Another Chance

Morning chats

When he woke up the next morning the first thing that greeted him was the scent of Sigyn. He opened his eyes and looked around for her before remembering that the girl had left the night before. And that the only thing left was the impregnated scent of her on his sheets.

Loki resisted the temptation to bury his face in the pillow Sigyn had used, like some kind of pervert, and got up from the bed. For a second he considered ripping out all the bedding and changing it, but he didn't. He didn't have time, he reasoned with himself. He could do it that afternoon, before theater club. Or after. Or maybe just before going to sleep. He would, no doubt.

With a wave of his hand the bed was made without leaving a single visible wrinkle. He took a shower and put on one of his suits. He had regained enough power to cleanse himself with seidr, but the ritual of showering and the sensation of the water falling on him was strangely relaxing. And then he stood there, in the middle of the room.

How was he going to meet Sigyn after last night? After their confessions, his rage attack and... The kiss. Even if it had been so innocent. But to him it made a big difference. What if it was just him? Or worse yet, what if he wasn't the only one who felt that way? Was it Sigyn's way of hinting at something else?

He thought about it for a second before mentally scolding himself. If Sigyn wanted to tell him something else, she would do it directly. During those weeks that they had been together on a daily basis she had never left any of her intentions in doubt. He doubted she was going to start with that.

And he doubted even more that Sigyn wanted anything beyond a friendship with him. Especially after her confession the night before.

Thinking about it froze him. A part of him demanded to find the jerk who had thought he could sell her like that, and the other jerk who thought he could buy her, and make them pay for their audacity. He controlled the impulse. For one, because he didn't think Sigyn would appreciate his pretending to defend her as if she were some kind of damsel in distress. And two, because he was supposed to have this second chance to prove that he was more than just a murderous monster, right? Chopping up two assholes didn't seem like a good way to go, no matter how justified his actions were.

So he took a deep breath, and tried to think of how to act. Sigyn would despise any compassionate attitude. Loki supposed that the only thing he could do was act as if nothing had happened, right? As if she had never confessed anything to her, as if they had never been in bed together, and he had never thought of kissing her, and...

Loki covered his face with his hands as he felt his cheeks heat up. Damn teenage body. It was ridiculous. He would have to cast an illusion on himself or risk making a fool of himself the moment he saw her and remembered the brush of her lips on his cheek. On the cheek! It was absurd for him to blush at that. He was over a thousand years old, and had enough sexual experience that such things wouldn't happen to him! And yet, there he was, reacting like a child.

Because despite himself, that's what he was. Damn.

With a growl he cast an illusion upon himself and left the room.

But when he got to the conservatory it wasn't Sigyn he saw, it was Jane. The young woman had her back to him, bent over a bush of roses. His mouth tasted like bile. For a moment he considered being an example of chivalry and acting as if nothing had happened, as if they were just two strangers. But despite Sigyn's hopes about a good relationship between them, Loki did not share them nor did he want any of that. He could respect Jane's desire to defend Thor (even if she had only known him for days), but he was not going to respect (or forget) that to do so the first thing she did was attack him. So he let all of his apathy show on his face as he entered the conservatory.