A Meeting in the Park
Chapter 41: A Meeting in the Park
Loki yawned as he rubbed at his eyes and looked at the clock. It was the third time he had woken up tonight. He wasn't having nightmares, but the news Kevin had dropped on him at the airport had stuck with him in the quiet moments and he was finding it hard to sleep.
At least this time the clock read five something. Perfectly normal time for someone to be getting up and taking the dog to the park and he wouldn't have to worry about to many people out and about just yet. He rubbed at his eyes and after a moment pulled himself from the warmth of the bed.
He got dressed in a long sleeved shirt and over that pulled on the thick wool sweater whose hood he had kept Hiss in for the flight and butttoned it up. It wouldn't normally be enough layers for a mortal, but for someone born of ice it would be just fine.
Dregnr who was stretched out at the end of the bed between him and Mobi was up now and watching him put on his shoes with perked up ears. He took her for a walk early most mornings, but not quite as early. Normally it was closer to seven, but she knew the routine. He collected her green harness which matched her green collar. A gold dog tag hanging from it which had her name, his phone number and their address on it. She was chipped as well, but one could never be to careful.
Her harness had gold metal rings on it along with a gold hook for the leash to match and he loved the colors against her fur. They really suited her. He called for her to follow and she jumped off the bed and trotted after him. Doing an excited circle at his feet once he pulled the bedroom door closed.
"Alright sit. I can't put this on with you hopping around." He said with a chuckle and she was quick to follow his command. He bent down and attached the leash to the harness and gave her a pat on the head before he grabbed his phone and wallet. The park didn't open for another ten minutes, but it would take them a little bit to get there so it would be fine. With her leash secured they headed out.
***
Once they had gotten to the park Loki took the Dregnr to the reservoir at a meandering pace. Not much hurry about him. He let her sniff at bushes and patches of grass along the way. Once they were there he ran four laps with her. The first time he had gone running with her it had him realizing that he could stand to shape up a little as well. The first run he had done with her had only been five miles. It shouldn't have winded him at all, but it had. Hardly at all, but it had. That paired with how drained he had been after using so much of his Seidr to find Peter had been more than enough of a sign.
After their last lap he could tell she was getting tired so they walked another lap to cool down and then they moved onto the Great Lawn. He took a seat on the grass despite it being wet from a bit of morning dew and pulled a tennis ball from his pocket. He unclipped her leash and waved the ball around a little to get her excited and then he pulled his arm back to throw it for her.
For awhile he just enjoyed his time outside. Throwing the ball for Dregnr and watching her run after it. Ocassionally finding another dog to play with. Mobius had called him around eight to ask him where he was. He told him not worry and that he was just out with his baby.
The Park has started to become a little more lively, but things still hadn't gotten to crowded. He pushed himself back up around eight thirty. "Dregnr!" He called out as he saw her across the way being cute for some pets from two people whose backs where to him. "Dregnr! Come here!" She peeked around one of their legs as the one bent down petting her stopped and she came bounding over to him.
Loki paid no mind to the other two as he bent to scratch her head. He had no reason to pay further attention to the strangers after all. "Are you hungry my darling? Because I am. Let's see what we can find for food." He said as he clipped the leash back to her harness and stood just in time to freeze in place. His hands knuckles turning white with the grip on his leash. It felt like someone had stolen the oxygen right out of his lungs and he almost couldn't hear that deep rumbling voice over the blood rushing and heart pounding in his ears.
"Ah hello felllow Midgardian. Did you call your familiar here Dregnr?"
Loki swallowed as his eyes met what was once a dazzling blue eye dulled by tragedies long come to pass. The patch that he had been sporting when he saw him in the reels at the TVA had been replaced with a different colored eye. Probably some sort of a prosthetic. The short hair had long since grown back out and his lip damn near trembled as he saw that he had a strand of raven feather black hair braided into one of his golden locks. His mouth had gone dry and he found himself unable to produce words, even sound, as he stared at his Brother.
Thor gave him a small look of concern. "Er...are you alright my friend?"
Loki blinked before he forced himself to breathe and tore his own eyes away from him for a moment. Shutting them as he tried to work through a couple really fast tracked breathing excercises. It would look suspicious if he fled. Especially, some small logical part of him that wasn't in the middle of holding himself together noted, if the one he had seen with him was one of the other Avengers. Only people who had some reason to hide from them really bolted from them faster than the wind.
So he finally opened his eyes again and forced himself to smile, but he could feel it was strained. It was far from his best mask. "Y-yes...yes. I'm so sorry it's just...not everyday that you meet one of the Avengers. Even rarer is the God of Thunder." He said before he took another breath. Words Loki. Remember words. "And yes. This...this is Dregnr. I just adopted her about a month ago."
Thor smiled a bit more. Oblivious that Loki's panic was anything more than perhaps some anxiety or excited awkwardness he had found some of his more shy fans had a tendency to have. "Aye, I have many responsibilities these days, but...Dregnr. That is...an older language on this realm. I have not heard it in a long time save for around my own people. How do you come to know it?"
Loki could feel the sweat rolling down the back of his neck. Shit. Story Loki! Tell him a story! God damnit he was called Silver Tongue for a reason. "I...I grew up in Norway. I was...fascinated by languages and linguistics growing up. I studied languages in college. More so what some consider dead languages. Like um...Latin and Old Norse." There. That...that would explain it right?
Thankfully Thor only seemed to contemplate that for a moment before he nodded. "I do not know much about this college, but from what I understand of what the Spider Child has told me it is a place for study. So that would make sense." He said before he full on beamed and fuck that if that didn't make Loki want to break down and hug him right there. He had forgotten how much he had truly missed that smile. Only the thought of Kevin and Sean kept his mouth shut.
"Do you speak it well?" Thor asked curiously.
Loki shook his head. "No." He said in a faint voice. "I'm sorry, I only remember a couple words and sayings."
"Oh..." Thor's shoulders fell just a little at that as they picked up again. "Well, it is a fitting name for your familiar. She..." Thor paused here and his smile grew a bit more pained. "She reminds me of my brothers familiar. The mighty Fenrir."
He couldn't do this. He had to go. He hurriedly reached for his phone. In the process making doubly sure that the sleeves of his sweater covered the silver braclets. He made a show of checking something on it. "I'm so sorry I-I have to go. You have a good day." He said as he turned and took off in a sprint. He heard Thor call out half heartedly for him to wait and he forced himeslf not to look back as he felt an ache in his heart. The world was a blur. Everything was to loud and to bright. His breathing wasn't right he could tell. He stumbled into Sean's building and mashed the elevator button. Wishing for it to come faster, but it took it's sweet ass time. He was just getting ready to concede to the fact that the stairs might be faster when the elevator finally opened.
He hurried in and smashed the button for Sean's floor and collapsed against the back wall. Dregnr was licking his face and she was whining just a little. She was worried about him and he wrapped his arms trembling arms around her. Her presence is what got him through until he tottered into Sean's apartment once he knocked on the door.
He dropped the leash from his shaking hands and there was no more containing it. He broke down in tears before the door had fully closed.
Kevin had been the one to answer. Having been on the couch working on some of the school work his teachers had sent along with him while Mobius watched a little TV and stuck around in case Kevin needed help with any of the work. "Dad!" He called as he turned back to the couch. "Loki's really upset."
Mobius was on his feet in seconds as he heard Kevin's words and as he soon as he turned toward the door and saw his husband crumpled on the floor by the door struggling for breath as tears ran down his face he moved into action. "Kev, get Dregnr and get her leash and harness off. Calm her down. I'm going to take Loki to the bedroom." He said as he bent down to help Loki to his feet.
"Is he okay?" Kevin asked worriedly as he picked up the leash still attached to Dregnr.
"He will be." Mobius assured. "The best way you can help is calming Dregnr down. She's worried about him to."
Kevin nodded and lead Dregnr over to the couch.
Mobius took Loki to the bedroom and seated them both on the side of the bed. He tried to bend down and at least take Loki's shoes off, but Loki was clinging to him to tightly so he gave up on that endeavor pretty quickly and just pulled Loki into his lap. Rocking him a little as he wrapped his arms around fully.
Mobius just held him for a little bit and let him cry. Get it out of his system. He was pretty sure with how hard he was crying he wouldn't be able to answer anything anyway. Once the tears slowed down a little he finally looked down to him. "Loki what happened? What's wrong? Did something happen at the park?"
Loki nodded as his breath hitched. "I...I..."
"What happened sweetheart? Do we need to leave? Do you need to leave? Whatever you need, but I need you to talk to me. Please Loki. I haven't seen you this upset in a long time. I was worried your teeth were gonna rattle right out of your head with how hard you were shaking. Still kind of are."
"Th-Thor...I...Oh Gods Mobi I...I saw him at the park. He...he looks...so much like his old self b-but...not. H-he..." Loki shook his head as he broke down crying again.
Mobius tensed in Loki's arms. "Loki honey did he recognize you?"
Loki shook his head. "N-no...and th-that...that hurt more. B-because I wanted himt t-to. Norns Mobius I miss him! I miss him so much and he was right there. Only...only the thought of Sean and K-Kevin...a-and you...kept me from saying anything. I know he won't accpet me. I kn-know it, b-but...coming face to face with him..." He shook his head and buried it back in Mobius's now soaked shirt.
"Oh sweetheart..." Mobius said sadly as he held Loki a little tighter. He knew that had to have been hard. He knew as long as Loki phsyically distanced himself from Thor, didn't let himself think about him to much, it was easy to shove aside how much he really truly missed his brother. It would make sense as to why coming face to face with him so suddenly had left flooded with feelings and emotions he was not at all prepared for.
He let Loki cry himself near to exhaustion and when he finally didn't seem to have anything left in him he helped him up so they could get to the bathroom. "Let's get you in a nice warm bath, wash that handsome face of yours and then get you down for a nap alright?"
Loki, feeling completely wrung out and empty after such a harsh attack, just nodded as he went along with Mobi. Watching tiredly as he got the temperature set for the water and then plugged the tub so it could fill and started to peel away his layers. Boots, socks, sweater and so on formed a small pile on the floor.
Soon enough he was laying down on their soft bed and Mobius was pulling the covers up over him and giving him kisses on his cheek. Telling him to use a drop of magic to fend off his nightmares for his nap so he could get some good rest.