Jake's heavy stare was a constant weight upon Loki in the following weeks. It wasn't that Jake followed him around; he was much too busy evading Neytiri's ire by completing her training. But Jake was now a part of clan life and that meant he ate, slept, and frequented the same areas as Loki. Meetings between them were quite unavoidable, but Loki didn't mind as much as he had thought that he would have.
Not that they had many opportunities to talk to one another. Jake was kept busy, be it with bow practice, languages, hunting, either that or the Na'vi would always have reasons to keep them away from each other, especially Tsu'tey.
Not that they even talked as much as they bickered when the chance finally arose. But stare Jake would, and whenever Loki made to acknowledge Jake by meeting his stare, Jake would just send back one of his silly grins.
Loki could always feel his blood boil whenever Jake would smile stupidly at him. When Jake had been allowed to hunt two weeks back and had been tasked with the work to bring back meat for the night's supper, it had been Loki that Jake had sought to impress. That day, when Jake came back from the hunt with the dead Hexapede, Jake avoided the other Na'vi who, for once, watched him with emotions other than hostility. Jake had looked searchingly around the mass of cyan bodies, only to stop when his golden eyes finally found Loki. Like a creatures of baser instincts, Jake had puffed out his chest while presenting his kill. He had wanted Loki's approval almost like the male direwolves of Jotunheim whenever they wanted to impress potential mates.
Loki did not know what Jake's game was, but if he wanted to mate with him, he would have to do more than curl his lips in all matters of smiles and kill animals for supper.
'Not that I have any desire to interact any further with him.'
But today Loki hadn't been subjected to any form for staring or strange smiles, which was odd considering that he hadn't ventured more than 30 feet away from Hometree. Glancing down from his spot in one of Hometree's thick upper branches, he couldn't see any sign of Jake among the small moving dots on the ground.
An irritated noise rose from Loki's throat and it took him a few seconds to realise what he had just been doing. The noise died immediately after as his throat constricted together uncomfortably. He didn't, however, have time to reprimand himself for his lack of control, before an unfamiliar ikran flew into his range.
It was not uncommon for overprotective Na'vi parents to warn their young ones to be wary of wild ikrans, who would snatch and eat them whole. Thankfully, such a thing had yet to happen while Loki had been around the tribe, but it was the first thought that popped into his mind as the ikran flew directly toward him; maw wide open with a shrill cry.
Loki didn't have a chance to get up and away. Instead he fell on his back, whether it was by surprise or the powerful wing blows was unclear at the moment. He was just about to call forth his ice with the ikran almost upon him, when he heard his name being called above the noise of the wingbeats.
"Loki."
The ikran did not land upon nor eat him, instead it landed beside him in a crouch with its wings lowered upon the tree branch to hold itself upright. Only then could Loki see the rider on the ikran's back.
It was Jake with his silly smile and all.
"Loki," Jake repeated again, his voice brimming with excitement, as he jumped down from the ikran's back to grab hold of Loki's hand and hurl him to his feet.
"I did it, he's mine," Jake babbled while leading Loki closer to the restless ikran. Loki was a tad worried that Jake's head would fall off of his shoulders with the pace he kept looking between the ikran and Loki to watch his reaction.
"The word 'flying' gets a whole new meaning now that I have him; it's amazing."
Loki didn't have time to make a sarcastic remark before Jake had swung him over his shoulder and climbed back upon the ikran to take flight.
"Put me down," Loki screamed over the wind, but it was too late now and he could only watch as the ground grew farther away. With another beat of Loki's fist upon the wide blue back, he was moved down from Jake's shoulder. Jake was careful to slide him down his chest and place him in front of him between his arms.
"Isn't it amazing?" Jake asked. But Loki could only feel the timbre of Jake's voice from where his back was pressed against Jake's chest; he couldn't hear the words. Loki was too busy clinging to Jake's arms in fright; he was staring blindly ahead, unable to see the open skies, flying animals, and the beautiful jungle below.
Loki had hated flying the moment Thor had taken him in his arm and swung Mjölnir. The experience had been unpleasant and alien, and Loki hadn't been at all prepared for the sudden flight. Afterwards, he had made Thor swear to never take him flying again and it was a small miracle that Thor had, for once, listened to him.
A soft bump knocked Loki out of his stupor with a small jerk. Jake's chin had come to rest on the top of his head of raven-black hair, and the nerve of the gesture almost made Loki want to protest.
"Calm down. You have nothing to fear, I won't let you fall."
Loki knew that he had already completely failed to hide his uneasiness, but he wasn't about to shame himself more than necessary. It was difficult to pull himself back together but somehow his voice didn't waver as he spoke.
"Of course you won't; I would kill you if you did," he said trying to sound like his usual haughty self. "But this is completely unnatural and I would much rather be back on the ground."
"You have never dreamt about flying before?" Jake then asked teasingly.
"I have wishes for a great many things, but like with all wishes, when they come true you wish for something else." That had at least been the case the last few years of Loki's life. While starving in Jotunheim, he had wished for food but in Asgard where food had been plenty, the sight of it made him ill. When he then had wishes to escape Thor, he had not only escaped him but also the chance of seeing his family and home again.
"But how can you not enjoy this? What is it about flying that is so unpleasant? If I could, I would fly around forever."
"Well, that is nice," Loki said with a sarcastic drawl, "but could you leave me out of it?"
"Why?" Jake replied with fake surprise. "It is, after all, much more enjoyable when I have you here with me." Loki didn't have to look at Jake to know that he was smiling stupidly.
"I'm flattered that you think so highly of my company but I will remind you that if you seek to involve others in you escapades, you have to ask for their permission first."
Jake laughed loud and deep, and Loki couldn't escape the warmth radiating from Jake's body into his own.
'Perhaps, I should just jump.'
"Wise words indeed. But I have learned, Loki, that if I'm to get anywhere with you, the last thing I should do is ask for permission. You would fight tooth and nail and decline any of my invitations to learn more about you. And I can't have that."
Loki was about to protest but the words died on his tongue. Jake was right. He would never had agreed to flying if Jake had given him the choice instead of taking action and then, Loki would have probably never tried flying again. Tsu'tey had asked him many times to fly with him but Loki had refused every time. In advance, he had judged that he wouldn't like it, even without trying.
In truth, flying wasn't all that bad now that he had gotten used to it. Perhaps, it helped that Jake had sensed his distress within moments of flight and they hadn't done anything more daring than flying in a straight line. The ikran's wings rose and fell in calm, steady intervals and the strong wind was pleasant against his skin.
But Loki chose to keep silent, unwilling to voice his own mistake.
"Are you ready to try something new now?" Jake asked, changing the topic and Loki once more marvelled at Jake's ability to understand him.
"Really, do I get to choose?" Loki teasingly replied. "And here I thought that you would just take action. Or perhaps, this is just a petty curtesy and the outcome will be the same no matter what my answer may be."
"It's no jest; I will let you choose."
"Why, how kind of you," Loki bit back playfully, sharing a smile with Jake over his shoulder. "Well, since I have survived so far, it won't hurt me to try."
Jake's left arm released its grip upon the long limb connected to the ikran's head, to wrap around Loki's waist. "Tell me if I should stop."
Not long after, the ikran followed a silent command made by Jake and moved down in a head dive. It was maddening. The thrill in his belly, his heart lodged somewhere in his throat, and the wind made his eyes water. Yet Loki couldn't contain his laugh as they flew around, up and down, faster and faster.
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When they came to a stop it wasn't anywhere near Hometree but upon one of the large floating rocks hanging around the perimeter. They slid to the ground together, tumbling down with a laugh before the ikran flew away to leave them on their own.
"Your hair is a mess."
Jake's hand came up to remove one of the wild curls hanging before Loki's face. They were so close, still standing together, almost touching. Neither of them moved for some time. Jake was just looking down at him, the look in his eyes making Loki want to take the final step forward and touch him.
'What am I doing; he is a mortal man.'
His shock must have shown on his face, given the hurt that flashed through Jake's eyes, and unintentionally Loki had placed his palm on Jake's solid chest to keep him at bay. Loki regretted his action immediately and looked away when he couldn't bear to look at the other male. The tension between them was thick and for once Loki was grasping for the right words to say.
"Why are we stopping here?" That was the best Loki could come up with, but at least Jake went with it.
"I just thought that this was a good spot to grab some food, unless you would rather we head back?" It hurt that Jake wasn't looking at him but Loki had to remind himself that it was his own fault. The good mood was ruined and yet Loki still didn't want them to head back.
"Let us stay; I'm starving."
The spot Jake had picked was perfect. The floating rock was filled with fruit trees, heavy with uneaten fruit as there were no fruit-eating animals that could access it so high up in the air. They both took their pick before sitting down to eat in a spot that wasn't covered in overripe fruit-droppings. Loki was unsuccessfully trying to find the right words to start a conversation but luckily, Jake beat him to it.
"Now that you have overcome you fear of flying, will you be getting your own ikran?" Jake still wouldn't look at him. He had asked the question but Jake didn't seem to care much about the answer the way he stared out on the amazing view they had. Loki could really care less about the view.
"How could I? I don't have a queue like you have and therefore no means to create a bond."
"I see," Jake replied shortly before they once more entered silence.
Loki couldn't very well tell Jake, however much he wanted to break the silence, that he in fact had a queue of his own. It was just one of the many changes the white tree had made on his body. Loki had discovered the queue quite by accident in the middle of pleasuring himself and had at first been freaked out by its existence. No longer then two inches inside his anus, the small pink tendrils would reach out for his intruding fingers.
Loki, probably, could create a connection to an ikran. But to try wasn't without its risks and as Loki's queue wasn't in the most accessible of places, it would be even more difficult than usual to accomplice.
Taking a few bites of his own, Loki decided to ask a question of his own, something that had been on his mind for some time.
"Why are you here? I don't mean you in general but your kind, what is your goal here?"
"We are here, Loki, because Earth is dying."
"What do you mean Earth is dying? How can it be dying?" Loki asked, completely flabbergasted. Midgard was one of the richest realms both in resources and animal diversity, so young and new compared to other inhabited planets.
"The trees are gone, along with the animals and fresh water. We can't grow anything in the earth or breathe the air because of pollution. We haven't seen the sun in years because its rays can't get through the smog that surround the planet. We have overpopulated the earth and if not for the resources we have gathered here from Pandora, we would have died sixty years ago."
'What?'
It was unthinkable to imagine the picture Jake had painted, when Loki's own memories said something else. Earth dying… how could it have happened? But it wasn't an impossible scenario. Odin, while claiming to protect Midgard, only wanted to prevent others from harvesting and using Midgard's resources against Asgard. Odin didn't care for the humans, he held no love for them, and he would have no problem letting them die when he probably thought them destined to do so anyway.
The children of Midgard were truly selfish compared to the children of Jotunheim. Jotunheim's people would rather die than take and kill their mother. The weakest would die and with their deaths, balance would be restored, and some of them would live on to get a second chance.
"You must know that it is too late. With Earth's death, no life will survive there, no matter how many resources you bring back. All you are doing now is killing this place, the last chance you have to adapt and change. You have escaped Earth's confines, you have a second chance to ensure that your legacy doesn't die, but you don't care. You go by the same pattern as you always have, destroying."
"That is not true," Jake argued angrily, turning to face Loki in his anger. "Am I not learning to be one of the clan, am I not adapting to this place?"
"Are you indeed?" Loki said sceptically. "Can you look me directly in the eye and tell me that you aren't here because of some alternative notion to help your people steal what rightfully belongs to this land?"
Jake broke eye contact with him immediately, and that was all the answer Loki needed. Suddenly feeling very ill, Loki was unable to look upon the other male anymore. He was getting up to leave, not that he could really leave the place without Jake, when a hand grabbed his arm and spun him back around.
"What will you have me do? Abandon everyone? Do you know how many people are dependent on us? I can't just let them die like that." From the way Jake looked at him, Loki could tell that this had been bothering the other male for some time, and that his stupid mortal morals were preventing him from making the right choice.
"That is where you are wrong. Either all of you die, or some of you live. That is the will of nature, and right now you have the chance to live. I can't see why that is such a difficult choice to make."
"You can be quite heartless when you want to be, Loki," Jake said, letting go of his hand.
Looking down at Jake, who was still sitting on the ground, the male suddenly looked so sad and Loki couldn't stop the teasing words leaving his mouth, before he had thought the words over.
"Heartless I may be, but I know that you like me anyway."
Loki didn't even have time to regret his words before Jake threw him one of his stupid smiles and pulled him closer with a hand to his back.
"That is true," Jake stated, his head tilted back so that he could look Loki in the eye, for while sitting down his head just reached the height of Loki's nipples. "Just shows how much of a great fool I really am."
The hands upon the bare skin of Loki's back tightened a bit, a lone thumb slid down to caress the skin of his front, stretching over his ribs.
"Can I kiss you, Loki?"
His own emerald green eyes hooded and fell down the lines of Jakes face to look at his slightly parted lips, not missing the way Jake's throat bobbed under his attention.
"Do I really get to choose?" Loki whispered back breathlessly as the distance decreased between them.
"You always have the right to choose."
Loki looked directly into Jake's warm, golden eyes to confirm that this wasn't a trick, only to have all doubt flee from his mind. Their mouths clashed together, hot and cold, and they both groaned at the sensation.
Loki was the one who first opened his mouth to deepen the kiss; for the first time he was curious and wanted to taste the person he was kissing.
They grabbed at each other. Loki's arms were around Jake's neck, in his hair, caressing and clawing at every bit of skin. Jake marvelled at the smooth skin and markings upon Loki's chest and back, before he carefully took hold of Loki's chin to angle his face to the side.
Their kiss grew deeper and slower, sucking and just feeling the other. Loki had no concept of time but he suddenly became dizzy with the lack of air. Their tongues parted and Loki gasped for breath the moment he could concentrate on drawing air. He had yet to open his eyes; not yet ready to let go of the sensations.
Apparently Jake wasn't either, for he continued to lay small kisses and suck on Loki's tender lower lip. Again and again he would take the abused flesh between his lips and caress the saliva coated skin with his own.
"Jake," Loki breathed out with pleasure, finally opening his eyes.
'That stupid smile again.'
Loki would never admit to making a stupid smile of his own, before placing a quick kiss on Jake's big blue nose.
"Stupid mortal, do you realise what you have done?"
"I do," Jake whispered, bringing their foreheads together. "I have chosen to live, and I want to live together with you Loki."
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This is by far the shortest chapter of this story but I hope that you weren't disappointed. I want to thank my five lovely readers: Silvermane1, Uriel867, Becca, Graffiti-Kami and Evil-step-sister for the words of encouragement and praise. You have each written to me more times than once and I'm truly happy to see you return to read my story; even between the longer periods of updates.
