Loki of Vanaheim (Part 3)

Growth (SIGYN)

I stretched on my side and covered my face with the sheet to block out the nagging sun. Too early. Spring demanded too much. Tiwaz took over the other half of my pillow, so I was met with soft fluff alongside my hair, though his refusal to budge when I pushed him made me playfully groan. He purred in response, vibrating the whole cot and teasing me for being so exhausted.

Loki's fingertips tapped my round belly as he lay behind me. His long legs followed my form, though one of his feet rested between my ankles in the way we'd become accustomed to sleeping of late. The bed was merely two narrow cots pushed together, but we didn't mind. As long as we were near each other, the rest of the realm didn't exist.

He nuzzled my neck while I awoke, though he didn't relax his silent conversation on my abdomen. Strokes and tumbles answered his every knock, like they shared secrets I'd never be privy to.

A particularly forceful kick made Loki chuckle. "Someone's excited for my plans today," he said, removing his hand to sit up.

"Oh, so they get to know already, and I don't?" I stretched once more and dug my fingers into Tee's coat, ruffling him up.

"Your patience will soon be rewarded. I swear." Loki fastened his boots and stood, then tied his hair back with a bit of twine. In the months since we'd returned to Vanaheim, it touched his shoulders again. The small plait I weaved anew every week was hidden underneath. The brown tunic and trousers favored by the Vanir were now daily attire for both of us, and while I missed seeing him in green and leather, his preferred hue became a treat for me when staring in his eyes while we made love.

I rolled over fully and sighed, watching him wash his face and prepare for the day. Whatever he spent his time doing during daylight hours for the past month was a mystery, but I didn't doubt that it was anything other than a perfectly pleasant surprise, as he called it. He returned every night for a communal supper, and neither Freyr nor Grid made mention of any suspicions. The trust that once was fantasy became reliable routine.

He put a dish of water on the ground, and Tiwaz hopped off my pillow to greet him, stretching his hamstrings one at a time on his way and chirping happily. Loki teased with a sing-song of his own. "Oh, yes, Tee. You have gifts coming, too. Mmhmm." He patted the cat's head and sat at my side again.

"Grid said to expect at least a fortnight more, though I hope she's wrong." I glanced over my rotund form. "Even that much time will feel like an age."

He nodded. "We'll be ready. I can't wait to meet them." Loki rested his palm on the right side of the bump, which immediately reacted to his presence with another hefty kick.

"Goodness," I muttered. "I do wish they would stop doing that."

Loki hissed. "Afraid that's my fault, then. This one seems to favor my voice, no?"

"Their spirit mimics yours, I think. Wants to cause me trouble." I hummed and stroked the lower left edge, which still moved, but nowhere near as aggressively. "This one...more like me. Gentle. Will have to keep an eye on the other one for us."

"We'll surely need all the help we can get." He smirked, lighting up the same way he always did when discussing the children. Our anxieties were palpable, but manageable when we talked about the future as a team.

"Any idea what time your plans will unfold today?" I asked, fishing for clues.

He laughed. "Well, I intended to show you after the moonrise, but it seems our neighbors had their own ideas for this day."

"Oh, no." I covered my eyes. "I hoped they would forget it."

"Vanir do not forget. The celebration is tradition, not unlike before a binding."

Grid told me how the fortress folk wished to share their knowledge with me before the children arrived, but the idea of socializing with everyone was exhausting by itself. My body no longer felt like my own—every movement was uncomfortable and strange, not to mention all the fear for what could go wrong even at this stage.

Loki took my hands down. "Just one night. The rest of eternity is ours." He leaned to kiss me, lingering with our lips together before standing to open wide the sheet-like door to our simple tent. "Don't bother with any chores Grid tries to give you. Catch up on your sleep."

"If only she would let me," I lamented with the back of my hand against my forehead.

He was primed to leave, but paused to look at me. "I love you. Today will be worth remembering."

I flooded with warmth all through my body. He still made me blush. "I love you, Loki."

Softening his eyes, he signed to me in our old gesture, [Say it again.]

"I love you. Love, love, love. Now stop teasing me and get moving."

He chuckled and walked into the sunlight. A simple man, but the one I wanted, and my fawning admiration grew stronger by the day.

"Don't you keep me waiting either," I whispered to the bump. "The whole realm is on edge to find out what you're capable of."

They equally rolled for me this time, not bickering with one another for Loki's attention like they did normally. It charmed me to think we could know them so well and not know them at all.

I sat up and gathered the strength needed to stand, which was easy with the excited joy in my heart for my own secret surprise for their father. It stopped time, like anything worth looking forward to. A few more hours, and he would know.

I took a deep breath and practiced the confession: "Lo, it is time. What will you name our sons?"