Mischief Managed
Rating: 17+
Character Pairing: Loki/Reader
Status: Ongoing
Summary: Loki hasn't always been the God of Lies and Mischief. He had been innocent at one point, full of hope and yearning for love, but he should have known that these things can't always be perfect.
Character Pairing: Loki/Reader
Status: Ongoing
Summary: Loki hasn't always been the God of Lies and Mischief. He had been innocent at one point, full of hope and yearning for love, but he should have known that these things can't always be perfect.
Lost and Found
Loki suppressed a smile as he pressed himself against the wall, watching his brother turn cautiously around the corner. He faded into the background when the blond passed him and as soon as his older brother turned the corner he left his hiding place and headed in the opposite direction towards the place they called home base. However, before he could go any further than turning a corner, he was stopped dead in his tracks by the creature sitting on the floor.
It stared at him with wide eyes while licking its paws. He was never a fan of animals but for some reason, this thing, as puny as it was, made his skin crawl. In the distance he could hear a voice and when that voice got closer, its ears perked up and it let out a loud mewl, drawing his brother’s attention some distance away. Loki started to run but somewhere between the wall and the little creature watching his every move, any other direction would run straight into his brother and he’d lose the game.
“Finny! Where are you?” The voice was familiar but only because he had heard it on the way to his room earlier this week.
It was you, the daughter of a king from a nearby kingdom. You were sixteen, just like him, and generally with girls at this age, they were brought out to many kingdoms and planets to be introduced to appropriate suitors. In your case, their father and your father were best of friends and had been hoping that you would somehow end up with Thor. Of course, Loki had deduced all of this upon meeting you, but that was not to say that either you or his older brother had.
When you turned the corner and met his gaze, you flashed a small smile before you spotted your pet. “Finny! What are you doing here? P--”
Thor called your name from where he was and Loki could hear him come closer. Quickly, he raised his finger up to his lips and faded against the background. When his older brother walked over to where you were standing, a wide smile appeared on his face as he approached you, “What are you doing here? Looking for little Finny?”
Finny had jumped into your arms by then and mewled when Thor reached out to scratch his ears. The little creature seemed to be fond of everyone but him. You had nodded and replied that he had gotten away during your walk in the gardens. Thor laughed, “Tell me, how do you like Asgard so far? I understand that you do not know many people here and I must apologize for neglecting my duties as a co-host to your stay here.”
Loki’s heart skipped a beat at the sound of your laugh. You fluttered your lashes, a dust of pink brushing past your cheeks as you responded shyly, “It’s really nice here. Everyone has been really kind to my father and me.”
Thor laughed heartily before he said, “Come, you must join my brother and me in our game. He is hiding somewhere at the moment. No doubt the little weasel is camouflaged in the background.”
With that said, he looked around and Loki saw you glance over to where he was standing with your eyes wide as if you finally understood what he was trying to say earlier. Quickly you said, but not without a tiny smile on your lips, “Is that what Prince Loki was doing earlier? I think I saw him pacing across the gardens.”
Thor grinned, delighted by this little hint before he made his way towards the gardens. When he was gone, Loki allowed himself to be visible again and flashed a smile of gratitude. It was hard for his smile not to grow wider when your eyes drooped to the ground, a deeper shade of pink covering your cheeks. He ventured upon the thought of kissing your hand but when the little creature, Finny, hissed at him, he thought it better to simply say with a smooth smile, “Thank you. I will forever be in your gratitude.”
For the first time since you have arrived, he has heard you laugh, “It’s no problem. When my brothers were younger, they used to enjoy such pastimes as well. It’s a shame I’ve never been able to join them before they’ve gotten married and moved away.”
When he heard his brother’s booming voice travel down the hallway as the older teenager asked a maid about his whereabouts, he bowed slightly, keeping his eyes connected with yours with a promise, “They have missed out then. Maybe next time it can be just you and me.”
It stared at him with wide eyes while licking its paws. He was never a fan of animals but for some reason, this thing, as puny as it was, made his skin crawl. In the distance he could hear a voice and when that voice got closer, its ears perked up and it let out a loud mewl, drawing his brother’s attention some distance away. Loki started to run but somewhere between the wall and the little creature watching his every move, any other direction would run straight into his brother and he’d lose the game.
“Finny! Where are you?” The voice was familiar but only because he had heard it on the way to his room earlier this week.
It was you, the daughter of a king from a nearby kingdom. You were sixteen, just like him, and generally with girls at this age, they were brought out to many kingdoms and planets to be introduced to appropriate suitors. In your case, their father and your father were best of friends and had been hoping that you would somehow end up with Thor. Of course, Loki had deduced all of this upon meeting you, but that was not to say that either you or his older brother had.
When you turned the corner and met his gaze, you flashed a small smile before you spotted your pet. “Finny! What are you doing here? P--”
Thor called your name from where he was and Loki could hear him come closer. Quickly, he raised his finger up to his lips and faded against the background. When his older brother walked over to where you were standing, a wide smile appeared on his face as he approached you, “What are you doing here? Looking for little Finny?”
Finny had jumped into your arms by then and mewled when Thor reached out to scratch his ears. The little creature seemed to be fond of everyone but him. You had nodded and replied that he had gotten away during your walk in the gardens. Thor laughed, “Tell me, how do you like Asgard so far? I understand that you do not know many people here and I must apologize for neglecting my duties as a co-host to your stay here.”
Loki’s heart skipped a beat at the sound of your laugh. You fluttered your lashes, a dust of pink brushing past your cheeks as you responded shyly, “It’s really nice here. Everyone has been really kind to my father and me.”
Thor laughed heartily before he said, “Come, you must join my brother and me in our game. He is hiding somewhere at the moment. No doubt the little weasel is camouflaged in the background.”
With that said, he looked around and Loki saw you glance over to where he was standing with your eyes wide as if you finally understood what he was trying to say earlier. Quickly you said, but not without a tiny smile on your lips, “Is that what Prince Loki was doing earlier? I think I saw him pacing across the gardens.”
Thor grinned, delighted by this little hint before he made his way towards the gardens. When he was gone, Loki allowed himself to be visible again and flashed a smile of gratitude. It was hard for his smile not to grow wider when your eyes drooped to the ground, a deeper shade of pink covering your cheeks. He ventured upon the thought of kissing your hand but when the little creature, Finny, hissed at him, he thought it better to simply say with a smooth smile, “Thank you. I will forever be in your gratitude.”
For the first time since you have arrived, he has heard you laugh, “It’s no problem. When my brothers were younger, they used to enjoy such pastimes as well. It’s a shame I’ve never been able to join them before they’ve gotten married and moved away.”
When he heard his brother’s booming voice travel down the hallway as the older teenager asked a maid about his whereabouts, he bowed slightly, keeping his eyes connected with yours with a promise, “They have missed out then. Maybe next time it can be just you and me.”
Smile
It was no secret between him and the little creature that you carried around in your pocket that he had developed a bit of an obsession towards you. Ever since that day when you had so gracefully diverted his brother with that little smile of yours, he couldn’t help but want to see more of it. Needless to say, every time Loki was even remotely near you, that little fox you called your pet would hiss and leer at him and he wondered if it wasn’t also in on the plan to bring his brother and you together.
Even though he was supposed to be concentrating on his magick studies in the library, the sixteen-year-old could not help but lower his book just a little so he could look out the window to see you walking with your father and his father, discussing whatever the hell it was that made Odin laugh thunderously. You had been wearing riding clothes this time and with your cheeks flushed pink from exercise, he could tell that you had just come back from a hunting trip with the older men. When he saw the way you smiled and responded to his father, as not many would have the guts to do either, he couldn’t help but allow a little smile to find its way to his lips as well.
“Loki,” Thor’s voice travelled from the other end of the library as he carried over a book. His eyebrows were furrowed in confusion at some mention in the book about a spell he could have sworn did the very opposite from what it said when he had read it in another book. In the split second before his brother answered, Thor had looked up from his book to see the teenage boy, his younger brother, gazing out the window. When he heard the reason that drew his brother’s attention, he looked down again at the book, barely able to keep a smile from coming to his face as he asked, “Come look at this. Either Flannigan was drunk when he had written this book or we’ve been looking the wrong blasted things!”
Loki grinned and rolled his eyes, reaching forward so he can see the book, “Or you just need to pay more attention to the words on the page, older brother.”
Even though he was supposed to be concentrating on his magick studies in the library, the sixteen-year-old could not help but lower his book just a little so he could look out the window to see you walking with your father and his father, discussing whatever the hell it was that made Odin laugh thunderously. You had been wearing riding clothes this time and with your cheeks flushed pink from exercise, he could tell that you had just come back from a hunting trip with the older men. When he saw the way you smiled and responded to his father, as not many would have the guts to do either, he couldn’t help but allow a little smile to find its way to his lips as well.
“Loki,” Thor’s voice travelled from the other end of the library as he carried over a book. His eyebrows were furrowed in confusion at some mention in the book about a spell he could have sworn did the very opposite from what it said when he had read it in another book. In the split second before his brother answered, Thor had looked up from his book to see the teenage boy, his younger brother, gazing out the window. When he heard the reason that drew his brother’s attention, he looked down again at the book, barely able to keep a smile from coming to his face as he asked, “Come look at this. Either Flannigan was drunk when he had written this book or we’ve been looking the wrong blasted things!”
Loki grinned and rolled his eyes, reaching forward so he can see the book, “Or you just need to pay more attention to the words on the page, older brother.”
Competition
There was nothing wrong with a little competition, Thor thought as he watched you walk into the room with your father. For once, Finny had been left in his room with his own devices and perhaps this time, Loki would try to speak to you again. Thor thought it amusing and rather refreshing to see his brother smitten with you, for he was beginning to think that the black-haired teenager found too much interest in his books. He adored his brother but there was only so much he could do to draw him out to the world.
He had figured out the reason for your visit when the other day, his father invited him onto a hunting trip so he could be your partner for the duration, though it seemed that you haven’t done so. It was a trip between old friends, your father had said upon your arrival and it seemed like you had believed him. Truth be told, he had thought you adorable and cute when he first saw you. You were a head shorter and slender with the pale complexion that defined the typical princesses. However from the way you had hunted, he was inclined to believe otherwise. The more the two of you had talked, the more he had come to view you as a little sister and he suspected that you thought the same.
When it came to interaction between Loki and you, he figured there was something more – on your end at first, anyway. You were shy when speaking to him and he had wondered if Loki had also noticed that brush of pink on your cheeks when you stumbled on your words. There was no way that he, the older brother, could stand by and do nothing to bring the two of you together. When Loki entered the room, wearing his newest suit and picking off invisible dust off his sleeves, Thor grinned and nudged him while nodding in your direction, “She is pretty tonight, is she not?”
Loki sobered when he fixed his gaze on you and managed a stiff nod. It was a party tonight, held by his mother and father, to honor the one day out of every ten years when Asgard’s moons coincide. This was to be his first time seeing this and legend frequently talked about how light from the moon did wonders to the kingdom’s beauty. From the way the light streamed through the tall window in the ballroom to cast its glow on you, he was finally beginning to believe it. You were wearing an emerald green gown that went down to your ankles and your hair, in curls, cascaded down your back while other pieces of jewelry adorned your ears, fingers, neck, and wrists. The dark shade contrasted against your pale skin and made you look simply… enchanting.
Loki swallowed, correcting himself. It wasn’t the jewelry or the clothes or the light that made you look enchanting, it was the other way around. When his eyes met yours, he fought to look away to check if he might have been missing his clothing or experiencing any disaster that he had neglected to check upon but he couldn’t. From where you stood with your hand in the crook of your father’s arm, you sent a shy smile his way and nodded just a little.
He would have forgotten his brother’s presence beside him if the older teenager did not nudge him and said, “Say something back, you idiot.”
“What am I supposed to say? She can’t hear me from across the room!” he snapped.
Thor grinned with mirth, “Then ask her to dance!”
“I can’t—“ Loki hadn’t even finished what he was saying when his older brother walked off in your direction.
There was a rarely seen glow of mischief in Thor’s eyes as he turned around while walking, “Well if you don’t ask her to dance, brother, don’t mind if I steal the first dance!”
He had figured out the reason for your visit when the other day, his father invited him onto a hunting trip so he could be your partner for the duration, though it seemed that you haven’t done so. It was a trip between old friends, your father had said upon your arrival and it seemed like you had believed him. Truth be told, he had thought you adorable and cute when he first saw you. You were a head shorter and slender with the pale complexion that defined the typical princesses. However from the way you had hunted, he was inclined to believe otherwise. The more the two of you had talked, the more he had come to view you as a little sister and he suspected that you thought the same.
When it came to interaction between Loki and you, he figured there was something more – on your end at first, anyway. You were shy when speaking to him and he had wondered if Loki had also noticed that brush of pink on your cheeks when you stumbled on your words. There was no way that he, the older brother, could stand by and do nothing to bring the two of you together. When Loki entered the room, wearing his newest suit and picking off invisible dust off his sleeves, Thor grinned and nudged him while nodding in your direction, “She is pretty tonight, is she not?”
Loki sobered when he fixed his gaze on you and managed a stiff nod. It was a party tonight, held by his mother and father, to honor the one day out of every ten years when Asgard’s moons coincide. This was to be his first time seeing this and legend frequently talked about how light from the moon did wonders to the kingdom’s beauty. From the way the light streamed through the tall window in the ballroom to cast its glow on you, he was finally beginning to believe it. You were wearing an emerald green gown that went down to your ankles and your hair, in curls, cascaded down your back while other pieces of jewelry adorned your ears, fingers, neck, and wrists. The dark shade contrasted against your pale skin and made you look simply… enchanting.
Loki swallowed, correcting himself. It wasn’t the jewelry or the clothes or the light that made you look enchanting, it was the other way around. When his eyes met yours, he fought to look away to check if he might have been missing his clothing or experiencing any disaster that he had neglected to check upon but he couldn’t. From where you stood with your hand in the crook of your father’s arm, you sent a shy smile his way and nodded just a little.
He would have forgotten his brother’s presence beside him if the older teenager did not nudge him and said, “Say something back, you idiot.”
“What am I supposed to say? She can’t hear me from across the room!” he snapped.
Thor grinned with mirth, “Then ask her to dance!”
“I can’t—“ Loki hadn’t even finished what he was saying when his older brother walked off in your direction.
There was a rarely seen glow of mischief in Thor’s eyes as he turned around while walking, “Well if you don’t ask her to dance, brother, don’t mind if I steal the first dance!”
Honesty
“It looks like Finny is beginning to warm up to you,” you spoke warmly while the two of you watched the creature sniff at Loki’s boots. You had been taking a stroll in the garden earlier that morning after eating breakfast and decided to take a rest at one of the benches near the lake.
Loki stifled the desire to grimace when the creature’s grimy paws touched his boots on a venture to sniff at his robe. You laughed as you picked him up. He flinched when he crawled closer to him, its nose twitching as he took in his scent. “What is it anyways?”
“According to the merchant, Finny is a Fennec fox from Midgard.” When you noted his curious gaze upon the creature from Midgard, you continued, “Fennec foxes are similar in characteristics and behavior as Asgard’s Kiune Pixin. We have those at home too but when I saw Finny, I thought he was too adorable to pass up.”
“I see,” he remarked. You could almost see him flipping back in his books for information on the Kiune Pixin but then he probably had it memorized already.
When Finny made his way towards his sleeve, Loki flinched, but you said, “It’s okay. Finny is really nice. He is just wary of strangers at first, but he knows you’re not a stranger anymore.” After a pause, you smiled, “Pet him. He really likes it if you scratch him behind the ears.”
Warily Loki raised his hand and rested it on the creature’s head and its eyes closed momentarily, relishing the warmth that Asgard did not usually have in the morning. The teenager softly scratched Finny’s ears and the creature slumped slightly before coming closer and it was all Loki could do to keep from jumping out of his seat. Instead of reacting in anger, a warm laugh bubbled from your lips and you asked, seeming quite sincere, “Why are you so afraid of Finny? He’s adorable!”
“I’m sure he is,” Loki swallowed, retracting his hand. “You see, I don’t have a fondness for…” When Finny pushed at his hand, Loki surrendered and resumed his scratching, “Animals. I had a bad experience.”
You blinked curiously, waiting for him to continue. Loki cleared his throat, “When we were younger, Thor and I would frequently go hunting. It was one day when Thor had wounded a baby Nemean Lion that had really repelled me from the sport forever. It wasn’t intentional, for the bird we were chasing just happened to be in the same vicinity.”
“What happened next?” you asked, eyes wide with your full attention on his tale.
“To say that the mother was angry would be an understatement. She chased us down and during that time had managed to catch up to me,” he raised his left hand and pulled back his sleeve to reveal a pale white scar that ran from his wrist to his elbow, “Not all children are fond of blood.”
His heart skipped a beat when you reached out to softly trace the old scar, entranced at the contrast of its paleness from its own as you murmured, “I imagine you must have been frightened out of your mind.”
“Thor chased her off though… and I think the baby was alright, but well… I haven’t really enjoyed the sport ever since,” he admitted and averted his eyes towards the ground, “It’s idiotic, I know, to let something like that affect me for so long…”
“It’s okay,” you smiled at him, full of compassion. “No one’s infallible.” You lowered your voice, your eyes sparkling with mischief as you responded, “I’m afraid I don’t have much of a stomach for hunting either. Whenever my father takes me hunting, I always dull the weapons beforehand so that the creatures wouldn’t be hurt. Not to mention, I am always sent to collect the hunt and while doing so, I let the animals go and tell my father he has missed. I fear I may have damaged his confidence in that area but I can’t bear to see something so endearing to nature die like that.”
Loki couldn’t help but burst out laughing even though you had shared something so private to him. He watched as your cheeks turn pink and fought to reassure you that he did not think less of you for doing so but what he had just learned made you all the more adorable and endearing in his eyes. “Thank you for sharing that secret with me, I’m happy to know that we have something in common.”
Loki stifled the desire to grimace when the creature’s grimy paws touched his boots on a venture to sniff at his robe. You laughed as you picked him up. He flinched when he crawled closer to him, its nose twitching as he took in his scent. “What is it anyways?”
“According to the merchant, Finny is a Fennec fox from Midgard.” When you noted his curious gaze upon the creature from Midgard, you continued, “Fennec foxes are similar in characteristics and behavior as Asgard’s Kiune Pixin. We have those at home too but when I saw Finny, I thought he was too adorable to pass up.”
“I see,” he remarked. You could almost see him flipping back in his books for information on the Kiune Pixin but then he probably had it memorized already.
When Finny made his way towards his sleeve, Loki flinched, but you said, “It’s okay. Finny is really nice. He is just wary of strangers at first, but he knows you’re not a stranger anymore.” After a pause, you smiled, “Pet him. He really likes it if you scratch him behind the ears.”
Warily Loki raised his hand and rested it on the creature’s head and its eyes closed momentarily, relishing the warmth that Asgard did not usually have in the morning. The teenager softly scratched Finny’s ears and the creature slumped slightly before coming closer and it was all Loki could do to keep from jumping out of his seat. Instead of reacting in anger, a warm laugh bubbled from your lips and you asked, seeming quite sincere, “Why are you so afraid of Finny? He’s adorable!”
“I’m sure he is,” Loki swallowed, retracting his hand. “You see, I don’t have a fondness for…” When Finny pushed at his hand, Loki surrendered and resumed his scratching, “Animals. I had a bad experience.”
You blinked curiously, waiting for him to continue. Loki cleared his throat, “When we were younger, Thor and I would frequently go hunting. It was one day when Thor had wounded a baby Nemean Lion that had really repelled me from the sport forever. It wasn’t intentional, for the bird we were chasing just happened to be in the same vicinity.”
“What happened next?” you asked, eyes wide with your full attention on his tale.
“To say that the mother was angry would be an understatement. She chased us down and during that time had managed to catch up to me,” he raised his left hand and pulled back his sleeve to reveal a pale white scar that ran from his wrist to his elbow, “Not all children are fond of blood.”
His heart skipped a beat when you reached out to softly trace the old scar, entranced at the contrast of its paleness from its own as you murmured, “I imagine you must have been frightened out of your mind.”
“Thor chased her off though… and I think the baby was alright, but well… I haven’t really enjoyed the sport ever since,” he admitted and averted his eyes towards the ground, “It’s idiotic, I know, to let something like that affect me for so long…”
“It’s okay,” you smiled at him, full of compassion. “No one’s infallible.” You lowered your voice, your eyes sparkling with mischief as you responded, “I’m afraid I don’t have much of a stomach for hunting either. Whenever my father takes me hunting, I always dull the weapons beforehand so that the creatures wouldn’t be hurt. Not to mention, I am always sent to collect the hunt and while doing so, I let the animals go and tell my father he has missed. I fear I may have damaged his confidence in that area but I can’t bear to see something so endearing to nature die like that.”
Loki couldn’t help but burst out laughing even though you had shared something so private to him. He watched as your cheeks turn pink and fought to reassure you that he did not think less of you for doing so but what he had just learned made you all the more adorable and endearing in his eyes. “Thank you for sharing that secret with me, I’m happy to know that we have something in common.”
Reward
“Alright, here are the rules, since our lovely princess here proclaims to be talented at the game of hide and seek, I propose a game of two against one, with the princess hiding,” Thor suggested, grinning as you nervously raised your chin to the challenge. Loki opened his mouth to protest but his brother stopped him, “Winner gets to choose the prize.”
“Do you have something in mind?” you asked, getting a bit anxious when you saw Thor scratch his chin.
A playful grin appeared on his face as he looked over to Loki. “I wager a kiss from the fair maiden herself would be the grandest prize of all, wouldn’t you agree, brother?”
“Thor, that’s—“
“That is, if you can find me,” you said quickly, looking away from Loki, “I accept the challenge. However, if I get back to base first without being caught,” you paused, gesturing to the statue of Frigga and Odin at the center of the garden, “Then I get to choose my prize.”
“And what would that be?” Thor asked, interested now that you’ve shown a bit more confidence. He glanced over to his brother and was satisfied by the result of his ploy. The boy couldn’t stop staring at your lips now!
You bit your lips as your eyes averted to the ground. In spite of the short burst of confidence, you hadn’t thought that far yet. Despite that, you shouted out the first thing on your mind anyway, “You both have to dress like girls for a day!”
Thor roared with laughter when Loki broke out of his trance after having heard the outrageous words leave your lips. He patted his brother on the back and smiled widely, “Well, then I guess that means we can’t lose, right brother?”
When they both counted to 1000, Loki and Thor left their place in the gardens and split up. Loki would cover the inside of the castle while Thor would cover the outside. When he had rounded his way into the kitchen, Loki couldn’t stop thinking about the prize that would be given to whoever would find you. He couldn’t help but think that you had glanced at him when his brother had suggested the prize. No doubt his brother was eager to claim the prize as his own and the thought of the blond teenager kissing you made it all the more necessary for him to find you first.
He checked all the rooms, including yours, in which he had poked his head inside until a maid told him to get out because he shouldn’t be in a lady’s room. He checked the meeting rooms and even the studies. By the time the hour was over, he had glanced outside to see that no one was standing by the statue. Did that mean Thor might have somehow found you and claimed his prize?
No, no news was good news! Loki trudged on, entering the library where he had spent hours studying. He went past all the shelves and thought about leaving until he saw a flash of light brown at the corner of his eyes. When he turned around, he saw Finny standing there, eyeing him with those huge brown eyes and mewling softly. He gave a soft whistle, picking up the fox as it ran towards him, “Where is she, you mangy thing?”
Finny had warmed up to him during the last week after you guys had spent the day in the garden and by now, there was one animal that Loki was not jumpy around. The fox, warmly situated in his arm, stared at him, as if not comprehending what he had just said, and Loki repeated himself at a softer voice this time, “Your owner, the princess. Where is she?”
Finny mewled again, sitting up slightly to lick his chin. Loki jumped slightly, letting go of the fox who managed to land gracefully on its four legs before scurrying off. Nonetheless, those four seconds brought Loki to his victory for even in the midst of his panic, he did not miss the sound of a female’s giggle coming from the drapes near the window. The drapes reached the ground, making it incredibly easy to miss the person standing behind it, but by some pure stroke of luck, or maybe the mangy thing was helping him after all, he has found you.
“Is that you?” he called out your name, a tiny smile on his lips as he approached the drapes, “If it is, I’ve come to claim my prize.”
You peeked out from behind the drapes with a shy smile on your face, “I guess you have found me.”
“May I?” he asked, unsure how to even start it all. From the light dancing in your eyes, he wondered if you have ever kissed anyone else because he had never thought of having to do so whenever he was studying in the library.
You laughed and nodded at his feeble attempt to ask for permission. Loki hesitantly lowered his head towards yours, gently placing his hand on your neck, and he slowly closed his eyes, remembering the times when he has walked in on his brother kissing a servant. To his embarrassment, he had closed his eyes too soon and a soft ‘eep!’ left your lips when his lips found the tip of your nose instead. He sprang back immediately and looked at the ground, unable to bear the moment that you would start teasing him. When you have realized what just happened, you let out a soft giggle and clasped his chin before standing on your tiptoes to plant a kiss on his lips.
Loki was still dazed when you pulled away with a small smile dancing on your lips as you asked, “Your first?”
Swallowing nervously, he nodded, “And yours?”
You bit your lips and nodded as well, “I’m told that it gets better with practice.”
This was definitely not something he expected to hear from you, but nonetheless, he laughed as he pulled you into his arms. Half an hour later, Thor was walking back from eating a hearty meal at the Asgardian Delicacies, a restaurant that had recently opened up in town, when he saw that no one was standing at the statues in the garden. Perhaps that meant that Loki was still looking for you? He shook his head, unable to decide whether or not he should lend his brother a hand. The kid was good at hiding but he was never that talented at finding people. When he ventured closer to the statue in the garden, he decided that he would guard it in case you did decide to come bounding out. He wouldn’t force the kiss on you, of course, but it would be amusing to see his brother protest to such an idea.
When he got a bit closer, he saw something white draped on the statue and realized that it was a dress. His left eye twitched when he saw that a note was attached to it. On it was Loki’s scripted handwriting:
Thor,
As it turns out, I have claimed the prize but was unfortunate enough to let the princess slip out of my hands. So she came bounding back to the statue and won her prize, but has graciously decided that I need not to suffer the pains of having a wear a dress after we have waited for you over half an hour. That said, I must take the coward’s way out and accept her highness’s mercy, but you, my brother, must stand brave. You will prevail!
Loki
“Do you have something in mind?” you asked, getting a bit anxious when you saw Thor scratch his chin.
A playful grin appeared on his face as he looked over to Loki. “I wager a kiss from the fair maiden herself would be the grandest prize of all, wouldn’t you agree, brother?”
“Thor, that’s—“
“That is, if you can find me,” you said quickly, looking away from Loki, “I accept the challenge. However, if I get back to base first without being caught,” you paused, gesturing to the statue of Frigga and Odin at the center of the garden, “Then I get to choose my prize.”
“And what would that be?” Thor asked, interested now that you’ve shown a bit more confidence. He glanced over to his brother and was satisfied by the result of his ploy. The boy couldn’t stop staring at your lips now!
You bit your lips as your eyes averted to the ground. In spite of the short burst of confidence, you hadn’t thought that far yet. Despite that, you shouted out the first thing on your mind anyway, “You both have to dress like girls for a day!”
Thor roared with laughter when Loki broke out of his trance after having heard the outrageous words leave your lips. He patted his brother on the back and smiled widely, “Well, then I guess that means we can’t lose, right brother?”
When they both counted to 1000, Loki and Thor left their place in the gardens and split up. Loki would cover the inside of the castle while Thor would cover the outside. When he had rounded his way into the kitchen, Loki couldn’t stop thinking about the prize that would be given to whoever would find you. He couldn’t help but think that you had glanced at him when his brother had suggested the prize. No doubt his brother was eager to claim the prize as his own and the thought of the blond teenager kissing you made it all the more necessary for him to find you first.
He checked all the rooms, including yours, in which he had poked his head inside until a maid told him to get out because he shouldn’t be in a lady’s room. He checked the meeting rooms and even the studies. By the time the hour was over, he had glanced outside to see that no one was standing by the statue. Did that mean Thor might have somehow found you and claimed his prize?
No, no news was good news! Loki trudged on, entering the library where he had spent hours studying. He went past all the shelves and thought about leaving until he saw a flash of light brown at the corner of his eyes. When he turned around, he saw Finny standing there, eyeing him with those huge brown eyes and mewling softly. He gave a soft whistle, picking up the fox as it ran towards him, “Where is she, you mangy thing?”
Finny had warmed up to him during the last week after you guys had spent the day in the garden and by now, there was one animal that Loki was not jumpy around. The fox, warmly situated in his arm, stared at him, as if not comprehending what he had just said, and Loki repeated himself at a softer voice this time, “Your owner, the princess. Where is she?”
Finny mewled again, sitting up slightly to lick his chin. Loki jumped slightly, letting go of the fox who managed to land gracefully on its four legs before scurrying off. Nonetheless, those four seconds brought Loki to his victory for even in the midst of his panic, he did not miss the sound of a female’s giggle coming from the drapes near the window. The drapes reached the ground, making it incredibly easy to miss the person standing behind it, but by some pure stroke of luck, or maybe the mangy thing was helping him after all, he has found you.
“Is that you?” he called out your name, a tiny smile on his lips as he approached the drapes, “If it is, I’ve come to claim my prize.”
You peeked out from behind the drapes with a shy smile on your face, “I guess you have found me.”
“May I?” he asked, unsure how to even start it all. From the light dancing in your eyes, he wondered if you have ever kissed anyone else because he had never thought of having to do so whenever he was studying in the library.
You laughed and nodded at his feeble attempt to ask for permission. Loki hesitantly lowered his head towards yours, gently placing his hand on your neck, and he slowly closed his eyes, remembering the times when he has walked in on his brother kissing a servant. To his embarrassment, he had closed his eyes too soon and a soft ‘eep!’ left your lips when his lips found the tip of your nose instead. He sprang back immediately and looked at the ground, unable to bear the moment that you would start teasing him. When you have realized what just happened, you let out a soft giggle and clasped his chin before standing on your tiptoes to plant a kiss on his lips.
Loki was still dazed when you pulled away with a small smile dancing on your lips as you asked, “Your first?”
Swallowing nervously, he nodded, “And yours?”
You bit your lips and nodded as well, “I’m told that it gets better with practice.”
This was definitely not something he expected to hear from you, but nonetheless, he laughed as he pulled you into his arms. Half an hour later, Thor was walking back from eating a hearty meal at the Asgardian Delicacies, a restaurant that had recently opened up in town, when he saw that no one was standing at the statues in the garden. Perhaps that meant that Loki was still looking for you? He shook his head, unable to decide whether or not he should lend his brother a hand. The kid was good at hiding but he was never that talented at finding people. When he ventured closer to the statue in the garden, he decided that he would guard it in case you did decide to come bounding out. He wouldn’t force the kiss on you, of course, but it would be amusing to see his brother protest to such an idea.
When he got a bit closer, he saw something white draped on the statue and realized that it was a dress. His left eye twitched when he saw that a note was attached to it. On it was Loki’s scripted handwriting:
Thor,
As it turns out, I have claimed the prize but was unfortunate enough to let the princess slip out of my hands. So she came bounding back to the statue and won her prize, but has graciously decided that I need not to suffer the pains of having a wear a dress after we have waited for you over half an hour. That said, I must take the coward’s way out and accept her highness’s mercy, but you, my brother, must stand brave. You will prevail!
Loki
Sunshine
“Thank you for taking a walk with me this morning,” Frigga, the queen of Asgard, remarked as you strolled alongside her. It was absolutely breathtaking this morning as the flowers have started to open up. “It was a delicious breakfast, don’t you think? Helga has really outdone herself this time.”
“I do believe she has,” you replied, remembering the mouthwatering meal that had drawn you from your bed, “She’s an incredible chef.”
“That I do agree with,” Frigga grinned, “Whenever I could not sleep, I would always go into the kitchen in the middle of the night and kind Helga has always fixed me up something tasty.”
The conversation continued for a while before it drifted to many other things – your life at home, your father, your education, and many other things. The only thing that caught your attention was Loki’s name leaving her lips. When she saw how much you had brightened up, it was too late to hide it. Queen Frigga smiled as she pulled you to a nearby bench, “Tell me, do you have feelings for my son Loki?”
You bit your lips, blushing furiously. Was this something you could talk about with his mother? Loki would be mortified to learn that something like this had breached a conversation between the two of you and you hoped it wouldn’t come up between his father and you. “Well I…”
“Don’t worry, dear,” she laughed, “Before you came, I told Odin that Loki would be the one to charm your heart though he was sure that Thor would be a good match for you. I’m glad it worked out somehow though, Midas and Odin are really adamant about our family being linked at last.”
So that was why your father had insisted on you coming on this trip. You technically weren’t ready to come out into the society yet, but he had said something about being homesick, even at his friend’s home and had insisted on you coming, if not to see different places. The older woman squeezed your hand and said, “Thor has many girls chasing him and I’d hate for you to have to do the work beating them off with a stick. Loki, on the other hand, is different. We thought he’d never look at girls when he has paid so much attention to his books and studies so rest assured when I say that I’m glad that you have feelings for him. He is quiet about his feelings and thoughts but I’ve seen him when someone mentions your name. He starts to look around the room to see if you’re there.”
You blushed, stifling a smile that was fighting its way to your lips as you recalled what had happened the other day in the library. “That makes me really happy…”
The queen laughed and continued the rest of the conversation with her memories of Loki when he was younger and all the trouble Thor and he got into when they were up to no good. She foresaw a good future for the two of you – no doubt it would be hard at first like with her husband, but it would prevail and stay strong. She has always hoped for the best for Loki, even if he was different from the average Asgardian.
“I do believe she has,” you replied, remembering the mouthwatering meal that had drawn you from your bed, “She’s an incredible chef.”
“That I do agree with,” Frigga grinned, “Whenever I could not sleep, I would always go into the kitchen in the middle of the night and kind Helga has always fixed me up something tasty.”
The conversation continued for a while before it drifted to many other things – your life at home, your father, your education, and many other things. The only thing that caught your attention was Loki’s name leaving her lips. When she saw how much you had brightened up, it was too late to hide it. Queen Frigga smiled as she pulled you to a nearby bench, “Tell me, do you have feelings for my son Loki?”
You bit your lips, blushing furiously. Was this something you could talk about with his mother? Loki would be mortified to learn that something like this had breached a conversation between the two of you and you hoped it wouldn’t come up between his father and you. “Well I…”
“Don’t worry, dear,” she laughed, “Before you came, I told Odin that Loki would be the one to charm your heart though he was sure that Thor would be a good match for you. I’m glad it worked out somehow though, Midas and Odin are really adamant about our family being linked at last.”
So that was why your father had insisted on you coming on this trip. You technically weren’t ready to come out into the society yet, but he had said something about being homesick, even at his friend’s home and had insisted on you coming, if not to see different places. The older woman squeezed your hand and said, “Thor has many girls chasing him and I’d hate for you to have to do the work beating them off with a stick. Loki, on the other hand, is different. We thought he’d never look at girls when he has paid so much attention to his books and studies so rest assured when I say that I’m glad that you have feelings for him. He is quiet about his feelings and thoughts but I’ve seen him when someone mentions your name. He starts to look around the room to see if you’re there.”
You blushed, stifling a smile that was fighting its way to your lips as you recalled what had happened the other day in the library. “That makes me really happy…”
The queen laughed and continued the rest of the conversation with her memories of Loki when he was younger and all the trouble Thor and he got into when they were up to no good. She foresaw a good future for the two of you – no doubt it would be hard at first like with her husband, but it would prevail and stay strong. She has always hoped for the best for Loki, even if he was different from the average Asgardian.
Surprise
You weren’t sure how long you had been sleeping before you woke up to the sound of soft rapping on your door. You sat up, stifling a yawn while you searched for your robe. You had almost tripped over yourself on the way to the door while clumsily trying to slip your robe on. When the knocking started again, you jerked the door open, ready to yell at the servant – or whoever the hell it was – that decided to wake you up.
Much to your surprise, Loki was standing at the door with an eager look on your face. When you opened your mouth to ask him what had possessed him to want to wake you up in the middle of the night, he held his finger up to his lips and leaned closer to whisper, “Come with me, I have something to show you.”
He extended his hand and you didn’t give it a second thought as you accepted his gesture and allowed for him to lead you down the hallway. You guys made your way through the garden until you came to the lake. As you navigated through the bushes and trees, Loki kept a firm grasp on your hand with one hand while using the other to push all the branches away. “I believe you told me that I’ve never been to Midgard before…”
“And what of it? Are we going to Midgard tonight?” you asked, unable to keep the smile off your face.
Loki stopped and turned around with a grin on his face, “It would be nice, wouldn’t it? But it’s impossible to do that without waking up the entire kingdom. So instead of a trip of Midgard, I think something close to it will suffice until we can go in the future.”
Your heart skipped when he mentioned the future. Did that mean that he envisioned a future with you? Loki told you to close your eyes before he got behind you to place his hands on your shoulder and guide you forward. Softly, he explained, “You see, my father and mother usually take trips to Midgard to discuss planetary matters with their representatives and on more than one occasions, my mother brought back bits of Midgard as keepsake.”
You were stopped for a second before you heard a soft creak that indicated that Loki had to open the gates. After you walked through and heard the gates closed, he guided you along a while more. You stopped in your tracks when he did too and when he told you to open your eyes, you were met with an otherworldly setting. There were small orbs of lights, glittering like diamonds moving back and forth the night sky. You were in a small room, lit up by warm glows from strange metal spears, filled with… “Flowers!”
“They call this a greenhouse,” he explained, “It’s used to house and nurture plant growth from Midgard. The climate here on Asgard is not appropriate for those plants from other planets and so here, my mother added a few things to protect these plants from Asgard’s climate.”
“It’s beautiful,” you murmured breathlessly, taking in all the flowers.
You let Loki walk you around the room to introduce you to all the plants and tell you all of the things he has observed about them, all of the things he thought about when it came to using them with spellwork, and it was almost mesmerizing to hear him speak so enthusiastically about the subject. He talked about how he had helped his mother plant everything in the greenhouse and has taken care of them over the years. Finally you came to a pot filled with dirt. When you turned to Loki, he said, “This is reserved. I’ve gotten the seeds from my mother for this plant.”
“What is it?”
“It’s called Hylocereus undatus, or as Midgardian has named it – the Queen of the Night.” You couldn’t help but by hypnotized by the sound of his voice, full of wonder and mystery. With a smile, Loki continued, “Since I’ve just planted them, it’ll take three years to grow and by then, the flowers bloom and remain open for one night before they close forever. You might call it a once in a lifetime thing.”
“It sounds like so much work,” you murmured, looking at the pot. You weren’t experienced in plant growth, as that was not very common on your home planet, but you did know that the plants that grew around the castle was not in the least hard to take care of.
He shook his head, “I believe these are rather hardy plants, meaning there isn’t much maintenance for it. It is said to have exquisite scent when it blooms and under the moonlight, it’s a beautiful sight.”
“Is it really?” Was it possible to be jealous of a flower? You couldn’t help but think about how much time Loki will spend, focused on this flower, once you go back home and you wanted to kick yourself for thinking something so foolish.
“Yes, I’m glad you’ll be here to see it with me when it blooms,” he said, his gaze fixed on you.
That caught you off-guard. It wasn’t a question or a request. It was a statement and the resolution in his voice made your cheeks heat up. Slowly, you nodded, “I can’t wait to see it bloom.”
Much to your surprise, Loki was standing at the door with an eager look on your face. When you opened your mouth to ask him what had possessed him to want to wake you up in the middle of the night, he held his finger up to his lips and leaned closer to whisper, “Come with me, I have something to show you.”
He extended his hand and you didn’t give it a second thought as you accepted his gesture and allowed for him to lead you down the hallway. You guys made your way through the garden until you came to the lake. As you navigated through the bushes and trees, Loki kept a firm grasp on your hand with one hand while using the other to push all the branches away. “I believe you told me that I’ve never been to Midgard before…”
“And what of it? Are we going to Midgard tonight?” you asked, unable to keep the smile off your face.
Loki stopped and turned around with a grin on his face, “It would be nice, wouldn’t it? But it’s impossible to do that without waking up the entire kingdom. So instead of a trip of Midgard, I think something close to it will suffice until we can go in the future.”
Your heart skipped when he mentioned the future. Did that mean that he envisioned a future with you? Loki told you to close your eyes before he got behind you to place his hands on your shoulder and guide you forward. Softly, he explained, “You see, my father and mother usually take trips to Midgard to discuss planetary matters with their representatives and on more than one occasions, my mother brought back bits of Midgard as keepsake.”
You were stopped for a second before you heard a soft creak that indicated that Loki had to open the gates. After you walked through and heard the gates closed, he guided you along a while more. You stopped in your tracks when he did too and when he told you to open your eyes, you were met with an otherworldly setting. There were small orbs of lights, glittering like diamonds moving back and forth the night sky. You were in a small room, lit up by warm glows from strange metal spears, filled with… “Flowers!”
“They call this a greenhouse,” he explained, “It’s used to house and nurture plant growth from Midgard. The climate here on Asgard is not appropriate for those plants from other planets and so here, my mother added a few things to protect these plants from Asgard’s climate.”
“It’s beautiful,” you murmured breathlessly, taking in all the flowers.
You let Loki walk you around the room to introduce you to all the plants and tell you all of the things he has observed about them, all of the things he thought about when it came to using them with spellwork, and it was almost mesmerizing to hear him speak so enthusiastically about the subject. He talked about how he had helped his mother plant everything in the greenhouse and has taken care of them over the years. Finally you came to a pot filled with dirt. When you turned to Loki, he said, “This is reserved. I’ve gotten the seeds from my mother for this plant.”
“What is it?”
“It’s called Hylocereus undatus, or as Midgardian has named it – the Queen of the Night.” You couldn’t help but by hypnotized by the sound of his voice, full of wonder and mystery. With a smile, Loki continued, “Since I’ve just planted them, it’ll take three years to grow and by then, the flowers bloom and remain open for one night before they close forever. You might call it a once in a lifetime thing.”
“It sounds like so much work,” you murmured, looking at the pot. You weren’t experienced in plant growth, as that was not very common on your home planet, but you did know that the plants that grew around the castle was not in the least hard to take care of.
He shook his head, “I believe these are rather hardy plants, meaning there isn’t much maintenance for it. It is said to have exquisite scent when it blooms and under the moonlight, it’s a beautiful sight.”
“Is it really?” Was it possible to be jealous of a flower? You couldn’t help but think about how much time Loki will spend, focused on this flower, once you go back home and you wanted to kick yourself for thinking something so foolish.
“Yes, I’m glad you’ll be here to see it with me when it blooms,” he said, his gaze fixed on you.
That caught you off-guard. It wasn’t a question or a request. It was a statement and the resolution in his voice made your cheeks heat up. Slowly, you nodded, “I can’t wait to see it bloom.”
Closer
“It’s my fault,” Loki sulked, gripping your hand as you sniffed loudly.
You shook your head, accepting his offering of a cloth, “No, not at all. I should have brought an extra coat with me yesterday.”
“If I had been wise to check for any misgivings in the weather, I would have been able to remind you of that,” he retorted.
“Loki, given what we were doing yesterday, I don’t think I would have brought a coat, even if you told me we needed it,” you muttered, letting out another sneeze.
“Well if it isn’t the old bantering couple,” Thor’s voice boomed as he entered the room with a tray of soup, “If I wasn’t there with the two of you yesterday, there would have been some kind of misunderstanding as to what exactly you two had been doing, you know.”
“What is that?” you asked, grimacing at the smell. It reminded you of the herbs that had to be burned or stuffed down your throat whenever you were under the weather.
“It’s my mother’s special recipe.” When the two brothers shared a knowing look, Thor grinned, “It works wonders to one’s health, princess.”
“You jest, the smell is so strong!” you whined, glancing at Loki who had simply laughed.
“If you are ever to be sick under our roof, you will have to try this once in your life,” he remarked, moving aside to let Thor set the tray down. “Now eat. You’ll feel better by tomorrow morning, love.”
Thor laughed as he sat down beside his brother, “Brother, if I had known that your beloved was not susceptible to cold weather, I would have picked a warmer day to riding in the mountains.”
You rolled your eyes and smiled, though inwardly you had blushed at how Thor had addressed you as Loki’s beloved, and replied, “Thor, I don’t think that would have mattered either way.”
Thor had wanted to show you the snowy peaks of Jotunheim and one of the few ways to get there was using a small ship that had been saved for the two princes. When you had gotten there, you wanted to see the outside, to touch the frost that rested on the rocks and trees, for you have never had any snow on your home planet. Thor and Loki didn’t protest, as they were used to the cold and didn’t think much of how someone like you, coming from a warm planet, would react to it. Nonetheless, within minutes, you couldn’t stop your teeth from chattering and it felt impossible to take another step on that mountain.
So they brought you back into the ship where it took you the entire trip back to warm up, and by the time you had gotten back to the castle, you had already started sneezing and sniffing. Queen Frigga was not at all pleased to find that one of her guests have fallen ill, no matter how much you tried to convince her that it was you who insisted that you all should go outside. So now here you were, told you stay in bed until you got better. Your father had laughed and kissed you on the forehead before saying something about how he had fallen ill to something similar at a younger age when Odin and he had gone hunting at Jotunheim.
You had finished your soup in record time, forgetting to want to throw it up when the warm liquid touched your lips because you haven’t eaten much in the past day. Ever since you had gotten sick, you didn’t want to eat anything and had been tossing and turning in bed because of your fever. You started to get out of bed, determined to be anywhere but imprisoned by this comfortable loft, but found yourself a little tired and in need of much wanted sleep. Thor left, excusing himself loudly when it came time for his studies. Loki stayed behind for a while, talking to you about the other places in Asgard that he has yet to take you and in a few minutes, you were murmuring sleepily, “Loki, take Finny out, will you? I haven’t taken him for a walk yet… Don’t want him to get sick.”
“Yes, love, just rest,” he responded, softening his grip once you were out like a light. He gazed at you with a tiny smile dancing on his lips and was amaze to find that you were almost no different asleep than you were awake, always adorned with a peaceful expression on your face and the ability to put others before yourself. He leaned down to press a lingering kiss on your forehead before he quietly left your chambers to the animal quarters where Finny’s cage was kept.
When he arrived to the room, the fox scampered over to him curiously, blinking at him with his big cat-like eyes. Finny mewled and tugged at his cage, recognizing that perhaps his owner has sent a substitute today to spend time with him. Finny opened the cage and allowed the creature to crawl into his arms, where he told him, “Behave today, your princess is sick.”
It blinked and tilted his head to the side before sniffing his clothes for the scent of his owner. He gave a small howl before the expression in his eyes became utterly desolate. Loki frowned, unable to understand why (or how) he had taken a completely turn from being curious to being sad. “She didn’t abandon you. She is bound to bed and she asked me to spend the day with you.”
It was a strange day for Loki, walking around with a Fennec fox. It was fortunate that he had been able to go through his studies without Thor saying a thing – he suspected that his older brother had a soft spot for the creature – but it had been tremendously hard to concentrate on his book while Finny was demanding his attention. The creature would mewl, howl, and nudge him until he earned the scratch on the head that he deserved. When the creature started nibbling on his finger, Loki brought him back to the animal quarters where his food was. To say the least, he somehow suspected that the creature mastered the art of manipulation and enjoyed waving it over him for he sat in his cage and blinked owlishly at Loki, soft whimpers leaving his mouth.
“Oh you blasted creature, I bet you’re never like this with her,” Loki rolled his eyes before he reached inside the cage to grab the fox by his neck. He strolled to the kitchen to find the cook only to find no one there. Nonetheless, there was soup stewing on the stove. The mouth-watering smell of the Asgardian delicacy of seafaring beasts reminded him that he has yet to eat his lunch. So Loki took pour out a bowl for himself and a smaller one for Finny.
After he finished lunch, he took the fox for a walk, allowing it to skip ahead of him in the garden as he strolled to digest his food. It was until he got to the cool shady clearing in his garden that Loki sat down and let himself recline against the soft blades of grass. He breathed in the scent of flowers while watching the creature run around and sniff various things. From far away, Finny wasn’t so bad, he decided. Other times, he was just too needy with attention – something he probably had in abundance from being your pet – and incredibly manipulative. Loki whistled, calling the creature to him, and much to his surprise, Finny obeyed. It wasn’t long before the creature had fallen asleep at his side and Loki, too, had fallen prey to the wiles of sleep.
Sixteen-year-old Loki woke up later, reaching around for the fox only to find that he was missing. His eyes snapped open, imagining the consequences that would entail if you were to find that your pet had gone missing, only to see you sitting there beside him in a pale dress and tunic with Finny asleep in your lap. Smiling, you asked, “Did you sleep well?”
He reached for your hand before lying back down, “Aren’t you supposed to be resting?”
The sun was already down and it had begun to get a little chilly outside, but neither of you seemed to notice. “I’ve been inside all day and when I woke up a while ago and looked out the window to see you sleeping in the garden, there was no way I couldn’t go outside.”
“Very well,” he laughed at your explanation, “And are you feeling better?”
“Much better. I must thank your mother for her soup,” you stated with your eyes lit up, as if you were remembering it just now. You looked down at Finny and scratched his chin, grinning at the soft mewling sounds he made, “How was your day with Finny? You two seem like the best of friends now.”
“He has been a rascal all day,” Loki said, “Demanding my attention and manipulating me into give him Asgardian food. I think he was taking advantage of your illness!”
Even as he said that, Loki had reached over and scratched Finny’s ears with an affectionate look on his face. You laughed inwardly, somehow feeling really happy that the two have grown close together. It wasn’t something you had hoped for, but even better, because you had been truly worried about Finny’s well-being when you had gotten sick. He has been with you since he was, according to the merchant, two weeks old and has never left your side. Then there was Loki and his miserable expression when you saw him this morning, you knew that Finny would be just the one to bring him back up again. And to say the least, you were glad that you had gotten it right.
You shook your head, accepting his offering of a cloth, “No, not at all. I should have brought an extra coat with me yesterday.”
“If I had been wise to check for any misgivings in the weather, I would have been able to remind you of that,” he retorted.
“Loki, given what we were doing yesterday, I don’t think I would have brought a coat, even if you told me we needed it,” you muttered, letting out another sneeze.
“Well if it isn’t the old bantering couple,” Thor’s voice boomed as he entered the room with a tray of soup, “If I wasn’t there with the two of you yesterday, there would have been some kind of misunderstanding as to what exactly you two had been doing, you know.”
“What is that?” you asked, grimacing at the smell. It reminded you of the herbs that had to be burned or stuffed down your throat whenever you were under the weather.
“It’s my mother’s special recipe.” When the two brothers shared a knowing look, Thor grinned, “It works wonders to one’s health, princess.”
“You jest, the smell is so strong!” you whined, glancing at Loki who had simply laughed.
“If you are ever to be sick under our roof, you will have to try this once in your life,” he remarked, moving aside to let Thor set the tray down. “Now eat. You’ll feel better by tomorrow morning, love.”
Thor laughed as he sat down beside his brother, “Brother, if I had known that your beloved was not susceptible to cold weather, I would have picked a warmer day to riding in the mountains.”
You rolled your eyes and smiled, though inwardly you had blushed at how Thor had addressed you as Loki’s beloved, and replied, “Thor, I don’t think that would have mattered either way.”
Thor had wanted to show you the snowy peaks of Jotunheim and one of the few ways to get there was using a small ship that had been saved for the two princes. When you had gotten there, you wanted to see the outside, to touch the frost that rested on the rocks and trees, for you have never had any snow on your home planet. Thor and Loki didn’t protest, as they were used to the cold and didn’t think much of how someone like you, coming from a warm planet, would react to it. Nonetheless, within minutes, you couldn’t stop your teeth from chattering and it felt impossible to take another step on that mountain.
So they brought you back into the ship where it took you the entire trip back to warm up, and by the time you had gotten back to the castle, you had already started sneezing and sniffing. Queen Frigga was not at all pleased to find that one of her guests have fallen ill, no matter how much you tried to convince her that it was you who insisted that you all should go outside. So now here you were, told you stay in bed until you got better. Your father had laughed and kissed you on the forehead before saying something about how he had fallen ill to something similar at a younger age when Odin and he had gone hunting at Jotunheim.
You had finished your soup in record time, forgetting to want to throw it up when the warm liquid touched your lips because you haven’t eaten much in the past day. Ever since you had gotten sick, you didn’t want to eat anything and had been tossing and turning in bed because of your fever. You started to get out of bed, determined to be anywhere but imprisoned by this comfortable loft, but found yourself a little tired and in need of much wanted sleep. Thor left, excusing himself loudly when it came time for his studies. Loki stayed behind for a while, talking to you about the other places in Asgard that he has yet to take you and in a few minutes, you were murmuring sleepily, “Loki, take Finny out, will you? I haven’t taken him for a walk yet… Don’t want him to get sick.”
“Yes, love, just rest,” he responded, softening his grip once you were out like a light. He gazed at you with a tiny smile dancing on his lips and was amaze to find that you were almost no different asleep than you were awake, always adorned with a peaceful expression on your face and the ability to put others before yourself. He leaned down to press a lingering kiss on your forehead before he quietly left your chambers to the animal quarters where Finny’s cage was kept.
When he arrived to the room, the fox scampered over to him curiously, blinking at him with his big cat-like eyes. Finny mewled and tugged at his cage, recognizing that perhaps his owner has sent a substitute today to spend time with him. Finny opened the cage and allowed the creature to crawl into his arms, where he told him, “Behave today, your princess is sick.”
It blinked and tilted his head to the side before sniffing his clothes for the scent of his owner. He gave a small howl before the expression in his eyes became utterly desolate. Loki frowned, unable to understand why (or how) he had taken a completely turn from being curious to being sad. “She didn’t abandon you. She is bound to bed and she asked me to spend the day with you.”
It was a strange day for Loki, walking around with a Fennec fox. It was fortunate that he had been able to go through his studies without Thor saying a thing – he suspected that his older brother had a soft spot for the creature – but it had been tremendously hard to concentrate on his book while Finny was demanding his attention. The creature would mewl, howl, and nudge him until he earned the scratch on the head that he deserved. When the creature started nibbling on his finger, Loki brought him back to the animal quarters where his food was. To say the least, he somehow suspected that the creature mastered the art of manipulation and enjoyed waving it over him for he sat in his cage and blinked owlishly at Loki, soft whimpers leaving his mouth.
“Oh you blasted creature, I bet you’re never like this with her,” Loki rolled his eyes before he reached inside the cage to grab the fox by his neck. He strolled to the kitchen to find the cook only to find no one there. Nonetheless, there was soup stewing on the stove. The mouth-watering smell of the Asgardian delicacy of seafaring beasts reminded him that he has yet to eat his lunch. So Loki took pour out a bowl for himself and a smaller one for Finny.
After he finished lunch, he took the fox for a walk, allowing it to skip ahead of him in the garden as he strolled to digest his food. It was until he got to the cool shady clearing in his garden that Loki sat down and let himself recline against the soft blades of grass. He breathed in the scent of flowers while watching the creature run around and sniff various things. From far away, Finny wasn’t so bad, he decided. Other times, he was just too needy with attention – something he probably had in abundance from being your pet – and incredibly manipulative. Loki whistled, calling the creature to him, and much to his surprise, Finny obeyed. It wasn’t long before the creature had fallen asleep at his side and Loki, too, had fallen prey to the wiles of sleep.
Sixteen-year-old Loki woke up later, reaching around for the fox only to find that he was missing. His eyes snapped open, imagining the consequences that would entail if you were to find that your pet had gone missing, only to see you sitting there beside him in a pale dress and tunic with Finny asleep in your lap. Smiling, you asked, “Did you sleep well?”
He reached for your hand before lying back down, “Aren’t you supposed to be resting?”
The sun was already down and it had begun to get a little chilly outside, but neither of you seemed to notice. “I’ve been inside all day and when I woke up a while ago and looked out the window to see you sleeping in the garden, there was no way I couldn’t go outside.”
“Very well,” he laughed at your explanation, “And are you feeling better?”
“Much better. I must thank your mother for her soup,” you stated with your eyes lit up, as if you were remembering it just now. You looked down at Finny and scratched his chin, grinning at the soft mewling sounds he made, “How was your day with Finny? You two seem like the best of friends now.”
“He has been a rascal all day,” Loki said, “Demanding my attention and manipulating me into give him Asgardian food. I think he was taking advantage of your illness!”
Even as he said that, Loki had reached over and scratched Finny’s ears with an affectionate look on his face. You laughed inwardly, somehow feeling really happy that the two have grown close together. It wasn’t something you had hoped for, but even better, because you had been truly worried about Finny’s well-being when you had gotten sick. He has been with you since he was, according to the merchant, two weeks old and has never left your side. Then there was Loki and his miserable expression when you saw him this morning, you knew that Finny would be just the one to bring him back up again. And to say the least, you were glad that you had gotten it right.
Practice
It started with one stolen kiss, a bold one on Loki’s part, taken in a dark hallway leading to the library where Loki conducted his sorcery studies after breakfast. You were on your way to meet your father and King Odin on the tower and didn’t think much of walking with him to the library. Loki had a glint in his eyes that you hadn’t quite deciphered until he had pulled you along in a dark hallway and leaned in to steal a kiss from your lips.
It was a playful sort of kiss, amongst the many that you have shared during your stay there. It would begin as a soft peck on your forehead, then your cheek, then the corner of your lips where he would allow his tongue to trace your lips until you finally responded to him. His hand traveled from your waist to your shoulders, to your neck where he held you while your tongues danced playfully. When you were out of breath, you would pull back, cheeks flushed and eyes half-lidded. Your hands would untangle from his dark strands and you would watch him catch his breath while his dark, almost black, eyes concentrated on your lips, no doubt plotting out the next moment he would kiss those swollen bruised lips again.
The next one was taken in a kitchen after you two had finished a long needed meal. You were both sweaty from training. While Loki trained with his sorcery tutor, he couldn’t help but admire your form as you took on his brother, someone almost twice your size, in hand-to-hand combat. What you couldn’t do with strength, you made up for it with your nimble movements, dodging Thor’s direct attacks and using his strength against himself. The battle, however, was in no way evenly matched when you both took up weapons – you with a sword while Thor had his Mjolnir.
You both finished your training for the day and left Thor to do his own special training, reserved for the Asgardian heir that will someday rule Asgard. Finny, much to his delight, spent the day being pampered by Queen Frigga who had found him absolutely adorable when he came bounding up to her with the broach that she had dropped earlier that day. Loki could only laugh as he thought about how that creature had his mother, just like it had him, wrapped around his little paws. When you had both finished your lunch and relaxed for a while, digging around in the kitchen for more delights, you heard the sound of the cook coming into the kitchen.
Loki pulled you along as he circled to the back of the kitchen towards the pantry. Even though he was the prince of the castle, the cook never took too kindly to anybody coming into her kitchen, messing with her stuff. The two of you stood there in the small pantry, facing each other in the darkness. When you heard the cook complaining about someone coming into her kitchen, eating the precious food she has been cooking all day for the big party, you almost couldn’t stifle the laugh bubbling from your lips. Loki grinned, pulling you towards him so that your face was hidden in his shoulder so that your laugh could be hidden.
The last thing he expected was to have his senses assaulted by the scent of Ephemeral Jasmine, an exotic flower whose scent was subtle to anyone but him. He had given you a small bottle as a gift the other day, telling you about its magical qualities as a plant and its rarity as a flower rarely found on any other planet. He hadn’t anticipated that you would wear it, or that the two of you would be standing in a dark pantry with his nose pressed against your neck. Loki closed his eyes and pulled you closer, inhaling more of the scent, and the next thing he knew, his lips were showering kisses along your neck, your jaw, your chin, until he reached your lips.
You clung to him, gripping a fistful of his robe as you leaned into him, pliant in his arms and responsive to his kiss. With one hand tangled in your hair and the other holding your hip in a bruising grip – not that you would have noticed anyway – Loki had you where he wanted you and there was nowhere else you’d rather be. The two of you scarcely paid attention to the cook walking around in the kitchen looking for ingredients and the thrill that she might come looking into the pantry any second had your heart beating rapidly against your chest and the adrenaline rushing in your veins. You had broken away just in time to hear her answer to someone’s call before leaving the kitchen in a huff. Loki’s forehead rested against yours as the two of you struggled to catch your breaths.
It was impossible to see his eyes in the dark, but you could feel the desire coming from his body standing so close to you. Loki’s breath fanned your lips as he laughed and murmured softly, “That was a close call.”
You swallowed, agreeing, “I was afraid she would hear my heart pounding against my chest.”
“I did, you like this kind of thing, don’t you?” he teased, pulling into his arms. “She would have our hides if she caught us.”
“It was…” you paused, trying to think of the words, “such a thrill. I don’t know if I can handle something like that again. My heart would leap out of my chest.”
He chuckled, opening the door so you two could leave, “Duly noted, love. Next time we’ll try something less threatening to your heart. Now, let’s leave before she comes back and cook us for the party tonight.”
The last kiss of the day took Loki by complete surprise. The party was in full motion, this time to celebrate his best friend’s and his daughter’s last day on Asgard before they went back home though, his father insisted, there would be future trips. If Midas didn’t visit him, Odin would pay him a visit on his planet. Thor was socializing with a group of ladies who had recently made their debut into the planetary society while Loki stood by himself, bored and waiting for you to make your entrance.
Apparently there had been some sort of disaster four hours before the party started that, much to his mother’s delight, allowed Frigga to dress you up like the daughter she has never had. Loki hadn’t been around to see it, but according to one of the maids who had rushed past his room to find a seamstress, Finny had found his way to your room after playing in the rain. So Frigga found this to be her chance to have a hand in your debut – something that was hastily decided the other night when the subject was breached at the dinner table.
You had shrugged it off, not really worried about when you would debut anyways since everyone in that dining room knew that you would be Loki’s betrothed in the near future. You would have just forsaken the whole thing anyway but it was, as your father noted, a planetary custom that a young lady of royal background be introduced to the universe so that the kingdoms would know just how precious his daughter was.
Loki’s attention was jerked to the entrance of the ballroom when you were announced with your father. He couldn’t really see you where he had been standing so he moved towards the front to see you standing with your hand in the crook of your father’s arm, wearing a gown that drew the attention of everyone’s eyes in the room. He was positively entranced and would have diverted to his jealous primitive side had he not realized that your eyes were searching for him in the crowd as you made your way into the room with your father.
He made his way towards you when Midas left you to your own free will. Loki did a slight bow and kissed the back of your hand when he reached you, a smile appearing on his lips when he heard you giggle. “I see the disaster with Finny has been safely taken care of.”
“Oh, he’s a monster,” you said with a smile on your face, “From the way your mother was picking out my dresses, I think she was in on it as well, if only to have the daughter she has always wanted.”
“For once in my life, I would have to say that her choice is exquisite,” he murmured, allowing his eyes to take in the sight of you.
You were wearing a pale thinly-strapped gown that went down to your ankles, the color of the faded moon of Midgard, with your hair rested in curls on your right shoulder, held up by a pin of filigree flowers. On your left wrist was a tiny chain of Asgardian gold, completed with a small speck of Midgard’s diamond, no doubt from his mother’s collection. Your eyes fluttered to the ground, a blush appearing on your cheek as you took in his compliment and responded with a soft “Thank you, you look very handsome tonight as well.”
He was wearing a dark suit, completed with a scarf with the Asgardian seal. The clothes hugged his lean form and even though he hasn’t trained like his older brother in physical combat, Loki was still toned, a little slender and lanky, but his suit accentuated that in the best way possible, giving him the appearance of a majestic prince.
“My heart skips a beat at your flattery, your highness,” he said with a grin, “If I may have the first dance…” With that, he extended his hand and waited for your respond even though he knew very well what it would be.
You laughed and placed your hand in his grasp, “That would be lovely.”
After he had his dance, he was not surprised to find other boys his age rushing to ask for a dance as well. Loki lingered with his sorcery tutor, not to let it get to him, because after all – you would pick him to be your betrothed. However, he couldn’t help but wonder if any of those boys might have caught your eyes. Loki has never been one to let that slip, of course, and before this party, his biggest concern had been his brother… and he knew that the two of you shared a platonic relationship! Now, it seemed like he would face bigger adversaries for your hand, if that was possible at all. He was the son of Odin, second to the throne, and skilled at sorcery.
Nonetheless, he felt better when Thor came up to steal his dance and led you in his direction. Thor laughed and nudged Loki, “Little brother, it seems like her highness needs to improve on her dancing.”
“I need less improving than you, Thor!” you joked, leaning towards Loki with mirth in your eyes, “It’s good that I have been nimble enough to evade his deadly stomping. Thank goodness you warned me about that.”
Loki let out a hearty laugh and said to his brother, “I told you your dancing was lethal!”
The two of you jested some more and before either of you knew it, you were both lost in your own little world. Thor rolled his eyes and held his hand up in defense, “I know when I’m not wanted. Before you two get started on more of my dancing, mother needs me so I’ll be going.”
You both waved him off and before long, you were standing each other in a room full of people. No words were spoken and in spite of the noise, it still felt like you were the only ones standing in the room. You were both thinking the same thing but Loki had not realized that it was not him but you who had said, “I think we’re wasting the night away in this room.”
“Indeed,” he breathed, watching your lips move with fascination. “Where do you want to go?”
“Anywhere.”
“Then we’d best be on our way,” he smiled, taking your hand.
The two of you had barely made it to the library before Loki roughly pulled you into his arms but it was you who had made the first move by latching your lips onto his. Your tongues wrestled back and forth, fighting for dominance, as the two of you fought to get impossibly close to each other. Your hands cradled his face in a lover’s hold while his hands traveled all over your back, your neck, and your hair, releasing it from the pin’s hold.
Before long, you were sitting on one of the tables, with your legs on either side of Loki’s hips, trying to catch your breath from that kiss. Your shoes and pin were somewhere in the library, tossed aside when he had picked you up and your legs wrapped themselves around his waist, fitting your bodies together in the most torturous way possible, to find a more comfortable place where you could kiss some more. Your foreheads touched and your eyes were closed, relishing the moment, the night before you would go home. Did it have to be so soon? Though you two have never breached the subject of giving each other your virtues, it seemed best to wait and that was what you both decided to do. Right now, it seemed like the hardest decision to stand by.
You just wanted to give into your carnal desire and be done with it. After all, you two were to get married right? If the kisses you shared were like this, you couldn’t imagine tiring of the passion that would ensue when you married. There was nothing wrong with enjoying the rewards early, right? Loki let out a soft breath, untangling your fingers from his hair as he looked up from where he was standing in the library. You blinked when he let out a laugh and looked up as well, only to find yourself in the same place where you had first shared your kiss. At that time, it was him who started the kiss, to say nothing of how he had missed and got your nose instead and now it was you who initiated the kiss, filled with fire and passion, leaving him breathless and wanting.
He planted a final kiss on your lips and murmured with a soft and playful grin, “You were right, love. It does get better with practice.”
It was a playful sort of kiss, amongst the many that you have shared during your stay there. It would begin as a soft peck on your forehead, then your cheek, then the corner of your lips where he would allow his tongue to trace your lips until you finally responded to him. His hand traveled from your waist to your shoulders, to your neck where he held you while your tongues danced playfully. When you were out of breath, you would pull back, cheeks flushed and eyes half-lidded. Your hands would untangle from his dark strands and you would watch him catch his breath while his dark, almost black, eyes concentrated on your lips, no doubt plotting out the next moment he would kiss those swollen bruised lips again.
The next one was taken in a kitchen after you two had finished a long needed meal. You were both sweaty from training. While Loki trained with his sorcery tutor, he couldn’t help but admire your form as you took on his brother, someone almost twice your size, in hand-to-hand combat. What you couldn’t do with strength, you made up for it with your nimble movements, dodging Thor’s direct attacks and using his strength against himself. The battle, however, was in no way evenly matched when you both took up weapons – you with a sword while Thor had his Mjolnir.
You both finished your training for the day and left Thor to do his own special training, reserved for the Asgardian heir that will someday rule Asgard. Finny, much to his delight, spent the day being pampered by Queen Frigga who had found him absolutely adorable when he came bounding up to her with the broach that she had dropped earlier that day. Loki could only laugh as he thought about how that creature had his mother, just like it had him, wrapped around his little paws. When you had both finished your lunch and relaxed for a while, digging around in the kitchen for more delights, you heard the sound of the cook coming into the kitchen.
Loki pulled you along as he circled to the back of the kitchen towards the pantry. Even though he was the prince of the castle, the cook never took too kindly to anybody coming into her kitchen, messing with her stuff. The two of you stood there in the small pantry, facing each other in the darkness. When you heard the cook complaining about someone coming into her kitchen, eating the precious food she has been cooking all day for the big party, you almost couldn’t stifle the laugh bubbling from your lips. Loki grinned, pulling you towards him so that your face was hidden in his shoulder so that your laugh could be hidden.
The last thing he expected was to have his senses assaulted by the scent of Ephemeral Jasmine, an exotic flower whose scent was subtle to anyone but him. He had given you a small bottle as a gift the other day, telling you about its magical qualities as a plant and its rarity as a flower rarely found on any other planet. He hadn’t anticipated that you would wear it, or that the two of you would be standing in a dark pantry with his nose pressed against your neck. Loki closed his eyes and pulled you closer, inhaling more of the scent, and the next thing he knew, his lips were showering kisses along your neck, your jaw, your chin, until he reached your lips.
You clung to him, gripping a fistful of his robe as you leaned into him, pliant in his arms and responsive to his kiss. With one hand tangled in your hair and the other holding your hip in a bruising grip – not that you would have noticed anyway – Loki had you where he wanted you and there was nowhere else you’d rather be. The two of you scarcely paid attention to the cook walking around in the kitchen looking for ingredients and the thrill that she might come looking into the pantry any second had your heart beating rapidly against your chest and the adrenaline rushing in your veins. You had broken away just in time to hear her answer to someone’s call before leaving the kitchen in a huff. Loki’s forehead rested against yours as the two of you struggled to catch your breaths.
It was impossible to see his eyes in the dark, but you could feel the desire coming from his body standing so close to you. Loki’s breath fanned your lips as he laughed and murmured softly, “That was a close call.”
You swallowed, agreeing, “I was afraid she would hear my heart pounding against my chest.”
“I did, you like this kind of thing, don’t you?” he teased, pulling into his arms. “She would have our hides if she caught us.”
“It was…” you paused, trying to think of the words, “such a thrill. I don’t know if I can handle something like that again. My heart would leap out of my chest.”
He chuckled, opening the door so you two could leave, “Duly noted, love. Next time we’ll try something less threatening to your heart. Now, let’s leave before she comes back and cook us for the party tonight.”
The last kiss of the day took Loki by complete surprise. The party was in full motion, this time to celebrate his best friend’s and his daughter’s last day on Asgard before they went back home though, his father insisted, there would be future trips. If Midas didn’t visit him, Odin would pay him a visit on his planet. Thor was socializing with a group of ladies who had recently made their debut into the planetary society while Loki stood by himself, bored and waiting for you to make your entrance.
Apparently there had been some sort of disaster four hours before the party started that, much to his mother’s delight, allowed Frigga to dress you up like the daughter she has never had. Loki hadn’t been around to see it, but according to one of the maids who had rushed past his room to find a seamstress, Finny had found his way to your room after playing in the rain. So Frigga found this to be her chance to have a hand in your debut – something that was hastily decided the other night when the subject was breached at the dinner table.
You had shrugged it off, not really worried about when you would debut anyways since everyone in that dining room knew that you would be Loki’s betrothed in the near future. You would have just forsaken the whole thing anyway but it was, as your father noted, a planetary custom that a young lady of royal background be introduced to the universe so that the kingdoms would know just how precious his daughter was.
Loki’s attention was jerked to the entrance of the ballroom when you were announced with your father. He couldn’t really see you where he had been standing so he moved towards the front to see you standing with your hand in the crook of your father’s arm, wearing a gown that drew the attention of everyone’s eyes in the room. He was positively entranced and would have diverted to his jealous primitive side had he not realized that your eyes were searching for him in the crowd as you made your way into the room with your father.
He made his way towards you when Midas left you to your own free will. Loki did a slight bow and kissed the back of your hand when he reached you, a smile appearing on his lips when he heard you giggle. “I see the disaster with Finny has been safely taken care of.”
“Oh, he’s a monster,” you said with a smile on your face, “From the way your mother was picking out my dresses, I think she was in on it as well, if only to have the daughter she has always wanted.”
“For once in my life, I would have to say that her choice is exquisite,” he murmured, allowing his eyes to take in the sight of you.
You were wearing a pale thinly-strapped gown that went down to your ankles, the color of the faded moon of Midgard, with your hair rested in curls on your right shoulder, held up by a pin of filigree flowers. On your left wrist was a tiny chain of Asgardian gold, completed with a small speck of Midgard’s diamond, no doubt from his mother’s collection. Your eyes fluttered to the ground, a blush appearing on your cheek as you took in his compliment and responded with a soft “Thank you, you look very handsome tonight as well.”
He was wearing a dark suit, completed with a scarf with the Asgardian seal. The clothes hugged his lean form and even though he hasn’t trained like his older brother in physical combat, Loki was still toned, a little slender and lanky, but his suit accentuated that in the best way possible, giving him the appearance of a majestic prince.
“My heart skips a beat at your flattery, your highness,” he said with a grin, “If I may have the first dance…” With that, he extended his hand and waited for your respond even though he knew very well what it would be.
You laughed and placed your hand in his grasp, “That would be lovely.”
After he had his dance, he was not surprised to find other boys his age rushing to ask for a dance as well. Loki lingered with his sorcery tutor, not to let it get to him, because after all – you would pick him to be your betrothed. However, he couldn’t help but wonder if any of those boys might have caught your eyes. Loki has never been one to let that slip, of course, and before this party, his biggest concern had been his brother… and he knew that the two of you shared a platonic relationship! Now, it seemed like he would face bigger adversaries for your hand, if that was possible at all. He was the son of Odin, second to the throne, and skilled at sorcery.
Nonetheless, he felt better when Thor came up to steal his dance and led you in his direction. Thor laughed and nudged Loki, “Little brother, it seems like her highness needs to improve on her dancing.”
“I need less improving than you, Thor!” you joked, leaning towards Loki with mirth in your eyes, “It’s good that I have been nimble enough to evade his deadly stomping. Thank goodness you warned me about that.”
Loki let out a hearty laugh and said to his brother, “I told you your dancing was lethal!”
The two of you jested some more and before either of you knew it, you were both lost in your own little world. Thor rolled his eyes and held his hand up in defense, “I know when I’m not wanted. Before you two get started on more of my dancing, mother needs me so I’ll be going.”
You both waved him off and before long, you were standing each other in a room full of people. No words were spoken and in spite of the noise, it still felt like you were the only ones standing in the room. You were both thinking the same thing but Loki had not realized that it was not him but you who had said, “I think we’re wasting the night away in this room.”
“Indeed,” he breathed, watching your lips move with fascination. “Where do you want to go?”
“Anywhere.”
“Then we’d best be on our way,” he smiled, taking your hand.
The two of you had barely made it to the library before Loki roughly pulled you into his arms but it was you who had made the first move by latching your lips onto his. Your tongues wrestled back and forth, fighting for dominance, as the two of you fought to get impossibly close to each other. Your hands cradled his face in a lover’s hold while his hands traveled all over your back, your neck, and your hair, releasing it from the pin’s hold.
Before long, you were sitting on one of the tables, with your legs on either side of Loki’s hips, trying to catch your breath from that kiss. Your shoes and pin were somewhere in the library, tossed aside when he had picked you up and your legs wrapped themselves around his waist, fitting your bodies together in the most torturous way possible, to find a more comfortable place where you could kiss some more. Your foreheads touched and your eyes were closed, relishing the moment, the night before you would go home. Did it have to be so soon? Though you two have never breached the subject of giving each other your virtues, it seemed best to wait and that was what you both decided to do. Right now, it seemed like the hardest decision to stand by.
You just wanted to give into your carnal desire and be done with it. After all, you two were to get married right? If the kisses you shared were like this, you couldn’t imagine tiring of the passion that would ensue when you married. There was nothing wrong with enjoying the rewards early, right? Loki let out a soft breath, untangling your fingers from his hair as he looked up from where he was standing in the library. You blinked when he let out a laugh and looked up as well, only to find yourself in the same place where you had first shared your kiss. At that time, it was him who started the kiss, to say nothing of how he had missed and got your nose instead and now it was you who initiated the kiss, filled with fire and passion, leaving him breathless and wanting.
He planted a final kiss on your lips and murmured with a soft and playful grin, “You were right, love. It does get better with practice.”
Playful
“So tell me,” you turned your head at the sound of your name coming from your father’s lips as he rode behind you on his steed, “What do you think of Odin’s sons?”
Somehow you knew this question was coming. If it hadn’t already been obvious on Asgard when it came to your newly developed relationship with Loki, your father has not spared you a moment’s respite with his teasing. It was not normal for a father to be so open with his daughter when it came to her relationship with another man, but then nothing about your family was all that normal. You were the youngest of four, the baby sister most teased and spoiled by her older brother, and you were the last of his children to stay with him after his wife’s death.
All of Midas’s sons have married and went onto their own endeavors with their kingdom and he had you. As much as Midas wanted to hold you close to him and protect him from all male attention, everything about you reminded him of his wife – your carefree nature, love for animals, and you looked at everything as though it was the most wonderful thing in the universe. Not to mention, after having grown up in the attention of three teenage boys, you fought to keep up with them when they were up to their pranks, determined to be included in their plans and it was hard not to treat you like one of his sons when every time he heard the senior maid’s outraged cry, you were standing there with your brothers, just as muddied and dirtied as they were after a day of hunting.
It was hard to believe that without any female guidance, you had grown to be as you were, graceful and intelligent, able to hold your own in a fight, and charismatic as you were. It was as though you had tried so hard so that Midas would not have to worry about marrying to give you a mother figure. You had often remarked when the subject was broached that your mother, his wife, was all the role model you needed to become a proper young lady.
Now that the two of you were hunting together after that period of time staying in Asgard, he sensed a change in you, a young lady blossoming into a young woman, ready to take on new challenges and another life entirely. You were biting your lips, hiding the smile that was creeping to your face, “I think Queen Frigga have raised them to be wonderful princes.”
“And that she has, but I’ve been hearing things about you favoring one of them over the other,” he grinned with a mock stern expression on his face. “Is it that bear of a boy, Thor? Or that other one, skinnier than the Midgardian sycamore tree? What was his name? Leki? Luki? He was always hiding in the library.”
“Father, you are teasing me!” you protested, trying to ignore the blush appearing on your cheeks when he let out a thunderous laugh. “Loki is not that skinny. He is very tall.”
“So you’ve chosen that boy, huh?” he finally said after a while, completely sober.
You guys had stopped in the middle of a field and the silence stretched on for a while until you responded, “He’s really good to me.”
For a moment, it seemed like Midas had something serious to say, but instead, he replied, “Can’t say I wasn’t hoping your affections would be for the older one, but I guess it’s good since I promised your mother that I would look after your happiness first. And I suppose all that attention he is a bit sharper than the rest of them.”
You smiled, “Mother would like him.”
He laughed, “That she would. It’s a good thing he doesn’t hunt, he’d have to bring someone like you along and you two would probably starve if your life depended on it.”
A mischievous grin made its way to your lips, “Father! Surely you do not blame me for your lackluster hunting skills. We just have to content ourselves with the fact that animals here are very adamant about their survival and can sometimes slip through our grasps.”
“Whatever the case may be,” he rolled his eyes, “I assure you, my girl, that I’m the least of your problems. You forget that you have three older brothers far taller and bigger than I am. Resnick is not that you have fallen in love without him bring around to assess the boy.”
You shook your head with a smile. It was hard to disagree with him. Being the youngest of four, and a girl, no less, usually made it hard for you to make friends with the boys around the castle unless you were with your brother. As for the girls that you knew, it was hard to get along with them because your interests were so much the same. You remember visiting a kingdom when your brothers were still home. When it came to the ballroom, they would not let you out of their sight. It was both exasperating and tiring to see them try so hard.
Somehow you knew this question was coming. If it hadn’t already been obvious on Asgard when it came to your newly developed relationship with Loki, your father has not spared you a moment’s respite with his teasing. It was not normal for a father to be so open with his daughter when it came to her relationship with another man, but then nothing about your family was all that normal. You were the youngest of four, the baby sister most teased and spoiled by her older brother, and you were the last of his children to stay with him after his wife’s death.
All of Midas’s sons have married and went onto their own endeavors with their kingdom and he had you. As much as Midas wanted to hold you close to him and protect him from all male attention, everything about you reminded him of his wife – your carefree nature, love for animals, and you looked at everything as though it was the most wonderful thing in the universe. Not to mention, after having grown up in the attention of three teenage boys, you fought to keep up with them when they were up to their pranks, determined to be included in their plans and it was hard not to treat you like one of his sons when every time he heard the senior maid’s outraged cry, you were standing there with your brothers, just as muddied and dirtied as they were after a day of hunting.
It was hard to believe that without any female guidance, you had grown to be as you were, graceful and intelligent, able to hold your own in a fight, and charismatic as you were. It was as though you had tried so hard so that Midas would not have to worry about marrying to give you a mother figure. You had often remarked when the subject was broached that your mother, his wife, was all the role model you needed to become a proper young lady.
Now that the two of you were hunting together after that period of time staying in Asgard, he sensed a change in you, a young lady blossoming into a young woman, ready to take on new challenges and another life entirely. You were biting your lips, hiding the smile that was creeping to your face, “I think Queen Frigga have raised them to be wonderful princes.”
“And that she has, but I’ve been hearing things about you favoring one of them over the other,” he grinned with a mock stern expression on his face. “Is it that bear of a boy, Thor? Or that other one, skinnier than the Midgardian sycamore tree? What was his name? Leki? Luki? He was always hiding in the library.”
“Father, you are teasing me!” you protested, trying to ignore the blush appearing on your cheeks when he let out a thunderous laugh. “Loki is not that skinny. He is very tall.”
“So you’ve chosen that boy, huh?” he finally said after a while, completely sober.
You guys had stopped in the middle of a field and the silence stretched on for a while until you responded, “He’s really good to me.”
For a moment, it seemed like Midas had something serious to say, but instead, he replied, “Can’t say I wasn’t hoping your affections would be for the older one, but I guess it’s good since I promised your mother that I would look after your happiness first. And I suppose all that attention he is a bit sharper than the rest of them.”
You smiled, “Mother would like him.”
He laughed, “That she would. It’s a good thing he doesn’t hunt, he’d have to bring someone like you along and you two would probably starve if your life depended on it.”
A mischievous grin made its way to your lips, “Father! Surely you do not blame me for your lackluster hunting skills. We just have to content ourselves with the fact that animals here are very adamant about their survival and can sometimes slip through our grasps.”
“Whatever the case may be,” he rolled his eyes, “I assure you, my girl, that I’m the least of your problems. You forget that you have three older brothers far taller and bigger than I am. Resnick is not that you have fallen in love without him bring around to assess the boy.”
You shook your head with a smile. It was hard to disagree with him. Being the youngest of four, and a girl, no less, usually made it hard for you to make friends with the boys around the castle unless you were with your brother. As for the girls that you knew, it was hard to get along with them because your interests were so much the same. You remember visiting a kingdom when your brothers were still home. When it came to the ballroom, they would not let you out of their sight. It was both exasperating and tiring to see them try so hard.
Mystery
He was there again, in that region of Jotunheim that was said to be uninhabitable for Asgardian because of those nightmare-ish creatures. Loki shivered instinctively even though there were no chilly winds blowing at him. It was all just another dream. It was almost too dark for anyone to see without a torch, yet a torch would be extinguished within seconds of being lit. He felt powerless, vulnerable, lost and confused. Why was he here?
Red eyes followed his every move, watching for any sudden movements that would be less than favorable. They all hid in the darkness, like predators, waiting for preys like him to come unwittingly into their traps. He thought these nightmares had stopped when he met you, when he had confided his nightmares, secrets, and fears in you, but that was not the case. They were inescapable. No matter how much you soothed his worries with your sweet words, he couldn’t stop having these dreams.
“Son of Odin,” someone whispered from behind him, mockingly and sardonically, as if it knew something he didn’t.
He stifled his desire to quiver, turning around and screaming, “Who goes there?”
“Take a guess…”
He could feel the cruel grin cutting into the face of the person, thing, speaking those words. Loki clenched his eyes shut when he felt a hand reaching out to him and even before it touched him, it froze his veins, stopped his heart, and threatened to squeeze the life out of him.
His eyes snapped opened and he was looking into the endless ceiling of his room. The soft sunlight streamed into his room from outside and he saw that the veil-like drapes by his window billow in the wind. He was at home, safe in his room, and yet his heart could not stop pounding in his chest. Outside his window, he could see the garden, the lake, and the greenhouse. On some days he found peace in being able to look outside to such a familiar sight that he called his home, and then there are days like these that he could not stop his hand from shaking, even long after he has woken up from his nightmare.
Red eyes followed his every move, watching for any sudden movements that would be less than favorable. They all hid in the darkness, like predators, waiting for preys like him to come unwittingly into their traps. He thought these nightmares had stopped when he met you, when he had confided his nightmares, secrets, and fears in you, but that was not the case. They were inescapable. No matter how much you soothed his worries with your sweet words, he couldn’t stop having these dreams.
“Son of Odin,” someone whispered from behind him, mockingly and sardonically, as if it knew something he didn’t.
He stifled his desire to quiver, turning around and screaming, “Who goes there?”
“Take a guess…”
He could feel the cruel grin cutting into the face of the person, thing, speaking those words. Loki clenched his eyes shut when he felt a hand reaching out to him and even before it touched him, it froze his veins, stopped his heart, and threatened to squeeze the life out of him.
His eyes snapped opened and he was looking into the endless ceiling of his room. The soft sunlight streamed into his room from outside and he saw that the veil-like drapes by his window billow in the wind. He was at home, safe in his room, and yet his heart could not stop pounding in his chest. Outside his window, he could see the garden, the lake, and the greenhouse. On some days he found peace in being able to look outside to such a familiar sight that he called his home, and then there are days like these that he could not stop his hand from shaking, even long after he has woken up from his nightmare.