The Giant Asgardian

Chapter 11: The Garden

"Please do tell me what you are doing child", said Loki as he stared down at the small human clutching to his boot.
Peter was practically screaming on the inside and couldn't think of a white lie to tell. All that ended up coming out of his mouth was, "U-Umm..." Loki rolled his eyes and asked, "You're suppose to be with my brother, yes?" Peter simply just nodded his head yes. "But I assume you wanted to be with Y/n and I, correct?", asked Loki and again, Peter nodded. Loki chuckled, shaking his head back and forth in amusement. "Well, little one, since you're here...", Loki started saying as he bent down and scooped Peter up off of his foot, "...I guess you can join us", said Loki.
Peter's face lit up with excitement and said, "Thank you, Mr. Loki!! You're the best!!" Loki smiled and said, "Yes, I am."

Loki set Peter down next to Y/n, who was well surprised to see Peter. "P-Peter, what are you doing here? I thought you were hanging out with Mr. Thor for the day", said Y/n. "I had to trick Mr. Thor so that I could come see you and Mr. Loki! And-..", Peter paused dead in his sentence when his eyes lingered down to Y/n's bandaged ankle. Peter was at her side in the blink of an eye and said, "Y/n what happened?! How did you get hurt?!" Y/n's eyes widened and she slowly looked up to Loki. "U-Um..w-well..I-..", said Y/n until Loki stepped in quickly and said, "We had a bit of an accident, but she's going to be just fine, Peter." Relief immediately filled Peter's face as he sat down next to Y/n. "What were you two up to before I got here?", asked Peter cheerfully. "Well, I had planned to show Y/n something that is just passed this door", said Loki as he gestured towards the massive door in front of him. "Awesome!", exclaimed Peter.
Loki smiled and walked closer to the door. Loki was well prepared to show Y/n, and now Peter as well, the surprise. 'I hope they both like it', he thought to himself while looking down at his little friends in his palm.

Since Y/n was so caught up in the surprise, she failed to notice, until now, that Loki was still wearing his pajamas. She started giggling quietly to herself, causing Peter to look over at her. He tapped her on the shoulder and asked, "What're you laughing at? Is there something on my face?" "No, no, it's just, Mr. Loki still has his pj's on!", whispered Y/n to Peter. After hearing that, Peter burst out laughing and Y/n followed in doing so as well, which caught Loki's attention.

"What are you laughing at, tiny mortals?", he asked.
"Y-You still have your pajamas on, Mr. Loki!", said Y/n. Loki's eyes widened and looked down at his outfit. 'Of course I do', he thought to himself. Loki closed his eyes and suddenly, there was a golden aura surrounding him. Once it disappeared, Loki was now wearing his usual green, black, and gold armor with the classic green cape. Y/n and Peter's laughing died down almost immediately and they stared in awe at what Loki just did.
"Cool, I presume?", asked Loki, smirking. All Y/n and Peter could do was nod, which caused Loki to laugh.

"Alright, enough of this laughing. Ready to see the surprise?", asked Loki. "Yes! But wait, M-Mr. Loki, what if someone sees me? I-I know I asked you about that before, but..I just..I-I'm scared..", Y/n said as she looked down at her ankle. She was terrified, no, no, petrified that another servant was going to spot her again and this time, it wouldn't end with a sprained ankle. What if she were to break a bone or something?! Loki, on the other hand, felt his heart melt in utter sadness. The last thing he wanted was for Y/n to be scared, especially in his own home!
"Small one, you do not have to be afraid. I promised you that I would protect you and keep you hidden from the others that work here in the palace. I intend to do just that", said Loki. "B-But what if-..", Loki gently pressed his finger against Y/n's face and said, "Shhh, child. I'll be holding you the entire time and if someone dares to try and take you from me, then-..", Loki then removed his finger from Y/n's face and raised hand up. With a single flick of his wrist, he was now holding a dagger. Y/n looked up to see a massive dagger in Loki's hand. "Okay, you are allowed to stab them once. Twice if necessary. Alright, Mr. Loki?", asked Y/n. Loki sighed and said, "As you wish, little one."

Peter just blankly stared at Y/n and Loki. He looked up at the giant Asgardian holding him and asked, "Seriously, what did I miss? And what do you mean by 'protect you from the servants'? Did something happen with-..", Loki gently placed his finger over Peter's face, completely stopping him from saying another word. "I'm starting to like this tactic. It makes you both stop talking very quickly", said Loki chuckling. "And I will answer all of your questions later, young Arachnid, but for now, let me show you what I've been meaning to reveal for over the past 20 minutes. Alright?", asked Loki. Peter gave a thumbs up in agreement and Loki stood there smiling. After removing his finger from Peter's face, Loki walked up to the door and without any hesitation, he grabbed a hold of the door knob and walked outside.
He looked up towards the sky and basked in the warmth of the sun that was shining down on his face. Loki sighed in contentment, looking out at the elegant garden that took up most of the field in front of him.

Loki walked along a corridor that stood off to the left outside by the door. He was planning on showing the children the most beautiful spot in Asgard. It was a fountain that was shaded by a very elegant tree and it laid in the center of the garden where he and his mother would always talk. "Well, what are your thoughts so far small ones?", asked Loki, who was scared that Y/n and Peter didn't like his surprise. "Mr. Loki it's gorgeous!! I-I never knew this garden was here! Mr. Thor never mentioned it while telling us stories about Asgard", exclaimed Y/n. "That's because my oaf of a brother was always fighting some creature with his friends. He never appreciated the little things the palace had to offer and I honestly think he still acts the same way", said Loki. His eyes wandered over to Peter, who still sat in his palm, not saying a word.
"Do you like it, little arachnid? You're awfully quiet", said Loki, poking Peter in the shoulder. "It's amazing out here Mr. Loki! I-..wow!! Look at that tree over there!", said Peter. Peter had pointed to an overgrown cherry blossom tree near the center of the garden. It covered a small pond that contained a fountain in the middle. The water from the fountain came out from the top and flowed back down into the pond. To top it off, a stone bench laid right next to the tree stump, allowing whoever sat on it to get the perfect view of the pond and tree.

"Good eye, Peter. That's the exact spot I was walking over to", said Loki. He walked up to the tree and put his hand against the stump, focusing on it. Y/n and Peter gave each other confused looks when suddenly, Loki spoke and said, "All the memories of mine that this tree holds is beyond me. I spent day after day, evening after evening right here with my mother. Oh how I'd love to turn back time just so I could spend a few more moments here with her." Loki unexpectedly felt something grab a hold of his thumb and pointer finger. He looked down to see Peter hugging his pointer finger and Y/n hugging his thumb. "What are you two doing?", asked Loki. "We're trying to cheer you up!", said Peter happily. "W-Why?", Loki warily asked. It's not that he didn't appreciate the kind gesture. Loki still couldn't figure out why the two children trusted him so much and even went as far as hugging him to make him feel better. If it were anyone else that had hugged Loki, they'd have been stabbed with two daggers by now. "Because we care about you Mr. Loki! We don't want to see you sad", Y/n said.
Loki smiled softly at his little friends and said, "Thank you." Y/n and Peter kindly returned the smile. "Would you both like to stay out here a little while longer by the tree? I bet I can think of some stories that Thor never told you about", said Loki. Peter and Y/n's face instantly lit up with joy, causing Loki to laugh. "I'll take that as a yes", he said.

Loki slowly sat down in the grass with his back up against the trunk of the tree. He set Y/n down onto his left shoulder and Peter onto his right shoulder. "Now, where to begin-...", said Loki as he rested his hand on his chin, thinking. "How about you tell us the funniest prank you ever pulled on Mr. Thor", said Peter. Loki's eyes widened and he smirked with the suggested idea. "Excellent choice, little arachnid", said Loki, but just as he was about to start telling the story, Peter interrupted and said, "Why do you call me arachnid, Mr. Loki?"
Loki mentally face palmed and said, "Oh, maybe perhaps it's because when we had our first encounter, you shot web at my face and I found you clinging to my boot just as a spider would to a wall." Peter was silent for a few seconds before saying, "Okay good point. You may continue." Loki shook his head and smiled.
"Alright, now, would you like to hear about the time I turned Thor into a frog?", asked Loki. "Yes!!", shouted Y/n and Peter. "Perfect", said Loki smiling.