Loki POV
"Brother?"
Loki lifted his gaze from Olivia's sleeping form in his arms to meet that of his adoptive brother.
Thor, used to Loki's silence, continued. "Is she going to be alright?"
Loki sighed, looking back down at the precious lifeform he held close.
"She will be. Suppressing her magic for so long has wreaked havoc on her control. Power like hers wasn't meant to be contained. Until she learned to accept it and use it, this was always going to be the outcome."
Loki sensed Thor nod his head in agreement, though if the oaf actually understood any of it was still up in the air.
Loki carefully stood with Olivia still snuggled tightly in his arms.
"You care for her."
Loki turned, glaring at Thor for his remark.
"No. I am simply the one tasked with her magical well being."
Thor stepped closer, pausing when he noticed Loki tense up. Loki didn't want anyone close to him when he was in his frost giant state.
"If you must say that for the sake of the others, then so be it. But do not try to lie to me brother. Not about this."
Loki didn't answer.
Thor didn't seem to care that he was walking a precarious line. "You care for her. I see it in the way you watch over her. The effort you put into helping her throughout the day, be it small, I see it."
"You see what you want to see. I am still the same as I was in that cell. A monster." Loki growled, quieting his voice when Olivia let out a small whimper, flinching in his arms.
"You. Are. Not. A. Monster." Thor stepped closer, closing the final distance between the two of them so that he could place a hand on Loki's shoulder, squeezing with emphasis.
"If you are a monster, what does that make her?" Thor pointedly looked down at the sleeping girl in Loki's arms.
Loki positively seethed. "This mortal is the exact opposite of a monster. She would do anything, nothing short of sacrificing herself for others. She is the embodiment of good."
"And she is your soulmate."
"Exactly." Loki answered without realizing what his oaf of a brother had just gotten him to admit.
When it did hit him, his anger turned to panic. The secret he'd been keeping for the past year, the secret he'd given everything to protect, was just ripped from his lips in a moment of blinding anger.
"Worry not, brother. Your secret is safe with me. All of your secrets." Thor gave Loki's blue skin, glowing red eyes, and black horns a once over before continuing. "I do have a question though."
"Of course you do." Loki mumbled, considering just flashing his soulmate back to his realm and leaving his fool of a brother to himself.
"How is it that you can touch her in this form?"
Shocked, Loki almost dropped the little mortal. In all the panic, he hadn't even realized this himself. Taking a moment to think it over, he gave the most logical answer he could think of. "We are soulmates. There's not a form of mine that would cause her harm."
Thor grinned at Loki's admission.
Loki rolled his eyes. "You speak a word of this to anyone and I will find that which you hold dear and snuff it out of existence."
Thor attempted to hide his smile, taking a step back.
"Where are you taking her?"
"Somewhere safe, where she can get the rest she needs without disturbance." Loki answered before flashing to Olivia's room, not waiting for another word from Thor.
Using magic, Loki simultaneously had the curtains block out the midday sun and changed Olivia out of her wet workout clothes into a pair of dark green pajamas made of the finest silk in the nine realms.
Gently he carried her over to her bed, placing her amongst her pillows and pulling the comforter around her body.
The urge to crawl in beside her and hold her close was strong as always. But he had other things he needed to do while she slept for the next day or so.
Leaning down, he brushed her hair away from her face, his touch lingering.
"Sleep, darling. I'll be back before you wake." He placed his usual spell for a dreamless sleep over her, along with a cloak over her room so that she wouldn't be disturbed before flashing to his own room.
Laying on his bed, he closed his eyes, concentrating on blocking his consciousness off from everyone and casting an illusion over his form before reaching out to his Lady Mother.
My son.
Her voice happily answered his call.
Mother. He started, but then found himself hesitating.
It really is her, isn't it?
Loki could hear the smile in her voice. His mother always saw beyond normal perception.
It is her.
Oh! How wonderful! When will you bring her to Asgard? It's not kind to keep your mother waiting.
I'm... not sure if I will.
Why ever not? Disappointment and concern took the place of her joy.
Loki's silence conveyed all too much. His mother always had a way of reading him.
Now you listen to me and you listen well, Loki Odinson. You are enough. You are just as deserving of finding eternal happiness as anyone else in the nine. I will not have you throwing away a life of love based on one unsupported ideal of yourself.
I am a monster. She deserves better than I.
Does she believe that?
No. But she knows naught.
Have you not spent the last few months getting to know her? Have you not shared details of your life with her?
I have.
Show me.
Begrudgingly, Loki opened his mind up further to his mother. Allowing her to see selective memories he'd shared with Olivia. Both on midgard and in his own realm.
All I see is a warm, kind and gentle soul that accepts you and will love you even for your flaws.
Of which I have many.
Don't we all?
She had a point.
Sensing she'd won him over, his mother quickly moved on.
Now, do tell me about my future daughter.
Loki smiled.
She is beautiful, both in form and heart. He started, before spending the next few hours engrossed in sharing his adoration for his soulmate.