WRITER'S NOTE: I heartfully dedicate this chapter to Itokufox who made the delightful fanart that accompanies this particular part of "Rising Sun". I've never been so happy to see my two favorite OTPs in one art before. Itokufox, thank you so very much! You have no idea just how happy you have made me with this lovely art! 3 3 3
You can check out the art at the version of this chapter which can be found at Archive of Our Own. My username there is roryheadmav.
To those who have been following my stories here on , I regret to inform everyone that I will stop posting my stories in this site. If you wish to read the next chapters of "Rising Sun" and my other stories, just follow me over to Archive of Our Own.
RISING SUN
Copyright September 28, 2012 by Rory
Chapter 5
Loki was putting the finishing touches on the third batch of French fruit tarts he was making when he happened to glance over his shoulder at Kotetsu, who was peering down his trousers.
His dark eyebrows knitting together in an exasperated frown, he exclaimed, "Will you stop checking yourself, Kotetsu? I swear you're not missing any body parts when I teleported you. You will still make Barnaby very happy in bed, I assure you."
Kotetsu pouted and tightened his belt. "You could've given me a small warning at least that you were going to do that. And as for your comment…" He turned beet red as he mumbled, "I've been pretty much satisfying Bunny-chan in other ways."
"Yes, I'm damned sure you have," Loki remarked as he deftly squeezed apricot cream on top of the tarts and then proceeded to put strawberries and blueberries. "You seem to be that type."
"And what 'type' is that exactly?" Kotetsu inquired dryly.
"You know? The type who prefers to be at the bottom. I believe you have a term for it in your native Japan. Ooki, right?"
The ex-Hero turned even redder. "It's uke, not ooki! And, I do top Bunny from time to time. But you're definitely the one who's the uke-type. For all your bluster of wanting to conquer Midgard and all that crap, you're the one who wants to be conquered the most."
Hearing that comment, Loki's hand tightened around the icing bag so that the cream spilled copiously onto three tarts. "Now, where pray tell did you get an idea like that?" Seeing what he just did, he groaned, "Look what you made me do!" With a wave of his hand, he let the spoiled tarts vanish into thin air.
"Oh, come on, Loki! You don't fool me one second! Do you think I don't hear you mumbling your brother's name at night while you sleep? And quite passionately, I might add. Not that there's anything wrong about it. After all, you are adopted."
"After all the things I've done, do you think it would be that easy? I thought I would be having a fresh start when I became a child again. Things were going well for me back in Asgard." Loki slammed his fists on the tabletop, the loud noise causing Kotetsu to nearly jump. "Damn it! Why did this have to happen to me? What would Thor say when he sees me like this again—that evil brother of his that caused Asgard to fall?"
Kotetsu reached out, placed his arm around the god's shoulder, and gave it a squeeze. "You've made up for that by sacrificing your own life. I've seen the footage, Loki. I've witnessed what you've done. And I've also seen the anguish on Thor's face when he thinks that he had lost you. You yourself told me how much Thor loved you when you were reborn and found you as a child in Paris. What makes you think he won't love you now that you're grown up again? For what it's worth, I am sorry that I didn't do anything to stop the Avengers from coming here. I should've given them a better excuse."
"No, Kotetsu, you shouldn't blame yourself. It was bound to happen. I'll have to face them all again sooner or later. Still, I wish it wouldn't be today." Loki reluctantly admitted, "I put a spell on the café. It's nothing sinister. I just thought I'd conceal my presence. I did place wards on the kitchen though. No Avenger should be able to enter the kitchen."
"Wouldn't it have been more convenient to hang a 'Kitchen Staff Only' sign on the door?"
"You don't know my brother like I do. I used to make sweet things for him all the time with my mother back on Asgard and he always barges into the Royal Kitchen to steal a tart or a cupcake."
Suddenly, there was the ring of the bell at the front door, followed by Barnaby's call of "Kotetsu, we're here!"
"Oh shit!" Loki breathed out as his knees nearly buckled under him from nervousness.
"Coming!" Kotetsu answered his lover. To a very nervous Loki, he said, "Just stay here. I promise I'll keep them out of the kitchen."
As Kotetsu hurried outside with menu in hand, Loki took several deep calming breaths before hardening up in preparation for the unsavory task of cooking fine meals for his brother and his comrades.
Tony Stark was grinning from ear to ear as he pierced a bit of his steak with a fork. "Kotetsu, this ribeye is fantastic," he declared, raising two thumbs. "My compliments to the chef!"
"I do agree with you," Steve said, who was also munching hungrily on his own Delmonico steak. "I never tasted anything this good in my entire life. Why, you should consider opening a franchise."
"Your praise is much appreciated, Tony, Steve," Kotetsu said as he went around the table to refill everyone's glasses with iced tea. "But, I'm afraid my meager talents are incomparable to Locke's. If he were here, you'd be absolutely floored by his cooking."
"Why? Didn't Locke cook this?" Nathan inquired, pointing to his favorite Andouille and Potatoes crepes. "It sure tastes like Locke's cooking to me."
"You are amazing, Kotetsu," Ivan gushed at the former Hero. "I can't believe you managed to cook this much food in such a short amount of time."
"Uh…er…I had some ingredients already stocked up in the kitchen," Kotetsu explained. "I only had to whip them all together."
"Locke's been teaching Kotetsu how to cook and bake," Barnaby said, beaming at his partner. "Now, maybe I can enjoy something else other than his fried rice."
"Hey!" Kotetsu glowered at his lover. "Do you have problems with my fried rice?"
"I don't mind a plate of great fried rice myself," Clint put in, as he sliced his Fillet Mignon into bits. "Add some wanton balls and I'll be one happy man."
"Kotetsu puts mayonnaise in his fried rice," Pao-Lin explained, slurping up a strand of her Angel Hair Shrimp Pasta.
"Mayonnaise?" Natasha's eyebrows lifted at that. "I must admit that I love to put mayonnaise in my scrambled eggs. But fried rice?"
Antonio laughed as he straightened up, rubbing his stomach contentedly after consuming his own ribeye steak. "Kotetsu is addicted to mayonnaise."
"You know, given the ingredients in mayonnaise, it can make for an excellent flavor enhancer in just about any food if you know how much to put in," Bruce remarked emphatically with his fork.
"I like mayonnaise myself, especially on burgers and hotdogs," Keith chimed in, squeezing more mayo on top of his second footlong Sonoran hotdog.
Karina paused from taking another bite of her favorite Pasta Primavera when she noticed Thor picking at his Veal Steak a la Norge. "Is something wrong with your food, Thor?"
"Oh no, nothing's wrong. It's great actually," Thor exclaimed with a shake of his head, when Kotetsu's concerned amber eyes focused on him. To demonstrate, he put another bite of the steak inside his mouth and started to chew, only to slow down he tasted the bit on his tongue. "But, there's something about it that seems…wrong and familiar at the same time."
"Yo, Point Break!" Tony glared at the God of Thunder. "You're insulting our host."
"Kotetsu, I am so sorry and, truly, I mean no offense," Thor began, waving a placating hand. "But there really is something off…and I just can't put my finger on it."
"Maybe I put an herb or a spice that doesn't agree with you. Let me see."
While Kotetsu began rattling off the list of ingredients that he could remember from Loki's recipe, he did not notice Pao-Lin excuse herself to go to the Ladies Room. Because the kitchen was not warded against the Heroes, Pao-Lin managed to sneak a peek through the window and saw Loki laboring away inside.
Going inside, the diminutive Hero greeted the on-edge god, "Locke, what're you doing here? Kotetsu said that it's your day-off. Don't tell me that you've been hiding in here all this time."
Loki almost dropped the plate of tarts he was carrying at that greeting. "Oh, hello, Pao-Lin. Well, I certainly couldn't leave Kotetsu all alone. And the reason as to why I'm hiding…I…uhm…I don't really want to hang around with such illustrious guests. My place is here and I'm happy this way. It's enough that I cook and bake the dishes that our guests will enjoy. Please don't tell anyone I'm here."
Pao-Lin's pursed in an offended pout. "Thor wasn't very happy with the veal though."
Loki paused at that remark. Putting the tarts back on top of the table, he asked, "Why? What did Thor…say…about my Veal Steak a la Norge."
"He said that there's something wrong with it. He just couldn't figure out what," Pao-Lin squealed, not noticing the dark aura that was now surrounding the god.
Gritting his teeth at the thought that his beloved brother was insulting the dish that he had prepared especially for him, Loki took the glass of creamy avocado shake and waved his fingers on top of it. He then handed it to Pao-Lin.
"Here, Pao-Lin," Loki practically pressed the cold, frothy glass into the Hero's tiny hands. "Why don't you bring that to Thor? Tell him that it's compliments of the chef." He growled the word 'chef' menacingly.
Pao-Lin looked hungrily at the shake in her hand. "I'll have one of these, right?"
"Oh, I'll give you something much better than that, my dear."
"Okay!" she chirped as she went out of the kitchen and headed straight for Thor. Unable to contain his curiosity, Loki opened the kitchen door a crack, letting one smoldering green eye peer through.
"Hey, Thor! This is for you!" Pao-Lin said, placing the glass in front of the Asgardian. "Compliments of the chef."
"Why, thank you, Pao-Lin," Thor declared, pressing the straw to his lips. "Now, this looks delicious."
"Wait a minute," Steve remarked, gesturing to Kotetsu with his hand. "But isn't the chef here with us?"
Kotetsu nearly tripped over his words. "I…er…I prepared that earlier. I was keeping it cold in the refrigerator and…"
As soon as Thor took a sip of the shake, however, he could not stop himself from grimacing. "Something's off with this as well."
That remark, not to mention that disgusted facial expression, proved to be the last straw for Loki.
Because his back was to the kitchen, Thor never noticed the furious figure that was stalking toward him with a large rolling pin slapping menacingly in the palm of his other hand. The others at the table, however, saw who was coming up behind the God of Thunder. Although the Heroes were all smiles at the man whom they thought was Kotetsu's assistant, the Avengers have turned visibly pale, recognizing their archnemesis instantly.
"Tell me, Thor," Loki began slowly, his voice oozing with fury and malice. "What exactly is wrong with my cooking?"
Thor shot out of his chair instantly at that familiar voice and whirled around to behold his brother as he last remembered him when his handsome face was not yet contorted by envy and malevolence. "LOKI!"
Loki realized his mistake then as all color drained from his face. Panicking, he brought the heavy rolling pin down on top of Thor's head and fled straight into the kitchen.
"LOKI! COME BACK HERE!"
In his haste to go after his brother, Mjolnir came loose from its strap at Thor's hip. Kotetsu grabbed the hammer before it could fall on the floor.
"Watch it, will you?" Kotetsu cried. "You're going to break my tiles!"
Barnaby could not help but feel angry. "Kotetsu, Locke is the villain Loki? And you didn't think to tell me?"
"Loki needed help. I'm not about to turn my back on anyone who needs help, even if he is a bad guy."
"That 'bad guy' destroyed an entire realm!"
"Something which he is truly sorry for! And I don't see why he should continue apologizing for it!"
All of the Avengers' eyes were now turned to Kotetsu who was waving Mjolnir in his hands as he argued with his lover. Except for Steve, none of them were able to lift Thor's mighty hammer. Sure enough as Kotetsu handed Mjolnir over to Antonio, the poor Hero found himself bending forward at the hammer's great weight as it crashed and broke four ornate tiles.
"LOKI!"
Before Thor could enter the kitchen, he slammed face first into an invisible barrier. At that same moment, Loki's potion did its work. Thor turned into a tiny frog, dressed in his familiar red cloak and winged helmet regalia, slipping slowly down the barrier, leaving a line of slime.
Still managing to get a hold of himself, Thor—now an irate amphibian—proceeded to pound his fists on the barrier, shrieking in a comically high voice, "LOKI! LET ME IN RIGHT NOW!"
"FROGS ARE NOT ALLOWED INSIDE MY KITCHEN!" Loki yelled back. "GO BACK TO THAT BLOODY POND FROM WHENCE YOU CAME AND EAT FLIES!"
Unmindful of how ridiculous he looked, Thor jumped on top of the flower box and gestured angrily at the kitchen. "Do you see how difficult he is?"
Kotetsu groaned. "Let me convince Loki to come out, okay? But I want your word that you will not arrest him or anything. He's been through a terrible ordeal and I don't want him traumatized any further."
"He's the God of Mischief! Nothing can traumatize him!" Barnaby declared in infuriation.
"Shut up, Bunny!
"Stop calling me 'Bunny'!"
Kotetsu hurried into the kitchen where Loki was fuming, pacing back and forth so that his feet were burning holes in the floor.
"I'm sorry, Kotetsu," Loki said bluntly. "I just couldn't stop myself. Oh, that muscle-brained oaf!" He kicked at the solid steel oven, only to wince in pain.
"Well, I'm not too happy with Bunny myself," Kotetsu could not help agreeing with the angry god.
"Uh, Kotetsu, Loki? May I please talk with you for a moment?" It was Steve.
"Loki?" Kotetsu asked in permission.
With a groan of surrender, Loki waved his hand and let Steve Rogers and an amused Tony Stark inside.
"Nice to see you again, Reindeer Games," Tony greeted the sulking god.
"I wish I could say the same about you," Loki replied warily in turn.
"Kotetsu said earlier that you're in some sort of trouble," Steve began. "While we still don't trust you, after all, you instigated the Siege which led to Asgard's collapse in Broxton, we cannot deny that you helped us at the last moment, given us strength so that we can fight The Sentry, and at the cost of your own life. Thor told us that you have been reborn and that you were a child. But now, we see you as an adult. Not as the god we have known but someone else. I would like to believe that you still retain the same…admiration…that you have for your brother when you were in your child form."
"I'm starting to have second thoughts about that actually. Thor just insulted my cooking!"
"And I'm sure he didn't mean to do that."
"Yeah," Tony put in. "While he did say that your dish tasted wrong, he also said that it was familiar to him. You know how your brother is with words. I'm very sure that he just couldn't place where and when he had eaten that same dish. If you've given him a little more time and not bashed his brains in with a rolling pin, not to mention turned him into that icky slimy Frog Thor, I'm certain he would've come to realize that it was you who made that dish. And you made it especially for him, am I right?"
Loki crossed his arms over his chest and admitted grudgingly, "Yes, I did."
"Listen, I know that we have a lot to talk about, but for now, let's just mend the rift between you and your brother and between Kotetsu and Barnaby," Steve suggested. "I know for a fact that Kotetsu is an outstanding gentleman, considering that he was able to lift Thor's hammer."
"You lifted Mjolnir?" Loki gaped at Kotetsu in shock and astonishment.
Kotetsu shrugged sheepishly. "I sorta did. I didn't want it to break the tiles. But that fool Antonio sent it crashing down on the floor anyway."
"That's because Antonio is not worthy to wield Mjolnir," Tony pointed out. "There are only three people outside of Thor's immediate family who have been able to lift the hammer, namely Thor's friend Beta Ray Bill, Captain America…" He waved a hand to Steve. "…And Eric Masterson aka Thunderstrike. You, my dear Kotetsu, are now the third person who is capable of wielding Mjolnir."
"But it still broke my tiles though," Kotetsu murmured, uncomfortable with the awe of the men around him.
"Don't worry about your tiles. We'll put it on SHIELD's tab."
Karina popped her head inside the kitchen. "Are you guys okay in here? Thor just turned back into a man again. And about time too." She shuddered. "I hate frogs, even if it's Thor."
"Yeah, we'll be right out!" Tony reassured the teen, who promptly withdrew to go back to the others.
"Anyway," Steve continued, "why don't the two of you prepare something special for Thor and Barnaby? No more tricks this time, Loki. Just…try to get along."
Kotetsu looked questioningly at the god who was tapping the leg of the table with the toe of his shoe.
"I think I could manage that," Loki mumbled, although his words showed that he was not at all convinced that he could 'get along' with his beloved, but infuriating big brother.
"Why are we sitting way over here?" Natasha inquired as they sat huddled at two small tables.
All eyes were focused on the corner table where Thor and Barnaby were sitting in sullen silence, their arms crossed over their chests.
"We don't want to get our resident green rage monster caught in the crossfire," Tony said pointedly.
"And why am I now dragged into what is obviously a misunderstanding between siblings and lovers?" Bruce inquired with a raise of one brow.
"Oh come on!" Clint declared. "You're still calling Thor and Loki 'siblings'. Can't you feel the bromance emanating from those two?"
"Oooh, don't you just love bromance?" Nathan draped himself all over his chagrined former classmate.
"Actually, it reeks of bromance," Karina pinched her nose in distaste.
"Ssssh!" Keith hushed them, unable to hide his curiosity and excitement. "Here come Kotetsu and Loki now."
Everyone could barely stifle their groans at the sight of the stiff smiles on the faces of the two men who emerged from the kitchen, bearing trays raised high.
It was Kotetsu who served Barnaby first. "Fresh strawberry with cream cheese cake. Loki taught me how to make it. I hope you like it, Barnaby."
Barnaby's eyes widened briefly, hearing his full name for a change. He dipped his fork into the cake and took a small bit of it, putting it inside his mouth and tasting it. Barnaby could stop himself from beaming brightly at the sweet and tart taste that tickled his taste buds.
"It's delicious, Kotetsu," Barnaby said sincerely, as he proceeded to eat some more.
It was Loki's turn to serve his petulant brother. Carefully, he set the plate before Thor, muttering, "Kotetsu's Special Fried Rice."
"And what is this?" Thor began curiously, staring at the strange dish that was being placed in front of him. Although he did not mean anything bad by his query, Loki unfortunately, took it the wrong way.
There was a very dark green aura surrounding the God of Mischief as he hissed, "Just eat it, you dolt. Or else, I have an extra special avocado shake in the kitchen that can turn you into Frog Thor…permanently."
Chastened, Thor mumbled, "I did not mean to offend you." He then picked up his spoon and shoveled a large amount of the fried rice into his mouth. Loki just held on to his tray, waiting for his brother to finish chewing. To his relief, Thor grinned at him broadly—that same wide smile that always spoke clearly of how much he loved something (or someone)—and pumped his fist approvingly. "I LOVE IT, Brother! ANOTHER!"
"Glutton!" Loki could not help but blush hotly. "Finish that plate first. Oh, and here's the mayonnaise." He handed him the canister. "You'll like it with more mayo."
At that point, Clint could not resist chirping in again, "What did I tell you, guys? BROOOOMANCE!"
Deeply embarrassed, Kotetsu and Loki exclaimed in unison, "SHUT UP, CLINT!" which only caused laughter to erupt from Heroes and Avengers alike.
TO BE CONTINUED…