As one. Always. (A Loki fan fiction)

Chapter 16

Before you read this next chapter, I just want to thank everyone for supporting my story, and a HUGE thank you to Bluebell84 for the amazing cover! :) Cheers everyone!

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I had had a good evening with my mom. We watched Christmas specials, had homemade pizza for dinner and wore our pajamas all night. It was like any other Christmas Eve. Since my dad left, this is what we would do, every year, even though I was too old for Christmas specials that I had seen since birth, and could recite by heart. It had become our tradition, and nothing was stopping me from keeping my traditions! After being transported to another realm and living there for a month trying to get used to their norms, I needed something familiar.

The only difference this year was the fact that I was unused to wearing the plushy jammies with penguins that I loved and talking about Asgard. In between commercials I would catch myself telling my mom about my room there, or the library, or the gardens, or Frost. Anything that had to do with Asgard was brought up. Especially Loki.

Even though I didn’t want to talk about Loki and how I felt about him, I couldn’t talk about my life in Asgard and leave Loki out of it. I spent time with Loki every day, learning magic, talking, riding, and reading. He was my best friend, though Sif took a solid second for being my only girlfriend. He came up in almost every topic of Asgard, everything I had to say. If my mom got tired of hearing “Loki thinks this” or “Loki does that” or “One time, Loki and I”, she didn’t show it.

Eventually, we got tired and went to bed. Well, I actually dragged myself to bed. The Bifrost tired me out and I didn’t nap at all after getting here, since I wanted to catch up with my mom. I flopped into bed, pulling the comforter around me and snuggling in. For the first time in a month, I was going to sleep in, lounge in bed for a bit before opening presents. I saw them under the tree, and I knew my mom got me something. I would take my time tomorrow, and relax.

I wonder what Loki is doing right now. I thought, turning to my side. It would be a bit earlier in Asgard right now than here, so I assumed he was still up doing something. Probably in the library. And I hoped he wasn’t going to continue acting strange around me, or avoiding me when I got back. Was it really because I was leaving Asgard? Was he upset that I wanted to be home for a bit? I highly doubted that, but who knew? I just hoped we could go back to normal. I wasn’t sure if Loki liked me the way I liked him. Sometimes I thought he did, other times I didn’t think so. But I had resolved one thing: I was his friend, and I wanted to continue being his friend. If Loki didn’t like me the way I liked him, being friends would have to be enough for me. I usually didn’t settle for anything less than what I wanted, but Loki was different. I wanted to be around him. He made me happy, he made me laugh, and he was kind and made me feel like I belonged. And if the only way I could be around him was being his friend, that would be okay for now.

I knew one day Loki would find love. IF it wasn’t with me, I would have to get over it, somehow. I wanted him to be happy too. I hoped against hope that he would realize he would be happy with me.

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I was jerked awake by a strange noise. Our apartment made noise all the time, pipes shifting, water flowing. That was normal. But this, this noise I just heard, was not part of that. I listened, trying to slow my breathing to hear better. I heard someone walking, that was sure. It wasn’t my mom though. The steps were heavier, and sounded like boots.

What the hell is going on? Who the hell is in my house?!

I slowly got out of bed, wondering where I last put my can of pepper spray. I thought for a second, until I remembered it was under my bed. I don’t know why I kept it there. When I first got it when I was younger, I probably put it there in case someone tried to rob our house and we were home, and under my bed would be the last place they looked.