Eternal Bond » Loki x Reader

Chapter 17

-Author's Note-

I promised another chapter before Christmas, and here it is. I think you guys can already tell this series is drawing to a close, so I hope you enjoy these last few chapters. Hopefully, I can finish it before the new year. I hope you guys enjoy!

"Loki..." I hear (y/n) whisper beside me. I thought she'd be happy to hear that I'm willing to give everything up for her, but it certainly doesn't sound like it.

"I'm not sure you understand the full extent of what you're agreeing to." Odin's tone seems like more of a warning. I don't understand why they won't just let me live my own life. No matter what I do, it seems like no-one is on my side. Thor turns to me.

"Loki, maybe you should take some time to think about this. This will change your whole life, what if..." He comes closer to me and lowers his voice. "What if she isn't the one? There's no going back after this."

"Thor, you don't know what you're talking about. Of course, she's the one."

"You're about to lose everything that made you... You. You won't be Loki anymore. You'll just be a mortal, a god fallen from heaven. I just... Don't want you to end up regretting this. Please. You need to think this through."

"I don't need time," I tell him through gritted teeth. "I know what I want. You're my brother, I thought you were supposed to support me."

"I am supporting you, Loki. But I can't support everything you do. Why don't you leave it for a day or two and then you'll know for sure how you feel." I don't know why he's trying to postpone the inevitable, but I reluctantly agree.

"One night," I announce. "I'll wait one night. All of you will be here the same time tomorrow." I can't bear to look at my father's judgemental expression any longer. Taking (y/n) by the hand, I lead her out of the great hall.

"You don't have to do this." She sighs as we walk through the halls. "Loki, I fell in love with a god and-"

"What? You fell in love with a god, did you not also fall in love with my mortal form?"

"Well, yes but-"

"Tell me, could you love Tom the same way you love Loki?" 

She hesitates.

"O-Of course." She says, but why doesn't it feel like she said yes? That one moment of hesitation... I feel my grip loosening around (y/n)'s hand until her warmth leaves me completely. "Loki, you know I love with all of my heart, right?" When I don't reply, she leans forward to kiss me. I don't push her away, but I don't lean into it either. Her lips touch mine. I feel no spark, no excitement, no warmth. I don't understand. When she finally pulls away, she looks up into my eyes and smiles. "Right?" I can't say no to that smile.

"Yes, I know." I force a smile. It's clear she sees right through my illusion of emotions, but she doesn't say anything. "I'm going to go for a walk. Why don't to have a look around? I think you'll love the library." I gesture to the large door further down the hall. Flashing one last grin, she heads towards the library. 

Once she's out of sight, I turn and walk towards the gardens. I never really took the time to admire just how beautiful it is. My mother spent a lot of her time here. She took me down here a lot as a child, but I always preferred to stay inside, mostly staying in the library. All sorts of flowers grew here, many come from different planets. The ones Frigga loved most were roses. You would expect the gardens to be filled with them, but there are only a few. Earth is the only planet that they naturally grow on, and she enjoyed the uniqueness of them. Beautiful yet dangerous. I remember pricking my fingers many times as a child trying to pick one. She doesn't like it when people picked flowers. I remember whenever Odin tried to give her some, she'd say the same thing. I can't remember her words, it's been so long. Those words were so important to her that... She had it engraved in the gardens. "Where was it..." A red rose out of the corner of my eye catches my attention. It stands out against the pure white of the other exotic flowers around it. A few meters away stands another rose. It's a path. I follow the roses until they lead me to a clearing with a white marble stone in the centre. My mother's words are engraved on it, and as I read it, I can hear her voice in my head.

"If you love a flower, don't pick it up, because if you pick it up it dies and it ceases to be what you love. So if you love a flower, let it be. Love is not about possession. Love is about appreciation." 

The words ring loud and clear in my head. They seem to speak to me. I can't stop reading it and soon I find myself sitting on the grass, just staring at it. 

"Loki." (y/n)'s voice tears my attention away from the stone. It's dark. That can't be right, it was daytime just a minute ago. Did I fall asleep? "Frigga was calling us for dinner, but I couldn't find you. Sorry to wake you, I just-" Her eyes fixate on the stone and I can tell that the words speak to her just as much as they do to me. "Is this where you've been for the past few hours?"

"Yes, I must have fallen asleep."

"Come on, let's go eat." She sighs and holds out a hand to help me up. I take it and the warmth returns to me. I don't want her to let go, and she doesn't. Since seeing that stone, it feels like something has changed within us both.