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“You must only observe, and hinder yourself from interacting with anyone in his mind lest you and he forget this existent.”
“A part of yourself will be planted inside his mind.”
“As you stay longer, the both of you will eventually cease to exist.”
Thor wants to scoff at the three Norns who cannot stop prattling incredulous words at him. Why would he want to stay longer inside a deranged mind? Though he loves his brother, this Loki is not the brother he knew, thus he has no affection towards this Loki. He is a wicked monster whose existence only brings disaster and chaos into peoples’ lives. This Loki was not the boy who used to sneak into his bed in the middle of the night, who caused mischief for the fun of it and who had sometimes offered a tender smile that had belonged only to Thor.
His beloved brother had died in the abyss. For many years Thor had blamed himself for all the pain and sadness that he had inflicted on Loki. He had ached for him, mourned for him with such profoundness that the moment he realized there was nothing left of his Loki in this monster, Thor had almost wanted to throw himself into the abyss and, perhaps, find his Loki in there; because this violent monster could never be his brother.
This monster wears his Loki’s face, and Thor is prepared to ride into his head, seek his downfall and put an end to his life.
“I have heard all your warnings. Now prepare me for the journey.”
Thor cannot remember exactly how he gets there, but he is aware that he is no longer in the real word and this is Loki’s mind, inside the monster’s lair. His gaze falls on high golden pillars and golden floors and he is momentarily surprised to find himself back in Asgard. Thor rolls his eyes. Of course Loki would think of Asgard. Perhaps he shall find Loki gloating on Hlidskjalf at this very moment. Thor sneers at that thought.
The palace looks exactly like the one Thor left behind. There is the occasional appearance of servants and guards and Thor is grudgingly impressed by how precise and defined Loki’s mind of Asgard is; and how enchantingly bright it stands, even the real Asgard is not as lively as this. Thor was expecting darkness and violence but this is an unexpected revelation. Thor imagines that this is how Asgard shall look in the height of its Golden Age.
Does Loki think he is the key to the prosperity of Asgard, that he is the one to lead the Aesir to their opulent livelihood?
Perhaps his Loki would think that way, but not the mind of a monster.
“I will not repeat myself so I will tell you just this once, you are a wise King.”
Thor turns his head to Loki’s voice and there he sees Loki and himself walking next to each other along the golden corridor. Thor is astonished to see his other golden self, looking so regal and beautiful, and Loki— his Loki – appearing so incredibly stunning and lovely at his side.
Thor watches himself laughing brightly as he slings his arm around Loki’s shoulders. “And I shall tell you always how pleasantly charming you are.”
A small tender smile, the kind of smile that Thor had been longing for from his brother for so long, graces Loki’s lips. He is almost envious of his other self for managing to accomplish such feat but his mind immediately catches on to the scene that is happening in front of him.
The fact that he sees himself as the King of Asgard and Loki perceives him as wise, it is a startling revelation to witness in Loki’s mind. Thor quickly reminds himself that this is not his Loki but a monster’s mind and perhaps this is simply a trick.
Thor turns his gaze away as he feels revulsion at such treachery. The moment his gaze falls to the ground he sees green grass and feels the light breeze whispering over his skin. He raises his head and finds himself in the garden. Sitting on the bench is Loki, looking genuinely peaceful with the world and Thor feels his heart throb painfully again. How long has it been since the last time he witnessed such look from him? Thor keeps aching for this Loki, always missing him since the fall.
He watches as Loki hums to himself and raises his right hand to lay it on his stomach. Thor almost gasps in surprise when he realizes that Loki is swollen with child. Who is the other father of the child? He wonders. His eyes linger on Loki’s profile, trying to figure out if perhaps he has stumbled into a memory. He is aware of his brother’s other children, though he’d never had the opportunity to meet them properly, just a glimpse of them on one of those rare occasions, except for Sleipnir.
Thor turns away from the scene, disappointed with himself so far because this is not the purpose of his journey.
Just as he feels the change of his surroundings, he hears the voice of his other self in the vicinity, “So this is where you have been all this time? I miss you and our child.”
Our child?
Thor immediately turns to look back at the scene, to see if that is really his other self saying that to Loki, but there is no one there as he finds himself no longer in the garden. His sight lands on bookshelves lined with tomes with some stacked one on top of another. The palace’s library, he figures. He retreats his thought back to what had occurred a moment ago. Has he gone crazy? Perhaps he had imagined his own voice? But why would he conceive such words if he never thought of Loki that way.
It is irrefutable that Loki is beautiful, like a delicate flower in a desert. If not for his black thorns protruding sharply to anyone who wishes to touch him Loki would have probably been courted by everyone in the nine realms. However Thor is completely amazed with himself when he is not repulse with the thought of having that kind of relationship with his brother. All this time Thor has never really tried to deduce what exactly he felt for Loki, other than brotherly love.
His train of thought is interrupt when he hears the voice of his other self speaking softly behind the bookshelf. “Are you still awake, Loki?”
“My eyes may be closed but I’m still listening. Keep going.”
Thor walks to the other end of the bookshelf and tilts his head to take a peek at the other side. He sees his other self sitting on the floor, reading out loud with a thick book in his hand. Loki is next to him laying his head on his brother’s shoulder with his eyes closed, and Thor notices two pale hands wrapped around the other’s arm. It is a sight to behold because, honestly, this is a situation that could never happen. Thor, who was never fond of books, even when reading one for someone else, would never find himself in the library, surrounding himself with ancient tomes, and Loki would never be as affectionate as he was right now.
Something stirs within him, like a closed chest that has been recently opened and a flood of strange emotions swallows him up. It frightens Thor because it has been too long since he felt this way. But one of those feelings was familiar to him.
Hope.
As soon as Thor feels it, he holds onto it and this time he will be damned if he let it go. No matter how much Thor wants to deny it, this is his Loki’s subconscious mind, his brother’s deepest desire, and this mind does not belong to a monster. Thor assumes that all this time his violence is just a farce, a wall that Loki built to shield himself from being hurt and betrayed further.
‘Why?’ Thor wonders. Why so hostile? Why commit unforgivable crimes?
“Thor…”
He and his other self, who immediately pauses in his reading, turn to look at Loki whose eyes are still shut to the world, but there is a gentle smile adorning his cherry lips.
“Do you think we could stay this way forever?”
And right at that moment, Thor’s heart grips painfully. Guilt.
“Yes,” he whispers but the scene in front of him already disappears and replaces with an oppressed-looking city that Thor suspects to be New York City if it goes through an apocalypse. The buildings are in shambles and black dust clogs the air, blanketing the city to look even more grim and forbidding.
Not far from where he stands Thor sees a dark silhouette, slouched on his knees with his body bowing so low that his head almost touches the ground. He is shaking terribly, quivering like a child that has been abandoned to his own misery and bleak future. The filthy ground under him is already enveloped with dark crimson blood, and more of the blood leaks and drips everywhere. There is the tearing sound of flesh, a muffled choke of pain, and Thor is instantly horrified at the scene before him. The hair on the back of his neck rises. Thor is distressingly aghast as he watches the bits and pieces of skin and flesh falls to the ground.
It is terrifying and appalling. His Loki, in his frost giant form, butchering himself with his own razor-sharp nails.
Thor cries out in terror. “LOKI!”
Watching this awful sight, the warning with which the Norns had cautioned him completely vanished from his mind. Thor runs to Loki, falls to his knees and reaches for Loki’s hands, gripping his brother’s wrists tightly in his fists as he snarls angrily, “Stop hurting yourself, Loki!”
Red eyes look at Thor with effulgent anguish and desolation. His face is a mess of gore and Thor has to repress himself from growing frantic. Loki needs him but there is just too much blood and his brother will surely die from the loss.
“I’m a monster.”
“Wh—”
“I’m a monster, Thor. I’m a frost giant!”
“Loki—”
“I hate myself! I’m a monster!”
Thor pulls Loki to his chest and wraps his arms tightly around the trembling figure, feeling the blood soaks his tunic as he listens to his despairing woe.
“They will never accept me! I’m not an Aesir! They will not let me be with you because I’m a monster!”
Thor gathers Loki closer to him and buries his face into his brother’s hair as he breathes in the blood and sweat and pure Loki. “You’re not a monster. Aesir or not, you are my Loki. My brother. Even though you are a frost giant, you are never a monster. Please, Loki! Do not hurt yourself further because it pains me to see you like this.”
Red eyes gradually turn green, his scarred blue arms change to his smooth, pale skin, yet half of his face remains blue as the flesh tries to heal the wounds that Loki had inflicted on himself. Thor pulls away and witnesses a change in his brother, like the air of bleakness around Loki is suddenly gone and replaced with something delicate and bright; his emerald eyes gaze at Thor with something akin to a glimmer of hope.
Thor smiles at him remorsefully. “Let’s go home, shall we? I promise that I shall take care of you.”
*
“I’m sorry.”
Loki turns his gaze to him and he repeats, “I am very sorry.”
Thor is apologizing for all the pain that Loki had went through in the past, for all the scorn he received, for the dismal loneliness that he had had to endure, for being blind to the real Loki who was still seeking acceptance.
His brother simply smiles at Thor, as if that small curve of his lips conveys his forgiveness, and turns his gaze back to the book that he has occupied himself with for the past hour.
They are in the garden, sitting under a tree as Thor lies on the ground, his eyes lingering on Loki’s lovely profile. His brother looks serene, Thor observes, and it suddenly reminds him of a dream that he had a long time ago, a dream of Loki humming to himself in the garden. But Thor cannot remember anything more than that so he lets go of the thought.
Three years have passed peacefully and Thor is still amazed at how many things have changed. His bond with his brother does not chafe; instead they become more attached to each other every day. It was difficult in the beginning, but a year of constantly proving to Loki that he was accepted and that no Aesir would dare defy his place in Asgard, his brother eventually relents.
Since then his affinity for his brother has continued to grow and Thor finds himself thinking of Loki a lot more than usual. His brother has been quite coy around him lately, and Thor wonders if this has anything to do with the recent development of their relationship. It is unexpected actually, when he finds himself attracted to Loki. But despite this, Thor, with the subtlety of a chivalrous man -as he should be- decides to court him.
“I wonder what you perceive every time you look at me.”
“Does it disturb you?”
Loki snorts. “Was I disturbed? Chivalry is not your thing, Thor.”
Thor promptly sits up and watches the other man for a moment as he gathers his courage. There is something that he has desired for quite some time and Thor is seeking Loki’s consent.
Loki closes his book and this time turns his full attention to Thor. “Alright, you seem to look like you need something of me.”
“I want to kiss you!” Thor blurts out immediately, and as soon as he realizes the words that have escaped him his face abruptly turns a shade red. Loki stares at his brother disbelievingly, looking at Thor as if he has grown another head, but there is an obvious flush adorning his cheeks.
“May I?” Thor adds in an after-thought. Loki simply nods his head and Thor closes the distance between them in an instant.
The kiss is chaste but precious and Thor wants to press deeper, wants to push his tongue between those lips and taste Loki. But he does not and pulls away instead; he watches Loki with blue eyes, searching for anything that would suggest Loki wants more of his kiss. However, what he sees is a glare. Thor is dumbfounded and wonders if he has done something wrong, if perhaps he is suppose to kiss Loki on the cheek instead and not his lips.
“You are the most infuriating oaf I have ever fallen for. I have been waiting for years for you to kiss me and that’s all you offer—”
Thor silences him with another kiss, and this time it is passionately sweeter, tongues stroking each other, intense and longer than their first.
*
“I’m a monster!”
Thor snaps his eyes open. Five years have passed since that fateful day and he has never been more grateful that he was there to rescue his brother from his woeful tragedy. Their lives so far had been filled with bliss and contentment, like an eternal season of summer love.
But sometimes Thor feels like there is something odd, like the peculiar taste of his food and drink. This odd incident never truly bothers him though. He is happy that Loki finally found his peace and that is all that mattered.
He turns his head and watches Loki sleep; his long midnight hair covers half of his face, making him look like a fair maiden. Thor grins at that thought and pulls himself closer to Loki to lay a kiss at the side of Loki’s lips, then he tenderly trails his mouth to his cheek, then to the tip of his ear and then traces a gentle trail from his neck to his shoulder. He grazes his teeth over the skin there and feels Loki stirs under him.
Two hands grasp his head and Thor lets himself be pulled up to kiss Loki ardently. They are already huddling naked on the bed so Thor pushes the fur blanket aside and exposes their bodies to the cold draft that creeps easily into the room from the open balcony.
Heat blooms in the pit of his stomach. Thor wants Loki, wants to take everything of Loki, wants to fuck him and defile him. Thor dives lower; wet and warm tongue licking and nipping one of Loki’s nipples. Loki gasps at the ministrations, one hand clutching the bed sheet beneath him while the other grasps Thor’s hair. Thor maps Loki’s chest to his abdomen with his lips, biting and pinching some of the skin there before he plunges his tongue into his naval which emits another soft groan from Loki.
Thor reaches his erect length and squeezes it in his fist. A gasping moan escapes as Loki instinctively spreads his leg. He studies Loki, his flushing face, clouded eyes, the tracks of saliva and teeth marks all over him; Loki is genuinely perfect. So Thor tells him, and before Loki could give any response Thor presses one dry finger into the slit of his hole. “Thor— ah!”
Thor leans to the other side of the bed, his free hand searching for the small pot on the nightstand. It magically appears in his hand and he gives Loki a grateful grin. He pulls out his finger and dips his hand into oil and carefully place the lid back on the pot. The knowledge of what is to come causes Loki to nudge Thor’s thigh with his foot as he grows impatient at the slow pace.
He tsks at Loki first before he prods his first finger in and grips Loki’s dick with his other hand, sliding and squeezing it. Then his second and third finger follows and he curves them slightly inside his hole which elicits a throaty moan from Loki.
“Thor,” Loki sobs, his pupils are full blown and Thor has to kiss him, tracing the inside of his mouth with his tongue. He pulls away just as he extracts his fingers. He coats his dick with oil and aligns it. He thrusts in and Loki whimpers, then he pushes back so that Thor’s dick buries itself deep inside him and Thor groans at the sudden tightness.
“Move!” Loki growls at him.
“Always so impatient.” Thor starts pounding into the pliant body. “And demanding,” he manages to groan out.
As it becomes intense, Loki wraps his legs tighter around Thor and his two arms come to wind tightly around his shoulder as Loki buries his face into Thor’s neck, riding out their frenzied tryst.
“Ah— fuck! Th—Thor— I— ah—”
He comes hard, soiling their abdomens and chests as Thor reaches his own climax two thrusts later, biting Loki’s shoulder and marking him there before Loki pushes his mouth to Thor’s, caressing their swollen lips.
“I love you,” murmurs Loki.
Thor kisses him once more.
*
“Fandral is ecstatic that he is going to be a godfather to Sif’s child. Well, we are all going to be the child’s godfathers.”
“It’s a wonder that Fandral is the only one who isn’t attached to anyone. Hogun is married to that Vanir maiden and Volstagg is currently wooing that—”
“Don’t say it, Loki. She is still a maiden,” Thor warns him, but with an amused look. Loki smirks at him cheekily.
Then Thor speaks of the recent dealings that have taken up most of his time in Gladsheim, the meeting hall in the palace. On these occasions Thor would find himself mostly arguing with the Diars. There are times when Thor thinks that all twelve of the Diars are as shrewd as Loki himself, and it feels like he is debating with twelve Lokis.
It was an arduous task in the beginning when he had first taken his stand as Asgard’s King four years ago, but it had become easier because he learnt so many things; like not to use brute force and to always try and think of an alternative way without any bloodshed. There has been no war thus far, so Thor has never been away from Asgard since the day he brought in a wounded Loki. Odin and Frigga have moved to their own palace in the northern part of Asgard. Frigga visits them occasionally while Odin rarely does.
So Thor has always sought counsel with his brother. Loki has been his greatest advisor; always offering a sensible point of view and for that Thor is immensely grateful for his brother.
“I believe that you will make the right choice.”
Thor sighs. “I am not as wise as you, Loki. I cannot make up my mind if the Duergar should be considered immigrants. The Dark Alfar has never been bothered by their inhabitancy on their land before.”
They step into another hallway and Loki tells him, “I will not repeat myself so I will tell you just this once, you are a wise King.”
Thor bursts out laughing. It is a pleasant surprise that he finds himself to be told by Loki that he is wise. His brother even says it with a serious face. He slings his arms around Loki’s shoulders and responses merrily, “And I shall tell you always how pleasantly charming you are.”
Loki smiles at him tenderly and Thor experiences a sudden sense of déjà vu. He lets go of Loki and pauses in his step. His brother continues to walk ahead of him for a moment before realizing that Thor is no longer beside him and turns around.
“Thor?”
The peculiar feeling disappears as he is instantly distracted when his eyes rests on his brother. The sun is shining through the open ceiling of the palace and the golden pillars in the corridor shimmer enchantingly. Some of the lights settle upon Loki and Thor finds it to be a lovely sight to behold.
Thor remembers the thought that had been floating around in his mind for the past week. He feels a sudden anxiousness and the fluttering in his stomach makes it worse. If he keeps this to himself any longer he might explode, or he might not have the courage to do it at all.
He boasts himself as the Mighty Thunderer, but this proposal is a very significant matter in his life. Looking at Loki right now, Thor immediately makes up his mind. This is the time that Thor should ask him.
“Will you do something for me?” He asks Loki who still stands several yards in front of him.
“Certainly.”
“Will you marry me?”
There’s a long pause and Thor becomes restless as seconds turn into minutes.
Then Loki promptly vanishes on the spot and appears right in front of him with a big grin and pulls Thor down to meet his lips.
*
Thor has been searching for Loki for the past half an hour. He has already asked after several guards and servants the whereabouts of his consort to no avail. Loki had his moments where he needed to be alone and could not be found until he returned willingly to Thor’s arms.
He enters the garden, thinking that perhaps he shall seek his own solace. He pauses mid-stride and a sudden relief washes over him when he sees Loki sitting on the garden bench, humming to himself.
“So this is where you have been all this time? I miss you and our child.” Again, the sense of déjà vu strikes him and Thor looks at the tree nearest to the bench, almost hoping that someone is standing there.
Loki turns to smile at him, his hand on the crest of his swollen belly. But when he sees the frown adorning Thor’s handsome visage Loki is immediately concerned for his spouse. “Is something the matter?”
Thor shakes his head. “Nothing.”
But soon Thor forgets again, the peculiar feeling is no longer there to haunt him as he becomes even more affixed to his current life. Loki gives birth to a son and Thor is the happiest man alive. If ten years ago someone had told him that he and Loki would be married and have a son, he would have deemed them delusional.
Ten years of blissful happiness and Thor would not trade it for anything.
*
“I cannot believe you are dragging me to the library.”
“You promised me that you would do anything for me.”
“I thought you meant— oh! You know what I meant, Loki!”
Loki smiles pertly as he drags Thor behind him. They pass several bookshelves until they reach a section that Loki has been searching for. Thor watches his cheeky spouse who is looking over the titles of the books, his hips jutting to the side as if teasing Thor, and perhaps Loki is playing some kind of a game with him. With a huff, Thor turns him around and kisses him, nipping his lower lip and licking the cavern inside Loki’s mouth.
They grasp at each other, Loki twines Thor’s blond locks between his fingers and pulls them as Thor bites and sucks the delicate skin under his ear.
“Thor— No— ah!”
Thor grins, but before he can continue his ministrations a thick and heavy book that appears out of nowhere hits his chest. “Oof!”
Instinctively he holds the book to his chest lest it fall and crush his feet.
Loki manages to gasp out, “I want you to read that book for me.” His lips are swollen red and his pupils are full-blown with intense lust but Loki is not ready to end the game.
Thor glares at him. Very well, he shall play Loki’s game. Loki smirks at him as he wraps his hands around Thor’s arm. They sit on the floor and Thor opens the book on the first page. In the middle of his reading he feels his spouse’s head rest on his shoulder and Thor finds his brother particularly endearing at the moment.
For a long period of time they stay that way, peaceful and content in their own world. Thor moves his gaze to his spouse and finds his eyes are closed. He pauses in his reading as he watches the pale skin, the midnight lashes, the delicate nose and his dainty lips.
“Are you still awake, Loki?”
“My eyes may be closed but I’m still listening. Keep going.”
Thor smiles softly and turns his gaze back to the book. As he continues to read, at the back of his mind the sudden jolt of déjà vu strikes him again. A distant memory like a hazy dream, there is a soft murmur in his head, “Do you think we could stay this way forever?”
“Thor…”
Thor pauses and looks at Loki.
“Do you think we could stay this way forever?”
Like a fallen delicate crystal bowl shattering into hundreds of pieces, a spell has been broken and Thor remembers ten years ago.
“A part of yourself will be planted inside his mind.”
Why so hostile? Why commit unforgivable crimes?
“I’m a monster, Thor. I’m a frost giant!”
No matter how much Thor wants to deny it, this is his Loki’s subconscious mind, his brother’s deepest desire and this mind does not belong to a monster.
Thor looks at the book in his hand, the words are no longer there, it was simply an empty page and he turns to look around himself. He is not in the library anymore. He is standing on the Bifrost, his hand is no longer holding anything. It is just himself all alone, and not even Heimdall is around to watch him.
It clarifies a lot of things. Odin rarely visits them because Loki has never been fond of him. The twelve Diars are subconsciously part of Loki and that explains their shrewdness. Everyone in this world is how Loki imagines them to be and he created them in his mind, Thor has been living inside Loki’s ideal world- his brother’s perfect mind he tells himself- for the past ten years.
A decade!
The Norns had slipped him into Loki’s mind while he slept, when the shield to his mind was at its lowest, and he remembered the Norns forewarn him; that should he interact with anyone inside Loki’s mind, his brother would cease to exist in the real world and would gradually build his life inside his own mind.
How long had it been out there? Months? Years?
Had Loki been asleep all this time? Had the Avengers found Loki’s sleeping body and captured him?
What had he done?
He had not taken heed of the Norn’s warning. He had rushed to Loki who had been bleeding all over, had held him and brought him to Asgard, completely forgetting his existent in the real world and truly thinking that this had been their reality. His reality.
Now he feels so lost, so dejected at himself and thoroughly cheated because he truly loves this existence. For the past ten years he has been genuinely content with his life.
He is a king here, and Loki is his wonderful consort that he loves faithfully. He has a beautiful son that he cherishes. Is he willing to let this go?
Does he really want to leave this fantasy behind him?
Even if he does not want to, he knows that he must.
He has to go and if the Norns say that Loki is building a life here, then his Loki that has been with him for the past decade is the real Loki. He must leave this place with Loki or his brother shall remain trapped in this limbo.
What must he do?
Wake up. He hears the whispers in the air. The Norns are still out there, still guiding his thread of fate and he knows that his life does not end here. His future is out there in the real world with Loki.
Wake up, again they whisper to him. He looks down the Bifrost and sees the clouds and skies and there, the abyss. Through experience, the dream of falling always wakes him up and he frowns.
Must they do that?
Jump into the abyss, that’s their only way out. But Thor is hesitant because what if this is the real world after all, what if he is just imagining the voices in his head? He has a son here and he cannot leave him here alone. Loki would never abandon their little boy.
No.
Remember.
Remember ten years ago.
Wake up.
“Thor?”
Thor turns around and feels at ease when he sees his brother there.
“Thor, why are you standing so close to the edge?”
Thor looks back and realizes that Loki is right, if he just takes one more step then he will plunge right into the abyss. He moves his gaze back to his brother who looks concerned for him, as if he is going to witness Thor’s suicide attempt.
“Do you trust me, Loki?”
“Yes.”
He offers his right hand to Loki. “Will you hold my hand?”
Loki stares at him fearfully and Thor abruptly gets anxious, but he has to do this. He will not leave his brother here.
“Please, Loki. I promise you I am not going to do anything stupid.”
Loki touches his hand and Thor gently holds it in his.
“Will you explain to me what is going on, Thor?”
“We must leave this place.”
“Leave Asgard?”
“No. We must wake up. Back to the real world.”
Loki stares at him incredulously and not for the first time Thor wishes he has Loki’s brilliant ability to express something complicated in simple words.
“I have made a mistake for not realizing this sooner. I had gone into your mind, your ideal world which is this reality that we are living now, with a wicked intention and yes, I know it is wrong but I’m not sorry that I came here because I get to see the real you. I got to know you better here than the last century we spent together before it all went so wrong between us. I fell in love with you, Loki.”
Thor pulls Loki close to him and cups his cheek with his other hand, caressing the tender skin there. “I will not let you go anymore. I won’t leave you here, inside your mind. We have a life out there so we must go back to the real world.”
Loki pulls away from Thor but he clutches Loki’s hand tightly.
“Please, Loki. You must trust me in this!”
“Our child? Is he not real?”
“He is out there too, in our future. We shall have him there. Don’t you think these past ten years everything has been just too perfect, like it goes exactly how we desire it to be?”
Right there, he sees a subtle change in Loki’s eyes and there is a slight grimness at the edge of his lips. So it seems that even Loki is aware of the peculiarity of their world.
Thor tugs Loki closer to him again. “I have a feeling that you won’t remember these ten years of our time together. But you must keep this in mind; imprint this as part of you… For all the crimes that you committed, I forgive you. You were never a monster. Frost giant or not, whatever form you take I still love you and you are always beautiful in my eyes. The Aesir will accept you and they have to because I shall take you as my consort just as what you are right now. We shall rule Asgard together.”
He kisses Loki’s cheek, and then presses their mouths together, their eyes shut to the world as Thor expresses his passion for Loki. When he pulls away he whispers to him, his breath caressing devotion to Loki’s lips. “I want you to know how grateful I am to you for these amazing ten years. You taught me how to be a king, and to be wise and reserved. I am much obliged to you.”
Thor pulls them closer to the edge and he can feel the apprehension and dread from the way Loki is grabbing his hand. Wake up, the Norns call to him again.
Loki does not want to jump with him, yet he does not want Thor to plummet into the abyss alone. He could see it in his emerald eyes, the fear and desperation, but at the same time Thor spots the love and trust for him.
“What if we keep falling?”
Yes, there is a possibility that they keep falling, a never-ending descent.
“We won’t. Trust me, Loki.”
He embraces Loki, envelopes him in his arms and presses his mouth to Loki’s ear. “I promise I will come back for you on the other side.”
And Thor takes one step backward as he brings Loki along with him.
*
Wake up…
Wake up.
Loki, wake up.
Loki opens his eyes and the first thing he sees is the Midgardian clock on the wall. He lets his gaze linger on the numbers and needles, counting the hours of his sleep. He abruptly leaps out from his bed and from the small window of his motel he could see twilight.
Has he been sleeping the entire day?
An hour later, after he has had his shower and filled his stomach with food from the bistro that is not far away from his place, he finally finds out that yes, he has been sleeping the whole day.
He lets go of the incident and thinks that he has been too tired as of late. Besides, he is feeling genuinely lighter like never before. His heart no longer aches of loneliness. The violence that has been raging inside him for many years is like a dull pulse which no longer overwhelms him. The oppressive darkness and hatred for himself is not there anymore. There is no resentment.
There is only a feeling of happiness that he cannot really elucidate.
He can feel the curve of his lips turn into a small smile when he watches the people around him; a couple holding hands, a man speaking into his phone, three teenage girls giggling at each other as they pass him by, an old woman with a miniature dog in her arms.
Loki feels acceptance, love, and most of all, peace.
So Loki makes up his mind right there. He checks out from his motel and transforms himself into a different appearance. He does not wish to be found by Dr. Doom or other villains, nor does he wish to be caught by the Avengers.
He goes to visit every art gallery and museum in the city, attends a concert, watches movies, and strolls through the park, and during this entire time of living openly, without any ill agenda, he feels so alive.
Thor is always in his mind too, especially in the night before he sleeps, his thoughts are mostly occupied by his brother. Sometimes, he refers to Thor as his spouse, or his king by mistake, and it does not even concern him that his mind slips to such thoughts.
There are times when he thinks of searching for his brother, perhaps he is in the Avengers mansion, or he might be in Asgard, but something tells him that his brother will come to him. Someday.
Two weeks later there is a knock upon his door and there stands his golden brother. His heart aches for him and Loki realizes just how much he has missed Thor all this time.
Thor grins at him. “I told you I would come back for you.”
END