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Three Weeks Before Hell

Chapter Text

Loki Nál, soon to be Skywalker, was not a happy camper. His father, on the other, was. And that just made his day even worse.

“Father, I really don’t understand how you can just leave mother for…for this one-eyed beast with a savage for a son!”

Loki huffed and crossed his arms, leaning down further in the passenger seat of his father’s BMW. His dark green plaid shirt rose up a little with the seat belt, exposing his shiny Nintendo controller belt buckle. His black, skinny-jean clad knees hit the glove compartment and he cursed softly, straightening his legs as far as he could to stretch the long limbs. He glanced at his marker-infused yellow Chucks, silently reciting every word he had written on them.

“You know better than to mention that wench in front of me, Loki. Plus, Odin isn’t as terrible as you think he is. He’s just been…in a rut these past few years because of the passing of his wife. And Thor is not a savage.”

“He sure eats like one…” Loki mumbled something about last Thanksgiving and glared at the street over the dashboard.

“Besides, he’s going to be your brother as soon as Odin and I wed in New York. Maybe you can teach him some table manners before the wedding?”

The dark haired teen sat up in his seat and reached for his iPod Nano out of his back pocket, placing the blue Skullcandy buds into his ears. He set the MP3 device on shuffle and cranked up the volume, drowning out his father’s excited wedding plans with Jack White.

The wedding was three weeks from now. In three weeks, Laufey Nál would wed Odin Skywalker. In three weeks, he would have that thundering oaf of a teenager, Thor Skywalker, as his brother.

In three weeks, Loki’s life would be total hell, as far as he was concerned.

Chapter Text

"Thor, if you do not stop pacing this instant I will smack you with this controller." Fandral waved the plastic remote control in air for a second before returning to his Black Ops game, laughing as he the shot another zombie to bits in the Nazi Zombie minigame.

"They're going to be here in like," Thor Skywalker checked his Droid, eyes staring hard at the lit up screen as the time changed from 2:45 to 2:46pm. "Fourteen minutes! They're not just here for a visit! They're moving in! Shit, what the fuck do I do?"

Sif, who was sitting on the arm of the leather sofa, sipped at her glass of soda. "I really don't see why you're so freaked out. You've known them since what? Since you and Loki were toddlers? What's the big deal? Damn it Fandral! Your left! Your fucking left!"

Volstagg hummed in agreement, mouth too full of hamburger to say anything. Hogun, the ever silent teen of the group, nodded twice.

"Yeah but we also have this itty, bitty problem you seem to be forgetting. Loki hates me. I hate him. How is this going to work?"
"You could, you know, try to be friends with the guy." Sif leveled him with a blank stare, fingers tapping on the soda glass every time Fandral shot his pistol.

"Pssh yeah. As if that'll work. The guy's a fucking nutcase. He went off on me a few months ago for touching his sketch book."

"You know how those art geeks are. Practically all of them are protective of their shit. That one girl, Kitty Whatsherface, nearly scratched my eyes out last week for peeking at her painting in 3rd." Sif shrugged and watched Fandral.

"Motherfucking zombie! Fuck this shit!" Fandral threw the controller to the ground and nearly broke the PS3 as he jabbed the power button.

Sif looked at the tv and then to Fandral.

"You do remember that you were playing online with Tony, right? He's going to smash your face in tomorrow for that. You were the host and that was the longest game either of you has ever played."

"Tony can suck my dick. C'mon Hogun, Volstagg. Mom's expecting us home by three-thirty. We'll give you a ride home, Sif." Fandral stretched, his back popping in several places as the other three said their goodbyes to Thor.

"You're seriously going to leave me here? With him?" Thor gaped at them, not believing his closest friends would leave him with his soon-to-be step brother.

"He's not even here yet, Thor. Relax." Sif waved Thor off as she opened the door. She did not, however, leave.

"Oh. Nevermind then."

Laufey stood with his hand in the air, ready to knock on the now open door. Loki, who was standing at his father's side, looked at Sif with wide eyes before his gaze landed on Thor. His expression soured.

"Well, there goes my happiness."

Chapter Text

Sif and the three foster brothers shuffled out of the Skywalker house, waving at Loki who only spared them a glance. Laufey smiled widely and spread his arms as he walked into the house, grabbing Thor and pulling him into a fierce hug.

"Thor my boy! So nice to see you!" Laufey held Thor at arms length, inspecting the teen with a parental gaze. "You've grown over the summer, haven't you? Why, you're taller than Loki now!"

Thor laughed and stood up straighter, not looking in Loki's direction as the green eyed teen closed the door and plopped down on the sofa.

"I have! But I'm still no where near your height!"

That was true enough, Loki thought. His father was a staggering 6'8", towering over Thor's now 6'2" with ease. Laufey's height was one of the reasons that had Loki wondering why Odin wore the pants in the relationship. The one-eyed goat stood at 5"11".

"Of course not! And you'll never get there! Now, where is your father?" Laufey placed one hand on his hip and the other to his chin, stroking his short, black goatee.

"Dad went to take a shower about a half hour ago." Thor scratched the back of his head in thought.

"Oh did he now? Haha alright boys, play nice. I'll be with your father for a little bit. The movers should be here in an hour, let them in." Laufey laughed and bounded up the stairs to Odin's bedroom.

Loki groaned as Thor took a seat on the far end of the sofa. He checked his Micker Mouse watch on his left wrist, the face showing 3:02pm.

"What are you moaning about?" Thor asked, flipping on the TV with the remote from the coffee table.

"You do realize that our dads won't come down now until at least two rounds of vigorous, old man, shower sex?" Loki raised a delicate eyebrow at Thor before scrolling through his iPod for extra loud, angsty music to drown out the sounds of sex that were sure to follow his father. He kept one earbud out in case the blonde one had anything more to say.

Said blonde one was silent for a moment, eyes blown wide with shock as he let out a very loud FUCK.

"Damnit Loki! I could've gone forever without that image! Fuuucckkkk!" Thor dug the heels of his hands into his eyes, complaining about not having any brain bleach.

"Oh don't act like it's my fault. I never told you to visualize it." Loki tapped his long fingers against his knee in time with the opening riff of Die Motherfucker Die by Dope as Thor continued cursing. Loki, being the little shit that he was, decided to add fuel to the fire.

"Now that we're regrettably moving in, you and I are going to be subjected to many long, sleepless nights."

Thor removed his hands from his face, giving Loki an accusing look. He reached back and undid his low ponytail before twisting his hair back up in the rubber band, still looking at his step-brother. The plaid wearing teen sighed and paused his music as it came to the chorus, giving Thor a "are you kidding me?" look.

"Father and Odin are fiances. Neither of them are virgins and judging by the thumping I hear now, they're not waiting for their wedding night to consummate this unholy matrimony." Loki gave Thor some time to think this over, because bless his heart, Thor was incredibly slow when it came to their parents. In the mean time, Loki looked the teen over, taking into account his yellow t-shirt with picture of the cowardly lion printed on it, the words "I do believe in spooks!" written in orange beneath it. His gaze traveled to Thor's ripped jeans, glancing at the various scratches and scrapes through the holes. He stopped at the hideous neon green and pink Nikes, wondering if this man was color blind, and not for the first time, either. Finally, his words seemed to click in Thor's mind.

"GODDAMN IT!" Thor grabbed the nearest thing to him, a gray throw pillow, and started to bash his head in with the fluffy artifact, not having much luck obviously.

"Have fun with that mental image, every night." He pressed play and leaned back in the sofa cushions, still tapping away as the music floated through his head.

Chapter Text

The boys spent the next half hour in verbal silence with only the roar of Loki's music or sounds from the TV to fill up the spacious living room. During this time, Loki thought about pretty much everything. He focused on one tiny thing, though. His father.

 

How could a man like Laufey fall in love with a man like Odin? Laufey was a devilishly handsome man, a ladies man. His black-gray hair was ear length and slicked back most days. His chin was covered by a goatee that was attractive and he had two titanium piercings in his left earlobe. Laufey's monstrous height was backed by his slight build, enough muscle to have decent definition but not enough to be considered bulky. He always wore stylish clothing, nothing less for a modeling king. His voice was a smooth baritone, capturing one's attention before they were sucked into his red-brown eyes. He was CEO of his own company, Jotun Heights, a modeling corporation which held some of the most famous female models in the world like Sigyn or Hela, two of the company's top models. His was an excellent father to boot.

 

Odin on the other hand....Well, Odin was short. Loki stood over him at 6'1", something he's still very proud about. Odin Skywalker was all muscle and hair. He kept his snow white hair shoulder length and it seemed like he never trimmed his out-of-control beard. His cheeks were usually a unflattering shade of red, bringing out the only redeeming feature that man had: his sapphire eye. The other eye was lost in the car accident that took his wife some years ago, now replaced by a glass eyeball. The man insisted on wearing anything and everything either in gold or blue shades and he had an odd affinity for goats, even having a old viking helmet with goat horns in his room. From an overheard conversations between Thor and his pack of goons, Loki gathered that Odin was at the very least a...less than pleasing father, yelling at Thor for the smallest things. He was also a lawyer, and a dirty one at that. He defended the victims and often paid off his opponent when it seemed like the criminal would be given the Innocent verdict. Anything for justice.

 

In short, Loki didn't like the man. He didn't like his father with the man. He didn't like the man's son even more.

 

At one point in their lives though, Loki had really thought Thor could be someone that he could trust with his whole heart. Someone who would always be by his side. Thor, however, hadn't thought the same.

 

Flashback

 

"Mama Figgs! Mama Figgs!" A young Loki, barely four years old, stumbled over to the blonde woman. She smiled at the dark haired child and knelt down, arms open to catch the boy who tripped over his untied shoelaces.

 

"Little Loki, what did I tell you about running in the house?" Odin's wife Frigga, nicknamed Figgs by Loki who couldn't pronounce her name properly, picked up the four year old and stood, placing him on her hip as she flicked his nose with a painted fingernail.

 

Loki clutched his offended nose and smiled at the golden haired woman, then reached up to grasp a stray curl.

 

"You said not to." Loki played with the curl, bouncing lightly as Frigga walked to the back yard where Odin was barbequing with Laufey. Thor ran around, playing tag with a young Sif and Fandral, stopping and shouting with excitement when he saw his mother with Loki.

 

"Mom! Lucy!" Loki scowled the girly name as Thor clung to Frigga's legs with a death grip, watching as Sif and Fandral ran to Figgs as well, peering up at him with toothy smiles. Frigga let Loki down, placing a kiss on his forehead before doing the same to Thor, Sif, and Fandral. She walked away to Odin and Loki watched as she slid her arms around his large waist, planting a kiss on his cheek then his lips. He turned away, knowing at a young age that that was a private moment between a mommy and a daddy. Loki's mommy wasn't here, his father has said she had something called "busy-ness" in another city. Loki didn't really care. Mommy was never really home anyway.

 

Five year old Thor shook him out of his thoughts, literally, and grinned at him.

 

"C'mon Lucy! Come play Hide'n'Seek with us! Fan's gonna be It, so me, you, and Sif have to hide, 'kay?"

 

"Only if you stop calling me that girly name!" Loki crossed his little arms, remaining as still as he could when Thor tried to drag him away.

 

"But you look girly! Even Fan and Sif agree. What kind of boy has eyes that pretty?" Sif nodded in agreement and Fandral looked at Loki with a blush on his cheeks.

 

"And your hair! Only mom has hair that shiny and soft! So you're Lucy, Loki!" Thor grinned some more and swung his arm around Fandral's neck, swinging the poor boy around as he chanted Lucy in a sing-song voice. Sif laughed quietly as she entwined her fingers with Loki's leading him around the backyard to search for suitable hiding spots.

 

The four of them played for a few rounds before Loki found Fandral hiding underneath the picnic table. He was the last one for Loki to find. They talked about their next game and Thor volunteered to be It for their final game before lunch was ready.

 

Loki found a very good hiding spot inside a giant unused flower pot that was taller than Thor. He knew the boy wouldn't be able to see over the pot's rim unless he stood on the wooden box next to it, which Loki used to get in the pot, so little Loki made his home inside the ceramic object. He giggled quietly to himself, thinking that he would win this round with ease.

 

Thor found Sif and Fandral quickly and they set out to find the raven haired child. Loki heard them coming and slapped a hand over his mouth and tried to breathe quietly, thinking that they could hear him. A few drops of sweat dripped down that back of his neck as they neared.

 

"Thoorr! Where is he?" Fandral complained and sat down on the ground next to the pot. Sif followed his lead and sat as well.

 

"Yeah Thor. Lucy shouldn't be this hard to find. We said the house was a no-no, right? He wouldn't break that rule."

 

Thor said something under his breathe.

 

"What was that?" Sif leaned close to Thor.

 

"I said who cares? He's just a nuisance. I only play with him because mom said to. I don't like him."

 

Fandral and Sif gasped, Loki was stock-still, not believing what he heard.

 

"What are you talking about? He's like a brother to you." Fandral placed his hands in front of him, leaning forward.

 

"I only pretend to like him cause' mom wants me to. I meant what I said earlier, about him being like a girl! It's weird! I know he's boy and all, but boys shouldn't look like that! It creeps me out! And he's so quiet! What kind of kid is quiet? He's just really freaky and I wish he and his dad would just leave my family alone. Plus mom's all over him, as if he were her son and not me!" Thor huffed and walked away to Odin, leaving Sif and Fandral on the ground.

 

By this point, Loki was crying. He tried to get out of the pot but in his haste it wobbled and fell, landing on the grass next to the patio, luckily avoiding being broken. Sif jumped in surprise and covered her mouth as Loki crawled out, crying for Laufey. His eyes were full of tears and his cheeks were bright red.

 

Fandral and Sif watched as the concerned father ran over to Loki and gathered the boy up in his arms, figuring that the pot falling had caused Loki to start crying.

 

Laufey looked at the two on the ground, noticing how scared they were when he glanced at them.

 

"What happened?" It may have been worded as a question, but Sif and Fandral knew it was a demand.

 

"We were playing Hide'n'Seek!" Sif stood up, hands clenched at her sides.

 

"Yeah! Loki was the last one hidden but Thor gave up so we looked for him. I guess Loki got tired of waiting for us to find him and wanted out of the pot." Fandral jumped up beside her, quickly spinning a lie so Laufey wouldn't throttle Thor and forbid Loki from visiting. Fandral liked him.

 

"Nuh-uh! He musta overheard Thor-" Fandral slapped a hand over Sif's mouth, nervously laughing when Laufey raised a eyebrow at them.

 

"He just overheard Thor talking about giving up, so that's probably why he tried to get out."

 

Laufey looked them over twice before carrying the now sniffling boy towards Odin. Frigga rushed over to him, asking about Loki as Laufey announced that they were leaving and that he was sorry they had to go. The parents bid their farewells sadly, Laufey wiping his son's tears as they walked through the house and left.

 

Thor was clinging to his mother's legs as this happened, sticking his tongue out in Loki's direction and smiling at his friends.

 

Fandral and Sif stood in shock and slight fear, wondering what would happen now that Loki knew of Thor's hatred.

Chapter Text

Loki woke up with a start. I must have dozed off, he thought to himself. Someone was banging on the front door and Thor was no where to be found. He sighed and turned off his iPod, rubbing his eyes as Stupid MF was cut off and got up, stretching with his arms above his head. He walked over to the door yawning, and opened it. Two men in uniform were standing before him.

 

"Can I help you?" Loki's voice was deep. He was still half asleep and it showed.

 

"Uh yeah. We're looking for a Mr. Na...Nale?" The one with the clipboard scratched his head and looked at the paper.

 

"It's Nál. Do you want Laufey, or me?"

 

"Laufey, please...I think."

 

Loki sighed and leaned against the door frame, crossing his arms as he did so.

 

"May I ask who wants him?"

 

"Oh we're from the moving company." The clipboard man smiled at Loki gently.

 

"No you're not. I met the movers. You two," he pointed at each of them. "Are not the ones we hired." Loki stood up straight, inspecting them with a suspicious gaze. They had the same uniform as the other two, but most definitely not the same faces.

 

"Oh well you see..." He trailed off, looking up at something behind Loki that visibly scared him. Someone cleared their throat.

 

"Loki, I can handle this. Go find Thor and help him with dinner." Loki looked over his shoulder and saw his father glaring down at the men, Odin was standing not too far off conversing with Thor. The blonde oaf looked at him with something akin to amusement and walked into the kitchen.

 

"Yes father." He said hello to Odin as he passed, not expecting the surprise hug his father's lover pulled him into.

 

"It's good to see you, Loki. I'm happy you chose to live with us." Odin held him at arms length.

 

"Yes well, mother wasn't very easy to deal with after the divorce, and though I do love her, I felt as though it'd be better if I wasn't there." Loki pulled away and looked Odin in the eye before excusing himself to help Thor. He walked into the kitchen and found his kinda-almost-step-brother hovering over a cookbook. There was chicken defrosting the sink and tomatoes on the counter. A pot of almost boiling water was on the stove with a bag of bowtie noodles next to it. Thor had a large knife in hand as he read the directions.

 

"What are you doing?" Loki walked to the sink and poked the chicken. It was thoroughly defrosted already.

 

"Making dinner. What does it look like?" Thor glanced up at him briefly.

 

"It looks like," Loki grabbed the book from its place on the counter and flipped through the pages. "Like you have no idea how to make such a simple recipe. Really? You can't make tomato basil chicken pasta without detailed instructions?" Loki closed the book and dropped it with a thump! on the counter. Thor made a squawking noise and moved out of the way as Loki grabbed his knife and reached for a cutting board.

 

"What are you doing? I can do it myself!" Thor tried to grab the knife back but Loki grabbed his face with his hand and held him back. His palm covered Thor's face and he could feel the too-much-to-be-five-o'clock-shadow-but-too-little-to-be-a-beard stubble on his cheeks and jaw. Thor's blue eyes glared at him from between his fingers.

 

"If you have to follow a book recipe to make something, then you're not doing it right." Loki gave a forceful shove and chuckled as Thor fell backwards, crashing into the fridge. "Cooking, unlike baking, should never be done by book. Measure the ingredients with taste and your eyes, not by units. Make it with love, not ink." Thor grumbled and sat down on a stool near the counter. He continued glaring at Loki, chin in his hand and pride bruised. He watched as Loki pulled the chicken from the sink and diced it in little cubes, accomplishing the feat in record time. He pushed the meat into the corner of the board close to the edge as he bent down to get a cooking pan. He set the metal device on the stove and lit the burner. Thor saw the flames lick the bottom of the pan. Loki uncorked the cooking oil bottle and poured an unknown amount into the pan.

 

Loki opened the fridge and pulled out a jar of minced garlic, using his knife to scoop out some and plop it into the pan. Within minutes, the rooms smelled of garlic, something that made Thor's mouth water. Two tomatoes were diced up and added to the pan, the chicken still on the cutting board. Onions were next, one half used and tossed in the pan. The water was boiling by this time, taking to the added noodles with ease. Thor noticed that Loki swayed his hips as he moved around the kitchen, dancing to some tune in his head. He pretended that the heat spreading to his face was just the temperature in the room rising.

 

Loki added the last few ingredients to the pan and finally added the chicken, seasoning it with salt, pepper, chopped, fresh basil, and dried oregano. He put a lid over both the pan and the pot and let the foods cook to perfection. He washed his hands and cleaned up his work space, depositing the paper towels into the trash bin.

 

"Cooking is a labor of love. Following the directions only gives it a taste of a blah. No one wants blah in their mouths." Thor stared at him as he walked away. Loki raised one hand above his shoulder.

 

"Turn off the heat on the noodles in fifteen minutes, then the chicken in twenty."

 

Thor was left with that tantalizing smell of food and the memory of Loki's swaying hips, wanting more.

 

More of what, however, he wasn't quite sure on.

Chapter Text

Dinner was a hospitable affair, as far as Loki was concerned. Thor giving him strange looks over his fork of pasta, Odin was laughing at a joke his father made, and Loki was just enjoying his food. The dish turned out great. The chicken was seasoned to perfection and the noodles weren't overcooked. Thor had done his job.

 

Speaking of the man, Loki looked up from his plate and leveled Thor with a blank look.

 

"Is there something on my face or did you suffer brain damage in the last ten minutes?" Loki set his fork down and leaned back in his chair, lifting up his glass of water as Thor grew terribly red and sputtered out an reply. The raven head sighed and looked to his father who was watching his interaction with Thor. Odin was busying himself with his food.

 

"What exactly happened with the movers, father?" He picked up his fork again and speared a good looking piece of chicken, placing it his mouth and savoring the flavor that followed.

 

Laufey looked at his son and then to Thor who had his head down and was pushing noodles around his plate, blush ever present on his tanned cheeks.

 

"The original men were met with some difficulties along the way. The ones you met at the door were their replacements. I threatened to sue the company for any possible damages to our property, they let me off with a ninety percent discount. All's well that ends well."

 

Loki stared at his father for a moment before shaking his head, laughing softly. Thor looked up from his plate with wide eyes, zeroing in on Loki's face.

 

"I do love it when you threaten others, father." Loki continued to laugh, oblivious of the stares he was getting from Thor. The blonde teen swallowed and looked away, focusing instead on his pasta again.

 

"Yes, yes I know. Your stuff is in your room. Why don't you go unpack after dinner? Odin and I will take care of the dishes. Have Thor help you if you need it."

 

"Yes father."

 

The night progressed slowly after dinner. Loki bid Thor goodnight, refusing the offered help as he set about making his room. His bed was lined with black, silk sheets and monochrome comforter. The pillows were fluffed and placed lovingly at the head of the bed. He went through three large boxes, taking out only the essentials for now. Clothes for the week, school items, toiletries and the like.

 

Loki smiled at the last item he pulled out. It was a stuffed animal, a polar bear with large, blue eyes and extremely soft fur. He patted the fur and placed a gentle kiss on its snout before placing it on the bed. The bear had been a gift from Frigga for his birthday, the last one he had with her before Thor banned him from his house in a fit of childish rage. Loki had been heart broken, though he still received gifts from the Skywalkers every year, it just wasn't the same. It was never the same without a loving hug from Figgs.

 

Even now, Loki wished the lady Skywalker was present. She was always there for him when Thor teased him to tears. She was there when the children at school made fun of him or when his own mother refused to listen. She was just...there. Loki sighed and undressed, quickly covering up with a old band t-shirt and a baggy pair of pajama pants. He crawled underneath the bed covers, pulling the animal close to his chest, mumbling a quiet night' Figgy as he reached up and switched off the lamp next to his bed.

Chapter Text

Loki tossed and turned in his sleep. His eyes scrunched up as he rolled onto his stomach, one side of his face pressed into the pillow, his arm still clinging to the polar bear like life support.

"Loki sweetie, mommy's home!"

Six year old Loki stifled a gasp and buried himself further into his father's closet. The long coats around him covered his form but his feet were still very much exposed. He quickly and quietly gathered his father's shoes and piled them in front of him. His mother grew closer to the room.

"Loki, come out and greet your mother. Mommy's tired and just wants to see her little boy!"

He shook his head violently, not caring that she couldn't see him at the moment. He wanted father. He wanted Figgs. Anybody but mother, anyone at all.

"Darling, this is your last chance before mommy gets really angry. Come out and nothing bad will happen." Her voice was louder, she was closer. Loki started panicking.

"Where's daddy," Loki's mind was racing. "He should've been home by now. He's always home before mother. What happened? Did mother hurt him, too?"

The handle of the closet door jiggled and Loki froze. He held his breath and tried to make himself as small as possible, wishing he could melt into the floor boards or meld with the wall. His mother opened the door just a crack, causing Loki to jump ever so slightly away from the beam of light that made its way through the opening.

Father please! I need you. Fatherfatherfather nonono she's goingtogetme please!

"Time's up, sweetie. Mommy's going to get you now."

She opened the closet door wider, the opening now about five inches wide. Loki felt tears pour down his cheeks as he bit his lip and fought to keep any and all noises inside his chest. People on the television and at school said moms were supposed to be good. They were supposed to love their children and treat them nicely.

Loki's mommy wasn't like that.

That's why he was so scared.

No knew though, not even Father.

The doors were opened completely by this point. The little boy held his breath, forcing his small lungs to keep everything in. All he wanted to do was scream, but his mother's punishment would only be worse if he did.

He looked up as his mother cooed at him. She already knew he was there. She always knew where he was. She spread apart the coats and revealed her son. Loki looked at her with his shining green eyes, sparkling with salty tears that would not stop, no matter how many times he told them to. He sniffled, once, twice, three times, still holding back his cries. His face was cherry red, his nose leaking, his bottom lip bitten and abused.

His mother glared at him.

"Don't look at me like that, you little brat. Not with those eyes." Her voice was a low growl, threatening and evil.

Behind all the tears and swollen redness of his eyes, laid a stubborn look of defiance deep down in the acidic green of his irises. It was subtle, barely there, covered up by his fear.

His mother reached for him, long, red nails like a witch's hand clawing for him.

Loki woke with a start. His body was covered with sweat, the poor polar bear suffocated and almost bursting at the seams. He was in the fetal position facing the wall, tangled up in his sheets and comforter; it took him a minute to situate himself and figure out that it was just a dream.

Exactly. Only a dream.

The actual memory was far worse.

Loki shivered despite the warm temperature in his room. He stretched out his legs before retracting them back to his body, snuggling deeper into the blankets and re-fluffing the bear. Unwanted thoughts flowed around in his skull, a dreadful reminder of his past.

His mother had gotten him. There was no escape, not that day. Father had worked late, a result of poor cooperation from some of the new models. When he got home, Loki's mother had already patched up everything and made up a lie to fool Laufey.

It was late. Laufey wanted sleep. He believed anything when he needed to rest. In the mornings he left early, so he didn't see Loki until after work.

As far as Laufey knew, Loki got into a fight with an upperclassman. His mother took care of him, that's all.

Loki gazed at his clock and read the glowing red digits. 4:32am.

He turned over and fought his way into sleep, trying to gain an extra two hours before his father would drag him out to meet the world.

Chapter Text

The smell of freshly made blueberry waffles caressed his nostrils. Syrup followed like a gentle lover, calling all to come. Coffee was in the air too, black and bitter but still so tempting.

Sweet baby Jesus. Sausage was mixed in there too.

Loki was up in a flash, not caring to look at his clock which read 9:14am. He was still very much tangled in his blankets, a thing which was slightly remedied when he tripped out of bed, banging his chin against the carpeted floor and throwing Figgy, the poor, plush, polar bear over to the door. It landed with a puff, staring at him with blank, glassy, eyes that were still somehow laughing at him.

He huffed at the plush and shook his leg, freeing it from the confines of his sheets and got up. He readjusted his pants' drawstrings, making sure the material would stay around his protruding hips as he stretched and pulled down his shirt, covering his pale stomach.

Yawning, he yanked the door open and raced downstairs to the kitchen. The dining table had three large plates in the middle, each holding steaming food that made Loki salivate. Bacon and sausage shared one plate in the very center, flanked by a mile-high stack of pancakes on one plate and a medium pile of waffles on the next. Two smaller plates crowded around the main three, presenting honey biscuits and sourdough toast, butter placed in a dish not too far away. Napkins and silverware were already in front of each seat, accompanied by empty plates.

Loki looked around the room, peering into the living room and seeing no one but himself.

Oh, and his father.

Laufey had his back turned to him, a white apron tied around his large body as he danced around the kitchen much like Loki did the night before. His son walked closer to the chef, noticing that he was chopping fresh fruit and dumping into a glass bowl with style and grace that most professional chefs wouldn't be able to achieve.

Not many people could lay claim to that much style. Laufey wasn't CEO of a modeling company for nothing.

Loki smiled at his father and slid next to him, stealing a coffee mug from the counter and twisting around Laufey to the coffee pot. His father raised an eyebrow, snorting as Loki whistled I'm Not Okay and poured Vanilla creamer and a half tablespoon of sugar into his cup before lifting the scalding pot high above his head and pouring the dark liquid in, making the mixture frothy.

"Last time I checked you weren't a barista." Laufey tossed the unusable part of an apple into the sink, shoving it the down the garbage disposal. He sprinkled sugar onto the chopped fruit and grabbed the bowl, gliding into the dining area as Loki carefully walked with him, trying to keep all of the heavenly liquid in the ceramic cup.

"Last time I checked, you weren't a morning person." Loki set his mug down and pulled out his chair, using a fork to stab two waffles and four pieces of sausage. "Who cooked for a family of twenty."

Laufey laughed as he stomped up the stairs to retrieve Odin and his golden sun. "Blame your mother!"

At the mention of his mother, Loki's mood darkened. He jabbed and sliced his food, making quite a gruesome scene when Thor stumbled down the stairs and plopped into the seat next to him. The taller teen warily stared at him as he filled his own plate, piling on pancakes and bacon and soaking everything in syrup.

"Um...you okay, Loki?"

There was one last, hard jab. It made a screeching noise against the plate. Thor was honestly surprised the poor plate didn't crack in half.

"Just peachy."

That was basically what Odin and Laufey walked in on. Loki murdering his food with silverware and his teeth while Thor inched away and chewed his own food hesitantly. The air was filled with tension, all of it radiating from Loki. The blonde man next to him glanced up and saw his dad and Laufey and began to send them messages with his eyes.

Help me!

What's with him?

I don't know what's going on!

This food is really good!

Thanks Laufey!

Oh my god he's insane!

Loki finished his food and got up abruptly, almost causing his still hot gup of coffee to topple over. Thor saw this and caught it before even a drop could escape. Loki stopped in his tracks and glared at the hand around his mug.

Predictably, Thor gulped and slowly removed his hand, nearly choking on his food when Loki smiled at him and sighed, letting out a quiet thank you as he grabbed his cup and moved into the kitchen. With his dishes in the sink, coffee in hand, and the other three thoroughly confused, Loki made his way up the stairs and into his room.

He unpacked and rearranged him room the rest of th day, thinking of his mother and the start of his new school. Tomorrow was Monday, a day everyone seemed to hate.

For Loki, the insane asylum called a center of public education offered a release from tormenting memories and ghosts that were best left to rot.

Chapter Text

His phone went off.

 

At three in the fucking morning.

 

Who is their right minds would dare to call him at three in the morning?

 

Loki's hand shot out from its place underneath his pillow, head still buried by fluff and his blankets. He blindly reached for his phone, bumping his hand on the corner of his nightstand several times before finally grasping onto the chirping device. Preparing himself for the inevitable brightness of his phone's screen, Loki squinted and looked at the caller ID.

 

It was Thor.

 

If he wasn't so tired and absolutely exhausted, he would have gotten up and marched into Thor's room only to throw his alarm clock at the oaf. Alas, Loki was not about to leave the warmth of his bed to do something he could accomplish in the morning when he had more energy. Instead, he dragged the phone under the covers and answered the device.

 

"What could you possibly want, Skywalker?"

 

There was silence. He repeated his question.

 

More silence. Loki was about to hang up when he heard some noise. He had to strain his ears, pressing the phone as close as humanly possible to his ear.

 

Snoring. It was snoring.

 

Thor was very much asleep, having left his phone on the bed and accidentally calling Loki in the middle of the night by rolling over the object.

 

Motherfucker.

 

Loki shot up from bed and held his phone high, ready to throw it against his wall. Just before doing so, however, he thought about it. If he did throw his phone, not only would it likely break from the force, but he would also wake up Laufey in the process and his father would be pissed. Odin would wake too, disturbed by Laufey's angry yells. Thor would remain the only one sleeping while everyone else would be zapped of energy for the next day due to bouts of yelling. It wasn't a good idea after all.

 

"I am so getting back at you for this, brother."

 

He tossed the phone on the nightstand after switching it to silent, locking the screen as well. He practically threw his head back down on the pillow, sighing heavily with the motion and squeezing his eyes shut, hoping to return to the land of sleep soon.

 

---

 

His alarm sounded at six thirty but was quickly silenced with a angry smack. Loki's eyes were wide open and dark, glaring at the ceiling so hard that it was a wonder it didn't burst into flames.

 

He didn't sleep at all after the phone incident.

 

He climbed out of bed, feet walking across the floor heavy and angry. He threw open his closet and grabbed two shirts, a gray wife beater and a yellow flannel. His drawers were abused as he yanked those open too, pulling out a long pair of black socks and black Dickies shorts. The teen threw these items onto his bed as he searched his floor for his Converse, finding several rubber and leather bracelets in the process. These items also found their way to his bed as he walked out of room and into the bathroom, slamming the door with a bang.

 

Loki didn't even notice Thor standing next to the bathroom with a towel in hand, now staring dazedly at the door, wondering what the hell just happened and why he was even awake at half past six.

 

Thor groaned when he remembered why he had gotten up in the first place. School. Ugh. He sighed and leaned his head against the wall, his towel dropping from his shoulder and onto the floor. He didn't know how long he had stayed there, but the next thing he knew Loki was zipping out of the bathroom.

 

Thor turned his head, still against the wall, and faced Loki who he had thought would hurry into his room. Loki was glaring at him, hair slicked back with a few stray strands falling over his forehead, a pair of dark blue rimmed glasses perched on his nose. They stared and glared at each other before Loki asked Thor to stand up straight. Thor did, about to ask why when he felt incredible pain in his nether regions. Loki had struck him in the baby maker.

 

He clutched at his injured manhood as he sunk down to his knees, gasping in pain and ready to snarl at Loki before the man ran back to his room.

 

"That, dearest Thor," He started with sickening sweet voice. "Is for waking me up this morning."

 

Thor curled in on himself and muttered a string of curse as he heard Loki's door slam.

 

Back in Loki's room, the dark haired male was pulling his wife beater over his head, followed by his flannel which he buttoned up, leaving two buttons at the top untouched.. The fabric covered his hips that we being hugged by his shorts, held up with a studded belt, the original buckle replaced with the Horde symbol from World of Warcraft. He sat on the bed and dragged the socks over his legs, pulling them as far up as they would go. His converse came next, laced up tightly and almost cutting off circulation.

 

Sighing, he stood up and brushed off non-existent dust from his clothing, stretching with his arms raise high above his head. He grabbed his phone from the nightstand and switched it to vibrate, checking the time before putting it in his pocket and slinging his green Jansport backpack over his shoulder. It was six fifty-five. He still had an hour and five minutes before school started. Loki grabbed his wallet and put it in his back pocket and turned off the light before going downstairs, noticing the cereal on the dining table.

 

He smiled, knowing his father had laid out the dish before leaving for work. Loki dropped his backpack near the chair he pulled out and sat down, pouring a healthy amount of milk that was conveniently placed beside the bowl and digging in, hoping that his day would only continue to better throughout the day.

 

Chapter Text

Having visited the Skywalker residence more times than he could count, Loki knew the way to school easily. Walk out the door, down the sidewalk to the left and down two blocks. Turn right at the signal, walk another block, turn left. Enter school and the crowds of hormonal teenagers, evade the popular section, go to the office. Get schedule. Go to class.

Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.

The only hard part was making the walk last longer. For Loki, with his long legs and equally long strides, the walk would take no more than fifteen minutes. He checked his phone again. 7:10. Loki sighed and tried to think of ways to waste time. He recounted all the shops along the way, trying to remember if there was a bakery nearby or even just a Starbucks. With his mind's eyes, he saw three sandwich shops and one Starbucks, all of which were extremely expensive, considering the area the Skywalkers lived in.

Fine, he decided, Starbucks it is then. The local sandwich shops all left a sour taste in his mouth. A blah taste, like the one he mentioned to Thor. None of their food stuffs were homemade, all mass produced and foul. Not that Starbucks was any better, but at least their products had more quality. Loki pulled out his phone once more as he closed the front door and began his trip to education. He opened up the Memo and quickly punched in a little note.

Note to self, it read. Find a good, family owned bakery or sandwich shop for the love of all things holy.

His phone found its way back into his pocket, screen locked to prevent butt calling anyone. His iPod on the other hand, was out of his pocket and into his ears, blasting the sweet, rebellious notes of Rage Against the Machine. As the chorus set in Loki locked that device too and slipped it into his shorts, drumming his fingers that were clinging to a backpack strap along his stomach. His thumb was hooked around the material, holding it in place as he used his other hand to fix his hair, more strands had become disheveled during his walk and they needed to be controlled.

With both earbuds placed within his ears, he didn't quite hear the bounding steps on concrete behind him as he passed the first block. Nor did he hear a gun being drawn and cocked, hammer pulled back ready to shoot. One thing he did hear, and this was after the newcomer had ripped his earbuds out, was the deep voice of someone who was clearly insane.

"Don't make a fucking noise if you don't want your blood staining the ground, kid."

Loki gulped and nodded, feeling the hard press of the gun barrel at the back of his head. His would-be killer didn't see his face, so he didn't know about the smirk that was currently plastered there.

Loki felt like laughing. Really, really hard.

 ---

"But dad! He fucking kicked me in the balls! I can't do anything?! Are you kidding me?!" Thor was in a rage. No one had ever dared to touch him like that.

"If you don't watch your language, young man, your balls aren't going to be the only thing bruised around here!" Odin was furious, rightly so. Laufey had left extra early that morning, trying to ready the new branch of Jotun Heights, and that meant zero morning sex. Odin liked his morning sex, thank you very much. He didn't feel right without it, and with Laufey now living with them, he expected such events every morning.

It wasn't in the stars, apparently.

Also not in the stars was Thor and Loki getting along.

For Fuck's Sake.

Thor was silent, quietly fuming and trying very hard not to break something. He father was glaring at him with dark rings around his eyes, a sour expression covering his face. Seems like someone else woke up on the wrong side of the bed too.

"Think, my idiotic son. Loki doesn't act out physically unless he's very angry. You must have done something, try to remember if he said anything."

Thor thought it was stupid. This whole conversation was stupid. Loki was stupid. And mean. Very mean. But he still thought about it because Odin asked him to. Only one thing came to mind.

"He said it was for waking him up this morning. But I have no idea what he was talking about! The first time I saw him was when he went to the bathroom, that's it! I swear!"

Odin felt the intense need to facepalm, but he wouldn't resort to teenage antics. Yet.

"Thor, dear, oaf, foolish boy. How many times have you fallen asleep with your phone right next to you?"

The blonde one scratched his almost-bearded face and shrugged his shoulders.

"I dunno, a few times."

What was his dad getting at?

"And how many of those times have resulted in you calling me from your tossing and turning?"

Oh.

The look of realization came across Thor's face and Odin sighed. He grabbed his coat from it's place on the coat rack by the door and grabbed his keys. He gazed at the clock on the wall. 7:48.

"Come on, son. Let me give you a ride to school. Think about an apology for Loki along the way. I'm sure he'll say he's sorry, too. Only after you do though. You know how he is."

Thor grumbled and absentmindedly rubbed at his still sore crotch, pulling his red backpack up from the floor and over his shoulder. He readjusted his shirt and pulled out a pair of aviators from his pocket, placing the dark glasses over his eyes as he followed his dad out the door.

"Yeah yeah. Sure pops."

Neither Skywalker expected to be stopped by police barricades separating a madman and a hostage from the public.

They didn't expect Loki to be the hostage, either.

Chapter Text

-8:00am, Laufey's car, 15 Freeway headed south-

The car ride was quiet, the low mumble from the radio creating a soothing white noise as Laufey inched down the freeway. There was too much traffic, making his trip much more of a hell that it should have been. Two goddamn hours to make a thirty minute trip. Laufey rolled down his window, letting his elbow rest on the door in comfort. He thought about what he had to do today, thinking about the new models that were supposed to come in. The newest branch of Jotun Heights had already been set up for the most part, the executives at the branch just needed Laufey there to approve the models before anything further happened. The CEO would be able to work from home after that, only going in to screen models and bitch out retarded employees.

With this thought in his mind, Laufey moved his arm from the window to take hold of the steering wheel, reaching back with his other to grab for his briefcase in the backseat.

It wasn't there.

With the slow traffic, Laufey allowed himself to brake a little and look back.

The briefcase wasn't there.

It wasn't in the backseat. It wasn't in the passenger seat, and it sure as hell wasn't in the trunk. There was too much crap back there at the moment to fit another item.

Laufey turned back to the road and cursed, switching lanes through the sea of cars to get to the next exit. He was still cursing as he found the on-ramp for the 15 North and got on, remembering that he had left the briefcase by the door back home. Something had distracted him. What was it...

Oh.

Loki.

Getting Loki's breakfast like the good father he was.

His sour mood turned around at the thought of his son. His lovely, raven haired, emerald eyed son who deserved the world. He had forgotten to leave out breakfast for him when Laufey made coffee early that morning so he had done it quickly before he left. That was, Laufey gazed at the neon clock face on his radio which read 8:14am, two and half hours ago. He was just about to leave the house when he remembered to take out the milk, setting the briefcase on the floor as he walked back into the kitchen.

He must have been so focused on leaving the house and not being late that he had forgotten his briefcase.

He was able to speed down the Northbound side of the freeway, traffic being much more clear on this side than the other, making the usual thirty minute trip in ten, luckily not encountering any police officers along the way. He got off on the next exit coming up, a major street that led to the neighborhood in which he now lived, and pressed his foot on the gas. He narrowly avoided a red light, watching as the person behind him was stuck at the traffic signal. When he was able to turn down his street, he noticed the red and blue flare of police lights. Another string of curses left his mouth, thinking one or two cops must have saw him at one point.

That wasn't it.

Laufey slowed down as a police barricade came up, stopping behind multiple cars that were also barred passage. There were dozens of police cars, all surrounding four people in the middle of the street. Laufey swore and got out of his car, not caring when an officer attempted to stop him.

What he saw next made his heart stop and his knees feel like jelly.

His soon-to-be-husband was holding back Thor, arms wrapped around him from the front and yelling at him to stop. Thor, that big, golden beast of a teenager was snarling, raging in every which way and blood lust clear from outer space. He was yelling obscenities at a man in the exact middle of the road, a man who all the cops were aiming at as he screamed and fired a few shots into the air.

Now, this would just normally get Laufey's blood racing, awakening a desire to protect his family and to totally annihilate whatever was threatening them.

But as he looked at the man's feet...Laufey felt more than his blood racing.

He felt every fiber of his being call out for pure, unadulterated murder.

His beautiful, handsome, Snow White-esque son was lying at the man's feet, lips painted red with blood and eyes closed in a mockery of sleep. A large spot of crimson was blossoming on his side, hand limp in the spot and covered with his own blood.

Everything slowed down. Thor's enraged yells, Odin's screams to stop, the officers attempt to ge the man to drop his weapon. It all slowed and was muted. It was like someone pressed slow-mo on a remote and stuffed cotton in Laufey's ears, while also shoving a pair of red-tinted goggles over his eyes.

Because honestly, Laufey couldn't tell if anyone tried to stop him as he walked into the middle of the street.

Just like that morning when he got breakfast for Loki, his focus was solely on his son. His surroundings became that forgotten briefcase, only meant to be remembered after Loki was taken care of.

And like any other good parent, Laufey's children always came first.

-8:28am-

Chapter Text

-8:15am, Thor and Odin-

The maniac pulled a knife out, at least 7 inches, then stuck it in Loki's side as if he were made of foam. The blood spilled just as easily, staining his yellow flannel. Thor thought distantly that it reminded him of mustard and ketchup. Thoughts of food quickly left his mind when he finally grasped the gravity of the situation. Loki had just been stabbed. Judging by the amount of pain he showed of his face and where the wound was, it was close to or hit a vital organ. He could see Loki's eyes widen, the green of them impossibly bright and apparent even from this distance as he fell to the ground, hands clutching the knife and pulling it out. The man who did it snarled and lifted his gun, hitting Loki over the head with the handle and scoffing as he blacked out and fell backwards. Thor winced, imagining the feeling of skull hitting asphalt.

Thor stood there, body numb and motionless for all of ten seconds before something clicked. He felt his fists ball at his sides and his brow furrow, burning white rage erupting underneath his skin and setting him on fire. His muscles tensed, veins popping from his skin. If it were not for his berserk state, Thor would swear he heard thunder somewhere in the distance. Maybe. His sight was minimized, almost like tunnel vision that was focused solely on the two people in the middle of the road. Before he knew what he was doing, his voice bellowed out and he made to rush forward only to be stopped by his father. He didn't understand. This man had just stabbed Loki and knocked him unconscious but yet here was Odin, holding him back and preventing him from pulverizing the assailant.

"Son! Calm down! You're not helping the situation!" Odin used all of his strength to keep his boy back, not wanting any further damage to be done to his family. He heard sirens in the distance and breathed a quite sigh of relief. Someone had called the cops. Odin looked around as Thor snarled against him, noticing a woman standing in her doorway with her husband holding. She carried a cell phone. The authorities swarmed the street soon enough and jumped out of their cars, yelling at the man to drop his weapon. He just laughed and fired shots into the air, clearly not in the mood to listen to anything they had to say.

"Father please! Release me now!" Thor still struggled against his hold, surprised at his father's strength. He was breathing heavily, eyes bugging out of his skull and gritting his teeth together. Odin pushed him back, his hold slacking when he heard some officers shout at someone to stay back. He let his attention leave Thor to land on Laufey who should have been at work. His heart stopped and he felt a cold sweat drip down his back. His fiance looked murderous.

-8:28am, Laufey-

The madman had the audacity to point his firearm at him, threatening to shoot if he got any closer. Laufey scoffed and brought his hands up, cracking his knuckles together and looking down at the man as he neared. The assailant visibly paled at the height difference and his gun hand started to shake. He was sweating profusely as he stammered out another empty threat. Laufey merely looked at him, sizing up the moron who dared to hurt his son. When the idiot pointed his gun downwards, intent on finishing Loki off, Laufey's eyes followed his movement and saw the bloodied knife laying next to Loki. His lips curled into a mocking smile and he shot his hand out, catching the man's wrist in his hand and pulling it up. Laufey squeezed until the man dropped the gun into his waiting hand and then twisted his hold, breaking the man's wrist in one move. He kept his hold on him, tossing the gun to the officers who inched closer to the three in the middle. Laufey would have laughed as they fumbled and nearly dropped it if the screaming man his hand grip didn't demand his undivided attention.

With the man disarmed, Laufey moved his hand down his arm, his free hand coming to grip the man's shoulder. With a short tug and twist, he broke the man's arm, spinning him around and lifting his foot to place it on the middle of the man's back. With a sickening smile, Laufey pulled and pushed, dislocating the broken limb. He was entirely ready to rip the limb from the man's body when he felt a gentle tug on his pant leg. He looked down, dropping the man's arm and kicking him away for the cops to deal with. Before he kicked though, he lowered his foot and kicked the side of the man's knee, breaking that limb too. The man landed with a pained scream, desperately clinging to his broken appendages. Laufey paid him no mind and knelt down to Loki, stroking his cheek as the teen smiled at him lazily. The world continued then, paramedics rushing to Loki's side and securing him to a gurney to push him into the ambulance. The EMTs didn't dare try to push the father away as they loaded Loki up into the vehicle. They were shocked when he declined to ride with them but nodded and hastily left, sirens blaring.

Laufey stood there, a calm smile on his face as his hearing cleared up and his rage settled. The cotton in his ears disappeared and he could see clearly. He smudged the blood on the ground with his foot, sighing softly as Odin came up besides him and wrapped his arms around him. Thor stayed back, calming down as well and moving back to Odin's car, collapsing in the passenger seat. The flashing lights stayed as the authorities talked to and questioned Laufey. Thor watched the happenings, his mind empty except for thoughts of school. He didn't think his teachers would believe his reason as to why he was late today.

-8:50am-

Chapter Text

-Thursday, Three Days Later-

"We join you now with the question that is on everyone's mind tonight: What is going to happen to modeling CEO and tycoon, Laufey Nál? As you may have heard in the past few days, the forty-two year old retired model and founder of the Jotun Heights corporation was involved in a physical altercation with an armed gunman." The newscaster kept a straight face as she read off the prompter, briefly looking down at her papers before continuing.

"Witnesses say that when Nál stepped onto the seen, he ignored all warnings and orders from authorities and proceeded to confront the assailant, going as far as to break the assailant's wrist, arm, and leg after finding his son, seventeen year old Loki Nál, stabbed and bleeding on the ground. Authorities quickly took over once Nál had done his damage and questioned the man as paramedics rushed his son and the suspect to the hospital. Both the suspect and Nál are currently charged with assault with a deadly weapon, as authorities found Nál is trained as a mixed-martial artist. The trial is set to begin two weeks from now following a one day trial for the suspect." The female newscaster smiled then, looking to her partner as he took the story over.

"Some may remember the Nál from the divorce scandal when now ex-wife Farbauti Celeste battled for custody over then young Loki Nál. The dispute still has yet to be settled, with Loki in the temporary care of his father. With these recent developments, the court may rule in Celeste's favor and grant her custody. However, sources tell us that Nál is set to be married to a local lawyer, fifty-three year old Odin Skywalker. As a father and close family friend to the Náls for many years, Skywalker may have a chance to gain custody of Loki should he put his name in for consideration. And now, we switch it over to Jimmy for the weather."

"Father, change it." Loki whined from his hospital bed, hands grabbing for the remote Laufey held. "Don't wanna hear the weather."

Laufey snorted and changed the channel to I Love Lucy, leaning back in the uncomfortable chair provided by the hospital, squirming and cursing when he wasn't able to properly relax. He mumbled a quiet "fuck it" and got up, moving Loki over carefully and sitting next to him on the bed. Loki scooted over enough for his dad, but closed the distance between them by laying his head on Laufey's arm, sighing and closing his eyes.

"I wanna go home." Loki said into his father's arm, his own hands coming to wind around Laufey.

"Stop being a baby. It's only been three days." Laufey put his feet up onto the bed, leaning back against the pillows and finally getting comfortable.

"I'm injured, I can act like a baby if I want to. Besides, the food is always cold here. At least bring something from home when you visit."

"I'll see what I can do." Laufey put an arm around his son, pressing a light kiss to the top of his head. They stayed like that for a while longer, not even moving when a nurse came in to check on Loki. A hour or so passed before Odin came in, wearing a suit and carrying a briefcase. He set the case down by the door, loosening his tie with a sigh as he sat down in the chair.

"We'll be fine as far as the case goes, the guy's lawyer isn't very good. His track record is terrible and he seems like he was a last minute deal. Your ex-wife is a different matter altogether."

Laufey sighed, giving Loki a quick squeeze before he stood from the bed. He leaned down and kissed Loki's forehead, noticing that the teen was close to falling asleep. He whispered goodbye to him which Loki lethargically returned, snuggling down into the blankets as Odin and Laufey left the room.

"She won't stop. As much as it pains me to say it, I will have to reveal the truth behind our divorce." Laufey walked with Odin to the elevator, hands in his pockets. The shorter man looked up at him with an arched eyebrow, pressing the down button to the lift.

"What do you mean by the truth? I thought she decided to leave you when you came out?"

"That's exceedingly far from the truth." He looked around, not wanting anyone to overhear. Luckily, the doors to the elevator dinged just as a group of nurses walked by and Laufey ushered Odin in, quickly pressing the close button.

"I filed for divorce against Farbauti because she was abusing Loki, both physically and...She attempted to sexually assault him as well. I never knew until I came home from work early and found her hovering over him with his shorts around his ankles and her hands all over him. Loki was fourteen so I highly doubt she was helping him change as she claimed." Odin stayed silent, eye wide and expression disbelieving. He opened his mouth to say something, going quiet as the elevator stopped and the doors opened, allowing two doctors to enter. Laufey and Odin refused to say anything to each other after that, only speaking once they left the hospital building and entered Odin's car. Laufey continued.

"I took Loki and went back to my office at Jotun Heights. There he told me everything about the abuse. Apparently, it had been going on since he was five and I never knew." The last word was edged with anger, Laufey's fists clenching on his lap as Odin started the car and began the drive home.

"Why didn't you tell me before? The custody battle would have been long over by now if we had this information."

"Publicity like that was something I didn't need at the time. This happened right after Freya offed herself, remember? My company was already facing charges because of murder accusations with Freya, it didn't need another scandal. That sounds selfish, I know, but Loki didn't need to be exposed to it either, not after what he went through."

"Better late than never, then. If you want to use this in the custody trial, you'll need evidence of the abuse." The car slowed as Odin got off the freeway that had entered minutes before, turning down the residential streets and only a few houses away from their own. "Otherwise, it'll be a waste and Farbuati could use it against you, claiming you were the one to do it."

"I know what I'll need, and I know I already have it. Despite Farbauti's vehement refusal, I had cameras installed throughout the house. I was paranoid about burglars. I told her one night that I turned them off since she felt uncomfortable with them." They pulled into the driveway, Odin pressing the garage button on his visor and pulling inside. They gathered their things and exited the car, Laufey leaning on it and sighing, hands once again in his pockets.

"I showed her that I turned them off but turned them back on a few days later. Eventually, I forgot about them since the cameras weren't noticeable. Before she could check, I claimed all the footage and went through it. The tapes with the evidence are in a box upstairs."

"How convenient." Laufey shrugged, following Odin into the house and closing the garage door.

"I wanted to be prepared should I ever bring it to court." He set his own briefcase down on the dining table, pulling out a chair and sitting down. The man put his head in his hands, rubbing his face, showing how tired he was, how exhausted the subject made him feel before leaning back and looking to Odin. The white haired man sighed, shaking his head and pulling out a chair next to Laufey, putting his hand over his and squeezing, a silent comfort.

"It'll be okay, Laufey. Loki will be okay."

The giant of a man hoped he was right. This case could make or break Loki depending on the outcome.