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flavors of youth !
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Loki didn't know what home was.
Even in Asgard, inside the warm and safe walls of the palace he still feels out of place next to his family. He had traveled throughout the nine realms, he had sat under the cherry trees of Alfheim and climbed the mountains of Nilfheim, he had scoured the harsh lands of Helheim and trudge against the vicious snow of Jotunheim. Yet, none of them feels like home.
Yet,here in the last place he had expected,Midgard, he felt more at home than he ever did.
He could feel the tall grass of the hills brush against his legs and the ground breathing under the soles of his boots. He had the impulsive urge to pull them off to feel the earth under his toes and as he watched the small pond sway gently against the evening wind he wanted more than anything but to run towards the clear waters.
He could taste the flavors of youth, the temptations he nearly forgot he had as a child, the unquenchable hunger for freedom and innocence came crashing down on him like a burden set free from his shoulders. The sight itself moved him to feel things he never knew he could, things he thought he had lost long ago.
He instantly knew where they were,it was no other than her hometown, Nagoya. They were by the cliffside, where the ocean waves lapped under them like hounds. The portal must've sent them to the place they were thinking about and Makoto had once said fondly that this place was her favorite,and she had hoped that the next time they dreamed they would meet here.
It never happened.
The sun was setting in the horizon,engulfed by the mountains like the curtains rolling after the end of a play. The sky was clear of any clouds, stretching into miles and miles of lilac hues.
He followed the sunset until his eyes landed on the woman before him.
He couldn't remember the last time he cried, it could've been eons ago. He had spilled a few tears under the mad titan's torture, but they were out of reflex, out of physical pain.But the tears that flowed down his cheeks today were of immense joy, the kind he had not known for what felt like centuries. He had forgotten what it felt like and the feeling had shocked him.
A bird flew above him, it was a white dove. It's pristine wings circling the sky above them,before diving towards her and into the pond. She gave him a quivering smile, unable to hold back her sob.
Before he knew it, his legs were moving out of his own control, sprinting through the field. She followed, her legs drifting through the green plains. In an instant they collided, with more force Loki had expected, causing the two of them to tumble down. They rolled down the small slope leading to the pond, where they splashed against the side of the shallow waters.
The bathing doves fluttered away, irritated by the intrusion. Loki gazed up at her, his chest heaving as one of his hands stayed behind her head, afraid that it could've been hit during the fall. His other hand circled her waist, relishing in the touch. His fingers dig into her skin above the hem of her cream pants, under her shirt.
He could feel the softness and warmth radiating off her.
She was real, in the flesh.
Here with him.
The hand behind her head trailed down her temples,before cupping against her rosy cheek. She was bracing one hand against his shoulder,above his armor plate, the other running through his hair. She seemed to be exploring the sensation as well, drinking in the cold of his skin and the feel of his hair.
Knowing that this was real made overwhelming feel like an understatement.
She pressed their foreheads together, her lips inches above his. He could feel their breaths mingling and his eyes fluttered shut.
" I found you," She whispered,voice cracking," I finally found you."
" You did," He breathed out,holding her closer, which was impossible considering that they were pressed against one another so tightly.He was afraid of crushing her ribs against himself, he knew how humans are more fragile than Asgardians. Yet from the way she was embracing him, she didn't seemed to care.
" You found me."
The idea of her searching for him warmed his heart, the feeling crawled against his chest like fire whiskey, the kind Thor likes to steal for both of them from their father's cabinet when they were back in their teens.
" Tell me your name," He murmured and it could've been the closest thing to begging Loki ever did. He stroked the tear stains on her cheek, cradling her as fiercely as a man possessed.
"Makoto," She laughed," My name is Makoto Yamamamoto."
He smiled,as if the name was the answer to the question he had been asking all his life. Which in this case, was right.
" Makoto," He tried, rolling the name off his tongue effortlessly, as if it was meant to be said. Her name was the only language he never needed to learn,only it was the one he couldn't speak everytime the sun rises,so when the sun sets behind them he said it as if it was a prayer, full of convection and sincerity,because despite of everything he was still afraid of forgetting.
She nodded, tears spilling out of her eyes once more, cascading down her lashes like constellations and onto his cheeks,"You are?"
" Loki," He whispered.
"Loki," She said his name tentatively, drinking in the feel of it against her lips. She laughed, before saying it again, and again,and again. Each one accompanied by laughter louder than the last.
It was then did he felt her lips brush against his, and he froze, before instinctively pushing himself to capture her lips. Something possessed him and took control of his senses, causing him to ravish her like a man starved. She kissed him just as passionately, the press of her lips and the touch of her skin felt like fire.
Then it gradually fell, like the rising of the tide under the moon the kiss begins to soften, as it begins to sing the last verses of their song. They shared a story, filled with years and eons of waiting and longing. Their hearts ached as they beat against one another, their pulses syncing.
When Makoto parted for air,Loki nearly forgot that he was still on the run, but looking back at her flushed complexion he supposed, the chase could wait.
They both lay there, basking under the last rays on sunlight, sharing a laughter they have been sharing for years within the fragments of their dreams.
The horizon was an assortment of amber and gold, their light draping over the the trees as they danced against the evening breeze rolling from the mountaintops. They whispered amongst each other, singing a song only the pristine doves knew as they soar above the plateau. They took the shriveled leaves by the hand, asking them to waltz against the earth. The flower petals joined in, scattering across the earth in hues of salmon and cerulean
Their laughter echoed down the hills, carried by the wind as they danced through the leaves of the sakura trees and under the feeble bridge by the lake before disappearing into the woods of Nagoya.
The rays of sunlight formed strands of red strings above them,guiding the pack of doves to find their way home.
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Loki was the god of lies, that itself is undeniable.
"Do you have to leave?" Makoto asked, even though she knew the answer.
Her forehead was pressed against his shoulder, her hair fanning across his back. They were watching the last rays of light fading into the night,which in this case, took longer than most sunsets. Which was why Makoto loved it so much, it was because the sunset was the closest thing they could get to eternity. It would last in what seemed like forever and she liked to think that such thing exists, in a world where not even itself is temporary.
He rested his chin against her head, his fingers tightening their grip against her own in a bitter farewell," I cannot run. It would change everything."
"But aren't you happy?"She asked, not looking up at him. Her eyes fell onto the ground, onto a small dandelion next to her.
" Of course,"He admitted,he placed his fingers under her chin to lift her gaze to his," I never wanted anything more than to know your name Makoto,but it doesn't end there.I am not the same person I was decades ago. I have changed, we both have, whether we liked it or not. I have somethings to settle before I finally stay with you."
" You will stay?"
" Was it every a question?" He shifted, press a kiss against her forehead," Makoto I am not going to loose you now.I've only just found you and it will cause me great sorrow to leave, but I must,or they will search for you too."
" Take me with you," Makoto wrapped her fingers against the lapels of his armor.
" I can't," He sighed," The gods know how badly I want to but I cannot, you are not safe there. I need you to wait here for me, because only then can I promise you I will come back, because I will hold on to your name, to you."
She studied him, for a second there in New York she was petrified of him, but she knew he had been under some kind of spell, now his eyes are green once more, like jade stones they illuminate the night with a light that pulled her closer.
The air was filled with the song of nocturnal animals, she could hear the crickets around them begin to chirp. The flash of lilac and orange faded into Prussian blue, encompassing them in the comforting shadows of the night.
" You already know my name,you'll need a stronger promise."
Loki was taken aback by her statement, but he supposed she was right. If she was going to leave him, he too would want a sign for her to return. The last time this played out he vanished from her dreams for ten years, without any warning or goodbye. It was then did an idea appeared, the kind that he didn't thought about, rather knew all along.
Loki was never reckless, unlike Thor he thought things through, when it comes to battle and speaking to their mother after they've upset her. In regards to love, Loki wasn't a complete stranger, he had a few lovers he admitted, the ones he used to try to get her out of his head. It was harsh, but they eventually saw through him and knew it wasn't sincere.
All his life he had been unsure of many things, of banishing Thor, of taking the throne. The only thing he's sure of was her.
All his life she was there, and he had loved her long before he knew what it was. He didn't want to admit it, because love makes you weak. It cripples you and becomes your weak point,yet he had never felt more alive.
" Marry me," He whispered,the spontaneous idea shocking him as much as it shocked her.
She immediately removed herself from his side," What?"
"I will make you my wife,Makoto" He said,smiling fondly at her. He plucked a piece of his armor, bending the gold so it will turn into a ring. It was rather plain,he admit it was quite pathetic coming from him. But he never dreamed of this day, never spared a second thought about it. It was out of the blue, completely out of instinct.
He held it out for her, looking at her finger," That is, if you'll accept."
He didn't know which part did he liked more, the look of utter shock in her face or the part where she said yes. That night he had to part bitterly from her, but the sight of his makeshift ring around her finger was enough to remind him that he could be more than just the god of lies.
Until years later when Thanos held him by the neck, the last thing he could think of was her and what a fool he was to think he would die as something more than the god of lies.
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Yeah I know this might be kinda sad but hey what'd you expect from me, the best love stories are always the saddest !
Anyways I know the timeline didn't include infinity war but again I had to end the story quicker than I imagine, but I had planned something like this from the start.
Anyways feedback and comments are always appreciated !
- Alylah xx