His True Kingdom

Chapter Nineteen - Strangest Ways:

You awakened with a strange headache and a sharp pain down your throat like you'd never be able to talk again. You grunted and pushed yourself up on the couch you'd slept all through the night.

"Too much salt..." you thought, recalling to the movie night you had with Loki. As you thought about him you breathed heavily, you remembered that he'd be gone to get the scepter. You got up and walked out into the stairs. After staring into the empty house, you had a feeling of confusion tingling in your heart.

"Isn't he supposed to be back by now...?" you whispered and dragged yourself to your room's door with the fear of not seeing him again—at least in the way you wanted to. You rushed inside completely off guard, you jumped back in a scream as you spotted Loki sitting under your bookshelf.

"What the hell?!" you yelled loudly as you almost lost your balance with your reflexes pushing you back. He slowly held up his hands in the air like you were a cop catching him for a crime.

You stared at the scattered photographs on his lap and on the floor, some souvenirs from different states you'd visited before along with some jewelry. You gulped as tears filled your eyes; you stared at a picture of you and "him" in which you happily wave at the camera while he holds onto your waist. Your knees were no longer carrying your weight and you softly fell on them and you kept your gaze on the memories of yourself you carefully stored away in the deepest frozen edges of your mind.

"I did not think you'd awaken so soon, ____(y/n)" he softly whispered, his hands were desperately trying to put the photos together to put them away. But his attention was on your face that was failing at containing your smoldering agony. Your tears fell on your hands silently.

"I shouldn't have done this... I'm..." he said nervously.

"Don't they teach kids in Asgard not to go through other people's personal belongings?" you asked with your breathing becoming ragged.

"They do... I just" Loki rubbed his eyes; his face was tenser every second.

"I'd never listen" he forcefully chuckled and kept scuttling as he organized your belongings. You abruptly extended your hand to his and looked into his eyes, trying to tell him to stop without words. He stared at you with his eyes open wide.

"Leave them, maybe I need to do this..." you mumbled and sat right next to Loki who was holding your things in a pile. He carefully examined you as you pulled out a photo.

"Oh I remember this, this is the Niagara Falls, the day we visited there was so hot. I can't tell you how bad it was inside those blue plastic suits" you bitterly giggled and looked at Loki who seemed slightly confused.

"It's like a huge waterfall, it's famous" you added to enlighten him.

Among the photos, you spotted something that would tear you in pieces in your head. You picked it up regardless. A tear escaped your right eye as you held the sapphire necklace in your hand that was your second year anniversary gift. You remembered the moment he put it on your neck, and you remembered the feeling of feeling whole, one piece and human. The euphoric feeling left its place to frustration rather rapidly as you made a fist with the necklace in your hand. Loki slightly cuddled up against you.

"He was an idiot" he said and stared at your shaking fist.

"I know" you said firmly and threw the necklace on top of the scattered memories Loki wasn't able to put together.

"He thought there was someone better. Believe me I've been beyond the Earth and across the nine realms. I'm afraid he would be quite disappointed" Loki stared at you with a smile.

You were instantly frozen in your place as your eyes locked, not sure about how to respond. Let alone the fact that you were living with a God in your house for a while now, this was way beyond your imagination or wildest dreams to hear such remarks from Loki. You felt very vulnerable as you couldn't help but smile and look down in embarrassment.