Out of reach • A Loki fanfiction

Chapter 68 - Anything but tired

Apparently, even without taking any medication, the two lovers had slept like rocks that night. The kitchen staff who were actually working on the day after the curse break, was already past preparing breakfast and lunch. It only left Vera and Loki to snack and eat dinner, which the latter they eventually did with their friends and family.

After a personal visit from King Odin, that was.

Asgard's king had never been a father like Loki had ever seen him before, in that moment, in his living room. The man didn't wear his crown, wasn't accompanied by any of his minions, and had in that moment only the need to hug his son. With nothing of royalty in his demeanor, Odin hugged Loki with pride, relief, and most important of all; regret. And to top that all off, he went on to hug Vera too.

It was a special thing for Vera to see. For Loki to realise that he was more than he had thought himself to be, for many lonely years. Truth was, that Odin did take him in as a child for the wrong reasons. But those reasons were set right over time. Because another truth was, that Odin saw Loki just as worthy as the son that had been born a few years earlier. And now that Loki had learned to love himself, that truth finally revealed itself for him.

"I should not have let you ponder in self doubt for so long." Odin had said to him, with his hand firmly on Loki's shoulder. "I love you, my son. I should have told you that more often."

It was then that Vera did not only feel appreciated by him as a Vanir being, but welcomed by The King into the family as well. It was then, when he made a joke about crowning Vera with all the medals of honour in all The Nine Realms, personally granted Vera and her chosen loved ones permanent access trough The Bifrost, and asked the two to join him and 'the rest' downstairs for dinner.

Astrid looked much better than what she looked like a day ago. She was already back to radiating, and repeating the past few days to the family around them. Sif and Thor were actually in each other's presence for a change, sitting side by side while looking like a couple. Gertrud was talking along with everyone and everything, like the hidden extrovert she was, and then Bodil and Harald sat side by side as well, though a bit more unsure than how close and holding Vera and Loki sat together.

When plates were empty, The King and Queen purposely left the group of newfound family alone. They both knew what their titles attributed to any kind of group, no matter how close they were. With a king and queen around, people would just sit a bit more stiff. Especially right now, they didn't want to be responsible for that.

Neither retreated without telling their sons that they were loved, though—to which some of the already tipsy ones toasted their mugs in the air.

"Speaking of love." Sif waited for the airy chatter to settle. "Thor and I have some news we'd like to share. You're the first ones."

"Yes, well, and for now the only ones." Thor added, sternly eying every individual who gave looks of surrender. "Good."

"Woah, woah, woah." Astrid summoned everyone's attention on her when she got tall in her seat and pointed her index finger directly at Sif. As if accusing her of something, Astrid's eyes widened, and her brows raised. "Woah."

That's when it clicked for Vera too. That was when her eyes widened as well, when she suddenly jumped out of her chair—much to Loki's racing heart—, leaned forward on the table to look at Sif on the other side, and almost demanded of her; "Show me your hand!"

"What? No, I don't have it on. I can't really parade that thing around the castle now, can I?"

"So he did? He asked?"

"I mean, it's kind of obvious by now."

Loki was close to mortified when Vera let out a high pitched squeak, and leaned forward enough to give Sif a hug. With wide and confused eyes did he watch the other women do so too, congratulating the warrior for he knew not what.