A Whole Bunch of Loki's

In Your Own Time - Part Two

Years had passed since they had last seen on another.

Their families had visited one another every other month in hopes of Thor and Eirlyn's betrothal moving forward.

The visits went on for sixteen months and it took Loki that long to remember the princess' name, something Thor would tease him.

"Of course you couldn't remember her name, you were too busy eyeing up her brother."

Loki would roll his eyes and mutter some comeback, but he couldn't deny it.

After their talk, Loki had found himself drawn ever more infatuated with the prince, though he kept to his word and didn't make any further advancements on him, even if that proved hard at times.

However, after Thor had had enough of the toing and froing, he put his foot down and said that he refused to marry Eirlyn, wanting to take his own time rather than be forced into marriage when he was still young and could go on adventures without fretting about such things.

Odin hadn't been happy, but reluctantly accepted Thor's objection and the families no longer visited one another.

In the years that passed Loki had, on multiple occasions, been tempted to send a letter to the prince but second guessed it and always ended up not bothering.

Thankfully, he found that the more time that passed the less he had the urge to write to him and by the third year the thought was far in the back of his mind.

That was it for another two years.

Five years passed of Thor and Loki maturing, learning and becoming the young men that they were destined to be.

New adults, out of the awkward teenage years and into full maturity.

The perfect time to reunite with an old crush.

The fall market was well underway and Loki had decided that it was time to venture out and visit the people to see what they had to offer.

He enjoyed fall, there was an atmosphere to it that was lost to the other seasons and it saddened him that his favourite season was the shortest, but he wouldn't let the lingering vibe of the near winter get him down.

Loki walked amongst the stalls, picking up gifts for his family and talking with people as the mingled, acting as that day's face of the royals.

Some gifted him with things to take home, others discounted what he was purchasing and many just wanted to have a moment with someone from such a prestigious family.

It was pleasant to have this kind of attention, even if it was tiring.

He'd finally found a quiet place to hide from others.

A small bookshop that was tucked away in one of the furthest corners of the market, a place he always made sure to visit when he was around and had a spare minute.

No doubt he would end up buying more than he could carry, but his library was beginning to feel a little empty these days anyway.

"Do you really need more books?"

Loki lifted his head from the book he was flipping through and looked over his shoulder, seeing the matured and grinning face of his favourite prince.

He wasn't sure if he managed to hide his surprise, but the man standing opposite him didn't show any indication of having noticed.

"You can never have too few books," he finally replied, closing the one in his hand and turning to face him.

"Depends how much you like books I suppose."