Down below

Chapter 20.

Loki went to play beer pong with Tyler and some other guys, so he didn't have to watch Elianah slow dancing with that vampire. They won the game with Tyler and received a decent bottle of tequila which they shared with Olivia who became extremely clingy as her alcohol level was increasing. Loki ditched her when she ran into some of her friends and circled back to Tyler. He reminded him of Thor: handsome, popular and ripped, full of energy... if Thor was secretly selling drugs just to spite his father, because he didn't want the future he set out for him. Tyler told Loki that his dream was to be a DJ and he only played football to get more clients for his drug business, so he could make some money of his own, be independent from his family. His father wanted him to be a politician, a decent Man with capitol M and wouldn't listen to Tyler, he was forcing him to be somebody else.

'You seem to be doing alright. People like you, look up to you.' Loki told him. 'Why are you so opposed to be a politician? You could help facilitate change, have some power.'

'The majority is rotten to the core. I want nothing to do with that world. I never wanted power, I just want to live my life, do something that I like. My father worked with politicians all his life, I've seen enough. When he found out I was bi, he beat me up so bad, I couldn't leave my room for two weeks. The good republican, huh? Anyway...more tequila?'

Loki started to wonder why he desired his father's approval so badly. Was it only because of Odin's obvious preference for Thor? Or did it stem from somewhere else? He always felt different somehow and he wasn't sure if it was something in him that made him feel this way or it was originated from his own father's bias. Did he do something to make Odin behave this way or there was something else he wasn't aware of? Tyler managed to alienate his feelings for his father, he came up with a plan to get away from him. It might fail, but at least he tried and he seemed to be at peace with himself. Unless this was all just a mask. Who knows?

Tyler called them a taxi. He invited Loki to a club on Saturday where his boyfriend was the DJ and he could get them in for free. Not that money mattered to Loki, he could conjure anything anytime. He got off two corners away from Elianah's place in case anyone was following. He tried to teleport, but he was too tipsy and high, so he decided to use the fire escape. He managed to climb up, but the window wouldn't open. He managed to move the handle with his mind and it slid up, making a loud sound. He undressed and then realized how thirsty he was. He remembered Elianah put some mineral water bottles in the fridge, so he went to the living room quietly, but then he saw she wasn't even there. His mind went into a frenzy. Where is she? What is she doing and with whom? Is she alright or she just went to Cédric's to do some more negotiating? He got so mad, he kicked the bedroom door shut and tried the locator spell, but it wouldn't work. He could sense Elianah very weakly and didn't pick up on anything unusual. He reminded himself not to try every substance Tyler gives him the next time. He let out a vexed sigh and soon he fell into a dreamless sleep.

He woke up to some sort of siren passing by. He stretched his limbs and buried his face into the pillows. Elianah's bed was surprisingly comfy. His mouth was dry. He sat up and looked at the alarm clock on the bedside table. It was almost noon. He heard Elianah going to the bathroom and then the shower running. When she reached out to him last night as the guys were setting up the beer pong, he didn't want to deal with her. He didn't like the way he felt around her and he especially hated how she was "negotiating" with that creature. He scoffed inwardly and wished he could switch off his feelings for her. There were plenty of willing volunteers at the party he could have easily distracted himself with, but he knew he was too absorbed by his emotions for her. He couldn't really focus on anyone else and the fact was he didn't really want to either. Seeing her dancing so close with that Frenchman hurt him - his ego, his feelings and his pride.

He put on some shorts and strolled out to the living room to drink water and get something to eat. He spotted some fruits on the kitchen counter and an open newspaper. Elianah must have bought them on her way home from wherever she spent the night. He felt his jealousy rising and tried to collect himself. He grabbed a tasty looking pastry and sat down by the counter, pouring himself a glass of orange juice he found in the fridge just as she was coming out of the bathroom.