When We Lie

Chapter 27

You're dipping your feet into the cold water and splash. It's refreshing, but a bit chilly. It's no longer spring and summer has already ended. In two weeks, Loki will return to Asgard for his evaluation.

"You think I'll ever see Asgard?" you ask him.

He absentmindedly plays with the water. "Maybe, if you ask Thor for a favour."

"Taking care of you counts as one, surely."

He grins but it dies almost instantly. "I'm sorry for... for everything. I was an ass. Still am."
You look at him and shrug. "I've moved past it. Like I said to Shun, they're already dead; they don't care. I shouldn't waste time or energy on that. It's hard, but accepting and moving on is the best solution."

"It's been half a year."

"Yeah." You give a small nod. "Loki?"

"Hm?"

"You're not a bad guy anymore. Stop beating yourself up for it."

He stares at you with wide eyes for a moment. He has to break the intense stare and coughs. He doesn't look at all convinced. "Are you trying to cheer me up, dear?"

"It's the truth, though. But if it makes you happy..." You smile sweetly. "Mr. Stark once said that we all need this, you included. That you changing is a sign that we all can move on. I think he's right."

"I'm not... I'm not an Avenger, if that's what you're thinking about."

"I know," you say with a laugh. "Mr. Stark... Tony said that as well. And you don't need to be like us. You can be whoever you want, as long as you please leave Earth out of it." He smiles faintly. "Jokes aside, if you want to be a trickster, then be a trickster. Just please don't go murdering our people."

"I won't. I... hate it. I hate it. What I did. I can't undo it, but I hate it. I know why I did it, but I..."

"You're not the same anymore," you say gently. "You've been in prison for two years now. That changes people, even the God of Mischief." You playfully nudge him. "We're an unsuspecting pair, aren't we?"

He gives a short, almost hysterical laugh. "Yeah. Tell me about them, please."

"My friends?"

"Yes."

You hesitate. "Sure... Their names were Xiaoli, Amanda, Edwin and Vivian. Xiaoli and Vivian I knew since a few years back, but Amanda and Edwin I got to know only after coming here. Xiaoli was adopted into a Bulgarian family and was invited by mr... by Tony just like me. Amanda is American and Edwin Norweigan."

"And Vivian?"

"Canadian. She used to tell me all about Canadian winters. Made Swedish ones sound like heaven." He laughs quietly. "Edwin and I used to speak in Norwegian and Swedish. The others got so frustrated because they never understood us. Xiaoli was fascinated we could understand each other despite speaking two different languages."

"Well, they're not that different," Loki says.

"True. Hm... Xiaoli told me a lot about Bulgaria. I asked him about China once, but he said he doesn't remember much. He learnt Chinese because he wanted to visit someday. He came back just a few days before the Manhattan incident."

"Oh."

You shrug. "He died saving me. I told him to run or he'd die too, but he didn't care, said my brain was worth more than his. He knew he would die, Loki, but he did it anyway." After two years, you still haven't gotten over his reasoning, but you're glad he saved you. If he hadn't, there is no saying what would have happened to Loki.