Outcast's Love (Loki Fanfiction)

Chapter Ten:

Each day that passed nothing was said between them. Their silence was like a deadly embrace, suffocating them slowly. Each flittering day seemed to last longer than the previous one. Lola’s condition worsened. Sicker in each day that passed and no such luck came. Loki sat beside Lola’s side. His grief showed. His hand laid against Lola’s, their fingers laced together. His eyes were closed, his head bowed in eternal prayer. Loki lifted his head. A stream of pale yellow light streaked into the room. Its light seemed to bring warmth to the room, lifting Loki of his spirits. Temporarily. Loki looked at Lola again, and remembered. Loki’s smile slipped. Touching her face, his fingers lingered against her cheek. He noticed a little colour had returned to them. To his heavy relief, Loki watched as Lola stirred. Her breathing lightened, eyes opening to his, finding one another at last. Loki grinned.

“From all the battles we have fought, I thought this one we had lost.”

“From one fight to another,” Lola agreed, glancing down at her stomach. “I’m sorry if I scared you.”

“Scared? Never.” He leaned towards her, mouth above hers. Their eyes held onto one another. “Just don’t do it again.”

The kiss was all that they had hoped for it to be. Better. It was a kiss they never thought they would share again. Lola smiled against his mouth. His lips were warm, his face was kind, and his eyes were bright.

“Come with me,” Loki held out his hand.

Lola gave him a quizzical look. Loki smiled sheepishly, entwining his long pale fingers with hers. Loki gently pulled Lola to her feet. He led her out of the institute, the doors quietly closing behind them. Dusk was just beginning to collect among the shadows. Soft yellow light streaked through the palace windows, warming their tired bruised faces; brushing against their clothes and skin. The halls were empty and briefly forgotten. She wanted to speak but did not wish to break the enchanting spell. Loki continued to lead her through the halls before stopping beside a tarnished looking door. He gently coaxed it open. Cold air whipped against Lola’s white cheeks, staining them with dark blood. She was lead up spiralling set of stone steps, descending into oblivion. The further they climbed, the darker it became. There was nothing more than a shaft of light that poured through the cracks along the stone wall.

“Not much further,” Loki said his green eyes illumined in darkness.

Suddenly they were standing before another door. Loki found Lola’s hand; the familiarity of her skin against his was almost comforting. Lola stepped gingerly inside. She hadn’t expected what had been waiting for her. She saw the most beautiful array of saffron yellows and cherry pinks and duck egg blues melted into the sky, with the occasional cloud lingering before it with uncertainty. The moon was just unearthing its white lacquered shell, fresh and young. Lola was standing on a sheet of transparent glass, and casting her eyes down she could see the unmistakeable shape of greenery and the river that weaved its way through Asgard before disappearing behind the mountains. It felt like she was walking on air. Loki stood behind Lola, close enough to feel reassured by his presence.

“What do you think?” Loki asked.

“It’s beautiful,” Lola whispered.

Loki’s hands brushed along hers, guiding hers hands to his. Their hands reached into the sky, closing their fingers around the night. The air shivered. Lola watched as the first stars descended from the sky, drifting like snowflakes. As it came into contact with her skin, it started to glow.

“Loki!” Lola gasped, laughter biting into her cheeks.

Loki laughed. It was a soft and mellow sound. Stars dusted Lola’s shining cheeks.

“This isn’t real,” Loki said, a star collecting inside his palms. “I devised it. It is nothing more than an illusion.”

“It is still beautiful,” Lola said, her eyes burning brightly.

He waved a hand across the sky. Once again the stars were back inside their appropriate places. Lola’s glowing skin flickered once before going out completely like a candle. Lola turned to face Loki.

“You never fail to mesmerise me.” Lola said honestly. “It is a gift.”

Humour curled at his crafted mouth.

“I am known for mischief and magic, or so to speak.” Loki’s smile softened. “I guess it has always been a part of me.”

“It is what makes you beautiful.”

“Beauty can be deceiving.”

“I do not think that.” Lola cupped her hand to his cheek. “I have seen the change in you - you are not the man who you were once before.”

Loki tried to correct her, but he was silenced by Lola’s finger pressing down gently against his lips.

“I love you,” Lola murmured.

Loki elopes her in an embrace, pulling her closer.

“As I love you,” he told her.

He took her face inside his hands and allowed his mouth to fall against hers, soft at first, before coming stronger. Longer. They became less immune to their surroundings. Eyes closed, they blocked out the world, united as one.

 They took the moment and made it perfect.

***

Lola wandered listlessly through the palace halls, hoping for someone to confide with. Loki had gone hunting, along with Thor and the Asgardians. She walked alone, waiting for his return. She found herself retaking the same paths she used to take when she had been working as a servant. Only then had she been oblivious. A surprise all of its own. Lola paused to rub her stomach. She sighed. The pregnancy hadn’t exactly been an easy ordeal. She leant heavily against the wall, feeling the coldness of the brick seeping through her skin. Suddenly pain seared through her like she was being sawed in half. Lola gripped her stomach, her eyes widening with shock. Tidal waves of pain came crashing over her, toppling her almost off her feet. She clutched her side, teeth tearing flesh away from her bottom lip. She could taste blood, cold and metallic against shuddering lips. She reached out but her hands fell uselessly against her sides. She bit back a cry, her eyes squeezing painfully shut. One thought stood out amongst the others, staining her thoughts red, a wail as loud as a siren.

The baby, the baby, the baby, the baby…

She suddenly realised what was becoming of her. She was about to give birth.

“No,” Lola moaned, pain raining on top of her like a shower of knives. She needed to find Miranda, the institute, anyone. Her thoughts darkened, and before she could do anything else, she felt the ground slipping from underneath her. The cold floor collected with her skull. The pain was nothing compared to the one that burned her like hot pokers jabbing at her stomach. Blood poured into her eyes, streaming down her cheeks. She could feel herself slipping away, holding on before suddenly letting go.

She was free.