Shattered (Sequel to Shadowfax)

Truth

Loki studied the knife in his hands. Jade had dropped it when they were in the jungle, and he had yet to return it to her. He still wasn't sure if he wanted to. It was certainly one less projectile for her to chuck at his head. A knock at the door had him hastily stowing it under his pillow. "Yes?" he called out.

The door slid into the wall, and Nutsy walked in. Smokey flanked him closely. "Oh, you are here."

Loki raised an eyebrow. "Jax tends to prowl the halls at this hour, and I'd rather avoid confrontation of that sort."

"Right. Sorry, I just thought that with the whole—never mind." Nutsy was pacing now, twiddling his thumbs nervously. Smokey, clearly annoyed, gave up trying to keep pace and hopped up onto the bed beside Loki—or rather, on top of Loki; space was limited enough without a juiced-up housecat lounging on it. Loki placed a tentative hand on Smokey's back, and the cat purred, arching up into it. Together the pair watched as Nutsy paced a rut into the carpet.

Realizing what he was doing, Nutsy finally slammed on the brakes. The corner of his mouth twitched up in a timid smile. "Sorry."

Loki raised an inquisitive brow. "Did you have a reason for being in here, or did you just want to take out your frustrations on the carpet? Not that I much cared for them to begin with."

A nervous chuckle, then something in his eyes turned to steel. "I wanted to ask you for a favor—not for me, though. For Jade."

That got the demigod's attention. "And you asked me because I seem so altruistic?"

"I asked you because you're in love with her," Nutsy stated. "Cut the sarcastic brooding emo crap and just listen, okay?" Loki nodded stiffly, taken aback by the blunt outburst.

Nutsy allowed himself to fall back against the wall, sliding down onto the floor and wrapping his arms around his knees. "Jade went over the plan with me earlier today, and I think she's taking a stupid risk. She won't let me talk her out of it, so I was kinda hoping you would be able to do something about it."

"Something meaning..."

"Talk her out of it, duh. Jade has a dark history with Rika, and I don't want to watch her get pulled into that-that place again. Jade tends to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders, with no regard of how it will affect her. And despite you trampling across her heart—" Loki flinched "—I know you care about her. For some reason, you're one of the few people that can really get to her. So, please, just talk to her."

The glint in Nutsy's gaze was matched with the steel in Loki's own. "I will."

Nutsy nodded his thanks. He got up, but lingered at the door. Without turning around, he added: "Be careful. She's a lot more fragile than she lets on."

The door hissed shut. Loki pulled the dagger back out from under his pillow, twirling it through his fingers. He held it up to Smokey, who gave the blade a curious sniff before pawing at it. Luminous eyes met Loki's, and the cat meowed expectantly. The demigod sighed. "Fine. Have it your way. If she stabs me with this, I blame you."

Smokey's purr shook the bed.

...

Loki found Jade sparring with Steve in the training room. If he wasn't nervous enough already, the sight of the lass going toe-to-toe with the super-soldier wasn't doing anything for his nerves. He lingered at the door as he waited for them to take notice. Smokey pushed his head against the back of his leg, and Loki took comfort in the gesture. He finally managed to clear his throat loudly enough that Jade and Steve froze. He resisted the urge to cringe as Steve's disapproving glare zeroed in on him.