A/M: This chapter will be the last of this story and I really hope my writing shows improvement, but oh well, I don't care for writing may be a passion of mine but I'm not going to freak out if I've reached my limit when it comes to writing, I mean the limit where I can't improve my style any more. I hope you enjoy this finale chapter, there will be plenty of fluff so please don't kill me?
Title: I Dream Of Only You
Chapter Six: Alive and Breathing
(Loki just walked into the Cistern with Karliah at the end of chapter four)
Loki was shocked by the fact the entire Guild stood at the end of the hall daggers drawn, battle ready. Karliah walked in front of Loki, unsure of why the Nord had frozen. Loki heard Brynjolf voice and snapped out of his trance. Loki was scared as he saw the rage openly displayed in his dear friends eyes, Brynjolf rarely got so enraged. What had the Guild so riled?
"You should have known better than to show up here, lass." Brynjolf hissed, his hand flexing around the dagger's hilt, so wanting to cut up Karliah. Loki stepped up to stand next to Karliah, slightly in front of her incase they attacked. Loki was praying to all Nine Divines he wouldn't have to hurt anyone that would just make his life unbearable.
"Please lower your weapons so we can speak, I have proof that you've all been mislead!" Karliah said, with just a slightly comanding tone. Brynjolf glared with an even brighter hatred but he sheathed his weapons with the others.
"No tricks Karliah, or I'll cut you down where you stand. Loki should not have left this world for Sovngarde at your hands." He spat his hands twitching with the desire to follow through with the threat. Loki was shocked by the words, no one must have seen through his disguise, but as Loki scanned the red haired man's face his eyes caught a gold shimmer.
Brynjolf was wearing the inscribed gold necklace Loki had made for him? Why, would he do that for a traitor? Unless Mercer never said he had betrayed the Guild. Hope blossomed in Loki's heart things might be easier than he had thought.
"He's not dead, he's right here." Karliah said with slight amusement edging her tone, as she gestured toward Loki. Brynjolf visibly stiffened and everyone's eyes locked on Loki's cloaked figure. Loki's lowered his head as he removed the mask, keeping his face from view as he then flipped back his hood. Loki held his head down for a few short minutes, shy of the vigilant attention. Swallowing hard Loki looked up his hands clenching around his cloth mask. The gloveless hand twitched as the Guild gaped at him in utter and absolute shock. Brynjolf hesitantly moved forward, disbelief and hope in his eyes, his hand reached out to rest on his friend shoulder, the utter disbelief in those eyes scared Loki witless.
"But... Your dead, Mercer claimed you'd died of a poisoned arrow, how…? No!" Brynjolf's sudden outburst of rage made the softer spoken blond thief flinch away in fear, his emerald eyes widening in panic. The other Guild members jumped but Vex and Delvin moved between Karliah and Brynjolf, as Karliah's hand went to her bow. Her hand stopped but her violet yes stayed glued to Loki as Brynjolf lost it.
Brynjolf continued, "This is some sick joke, there's no reason Mercer would lie! Your dead, I accepted the truth! Why in Oblivion are the divines tormenting me?" Brtnjolf had advanced on Loki as he ranted in rage, and Loki was backed to the hall's wall. The color in Loki's face had drained, for never in his time at the Guild had Brynjolf ever directed his rage at him.
"Bryn-" Loki began only to be cut off as the angered Nord shoved the blond hard into the wall and pinned him there, Loki was beginning to hurt all over again, he gave Brynjolf a pleading look and the angered Master Thief calmed and dropped the blond, his shoulders sagging in defeat. The elder mans eyes betraying sadness and guilt.
"This can't be a trick, but if Mercer lied about your death… Are you alright?" Brynjolf asked Loki reaching out to hook a finger under his friend's chin, but Loki flinched away, still scared of the mans rage. Brynjolf winced and mentally kicked himself for being such a fool. He took a step back, letting out a soft sigh.
Loki looked a Karliah for a moment before he looked back at Brynjolf. He swallowed hard again scared of the next reaction he might receive. Slowly Loki reached out and rested a hand on Brynjolf's forearm.
"Mercer has lied for years, he's been stealing form the vault from under everyone's noses, and he killed Gallus, not Karliah…" Loki trailed off beginning to shake with rage and pent up pain, the feeling of the dwarven sword stabbing into his side still fresh in his mind. Karliah gave him a slightly concerned look but stayed quite, nodding for him to continue.
"And, he… He left me for dead in the ruins after stabbing me. He tried to kill me. That's how I know Karliah is innocent, I heard it from Mercer himself, he wouldn't lie if he thought I was going to stay in that ruin dead." Loki admitted leaning heavily against the wall, his head hanging low and his eyes closed to hide the tears. It was just one more betrayal, nothing new.
"I've known Mercer too long…" Brynjolf trialed off his voice betraying the doubt but he continued, "Where's your proof Karliah?" Brynjolf asked, turning from Loki towards Karliah, he was beginning to see a more than disturbing truth. Karliah held out the decoded journal of Gallus to Brynjolf, for him to read.
"There's only one way to make sure..." Brynjolf trailed off, after reading the disturbing entries "Follow me." Brynjolf quickly walked away heading for the vault. Loki remained at the tail of the group, in slight shock. He'd seen few men capable of such strong passion, even if it was a passion fuled by rage. Loki began to float into his own fantasy and started to tune everything out.
"It's gone! It's all gone; all of you get in here!" Brynjolf called Loki from his haze, and the blond man walked into the Vault, to see like Brynjolf had said, it was all gone, he heard the others gasp in shock and rage, but he had expected this from the moment he'd learned Mercer had been stealing from the Guild.
"That son of a bitch, I'll kill him!" Vex hissed in fury drawing her blade ready to gut Mercer on sight. Her rage made Loki remember a moment in the ruins; it was a similar rage that had burned in the violet eyes of Karliah. Loki shook his head steeping in front of Vex, his hand out at his sides palm up.
"Vex," Loki murmured softly, "If it were that easy, do you think Mercer would have us chasing our tails?" Loki asked reaching out a hand to rest it on hers over the steel dagger.
She sighed and nodded at him relaxing the iron grip on the small weapon, Loki gave her an understanding look before moving back and letting her sheath her weapon.
"Alright, but I still want that bastard dead." She growled crossing her arms. Loki's emerald eyes became dark smoldering flames, and he nodded.
"You have no idea how much I want to make that happen." He said his voice a low rumbling growl. Vex actually looked surprised that Loki was letting his anger show through, Loki had one of the best masks they had ever seen, and never had they seen him this pissed.
"Well we need a plan, Vex, Delvin watch the Flagon if Mercer shows come straight to me." Brynjolf ordered, and as the two other thieves left Loki let out a frustrated sigh. He wanted Mercer locked in a room with him so he could tear the son of a bitch limb from limb.
After everything Loki felt about ready to drop, he was so bloody tiered. Brynjolf saw it too, and took it as his chance to apologize. He looked at the doors of the Vault, then Karliah. He could ask her to leave, but Loki might become skittish.
Karliah just grinned so softly it was almost undetectable. As she slipped from the Vault she pushed the doors, only leaving a small gap so the two men weren't locked in. Brynjolf blinked as the dark elf left the room. He took a deep breath before turning back toward Loki.
"Loki…" Brynjolf said trialing as the young Nord collapsed, "Loki!" Brynjolf called diving forward to catch the falling thief. Loki groaned as he was caught, he tried to stand, only to cry out in pain and curling into himself wrapping his arms around his knees. Brynjolf let go of him as he lowered him to the floor.
"Loki? Lad, are you, what's wrong?" Brynjolf asked, reaching out to the gasping blond. Loki's head shot up from his knees, his eyes looked tired and confused and a little paniced.
"I'm fine, I just I… rest." He stuttered and slurred while trying to get up, he made it to the wall and leaned heavily on it, as he pushed away, he slipped and fell again. Brynjolf shoot up and forward catching the younger man just before he could hit the floor.
"Loki, tell me…" Brynjolf trialed off as he saw the young man was out cold. Cursing out load Brynjolf pulled an arm over his shoulders and put one of his own arms around Loki and half dragged him from the Vault to his rarely used bed.
Karliah was there almost instantly, Brynjolf jumped, he had never heard her coming, but he was also focused on the apparently sick Loki. Kariah went to remove the Guild chest piece but Brynjolf got there first blocking her way.
"What are you doing, Lass?" Brynjolf growled, going on the defensive, but Karliah just gave him a clam look.
"I'm worried he got his wound infected, it's on his side, and I just want to make sure he's alright." Karliah said, her stare unwavering, so Brynjolf backed down. He removed his hand from the buckles but his eyes locked onto Karliah's movements.
Karliah undid the buckles quickly, trying to cause Loki as little pain as possible. After she removed the chest guard she slowly rolled Loki onto his side, exposing a crimson stain seeping through the white undershirt. Karliah looked at Brynjolf for help.
After lifting Loki up and removing the blood stained garment, Brynjolf got a glimpse of the one man he'd fallen for. The defined chest had multitudes of scares, some newer than others, but almost all of the young man's chest was tinted red with his own blood.
After a good deal of toiling Karliah moved away from Loki's chest to check the arrow wound, finding it almost healed she sighed in relief. She looked at Brynjolf and waited.
"What happened?" Brynjolf asked, already feeling incredibly guilty and dreading her answer. He looked down at the pale man and his heart began an erratic beat that only the insane could dance to. He wanted to go back to the moment he pinned Loki to the wall and instead of letting out his rage, done something, anything differently.
"He must have reopened his wound…" She trailed off knowing she wouldn't have to tell him how or when, and she continued "He's been bleeding heavily, he must be made of something stronger than any thing you could find across all Tamriel." She looked impressed but her voice is what truly carried the praise.
Karliah looked at him in concern as she walked away, shaking her head. Brynjolf sat on the edge of the bed next to Loki, holding his head in his hands. He walked away grabbing a chair and sitting by Loki's bed side.
A whole night had flown by; it was late into the evening when Loki began to stir. Brynjolf jerked up from his chair when he'd seen Loki shift, but his green eyes stayed closed. A sigh slipped past the older man's lips.
"Loki, please wake up, It's my fault your not. I know, but please at least wake up for a day so I can say I'm…" Brynjolf swallowed hard but he held on, "So I can say I'm sorry. For everything, letting you go with Mercer, letting you go so easily, for believing in that bastards lies, for not telling you…" Now Brynjolf stopped and sighed because there was no point to telling Loki what he felt if he was asleep. He held his face in his hands.
"Tell me what, Bryn…" Loki's tired voice shocked Brynjolf, who nearly fell out of his chair. Loki looked at Brynjolf with sleep clouded eyes somehow Brynjolf hadn't heard the young blond sit up. Because the furs had slid down to expose a well toned chest littered with scares, Bynjolf swallowed hard, and peeled his eyes away from the chest only to get caught up by Loki stretching by raising his arms over his head. Brynjolf couldn't help but notice the flexing muscles, and the scares that littered the fine arms.
"We-Well Lad, Um… How do you feel?" Brynjolf stuttered, trying to recover from the speechlessness that Loki's body was inflecting. Loki stopped stretching to the silent disappointment but utter relief of Brynjolf. Loki le his hands settle I his lap as his now clear and intent eyes focused on Brynjolf. Now Brynjolf was trying to decide which was worse, getting an unintentional show or getting to look at those deep emotion filled orbs. The eyes won the contest by a land slide, they could catch Brynjolf at his worst and sooth him, just like they had the night before.
"I feel good, I guess, better than… how long have I been out?" Loki asked not sure if he'd been sleeping for a few hours or a whole day. Loki's blush actually came through when he looked down, to see that he was half nude.
"Only the rest of the night and most of today, it's late evening." Brynjolf said calmly shrugging. Loki blinked in surprise, but nodded, trying to avoid looking directly at Brynjolf.
"Well, I'm fine for now, I guess jumping from the tops of waterfalls and getting mobbed can do that to you when you have a wound like this." Loki sighed he moved to get up but stopped short looking around for a moment before looking back to Brynjolf. "What did you want to tell me? And it's not your fault I'm hurt, Mercer played us all." Loki murmured just load enough for him and Brynjolf to hear, Loki then got up and stretched again, this time Brynjolf gave up trying to discrete and just flat out stared at the nicely sculpted body.
Loki turned around and looked at Brynjolf who was too absorbed in looking at all the scares and uncovered skin. Loki pursed his lips, but sighed as he grabbed his now clean shirt, noting the slightly stained part of it.
"You know, I find that scares can tell stories about someone. What do you think mine say about me?" Loki asked holding his shirt in front of him with both hands, just slightly lower than his Leg armor began. Brynjolf flushed realizing that Loki had caught his stare, but nonetheless met the other's eyes.
"I think they tell a tale of a determined man, a great man that has had a difficult life but always fought for what he believed in." Brynjolf said with a level voice, but inside his mind his thoughts raced. Loki smiled then, not putting up the normally fake cheery mask, but truly letting one of his rare smiles shine through. Brynjolf was stunned for a moment, not expecting the pleased reaction, but he regained him self.
"I'm happy someone can still think of me as a good man. I'm only just stepping into my twentieth year of life, and I've been through hell this past year. Actually I hadn't seen Skyrim since I was five. I was in Cyrodiil when I heard about the war and came back this year. So this past year has been… Let's just say eventful. And sometimes I question if I'm still who I was when I came." Loki said slipping the shirt over his head, and pulling his long hair out from under the garment. With surprising ease he pulled his hair back and turned it into three separate braids.
"So you soldiered for Ulfric? Or are you for the Imperials?" Brynjolf asked, beginning to learn about this man was interesting, it made him want to learn more. Loki sneered, and Brynjolf got worried he'd said the wrong thing.
"I'd sooner get on my knees for a complete stranger, than take orders from that dead Bastard Tullius." Loki spat the dead general's name like a curse, Brynjolf was surprised that Loki showed that much venom toward the recently killed man.
"So you're a Stormcloak. I can see you joining them, but may I ask why?" Brynjolf wanted to continue learning about Loki, but if the man closed up he'd have to wait for a long time for another chance.
"My mother was killed for worshiping Talos. My father dided in Cyrodiil because no one would help Nords, so my father died in my arms because people refused to think anything of a Nord's murder. I've lost my whole family to them just because the damn bastards are too weak to stand up to a threat and bring it down." Loki said his voice was surprisingly level but Brynjolf saw the tears in the young man's emerald eyes.
Loki sat on the eadge of the bed facing away from Brynjolf rubbing his face, trying to keep the tears locked away. Brynjolf got up and sat next to him and wrapped his arms around Lokis waist, whispering comforts into his ears. Loki stopped shaking with the anger and sorrow, but his tears wouldn't go away. Loki got a grip on himself just as Vex walked into the cistern to get some rest before taking her next shift in the Flagon. She looked at the pair and grinned, but the smirk slipped away as she noticed Loki's tears.
"You okay?" She called, walking over to the bed the two occupied. Loki rubbed his tears away and managed a weak grin.
"Yeah, I haven't had time to morn for a long time, I just need some time and I'll be fine don't worry, Vex." Loki's voice was soft, but both Vex and Brynjolf knew Loki was trying to act the part of a hardened thief. Vex frowned at Loki and crossed her arms.
"You need a good man in your life. I hear Brynjolf's single." Vex chuckled as she walked away, perfectly happy with Loki's response. Loki blinked in shock and turned a sinful shade of pink before jumping up and away from Brynjolf, pulling on his chest piece before turning back to Brynjolf reluctantly. He froze when he saw Brynjolf had a soft blush across his cheeks.
"Um, Brynjolf?" Loki hesitantly moved forward, fiddling with his hands and worrying on his lower lip, and Loki could feel his face heating up. He was Stormblade, one of the most fierce and loyal of Ulfric's men, and yet he couldn't admit he wanted Brynjolf. For the love of Talos why hadn't he died of embarrassment yet?
"Yeah, Loki?" Brynjolf asked back looking at the younger man trying not to let his mind fall into the gutter.
"Was Vex telling the truth about you being single?" And into the gutter Brynjolf's mind went. Loki looked away but he looked back at Bryjolf, back to the inscribed gold amulet.
"Yeah, I'm single. I have my eyes on someone though." Brynjolf said, staring at the currently shy man in front of him. Loki's shoulders slumped.
"Oh... Can I ask who the lucky girl is?" Loki tried faking a grin for his friend but his eyes betrayed the disappointment he was sucked into.
"It's not a lucky girl. I have my eyes on the man in front of me." Brynjolf sated standing up and taking a step forward, brining him almost an inch away from Loki. His hands twitched with the want to take Loki's pale face and bring their lips together.
"Wh-What?" Loki asked shocked and slightly breathless at the same time. His mind was currently running in about six thousand different directions, and it was leaving him dizzy. His heart had stuttered for a moment before picking up a rapid pace. Loki was blushing like a girl, and his emerald eyes were wide as saucers. Brynjolf chuckled, a low rumble from his chest and hooked a finger under the pale chin and tilted the other's head back slightly so he could look straight into green gem stone eyes.
"I've had my eyes on you since I saw you in the market and invited you to that job…" Brynjolf chuckled again and shook his head and blushed faintly, "I'd been watching you before then actually… I can't tell you exactly when I fell for you but I can tell you the moment I realized it." Brynjolf was grinning but Loki could just feel the uncertainty rolling off the man in tidal waves. Loki blinked in utter shock and felt his face heat up again. He shifted on his feet, and brought a hesitant hand to Brynjolf's chest, resting it there over the other's heart.
"When? I mean, um…" Loki tried to look down away from Brynjolf to hide his blush but the hand that now held his chin prevented it, and Loki's face burned all the more for it.
"When I what, Loki?" Brynjolf asked a small smirk on his lips. Loki half glared at the taller Nord, but both knew there was no venom in it. Loki nibbled his bottom lip, blushing when he noticed Brynjolf staring at the abuse, but Loki smiled then, knowing he was safe in these arms.
"When did you realize you'd fallen for me?" Loki asked quietly, not hearing the creek of the door opening and several thieves entering from the flagon over the rapid beating of his heart in his ears.
"When I first heard that Karliah was back and you and Mercer where going to that tomb to find her. I was worried that you wouldn't come back, and when Mercer came back alone I think I may have gone insane for a few days, until you came back. Then it was as if everything was fixed, but then I got pissed, I knew that you were dead, just the day before you got here I had gone to he hall f the dead and prayed for your safe entrance to Sovngarde at the shrine of Arky. That's when I put on your amulet. I began to think Karliah was playing a sick trick with your body, but then your eyes gave me that pleading look and I felt like I'd be sick, because I'd just hurt you." Brynjolf had no idea what this was doing to Loki, Vex was right maybe Loki did need a good man in his life.
Loki reached up with the hand not resting on Brynjolf's chest and wrapped his long fingers around Brynjolf's wrist, pulling gently. Brynjolf let Loki move his hand away from his face, but he wasn't prepared for what Loki did next. Loki leaned for ward and pressed his lips to Brynjolf's, keeping his one hand over Brynjolf's heart. Brynjolf soon recovered and his hands drifted to Loki's hips, and he kissed back pressing Loki against the wall next to them.
"Wow, never thought I'd see something so hot down here." Vex called as Loki let out a yelp, and tried to scramble away from Brynjolf, only to see that a good sized audience had gathered, the whole guild, Loki blinked once before diving back to Brynjolf hiding behind the laughing man.
"Really Vex?" Brynjolf called back shaking his head as all the guild whistled toward them or called out teasing remarks. Loki flipped every one a rather obscine gesture that had no real heat behind it, before grabbing Brynjolf's arm and dragging him to the coffin exit. Heading to his house in Riften, and explore all the possibilities of this new relationship, and a certain tanned body.
A/N: Well hope you enjoyed I hope that was enough fluff, but hey, I can always make a sequel where Loki kills Mercer and Loki gets hurt and Brynjolf must care for his hurt lover? Please tell me in a review, I'd hug you all if I could! I mean a three chapter story came out to be a six chapter story! I've been forbidden by my beta to put more in a drama/funny fic gone wrong. Any way, hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it!
Emerald, out!