In the End... I'll Always Love You

The walk to my apartment was quick, and when we finally got inside, Loki couldn’t hide his discomfort. He was limping on our way back, but it didn’t register to me how bad it seemed.

“Loki… are you sure you’re okay? You’ve been limping…” He looked down at his leg, shrugging and looking, all in all, uninterested.

“Yes, lovely I’m just fine. I appreciate you letting me come to your home. it’s very… quaint.”

I could tell he was trying to be nice, because my apartment is practically a walk in closet, and it was a mess. I didn’t even bother to try and hide it, because my stuff consumed almost every flat surface. I couldn’t help but laugh a little.

“You don’t have to be so kind… I know my apartment is a mess. You can admit it, I don’t mind.”

“No, no I couldn’t possibly. I’m grateful that you invited me…”

“Loki, I wanted to invite you. It’s okay… um, I have to put these away… you can make yourself comfortable if you like.”

I walked into my kitchen and started unloading what I’d bought. I kept an eye on Loki, and he was walking around my makeshift living room, looking at my collection of mismatched things, and I couldn’t help but grin. My mind kept wandering to how interesting Loki was. Everything about his was different. The way he walked, the way he talked, even the way he looks at you when you talk to him; he was nothing short of a gentleman. A gentleman who decides to wear heavy leather and a cape… which made me think of Asgard again. I grabbed the first aid kit as I walked out to the living room.

“Hey Loki… where did you say you were from?”

I walked out of the kitchen and sat across from him. By now, he had taken off a considerable amount of his ragged clothes, and was left in his tight black pants and a green shirt. My eyes immediately went to his chest, which was pulling his shirt in all the right directions.

“I came here from Asgard, even though technically… well, it’s complicated.”

“Where is Asgard? I’ve never heard of it…”
I knelt beside Loki, taking his hand gently and started unwrap my scarf from it so I could clean off some of the blood and dirt that had collected there. For a moment, I thought I saw him smirk when I knelt beside him, but maybe that was just my imagination.

“You’ve never heard of it?”

“No… but I’m guessing it’s a long way away?”
“Yes” he laughed “you could say that.”

I had done what I could for his hand, and I moved up to his face, which had a few decent scrapes. I started with the one under his left eye, trying to be gentle, but he winced anyway.

“Oh, sorry.”

“No, it’s okay. You don’t have to do this, really I’ll fare just fine. I don’t want you to obsess over me… you don’t need to do that now. You must have more urgent things to tend to.”

I scoffed, shaking my head but continuing to tend to the wound under his eye.

“No… I don’t have anything else. Actually, I would’ve been alone today if you weren’t around”

He blushed a little, smirking as he looked away from me.

“Well… I’m humbled that I get to be your guest, as well as your companion for this morning.”

I finished cleaning the worst of his scrapes, and continued down to his neck. His jawline, his neck and shoulders, and especially his chest… they were just strong-looking enough to be threatening, but soft enough where they begged to be touched. I did my best to keep focused. I knew he noticed me looking at him… and I’m pretty sure he liked it.

“So… tell me about Asgard. What’s it like? Why do you say you’re from there… but then you aren’t?” He sighed, looking disappointed.

“You don’t want to hear about me… really.”

“I really do, please?” He exhaled loudly, showing his discontent, but started to tell me anyway.

“Well… Asgard is one of the nine realms of our galaxy, and it’s the most majestic place I’ve ever seen. The skies glisten at night, and at dawn the sun shines over the horizon and lightss the city ablaze with light. The biofrost bridge is a rainbow of colors, always changing underfoot. It’s where my heart lives, but alas, I can’t call it my home…”

I squeezed his shoulder tenderly, hoping it would give him some sort of comfort… I could see sadness in his eyes as he continued.

“In Asgard, I grew up with a brother, Thor. I was always his shadow, and never could I be his equal. As children, he’d always receive praise from father. He was always loved more, and even as older children, I knew I was different. I wasn’t as strong or as important as my brother. But I was more cunning, more sneaky, and more mischievous…”

He stopped, and I noticed his demeanor change right before me. His hands slowly tightened into fists, and his eyes were filling with pure rage. But it was more than rage, it was betrayal, hatred, and most of all, hurt.

“Recently, I have been informed of my true heritage. My life has been nothing more than a lie; my ‘father’ took me from my home and raised me to be nothing more than a political tool. I am nothing more than a stolen relic, waiting for my purpose.”

His voice was filling with anger, and that power I felt before was beginning to scare me. I tried to hold his hands, but he shoo-ed them away.

“I was lied to my entire life, being told that I could one day be king, when that was nothing more than a shallow lie to keep me content. I’ve been betrayed by the only family I’ve ever known, and now I’m a refugee; unwelcome on Jotunheim, and unloved on Asgard! I have no one!”

I knelt in front of Loki, frozen in fear by his words. His voice was venom, and stung my heart as he spoke. I tried to hold his hands as a small comfort, but he wasn’t having that.

“Loki… Loki listen. You have me, you understand. You aren’t alone.” He scoffed, seeming insulted.

“Oh, a mere midgardian woman who knows nothing of me or my life. I am a god compared to you, and you think you can help?”

I looked away from his gaze. His words rung in my ears, and I felt tears gather behind my eyelids. I looked down and bit my lip, because crying wouldn’t help me now. After a few moments, I looked up at him.

“…it’s better to have someone, than be alone on the street. At least here… you’re wanted.”
He looked at me, the guilt of what he said showing slightly in his eyes. Also, a kinder feeling was in his icy pupils… I couldn’t tell if it was happiness, or a mild form of wanting.

“Yes… being wanted is something I’ve long lived withou-”

Still kneeling, I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and brought him close to me, and kissed him. I tried to stay calm, but felt a strong wave of wanting flow through me, and I couldn’t help but lean against his lips more aggressively. He leaned in toward me, grabbing my waist and pulling me closer to him.

At that moment I knew he was different, just as he said he was. But he saw his differences as a downfall. I saw them as a triumph.