Sorcha's Secret World, Part 2: Mystery and Mischief.

Chapter 13, Loki? Loki!

"LOOOKIIII!!!!" Thor bellowed as he came running into the library.
I sighed, put my book down and took my earphones off. I had hoped for a few moments of peace and quiet.
"Where is that husband of yours? Because if I find him, I'll kill him!" Thor thundered.
"I have no idea," I answered honestly. "Last I saw him he was in the study with Carter, tinkering away with the broken portals."
"GAAAH!"
I grinned as Thor ran back into the hallway. Curiously, I followed him.
Jessie was in the hallway, hanging against the wall while clutching her stomach, almost crying with laughter.
"In the library with a candlestick! That's what you said!" Thor shook his finger at her. Jessie pealed with laughter.
"You make it too easy," she wheezed.
"Are you sure Loki isn't your biological father?" Thor asked suspiciously.
"I think mum would have told me by now," Jessie giggled. "And I think he's hiding in their bedroom."
Thor barreled towards the bedroom.
Loki dropped his invisibility spell and hung against Jessie, his cackle ringing through the house. The co-conspirators gave each other the most pathetic high five I'd ever seen, both of them limp with laughter.
Sif stepped out of the kitchen, dressed in one of Thor's shirts, her hair damply hanging down her back. She raised an eyebrow at me. I just shrugged. I had no idea either.
"DON'T THINK I CAN'T HEAR THAT CACKLE!" Thor boomed.
"Oh shit," Loki startled and turned invisible again. "Cover for me!" his voice floated through the hallway.
"YOU GIVE IT BACK RIGHT NOW, YOU LITTLE WEASEL!" Thor stomped back in the hallway.
He looked at Jessie, about to ask her where Loki was. Jessie smiled sweetly at him. Thor shook his head in disgust.
"Try the bathroom?" she suggested, bursting out in laughter again. Thor glared at her but stormed into the bathroom anyway.

I walked into the kitchen with Sif.
"Is it always like this?" she asked curiously.
I grinned. "Usually. The first few weeks Thor lived with us were something, those two kept playing pranks and half of the time Jess and I ended up as the unintended and unwilling victims." I laughed at the memory.
"They've calmed down a bit since."
Sif had been staying with us for two days now. We hadn't seen much of her or Thor, and I couldn't blame her. If Loki and I hadn't seen each other for that long you'd probably have a hard time dragging us out of the bedroom too!
"I don't know what I expected to find here, but it wasn't this," Sif admitted.
"I don't think any of us would have been able to predict this a few years ago," I agreed, handing Sif a mug of tea. "But sometimes life surprises us in the best way possible."
Another one of Thor's bellows and Jessie's giggles came drifting in from the hallway. Thor was laughing despite himself.
"You aren't what I expected either," Sif said, "it's hard enough to imagine Loki as married, let alone to someone like you."
I stopped myself from answering that I could never have imagined him marrying someone as boring and mousy as me either.
Instead, I just smiled.
"We love each other, and we've worked hard to get where we are now. Both of us have."
"Your daughter likes him." It was almost a question.
"They get on well with each other, they are close," I nodded.
"Thor speaks highly of you," Sif continued, half talking to herself as if she was trying to make sense of the situation.
"I love Thor to bits, he's like a brother to me. I haven't been part of a family in a really long time, none of us had, and all three of us love having him here." I said honestly.
"SHOW YOURSELF SO I CAN KILL YOU, YOU LITTLE THIEF!" Thor was still looking for Loki.
"Well, that's certain to entice Loki to show himself," Sif giggled despite herself. I grinned back.
"What did he steal anyway?" Sif asked curiously.
"I have no idea," I admitted.
I suddenly reached behind me. I turned around and wrapped my arms around Loki, pulling his head down for a kiss.
"How did you know I was here?" his eyes twinkled into mine.
"I heard a little giggle," I smiled up at him.
"Thor! He's in the kitchen," Sif hollered.
"Hey!" Loki admonished her.
"What? If your family is helping you, it's only fair I help Thor," Sif grinned.
Thor came barreling into the kitchen, chasing Loki around the table.
"You give it back!" Thor half-shouted, half-laughed.
"Never!" Loki laughed. Sif held out her foot and Loki stumbled, giving Thor enough time to grab Loki from the back by his waist.
"Give it back!" Thor demanded.
Loki pealed with laughter.
"Shape change, Loki!" I cheered him on, "don't let Thor win!"
Loki was dangling limply over Thor's arms, laughing too much to be able to speak.
"Loki is ticklish as long as you get him in the right spot, just below his ribs," Sif explained. "He can't shape change when he can't concentrate, and he can't concentrate when he's laughing like that."
I looked at her in surprise, I didnt' know Loki was ticklish.
"You didn't know that?" Sif winked at me, "it's the best way to get him to yield, trust me."
"Do you yield?" Thor was almost laughing as much as Loki. Loki held up his hands, squirming in Thor's grip but unable to escape.
"I yield, I yield," Loki laughed breathlessly.
"Fine! Then give me back my phone."
"Only if you promise to come and play the bass guitar!"
"Wait, was that what this was all about?" Thor asked curiously.
"Yes, I have a song stuck in my head, playing it is the only way to get it out! And you've been holed up in your room for days!" Loki admitted.
"Why didn't you ask like a normal person?"
"This was more fun," Loki grinned.
Thor shook his head.
"You are crazy! Now give me my phone back and I'll play a few songs with you!"
"I don't have it, I slipped it into Jessie's pocket ages ago! Jessie!"
Jessie came walking into the kitchen, clutching her side.
"I've laughed so much my stomach hurts," she complained.
"You can give your uncle his phone back now, he's yielded," Loki said smugly.
"I yielded? You yielded!"
Thor and Loki argued as they walked toward the music room.
"It's been a long time since I saw Thor laughing like that," Sif said thoughtfully. "A really long time."
"Loki has been happier with Thor around too," I told her.
"We should go for drinks one of these days, I'm sure you'd love to hear the stories those two will never admit to from their childhood, and you can fill me in on what has been happening here."
"I'd love that," I eyed Sif in surprise. "I know just the place. Thor said the mead there is almost as good as the year Volstagg fell in the barrel and lost his pants, whatever that means."
Sif grinned. "That was a good year!"
"I'd better go, Loki will soon realise he needs a drummer too."
"You play the drums?" It was Sif's turn to sound surprised.
I nodded. "We can do with a second guitar player, want me to teach you?" I asked as I beckoned her along to the music room.
Maybe having Sif around wasn't going to be as bad as I had feared it would be!