Chapter 2
~Part Two~
The Armor and the Clone
“I don’t want the damn thing,” Loki muttered angrily, shoving the chest into the closet.
“All I wanted to do was--” he trailed off, unsure of what to say next.
“Was what, love? Why did you do it? I know that Casket was one of your favorite possessions. What made you decide to give it back to them?” April asked softly.
She knew he was feeling defensive, and no matter how she felt about it, she knew his emotions were overwhelming him.
Loki stood back and stared down at the dark silver chest. His scowl told April that he was hiding his true feelings; something he only did when he was afraid of what she would think.
“I gave it to them because I couldn’t help them. I couldn’t give them my skills or my strategic knowledge, and I didn’t want to. All I want is to be here with you,” he whispered. “But if you could see the way they were living… Odin destroyed them. And I’m not even certain his story is the truth. They deserved to have their lives back.”
April teared up; rushing into Loki’s arms and burying her face in his chest. She felt so proud of him. He hadn’t truly accepted his lineage or his heritage yet, but he had begun to see the Frost Giants- his people- as beings who could feel. Hunger, fear, anger, pain, sadness, love- they felt it all, and Loki saw it. He’d had mercy on the race he’d once tried to destroy; the race he’d once thought was just monsters.
Although Loki had felt compassion for the Jotuns, he still had no desire to explore the contents of the chest. He piled everything he could find on top of it until it was invisible at the bottom of the closet. There it sat until several years later.
~Frost~
He was terrified and shivering even though he was Jotun through and through. As Loki looked down at his newest creation, he couldn’t imagine how his spell could have gone so far awry. Crouching down, Loki did his best to comfort the clone. He couldn’t help wondering if he’d made a grave mistake; if he could somehow undo what he’d done, but seeing the fearful expression on the clone’s face- on his own true face- was enough to quell those thoughts immediately. He suddenly thought of the chest, and he wondered what it held; if its contents could help him somehow. Wrapping the clone in a blanket and locking the lab doors, Loki snuck upstairs to rummage through the closet he’d abandoned years ago.
“Well this isn’t going to be helpful at all…” Loki muttered, not realizing that April had come home early.
“What isn’t going to be--- oh my god. Is that...the chest?” April asked, completely shocked that Loki had ventured into the closet to find it.
Loki was looking shifty, and April immediately knew that he was up to something- most likely something she wouldn’t approve of.
“Loki, what is that? Is it armor?”
April was fascinated by the beautiful details on the clothing inside the chest.
“It’s ceremonial armor. Reserved for the rightful king of Jotunheim. It was passed down from generation to generation. Never worn by anyone who wasn’t part of Laufey’s-- my bloodline.”
The thought of Loki in his natural form, wearing something so skimpy, yet so regal left April speechless.
“Are you going to…?”
“Absolutely not,” Loki replied, already knowing what she was about to ask. He should have known she’d want to see him wearing it. He just couldn’t bear the thought of wearing the same armor his father had worn, especially after what he’d done so long ago. Sometimes he wished he hadn’t killed Laufey, especially in a desperate attempt to please Odin. Loki wouldn’t choose a different life for himself even if he could, but he often wondered how differently things would have gone if he’d simply told his real father the truth. Would he have been cast out, or would Laufey have welcomed him home? Home? Loki shook his head at his own thoughts.
“April, darling...I have something to show you.”
Loki had no idea how April would react to housing another version of himself. She’d been so generous and loving with his other selves already, so he had a feeling she would be just as kind to this one. He just hoped the Jotun clone would let go of his fears and leave the garage at some point.