Chapter 1
Loki picked at the small piece of lint on his pants and flicked it away. He was waiting at his desk, laptop open, the webcam activated. It was nearly time to receive his call. The tattooed man had done a hundred of calls like this, but his nerves never failed to spark with extreme anxiety as he waited. The screen flickered and he sat to attention.
“Hello, father.”
---
After the call, Loki left his office and was walking down the hall, throwing his jacket onto a random chair. It was a massive mansion, and owned by an eccentric pair of brothers.
“Loki!” Shouted one of them, and Loki turned.
“Endy~” Loki cooed from his spot and smiled. En Dwi was the older brother, and a rather crazy type. He could've cared less about the mansion; that was his brother’s prerogative. No, En Dwi just liked to be where the action was. And Loki was currently the provider of all action.
“Your little friend, Hogie Roll, told me to tell you the shipment of guns is in.” Said the wild man, his greyed hair spiked up in different directions. Loki smiled at him.
“Any updates on my special friend?” Loki asked, walking down the hall with the man.
“Yes. He's apparently gotten your latest clue.” En Dwi replied. “Oh, I wish I was, uhh, uh- er, playing your little game too.”
Loki just laughed and they continued to walk.
--
Thor ran his thumb over the small object. It was a miniature carved totem pole, with a wolf's head at the bottom and a raven at the top, wings spread wide.
It had been the latest clue in a long and frustrating road Thor had taken.
Five years.
It had been five years since that night in the safe house. When Loki had shot him, and left him alive to come chase him.
And Thor had.
He had been so hell bent on finding Loki that he had broken some of the laws he had sworn to uphold. He looked into confidential files without permission, went onto private property without warrants, or searched vehicles without any proof it would contain evidence.
Odin had no choice but to relieve his son of his duty.
Thor had thrown a fit when told to give up his badge and his gun, claiming they were the best tools to helping him find the rat bastard who shot him.
His father assured him that the FBI were involved now, and that the LAPD was still a part of it as well. But Thor would not be. His obsession with hunting Loki down had become unhealthy, and Thor had shouted a multitude of profanities at Odin when he suggested getting therapy.
They didn't talk for a year after that.
So... Thor found his own way to continue his own investigation, without the restrictions of the law impeding him. The FBI could do their own; but they were still in El Paso. He'd discovered the entire story Loki had fed him were lies, and that they hadn't been traveling south or east for that matter.
The first clue he had found was back at the beach house.. it was a piece of bark, placed perfectly in the center of the bed. Thor somehow knew it was from Loki, immediately. It was bark from a redwood; trees that were found North, and no further than North and South Dekota.
Now, Thor found himself entering into Washington. The last three states had held nothing for Thor to hold onto... that is until he was given his latest clue. With some research, Thor had found that only native tribes in the northwest actually used totem poles.
Thor drove passed the welcome sign. He was tired from driving all night, and the only thing he wanted to do now was find somewhere to eat and sleep.
He came by a small diner off the side of the road. He parked and ran a hand through his longer hair and grabbed his jacket to brace himself against the cold he still wasn't used to yet.
--
Loki woke up in his bed, in a cold sweat. Holding his chest, he laid back against the damp pillows and sheets, breathing deep to calm himself. He had dreamed of Thor again.
Just like he had for the past five years, nearly every night. His lover was constantly on his mind. Loki thought of Thor nonstop, and often would have to pause and reorient himself during moments when his full attention wasn't needed.
Getting out of the bed, Loki opened a drawer. Inside was a t-shirt in a plastic bag. He had stolen it the night he left, and very carefully, he opened the bag a bit and breathed in the scent of Thor. Or at least, the same cologne he had used.
It was his favorite smell in the whole world. The mirror above the dresser caught his attention. The moonlight illuminated his face- which had grown slightly fuller. Thor would be happy the tattooed man had put on a bit of weight and filled out just a bit. Loki touched the scars on the side of his neck that had been left from the belt his man had tightened around his neck several times during their rough sex.
The days at the beach safe house felt so far, yet so close. Simultaneously, they had happened the day before and longer than five years ago. How fast he had fallen in love with the officer- but Thor was no longer a man of the law. En Dwi’s friends inside law enforcement had informed them when Thor was let go from duty. That had worried Loki to no end for he knew it was his love’s life. It was the main reason why he hadn't joined him.
But it hadn't stopped Thor from continuing his pursuit of him. In fact, last word they had of the blond man was he was in Oregon, heading for the Washington border. Loki smiled- his beautiful, strong, handsome man had finally checked back at the safe house and found his clue. They had been playing a tense game of cat and mouse for years now. During that time, Loki had been loyal to Thor and never took any lovers. The only person to visit him at night was the ghostly memory of Thor’s rough hands on his body.
Loki looked back into the mirror and looked at his face again. He had added a lip piercing to his face, and a few more to his ears. Another frenum piercing was added below his first one. The tattooed man wanted to look good for Thor, who he knew loved the adornments on his body. New ink included a rendition of Mjölnir. Loki used his memory as best as he could to copy the beautiful shoulder cap Thor had. But he got the tattoo in the blank space over his heart. In white ink, he had added the ancient runes for Thor's name sake next to his on his forearm. The scars left from the brief three weeks in the safe house were also proof he belonged to Thor.
“I'm positively mad.” Said the British punk to himself, smiling in the mirror. He missed Thor, but he knew the man would try to kill him when he saw him next.
The thought of that turned Loki on so much he went back to the bed and pulled out his sounding kit. Grabbing his semi, Loki worked it and spread lube on the silver rod, then at the slit of his now-hard cock. Slowly, ever so slowly, he inserted the rod inside his penis, moaning.
“Ohhhh, daddy!” He cried as he carefully fisted his cock, pausing to lube a thick anal plug that he inserted inside of him. It wasn't as good as Thor, but Loki wanted to stay limber for his lover. Squirming, Loki pumped his erection again, stars dancing behind his eyelids as he neared orgasm when the plug prodded his sweet spot.
It coiled in his belly and made his toes curl in. With a whine, he orgasm came to him.
“Thor!”
---
Thor paid with the little cash he had left. He still had his company card.. it was something of an apology from his father when they had started talking again. It was the only rule he had ever known his father to break.
Still.. Thor only used it sparingly. An occasion like tonight where he'd have to use it to sleep somewhere other than his car, which he'd done several times. But tonight he was actually hoping to sleep for more than the usual three hours.
Thor paid his bill and got back on the road.
He didn't know what he was going to do when he found Loki. It was a subject his mind often wandered to when driving down dark roads. There were so many things he wanted to do, to say, and he wasn't entirely sure Loki was going to survive it. Most nights, he didn't care. The anger he felt that night never died down, and reignited when he would see the scar Loki had left him.
His fingers subconsciously grazed over the bullet wound, now scarred along his side.
But even remembering the pain and betrayal that night, Thor hated the fact that a piece of him still just -.. wanted to be with Loki. Wanted to hold him again, wanted to make sure he was ok..
Every time he started think sentimentally though, Thor crushed it with anger.
But that had proven to have to opposite effect he wanted. Imagining Loki struggling to breathe, sobbing, begging, bruised and bleeding-, Thor found himself often fisting his cock at the memory, at the lust still dogging at the edges of his mind of what he still wanted to do to the tattooed punk.
Thor had to forcefully push the thoughts to the back of his mind as he pulled into a cheap motel.
He knew he was getting close to finding Loki. He could feel it. He'd search Washington, and he was already making plans to go to Canada if it led him further north.
Loki couldn't run from him forever.
---
“Yes!” En Dwi laughed into the phone, pulling his fist down in a sign of victory. Hanging up, he looked to Loki and his brother, Taneleer, and smiled in triumph. “We've successfully got a man inside the border patrol for Canada. It's only a matter of time now.”
Loki smiled at him and continued to look over his plans. Written out, a massive plan that was to take place over the next two months was in place. Snorting, Loki wondered if Thor had figured out that he had lied about more than just El Paso. They were only dealing in drugs and weapons- not humans. But humans got the FBI’s attention, which is the only reason why Loki had sent them so far south- to give him more time.
“Loki, has your father confirmed if he's going to send us help or no?” Drawled Taneleer. Like his brother, he was also quite strange. The mansion was filled with oddities and marvels that the man had collected through the years. He was particularly drawn to Loki and his family because of the tattooed man’s father’s business- smuggling of all sorts.
Through Loki, Taneleer was about to get a great deal of artifacts and trinkets as payment in return for shelter and other resources. While Loki was unsure of what the brothers’ family did, he had a feeling they didn't stray from the human trade.
“Yes, he is.” Loki replied, grinning up at the white haired man. “And he said he's sending you something extra special.”
A few hours later, Loki was in his room and sitting with a tablet in his hands. Hogun had sent him footage they obtained from a diner and Loki shivered, instantly recognizing the broad back and shoulders of Thor as the man entered the establishment. His hair was long now, and pulled back into a low bun. Despite not being able to see his face, Loki knew it was him. Forwarding the footage, he froze it as Thor exited the building, looking up at the camera as he left. Not touching the screen, Loki stroked his lover’s face.
“Soon, my love.” He whispered. Five long years were coming to an end at last. At the end of it,
Thor was either going to join him willingly.
Or Loki would make him.
---
Thor spent the next few days rooting around the first town he came to. Seedy bars had often been his best source of information. While Thor had initially questioned other known members of the Serpents, they'd since kept their distance after the ex cop once went a little too far in his questioning.
He'd felt guilty enough to drop the beaten man off at the hospital and drive off, but Thor had got at least some information from him beforehand. He swore to himself that was the last time he'd extort information like that, and he'd stuck to it, using sheer intimidation or in other cases bribery to find what he wanted to know.
But here, nobody seemed to know anything about anybody.
They knew how to keep their mouths shut, and it pissed Thor off to no end. He hated blind searching and Washington was a massive place to simply throw a dart and look.
But, what choice did he have? ,. Thor took to the docks first, working his way up the coast, and then to the inland bays.
But he couldn't find anything that looked suspicious. It was almost too clean, in fact, with not even anyone skimming their fishing companies or minor drug deals. Of course without the LAPD behind him, Thor could only dig so deep in the major company files.
He'd hit a dead end.
Thor reluctantly made his way back to this week's hotel in Everett, pulling his long coat closer to him against the chill of Washington's winter.
Thor had never really seen snow before he came up north, and while it was beautiful, he wished it would stop because driving in it was another world of absolute frustration.
Walking into his room, Thor stilled.
Something felt off.. but everything in the room was exactly as he'd left it; suitcase, laptop, files, even the tv remote he'd left haphazardly on the bed.
He cursed under his breath, mentally berating himself to stop being paranoid. He was just tired..
Thor dropped his things on the small side table, along with the jacket dusted in snow and let out a long breath.
He needed a hot shower to banish the cold.
Thor went into the bathroom and flicked the fluorescent lights on, then stopped dead.
On the mirror was a piece of thick paper that had been torn out, and written in oddly elegant handwriting and punctuated with a pair of dark red lip prints
'Getting Warmer, Daddy.'
Thor snatched the note off the mirror, reading it again and then frantically looking about the small room as if he could find Loki still there.
Loki had been in the room- he'd been Right fucking here.
The cameras, Thor realized with a sudden surge of energy as he ran out his room to the car, digging in his glove box for the fake badge he'd stolen from evidence years ago.
If Loki had been here then the cameras would have picked him up, would have picked up the car he was using, and maybe even a plate number he could plug into his computer and track down.
He came to the front desk out of breath and flashing the badge quickly to the man behind the counter.
"Your cameras, let me see tonight's recordings NOW."
---
“Is your friend going to arrive sometime soon?” Asked Taneleer, who was examining a new piece of art Loki’s father had sent over. It was a Titian original, and the man’s expert eye was satisfied. It was worth hundreds of millions, but he would never sell it. Trade, possibly, if it meant something rarer could enter into his collection.
Loki nodded, picking up an assault rifle, examining it. Gloved hands carefully took it apart as the tattooed man examined it.
“Yes, he's getting warmer.” Loki replied. “I'm sure he should show within the next week. He's smart, I'm just faster.”
The tattooed man nodded to himself, and reassembled the gun quickly.
“You're rather good at that.” Taneleer commented.
“This was the type of toy my dad made me learn how to use.” Loki replied. “So, unfortunately, I'm very good at it. These are fine for shipment. Endy!”
En Dwi popped up from behind a doorway.
“Ohhh, ahh- you saw me.” He hummed and hawed, a big grin on his face. “No one can hide from you, can they?”
The crazy man was always filled with mischievous mirth that Loki found to be infectious. Thor might like him, Loki thought to himself.
“It's hard to not notice a dashing man hanging around.” Loki replied. “Can we get these to your man? I'm eager to begin our expansion.”
En Dwi nodded, his grin still on his face.
----
Thor clutched the printout in his hand, the blurry image of a pale pierced man smiling up at the camera while having walked by the motel.
It was the first time Thor had seen Loki since LA. And his breath caught unexpectedly when he saw the thin man after all these years.
It had been four days since he got confirmation on the car's plates. They had come up registered to a man in Seattle, listed as stolen.
But it didn't stop Thor's hunt. The man had barely slept at all, knowing he was finally hot on Loki's trail again, not caring that the little punk had purposely let his plates be shown.
He searched anywhere he could get away with checking the CCT road footage, where they wouldn't ask too many questions if Thor hadn't shown his badge long enough to really see it.
The work was tedious, but- Thor finally had a lead. Just a small clip of the car Loki drove headed towards the Snoqualmie mountain pass.
Thor prepared himself. He had no idea if he was going to actually find Loki in the mountains but he was ready if he did, and if Loki had backup, well-,.. Thor had a lot of guns, and he wouldn't hesitate to shoot anyone who got between him and his revenge.
--
“Boss, we've got someone coming in.” Said Volstagg, handing a tablet to Loki. Taneleer looked over his shoulder. Gasping, Loki smiled. It was Thor. His car was battered, but Loki knew it was his. He had watched it pass just before he left the motel. Seeing Thor up close had stolen his breath- the man looked like hell. And Loki loved the rugged look.
“Should I let him pass?” Taneleer asked as his phone rang, knowing it was his security.
“Please.” Loki replied. Taneleer answered and told security to let the man pass without incident. There were no gates or noticeable guards on the grounds. The trees and lush green landscape was rigged with cameras and security guards galore, making the place a fortress, but not discernible.
The car was coming up the drive, and stopped in front of the entrance. Loki watched the live cams as Thor stepped out of his car, and saw him grab his gun from his waistband.
“Now where did you get that, my love?” Loki whispered to himself. As far as he knew, Thor didn't have any firearms legally registered in his name. Then he popped the trunk and pulled out another gun, then another. Pulse racing, Loki stood abruptly.
“Security is going to stand down.” He demanded. “I'm going to meet him alone.”
“But what if he kills you-” Volstagg started to stand.
“He won't.” Loki said confidently. He unlocked his phone and dialed a number, speaking when the other line picked up. “Patch me through to the PA system.”
On the camera, he saw Thor open the front door.
“You're through.” Said Hogun on the end of the line and then hung up, leaving Loki in control of the PA system through the mansion. Watching Thor walk carefully across the massive foyer, Loki smiled.
“Hello, my love.” He purred into his phone, his hand gripping a knife laying on the table.
Thor immediately tensed, raising his gun to the sound before realizing there were speakers nestled in the corners of the massive room.
The sound of Loki's velvety voice sent a shiver through the older man, and sent an ache through his heart.
It clashed through, with the new rush of adrenaline pumping through him.
"Where are you, coward?" Thor said loudly, unsure if Loki could even hear him, and he kept his gun raised as he walked around, never keeping his back turned for long.
“I fear I am bit of a coward, daddy.” Loki laughed into the phone. “I'd much rather meet your lips than a barrage of bullets.”
Walking with the tablet and phone, Loki traced Thor's path from the second floor, making sure he was walking above him whenever he could. The blond was looking in every which way he could, paranoid as could be. To have the man so close made Loki's mouth water.
“Stop, and look up into that camera.” Loki instructed. “I want to make sure it's really you.”
Thor did as he was told and Loki’s voice caught audibly in his throat. Tears welled in his eyes and his heart began to beat so fast he could barely take it.
“If you put your weapons down and enter into that room in front of you, I will meet with you.” Loki said, wiping the tears away. “You could kill me with your bare hands. I'm sure it would be more satisfying to do so anyways.”
It would be.
"Yeah and how the hell do I know if you're just going to shoot me if I do? You don't exactly have a sterling track record with me and guns. Not to mention being a very convincing liar."
But he started moving towards the door Loki had mentioned, still weary.
He wanted to see Loki. God he wanted to just see him physically in front of him, even if it was at gunpoint.
Thor opened the door, aiming the gun up again as he entered. But it was like the rest of the house; silent and empty.
There had been nothing at all to indicate anyone was here; no cars, no people, not even a gate system. The only tangible thing he had was Loki's voice, and even then he couldn't be sure Loki was actually here.
After a very long moment, Thor lowered his gun.
"Fine.... no weapons." He let the weapon fall to the ground with a loud clatter, half kicking it to the wall.
“All of them, love.” Loki said, heading down a back stairway. He watched Thor repeat it with the other weapons, and paused outside the opposite door to the room. The PA system audibly crackled as he hung up. Putting the knife and phone aside on a table outside the door, Loki took off his jacket, then unbuttoned his shirt. After he took it off, he shrugged the leather jacket back on, and left it hanging open. He wanted Thor to see his scars.
With a deep breath, he opened one of the doors, and entered the room, stopping when Thor whipped around to see him. Shutting the door, and holding his breath, Loki waited, back against the wood.
“Hi Daddy...” His whisper nearly echoed in the room, despite the roaring of blood in his ears.