The Sun Is Shining On Us Again [Thor&FemLoki]

Die With You

Loki stands in the doorway with a soft smile on her face as she watches Thor tuck Love into her bed for the night.

"Can we take Loki to see New Asgard?" Love asks with hope filling her voice and dark eyes.

Thor glances back to Loki and they share small smile. Loki nods at him and his smile widens as he turns to plump up Love's pillows. "I think she would like that, yes."

He waits for Love to crawl under her quilt before helping her to pull it up under her chin. As he tucks her snugly in, he sighs softly and hopes the little monster is listening to him as he projects his thoughts out for only her to hear-'Just give her a couple of days to settle... And give me a little time alone with her?'

Love gives her father a tiny nod that she manages to hide from the ever perceptive Goddess standing in her bedroom doorway.

Thor sends her a brief, but deeply grateful smile. "Thank you." He leans in to whisper the words before pressing a kiss to her forehead.

Love beams a smile up at him, while watching Loki watch her father with a soft smile as he moves over to the desk to grab her favourite stuffed toy; a pink piggy, named Mister Gordo-because she's obsessed with the old Midgardian TV show called, 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer.'

Thor comes back over to her and tucks Mister Gordo in beside her.

Love is still beaming up at him as she whispers back (secretly loud enough for Loki to hear, too), "Maybe you can stop pretending to be happy, now, and actually just be happy...?"

While Thor's soft chuckle tickles her ears, upon hearing Love's words, Loki's mind can't help drifting back to the end of her conversation with the girl; to the very last thing the girl said to her before Thor finally returned from his shower...

"He always pretends like he's OK, but...I know losing you finally broke him, because I...I've looked into his mind...just every now and then, and just to make sure he's not going to do anything stupid, but...yeah..."

Loki wonders if what she herself saw in his mind-when he let her see for herself what had happened to them both-between he and the (briefly) Mighty Jane was desperation of not him not wanting to be alone, like she hopes, or if...

Loki scowls-but then, wouldn't it be Jane standing here, instead of Loki...? Loki's scowl quickly softens back to a smile as she watches Thor playfully poke at the girl's cheek.

"Go to sleep." Thor playfully scolds her with a glare and a warning tone as he adds, "Uncle Bruce is visiting Aunt Jenny tomorrow, and we both know he's an absurdly early riser. We are going to have to be quick, if we want to catch him before he jets off back to Midgard."

Love looks distraught, but mostly, annoyed.

Thor rises to his feet when he notices the familiar glint in her eyes. "Do NOT! You KNOW I only just vacuumed last night!" He firmly bites out, finger raised in warning.

Love pouts dramatically and shoves herself further under her quilt. "I wasn't gonna..." She bites back with a little attitude.

"And I believe you." Thor sarcastically retorts with a sickly sweet smile of false encouragement. He chuckles when she only huffs and glares adorably up at him. "Sleep." He leans down to press a wet kiss to her cheek. "Little monster."

Loki is wholly endeared as she watches the girl shove her father away from her with a look of disgust and a squeal of disapproval erupting from her mouth. Loki smiles and waves at the girl when Love bids her good night, and then, Loki feels nervous again as she follows Thor down the hallway and back into the kitchen.

"If you wish to sleep, too-" Thor grabs two beers from the fridge, Loki cuts him quickly off.

"I don't."

Thor offers her a beer. He smiles when she wrinkles her nose and shakes her head, but takes the two beers for himself instead...because he has a feeling he may need the liquid courage. He places one on the breakfast bar, pops the cap from the other and guzzles it all down in one go.

Loki arches a brow, amused smirk tugging at her lips.

Thor chuckles nervously as he places the empty bottle down. "I'm sorry. I just-"

"It's fine. I, um..." Loki lets out a nervous little chuckle of her own. "It feels...odd...for me, too."

Thor lets out a more breathy chuckle. He shakes his head, looks at her with both bewilderment and amazement. "I can't even begin to imagine what all this feels like for you, Loki."

"I didn't have to watch you die, Thor. Yet, you watched me die...because I forced you to..." While shooting him a look of guilt, Loki firmly states, "I couldn't even watch him torture you for long enough to form a real plan. I just knew if I gave him The Stone, he would leave, and then, we could find a way to stop him after we regrouped. I didn't plan to leave you, Thor, it was a last minute decision, and I would make the same choice every damn time."

Thor stares at her, unblinking. "You died...for me." And before he hears the croak of his own voice as he speaks, he hadn't even noticed how much his chest and throat ache. He shakes his head and lets out a pitiful laugh. "I should feel honored." He stares miserably at her. "But it just made me want to die with you."

"Then, I really would have died for bugger all." Loki chirps with an exasperated little roll of her eyes.

Thor chokes out a laugh at her dazzling grin that follows.

Loki's heart stops briefly as he suddenly moves around the breakfast bar to stand right in front of her. Like he's always done so-he towers over her-and like she's always done so-she tries not to damn well swoon (like all the other idiot women to ever throw themselves at him without shame.)

It would be easy for Loki to use her magic to cover up the heat she feels slowly blossoming in her cheeks, or the way she inhales quietly and sharply when he slowly raises a hand to her face. But Loki is tired of hiding. Tired of running. Tired of pretending. And she has done all three for longer than she can bare to remember. Pretty much ever since she could understand her own feelings...

So, instead of pulling away, Loki feels herself leaning into his touch as his thumb brushes the faint lines of her dimples. He's so close that if Loki was brave enough right now, she could turn her head half an inch and press her lips to the pad of his thumb. But then, all too quickly, it's over; he lets his hand fall back to his side, but the look of disappointment on her face is quickly erased by the softly beaming smile he's now giving her.

"You really are real."

Loki feels her insides melt, just as she feels her heart break a little with realization-he still doesn't trust magic; he still thinks she will disappear.

Thor blinks away the initial confusion, then, he can see the image she projects into his mind...

It's a memory-him standing in The Grandmaster's chambers of his personal vessel; The Statesman. Thor remembers feeling almost alone, even while the rest of his people were just two floors below.

But then, he remembers why that feeling didn't set in...

He sees Loki in the mirror again, just as he's getting a first proper look at his empty and bloody eye socket. He remembers daring to feel hopeful, and again, in the mirror, he sees how he covers it up with pessimistic words and nonchalant expressions...

Until he doesn't, because then, she's really standing there in front of him, just like she is right now. And now, as the image fades from his mind, he still remembers every detail, and now, Loki gives him that same smile she gave him when he threw the bottle cap at her (out of pure childish annoyance) and she caught it with her real hand, because she really was-

"I'm here."

Thor can hear her say the words to him that night in his mind just as she says them to him right now and it takes everything in him not to just fall at her feet on his knees, hug her tightly to him and beg her for her forgiveness as he weeps like a little bitch-boy.