You awaken to the gentle sounds of Loki's snoring- something you've never heard before. The soft, relaxed breaths coming from him causes your stomach to flutter.
You shift under his weight as carefully as possible, wanting so badly to take advantage of the opportunity to watch him sleep. Once you manage to prop yourself onto your hip with him still wrapped completely around you, your stomach does another little flutter. After settling in, you realize the feeling in your stomach wasn't exactly a flutter that time, and when it happens for the third time, it is very obviously a pushing sensation, and it is coming from inside of you.
You gasp at the realization, grasping for your stomach and accidentally waking your snoozing prince.
"Are you alright?" He shoots up in the bed, raven hair tossed all over and tumbling over one crimson eye.
"The baby! Loki- the baby is moving!" You grab hold of his hands, pressing them over top of your bare stomach, holding your breath with a silent prayer that it will happen again.
Loki's entire face lights up in the most beautiful way you've ever witnessed when it does.
"Does that hurt?" Eyes fixed on your stomach, his brow furrows with concern.
"No, not at all. It's wonderful." Your vision blurs from unshed tears, Loki's sparkling back at you in return.
While the little kicks and rolls don't last nearly long enough, you and Loki remain snuggled together for at least an hour, his hands roaming from your stomach to your hips, to your thighs and over your breasts, the only thing occasionally breaking the love-heavy silence are tender kisses, giggles, and breathy 'I love yous.'
A timid knock at the door pulls the two of you out of your trance.
Loki hesitates for a moment, arms wrapped around you, appearing as though he may choose to ignore the knock altogether.
When the person behind the door knocks again, it's accompanied by an even more shy sounding voice. "Prince Loki- a message from the Queen."
He unfolds himself languidly out of the bed, reaching for the doorknob still stark naked.
You can't help but giggle to yourself when you hear the very obviously surprised member of staff greet the naked prince.
After an exorbitant amount of 'pardon the intrusions' and 'my deepest apologies your graces' Loki shuts the door, letter in hand, an immoderately smug smirk spread wide across his face.
"Do you find it entirely necessary to traumatize the staff during our brief visit here?" You shoot him a playful smile as he crawls back into bed.
"She'll recover." He kisses your forehead before tearing into the letter.
You rest your head on his shoulder as he reads, your heart sinking when his body tenses underneath you.
"What's wrong?" Your stomach twists into an unbearable knot, afraid to actually hear the answer.
"Laufey has given us directions to the safest way out of the castle."
"Do you think it's a trap?"
"No." He laughs as though he's surprised by his own response.
"So, you do trust her?" You attempt to keep your tone neutral.
"I'm beginning to, yes."
"Why? What changed?" You grab for his hand, twisting your fingers around his.
"Before she took you outside of the dining hall to talk to you, she gave me her arcana- the object that contains her magic, that she draws her magic from."
"That seems big." You feel your cheeks flush, knowing it's got to be wildly obvious that you have no idea what that means.
"It wasn't only that. It wasn't only the fact that she'd handed over every bit of control of her magic to me. It was the fact that her arcana looked exactly like mine."
"Oh." You search his face, still confused as to what exactly this means.
"My Aura is the same as Frigga's... She's the one that taught me- nurtured me and the development of my magic; But the form your arcana takes can only be passed biologically."
"Where- what is your arcana? Have I seen it before?"
"I don't have one anymore. Well, I do- it's just empty. I no longer need to use it. Frigga taught me that arcana's should be used only as a vessel as a safety precaution while learning to master your seidr. Errors can be... rather grim and having a buffer is not only a wise, but necessary choice. She also taught me that you cannot achieve your full power while still using one. They become no more than a crutch."
"Then why is Laufey still using one?"
"I have to assume she was never taught to draw from her power internally. But the fact that she can do what she can while she's still using one, that's- well, that's something to think about."
It seems fairly clear that Loki is implying that Laufey is incredibly powerful considering she still uses what he considers to be a crutch to wield her magic. It also seems fairly clear that her learning to use her seidr without it could be dangerous.
Either way, you feel too embarrassed by your continued naivety to ask any more questions about it right now, and also find it utterly impossible to concentrate on anything other than Loki, who has crawled back out of bed and is currently pacing around the room, digging though drawers and cupboards, searching for something- still entirely nude.
"Can I help?" Your cheeks catch fire.
There's certainly something I'd like to help him with.
"No, it's just easier for me to have something to work with to-" His voice catches in his throat, nostrils flaring wide just before he turns to face you, halting his search.
You rise to your feet, your legs like noodles under his gaze, completely unaware of what's caused his sudden laser-focus on you. "Loki? Are you okay? What's going on-"
"Dammit, woman... I can sense when you're aroused." He storms over to you, his hands against the wall at the sides of your head, his usually green gaze still glowing a fiery crimson.
Okay- that's not, not attractive.
You feel your cheeks flush under his primal gaze, a small part of you wondering if he'd like to eat you alive. A slightly less small part of you, completely willing to let him do so.
"What are you going to do about that?" You purr, the butterflies in your chest multiplying by the dozen at your forwardness, and the sweet anticipation of just exactly what he's going to do about that.
Something between a laugh and groan slides between his teeth, his breath running down your neck and leaving a trail of goosebumps down your entire side that stretches all of the way to your toes. "I could take you right here against this wall."
"Is that a threat or a promise, my prince?" You arch your back, pushing your naked breasts against his chest. The lack of his usual chill against your skin comes as a surprise once again, the feeling causing an electric-current like sensation to run from your nipples all the way down there.
He rumbles something into the side of your neck, dragging his teeth from below your ear to your throat.
You gasp when his arousal presses into your hip.
When he takes you this time, it's fast and urgent, your toes leaving the ground a little bit more with each unrelenting thrust of his hips until he grabs hold of your thighs, wrapping them around his waist for support. He cries out your name when your orgasm peaks, his own tipping over the edge along with you.
"Gods." He groans, delightful little aftershocks of his orgasm still pulsing through him, giving you little thunderbolts of pleasure as he traces his lips across your shoulder and down your arm.
Your very much blue arm.
Shit.
"Loki... What am I supposed to do about the state that I'm in? I have enough to explain to Aster and to my parents already without showing up a different color than I was when I left."
He bites playfully into your wrist, looking up at you with a smirk.
You hate yourself just a little bit for what sort of feelings that stirs inside of you.
"I'll cast an illusion over you. As long as I can be within a relatively close distance to you, all will be well." He places a series of tender kisses along where his teeth had just been, nearly succeeding in distracting you from the topic at hand.
"What if we are separated?"
"I may not be able to cast the illusion as efficiently." His brow furrows. "Are you hoping to keep me away from you upon our arrival in Vanaheim?"
"That's quite literally the last thing I want- I'm just worried it may become inevitable at some point."
"Your parents." He sighs.
"Well- yes, but-"
"It's alright, I understand." He traces his lips back down your jaw, working his way to your neck. "I can get us into the palace undetected. There is a pathway in their palace gardens."
"You know about that?" You tip your head back to look him in the eyes.
"You know about that?" He gapes.
The two of you stare at one another mystified, until you begin to giggle. "Bragi called it an urdoor, I think."
"Bragi sounds like someone I should get to know." Loki smirks.