Jealousy

One/One

Loki pressed his embroidered emerald pillows harder to his ears, his expression growing colder by the second. Thor's chambers were all the way down the end of the hall but tonight, it sounded as if they shared the same room. He could hear the headboard as it slammed rhythmically against the wallpapered wall, and the squeaking of the wooden planks beneath the mattress as they threatened to give way. If he listened close enough which, as much as it had disgusted him, he had, then he could hear the rawness of the entire event. The sounds of his grunts and the sweetness of her moans flooded his mind once more as his blood flooded to the opposite direction. Loki threw the pillow he'd been clenching across the room as he realised he was turned on by Aelith Graelle... the very same Aelith Graelle he'd kicked out of his own chambers just last week. He had to get out of there.

The guards in the hall held their breath as Loki approached. His unkempt hair was falling in his face and his hunched-over frame was clad in only his gown and slippers – these were sure signs that the God of Mischief was not up to his usual mischief, but rather, his less usual moping around. They knew it would be inappropriate to comment on the situation as they stood there, secretly pinching their sides in as best of an attempt to hold in their laughter as they could manage. They'd seen who had entered Thor's chambers earlier to be none other than Loki’s girlfriend, or near about. No one ever knew for sure and if they valued their life, then no one ever asked. They recalled him having thrown her out the previous week and had rather fond memories of how she'd screamed at him through the door and demanded to be let in so she could “wipe that ugly smirk off that abomination of a Prince's face”. They wouldn't dare touch a lady themselves without reason, and found it strange that Loki had no desire to give them one that night. They were sure he was going to come out from behind his locked door to drag her down the hallway by her hair and remove her from his space himself, but no such event occurred. Perhaps he enjoyed listening to her enraged insults, or perhaps he thought he deserved all she could throw at him.

Loki hated to admit it, but he felt the regret of his decision now to push Aelith away and tell her he didn’t want her. Okay, so she wanted more than to share a bed with him. She thought she had some sort of claim on his heart based on a few stolen glances and a whisper in the dark. He'd already explained this to her – he didn't have the patience for “love”. Even just thinking the word brought a bitter taste to his tongue. What was love anyway? Surely, he was not that weak... and yet he'd found himself kicking her out before she could convince him otherwise. Was he scared? Of course not... and if he heard anyone so much as hint at the suggestion then he'd have their head. Loki peered at the guards by Thor's chambers with a silent suspicion as he passed them. The sounds were now louder than before as Aelith screamed Thor's name so loud he was sure she knew he'd hear her. Loki moved the book he carried with him to a more strategic location as he concentrated on walking without a questionable limp.

Loki sat himself down by the fire in the Great Hall which at that early hour was pleasantly deserted and being so far away from the royal chambers, was wonderfully quiet, too. He immediately immersed himself in the pages of his book, but soon found he would not be able to keep himself there. What was wrong with him? Had he been cursed? He slammed his book shut and placed it on the table beside himself before cradling up on the couch with his hands on his knees. In the flame of the great fire he looked for answers, but all he could see was the heat. All he could feel was the burning desire for something that he could no longer have.

If there was one thing anyone in the kingdom would agree upon regarding Loki, then it was always without a doubt his seemingly unabashed jealousy towards Thor. It could be seen in every ceremony and public outing they'd ever had since birth, and imagined in every one to pass in the future. If Thor got to taste the finest ale that evening, then Loki would ask for finer. If Thor had three women fussing about by his side, then Loki would summon four. It was concerning to some to imagine what might happen when Thor was made Ruler of Asgard, him being the eldest heir to Odin-Father, and with there being only one kingdom to rule.

Loki's eyes fluttered open as a dim light peered in through the tall windows and the fire died down to a flutter. Had he fallen asleep out in the Great Hall? He groaned inwardly as he got up, thankful that it was still early and that the only woman who was likely to have seen him in his gown was still only his mother. As he quietly made his way back to his chambers, somewhat relieved that he could no longer hear anything promiscuous going on, he overheard the hushed voices of two people having a quiet conversation in the early hours of the morning. Being only just around the corner from Thor's chambers, he knew exactly who these two people were.

“Well I hope you got that out of your system, dear Aelith, not that I would deny you another round...” Loki almost cackled at how Thor's advances lacked a certain smoothness, something he prided himself on, and could only imagine that dumb grin that was forming across his face.

“I wonder if we woke your brother?” And that was it – that was the moment that the whole thing became clear to Loki. She'd used Thor last night in an attempt to make him jealous, all because she couldn’t have what she wanted. The sickly-sweet tone she pulled would not trick Loki, but Thor seemed convinced of her worry as he laughed.

“He threw you out from his chambers last week! Why would you care if he heard you at all? You owe him no such worry.”

“Oh... no reason.”

Loki waited patiently for their conversation to end as he clenched his fists and recalled the worst of the curses he knew that might undo her mind as she had attempted to undo his. How dare she torment him. How dare she. He heard the click of the latch on Thor's chamber door followed by the scuffing of Aelith’s boots on the marble floor before he lunged out at her, covering her mouth to muffle her surprised screams. He ignored the questionable looks he was getting from the guards who with one strong stare in their direction knew not to whisper a word of this to anyone if they desired their tongues to remain in their mouths.

“You're unbelievable, Aelith Graelle,” Loki snarled into her ear as he dragged her through to his chambers. Though, a funny thing happened on the short journey down the hall with her as she seemed to second guess whether torturing the one that hurt her had really been worth it, and Loki's anger was lost to other feelings. He couldn't figure it out as he slammed his door shut and threw her across the room, unsure as to what, exactly, he wanted to do with her now. A moment ago, he might have tortured her. A moment ago, he might have killed her. But now as he stared across at her, the fear fading from her eyes, he found himself almost... proud of her. Perhaps at last Loki had found somebody worthy of him, for there weren't many people that had ever tricked the trickster God. This newfound admiration, which some might call jealousy in disguise, led Loki slowly to Aelith's side. He circled around her as he watched the heaving of her chest with her heavy breaths and the stare she refused to let down, attempting to keep his stature despite his embarrassing attire.

“I must admit... I'm quite impressed,” Loki finally admitted as he came to face Aelith, his hands on her shoulders. "But if you pull a stunt like this again, I'll kill you." Loki knew he'd admitted his defeat to her as Aelith's lips curled into a smirk, but paid the idea no mind. Now that she had his attention, did she even want it? He didn’t like the tightness that was beginning to form in his chest over the idea that maybe, just maybe, he couldn’t have something for once… that he couldn’t have her… that maybe she wanted Thor all along. Loki waited and watched her with an eager eye as he tried to determine what was going on in her mind. Finally, he could take her silence no longer. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers, a little less gently than he'd initially meant to, and found his answer in her kiss.

“Never let me go, Loki.” No, he wouldn't. As unsure as he was about this whole “love” business, he was sure that she wasn’t worth losing.

No, not to him.