This one is a bit short I'm afraid since it's sort of leading into the next one. But it is none the less important. Originally it was attached to the next chapter but the next chapter is going to be an absolute monster so I had to cut this off.
So here ya go, my lovelies! Thanks as always for all the love and support! Enjoy!
The days dragged on rather uneventfully. Frigga's message still hung thick in the air above their heads, interspersed with a few downtrodden realizations and misbegotten circumstances that left them in this new state of irritating normalcy. Just another day in paradise. Loki sat slumped in his chair, his long legs slung over the footrest. He rolled his head back and forth over his shoulders attempting to relieve the dull ache he couldn't account for. Though he assumed it had something to do with his lack of sleep and constant pacing. Or more than likely from slumping in this damn chair. He hadn't managed a good night's sleep since retreating back here for the last time. It's not because she didn't want you there, he assured himself. She simply didn't want you to kill yourself for the sake of something so fleeting and needless.
But it was beautiful. To see her, even for only a moment, through closer eyes – the eyes she looked to with such passion. To almost feel her soft skin under his fingertips – her heated flesh beneath his lips. He almost swore he caught her scent; mostly lavender, seemingly infused in her curls. To have her melt in his embrace without panic or pain – it was like a dream nearly realized. But only just. She had forgotten, same as he had, that none of it was real. That in spite of everything, it couldn't be real.
Naomi lay on the floor nearby seemingly unbothered, though situated strategically close to the glass. She made him promise not to come in again and he held it as close to his heart as the others. But she seemed to hate this one just as much as he did. In all his time down here, she was the only relief from that madness he was ever afforded and now even she was drifting out of his reach. And it burned to have come so close.
In all honesty, the repercussions of that little exertion were still jarring. His mind escaped, forced through the mesh of the barrier to amount on the other side but to bring it back – his mind ached at the thought. He remembered the strain – the way it stuck but eventually slipped through for his scattered mind to recollect in his own head. But what if it hadn't? That brief moment in between reminded him far too much the Void and the long fall he took through it. It was an endless chasm between the realms – between this life and the next. It was so dark and so empty and so endless, it was maddening. Escape was only an idea and one not so often entertained. Loki frowned, quickly shoving those thoughts into the background. The whole of it did not bear thinking about.
Naomi tucked her arm under her chin, continuing her latest doodle. It was nice to see her return to it after all this time, even if she only did so out of boredom. He couldn't restrain a grin when he'd noticed she'd done a few sketches of him, many of them done before the first time he'd even come into her cell. He wanted nothing more than to heckle her about it, but not of late. After this latest turn of events, he didn't feel like doing much of anything. But it could be worse, he thought. So much worse.
She rolled over with an exaggerated sigh, almost breaking Loki's morbid train of thought. In a similarly dramatic fashion, she chucked her pen at the glass, effectively startling him this time before she slung her arms over her face. The barrier hummed with its putrid yellow glow as the unlikely weapon rolled back to her. "The pen is out of ink."
"Of course it is."
She sat up with obvious strain, crossing her legs and scooting a bit closer. "Are you okay?" Surely it was obvious, he thought. I'm hardly okay anymore. But she smiled – only slightly, but she managed it all the same. On her knees, she moved closer again as if that damn panel of glass didn't even exist. "Don't worry, Loki, I-" A cry broke her quiet consolation as her hand met the glass. She screamed as the gold barrier hummed and burned so bright he could barely see through it. And as the enchantment cooled, he found himself on his feet and she was curled on her side, nursing her hand. The moment he even got close, he suddenly felt its sting – the way its sei∂r probed for anything living to snag in its wake.
He tried to reach past it, barely considering the promise he'd made. But he couldn't. He couldn't reach her. It wasn't even like before when he'd initially forced his way through. It's worse now. The enchantment had been fully restored – the mistake undone – just as he had feared since this epic began. "Naomi?" He came as close as he could, to the point the barrier might have singed his hair. "Naomi, are you all right?" Slowly she uncurled, but she still shook. She stared at her hand, carefully unfurling her fingers to reveal a horrible burn, gnarled and twisted around her fingers and across the back of her hand.
After a moment without response, she moved to sit up again, quietly cursing under her breath. And all the while Loki could do little more than grit his teeth, his cool skin itching to soothe her pain. But he was reduced yet again to a helpless bystander. Not again.
They both stilled at the sound of a sudden commotion just atop the stairs – just beyond the doors. No. Not yet. It wouldn't be a simple delivery this time. Nor would they be afforded another warning. Whoever was on their way wasn't coming with good intentions. And the revived security between them spoke volumes of that. Please. Not yet. Naomi stared up at him, eyes wide with pain as that unpleasantly familiar panic overtook her again. No good can come of this.
Finally the doors unlatched and an entire parade of guards invaded the dungeon. And then there was Thor, bringing up the flank in his full armored regalia. He looked like he was fixing to do something beyond even his realm of comfort. Perhaps it was even worse than he thought. Loki didn't move as the first of the guards reached the cell – and Naomi followed his lead. The guard firmly planted his staff upon the floor with a resonating boom. "The Allfather demands your presence."
Thor quickly pushed through the rest of the guards with purpose. "Father wishes to speak with you," he corrected gruffly.
"Is that so?" he asked accusingly. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"You know damn well what," Thor snapped, extending a hand toward Naomi's cell. "An entire year without incident and you choose now of all times to- "
"To what? I never left my cell," he pointed out with a grin.
His fists clenched as he tried to stomach some verbal assault. "You can explain how you managed that when you speak to father."
As the first of the guards filed into his cell, he stared intently at Naomi with only a single thought pulsing through his brain. He can and will take her away from you. His mother's words rung loud and clear in his ears. After spending every day in her company for so long, he didn't want to imagine the day he'd spend without it. The guards approached and he suddenly reappeared at the other side of the cell. Today would not be that day.
"Brother, don't be difficult."
"If I go, she goes."
"You know I can't do that," Thor scoffed.
"Well then you will have to explain to the Allfather why I will not be in attendance." Loki slipped out of their grasp again, receding further into the cell with his usually stubborn determination. He would not have any more harm befall her. And keeping her close was the only way to assure that.
"This was not a suggestion, Loki."
"Neither is mine," Loki snarled. "If he wishes to speak with me then by all means, he is free to drag himself down here. But if he demands my presence, he could, at the very least, acquiesce to a very simple request. After all, if she is to be the subject of our little discussion, her presence is only fitting. I am not leaving this cell without her."
Thor stared for the longest time, his brows further beetling by the second. But Loki could see when his brother finally conceded. Despite the state of their relationship, Thor knew better than to argue with him, especially in a position where brute strength wouldn't help him. Loki was by no means an immovable object, but he would not be swain. Not now. Not after all this time. And not where Naomi was concerned. Thor shook his head with an irritated sigh, already knowing he'd see Hel for this.
Loki's eyes narrowed, following him as he stepped into her cell. Naomi was still on the floor, cradling her very burnt hand, but she watched Thor with the angriest stare, her resolve not even slightly impaired. She was so seriously dwarfed next to him, but he could perfectly imagine her attacking him all the same. Of course, that didn't make Loki any less protective. He might have even growled as he dragged her to her feet. But Thor just gave him a look before bringing her out a bit more gently than before.
He barely took note when the guards clapped a familiar pair of cuffs around his wrists; sei∂r smothered yet again. But this time it couldn't have mattered less. His eyes followed her as she stepped out of the cell for the first time in so long – to see her not exactly free but at last unobscured by the walls of the cell – there were no words. It had been over two months – two tortuous months of being trapped like this. So close, yet so far. But not this time.
As he stepped from his cell, he watched as the guards fell in around them. Around her. And he saw the way she fussed, her eyes frantic, smothering panic they had only just repressed. Awakened so simply. Not this time. Taking the stairs two at a time, he slipped past the few guards that separated them and slipped his hand into hers. She instinctually clung to him even before she half turned, completely startled to see him there. "Loki."
"As you were!" The nearest guard invaded their space, a single armored hand intent to pull them apart again. But not this time, Loki growled.
He only glanced over his shoulder but his look was absolutely seething, green eyes welling with the sei∂r trapped inside, just begging to come free. "Touch her and I will maim you with my bare hands."
Thor might have laughed then, but regardless, the guard retreated.
"It's all right," Loki said. He pressed closer, the chain between his wrists rattling against her back as he secured his other hand around her shoulders. In spite of the obvious pain, she wrapped his hand around hers, wincing when his cool flesh met her latest injury. He could feel the intense heat of it and the painful throb as blood rushed through her veins. But as much as it pained him, he felt it. He felt it. He found the skin of her unscathed wrist as soft as he'd imagined it. And the feeling of her fragile form tucked into his embrace left him visibly shaken. And it was real. But they weren't afforded even a moment to savor it.
His grip tightened around her as they approached the doors that would eventually lead them to the throne room. To the Allfather. And undoubtedly to an untimely end to everything they had only just found down here. "Everything is going to be all right," he assured her. But his voice couldn't bear the weight of such hope.
"You're a good liar, Loki," she said quietly.
His grip tightened around her hand before he brought it to his chest, the chain still clattering between his wrists. Her eyes met his just for a moment and he saw even worse than the fog that had blanketed her mind for so long. Worse than seeing the faith she once lost in him. She looked so terrified and this time it was from something he knew he could not protect her from. But I promised I would protect her at any cost. He pulled her closer until her form was flush against him and then he pressed his lips to her temple, lingering there for as long as he could. A good liar? He smiled sadly down at her. "The best."
Sorry not sorry for the sorta sad ending. But we all know what's coming. Speaking of which: the wait will be a bit longer for the next chapter. But it's a good thing! I have to finish the next two chapters before I post the next one because the cut off between them is the worst cliff hanger ever and I don't enjoy such maniacally intentional suspense. So ima be nice this time and post them together… so you don't all gang up and kill me. See you all soon! And Happy Thanksgiving!