In Exile

Chapter Twenty Seven

It was no surprise to you that Loki collapsed onto his bed and slept until late morning, as opposed to his typical stupid-o'clock in the morning routine.

You, on the other hand, had barely slept a wink after what had happened.

With the house being so quiet and with nothing able to distract you, your mind kept wondering to what would happen from here.

Did his powers returning mean he had to leave immediately?

If he did, would you no longer receive the payments you had signed for?

What would happen between you both now?

When he finally shuffled his way into the living room, you were curled up in one corner of your couch and staring at the Christmas tree, the lights flashing in a pattern and illuminating the presents underneath sporadically.

You looked up and lowered the cup you were drinking from, giving him a soft smile as you cupped your hands around the mug to keep them warm.

"Hey," you greeted, "how are you feeling?"

"Like I just got hit by a thousand carriages."

He flopped onto the other end of the couch and let out a long sigh, dropping his head back and closing his eyes.

"I didn't think getting my powers back would take it out of me so much."

"I guess it's no surprise, you looked like you were in serious pain," you frowned, "will you be okay?"

"Yes, I'll be fine," he tilted his head and looked at you, smiling gratefully, "thanks for asking."

"It's alright," you scooted towards his side of the couch and leaned against him, pulling the blanket over you both.

Loki shifted his arm to wrap it around your shoulders and you both sat like that in silence, minutes passing by as you both got lost in your own thoughts yet again.

"I prepared the food," you said absently, fingers drumming against the mug.

"Great, we'll open the presents and then put it on, ready for it to cook."

You nodded and finished the rest of your drink.

Fifteen minutes later you were opening presents, though not with the amount of joy you had hoped the day would bring, the rain cloud above both of your heads not fully dampening the mood but leaving a small tension hanging in the air of the conversation that was inevitable.

You tried to push it aside and relish in the moment, especially when Loki opened the main present you had bought him, a particularly stunning set of encyclopedias on varying subjects and history from about the world, a set that without the payment from S.H.I.E.L.D you would never have been able to afford to buy typically.

He lit up at the seven book collection, his eyes sparkling and his smile wide, you even felt how grateful he was in the kiss he gave you.

Once all the presents were opened you set about cooking and enjoying your time together.

The day flew by and you vowed to make the best of it, not letting the gloom stop either of you from having a great day off.

You ate well, indulged in your new presents, cuddled and watched some more movies together.

It was nice and then night fell.

You were both lazing about, letting the stress of the past few weeks wash away as you finally relaxed and did nothing but half doze off with full bellies.

Eventually, with the excitement of the day over and silence looming again, your thoughts drifted back to your earlier dread and you knew that it was time to talk.

"Loki?"

"Hm?" He grunted tiredly.

"What happens now?"

"In regard to what?"

"You, your powers."

"Oh," he sighed and rubbed his eyes, sitting up straighter in his seat, "I guess I go home and talk with my father, it was his test so only he has a say in the final rule."

"You must have done something right if he's given you your powers back."

"Yes, but from here I don't know where I stand."

"And if you passed, would you have to return home?"

"It's not mandatory, I don't think, but that would be the ideal."

You frowned, looking at him and noticing that he looked equally as trouble as you felt.

"So you'll have to leave me."

Loki's brows furrowed into a frown that matched your own and he shook his head.

"I wouldn't want to."

"Wanting to and having to are completely different things."

He sighed again, pinching the bridge of his nose as if to stem off a headache.

"I know."

You stared at him while he stared at his lap, neither of you knowing what to say.

It may have been your imagination, but you thought that you saw his eyes beginning to water as he licked his bottom lip.

You felt guilty for bringing it up and making him feel bad, that hadn't been your intention.

Chewing on your lip you cemented a final decision, one that you had contemplated many times but never acted on.

Crawling across the couch, you gently nudged his jaw so he'd be facing you and leaned in, pressing your lips to his.

After testing the waters and waiting for a rejection to not receive one, you pressed harder into the kiss and moved onto his lap, your hands pressing to his chest as his own fingers traced up your thighs to rest at your hips.

Your heart leapt as he reciprocated your actions, even if they had seemed to come out of nowhere.

You were going to make him feel better and give him something to remember you by.