Elsewhere [boyxboy]

*Chapter Seven*

We kept it up all day, unaware of the fact that our sniping and backbiting was probably making things even more obvious to the others that there was something going on – even if they weren't entirely sure what.

                'Hey,' Dom murmured, sidling up beside me on his horse as we followed Loki through the trees, trusting his judgement on how to get to the border between this world and Elsewhere. 'Are you okay? I mean, is everything... Okay?'

                I glanced at him, surprised. While we'd certainly been close, we'd never been "let's discuss our feelings" close – anything too emotionally intimate had made me feel slightly guilty, like I was best-friendship cheating on Loki. In hindsight, I realised that was probably quite petty and pathetic.

                I shrugged awkwardly. 'Well, I mean... I don't think it's really going to hit me until all the unrest has been dealt with and I've reclaimed Elsewhere. Until I get back there I can't even know for sure if it's true. They could be in the Fortress with my brothers and sisters...' I trailed off, hoping I didn't sound like the pathetic child I felt at this wishful thinking.

                Dom looked surprised. 'Your... Your parents!' he said, raising his eyebrows. 'Right. I just meant... You're being kind of a dick to Loki. I mean, we can talk about your family if you want...' He cleared his throat awkwardly, but I jumped at the opportunity to redeem some of my competence.

                'Loki needs to learn,' I said sternly, my gaze falling on his back as we followed him. 'He betrayed me and my family and I can't just overlook that,' I went on, despite the fact that he'd already explained himself adequately enough for me to not only forgive him, but want to throw myself into his arms every time he looked at me sideways.

                Dom made a clicking sound in the back of his throat and I ripped my eyes away from Loki. 'What?' I asked flatly.

                'Nothing,' Dom said uncomfortably. 'Just... I didn't know that's what you were like, when you're being a prince, or whatever. I think I prefer you as regular old Nota, if that's how you treat people who mess up.' We were quiet as I tried to think of a way to redeem myself without telling him the truth. 'Especially when it seems like he's trying so hard.'

                I choked, my guilt forgotten. Loki had been sniping at me all day, insults disguised as sycophancy. 'Like what?' I demanded.

                'Well I know it's kind of overkill, but that just means he's trying harder. Like when you thought you were drowning this morning and he pulled you out of the river.'

                'I was not-'

                'Or when you got that spider web on you and started jumping around and slapping yourself, and he took care of it.' Loki had calmly pulled me down from my horse and removed the web – which I had thought was something more sinister, such as actual bugs. He'd also loudly proclaimed that we couldn't keep stopping for my every whim and to try to control myself. 'So you should be nicer to him, maybe.'

                I almost retorted that I'd been very nice to Loki only last night, but managed to restrain myself. Instead, I smiled tightly and promised to try harder, grimacing when I caught a glance of Loki's smirk. He'd clearly heard the whole conversation. The bastard.

                As the sun began to set Loki drew his horse to a standstill in the middle of a small clearing and looked around as the rest of us dismounted.

                'We'll camp here tonight. We should make it to the Threshold by tomorrow evening, so everybody should try to get a good night's rest.' I scowled; was that directed at me? 'You guys start setting up the tents,' he instructed the others as he began removing packages from his horse, 'and I'll take care of the fire. Nota, think you can manage your tent all by yourself, or do you need me to do it for you?'

                I gritted my teeth but managed to keep my facial expression neutral and aloof. 'I can manage,' I said, turning to unburden my own horse. 'But I'll need you to take the horses to the stream to be watered, when you're finished with the fire,' I added, feeling Dom's disapproving gaze but not caring. 'And bring some back for the rest of us; four or five litres should do.' Ha, I thought smugly. That should weigh him down nicely.

                'Glad to see you're trying so hard,' Dom muttered quietly once Loki had disappeared through the trees with the four horses, and I felt guilt gnawing at my insides again. I wanted to tell him the truth, that it was a just a game, that it was a contest, but I could hear his voice in my head, calling me out for being immature when there was so much at stake at the end of this little adventure.

                Loki eventually stumbled back through the twilight, carrying four separate litre plastic bottles filled with fresh water, having tethered the horses by the stream for the night. He dumped the bottles unceremoniously by my side before dropping down by the fire and practically inhaling the meal Adrian and Ana had put together from what remained of our supplies – something that they called soup, but more closely resembled soggy vegetables floating in hot water. I felt a sudden pang of regret for being so cruel to him all day – for all the hard work he was doing, I was only adding to it.

                The others eventually wandered off to bed and I crawled inside my tent too, undressing methodically and waiting, wondering if Loki was even going to join me. After sitting there for what felt like an eternity, I eventually scowled bad-naturedly, unzipping my tent and walking over to him silently, knowing he wouldn't hear me approach and trying to think of what the hell I was going to say to communicate that I was sorry for the way I'd acted, but that I was still annoyed as all hell at the way he'd acted, but not so annoyed that I didn't want him to sleep in my tent again.

                Turned out I didn't need to say anything; as soon as he saw me standing beside him Loki turned and slid his hands around the back of my head, his fingers pushing through my hair, pulling me towards him and crashing his lips to mine hungrily.

                'I've been wanting to shut you up by doing that all day,' he murmured, smirking.

                'You shut up,' I muttered back, pressing my lips to his again and pulling him by the hips towards my tent; stumbling and trying not to make any noise we collapsed inside it kicked at the flap, not even bothering to zip it up, too involved in the kiss. I felt his teeth sink into my bottom lip gently and almost groaned as my mouth dropped open, meeting his tongue with mine and giving my body over to the kiss. He pressed down on top of me, running his hands along my body and taking control in a way he hadn't the night before. While it had been all tension and anger and lust the first time, it was now something more, something different but better.

                It didn't take long before we were both naked and Loki was leaning up to pull my thighs apart and run his fingers over the sensitive skin there while he kissed my neck gently.

                'Loki...' I choked nervously, and he pulled away to look at me, not letting go of my legs. His eyes scanned my expression and he tilted his head.

'This,' he said, smiling and pointing to the ceiling of the tent, 'is real. In here. The rest is just for fun.'

I nodded, gazing up at him, transfixed by his dark gaze and alluring smile and sighing in satisfaction as he leaned down to kiss me again and... Fireworks.

----------------------------------------------------

Afterwards I snuggled against his chest contentedly, feeling all sorts of lovely warm feelings settle in my tummy as his arms tightened around me noticeably, sighing as a tiredness washed over us. We fell asleep like that, pressed close together with the cool night air rustling the flap of the tent occasionally, doing nothing but nudge our bodies even closer together for warmth.

                And in the morning when we were cajoled awake by the sound of a long, low whistle and Dom's shadow falling over us, it occurred to me that we should have zipped up the flap in between the kissing and the sex and the sleep.

                'When I said you should be nicer to him,' Dom muttered, raising his eyebrows and pointedly looking directly at my face, 'this wasn't exactly what I meant.'