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Yellow morning sunlight slanted in through the large windows at the one end of my room. I was laying on my side, towards the light. I smiled, stretching my arms over my head. But when I moved, I became aware of the weight around my waist. I looked down, slowly.
An arm was draped over the curve of my waist, the hand sprawled against my stomach. I swallowed, hard. I already knew who it belonged to.
I heard a soft breath from behind me, warmly grazing the back of my neck as Loki stirred, drawing me into him.
"Fuck me," I cursed under my breath.
"Would you like me to?" Loki's gruff morning voice sounded directly beside my ear, so close it caused chills to crawl down my spine.
I startled, pushing to a seated position. My face flushed when my top sagged down, without the corset to keep it in place. I hurriedly folded my arms over my chest.
"Nothing I haven't seen before, love," Loki smirked, grazing a hand against my thigh, "But something I'd very much enjoy to see again."
"How long have you been awake?" I asked.
"Long enough to enjoy holding you this morning," he responded, "And before you accuse me of sneaking in here late at night, as I'm sure you will, it was you who asked me to stay."
"I know. I... I remember," I forced out, more heat rising in my cheeks.
"I don't detect any regret in your voice," Loki remarked, raising his brows, "I think perhaps you enjoyed sleeping next to me."
"Do you ever stop?" I rolled my eyes.
"I will if you lay down with me again."
I glared at him, and he gave me his best 'please' face. I shook my head, chuckling.
"You have an adorable laugh," he said, pushing himself up to a seated position across from me. When the blankets fell away from him, I realized that he hadn't been wearing a shirt. I blushed.
"See something you like?" Loki purred, leaning in and speaking beside my ear.
I smiled, pulling back and looking coyly up at him. I touched his chin with the tips of my fingers, grazing his jawline, before tangling my fingers into his black hair, and pulling his face into mine.
I felt him smile, no doubt proud of himself, against my lips as he kissed me forcefully, pushing me to lie down so that he was on top.
"If only this is how I could start each of my mornings," he said breathily as he kissed my ear, and the side of my neck.
Just then, the creak of my door being pushed open sent a jolt through me, and I shoved Loki so forcefully he tumbled off the bed. I pushed his face down as Sigrid and Bodil waltzed in, trying to keep him hidden from view.
"Morning," I greeted them, smiling.
"How was your night with Loki?" Sigrid asked, leaning against my desk.
"I didn't suffer as much as I thought I would." My leg was hanging over the side of the bed. I didn't notice it until I felt Loki's fingers grazing up my calf, pulling up the skirt of my dress. I shuddered and swatted him, but he only lifted a finger to his lips and winked.
"Well, that's not too awful then, is it?" Bodil smiled, and I noticed a paper in her hand. When she noticed me notice, she looked down at the paper, then back to me. "Word came from your father."
I tensed, and Loki's hand froze on my upper thigh.
"Leave it on the table, please." I clasped my hands together. "I'll get to it later. But if it's alright I think I'd like to get a little more sleep. Last night left me with a hell of a hangover."
"Of course," Sigrid said, standing, "Feel better."
As they went to leave, Bodil paused at the door.
"Would you like me to return you clothes to your room, my lord?" Bodil said over her shoulder, and I blushed a furious red.
"No, thank you Bodil. I shall manage on my own." Loki smirked from below me as Bodil nodded and left.
"Ugh, you're the worst," I groaned, giving him a good smack on the arm.
"You love it," he said, reciting what was now a familiar verse between the two of us. Before I could respond, he pulled me so that both my legs hung over the bed, his head between them. He laid his head down on my upper thigh, looking up at me.
"There are several pillows in this room, Loki, so why do you feel inclined to use my legs?"
"I like the view."
"Oh, stop," I scoffed, shaking him off and standing.
I went to the table and he followed behind, leaning against the desk and folding his arms over his chest. His chest which I could barely pry my eyes away from. But I did, instead looking at the envelope on my desk. It looked strangely out of place with its neatly inked printing and postage stamp.
I was shocked at the prick of tears I felt in my eyes. Was I ready to read a note telling me my father had known everything all along? I hated him, but he was still my father. Finding out he had known would still ruin me.
"Hey," Loki's voice, soft and sincere, pulled my eyes up to meet his. He put his hand on the back of my head, pulling me into him. And as much as I didn't want to give in, I felt instantly safer with his arms around me. I sighed, sinking into his embrace as he rested his chin atop my head.
"I've told you before, you don't need to do this," Loki said.
"I do if I want there to be a chance of finding out the source of my powers. If there's a way to get rid of them. Your father has found nothing in his research and this may be my best shot. I can't go home if I can't get a cap on these powers."
Loki stiffened, and I looked up at him. He pulled away, frowning.
"You want... You're going home?" Loki repeated, staring at me.
"Yes? Obviously, Loki, that was always the plan. What did you think, that I would abandon my life on earth, my friends, for Asgard?"
"You have a life, you have friends, here." Loki spat, backing further away, "And I looked into your life on earth during my research, Alivia. You didn't have one. Your were a nobody working some meaningless job to pay for a shabby apartment. Your life there meant nothing. That can change here."
"It meant nothing? Who the hell are you to decide whose life has meaning?" I shot back.
"It is as I've told you time and time again. Midgardians live fleeting, unimportant lives on earth. They live, they die, their lives effect nothing, and no one remembers them years down the road. You are offered a place here, in Asgard, where you can lead a long life, where you can learn to harness your power and help to fell nations if you so desire."
I inhaled sharply, looking him up and down. "It always comes back to this. Doesn't it?"
With that, I snatched the letter from the desk and left my room, slamming the door in anger. I felt heat surfacing, and willed it back. I didn't want to burn the letter. I fled for the gardens, where I took refuge under the roof of a pavilion.
There, I leaned against a wooden pillar, and flicked open the envelope, extracting the letter and reading.
Alivia,
I planned to tell you when you'd grown old enough to hear it, but apparently that time has come more quickly than I could have anticipated. Your mother wasn't a normal woman, Alivia. And our relationship was no different.
I suppose I should get right to saying that I know about Asgard. I've known as long as you've been alive. But your powers are something that neither your mother or I could have ever predicted.
Your mother came from Asgard. She was wounded, sick, and disoriented when I found her one night on my way home. She begged me not to take her to a hospital, so I let her stay the night at my apartment. She was unlike anyone I ever knew Alivia. It wasn't hard to fall in love with her. But she grew weak and passed away in giving birth to you.
I should have taken you to Asgard when you first began to show your powers. I hope that you will forgive that I didn't. I wanted you to have a normal life. A life I could be a part of. I hope that you will forgive me.
With love,
Dad
My hands shook. The flames engulfed the paper. He'd known. He'd known.
I bit back every curse, every scream, every nasty thing I wanted to unleash. But I felt the anger fuel the fire.
And then something happened. Something I'd never done before. I lashed out, and the fire emerged from my hand. The flame, as though I was shaping it into a weapon, melded into a long, thin blade. It went where I'd directed it in anger, slicing clean through the pillar opposite me.
Soon the pavilion was engulfed in flame. Flames I couldn't contain. It felt like I might explode with the effort to keep them at bay. But I was no match for them. The effort pushed me to my knees in the crumbling pavilion. Above me, the ceiling cracked. It was going to cave. Let it, I thought.
And it did. And the sweet, empty darkness took me.
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