Cover Up The Sun

Chapter 8

Chapter Notes:

As promised, here is a chapter of nearly-pure fluff to make up for the last few. I'd say it's about 88% fluff (and 12% Sad Loki In Snow, but still pretty fluffy.)

Also, while I picked the blue and gold teams fairly at random, I found out afterwards that apparently the X-Men divided into two teams at one point, with Scott leading the gold and Storm leading the blue! So, I guess they're just practicing.

– Mikkeneko

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The day dawned bright and fair, if cold, near the end of January. Although it was Friday, the campus was clear of students trekking to and fro: classes had been cancelled for the day, as it was the first day of the winter training trip. Not all of the students were going, of course, but it would have seemed an injustice to force the ones who stayed behind to attend classes with half their peers missing, and so an unofficial holiday had been declared.

The teachers' quarters were not completely without activity, however. Loki listened in, fascinated, as a small party of teachers and retired X-Men approached his apartment door; they were apparently unaware of his superior hearing as they whispered to one another in what they no doubt thought was a secretively furtive volume.

"All right, when he opens the door, Bobby and I will keep him talking," Hank's gruff voice gave orders. "The important thing is not to let him get a word in edgewise, so he can't outright say no. Rogue, you slip by into his apartment while he's distracted and pack a quick bag for him; and Piotr, once we're ready to go, you can keep him moving until we're on the bus."

Loki nearly laughed aloud as they rounded the corner; even without such sharp hearing as he possessed, the entire party of them - from the dark blue fur to the bright silver metal skin - could hardly be considered unobtrusive. He watched with amusement as two of them approached the door while two others stayed out of sight - or would have been, had the young woman Hank addressed as Rogue not carelessly positioned herself before a window.

After they had rung the doorbell twice without response, the would-be raiding party began to grow restless. "Is he even home?" Piotr asked in a loud whisper.

Hank scoffed slightly. "He's not left his apartment in two weeks, where would he go now?" he asked.

"But if he's not even answering his door..." Rogue peered nervously through the window. "Should we do something? I mean, is he even okay?"

The display of concern - unnecessary as it was - left Loki feeling warm in the chest and throat as though he had just taken a swig of glogg, and he decided that he'd waited long enough. Uncrossing his arms and pushing away from the tree against which he'd been leaning, Loki dropped the glamor which had cloaked him (though not entirely vanished him) from the naked eye. "Looking for something?" he asked mildly, and took a small malicious pleasure at how wide their eyes became when they whirled around.

"You're - Loki!" Rogue blurted out, then clapped her hand over her mouth.

"Last time I checked, yes," Loki agreed amiably. "Now, why are you lot skulking about? Aren't you supposed to be preparing for your journey?"

"Yes, well," Hank said with a hint of a stammer, righting the glasses that had been knocked askew in his startlement, "We, er, thought we'd drop by and..."

"It is a kidnapping!" Piotr chirped brightly from behind Hank's shoulder; the older mutant shoved his glasses back on his face and gave him a dark glare.

"You weren't supposed to say that," Rogue hissed.

"Is that so?" Loki said, amused by the idea that these mortals could presume to take him by surprise, or hope to force him anywhere against this will. Well, in all fairness, they probably couldn't have even if Kurt Wagner hadn't teleported on by earlier, giving him an early warning of his teammates' nefarious plans.