His Dove (Loki Laufeyson)

Part 20 (Unblocked)

An hour later, Tony and I sat in the lab as he held a scalpel in his hand.

"You're sure about this?" He asked quietly, though I could hear in his thoughts that it was actually him who wasn't sure about taking out the blocker.

He hadn't even attempted to voice those thoughts, however, and I knew why. He was scared, not of me, but of losing me. Scenarios went through his mind at lightning speed, from me losing control of my abilities and becoming known, to him voicing his concerns and me leaving.

I nodded. "I want it out. Take it out."

I was desperate to get the tracker out, I wanted nothing more in that moment. Knowing it was there, somehow, made me itchy. As if the most primal instinct in me was to claw it out, and I was on the verge of allowing myself to do so if Tony didn't take it out himself.

The scalpel slowly cut down the center of the back of my neck, deep enough that I was sure it would leave a scar. Luckily, my hair would cover it later on, when it wasn't in a high messy bun to keep it out of the way.

I gritted my teeth through the pain, holding on to the table for dear life. I could feel the tweezers pulling at something, and before I knew it Tony set a small, square, chip-looking piece of equipment on the table in front of me.

I instantly felt lighter, airier. It was weird, as if I was light-headed, but that feeling engulfed my entire being rather than just my head. I wondered to myself how long that would last.

"How do you feel?" He asked quietly as I felt a cold needle press to my skin once again.

"I'm okay." I said softly, closing my eyes as he continued to stitch up his work on the back of my neck.

"Only a little bigger than an inch." He said after he finished, before sitting across from me at the table. "Scar should be smaller than that."

"Thank you."

Tony only nodded. "You know I love you, right?"

I did know it, I've always known it. No matter what or how Tony handles things, there's never been a doubt in my mind that he did love me. But I only stared at him, I couldn't bring myself to say it.

Looking back, I should have. I was never actually unappreciative of him, I could never stay angry with him. I was just hurt in the moment, and I couldn't force myself to tell him.

"I know they weren't good to you, Dani. Hell, dad wasn't good to me either if we're completely honest, but I know they were worse to you. I tried to be a better father to you than him."

I nodded a bit, "I know." I looked around the room, anywhere but him, before speaking again. "I'm gonna head home. My dissertation defense is tomorrow."

"Shit." Tony said, his hand reaching his head. "This is horrible timing."

"It's okay, really. I'm prepared. I'll call you when everything ends tomorrow."

As I walked into my apartment I immediately knew Thor was there, relaxing on my couch.

"You didn't go to Jane's?" I asked with a scoff, before sitting down beside him.

"I thought you might need me." He smiled sweetly, picking his head off of the armrest and sitting up. "How did it go?"

"He said..." I'm not sure what made me do it, but I suddenly started laughing. Perhaps it was shock, or the still disbelief of the situation, but I nearly cackled. "He said I'm Asgardian?"

"Oh, you are." Thor said with a nod. "I knew when I saw what you did in the lab. Asgardian magic is very different from the other realms." I laughed even harder, I think beginning to concern Thor a bit. He continued nonetheless. "Well, you're more likely half Asgardian, because you've aged far faster than a normal Asgardian. We have few half-bloods in Asgard, but they all reach maturity at mortal speed, then halt for several centuries."

I stopped for a moment to catch my breath, pushing my head into my hands. Several centuries... Centuries.

"What the fuck is my life."

"Oh, come now, Elle. Now I can show you Asgard! Asgardian ancestry makes you welcome!"

I looked up at him blankly, making him laugh.

"It will be fun! I'll show you the castle, the villages, you'll have a great time. You can meet my mother! She can tell us everything we need to know about your heritage, I'm sure of it." He grinned from ear to ear, and I rubbed the back of my neck.

"Yeah, sounds nice I guess."

"We can go now if you'd like."

I reminded him of my dissertation defense the next morning, which he beamed even larger at. "It's great that I'm here then! We can leave after you've finished".

"Thor I-"

"No! We leave after you become a doctor." He cut me off, still smiling. "Now, do your speech for me. I know you like to practice things."