A Legend of Mischief (Loki Fanfiction)

Chapter 22

There is a panic attack and memories of past trauma that show up in the latter half of the chapter. Wanted to give a heads up for those who need it. Happy reading!

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Late at night on the last Sunday of September, Nyneve was awakened by the sound of groaning. As she came around to coherence, she realized it was Loki, caught in the throes of a nightmare. It had been so long since his last one that her response was delayed by her surprise. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she reached out to him, gently calling his name. If she brought him out of the nightmare suddenly, it might do more harm than good.

"I'm here, Loki."

Finally he awoke, eyes snapping open. At first, he was disoriented. When his eyes locked on hers, Nyneve grew worried at the anguish that flooded his expression.

"How am I supposed to love you, when I don't love who I am?" His voice was rough with emotion. Loki gazed up at her with eyes that pleaded for an answer. Swallowing past the lump in her throat, Nyneve pushed the covers back and shifted so she sat sideways up against his side, leaning forward to take his face in her hands. Lady gave an indignant meow in protest at being covered with the comforter, but her complaints went ignored.

"I will love you, despite everything. Until the day you love and accept yourself, I will love you enough for both of us." She hated when his nightmares made him doubt himself. She could not allay all his fears, however. Only hold him and offer the comfort of her presence and love.

Nyneve held off her need to sleep, remaining where she was. Loki had wrapped his arms around her waist, face hidden by her diamond-patterned pajama top as he lay partway across her lap. Gently combing her fingers through his hair, she wished there was more she could do.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She could feel him shake his head against her abdomen. "It's alright. It can wait until you are ready. I'm not going anywhere either way."

Humming softly, she tried to help him relax. Nothing she did seemed to ease his tension though. She could feel it in every line of his body, in his grasp on her. Without knowing what his dream had been about, it was hard for Nyneve to come up with ways to counter it. She glanced at the clock on her nightstand and noticed it was only just past midnight. At this rate, neither of them would be getting back to sleep. Not if she couldn't figure out some way to chase away the nightmare that was keeping him awake.

Glancing toward the bathroom, an idea sparked. "Come on. I want to try something," she said, giving him a little nudge. He stared at her in befuddlement as she withdrew from his grasp and left the bed. For once, Nyneve was glad that when she had renovated she'd made the bathroom big enough for not only her shower but also a separate bathtub. Soaking was one of her guilty pleasures after all. After Nyneve made it to the bathroom and started water running in the tub, she rummaged around in the cabinets to find her lavender bubble bath. "Don't knock it 'til you try it," Nyneve said in response to Loki's dubious look when he joined her in the bathroom.

She stripped off her pajamas, catching sight of his appreciative stare. No attempts were made to hold back her smirk.

"How'd I know you would like that part?" Laughing softly and shaking her head, she stepped into the bath, sinking down amongst the bubbles. When he continued to stand there in the doorway, Nyneve scooped up a handful of glistening bubbles and blew them in his direction. A bit of wind magic made sure they reached their target. "Don't tell me you're afraid of a few bubbles?" she teased, grinning as he brushed a few out of his hair.

Rolling his eyes, Loki rid himself of his nightwear before joining her. Nyneve ended up having to slide forward a bit in the tub, for Loki stubbornly settled himself behind her. Now it was her turn to roll her eyes. It wasn't like the bathtub didn't have plenty of room for the both of them.