Giftless

Chapter 30

You woke after only a couple hours of sleep, feeling scared and alone. You hadn't gotten sucked into the nightmare of the fire or the party, but you were still uneasy and didn't want to go back to sleep, especially not alone, where it wasn't safe. So you padded out of your room in your pajamas and made your away across the hall. You were sure you would be turned away, but you opened Loki's sitting-room door anyway. You made your way to his bedroom and cracked the door open. His eyes opened when you did and he looked over at you, half-glaring that he had been woken. You weren't actually sure he was entirely awake.

"Can I come in?" you asked him softly, scared he would turn you away. He hesitated. You knew he was thinking of the party, of how careful he'd been not to push you, to make you uncomfortable, in the couple of days it had been since the party. And now you were asking to join him in his bed. Only for sleep, but still... "Please?" you added, your voice a whisper, and that whisper betraying your fear.

He pulled back the covers on the other half of the bed and rolled over on his side, facing away from where you would be. "Fine," he relented. "Just do not tell your uncle. And close the door," he grumbled, half asleep. He wasn't being malicious, but Loki didn't do well in the morning, or with being woken. Or with letting little mortals wear away his better judgement.

You closed the door and crept into the bed. He had his back to you and stayed that way, trying to be as proper as possible. You hindered with that by curling against his back, wrapping your arms around him like he was a giant teddy bear. You finally felt safe, despite all logic, and were finally able to get some sleep.

Your alarm woke you both the next morning. You found that you were still wrapped around Loki, holding onto him for safety. You blushed when you realized what you had done while half asleep. The thought startled you and you scrambled out of the bed, turning all sorts of shades of red. Loki followed behind you, concern on his face. "Love? Are you ok?" he asked gently. You nodded, trying to reassure you both. Loki sighed heavily, looking at the fear in your eyes. "I should not have let you stay..."

"No, I'm glad you did," you replied quickly. It had been what you needed. "Just embarrassed that I asked, embarrassed that I slept in your bed with you. It's not...appropriate, but it's what I needed to be able to get any sleep." You knew you weren't explaining this well. You'd napped in the same bed as Loki before and you knew it was the party that had you on edge now.

Loki wrapped you in a hug, now that he knew what the problem was. "I am glad you came to me for help. It was soothing to have your heartbeat next to mine, to know that you were safe," he replied gently. He kissed the top of your head. "Now go get ready for school," you nodded and slipped out of his room to get dressed. You wished yet again that girls' uniforms included pants instead of skirts, but there was no choice, so you had to get over it. You also hoped that the school wouldn't be too terrible after what you'd done to the star football player, but you didn't have time to dwell on that.

You looked around for your schoolbag and lit notes, only to find that they were missing. You glared at the spot where they should have been. A note came fluttering down into your hands. <Your breakfast is getting cold> Silly trickster stole your stuff.

You sighed and went to go find him, your breakfast, and your notes. He was waiting at your table in the dining room for you. Your notes and bag were there too, as was your breakfast. At least you had an easy hunt to find all of your possessions.

You smiled brightly when you realized that Loki had convinced Helene to make you pancakes for breakfast. You grinned at him while you devoured them. "I love you," you told him between bites of pancake. He was adorable and so thoughtful and you didn't know what you had done to deserve such treatment.