New York Bound
Chapter 8: New York Bound:
Loki was already up and in the shower at eight in the morning. No one else was up yet so once he was dressed as usual he got started on breakfast. Deciding on a quiche today. It didn't take long to make and once it was cooling on the counter he made himself a cup of tea. The last couple days of the week had come and gone. Saturday they had taken the boys to an amusement park a couple hours away from home, but it had been worth the drive. They had all had lots of fun. Loki had declined a ride on any of the metal contraptions though. There was a time when he had would have hopped on one of them in a heartbeat, but now he was content to just keep an eye them.
He settled down in his reading nook with a cup of tea to wait for everyone else to wake up at their own pace. Especially the boys. Sean soon enough was going to be busy with paperwork and preparations and Kevin would have his schedule to stick to at Summer camp so let them enjoy sleeping in one last time.
Unfortunately after reading the same sentence about ten times over for the third time he relinquished himself to the fact that he wasn't going to be able to concentrate on his book right now so he set it aside and reached for his cup of tea as he set to work thinking instead. Thinking of ways he could protect his boys from afar.
"I can hear that brain working all the way upstairs Loki. What's got you so deep in thought?"
Loki startled as he heard Mobius's voice enter the living room. Still in his pjs, coffee cup with steam curling off the top in hand and he relaxed before he turned his gaze back to the window. "Protection." He admitted as he lifted his cup of tea to take a sip.
Mobius came over to stand next to him. "What kind of protection?"
Loki pricked his ears to make sure the boys weren't racing around upstairs. "Magical." He admitted.
Mobius gave him a sympathetic look. "I thought you said wards and stuff would cause to much of an energy spike?"
"Wards and Shields will, but...there's always sigils and runes. They don't take any Seidr to craft them, but once they are crafted it takes only a small amount to charge them. And then I just have to go back every now and then and put a little more magic into it. Still...a risk...but maybe even if it is picked up somehow it won't be a giant neon sign. It'll be a small flicker. Hardly anything to go off of."
Mobius gave a hum. "Only if you're sure Lokes. I know how worried you are about it being traced."
"I know, but I'm at least going to play around with some designs. Maybe carve them here and see how much it takes to power them first."
Mobius was about to say something further when he heard two sets of feet hurrying down the stairs.
"Morning dad! Morning Loki!" That was Kevin.
"Breakfast smells good!" That was Sean.
Mobius laughed and Loki pushed himself up to head to the kitchen. Sean and Kevin had already gotten themselves a slice. Loki dished up a plate for Mobius and passed it along to him and then got a plate for himself as well and took a seat at the table with the rest of them.
"You guys should start packing after breakfast. Kevin you have the list from Summer camp for what you need, can and can't bring right?"
Kevin nodded proudly. "Yep, I put it in the top drawer of my dresser."
Loki smiled at that. "Good job. Do you have your suitcase from last year?"
Kevin nodded. "Yeah, but one of the wheels isn't working right."
"Why didn't you say something sooner champ?" Mobius asked with a little laugh. "We could have gotten you a new one."
Kevin shrugged. "I forgot about it until I pulled it out last night."
"Well why don't you and I go to the store after breakfast and we'll pick you out a new one. You can pack when we get home. It won't take long."
Loki looked to Sean. "Your suitcases are pretty big because of how much you guys normally had to take for summer camp, but do you think you'll have enough room in yours for everything you plan on bringing?"
"Uh..." Sean though about that for a moment "I could probably make everything fit."
"I can take a look at the wheel on Kevin's old one. I might be able to fix it and you can use that one as a secondary one. If you want."
"That would help." Sean admitted.
***
Once breakfast had been devoured Loki saw Mobius and Kevin off to the store and he made quick work of the dishes. Sean headed up to his room to start packing while he collected Kevin's old suitcase and sat down to a closer look at the wheels.
Almost immediately he saw what Kevin was talking about. The wheel was having a hard time swiveling like it should and it seemed to lock up a lot. He raided some of Mobius's tools and set to work. About an hour later he put the tools away and took it up to Sean's room.
The door was open halfway, but he still gave a knock on it before he entered to announce his presence. Sean's first suitcase was already halfway full so he knew immediately the second suitcase was a good idea.
Sean looked over. "Did you fix it?"
Loki nodded as he wheeled it over to him. "I did. it's still not perfect, but it's a lot better than it was and you'll mostly just be using them to hold your stuff until you get settled in. It will meet it's purpose."
Sean took it and gave a couple test rolls. The wheel still protested swiveling sometimes, but not enough to really be annoying. "Works good enough for me." He said in approval.
"Do you need help with anything else at the moment?"
Sean glanced around before he shook his head. "I think I'm good for now, but if I do I'll call you or dad."
"Alright, I'll be down the hall in our room packing as well." He said before he made his way down the hall.
He pulled down both his and Mobius's suitcases and set them both on the bed. Mobius was capable of packing his own stuff, but he figured since he was pulling his down might as well pull them both down. He was the taller of the two of them anyway.
He started going through his side of the walk in closet. Wondering what he should bring.
He settled on mostly casual wear, with two different more formal suits just in case. He was in the middle of looking through some books he was thinking about bringing when he heard the front door open downstairs and then close.
Kevin running up the stairs with his new suitcase and not far behind him Mobius appeared
in their bedroom and his shoulders relaxed a little. "Suitcase secured?"
"Suitcase secured." Mobius said with a laugh. "How's your packing going."
"Well enough. I got most of the clothes I want to bring. Now I'm trying to decide on books."
"What are you reading right now anyway?"
"Mm. I found a collection of poems by one Robert Frost the other day at that little used bookstore I like. It's rather intriguing." Loki said as he ran his hand along the cover before he carefully tucked it in his suitcase.
"You know there's going to be bookstores and libraries in New York."
"I know...but the less I have to actively venture into the city the better. Especially since we're going to be in Manhattan." He said with a small shake of his head. "Right in the city where Avengers Tower is."
Mobius chuckled a little. "I could always go and buy you a couple books."
Loki looked over to him with a thankful and relieved expression on his face. He wasn't sure why it still even now, after all these years with him, Mobius's kindness and compassion and understanding for what he was feeling and the willingness to do things like that for him still surprised him, but it did. One would think he would have gotten used to that by now, but he wasn't sure he ever would.
"Hey I know you're already going to be anxious as it is being in the city, I know the chances of you really going out in public unless absolutely necessary probably isn't going to happen right away. Small steps right?"
Loki swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded. "That is what my therapist had always taught me yes."
Mobius chuckled and once he had opened his own suitcase so that he could start packing as well. "I've got you Loki. You're not alone."
Loki couldn't help pulling him in for a hug as he passed him to get to the closet. "Thank you." He said quietly.
"You don't have to thank me. That's what we do." He said as pecked him on the cheek before he gently encouraged Loki to let him go so that he could actually get his packing done.
***
Dinner that evening was special as the boys jabbered away about everything they were excited to do. Making promises to one another to keep in touch via letter while Kevin was at summer camp and then once he was home by phone. Asking Mobius and Loki excited questions about if New York was really like what they had seen on TV, but eventually it was time to head to bed a little earlier than they all normally would since they had to be up early to get Kevin off and then go right from there to the airport.
The next morning was a little chaotic, but they all managed to get the car packed up and butts in seats by seven o clock which to the boys utter delight left enough time for Mobius to stop by McDonald's and get some of their little breakfast sandwiches. Though Loki didn't partake in them. He wasn't to fond of them and his stomach was a little light due to his nerves despite the changes he had made to his appearance. His hair was more on the light brown side, but he left some black highlights because he couldn't bring himself to completely part with his raven locks and his eyes were now a matching ocean blue blue to Mobius's. It had been more than long enough that blue in his eyes didn't unsettle him to much.
First they dropped Kevin off at the place where the camp people were meeting to get all the kids on the busses and all three of them hugged him and told him to have lots of fun. He seemed a little nervous to be going without his brother, but as soon as he had heard a call of his name and found some other kids waving at him excitedly that nervousness was gone and a smile split his face as he ran over.
With him taken care they were off to the airport. They had a couple hours to wait for boarding though. He set his suitcase down next to him and laid his head on Mobius's shoulder once he had sat down next to him. Sean was doing something or another on his phone.
"You alright?" Mobius asked quietly.
Loki sighed as he rested one of his hands on his stomach. "Not really, but I'll live, my stomach is very light. Also been the first time I've been in any sort of a plane since the helicarrier..."
Mobius took his other hand and rubbed soothing circles into the back of his hand. "You'll be okay. It's just the nerves. Once we get there and you see that nothing is going to happen you'll feel better." He said before he lifted Loki's hand to get a better look at the magic suppression cuffs which were really just twin metal bands with little engravings all over them. "These are pretty."
Mobius was right. He knew he was right. Once he got there and his what ifs that kept playing out in his head, turned out to be nothing, but unfounded fears he would be better. It was just going to be rough two or three days getting through it. "Mm...I know. They're much better than any of the rudimentary cuffs Asgard used. And you and I are the only ones that can both put them on me and take them off. They both suppress my magic though the right one more so. The left one doubles as my glamour. That way it's not active magic keeping my glamour up."
Mobius raised a brow as one of his fingers trailed along the metal which was warm to the touch. "Really? You...you would trust me to have that kind of power over you?"
"Of course I would." He murmured. "Because I know you will never use it against me."
Mobius pressed a kiss to the back of his knuckles before he lowered both their hands again, but didn't let Loki's go.