(NOT JUST A LOKI STORY - this story is about many marvel characters with Esther Mason and Loki Laufeyson as the main characters - and also includes a Steve Rogers romance side story with... well you'll have to see :))))
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Once upon a time, there was...
I facepalm. "Oh lord, and I have to ride with you."
He starts to chuckle. "I did tell you not to trust me."
I shake my head and smile. "Yes, you did. Anyway, would you like me to tell you how to start it?"
"If you'd be so kind," he smirks.
I walk over and gesture to the seat. "First, you have to sit down."
He nods and obeys, the smug grin on his face never leaving.
The bike is a nice one, with low handles and a big enough seat for two
"Next you have to turn the ignition switch on and making sure the engine kill switch is not in the 'off' position," I explain as I gesture to the two switches.
He does as he is told and listens to her as the others prepare to leave.
I then gesture to the other switches and buttons. "Shift your transmission into neutral. Pull in the clutch and press the starter button. And keep a firm grip on the clutch at all times."
He does it all like he's done it a million times before and once it starts his face lights up with a wide mischievous worthy smile.
I shake my head before I sit down on the seat behind him. I wrap my arms around his waist before saying in a worried voice. "I have a feeling that I am going to regret this."
The other car has already started on its route forward through the rubble and towards the street.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Loki sasses before pressing on the gas and throwing us gently into motion, but sudden enough to make me tighten my grip around him.
We fly through the air as the wind pulls air hair back behind us and the wheels bounce over debris on the concrete. I can just sense a smile on Loki's face as we follow the others, the trail of dust behind them getting in our eyes until Loki swerves out of the way and lets the bike hop over a small pile of rubble. It seems he's already having too much fun.
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My grip tightens from the small grip and I clench my teeth. I really don't trust him with this thing.
I watch the broken buildings pass by as I breathe in the smell of smoke in my nose. I spot the Empire State Building to our left in the distance... the top of it bitten off by an explosion, no longer on fire.
The sky is still thick with fog and the air dense with ash. I can't see the ship anymore, the clouds are too heavy. But I watch around me as Loki's shoulder blocks the wind from my eyes. I can see a school bus left on the curb with a nasty dent on the top... I can see other vehicles left around the city... the windows of every building dark like a massive haunted city, left in the dust long ago. It was only a few hours before that these structures were lit up with life, people around here going about their daily business as normal... Even Loki thinking that this day would be different. But something has hit that no one was expecting... And it's changed everything.
We fly down the road and swerve out of the way of two cars, weaving through the abandoned traffic as he drives faster than probably necessary. We head towards where the road breaks off into a wide crevice. We could take the route the van is taking but he heads for the abyss and speeds up.
"Loki," I say like a threat with wide eyes.
I can sense his grin as he continues to head straight for it but then swerves to the left, launching us over a ramp created by the back of a tow truck and into the air, landing on the other side of the trench with a jolt.
I growl. "I hate you."
He laughs.
.
.
It's a miracle that we make it from this section of the city without being harshly blocked by rubble. But soon we are taking the vacant highway. Most of the road is completely clear. They got everyone out of here already.
The sun is beginning to set over the buildings ahead, peeking through the dense clouds to shine golden light on whatever it can, the dark ocean nearby glistening with the light it's been given.
In spite of all that has happened to me... I don't complain for where I am now. I know it could always be worse. No matter how hopeless the situation is, I feel an odd comfort. Perhaps it's from someone I had forgot was there watching me all along, someone that pulls the real strings... and perhaps this other strange feeling of contentment is from the waist that I clutch onto. He has saved my life. And it may seem unbelievable but I feel like I can trust him; that he's not here to be my torment. Maybe... just maybe he's a savior in disguise. I know technically my parents would be here if not for him... but that wasn't really his fault. And I know that I wouldn't be here at all if not for him either... So in a way... in this moment... I feel safe.
I hold onto my arm tightly, strengthening the grip on Loki's waist as I lean my head against his back and shut my eyes, the moment of true trust taking over, a sign of trust that I have only shown three other people in my life and those were my parents and fiancé.
I let the sound of the engine relax me and despite the chill of the air, and the fact that Loki is a Frost Giant, I feel warm, against him I gain a comforting heat that I appreciate and cling to.
