyebrow. "Tree-browsing."
Amber grinned. "Obviously," she said before giving him a chaste kiss. She stepped back and gestured behind her. "This way!"
He watched as Amber practically bounced away, and he glanced at his mother, finding her looking at Amber in fascination.
"She is rather a force of nature, is she not?"
Loki chuckled. "That she is."
-o-
They found a tree after a whole lot of 'tree-browsing', and Amber was thrilled. It was ridiculous how happy this woman managed to get over something as simple as a tree.
Frigga looked at Amber more or less constantly, not that he blamed her. Amber was quite frankly rather interesting to observe when in this mood, and it was rather fascinating, the way she managed to move along like a small tornado, while at the same time being perfectly polite to everyone around her. She was all genuine smiles and thank yous. She even managed to tie the shoes of a small child on her way through, return said child to his mother, and then she was off again – tree-browsing.
-o-
They returned home – tree and all – and Loki, while rolling his eyes rather frequently, manhandled the tree inside, and placed it in the Christmas tree foot.
Amber placed her hands on her hips, gazing at the tree. "All it needs is some overly cheery decorations and an excessive amount of garlands, and it will be perfect. Tomorrow, I think. You are welcome to come, Frigga, should you wish."
Frigga smiled. "I would like that. Thank you for the invitation."
-o-
Loki was in the kitchen when Frigga entered a little while later. "I must take my leave," she said, and the way her eyes flickered to the pictures on the fridge did not escape his notice. "This has been…wonderful. Thank you."
Frigga smiled, and then her eyes flickered to the pictures again. Loki sighed, and walked over to the fridge, plucked all the pictures off the surface, and handed them to his mother. "Just...take them."
Frigga's eyes filled with tears as she accepted the pictures. She held them as if they were the most amazing thing she had ever seen, and looked at Loki. "Thank you. Shall I keep them to myself?"
Loki sighed as he considered this. He didn't quite know what to say. She obviously wanted to show them to Odin, something Loki had very mixed feelings about. How would the Allfather react to a picture of him with blue skin?
Picturing the shocked expression on Odin's face made Loki decide.
Sighing, he rolled his eyes. "Do as you please."
A moment later, he found himself in his mother's embrace, but then she was gone again, in a flash of light.