Time Unchanging

Chapter 115

The drive back to the compound was a little tension-filled but lessened as they got closer to home. When the four of them walked in, they saw that Bucky was already waiting and pacing by the front door, him and Sam having returned from their mission. As soon as it was closed, he went up to Loki and put his hands on his brother's shoulders.

"Lokes, talk to me," Bucky said in a worried tone.

Loki gave him an irritated look and replied, "I'm fine, brother."

The truth was, he wanted to forget what happened. Too many memories were fighting to come to the surface and Loki just wanted space to calm his mind.

Steve sighed and said, "Except a woman came up and harassed Loki and Thor because they kissed."

Sharon walked into the entryway, on her way to the living room, and said, "Classic Karen. Their lives are so boring, they have to make drama everywhere."

Eva, finding humor in the situation to help calm herself down, said, "Could have used that name in the forties. That was literally every housewife."

Steve nodded in agreement. It was part of the reason he was hesitant to tie the knot with Eva back then. He didn't want her to be like the other women, constantly gossiping and making up rumors. If the title of "Karen" had existed, women would have been going out of their way in public to not be one. Image was everything back then, and Eva hadn't been an exception to it. Well, apart from dressing up for him, not that she needed to. In the modern era, when you could be outlandish as you desired and no one would bat an eye unless they were trying to flirt with you, he loved that she went for a simple purple hairstyle. Sure, the purple outfits were a bit much at times, but he couldn't help but see the beauty in Eva being Eva.

Eva's outfits are the purple ones, with the ballgowns being for Stark Parties and other events

"Yeah, yeah," Bucky said, annoyed that they had gotten off-topic. "So, she made Loki uncomfortable and you left because of her?"

Loki rolled his eyes and replied, "Something like that."

Thor wrapped his arms around Loki's waist and held him from behind, saying, "ᛚᛟᚢᛖ- love, she called us disgusting. It's okay to be upset."

"You know what she said isn't true," Bucky added with concern, "right, Lokes?"

Wanda came in with her drink as she had overheard everything from the lab and went to lend her support, commenting, "He's right. She was just being a bitch."

Thor then said, "No one else cares. They are happy that we are happy, and accept-"

Loki pushed away from him, angry tears falling. The taunts from his childhood and the degradation he had suffered boiled to the surface as he rounded on the man he loved.

"No, Thor," Loki growled, "they accept you! You could bed whoever, but I show even an inkling of emotion, of liking someone, I'm disgusting!"

Eva and Bucky went to Loki. Eva already heard the stories, but Bucky was still learning them. It wasn't just that he was called disgusting. He had been bullied by other children for his love of Thor until he tried to hide it. Then, while a prisoner, the people who used him called him every derogatory name this world had as they used him, claiming what they were doing was his fault.

"Who the hell told you that?" Bucky asked, before using his new telepathic ability with Loki. "Odin?"

Odin never outright told him he was disgusting, but he didn't treat the information the tutors shared as anything good either. All Loki had done was write a poem, just as instructed. So what if the poem had been about Thor? It still fit the assignment! But Odin told him it wasn't appropriate for him to write such things. Being a child, Loki didn't understand but concluded that the tutor had been correct. Odin thought he was disgusting for his feelings towards Thor.

"I say we go to Asgard and make him see who is truly disgusting," said Eva, catching an echo of Loki's thoughts and Bucky's rage.

Thor went up to Loki and said, "I didn't know, Loki. I'm sorry I couldn't help you."

Loki scoffed, replying, "You didn't want to see! I tried to tell you, but you hero-worshipped him!"

Loki remembered the last time he tried to tell Thor of how Odin had treated him. He found Thor practicing with his hammer in the courtyard. Thor dismissed it, leading Loki in a downward spiral until he tried to take over Asgard.

Thor remembered the day as well. Odin had always explained it away, so Thor had chosen to not bother with it when there was always an excuse. That's what every explanation had become, an excuse. The golden god now saw that his father had driven a wedge between him and Loki early on, one the couple had now removed. When he kissed Loki in the restaurant, Thor vowed to himself never to let his lover feel that sense of abandonment from him ever again.

Thor pulled Loki to him, holding him lovingly and kissing the tears away before saying, "And it ended long ago. He tried to keep you from me, and I will not forgive that."