Unexpected

Chapter 14

When Loki finally roused, hours had passed, but the sun had yet to risen. He was still laying on the sparing mat beneath the speckled night sky. Sleep had treated him quite well and he sat up yawning in a cat-like stretch. His hair was disheveled and eyes groggy, but he felt very good and lazily took in his surroundings before he found Endre laying asleep beside him. A sweet smile pulled on Loki's lips at seeing his once lover resting so peacefully.

He got up and ventured to the tree line to relieve himself then finally went to wake up Endre. He nudged his shoulders lightly and the man groaned, squirming on his stomach, "whaatt?" he drawled into the mat.

"You left us exposed! don't you know we could have been attacked out here?" Loki whined melodramatically.

Endre huffed a laugh still pressed facedown against his folded arms, "I thought you were now an excellent fighter, you would have been fine."

"Well, of course I would have been fine, I was thinking of your safety is all."

He craned his neck to eye Loki with a sleepy look of skepticism, "I'm sure." Endre pushed himself up and into a cross-legged position with a fluid sweep, bringing his hands to his tired face and yawning. His hair had fallen out of its knot and was slumping messily down the side of his head, rogue hairs tangling around his head like a fishing net.

Loki quietly observed him as he took his hair down and began running sleepy fingers through it, eyes closed and back slumped. Loki was now wide awake and very much enjoyed watching him execute this domesticated act of self-care. His hair was quite long and hung in thick, silken waves. Eventually, Endre pulled everything back up into a secure knot atop his head before opening drowsy eyes, catching Loki watching him intently. He smirked, "Sorry I left us out here, I wasn't sure what to do with you. I tried waking you up several times, but I'd really done a number on you, and you were down for the count. Speaking of which, we never agreed on what you'd owe me after losing, which you did, again I might add, and you already lost your daggers, so you need to come up with something else." Endre leaned back on his palms and cockily watched Loki think.

Loki chuckled at his boldness, "Yes I did, didn't I? And my daggers, that really is a shame to have lost them, I'd had them as long as I can remember. I supposed they've gone on to a better place though."

"Let's hope so, I don't know what she does with the things she collects."

"Yes, can we talk about that for a moment, where on Asgard - How did you – Your abilities are incredible! How much magic do you know? I'm floored, really – " Loki stammered on, trying to pick a line of questioning but each potential answer intrigued him more than the last, he didn't know where to start.

Endre waited for an opening with an amused smile and finally jumped in, "Well, I mean, like I mentioned before, I've been studying Summoning since before we met, frankly I'm surprised the subject never came up. I was pretty quiet though. But I went on to master Summoning and some minor magic - things you probably learned in your first few years of study. I was always torn between combat and magic though, so eventually I put them together. I don't use it much in battle, because I do love hand to hand combat enough as it is, but I also love to pull that skill out on special occasions."

Loki was completely invested, "I've never known a Summoner; how many creatures can you call on?" he'd drawn his thighs to his chest, wrapping his arms around his legs and rested his chin on knees.

Endre pulled out his book and handed it to him, "I don't remember the exact number now, but I believe it's about 42 or 43."

Loki gaped at him, taking the book and flipping it open. It was too dark to see, so he conjured a small gold flame to float between them, illuminating the pages. Endre shuffled over to sit beside him and point out notes and figures.