The two of you were were finally going out.
A couple of days prior you had mentioned that you had wanted to see more of the terrain and natural splendor of Norway now that you were getting comfortable around Tønsberg. That morning Loki found you while you were brushing your teeth. He squeezed you around your middle and said he had a surprise for you and to dress for a hike. You couldn't wait.
It wasn't long after, that Loki was throwing a basket and blankets in the truck and you were piling in wearing boots and jeans and a fluffy rabbit-trimmed parka you had bought in town from a local. It was early autumn, and the weather was still mild by Norway's standards, but it was a far cry from the California heat you were used to. Loki shook his head at how over dressed you were, but you teased him back about his persistently monochromatic ensembles. Black on black on black was all he seemed to wear. Not that you minded much with how it made his eyes stand out. Today was no different, black pants, black sweater, black jacket...so predictable.
You drove for about thirty minutes out of town before parking in a rocky field. The whole of the new territory didn't take much longer than an hour to cross. You must have been flirting with the borders. You got out, loaded up your arms and hiked for about thirty minutes more over mixed terrain on an unmarked path.
Parts of the path were well worn from centuries of use by those who used to live in Tønsberg - the ones who worshiped the Asgardians as gods, although other areas had fallen into disrepair from neglect. There were vestiges of rough-hewn stone stairs along the steeper inclines and boulders bridging the larger dips. You stopped here and there to take in the sweeping views of great craggy peaks and meandering rocky shores. Dark stone contrasted verdant fields and the white tips of perennially frosted mountaintops.
When you finally reached your destination you weren't just breathless from the exertion - it was stunning. You had arrived at a small lake up in the mountains. It was deep and a clear cobalt blue and was made secluded by the great towering boulders around its perimeter. The water sparkled and glinted in the sun. It was a raw and rugged beauty.
Loki laid out a blanket and unpacked the picnic basket. There were handmade breads and jams and cheeses, and even a flask of mead.
"Come," he said and beckoned you to sit with him.
You were steaming in your parka after the hike, he helped you out of it and sat you down in front of him facing the view. He wrapped his arms around you, loaded up a small piece of bread with cheese and jam and held it to your mouth for you to take a bite. You sat like that for a while, snacking and chatting. He told you about all of the Asgardians who contributed to your picnic feast, he told you about how he had found this spot, he told you about everything he knew or had surmised about the long-gone people who used to live here.
He had been so closed off before, but now you were surprised to learn that he had truly loved to talk. You had almost been just as surprised to find out that you loved to listen to him. There was something in the way that his deep gravely voice sounded like it came from his chest, and there was something in the way that he said his vowels out of the right side of his mouth that entranced you. Maybe this was why they called him Silvertongue, or maybe it was something else.
"So how do you like the view, my dove?" He asked, squeezing you from behind.
"It's beautiful," you said, gazing out onto the shifting sapphire water.
"It is," he replied. But he was looking only at you. He planted a soft kiss on your neck as you flushed at the compliment.
"So are you ready to take a dip?" He asked.
"Loki! It's all snow melt and like... glacier run-off. I'll freeze to death," he was teasing you again, surely.
"No, I promise, I'll keep you warm."
There wasn't a shred of insincerity in his response and be began to take off his boots and jacket and sweater. You stared at him incredulously as he stripped entirely and backed into the freezing pool. He was about waist deep when you noticed that his skin turned blue where the water touched him.
"Loki, you're literally turning blue, I'm not getting in there. You shouldn't be in there either!"
"It's fine," he said "Trust me."
You stared at him hard. Your eyes locked, challenging each other. He challenging you to trust him, and you challenging him to admit his folly. But of course, you realized, he was a god, and he would never back down in a challenge like that.
"Ugh! This is insanity!" You huffed and took off your shoes, then sweater and pants, the frosty air biting at your skin. You braced yourself against the chill as you moved the last of your clothing and grumbled, "I know you're Asgardian, and made of tougher stuff, but if this is your idea of a fun prank on a mortal woman I'm going to be really pissed."
You ran into the water with a shriek, not stopping for a second to consider the biting chill, how stupid this was. Loki caught you in his arms and you curled up tightly against him.
"Well, see, that's the thing," he said, "I'm not entirely Asgardian."
He was a brilliant blue up to his chest now, and his skin was dotted with scarified markings.
"What's happening to you?" You said shocked, concerned.
"It's alright, my dove. I'm not the first Frost Giant this place has seen," and he squeezed you against him tighter. It was odd that it was indeed warmer there, comfortable even.
"What's a Frost Giant?" You asked.
"They're a race. Rivals of Odin. They tried to conquer Midgard once, until Odin stopped them, right here, where New Asgard is now."
"But I thought Odin was your dad?"
"Not exactly. I'm the natural son of Laufey, king of the Jötunn. Odin took me from Jotunheim when I was a baby for... diplomatic reasons, I guess. I only learned the truth ten or so years ago."
"I'm sorry," you looked up at him in shock, "Did Odin fucking steal you from your parents as a spoil of war? And didn't tell you for... Wait, how old are you?"
"Eheheh," laughing, improbably, at the situation, "My age might shock you more than the cold, but I assure you that we're well matched in Asgardian terms. As for Odin... well, I'm starting to come to terms with it now."
"That must have been so hard for you," you pressed your cheek against his shoulder.
"It was a bit dramatic actually, yes. I wound up trying to conquer Earth myself."
It shouldn't have been funny, but you choked out a laugh. Incredulous that that's what New York was about.
"So what happened to Laufey?" You loved that he was opening up like this, no matter how shocking it was.
"That's a story for another time, dove. I'm afraid it doesn't paint me in the best light," he ran his hand through your hair, and you accepted his avoidance this time, knowing that one day he might actually tell you, when he was ready.
"Why is the temperature so tolerable, here in your arms?" You asked.
"Because I'm taking in the chill for you. I can handle it," he tilted your chin up towards him and he kissed you, softly. His touch and his lips were full of vulnerability. His kiss told you that he would always be willing to take the chill for you. Whatever the chill happened to be.
He let you float a little farther from him, and the temperature remained fine. You leaned back looking up at the infinite sky, trying to imagine Asgard in the distance, or where it would have been, all the way out there in that great galaxy of stars and planets and unimaginable places. You felt as if you could almost float up and away into space yourself if you weren't tethered to Loki. He kept your legs in his arms as you floated in the deep crystal waters of the lake in a contemplative calm.
He kissed you first on the ankle, then the calf, then your knee and thigh. He pulled you in closer and placed his last kiss directly on your clit. He kissed you there long and languorously, the heat contrasting with the chill of the water. He pulled your hips down and chest back into him and he kissed you properly on the lips once more.
Looking down you traced fingers against the long marks on his cobalt forearms and considered your earlier conversation. You could never admit it out loud, but this man had at least hundreds of years of stories to tell, countless adventures, and you weren't quite sure that your paltry life experiences could measure up to all that. You weren't quite sure you'd stay interesting to him.
Something soft and pink floated by your face. Then another. One clung to your damp shoulder, and one caught in your hair. You looked up then and saw a petal-pink flurry floating in the air around you. There were no trees nearby, or any ground plants even, that could produce these delicate flowers. You reached up and caught a few in the palm of your hand. The petals were long like a daisy's but pale pink like a cherry blossom. Extraordinary in their delicate elegance.
"Are you doing this?" You asked Loki.
"Yes," he replied "When I first found this place it reminded me of a lake on Asgard where Thor and I would play as children. Mother would take us. It was surrounded by these great pink trees, and in the late spring the wind would blow the petals about in soft drifts like it was snowing. I thought you'd like it."
He was right.
"Come on, let's dry off before the sun gets low," he guided you out of the rocky-floored pool, his hue returning to normal. He wrapped the two of you in a blanket before the chill could set back in, and he took the chance to squeeze you close and kiss you deeply. You wrapped your arms around him and up his back, your entire body warming to him. He could have you right there. The icing on the cake.
You both moved to indulge your bodies, but abruptly there was a near-deafening CRACK and a few feet away, appeared an enormous column of the blinding rainbow light that you'd come to associate with the Seidr Plains.
Thor was there, suddenly, first with a satisfied look on his face, and then one of shock that just about mirrored your own.
"Loki! There you are! I — " Thor was cut-off by his own incredulous astonishment.
"Brother, away with thee!" Loki was less paralyzed by his shock, and with a sudden flex of his muscles he released a shockwave at Thor that sent him flying a hundred yards.
"Shit, my darling, I'm sorry, we ought to go," the golden glow of Loki's magic enveloped you both and you were dressed again, still wrapped in the extra blanket. (Why do we ever get dressed and undressed conventionally when Loki can do that?, was your first, absurd, thought). Loki pulled the hood of your parka up tight around your face. His expression now was serious and you didn't question his urgency.
You were both silent on the hike back down to the truck, and on the ride home Loki looked anxious.
"Hey, is everything going to be alright?" You asked, aware that this wasn't ideal, but afraid to know just how bad it could be.
"Yes, it'll be alright dove," he reached over and squeezed your hand, "There's not much to be done about it at this point, it's just.. It's just that I wanted you to myself for a little longer, that's all. I'm afraid I'm in for a bit of a lecture. Thor's lectures always grate my nerves. He's a bit like father that way," he glanced at you with sad eyes, and you nodded in comprehension.
"Plus what a pompous prick to make Heimdall send him through the Plains up a fucking mountain just to find me. He could have just given me a fucking phone call."
You threw your head back in laughter.
"Loki, you're getting my potty-mouth! I've never heard you use language like that before!"
"Well who can blame me, darling, I've been spending an awful lot of time with your filthy mouth lately." He shot you a sly grin.
You were pulling up to his house now, no, your shared home, you thought, and asked, half in jest:
"Does Thor even have a phone?"
"Ugh, probably not," Loki said, "He just can't adapt. It's a wonder the Avengers keep him around at all. Did you know that one time he asked me if he could send Tony Stark a text message via raven?"
"He did NOT."
"YES, he did. I know he's your favorite Avenger darling, but he's an Idiot. You should really reconsider Steve Rogers or someone. He at least knows when he's falling behind and has the good sense to write it down and do something about it."
You were in tears laughing at that point. The absurdity of Earth's Mightiest heroes not comprehending text messaging. You began settling back into the house, unpacking your basket, making one more meal of its contents for dinner, and poured two glasses of wine. You weren't sure what your little encounter with Thor would mean for you, but for now you just wanted to relax and enjoy the rest of your evening. It had been a perfect day up until that point, and you wanted to get a bit of that back.
You and Loki had no more than clinked glasses in a cheers that there was a pounding knock on the door.
"Shit, that was faster than I thought." He looked at the door, wary.
"We should just face the music," you said, and he looked back at you.
"Right then," he walked over to the door, waited a moment with his hand on the knob, and then opened it, "That was fast brother, did you have Heimdall send you through the Plains again?"
"Don't be so cocky Loki, I've come for answers."
Thor's frame filled the doorway and he pushed through into the kitchen, the Valkyrie following more casually behind. When he came all the way in Thor stopped and made eye contact with you, like he wasn't sure what to say. Neither were you. Luckily he found the words to break the silence first.
"My name is Thor, King of Asgard, kind of, and it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I'm sorry if I startled you earlier, it's just that I did not expect my brother to have company."
"Oh am I not allowed to have a guest then brother? Am I not allowed to have anyone in my presence?"
"Loki, you know full well that is not the issue at hand."
"And what is, brother, the issue at hand? Is the issue that I should have even a single moment of pleasure?"
You would have given the entire world to not be there, to escape the awkwardness. You hated that you were both part of the argument and yet excluded from it. You thanked the universe when Valkyrie saved you from witnessing any more of the argument by ushering you outside.
"Brothers will be brothers," she said, "they're prone to dragging out every little squabble. Come on, give me a hand with these crates while they have it out."
You walked down the road a little bit to a truck with a bed full of crates of bottled mead. You looked back apprehensively, once or twice, and saw a shimmer of gold and a blue-white electric crackle. It made you nervous, the thought of them going at each other in misguided rage.
"They'll be alright," Valkyrie said to you, and she grabbed two crates and easily hauled them into the back door of a building you knew to be the town pub, "a thousand years of sibling quarrels and mostly neither of them have died yet."
"Mostly?" You asked, not exactly reassured. You grabbed two of the crates yourself. Holy shit these are heavy, you thought, and struggled to get your crates just inside the door. The Valkyrie gave you an odd look, and picked up another couple of crates.
"You know, with them nothing's exactly straightforward. But then again, Asgard wasn't very good at creating the most well adjusted people. I should know," you picked up another crate, listening to her, interested in the new perspective, "You know I don't think either of them really thought it through before coming here. And then I don't think that either of them thought they would stick it out this long. And now that they have... well. They're still learning how to be family."
You worked in silence for a few more minutes, thinking about what she said, and then pretty soon the work was done. She beckoned you to sit next to her on the tailgate and she cracked open a bottle of mead. You joined her and took the bottle after she had a swig.
"I think there was another mortal woman once. I don't know the details, but I don't think Loki was kind about it. And now that the tables are turned, well... I don't think Thor is above a little bit of petty pay back."
"Jane Foster," you said. Of course that would be an issue. You took a swig yourself and passed the bottle back.
"All that's to say, I'm glad you're here. I think it's good for Loki, good for everyone. Thor might be smarting about it for a bit, but at the end of the day there's nothing he can really do about it. And he can't really be mad about Loki breaking the rules - not when Thor's happy to break them all the time himself. And not when Loki is literally the God of Mischief."
You smirked and took the bottle back for another drink. It was sweet and tart, full of honey and warm spices.
"Thank you," you said after a moment, meaning it.
"And you know, now that the cat's out of the bag, you don't have to skulk around town anymore - pretending like you're fooling anyone into thinking that you're press or something," she smirked and you nearly choked.
"Haha, damn, I thought I was being so smooth!" You passed the mead back and shared a good laugh. It was actually a relief to have been caught, in a lot of ways.
There was the slam of a door, and a crack of lightening and you watched from a distance as Thor exited the house and stormed towards you. Your heart leapt to your throat again, unease returning.
"I'm sorry you had to see that display," Thor boomed, clearly still worked up, but feigning calm, "I have quarrels with my brother, but of course you're welcome here. All are welcome here in New Asgard. Except when the UN says they aren't. Which is almost everyone presently... But soon all will be welcome here. For now... Well it's just you. Welcome." He gave you an oddly broad, but tight-lipped smile, like he only half meant it, but it was something.
"Thank you. Thank you Thor that means a lot," you hopped off the truck, "I should be getting back. Thanks for the drink." You said, waiving and walking off.
Well that was uncomfortable, but worth it you supposed. The salty night air bit at your cheeks, still hot from embarrassment. There were no more secrets anymore. You felt less like Loki's stowaway now, like you could be a legitimate part of this place, like maybe someday you could call New Asgard home.
————————————————————————————
Thor and Valkyrie watched the girl disappear into the house.
"I like her," said the Valkyrie. She got up and slammed the tailgate to punctuate.
"I worry she'll become another one of Loki's broken play-things," said Thor, "I fear that she's in over her head with with the Asgardians. My life was too much for Jane."
"I don't know if I would worry about that."
"How do you mean?"
Valkyrie gestured at the empty truck bed.
"I should have had to help her with one single crate, but she took two at a time like I did. It was a struggle, but still... She shouldn't have been able to do that."
"What are you trying to say?" Thor asked.
"I'm not sure," Said the Valkyrie, "But she's not entirely a regular human.
"At least not anymore."
Actions