All Too Well

Chapter 7

"You know, this is bascially a raw deal."

Loki's footsteps come to an abrupt stop, his head tilting to the left.

I swallow at his stern expression, picking my courage.

"All you did was claiming to have killed Odin for your brother. And you get him to spill the beans."

He glares at me with impatience.

"That's not fair." I shakes my head lightly.

He pauses for a brief moment before turning to walk away.

"I remember you saying that men are selfish. And if what you are speaking is the truth," he throws me an askant glance.

"Why can't I be?"

"He has suffered enough." I reason. "Free him."

"That decision leaves only the king to decide." his feature darkens.

"Or who do you think I am talking to?" my pace goes faster as I grip his shoulder and turn him around.

"You should at least grant him something bigger like...freedom!"

He breaks away in a swift move and grab my neck roughly, my clutch on him gradually loosening as I get distracted by the pain.

"He was involved. In a regicide commitment." he spits slowly.

"So was you!" I scream and struggle between his fingers.

"I DIDN'T!" He barks hysterically, letting go of me with a throw as I jolt backward and pant for air, my neck aching.

He closes his eyes and his breath starts to regulate, his fists gradually easing.

"Just stop it." I murmur feebly.

"You started it." he retorts with a straight face.

"Well, it makes sense to me." I lift my eyes with hatred.

His stare softens ever so slightly, as though having realized what he just did to me.

I look away, his calm blue eyes extra appealing in the dark.

"Who'll do the driving?"

He walks pass me taciturn, implying the answer.

Right on cue. I follow unyieldingly, my cheeks flushing.

Of course. As soon as the first word escapes my lips.

I just started a fight.

Again.

~·~·~·~

The motorcycle roars furiously as it speeds along the road, the wind filling the space beneath my sleeves. My hands, still, settle on his waist so hesitantly that they won't give up rejecting commands from my brain. I can feel his body becoming rigid under my palms, and his figure that magnifies in front of my slender one.

I no longer feel the world's existence as my surroundings vanish in a blur. I clutch onto him closer, my thrilled heart gradually overwhelmed by the new dread that has my limbs tensing.

I clasp tighter before capturing a pool of green that just turned crimson.

"Red!" I scream.

Loki brakes in startle and I tighten my gasp around him, the motorcycle screeching along before coming to a complete stop.

He groans quietly in agony as my arms relaxes, a breath trapped in my lungs.

"...are you okay-"

"Get your hands off me!" he commands harshly and my hands shrink in reflexion resting on the handles sheepishly.

I must have hurt him someway, the way he winces occasionally. He parks the motorcycle randomly beside the garage and fuses with the night as he disappears from my sight, leaving me solitary wondering what's to be done.

~·~·~·~

"Loki?" I try coyly outside the bedroom doorway.

"Loki-"

"Don't. Ask." he hisses softly on the couch as I reveal myself, his body slightly swaying in discomfort.

"No." I approach in timid steps. "What happened to your stomach? It seems to be your weak spot."

"How's that relevant to you?" he utters feebly as his grip on the couch loosens slightly.

"At least I deserve to know why I got yelled at." I stand closer, my shins against his knees.

He lifts his eyes with lingering malice before giving a barely audible sigh.

"Don't fuss."

I watch nervously as he starts to remove his hoodie, my body trembling at the sight of his exposed skin.

He stops pulling upward at his abdomen and I take a careful peek.

"Oh. My. God."

A deep scar; lying so unruly across his stomach. It pains me just to envision the way his skin is cut open with his inside pierced through.

It looks so terrible, like a bleeding serpant that hisses fiercely. I try my best to control my incessant shuddering and close my eyes in fear, realizing that there is no way I can forget the scene I just saw.

"What ha-appened?" I exclaim through my widened mouth.

"I got impaled." he states with deliberate indifference.

"Protecting Thor and Foster."

"It must hurt like hell." I stutter between the gaps of my fingers.

He pulls the hoddie back down in silence and rests his head on his palm, his tranquil eyes drifting across the room.

"Does it feel...you know, with so many scars all over your body."

He leans back with a smirk. "Does that make the view less appealing?"

"It is appealing." I mumble and he chuckles lightly in satisfaction.

"That scar, I mean." I defend momentarily.

"Oh no you don't." he narrows his eyes slyly.

"You know what, good night." I lean closer and spit with a fake smile.

I can almost feel his eyes on me as I walk out of the room alertly, and his lips that curve into a sneering smile when I turn around and stare at the bunk bed.

"This is my bed, right?"

"Cheryl." Loki shoots up from the couch.

"Stay alive."

I frown. "Wh-"

He stops for a glare before turning to exit the room.

"If there is one day you can survive without questioning."