Chapter 20
Loki leaned back into the pillows arranged behind him with a contented sigh. The electrical heating pad that was situated at his lower back was spreading it's glorious warmth perfectly, easing all the muscles that suffered. Shifting a bit to find the most comfortable position, Loki bent his knees and smiled as Fenris moved around him.
His youngest son was currently occupied by one of his new toys, a soft wooden train. Fenris had become fascinated by toys with wheels lately, or anything that had parts that he could move around really. The train set had been Bruce's idea, and like the Lego for Sleipnir it was a perfect fit. Now wooden train track pieces wound around on the floor. Sleipnir had taken to building bridges and obstacles for the track with his Lego, and Jorgumand helped Fenris put together the tracks in complicated patterns, but Fenris' favorite part was the engine with it's big plastic wheels. He was currently running it over the back of the sofa, down the cushions, and then up Loki's foot.
Loki smiled as he watched Fenris drive the toy up one of his legs to the bend of his knee, and then down the other side. The toy moved easily over the swell of his stomach, and Fenris climbed around him to continue the train's path. The wooden toy had just reached Loki's chin when they heard a crash from the second bedroom. The train was derailed when Loki turned his head to look in the direction of the noise but Fenris was undeterred and drove it up the side of his head instead.
The bedroom door opened a crack and Jorgumand poked his head through.
"We're ok," he declared and tried to go for a reassuring smile when Loki raised an eyebrow at him. Jorgumand ducked back into the bedroom, shutting the door behind him and Loki turned back to his youngest son.
"What are your brothers up too?" he asked, but Fenris was more interested in his train than answering.
Loki shook his head and watched Fenris maneuver the toy back towards the other end of the sofa, shifting his body so that the boy wouldn't accidentally step on his stomach as he went. Once Fenris was situated down by his feet again, Loki readjusted the pillows behind him and straighened out his shirt. He had to admit, Miss Potts had a talent when it came to finding him clothes. He had finally outgrown most of the shirts that he had originally been given, leaving only oversized sweaters that did not flatter him at all. This had been expected, in his previous pregnancies, he would have been deep into hiding at this point and would have taken to wearing loose fitting robes. This time around, he'd been surprised at the arrival of several new articles that were delivered to him. The bags they came in indicated that they were from a maternity store, and at first he'd thought it was a joke, likely from Stark, and that it was being suggested that he wear womans clothes.
He supposed they were technically made for women, but the tops and sweaters that had been inside the bags at least looked unisex. Made up mostly of plain colours, the clothes were cut especially to have give around his stomach. There were even several pairs of pants that came with elasticized waistbands while still looking like his usual trousers.
His thoughts were disrupted when a knock sounded at the door. Loki briefly considered getting up to answer it, but in the end he decided that moving away from the blessed heating pad for any small amount of time would not be worth it. Instead he gave the call to enter, and waited.
The door opened and it was Thor who walked through, dressed in his Midgardian clothes.
"Hello brother," Thor greeted, his eyes taking in his position on the sofa before moving to Fenris who had squeezed behind the bend of Loki's legs.
"Thor, to what do I owe the honor of this visit?" he asked without really looking. Instead he tilted his head to see Fenris watching him. He gave the boy a smile which was returned and Fenris went back to playing with the train in his hands.
"I didn't realize that I needed a reason to visit," Thor answered as he shut the door and walked further into the room.
"Well, forgive me if I don't stand to greet you properly, I don't plan to move from this spot until I absolutely have to." he wiggled a little in place to emphasize his point.
Thor's brows drew together in concern. "Is everything alright? Are you well?"
"Well enough," he answered, and sighed when Thor did not look convinced. "Carrying a child does tend to wreak havoc on one's body, particularly my back. A heating pad was suggested to me; I was told that it soothes tense muscles and it's working. Ergo, I am never getting off of it."
Understanding lit Thor's face, followed by a faint blush that always seemed to follow any mention of his pregnant state. "Ah, I was unaware that- I didn't realize that being... with child would be so difficult."
Loki gave a toothy smile. "It is nothing compared to the actual birth, I assure you." he paused to enjoy the look that crossed over Thor's face before continuing. "Although I must admit, I am looking forward to attempting this delivery with the assistance of Midgardian drugs."
"Drugs?" Thor questioned weakly, as though he wasn't sure he wanted to hear the answer.
"Yes, from what I hear an epidural is so much more better that a strip of leather between your teeth." he laughed internally as he watched Thor squirm a little at that information and all it entailed. But he was being cruel and he knew it. Deciding to end any further teasing, Loki put on a sympathetic face. "I've made you uncomfortable."
Thor shook his head quickly. "No, it is alright, I- I am glad that the healers here are able to help you."
Loki considered the man standing in the middle of the room before coming to a decision. "Will you do me a favor Thor?"
Thor perked up immediately at the question. "Anything brother."
Loki gestured to the kitchen. "Would you bring me something from one of the cupboards?" Thor nodded, though he seemed confused at the menial request. Loki directed him to the high cupboards above the fridge, and asked that he bring him the large white envelope that had the most recent date on it. Once Thor was out of immediate sight, Fenris crawled under the bend of Loki's legs, off the side of the sofa and ducked under the coffee table.
Thor returned with the envelope in hand, and passed it to Loki with a small smile. Loki took it, and pulled the sheaf of papers that were inside. Finding the one he was looking for, he set the rest aside and looked at the black and white image before offering it to Thor.
"Midgardian technology has other uses as well, for example, by using a machine that uses a techinique similar to echolocation, they can determine the shape of the child before it is born."
Thor looked at the paper in his hand, and then back at Loki with a lost expression.
Loki sighed. "It is a picture of my child Thor."
That seemed to generate more of a reaction, as Thor's eyebrows lifted and he looked back at the picture with a more intense focus. Loki could see the exact moment that Thor recognized the shape of the baby when a wide grin split his face.
"Loki, this is amazing! This is your child!"
Loki couldn't help but smile back at Thor's enthusiasm.
Once Thor had studied the image for a several long moments, he passed the paper back with a warm smile fixed on his face. "It is beautiful brother."
Loki took the photo and looked over it again. "Yes, she is."
The room was silent for a moment as Thor registered what he had said before slowly sitting down on the edge of the sofa by Loki's feet.
"It is to be a girl?" he asked hesitantly.
Loki smiled to himself as he put the photo back in the envelope and nodded. "Sleipnir will be disappointed. He was so hoping to have another brother."
Thor chuckled and placed a warm hand on his knee, squeezing gently in place of the hug he most likely wanted to give. Loki placed the envelope on the coffee table, and glanced as Fenris who had found one of the other train cars and was puttering around under the table happily.
"Have you thought what you might name her?" Thor asked suddenly and Loki looked back at his foster brother. The man had a strange expression on, and it took a moment for Loki to read it correctly.
"Why, did you have a suggestion?"
Thor seemed to hesitate, and Loki braced himself. "Well, in Asgard, there have been children, girls as well, that were named after me." by the end of his short, fractured proposal, Thor was smiling hopefully.
Loki felt like his mouth might be open but he couldn't be bothered to shut it. "You- how would that..." he couldn't even seem to finish his question, but Thor must have figured out what he was trying to ask.
"It would be Thora, for a girl,"
Loki had to close his eyes and take a deep breath to stop himself from verbally attacking the poor blonde imbecile. "You must be mad," was all he said in the end.
"It would be considered a great honor to be given that name," Thor insisted.
"It would be abuse." Loki countered as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
Thor deflated, "You won't even consider it?" he sounded hurt.
"Thor," Loki said, putting his hand down on his stomach and meeting Thor's eyes. "There are many things I would be willing to do to show my gratitude for returning my children to me, and for sheltering us, but naming my daughter Thora is not one of those things."
For a moment Loki thought Thor might actually be upset with him, but then his lips pulled into a grin. "It was worth a try anyways."
Loki let out an un-amused "Hmmm" and shifted again on the pillows. Thor took this as a chance to look around, his eyes moving over the toys littered in the one corner between the bedrooms.
"Where are the other two?" Thor asked suddenly, having only just noticed Sleipnir's and Jorgumand's absence.
"They are in the other bedroom, working on a secret project" Loki explained. Thor looked at him, obviously needing more of an explanation. "That is what they told me yesterday morning. They asked for privacy as well, apparently what they are working in is a surprise." Loki had promised to stay out of the second bedroom, mostly because he was just happy that the boys were playing in the room at all. Sleipnir had at one point asked about the purpose of the empty room, and had been visibly upset to learn that it was to be their bedroom eventually. Of course this had been during the period of time when all three of his children had suffered from constant nightmares. None of them even wanted to think of the possibility of sleeping alone. Since then, the second room had been avoided altogether, as though the boys thought that if they were even seen near it Loki would make them sleep there.
Loki glanced at Thor, but the man was staring at the door to the second bedroom with a strange expression. "If you would like to see them, go knock. I'm sure they will come out if they know you are visiting."
There was a flash of something across Thor's face, and Loki frowned when Thor shook his head. "No, I will leave them to their games."
Even if he had not seen the spasm of emotion on Thor's face, Loki could not have missed the depressed tone to his voice. "What is it?" he asked, studying Thor's face carefully.
The thunderer winced, "It is nothing,"
Loki was unconvinced, and continued to glare at his foster brother.
Thor sighed in defeat, "It is just... I do not think they would come out. If they knew I was here I mean."
Loki blinked in confusion. "Why wouldn't they?" he asked, but Thor did not answer. "Has it escaped your notice that they can not get enough of others attention? They adore visitors."
"They do not like me." Thor said quietly, his eyes fixed on the carpet.
"What are you talking about?"
Thor sighed, looking very sad. "I have seen how they enjoy others company, and it makes me happy to see how they are able to so openly trust after what father did to them, but they do not- Loki, whenever I am alone with them the leave, they hide from me."
"Then stop looking for them." Loki answered with a wave of his hand. "They are playing hide and seek with you Thor, and you are playing along by looking for them. It is a game. If you do not seek them out then they will stop hiding. It is a simple as that."
Thor did not seem convinced. "But why is it only me they hide from?"
"I suppose it is because you are their uncle and they think they can play such games with you. If it really bothers you so much may I suggest telling them. Perhaps you can think of another game to play." Loki offered with another careless wave of his hand. When he looked up again he nearly burst into laughter at the look on Thor's face.
Thor looked like he'd been sucker punched with his own hammer.
"You- do they know that I am their uncle?"
"That is what I just said, isn't it?" Loki asked redundantly.
Thor sat back against the sofa looking shocked, but it wasn't long before a happy smile appeared. "Thank you brother, next time I will talk to them about their hiding."
Loki nodded, glad that Thor wasn't going to have an emotional outburst over being named uncle despite how Loki had been denying their brotherhood for years. He couldn't really explain it himself why he told the boys who Thor was. It had rather just slipped out. After Thor had come and shared dinner with them after he had failed to retrieve Hela, the boys had asked more about the strange man. He'd ended up telling them that he had been raised with Thor as brothers. It was Sleipnir who had asked if that made Thor their uncle, and Loki didn't deny it. He supposed he could claim later that he simply wanted to give his sons the sense of family, or even just blame it on hormones.
His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a loud thump, and the coffee table giving a small jerk. Seconds later the cause of the sound became clear when Fenris began to whimper. Apparently his youngest had forgotten there was a table above him and had knocked his head.
But before Loki could do anything about it, Thor had stood up suddenly and was lifting the table off the ground, uncaring of the books and papers that were on it. Fenris was so startled by his cover disappearing that his cries cut off as he stared up at Thor.
Loki sighed and waited. Sure enough, Fenris' face screwed up and he dashed from his place on the floor, his trains forgotten, and ran to climb into Loki's arms. Thor's face fell but Loki was too busy already comforting Fenris to bother with him.
The little boy squirmed until he was tucked between the back of the sofa and Loki's side, and the boy kept his eyes fixed on the large man putting coffee table to rights. His thumb wasn't in his mouth yet, which was a good sign that Fenris wasn't truly that upset, only startled.
"Is he alright?" Thor asked quietly.
"It was only a bump on the head Thor," Loki said with more patience than he felt as he stroked the little boy's hair.
Thor sighed and looked down at Fenris with sad eyes. "The older boys may only be playing games with me, but you can't deny that Fenis seems to be honestly afraid of me."
Loki rolled his eyes. "And you can not deny that he is no more skittish around you than he is anyone else who is not his blood."
Thor hesitated before answering, "He does not seem to mind Bruce I've noticed."
Loki turned away from his son to give Thor an incredulous look. "Are you actually comparing yourself to Banner? A man who is half your size, and is the most calming presence out of anyone I have ever met? Yes, Fenris is not frightened by the man, if only because he is the least frightening person imaginable. The child might take more kindly to you if you did not loom over him all the time."
Thor, for lack of a better description, pouted, which looked as ridiculous as it sounded. Though Loki supposed it was unfair to blame all of Fenris' issues on Thor's size. Feeling charitable for once, Loki sighed and pointed to an item on the floor that had fallen from it's perch on the coffee table.
"Pick that up." he ordered shortly, and Thor did so, looking over the book once it was in his hands.
"Sit down in the armchair," Loki directed, watching Thor take a seat. He was very aware that Fenris was now watching Thor with a completely different expression. "Now put the book in your lap," Thor did, though he still looked confused. "Open it, to the first page please."
The book was barely cracked open when Fenris removed himself from Loki's protective arms, climbed off the sofa and scurried around the coffee table towards Thor. There was no pause, no sign of hesitance at all when Fenris grabbed handfuls of Thor's jeans and hoisted himself up into the stunned god's lap. Thor stared down at the small boy, and after a moment of looking at the open book, Fenris twisted around to look at Thor with an expectant expression.
"Start reading Thor," Loki suggested, feeling more amused than anything at the sight in front if him.
Thor blinked at him before glancing at the book and apparently remembered what books were for. "Oh, yes..."
Thor was obviously not used to reading children's books, he was more comfortable reciting tales of battle with gruesome details than rhyming stories of discolored food. Still, he made due and Fenris sat happily on his lap, turning pages and pointing to the pictures when they were mentioned.
When the tale was over, Fenris closed the book, nimbly climbed down from Thor's knee and put the book back on the coffee table.
"Fenris," Loki said quietly, "what do you say?"
"Thank you," the child said to Thor before ducking back under the coffee table. Thor looked like he was fit to burst.
There was a small commotion at the door for the second bedroom, and Loki looked over to see Jorgumand and Sleipnir slip out and run over to his side.
"We're done!" Jorgumand declared loudly, pulling on his sleeve a little. "Come and see!"
Loki raised an eyebrow at him, but started to pull himself up anyway as Sleipnir talked Fenris out from under the table. The second his back left the heating pad he could feel the aches begin to return, but it was hardly debilitating. He paused before standing upright, and Jorgumand lost all his patience and began trying to pull him up out of his seat while Thor watched with a bemused smile on his face.
"Is there a time limit on this surprise?" Loki asked as Jorgumand pulled him upright.
"No."
"Yes."
Both his boys answered at the same time and Loki shook his head. Thor stood up too, and followed behind curiously as Jorgumand opened the door to the darkened room. Loki stepped in just as Sleipnir turned on the lights and he froze on the spot.
When the boys had told him they were working on a secret project in the second room, he had assumed that the two of them were building something with their toys. He could not have been more wrong. The once plain empty room was now painted a shocking orange (exactly the colour of the Thing of the Fantastic Four he noted), and the floor space was taken up by furniture. Three small beds had been constructed, two of them being part of a bunk bed setup, along with a large set of drawers, a toy chest and a small table that was about knee height for him. Almost all of the boy's toys were placed around the room, along with many of their books on top of the drawers.
Fenris climbed up onto the bed closest to the door to reach for his bear that sat amongst the pillows.
"That's his bed," Sleipnir was saying before running over to the lower part of the bunk bed. "This one is mine!" he declared proudly.
Jorgumand was already up on the top bed, his crooked grin in place. "Are you surprised?" he asked excitedly.
Loki couldn't imagine being more surprised, and told them so. The boys' smiles became delighted and Loki looked around the room again. The beds were made, but the linens were rumpled and crooked, obviously from being made by his sons. The bed frames themselves though were solid, put together by expert hands and Loki frowned. "Where did you get all this from?"
"Steve helped us, and Peter," Sleipnir answered. "And Bruce helped us keep you out all day yesterday so Steve and Peter could put all the beds in."
That may have answered his questions, but there was still the explanation as to why the boys were suddenly alright with sleeping in a separate room from him. He stepped closer to the bunk beds and made a show of inspecting them. "And who is responsible for picking all this furniture out?"
"Oh, that was us!" Jorgumand boasted.
"Bruce gave us a book, like the ones you have sometimes, and we got to pick what kind of beds we'd like." Sleipnir added helpfully.
"Franklin and Valaria don't even have bunk beds though," Jorgumand added as an afterthought.
Ah, there it was. The boys had learned that their new friends had their own rooms, and wanted the same.
For the next half hour, Loki and Thor were given a full tour of the new room and all it's features. After, the boys went about moving the rest of their toys into the bedroom, with Fenris and Jorgumand setting the train tracks up on the small table and Sleipnir putting more of their books away. Thor was delighted with finally interacting with the boys.
Deciding that his presence was no longer necessary, Loki left them to it and made for the kitchen to start putting together something for lunch. He didn't expect Thor to follow him out.
"It is a fine room," the blond man said, "Though it is rather small for the three of them..."
"When I was granted these rooms, at the time I was only expected to be caring for one infant. I think it's forgivable that no one at Shield predicted that I would have four children by year's end," Loki reasoned.
"But though no one guessed it, you now have three boys to share that small room, and another child arriving soon. Do you not desire more rooms Loki? I'm sure if we spoke to Fury, he would grant you new quarters with more space for your sons, and your daughter."
"And what would the point of that be?" Loki asked without looking up from what he was doing. "I assure you Thor, just because the boys have chosen to sleep in separate beds does not mean that they won't be ending up in my room eventually tonight. It will take time for them to be comfortable sleeping in separate beds, and it would be more difficult if those beds were all in separate rooms. Besides, they just put that room together, it is something that they made. Why would I take them away from that?"
"I suppose it is no harm for now, but surely when they get older they will want rooms of their own?" Thor persisted.
"I imagine so yes, but in a matter of weeks I will have my magic back, and the size of this apartment won't really be an issue anymore." Loki reasoned as he finished cutting the crust off of two of the sandwiches. Glancing up at Thor, he froze at the sight of the expression on his foster brothers face. Mentally he went back over his words, but could not fathom why Thor suddenly looked so miserable.
"I... I understand Loki," Thor said quietly. The man seemed to think something over before opening his mouth to speak. "May I ask something of you?"
Loki put down the knife, giving Thor his full attention. "What is it?"
"Will you please still visit after you leave?"
Loki stared at Thor. "Leave?"
"I won't stop you, I promise, and nor will I tell any of my friends. But I do wish to see your sons, and your daughter after she is born. I just, I will not ask you not to leave, only that you do not disappear entirely. You are my brother, and I would like to continue getting to know your children... I am their only uncle after all."
Loki continued to stare. "I... see," he said slowly. "Could you please remind me as to where I am going? And why I am leaving in the first place? I seem to recall a contract stating that I am to remain here."
Thor flushed. "Yes, in return for keeping you and your children safe from Father. But he will not come for you anymore, the danger is past and your deal with Shield no longer stands."
Loki was well aware of this, in fact he'd given the subject much thought since Frigga had come baring news of Odin's decision. At the moment he still relied on Shield's protection, from the villains he'd helped them defeat since he'd arrived. He was sure that at least Doom would be out for a little revenge. But once he had his magic back it would be a small matter of taking himself and his sons to another realm for a century or so. It would hardly be the first time the boys would have lived in hiding.
Loki would lay awake at night, considering all the options, which realm would offer the most protection, what spells he would use to conceal them all, and of course back up plans should anything go wrong. It was exhausting.
In the end he'd come to a decision, one that he had hoped he wouldn't have to explain to anyone. Unfortunately Thor seemed determined to draw everything out today.
"I'm not leaving Thor," Loki admitted, looking back down at the sandwiches he'd made. Picking up the knife again, he began to cut up some carrots so that at least he would not have to look at Thor. Admitting all this was humiliating enough.
There was silence in the kitchen for a long minute, the only sound was the knife as it sliced through the vegetables.
"You aren't?" Thor asked slowly, and Loki nodded briskly, wishing that his foster brother would leave it at that. Unfortunately, Thor continued, "Forgive me Loki, but it is unlike you to keep a bargain that brings you no benefit. And yet you say you will stay here, continue to help Shield, help us, even when there is nothing that we can offer you in return?"
"It is not only Odin that I need shelter from Thor. I have made many enemies in the realm, and most of them would not hesitate to harm my children to get to me. Even at full strength, and with all of my power available to me, I cannot guarantee their safety at all times. This tower is one of the most protected buildings in the realm, even I could not penetrate it but a handful of times."
There was a pause, and then, "If it is the enemies of this realm that threaten you, why not just go to another realm?"
"Can you name any that would welcome me at the moment?"
"That has never stopped you before," Thor countered and Loki swore internally.
He risked a glance up at Thor to see his face crunched up in thought. Suddenly it cleared, and a small disbelieving smile appeared instead.
"You like it here," It was not a question, but a statement, and Loki scrambled to find a way to argue it.
"Finding something convenient is not the same as liking it," he said sourly and scowled when Thor laughed.
"I can't believe it! You like it here."
"Yes, after all, what is there to like about living here?" Loki growled. " Where my children do not have to hide their own gifts and are free of Asgard's prejudice of me. Where my magic is seen as an asset and not an embarrassment. Where there are people who pursue knowledge over muscle. Where I am known as Loki, not simply as the brother of Thor. Oh yes, what could I possibly like here?"
The smile that had formed on Thor's face fell off about halfway through Loki's short rant, and by the end, he looked genuinely remorseful. "I am sorry brother, I should not have laughed. I am glad that you have found a place here." Thor leaned back on the edge of the counter and looked down at his hands. "And I am sorry that I did not see how out of place you felt in Asgard."
That was a bit of a surprise to hear. Since Thor's return after discovering Odin's treachery, they had avoided talking about anything from before either of them had fallen to Midgard. Now Thor looked to him with regret clear in his eyes.
"I have been watching you, at first it was to ensure that you were alright, that none had threatened you or made you feel unwelcome. And then I began to see how happy you were. Most of the time it was when you were with the boys, reading with them, or watching them play. But then sometimes I would see you with Bruce, you would be discussing something about magic or Midgardian science, and you would smile." He shook his head, his eyes having gone distant as he recalled the memory. "Try as I might, I can not recall the last time you had smiled so at home. Or even the last time you had been truly happy. I only realize now, how lonely you must have been in Asgard."
Thor shifted on his feet and dragged a hand through his hair, his expression pained. "For so long I have wondered why you hated me, why you would betray me and our family. Now I realize that I hurt you first. I thought I was a good brother, because I would fight for you, do battle beside you, and protect you because you could not fight like the rest of us. That was the worst thing I could have done isn't it?"
Loki could not find himself able to answer. Months ago he would have enjoyed this, reveled in it in fact. Now he simply wanted Thor to leave, to go back to his ignorant boisterous affection. Or to his confused hurt, or righteous anger. Anything was better than this... revelation, that tasted too much of pity. But any words he might have spoken got caught on his suddenly slack tongue, and again Thor began speaking.
"Loki, you have stood at my side in countless battles. And in all of our wanderings and adventures and fights, how many times was it your magic and your quick thinking that saved us all? And then of course, how many times did I even acknowledge that?" Thor shook his head again, a few wayward strands falling into his eyes. "I belittled your talent with magic when I should have encouraged you, mocked you when I should have stopped others from doing the same. I laughed when father took away your children. I laughed. And now instead of wondering why you turned from us, I only wonder why it took so long for you to do so. It is no wonder that you hate me."
The sandwiches were made, all with precisely cut carrot sticks laid out beside each one, leaving nothing left to do with his hands, and yet Loki could not make himself to face Thor when he responded. "I do not hate you," he said quietly.
He did not have to look at Thor to see his expression; he could feel the disbelief from where he stood. "If you find that hard to believe, consider this; if I still hated you as I once did, why have I allowed you to befriend my sons?"
When he glanced up to gauge his reaction, Thor was watching him with a strange expression, but it would seem as though he had no words to speak so Loki added, "I can not afford to hate you anymore."
Thor blinked and thought that over. "What do you mean?" he asked.
Loki sighed, "Children learn by example Thor, especially my children. They observe how others behave and react to another, and they do what they can to copy that. Because of this, I have done my best to... let go, of most of my hatred and dislike of you and your friends, because the boys would see it, and in return, emulate it. That is something I would never wish upon them." he explained, glancing in the direction of the second bedroom, where he could hear the sounds of his sons playing. "Before all of this," he said with a gesture towards his own stomach. "Hating you gave me strength, gave me power because it was better that feeling less than you. It is still a wretched feeling but it was better than the alternative. But I would do anything within my power to make sure that my children never feel either."
The kitchen fell into silence after Loki finished, and Thor visibly struggled to find something to say.
"Thank you," he said eventually, "for permitting me a second chance."
"It seemed only fair," Loki responded lightly, "considering all the times you've tried to give me one as I tried my best to destroy everything you love."
Thor's lips twitched up into a smile, but it faded too quickly Loki noticed.
"What troubles you Thor?" he asked suddenly feeling tired. Truly, honesty was exhausting.
"Do you promise that you plan to say here?" he asked sounding unsure.
"Yes Thor, that is what I just explained to you," Loki answered, feeling impatient.
"But you see, I only ask because you had said that, in regards to the size of this apartment, it did not matter, because your magic would be returning soon. I thought, well it sounded like you were saying that the size of these rooms do not matter because once you have your magic back you will not need them anymore."
Ah, well, that made more sense then. It certainly explained why Thor's mood had dropped so quickly. "No Thor, that was not my meaning. I suppose what I intended to say was that with my magic, I can shape these rooms into whatever I like. Though adding rooms on will be tricky, it is hardly impossible."
Any response Thor might have had to that was interrupted by the small figure that was Fenris coming into the kitchen and leaning onto Loki's leg.
"M'hungry," the little boy declared.
Loki smiled down at his son. "You are in luck then, as it is now time for lunch." he gestured for him to go sit at the table. Loki then began to gather up the plates he'd prepared but Thor stopped him.
"I can feed the boys, go rest." He ordered softly, and interrupted Loki before he could open his mouth to argue. "You have been leaning on the counter for support for the last five minutes, go lay down and rest your back. I will take care of the boys."
Loki was ready to tell Thor that he was more than capable of setting a few plates on the table and that he was not so inept, but stopped himself. Thor was looking at him with his most earnest eyes, and Loki sighed in resignation. His back really was bothering him, and so he nodded reluctantly and carefully made his way back to the sofa. Laying back down onto the heating pad brought a relief that was practically exquisite. Loki closed his eyes as the pain ebbed away slowly, and listened to the sounds of Thor bringing Sleipnir and Jorgumand to join their younger brother at the table. The boys behaved, and Thor kept their rapt attention by regaling them with a tale from one of his earlier adventures, emphasizing how in the end it had been Loki's cunning and magic that had saved them all.
Loki ended up falling asleep there on the sofa, a hand resting on the swell of his stomach, lulled to sleep by Thor's storytelling and his sons quiet noises of amusement.
Almost done! One last chapter to go! I promise that Hela will make an appearance due to popular demand. And thank you so much to everyone who reviewed and helped with ideas for my next story! It really helped and I've picked a pairing that I think will fit with the story (as long as I'm very very careful!)
Please let me know what you think of this chapter! I've worked on it longer than any other!