The Hollowing (LokixReader)

Part 4: Challenges and a Challenger

For the next week, (YN) and Loki played along to this gimmick whenever they were around the Grand Master. It was clear to him after a short while that she wasn't any happier staying there as he had hope, not even with him around. He attempted to try and fix their personal situation but was met with disappointment each time. She seemed to only be more depressed staying around him and he couldn't understand why. When he wasn't around her, Loki continued to do what he could to keep the mad man's favor while (YN) would snoop around the building to get a better idea of its layout. As she crept around the tall building, she noticed that there were certain rooms that were guarded by either an electric fence or actual guards. She could hear people on the other side, but she didn't try to investigate further. There was one room in particular that stood out from the rest. There were no guards, no fences, and she could hear the other person in there talking with someone about an up coming fight. She knew that there was a particular champion that the master was especially proud of, maybe that's where he stayed.

"There you are!" Loki's voice traveled down the hall in her direction. She turned around to see him there, out of breath and a little tired. "I've been searching for you for the last hour."

"Well I'm sorry but I didn't want to stay in that room all day until tonight's event," she told him.

He sighed and shook his head, "Never mind. Let's just head back and get ready. Supposedly tonight's the night that this champion takes on any of the new contenders that the Grand Master's scrappers have found." She shrugged at his words, "Sounds fun. . ." she said with a dejected tone.

"What's the matter?" He asked her. "Loki, we've been here for a solid week. I haven't been home to care for my cat, I'm sure people are looking for me, and you haven't even made the slightest effort to fix that."

"(YN) you saw as I did what Hela did to Mjolnir. We can't go back."

"I wasn't talking about Asgard, I was talking about Earth! I need to go home," She pleaded. He looked back at her, then glanced over at the end of the hall by the stairs, "We'll figure it out after, alright? Just one more pleasant evening and then we'll see about leaving, alright?"

"Pleasant for you," She answered, and walked by him back to the next level above them to return to the room that they had been staying in. "What else am I supposed to do?" He finally asked, stopping her on her walk, which made her hear him out. "(YN) you've barely spoken a word to me since we've arrived, you wonder off whenever I am about to return from speaking with the Grand Master, you keep your distance from me when we attend his events, end you're doing the same now." He walked up behind her and set his hands on her shoulders. "What else is left for me to do to win your favor again?"

She was silent. She didn't utter a word to him while she thought it over, refusing to try and turn to look at him. "I'm not sure there's anything left. You abandoned me for the longest time without any word, and then you just suddenly pop back into my life and expect me to throw my arms out and take you back like nothing happened?" She then turned around to look at him, removing his hands from her shoulders. "You kidnapped me, taught me about my abilities and then eventually opened up to me about why I was taken in the first place. Then just when I thought you were getting better, you vanished without a word. I think I was just too stupid and naive to have ever pitied you in the first place-"

"Pity? You pitied me?" He said, cutting her off for a change and feeling annoyed by her comment. "I don't need your pity, much less the kindness you felt the need to share with me simply because you think I'm what, some broken child?"

"Oh come one, you would keep yourself locked up for the longest time over the events in your life that you kept to yourself and then over time open up to me. You know what we call that? Help. You needed help."