A Mother's Love

Chapter 46

As Loki serves breakfast, I play with the bruise on my cheek. He sits the eggs down to lift my chin.

He examines it for all of two seconds, before declaring "You've had worse."

I furrow my brow and remark "Midgardians would call that abuse, you know?" I cross my arms, smugly.

He places his hands on my chest, before leaning down to give me a kiss. He straightens up and states "It's abuse if both parties don't fight and have fun. That was just a bit of rough housing." He releases me before declaring "It'll be healed before you're done with breakfast."

As he sits opposite me, he places a bowl of scrambled eggs down. He takes in a deep breath, before his attention draws to Jory's old highchair. His lips curl up in remembrance, before asking "Why is this still up here?"

I look to it, before declaring "We just never moved it." He looks at me, smugly, before I ask "What?"

He shakes his head, before taking a bite of his eggs. After a long moment, he looks up to me and asks "So, did Jane leave you, or...?" I nod and he presses his lips into a fine line, before looking to the chair "And that was there the whole time I was away?"

I sit my fork down, before asking "What are you suggesting?"

He places his fork down, before asking "Did she want kids?" I shake my head and look down to my plate. He nods, shortly, before declaring "You do."

I look up to him and state "I want more than one." He gives a short nod, before picking up his fork. I see a tinge of hurt, so I correct myself "More than three."

After a moment, his lips curl up. He looks to me, happily, before looking to Jory. Jory doesn't even look up from his pancakes, before I ask Loki "Do you want more kids?"

Jory looks to Loki as Loki takes in a deep breath. He looks down to his plate, before telling me "I have absolutely awful luck, baring children." He looks up at me, sadly "I wouldn't be able to sustain another miscarriage, Thor."

I press my lips into a fine line, before nodding and looking down to my plate "I understand."

As I continue eating, I feel like a part of me just kind of crumbles. Like the love I feel for Jory, I'll never get to feel it with another person.

And when I look to Jory, he gives a weak smile, before continuing on with his pancakes.

After a few minutes, he looks to me and asks "Can you teach me to fight?" Loki scoffs.

I furrow my brow and ask "You did see your dad beat the shit out of me, right?"

He shrugs, before declaring "Dad is already teaching me magic. I want to lean how to fight. And not the stuff you were teaching me, before. I need to learn how to really fight."

I give him a weak smile, telling him "That would be nice."

~

After breakfast, Loki hangs the linen up on the clothesline as I place Jory in a headlock. Jory takes all of three seconds to headbutt me, knee me in the crotch, and force me to the ground.

He gives me a proud smirk, before standing up straight. When I go to stand up, I find Loki covers a smirk "Shut up!" I call.

He gives a thumbs up to Jory, before returning to the clothesline. I get into fighting stance, before ordering "Let's go again!"

As he swings his leg at me, I catch it. Only he swings his other and it catches me in the cheek.

Jory squats next to me and states "Dad showed me that one."