Packless Monsters

Chapter 68

It was all you could do to get Loki to bed that night and it took all of your skills in the bedroom to keep him there. It was even more effort to get him to go the fuck to sleep. He was like an excited puppy on Christmas eve, so excited to see his beloved mama and show her where he was living and the people he was living with.

He woke annoyingly early after only a couple hours of sleep. You growled at him to at least bounce quietly if he wasn't going to stay in bed. You didn't do well if you didn't get enough sleep. Nor were you a morning person. So Loki got growled at and obediently bounced quietly while he waited for it to be a reasonable enough hour to risk waking you.

When he did risk waking you again, he brought you an offering of chocolate so you wouldn't bite him. It worked. Barely. You were still severely tempted to bite him, but sat up and accepted your offering of chocolate instead. Loki sighed in relief that he wasn't getting bitten that morning.

"When will your mother get here?" you asked him around a bite of chocolate. You had no idea where the chocolate had come from, but you weren't going to question it either. You knew better. Based on the quality, it probably came from Tony's private stash. Tony kept a supply around to use to apologize to Pepper with.

"Soon," Loki replied. "She said she was arriving early this morning,"

You smirked at him. "Did you convince Barton to make pancakes for her?"

Loki nodded enthusiastically. "It did not even take very much convincing. He seemed pleased to be able to give the queen of Asgard a new treat that she will enjoy," Loki said, clearly pleased with himself for thinking to ask.

"You think she'll like them?" you asked as you climbed out of bed and found something more appropriate to wear. In this case, a green dress that was casual enough not to draw attention, but nice enough to go out with the queen of Asgard in. Loki had helped you pick it out. He was dressed nicely as well, though not in the full black suit of sexiness, black slacks and a green button-down shirt instead.

"I think she will love them," Loki replied warmly and walked downstairs with you. When you got there, you found Clint feverishly making pancakes. Loki sniffed the air in a very wolf-like manner when you entered the kitchen. He smiled appreciatively. "They smell perfect, Barton," Loki praised Clint with a purr in his voice.

Clint looked surprised at the praise, but gave Loki a grin after a moment of shock. "Only the best for the queen of Asgard," he replied warmly and went back to his pancakes.

At that moment, you saw the rainbow lights of the Bifrost appeared outside. Loki and Thor both lit up at rushed to go greet their mother. You smirked at their enthusiasm and let them have their time with their beloved mama. Especially Loki with his mama. He was such a mama's boy.

The three of them eventually returned to the common floor of the tower and the boys introduced their mama to the team who didn't know her already. You went over to greet her after they were done. "Allmother," you greeted her politely with a warm smile.

Instead of a formal greeting, she pulled you into a hug. You expected as much, knowing the queen well thanks to your time in Asgard and the stories from the boys. "It is wonderful to see you again, darling," she said. In the short time that you'd known her, she'd adopted you as one of her own. It was what Mama Frigga did with anyone who came into her life or her sons' lives.

"And you Allmother," you replied politely. She laughed at your formality and seemed sure she'd break you of it eventually.

Loki and Thor got her seated at the dining room table and you all gathered around with pancakes. Frigga took a bite of hers and you could practically feel Clint's apprehension at what she thought of them. She lit up in delight. "What a delightful Midgardian food," she commented happily. Loki beamed and seemed so happy that his mama liked his favorite Midgardian food.

After breakfast you, Loki, and Frigga all headed out to the dress shops and the mall to try to find wedding inspiration or better yet, a dress. You went to shop after shop, hoping that Loki and Frigga knew what they were looking for, as you had no idea. You'd found the part of your wedding that you actually cared about. You'd chosen the part you cared about. It was your Loki. The rest of the wedding didn't matter as long as at the end of the day, Loki was yours forever.

So you went to store after store, trying on dresses and veils, trying out colors, and flowers, and whatever else they decided you needed to look at. Frigga seemed pleased by the dresses she saw you in and at least had ideas for what to make the seamstresses make, as well as your measurements.

You took her out for lunch at a little cafe and Loki was so pleased to show off where he was living and his favorite places to his mama.

Or he was until you heard the soft pop and rush of air.

The sound was familiar, but you couldn't place it until Frigga raised a hand to her neck where the dart with the fluffy pink end was embedded in her neck.

You stared at it uncomprehendingly for a moment.

Her eyes widened in surprise before they rolled up in her head and she collapsed as footsteps approached you, footsteps in heavy military-style boots.

You weren't paying attention to them. They weren't as important as the horrific animalistic roar filling your ears and echoing at least a block. It was a roar that changed from angry human-shaped male, to angry howling wolf.

Whoever had done this to Loki's beloved mama had caused that terrible noise to come from his throat. And that was just the very tip of the iceberg.