A Whole Bunch of Loki's

Like That One Story... - Beauty and the Beast AU - Jotun Loki - Part Five

Loki searched high and low through the manor to find his host, fretting the entire time about what he would say to try and defuse the situation.

His only intention had been to help, he didn't even think about what opening the curtains and shutters would reveal beyond the dilapidated rooms within.

He was pleased when he finally found them tucked away in a well-lit library, sat on a comfortable and well taken care of couch with a blanket secured around their shoulders as they stared at a book. A fire crackling away and adding comforting warmth to the room.

Glancing around the room, it was easy for him to tell that this place must have been their pride and joy as there barely seemed to be a speck of dust on any of the shelves.

Staring towards them, he moved forward hesitantly, unsure of what to say.

"You are welcome to leave if you've come to mock me," their voice growled, accompanied with the sound of a page turning.

Loki continued on, moving around to the front of the seat and slowly lowering himself onto it, though his tall stature meant that his legs were bent uncomfortably and he instead moved to sit on the floor where he could stretch out in a better position.

"I don't know why you'd think that I'd be here to mock you," he finally said after finding his voice.

"Why wouldn't you? Look at me...I'm a mess."

"You look no more unusual than others I have come across."

They tsked and rolled their eyes, looking away with an expression that was of pure disbelief.

"I doubt it, this is my curse."

"For what?"

They looked at him, their eyebrows furrowed sadly.

"I was merely in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong company."

"How long ago were you cursed?"

They shook their head, tears pricking at the corners of their eyes.

Loki frowned and reached out to rest a blue hand sympathetically on their knee, giving it a gentle squeeze of reassurance.

"I barely remember," they sniffled, looking at him, "all I know is that I want it to be broken."

"Is there a way to?"

"I don't know, I don't have a lot of knowledge about magic."

"But I do, maybe I can find a way to break it for you."

They stared at him through teary eyes, their expression somehow conveying gratitude, fear and uncertainty.

"You think you could?"

"I could only try."

"I'd feel terrible though, you have done so much for me already, what with fixing up the manor."

"That was purely to say thank you for letting me stay and it upset you."

"That didn't, the fear of you seeing me did."

"Either way, if you let me stay a while longer, gather my bearings so that I can set off again, then I'll repay you for finding a way to break your curse."

For the first time since Loki had met them, they appeared happy and grateful to have him around, nodding and agreeing immediately to his terms of staying.

He'd never admit it out loud, but seeing the hope spark up in their eyes made his pride swell more than he believed that it should have and a new determination set in.

By that evening a new room had been set up for him, this time with more furniture and a sufficiently sized bed that was both comfortable and large enough for the frost giant.

He took the three days after the agreement to finish up what he had started, mending the worst areas of the manor, this time with the help of his host.

At first they had been hesitant in getting close enough to help, despite his words of comfort and reassurance, but the more time they spent together and the more comfortable they became, even if they were mostly working in silence, the better they worked.

Together, they gradually tidied and fixed what needed to be done in the worst areas.

From that point on, the weeks dripped by slower and slower while Loki threw himself into finding out what he could about the curse.

What kind of curse it was, what kind of magic it used and from that point how it could be reversed.

During his stay he learned of how food was obtained, where the nearest village was and how to navigate through the forest without getting lost as he previously had.

Life around the manor proved to be easier than he had anticipated.

Loki learned more about the owner of the manor as well.

That they were once a considerably rich person, who lost it all and fell desperate enough to seek out the wrong company, this was how they came to join a group of petty thieves who led them to the witch who cursed them.

This was long ago and they had lived in this manor since, taking solace in the isolation that came with it and refusing to see others unless having to retrieve food from the village, a task that Loki had taken to running for them.

Granted, the people weren't too keen on a frost giant being a patron, but they felt it best to give him what he was after rather than withholding it.

As weeks turned to a month, which in turn became several, Loki found himself enjoying his stay too much to leave and dreaded the thought of having to find his way back home once he did.

Part of him even wondered if anyone missed him back in Jotunheim or if they had completely forgotten that he even existed.

His progression with breaking the curse was slow, a lot slower than he had initially expected it to be, but he found that it didn't bother him as much as it would have in the past.

By the third month of living together, his relationship with his cursed host grew and they bonded over many things, especially in the library and they were vastly enjoying each other's company more by the day.

Their conversations were more comfortable and they were both more open with each other, close enough that Loki would consider them friends.

"How is it going?"

Loki looked up from the old book that he was researching from and turned to look over his shoulder, giving them a comforting smile as they came closer.

"Well, actually," he smiled back, turning back towards the book as they stepped to the side of the desk, "I feel that I'm getting closer."

"Really?"

"Yes, I'm being completely serious."

"That's amazing, though also very terrifying."

"Why do you say that?"

They frowned and rested against the desk, half sitting on it as they rested their hands in their lap, staring at their fumbling fingers.

"I don't remember what I used to look like, what if I hate what I see then? What if I can't stand looking in the mirror?"

Loki chuckled lightly and shook his head.

"I believe that you're overthinking it, it'll take a while to get used to but I'm sure that you are a fine-looking person."

"You aren't just saying that?"

"Why would I?" He laughed, louder this time, while grabbing their hands in his own significantly larger and colder ones, "you are my friend and that is what matters."

They looked at him and brightened up at the sincerity behind his words, giving his hands a gentle squeeze.

"I don't deserve a friend like you, Loki."

Loki stared at them, shaking his head as he let go of one of their hands and reached up to smooth the hair around their canine-like ears.

"You do, I think this is something we both needed."