* Two Steps From Hell epic emotional music above *
"Meddling little busybody."
Kyra backed up, her backpack slung protectively in front of her chest. Her heart thumped like a runaway train, but she was determined not to show it.
"Who are you people? What do you want?" she demanded.
The two men were huge and bulky, blocking the entire entrance of the small alleyway. They advanced meanly, giving her no choice but to retreat. She was going to run out of space soon - behind her was a dead end.
"You leave that wench and her kid alone," one of them said. "You hear me? She's not the one that's got a whole lotta trouble comin' her way."
Even in her dangerous situation Kyra felt something within her flare up.
"Did Nathan send you guys? Are you the one responsible for making her so paranoid? Did you guys threaten to hurt Judy as well?"
She thought of the fearful look and worry Jennifer had worn when she spoke her daughter's name. Her anger escalated.
"You guys are the worst, you know that? And I've got a few words to say to your boss!" she spat. "You tell him, that he's nothing but an - an amorphous nincompoop! And as for you two, I hope you both get attacked by a giant isopod....while you're stark naked! In the shower! And I hope a tongue-eating louse gets into your mouth!"
She lifted her chin up defiantly. The two men frowned, and seemed undecided on whether to laugh or be offended. One of them hacked up a green glob of something nasty and spat it at the ground, before rolling out the muscles in his neck and shoulders.
Crick. Crack.
Kyra swallowed. Something told her things were about to get really bad.
"You're a little spitfire aren't you? Well it's about time somebody doused you with some cold water. Not everybody likes heroes missie."
They walked closer, cracking their knuckles, evil leers marking their faces.
Ah crap. Panicky, she raised her voice and screamed for help. They pounced on her at once of course, a rough hand clamping over her mouth. She trashed and kicked, but her assailants were bestial brutes set on teaching her a lesson -
"Kyra!"
There was an enraged snarl. She'd recognize that voice anywhere.
Her attackers were violently pushed off of her. Loki stood between her and them, his green eyes flashing murder.
Not letting his eyes off of them, he asked, his voice tense, "Are you hurt?"
"I - I'm fine. But Loki, you can't fight them. The terms of your exile......you'll get executed."
Loki's eyes flickered her way and he swore. He pushed Kyra even further behind him and his grip on her tightened.
One of the thugs thumbed his nose. "Well well well. Whaddya know? Lil princess has got a knight in shining armour! Did she get into your pants or something, for you to come dashing to the rescue like this?"
The little voice in her head spoke up.
Kyra Pierce. You are in a life-threatening situation right now, where both you and Loki are in danger. Right now is not the time to be blushing just because somebody implied you slept with Loki.
A pause.
Though technically speaking, you did sleep with him......
Focus Kyra, focus!
The thug was speaking again. "Well it doesn't matter really. We've got orders to make sure the meddlers stop meddling. And that's exactly, what we're going to do."
They moved, closing in, trapping them. They were backed up against the wall, with nowhere to go, and things weren't looking so good.
"This is about the only time I wish my brother was here," Loki muttered.
"Agreed," Kyra whispered. "Though I've never seen him before - but yeah."
Loki locked eyes with her over his shoulder. "I'm going to do something. Do you trust me?"
She swallowed, and nodded.
"Good. Close your eyes."
"What?"
"Just do it Kyra. And no matter what happens, don't look. And don't fight me." He was back to eying the two thugs, and his voice brooked no argument.
"......Okay."
She squeezed her eyes shut, blood pounding in her ears. She felt him move close, and soon she could feel the rough surface of a cement wall behind her back. They had reached the dead end. No more space to retreat.
"This is going to hurt," she heard him mutter, at the same time he wrapped his arms tightly around her, and pushed her down.
The thugs did what thugs did best.
She heard more than she felt the punches and kicks, as well as the grunts of pain coming from Loki. She was sitting down, her knees brought up to her chest, while Loki was crouched over her, encircling her in a protective embrace. She could feel his body in front of her, jerking and thudding as he acted as her shield, taking the brunt of it all.
Of course she couldn't have that - she had thought he was about to pull some fancy magic trick, not this! - and she made to open her eyes.
"Don't look!" But how could she listen? She opened them anyway, brown orbs dilating in shock and horror as she glimpsed the two men beyond dealing as much violence as they could.
"Stop it!" she screamed, "Stop hurting him! He has nothing to do with this!"
She pushed at Loki's arms but - damn - for someone who preferred magic to fighting he was surprisingly strong.
"Kyra please." His words were punctuated by winces as he struggled to hold firm against the increasingly frenzied attacks. "Stop. You're not helping."
"Are you crazy? You're getting hurt!"
"But you're not." And even through all this he still managed to let out a wry smile - that was broken by another grunt of pain.
The pain in his eyes mirrored hers; she felt so helpless, it was the dungeon and the night market all over again......how could she just stand there and let him take it all? It wasn't fair, and what was worse he hadn't even been the one that they were targeting, it was supposed to be her - but now Loki was getting hurt and she could do nothing nothing......
"Let me go. Let me go Loki!"
"For what? So - two people - could get hurt - instead of one?"
"No, so you can hurt less!"
"Well I need someone healthy to play nurse to me later on - " He broke off, turning his head sideways as he swore, and Kyra felt his entire being shuddered from a particularly heavy blow.
The tears spilled without even her being aware of it. "Why are you doing this?"
Loki's smile was crooked.
"Because I'm your boyfriend remember?"
And she watched his teeth clenched as the kicks kept coming.
The tears fell silently as she placed two shaky palms against his cheeks.
"I could use some distraction about now." His voice was hoarse. "You know, from all this - "
He didn't get to finish, because already Kyra had lifted her lips to his. The contact was soft at first, just a gentle brush, and then he closed the distance. The ball kiss had been sweet, but not this one - this one she could taste the saltiness of her tears that had slipped down her cheeks and in between their lips, he was hurting so bad and she could do nothing. This was a bitter kiss, one she wouldn't forget, and not in a good way. This was all she could do for him - at this moment.
Or maybe not.
Because the moment she felt there was an opening she squirmed out from under his arms. The moment she entered the melee she wished she hadn't - there was a kick to her shoulder and she felt something popped, as well as a bolt of pain in her ribs. She heard Loki swore as he tried to pull her back in, but he only succeeded halfway - she was protecting him as much as she could whether he liked it or not. Each blow that came her way meant one less for Loki, and she took the suffering with grim satisfaction.
It was about ten minutes before they stopped. Spitting in their direction and uttering a few more choice threats for them to stop pursuing Jennifer, they finally left. Kyra curled herself up in a ball, wheezing and gasping for air, feeling the pain everywhere. Her left cheek stung like fire and she was sure that all her ribs were broken. She wasn't bleeding - at least, none that she could see - which she took as a good sign. Beside her Loki was slumped against the wall, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. He looked worse than she was, his eye was swollen and his lip was bleeding yet again, the old wound from the dungeons re-opened.
"You know," she rasped, "I don't know - what kind of dating advice you get in Asgard - but - here on Earth - couples face troubles together."
Loki coughed out a weak laugh. "I've never dated before, so I wouldn't know."
Kyra exhaled and leaned back, wincing as she hit a sore spot on her arm. "Liar."
"Have I ever lied to you?" he gasped. "Wait. Don't answer that."
She laughed then, a sound that came out more as a series of snort-grunt-gasp-wheeze-curse-word.
"Man this sucks," she sighed.
"Indeed. Who knows what they're going to do to us next time?"
"We should probably stop pursuing this huh?"
"That would be the wisest decision."
"But we aren't wise."
"Most assuredly not. In fact, I think we're rather stupid." A smirk. "Dumb and dumber I should say."
Kyra raised an eyebrow. "Somebody's been watching Earth movies. And who may the dumber be I wonder?"
"Is it not obvious? You of course."
Carefully Kyra adjusted her position to a more comfortable one, and cringed as she hit another bruise.
"Oh really? Who was the one - that didn't even know what a trolley is?"
"Well who was the one that shouted insults to the people about to beat her up?"
She coughed. "Fair point."
Loki dragged himself closer to the wall so he could lean against it. "I believe we should see the healer."
"Hospital you mean. And yes I agree. Just give me five minutes."
"Make that ten."
"Change it to an hour."
"Why don't we just stay here forever?" Loki pointed up to the clear blue sky above them. "We have a nice view, good company, food across the street......"
"Yeah, and we don't even have to pay rent."
"Sounds like a dream come true."
"Mm-hmm."
Kyra chuckled, which led to a snort of laughter from Loki, and next thing they knew they were engulfed in absurd laughter. Two bruised and battered people, lying hurt and wounded from the ground, after a volley of violence and death threats, laughing. Any passer-by would have think they were nuts.
"Hahahahaha - " Loki broke off, gasping. "Oww. My stomach.....oof, okay no more laughing....."
It only made Kyra laughed harder of course, which didn't help the situation. She had a shoulder that might or might not be dislocated, a dozen bruises already turning purple and ribs that might be broken. Yet sitting there in the dark alleyway, beside a man that already in less than a week had changed her life irrevocably, a man that could make her heart skipped several beats with just one gesture, a man that she could no longer deny her feelings for, a man that well, wasn't even a man, not really, she couldn't help thinking that she had never felt this alright in her life.