Ablaze (Loki x OC & Thor x Balder)

Part Six

Loki immediately stiffened, causing Eir to run into his larger back. She rubbed her nose and stepped back, observing the scene before her. The fiery-haired god clenched his fist, letting his thick bangs cast a deep, ominous shadow over his eyes.

Balder and Thor broke apart, growing wide-eyed at the sight of the other two Norse gods.

Loki clicked his tongue and turned on his heels, storming down the vacant hallway quickly. The pink-cheeks blonde stepped forward, though Thor tugged on his wrist to prevent him from following after the troubled boy.

"Let go, Thor." Balder's voice was low and he avoided the turquoise-haired boy's warm gaze.

Eir stepped towards the two of them. "I think he needs some time alone... and I think it would be best if you gave him some space." She gave a half smile and left the two Norse gods.

~-<+>-~

While Eir retreated to her room to clean and organize all of the study materials she had pulled out to help Loki, she couldn't stop thinking of the mischievous and troubled boy. She had said that he needed time to ponder by himself, but she knew that he also needed to know that he wasn't completely alone.

With the sun sinking behind the horizon and the vibrant hues of sunset disappearing, Eir left her dorm room and strolled through the beautiful artificial garden, surveying the greenery for a particular young god.

He clearly wouldn't be in his own dorm room, and she couldn't imagine him rooming with anyone else. Surely enough, the familiar red hair was illuminated under the dim light. Lying on a bed of green grass, he gazed up at the velvety sky.

Quietly, like she had done before, the brunette sat on the ground beside him.

For a few moments, the two of them laid there on the grass peacefully, in complete silence as they gazed at the stars that grew brighter with every minute that passed. However, within the silence, Eir felt that she could hear the cries of Loki's heart.

"Why does everyone seem to hate me so much?" Loki finally spoke. His words cracked with pain.

The brunette turned towards him, honesty shining in her emerald eyes. "Not everyone hates you." She stated.

"You always yell at me -" He wanted to continue, but the girl interrupted him abruptly.

"I don't hate you. I scold you, but I do care about you, Loki." The boy's shining silver orbs widened with slight surprise as the edges of his vision blurred.

"But Balder and Thor... it was supposed to be us three... together forever." Loki choked. "They never truly cared about me, did they? I was just... tagging along..."

Eir reached out for his strong hand and squeezed it with assurance. "No, they care for you deeply. I can assure you that." A small smile formed on her lips. "They just... love you in a different way than they love each other."

He wrenched his hand from the girl's light grasp and turned over so he wasn't facing her. "No matter what I do, no one will care for me as much as I do them." He mumbled, hiding his tears from the concerned girl.

"That's not true." The goddess frowned. "You don't realize how much I truly care for you. For some reason, I can't help myself from wanting to help you."

"Last night, when I held you..." He mentioned suddenly, examining his hands. "... do you know why I did that?"

"Because you find enjoyment in teasing me?" She laughed softly, hoping that the overall mood was lightening. However, her hopes were incorrect.

"You were shaking from a nightmare. You looked like you were suffering, and I didn't know what to do. I just... I wanted to protect you." The fiery-haired boy confessed quietly, pulling himself into a sitting position. Thus, Eir did the same. She searched his face for any kind of expression other than hurt, though he wouldn't look at her. "You can't say you care about me the same way."

"I do, though." She said honestly. "You don't realize that I am here for you."

Loki turned to her, finally meeting her gaze with steely, determined eyes. "You can't care about me the same way. No one will."

"Stop saying that!" The brunette raised her voice.

She was about to speak again when she was cut off by Loki's lips suddenly pressed to her own. He squeezed onto her arm, and she felt a hot tear slip onto her cheek, dripping from the boy's shut eyes.

The young god pulled away, looking at the shocked girl coldly before standing to his feet. "You don't love me like I love you." He stated, and then walked away, his silhouette disappearing under the dark, velvety sky.

~-<+>-~

Eir curled up on her mattress, clutching a pillow to her chest while pressing her fingers to her lips. She could still feel Loki's there, and the mere thought made her face redden.

But thinking of the troubled god also made her realize that by going after him, she probably only made him feel more alone. His words rung within her ears.

"You don't love me like I love you."

She pulled the pillow to her face and released a muffled scream. She didn't truly understand the concept of 'love,' but if it explained why she constantly thought of the fiery-haired boy and why she felt such a desire to help him and support him, then 'love' was definitely what she felt.

Thus, the brunette reached a solution and jolted upright. She leapt to the floor and pulled on a coat, rushing from her dorm room and back into the garden under the night sky.

The girl ran in the direction where she watched Loki leave after he had kissed her.

After running for several minutes, her legs were becoming wobbly and her lungs ached. She struggled to catch her breath with every step, though finally, she saw the familiar silhouette in front of her.

He sat directly in front of the glowing moon on the ledge of a cliff overlooking the sea.  His long, fiery braid blew softly in the wind and the sound of the waves crashing on the shoreline shielded the sound of Eir's tired footsteps.

"Loki!" She called out to him.

He turned around quickly, his eyes filled with surprise. But he did not get up, for he was afraid of her reasoning for coming after him again.

The goddess walked towards him clumsily and fell to her knees before him. She squeezed her emerald orbs shut and pressed her lips to his.

Loki hesitated for a moment, worrying the girl. But soon, he returned the kiss, wrapping his arms around her back securely. He held her as though if he let go, she would disappear.

When she slowly pulled away, the boy's silver eyes assumed a warm glow as he smiled. They gazed at each other for a few silent moments before Loki pressed on Eir's back and brought her to his chest. He stroked her hair as a red tone grew on her cheeks. Eventually, she wrapped her own, slimmer arms around his torso and nuzzled her nose into his shirt.

She mumbled a few words to the unusually quiet young god as she relaxed in his warm embrace.

"See, you're not alone. I love you like that, too."