#lithium of midgard
Text
Gravity Well
A Loki x Lithium Fanfiction (CanonxOC)
Set before the events of Thor, Loki receives as large mysterious crate of alcohol the day before his birthday. What seems like a strange yet benign gift from an anonymous person ends up being more than he, or the woman at the bottom of the crate bargained for.
Chapter Warnings: mild language, the occasional innuendo (because Loki)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At first glance, the crate was nothing particularly unusual or special. Just a rough-hewn wooden box that had the sharp smell of being made of new boards. It was large but not so much as to cause alarm about what it might contain.
Not like the last time a larger container was in his room. Despite how many years had past, Thor still found it hilarious that he had pranked him with a box of angry water fowl.
So Loki was cautious of this crate that had appeared while he was at dinner. He circled it , head tilted at a quizzical angle, looking for any indication of what this strange delivery could be. The opposite side bore a brand that indicated it was from Binary Star Brewery, whatever that was. He leaned his long frame over to examine it further and popped back up in surprise. If the brand was to believed, this mysterious delivery was from Midgard.
Who would be sending him anything from a realm so rarely visited anymore?
His curiosity piqued, he circled it once more, finding an envelope attached to the side opposite from brand. The paper was light and flimsy, like something mass produced with little care or attention, with basic black ink addressing it to him, care of the palace.
Loki opened the envelope as he sat down in the chair by his writing desk, leaning the chair on its back legs.
"Dear Customer, Enclosed in this crate is our Imperial Package-“
A smirk spread across his face. “I am already in possession of that, I assure you.”
“- of assorted house brews from our award-winning collection of fine alcohols, ordered for you by an anonymous individual in honor of your up-coming birthday."
He took a moment to consider this, staring back at the crate in question. It was tall enough to reach his knees. How much did this "anonymous individual" think he drank anyway? Hopefully the awards won indicated quality or he was going be quite literally knee-deep in bad fermentation.
"Please accept a bonus gift as our thanks for your business, packaged with the bottles.
Sincerely,
Bartholomew Kranston, Owner and son of the Founder of Binary Star Brewery.
PS: Don't forget to leave positive reviews of our products on social media!"
Loki arched an eyebrow at the canned sign-off. What was this social media and why was this Kranston guy soliciting his opinion on the wares?
He looked up at the crate again, dramatically crumpling and tossing the paper into the small waste bin next to the desk. “May as well see what I’m stuck with for who knows how long.”
The construction of the box was simple enough and the boards as flimsy that he had no need of tools or assistance to remove the lid. He held a spell in reserve in case the contents proved to be more sinister than a ridiculous number of alcohol bottles.
He was not about to be chased through the palace by rabid geese again.
It proved unnecessary as removing the lid revealed a pleasing pattern of brown glass bottles in a stiff multi-layered paper honey comb of slots to protect them. Another piece of paper sat atop them with a three layered diagram.
The first level contained something called “craft beers”, the former word having no meaning he could understand from the context. What did they do, knit the beer? There were also a line of bottles labeled as ciders of the alcoholic persuasion as well. Those were familiar enough, he figured, even if the names of the individual kinds left him baffled. The beer labeled “Hair of the Dog” was going straight to Thor because the literal visual was completely unappetizing to him.
The second layer sounded more his speed, with a selection of wines of different fruits. Asgard had none of them so those would at least be an interesting experience. There were a few more ciders, including a mix of cider and dark beer which also sounded intriguing. One corner was entirely a variety of rice wine, which from the context was a grain rather than a fruit.
But what was most interesting about that was the name of that layer’s line. All were created by a particular brew master from Binary Star, who called their work “Cute But Deadly”.
“Sounds like a person I could get along with with.”
The last layer was labeled as the bonus gift, and that it was meant to be a surprise. As much as that was intriguing as well, it was late and the next day would be boisterous as it would be busy. Royal birthdays were events for all to share and his was the one being celebrated.
At least in theory.
He placed the paper back in with the bottles and slid the lid back over. He would dig farther into it tomorrow, along side the other surprises the day would hold, probably share the mysterious beverages with his mother.
And not forget to give Thor the “Hair of the Dog”.
No sooner were the lights out and he tucked under the linens and furs did the rattling and thumping start. Loki cast his gaze to the crate, only to watch it jump slightly as another thump followed by the rattle of the bottles floated ominously across the room.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lithium woke to darkness, the smell of pine wood and the rough feel of burlap against the side she lay on. The only familiar sensation was the smell of her old messenger bag, tucked under her arm, the novelty pins on its flap cool against her skin. Every other smell she discovered was foreign and set off alarm bells in her fog-muddled mind.
She did a mental check of her body. She felt no pain aside from a dull headache, but when she tried to stretch a leg out, it hit a wall with an audible thud. Glass rattled above her.
She kicked the wall near her foot harder, to the same effect. Breath suddenly ragged at the realization there were walls in every direction, she kicked until she heard splintering wood. Low light flooded into whatever held her captive and more scents filled the rush of air.
A person? But not a human…but faint…their place but they aren’t home maybe?
Regardless, Lithium figured shape-shifting into her human disguise was safer than not, before she went inching out of the hole she made. She listened intently, her surroundings were too quiet for comfort.
But what choice do I have? Stay curled up where ever this is and turn into five feet of cramped muscle?
Her feet went out first. Sure, they were easy to grab but kicking was still an option. Part way out, she wished she had not chosen to wear the fancy bra that day instead of her usual sports bra for work.
I just had to have a bad self-esteem day and now I’m not sure I’m going to get out of here because boobs only compress so much in this double-cupped death trap that attempts to defy gravity…
She wiggled around until she was on her stomach, letting gravity deal with the compression she needed. A few more shimmies and she was out, facing a delicate window with little moonlight shining through it.
She whipped her head around, the faintest flicker of movement sending a chill down her spine. Had she been in her normal form, no doubt the fur on her back would be standing on end.
She turned toward the movement, slowly backing away from it. Goosebumps made their way down her arms as she stepped to put the thing she had crawled out of between her and whatever had been moving.
And backed right into the person behind her.
She jumped away and spun, now facing said person’s chest with arms crossed tightly across it. Her head jerked up and kept going for a bit until she found a face.
A face with one hell of an eyebrow game.
He, as her nose told her that much, stared back at her one eyebrow raised in the silent question of the moment. Dark hair fell into his face, tousled by sleep if she had to guess, considering he was standing in front of a partially unmade bed.
He held her gaze for a few moments too long, just the right amount to unnerve her. She held up her hands and took a step back, but any words she had were held back by the lump of fear in her throat.
Mercifully, he spoke first, in a steady soft tone that made him seem more dangerous than he was just staring her down. “Care to explain why you just crawled out of that crate of Midgardian alcohol?”
Lithium looked back at what she now knew was a crate and then back at this stranger whose bedroom she had apparently wandered into via her own brewery’s product packaging.
“I would care to, but I’m not entirely sure myself…I have a guess…but nothing for certain…”
“Guesses are acceptable, given the unusual circumstances.” His tone was no less molten, but the touch of curiosity softened the edge it carried.
Lithium looked back at the crate once more. “I am on the losing side of a hostile brewery take-over, it seems.”
“The papers said it was owned by some Whatshisname Kranston.”
Lithium ran a hand down her face. “Bart…that asshat, he really did it…dammit…”
The man tilted his head. “Am I to believe that you were the mentioned “bonus gift” that came with this Imperial Collection…thing?”
“Oh lord, he’s calling it that again?” She heaved a sigh and shook her head. “I’m not usually the bonus gift of what was supposed to be called the Galaxy Collection. I’m sure you can see I’m not branded drink ware for the different offerings in the collection.”
“Alcohol is not typically what one drinks from a woman.” His eyebrow raised again as she looked down at the floor in hopes he missed her blush at that veiled innuendo. “Galaxy is also a far superior name, given the name of the business.”
Lithium looked back up at him, her eyebrow now raised. “I appreciate that, but this conversation seems far too casual given I don’t know where I am or who you are but I just popped into your room out of a crate of product.”
“Would you rather I yell and demand answers you do not actually have?” He took one smooth step toward her. “Because if that’s your wish, I can oblige, though I would much rather not as the hour is late and the night guards tend to be less amicable than their daytime counterparts.”
She waved her hands and shook her head frantically. “Ah, no no this is fine, please continue as you were, I hate yelling.”
He took another step forward, the beginning of an arc around her. “Well then, I would like the name of the woman I watched get stuck half way out a wooden box for a truly entertaining though brief few minutes.”
“Lithium. Just Lithium.”
His circle narrowed as he went around her again. “Well, Just Lithium, I am afraid that intrepid crate of yours has landed you in the personal chambers of Loki, Prince of Asgard.”
He stopped to give her the most sarcastic shallow bow she had ever witnessed. “The question, lady, is what do I do with you now that you’re here?”
Lithium made the mistake of meeting his gaze again and quickly looked back down at the floor.
I would land myself with some stranger with a deadly smirk…end me now…
“Well you could direct me to the nearest bathroom because the last thing I remember before waking up in a box was drinking my weight in coffee and it has run right through me.”
He straightened back up with an amused chuckle, gesturing to a door at the opposite end of the room. “It’s over there. When you’ve finished, we can discuss what else should be done with you, my little unintentional intruder.”
Lithium tried not to dwell on that ominous statement as she vaulted the crate to get to the bathroom as fast as she could. She also tried to ignore the fact that she almost fell three times in her haste.
I am forever without a shred of dignity, I swear…
#loki#loki of asgard#loki of jotunheim#loki x lithium#canon x oc#loki odinson#loki laufeyson#loki friggason#loki fanfic#gravity well#lithium#lithium of midgard#OC#crate of alcohol#Imperial Package
2 notes
·
View notes
Text
Gravity Well
Chapter 3: Pocket-Sized for Your Convenience
A Loki x Lithium Fanfiction (CanonxOC)
Set before the events of Thor, Loki receives as large mysterious crate of alcohol the day before his birthday. What seems like a strange yet benign gift from an anonymous person ends up being more than he, or the woman at the bottom of the crate bargained for.
Chapter Warnings: Drinking games (?)
~~~~~~~~~
Over breakfast, Loki glanced back and forth between his dear mother and the strange little woman from the crate. Frigga demurely sipped her tea, making light conversation as they ate. The topic largely revolved around what the day's events would be like. That is to say, full of public appearances early on and culminating in a large feast all through the palace and it's expansive front courtyard. All this he already knew.
What he had not realized was that Lithium would clean up as well as she had. With her hair up and now in a dress, she seemed more like an adult woman than the mess she had been. At the same time, he did rather like the previous look, if he was honest with himself. The disheveled state she was in when busted her way out of the crate had it's charms as well.
He also had to admit that her simple sleeveless shirt with the word “NO” on it did attract attention to her more prominent...features.
His mother was a subtle woman, so much that he knew Lithium did not realize what Frigga had done, putting her in a dress with that particular lining. As his little surprise lady ate enthusiastically, little peeks of delicate acid green fabric flashed in his direction from the bells of her sleeves. Anyone with working eyes during any of the festivities today would know who's "guest" she was by that alone. When she stood up to fetch another tea cup for herself, the pleated dip-dyed underskirt of the same brilliant shade as the other linings drove home that point.
Loki had no doubt his mother meant this particular detail for Lithium's protection. Most people were not keen on crossing him, even if he had sensed the undercurrent of disregard for him in certain spheres of ability the vast majority of his life. Making it clear that she was somehow attached to him was ideal for her.
But it was strangely ideal for himself as well. They had yet to get into what was to become of this little lady and this clear show of possession nested quite perfectly into what he intended to do. He had spent the time before falling asleep mulling over his options and almost all of the options he had say in, which was most of them, led to one conclusion.
He was going to keep her around.
Sure, he ran the risk of Thor going on about her being "part of the family", but the idea of having a person around who had no preconceptions about him was far too tempting to resist. She was also a mystery to him. Most of the women, and even some men he knew, would have had at least a cry of surprise running into someone in the dark, but she merely put up her hands up and tried to put space between them. She did not read as a trained warrior, especially now, her eyes lighting up like a child as she poured her tea out of a clear glass pot which displayed the flowers and leaves that had been steeping in it.
His biggest question though, was why, in the two times she went into the bathroom by herself, did she not turn on the light? Even when his mother went in with her to help with the particulars of her dress, she only did so when Frigga asked. Add that she saw his decoy's movements far faster than most he had used it on and it left him with a large battery of questions about her.
His mother's voice broke him from his thoughts. "Now that we have finished up, it's probably a good time to discuss what is going on here and how we proceed with you."
Lithium sipped her tea while nodding, surprisingly not spilling any in the process. Maybe he was just too used to spending time with his brother. The man was not what one would call graceful, yet it somehow worked for him.
Because you don’t have to be graceful when your mode of operation is “hit it with a hammer and ask questions never”...
"So it was said you were in that crate. However did you get there?"
Am I ever grateful Mother can concentrate where I cannot...it’s still too early in the morning for me...
Lithium sighed. "Well, I can't say for certain, but I have the feeling I was "dealt with", so someone could take over my brewery. Said someone was bent out of shape because his father left the place to me instead of him, as I was the better brew master."
Loki smirked. "And better at naming your collections. Pfft, Imperial indeed."
"Yeah, I had sort been in charge of branding too and it annoyed the hell out of him." She made a face into her cup. "He somehow thought Galaxy wasn't regal enough a name. Too girly and purple, which I take personal offense to, as purple is my favorite color. And also ridiculous because I’m pretty sure galaxies don’t have a gender."
Loki laughed dryly. "I'm guessing this man did not even know what a galaxy is."
Frigga stifled a chuckle herself. "I'm sorry you had to deal with such a person. But how did you end up here? I saw on the crate that it, and thus you, are not from Asgard. We have had little contact with Midgard for many centuries now."
Well, most had little contact with Midgard...not all...
Lithium's mouth moved but no words came out for a few moments. "Um, what's Midgard? I get that here is Asgard but I don't actually know where Asgard is either."
Frigga and Loki shared a look before she answered. "My dear, it seems you have not heard about the Nine Realms. Have you ever learned of the Norse people of Midgard? We are who they patterned their gods from."
Loki could practically see the wheels turning in the poor woman's head as a look of realization slowly crept onto her features. "Wait…you mean the Norse people on Earth? Are you saying the realm of Midgard is Earth? And Asgard is not on Earth?"
Frigga's smile was one Loki remembered fondly from his younger years, the one she gave him when he had mastered a new spell or did particularly well in his studies. "Yes, that is correct. It's been so long since I had heard it called that, I had practically forgotten the name."
Lithium rested her cup in her lap, wrapping her fingers tightly around it. "So…I'm not on Earth at all then…if that's the case, I have no clue how my uncomfortable mode of transportation ended up here."
She took another sip of tea, but Loki could not miss her hands shaking. "Bart was too chicken to actually dispose of me the conventional villain way, so he sent me to a whole other planet…"
There was a measure of silence from all of them for a moment as the poor woman stared deeply into the soft pink liquid in her cup. Whoever this Bart was, Loki was already sure he would throw that man through a window if he ever met him.
And that was only if he was feeling amicable that day.
That decided, he brought them back to the conversation this time. "Should we assume that this puts you in a particularly difficult situation if we were to return you to Midgard? If this Bart was willing to send you here, surely he would decide to take more drastic action upon you if you suddenly reappeared."
"Given the argument we had before I woke up in a crate, that's a good assumption." She sat back in her chair, making another lopsided face of irritation. "He was demanding I give him the business while we were literally at his father's grave site...either sign it over or marry him….and I was in no mood to talk about that. I went home, drank a large mug of coffee and then…I'm here."
Loki leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, debating on whether or not to put a hand on her shoulder would be appropriate. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like you are in need of a place to stay. Would you be opposed to staying here? I'm sure Mother would suggest much the same."
Frigga gave him a look he understood, but Lithium likely would not. "Perceptive as always. I see no reason we could not find room for you."
"It's not like you take up much space after all." Loki sent the surprised woman a little smirk.
A smile broke her surprised expression. "What can I say? I'm pocket-sized for your convenience."
"Well, that's settled then. I shall go take care of those preparations as well as the others I need to attend to." Frigga stood. "There is much to be done today, so I'm sure Loki would not mind you staying here until the arrangements for you are finished."
If Loki was not aware of his mother's abilities, he would have sworn she was reading his mind. "Of course."
Once Frigga was out the door, Loki refilled Lithium's tea cup and sat back. "I am going to have to make my public appearance soon and I will not be able to be here most of the day. It would be best if you kept to yourself for that time."
Lithium tilted her head. "That makes sense. I would probably get myself hopelessly lost anyway."
"You're not wrong. I will show you around after today. Your timing was not entirely helpful."
"If I could have made the necessary adjustment, I would have." She smirked, and something about the way she held her lips struck him as odd, as if she flaring the upper curve of her top lip more than needed.
Just one more question I have…
"I'm sure you would have." He smirked back. "Regardless, I would like to invite you to the feast this evening. It's a rather informal affair, and Mother did dress you appropriately for it. "
Lithium's eyebrows shot up, and her mouth hung open for a moment. "Really? I mean…"
"As I said, it's informal. Mostly food, drink and dancing if you've have the skill or enough of the drink." He stood, smoothing out the front of his tunic reflexively. "If it becomes too much, you can always leave before it ends. I would not be offended, merely jealous that you can escape sooner than myself."
"I think I will go then. Sounds like I might help you stay sane."
Loki smiled as he turned to ready himself for the more exhausting parts of the day. Before entering the bathroom, he glanced back over his shoulder at the woman now pouring herself another cup of tea. Yes, the surprise on everyone's face this evening, when he walked in with a Midgardian woman, was going to be more than enough to make up for any expense keeping her around would entail.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lithium tied off the embroidery floss she has been working with mere moments before Loki walked in with a number of items in his arms, Thor following with even more shiny trinkets. She shoved her work into a spacious hidden pocket in the pleated layer of her skirt and stood up as they entered.
Loki gestured to the sitting area. "Just put them on the table over there."
Thor's blinding grin lit up when he saw her standing there. "Hello again, Tiny Lithium! I heard you will be staying here because things went badly for you in Midgard. I'm sure you will love it here!"
Lithium blinked several times. Even talking normally, Thor was just too loud for her ears, like the man existed perpetually in all-caps.
"Ah, yeah. I'm not worried about liking it here. The view from the window is better than anything I've seen in most of my life."
Loki appeared beside Thor and began pushing him toward the door. "I need to get ready for the feast, you can go now."
Lithium giggled as Thor attempted to keep talking to her, Loki interrupting him with every sentence. Once he had the door closed in Thor's face, he sagged against it, though his face had a small amused grin.
"My apologies for Thor, he suffers from a case of excessive enthusiasm at all times." He rubbed his forehead. "It can be tiring to be around."
"One of my brothers was like that too." Lithium felt a twinge of pain, remembering that brother, but pushed it back down. Now was not the time to get into her whole life story. "It won't bother me too much."
"Then you have more patience than I possess." Loki shook his head. "Speaking of, do you need to do anything before we head out? People are already gathering for the feast."
Lithium shrugged. "I thought you said you needed to get ready."
"That was to get rid of Thor." He approached her and circled her for a moment. "I will say, you do need a little maintenance."
Lithium froze as he moved around a few locks of her hair. The logical part of her brain let him do what needed to be done, as it was not like she could do much. Her hair skills were lacking compared to what magic Frigga had made of hers. The other part of her brain though, was sounding a confused proximity alarm.
This would be a good time to NOT have the equivalent of the second best nose in nature….
His scent was nice though, a mostly natural with a slight overlay of what she guessed what soap, that should could not deny.
"There you go, back to the way it was." He smiled a little, with no trace of the smirk she had seen much of the past day. "Shall we go, then?"
Lithium felt her chest tighten the closer they came to the buzz of conversation and smell of thousands of unfamiliar but pleasant food smells. Whether is was just from nervousness, or also because she was having to take two steps for each of Loki's one, she was not sure. She was never so glad when he stopped before a set of doors flanked by a pair of guards. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
"Are you alright?" Loki glanced down at her.
"Yeah, just haven't worn a dress in a while." She glanced to the guard at her left, who nearly imperceptibly snorted with laughter. "I guess I worked too much to have time to be fancy."
Loki chuckled. "Well if it eases your nerves, you do not look like you are struggling."
He held out his hand to her. "Now we should make a proper entrance. "
She stared at his hand, head tilting. "Um…how does that work?"
He nodded to his hand. "I'll escort you in, they announce me and you and then you are free to move about as you wish. My recommendation is to visit the dessert table first. The kitchen staff are always kind enough to include a coveted selection of chocolate items."
She was not about to say no to a good chocolate dessert, but the way Loki's eyes lit up, she wondered just how much was actually available, and how deep was the man's love of chocolate. She took his hand, as she was trying to push all these question to the back of her mind. No matter how calm he was about this, she had spent most of the day practicing moving in the multiple layers of her dress, when she was not working on the little project in her pocket.
Then the guards opened the doors.
Loki's pace as slower, though whether or not it was to match her short strides or to up the dramatic level of them walking in was yet to be seen. She barely heard them being announced, only just registering that she was announced as Lithium of Midgard. The rush of blood in her ears and to the surface of her face at all the eyes suddenly on the two of them took most of her brain's attention.
Loki leaned down and whispered. "You can go now, I have to deal with a few things…like my father, but do find your way to that chocolate cake at the end of the table. It is particularly wonderful."
She watched him walk away toward where Frigga was, sitting next to an older man with an eye patch, who she figured was the father in question. She stood there for a moment before heading to the table. She figured if she had something to do with her hands and was actively eating , she would not have to mingle too much, even if the strangers around her where more inclined that she was to do that.
Oh how very wrong she was.
Thor spotted her and the crowd parted to let him through. "TINY LITHIUM, WHERE ARE YOU GOING? COME JOIN US!"
Lithium did not have the option of protesting. Thor pulled her over to a table of people holding large mugs of some alcoholic beverage, fast enough she was not sure her feet actually touched the floor on the way over. Their faces were kind, but she still felt weird without Loki there. She tried to find him in the crowd but apparently all Asgardians present were giant compared to her.
Thor plopped her down on a bench next to himself. "You arrived just in time for a drinking game. We are in need of a judge."
A small smirk spread across her face, Maybe this would be fun afterall. "Well, I'm afraid you'll have to find someone else to judge. If it’s a drinking game you're doing, I plan to play."
Thor stared at her like she was growing another head right there at the table. "You?"
"Yes, me. I am a brew master. Do you think I can't drink?" She shook her head. "Get me some and I'll show you what real drinking is."
One of the other people at this part of the table, a large red-haired man, laughed. "Let her try. It will be fun to watch."
Thor hesitated all the more. "True, but if she dies from her alcohol hubris, I'm the one who has to deal with Loki's vengeance."
Lithium shook her head. "Trust me, you won't need to worry about that. Now get me that drink!"
#gravity well#loki#lithium#loki x lithium#loki of asgard#loki odinson#loki laufeyson#loki friggason#loki fanfic#loki fanfiction#canon x oc
15 notes
·
View notes
Text
Gravity Well
Chapter 9: Ruin and Preservation
A Loki x Lithium Fanfiction (CanonxOC)
Set before the events of Thor, Loki receives as large mysterious crate of alcohol the day before his birthday. What seems like a strange yet benign gift from an anonymous person ends up being more than he, or the woman at the bottom of the crate bargained for.
Chapter Warnings: mentions/aftermath of torture, Odin being awful
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Who knew oblivion would be made of deep void, sticky humidity and volcanic temperatures?
And gnawing thirst.
Loki was in the depths of this tailor-made hell when he heard the voices.
Not the voices of those who held him here, the ones that stripped him of every dignity and left him to rot here until they needed him to enact parts of their plan. Not the one in his head that solidified all his doubts and fears into tangible darkness in his mind.
Frigga's gentle bell-toned voice pierced through first, but Lithium's strong gravely words followed, both settling in his chest more than his ears. Hope and alarm bloomed in there with the reverberations of their astral voices.
"He’s in here, but there is much interference. I cannot say exactly where."
He felt a pull, like the very fibers of his being were coaxed forward.
"I can. I smell him."
"Scent should not work when projecting, not for a human."
"But I do smell him. I feel him. Trust me."
Then they appeared, silvery-tinged phantoms, glowing almost blindingly in the utter darkness before him. As much as his heart cried out in joy to see them, he could not show it. There were eyes in the darkness, eyes that saw beyond sight as his mother did. They would see them and there was nothing he could do to protect their astral projections should they attack. His state was far too weak to do battle in the astral plain, his powers in relative tatters.
His resolve lasted until he saw the looks are their ethereal faces, his face breaking as completely as theirs.
Lithium choked back a startled sound. "Loki, what the hell did they do to you?"
"You have to leave. It's not safe here."
Frigga found her voice. "If he says its dangerous, we cannot linger long. We must hurry. I will discover what I can."
Lithium's projection floated to him, kneeling, though he knew it was not necessary when walking in different plains. Still, it was a small comfort as her ghostly eyes met his. Her hands went through his face when she touched it, but he could feel her soft presence fill his mind, the cooling tingle of magic she pressed into her touch.
"When did you-"
"Shortly after we lost you."
"What are you-"
"It's better you don't know so it's harder to be undone."
Frigga returned to them. "There's another walking the Plain. Remember you cannot battle here yet."
Lithium's face fell as she pushed more magic into him. "I'm sorry we can't do more."
For a brief moment, cold spread across his forehead as she pressed hers to it. She slowly retracted her hands, one hand lingering on the surface of his cheek. "I missed you."
As the unseen door burst open, all but blinding him, Lithium and Frigga disappeared, not doubt retreating back to their bodies in the material plain. But something lingered in the residual feeling of her spectral hand on his face, something he pulled further into himself, a thin thread of life in the wasteland that he had barely lived in for…well he did not know how long he had been there. It settled where he put it, like the echo of his pulse, small and subtle.
What spell could this have been and for what purpose?
Having thought that, he realized he did not care. His mother had found him. Lithium had come with her. That was all that mattered. While there were times, in his lucid moments, that he knew there were things to discuss with Frigga, seeing Lithium had been only joy, as short-lived as it was.
For now, as his jailer stated as his men pulled him from his chains, the plan was ready to begin.
He hated it with every bit of hate in him., but his mind, broken as it was, was not about to give up without a fight. He would do as he always did; adapt, survive and turn this in his favor. Let them think they had him under their control more than they did.
His body ached from the effort of standing before the Other and Thanos. But he would be their perfect little puppet. He already knew how to do that, it had been his life so far. Make it a good show and they would be none the wiser that he was not so completely theirs.
The Other cast his gaze at him as they finished his marching orders. He had already told him failure or treachery would leave him begging for pain instead of what they had to offer. What more could he possibly add?
"Remember, we do not just have to exact punishment on you to do this. How long will the woman last under our care? Or the girl? Do not think for a moment we did not know they found you."
Loki schooled his expression into appropriate passiveness, though his knuckles went white around the scepter he was handed, the last piece of the puzzle he needed as the man they had been pushing him to influence put the finishing touches on the Tesseract portal generator.
I cannot say this was what I had planned to do in Midgard, but if it keeps them away from Mother and Lithium, I can just make throwing Bart through a window a side-trip.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wrapped in several blankets with an enormous pot of tea beside her earthenware cup and an equally huge magic tome, Lithium hunkered down on her bed, more than happy to rest while Frigga informed all those who needed to know that they had successfully found Loki, and due to the magical thread Lithium had connected to him, they knew he would not be staying where they had found him. She knew Frigga had her work cut out for her in delivering this news, as Odin had moved on with life with barely even a spare two seconds to what was thought to be Loki's suicide, and she did not want to be there for it. Sweet Frigga already stated, as they came out of the Astral plain, that she would insist that Lithium go with whoever was sent to retrieve him, which had the potential to cause problems.
Odin never had been particularly fond of her, especially after she managed to fracture his nose the day Loki let himself fall off the Bifrost. At best, he thought of her as a short-life, at worst…well, she had heard some unappealing comparisons of herself and undersized farm animals, when Odin thought she was too far away to hear him.
Good hearing from more than one source in her genetics was a mixed blessing,
She took a sip of tea and burrowed a little further into the blankets. Though she had been warned of the side effects of astral projection, she had not expected the intense cold to be bone-deep. The tea was helping, but only with her physical cold.
“Worth it." She took a bigger sip of tea and flipped the page in her book.
After the first few days of mourning, Lithium was going stir crazy on top of the emotional upheaval, so she went to Frigga for something to do. She would have taken menial labor at that point but the queen had other ideas. The magic tome was but one part of said ideas. Even if she had never been able to cast magic like her two favorite Asgardians, she would have found the theory fascinating. While it did require a great deal of study, it was as much an art as it was a science, and given that that was the case for her anatomical drawing skills, it was not too much of a mental leap to make.
As it turned out though, Lithium had a natural affinity she was completely unaware of that she could only attribute to that mysterious "Other" category in her genetic profile. Frigga believed it to be latent magic ability that humans used to possess the last time she had been there. Either way, she threw herself into studying with all the hours she had to herself, taking reams of notes when not doing practical work.
While a magic user could learn all the many and varied disciplines, each had certain ones that came more easily than others. Frigga had been a practitioner long enough that she had become a master of nearly every discipline, though she started off with divination, while Loki blended transformation and illusion magic with his combat spells most of the time, tossing in the heavy-cost teleportation spells when needed. Lithium had found that healing and defensive magic were her strengths and utility magic seems to be on its way to that status as well, as she worked through that section of the book.
Or at least it would be once she stopped reading the same page for more than an hour and comprehending none of it due to anxiety over the conversation she knew was happening in the throne room.
She snapped the book shut and stuffed it back in her bag, pulling out a stack of sketches instead. She wandered over to her desk, still swathed in her blankets and pinned the sketches to a plush corkboard she had made when she found out Asgard had its own version of cork and the seamstresses had scraps of cloth that even they could not find use for. She stood back and admired her collage of obviously-drawn-by-someone-smitten-with-Loki sketches, confirming with herself once more that it was better not to take them with her when she left to find him.
This is probably going to be rough situation, no need to make it worse by having to explain THESE.
It was a struggle to keep her skin on when Thor burst in her door, speaking in his usual manner for the first time in months. That was the silver lining in him scaring a large amount of daylights from her.
"TINY LITHIUM, YOU MUST HURRY! FATHER HAS AGREED TO SEND YOU WITH ME BUT YOU HAVE ONLY FIVE MINUTES TO GET READY!"
Lithium tossed her blankets back on the bed and shouldered her bag, almost positive that Odin set the time limit to exclude her. One thing she had learned shortly after she woke up from her three-day grief nap was that not only was Odin a questionable father, but likely a misogynist on top of that, at least when it came to women other than Frigga. Women took forever to get ready for anything, right?
She rolled her eyes as she smoothed the front of her incredibly simple tunic after pulling her Asgardian-style boots on. "Good news, I'm ready now."
She grasped her bag in both arms when she suddenly found herself tucked under Thor's arm as he ran back to a secluded courtyard behind the throne room complex. She accepted that this was her fate when it came to living in Asgard. Even the ladies in Asgard had, at times, lifted her and put her elsewhere, though that was usually for clothing fittings from the sweet seamstresses. Still, the number of times she had been moved about in such a manner was growing by the day. Thor did not even bother to put her down when they found Odin, though this was probably for the better, because it redirected her withering glare to the ground instead of right to Odin's face.
Odin did not even bother to greet her, merely raised his hand and began his dark transportation spell. "If the power tears you into minuscule shreds, girl, do not blame me in the afterlife."
Lithium sighed. "I'll keep that in mind, Majesty."
If the sarcasm she could not entirely contain came through, Odin did not show it, aside from casting the spell almost immediately afterward. The dark power did not bother her at all as they were taken apart and put back together by it, just as the Bifrost would have had it not been in multiple pieces. Arriving in the middle of a Thor-induced storm, in the sky just above an all too familiar style of mid-sized aircraft was far more jarring.
She felt the tug of her spell immediately linking her to the aircraft below. She yelled as Thor shifted her onto his back with surprising ease has Mjonir pulled them toward the craft. "He's in there! In the back, probably a cargo hold!"
Thor nodded and dropped below the clouds. "I'll set you down in a safe place and go back for him."
Lithium nodded, even though she would have rather been there with him. There was sense in leaving her behind for a short time, though, if only because they did not know who else was there with Loki. She sat down on a large rock and watched Thor take back off into the sky. She twiddled her thumbs in the literal sense, watching the place where Thor disappeared.
In hindsight, she should not been surprised when Thor slammed Loki into the ground mere feet from where she was perched, yet she fell off the back of the rock with a less than dignified squawk. The contents of her bag spilled all over the ground as the hook popped open on impact. She scrabbled to gather her things and popped back up to find out what the yelling was about.
"Now listen here, brother-" Thor went flying sideways with a blast of smoke by some strange red and gold blur.
Loki tilted his head slightly. "I'm listening."
Lithium stifled both the laugh that bubbled up and the sob that competed with it. He was there, both of them in the same place, on the same plain of existence. It had been far too long.
"Loki?" She slid out of the shadows, irrational nervousness stilling her approach. She ran one hand across the other, unable to keep going until he turned to face her.
"Lithium? You're here?" His mildly amused expression broke when his eyes met hers.
Her feet did what her mind could not, carrying her right to him. She threw her arms around his chest, but stopped just short of squeezing him too hard. Despite her rolling emotions, she remembered the heat of the room he was in, the injuries she felt as she connected her astral self to his, and held him gently.
"Of course I am here." She looked up at him, her tears falling freely.
Several emotions flashed across his face, but settled on the most tired smile she had seen before he returned her hug. His embrace was far tighter than hers had been, his arms shaking around her.
4 notes
·
View notes
Text
Gravity Well
Chapter 5: Undercurrents
A Loki x Lithium Fanfiction (CanonxOC)
Set before the events of Thor, Loki receives as large mysterious crate of alcohol the day before his birthday. What seems like a strange yet benign gift from an anonymous person ends up being more than he, or the woman at the bottom of the crate bargained for.
Chapter Warnings: Fancy sexual innuendo/speech
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The coronation was set to start later that evening, so Loki had Lithium come to lunch instead of dinner. Just because it was Thor's big day did not mean he had to miss out on what had fast become his favorite part of the day. Spending that time with the one person in Asgard that did not think of his as merely an unreliable trickster was a balm on the gnawing feelings that plagued him as he went about his days' responsibilities.
All the better that said person was an attractive little woman with nearly as much sarcasm as he did. Lithium spoke to him without pretense or expectations for how she thought he should behave. If anything, he felt he could be more honest with her than anyone, save his mother. Even more so, he did not feel so different when with her, though he had yet to figure out why that was.
I will figure that out, even if it takes all her life…presuming it's shorter than my own…
There was something odd about her. She came from Midgard but there was a growing list of aspects she possessed that did not line up with everything he had read about Midgardian people. He had even observed her home realm more recently than the rest of his people, though it was still a long time ago. While it was not completely impossible that humans had developed night vision, he highly doubted it. Nor did he believe their senses to have become greater than even his own.
Yet Lithium most definitely did have these traits. If he did not use magic to silence himself completely, he could no longer sneak up on her. Even then, if the wind was against him, she would notice. He was even beginning to believe that she had some degree of magical sense, because even as cloaked as he made himself, as silent as he was, she would know within a pace or two he was there.
It drove him crazy that he could not surprise her as he when she first found her way out of that crate. Robbed of that outlet for playful jesting, he had taken to more of a verbal, psychological approach. It was also the best way to make her complexion turn a myriad of red shades, his newfound pastime.
So when she came in for lunch, looking quite the mess, with big dark circles under her eyes and carrying her worn shoulder bag, he had a good idea of what he would say so he could see those colors bloom.
"Hey." She managed a smile, but it was clear that sleep was not in abundance for her the night before this. "How are you holding up? Still want to demonstrate the definition of defenestration on some unsuspecting fool?"
There was a fleeting moment that he felt bad about what he had planned. He had continued to express his concerns over Thor's ascension to the throne over that past week and other concerns had followed them easily as he caught her brilliant blue eyes locked on his as he spoke, radiating the desire to understand what he was going through. Concerns that he did not belong there, that he was other, that he was wrong and was powerless change it. He could see that the same soft sympathy was there now and it almost felt wrong to mess with her.
Almost.
"Far better than you see to be. Tell me what happened." He shook his head, crossing his arms. "Ah, by the way, I found that your original clothing had been lost in the laundry room."
He gestured to a side table in the sitting area, under a large window. She headed that direction, dropping her bag beneath the table. She shuffled through the clothes, muttering to herself.
"So, why do you have to look of an ill dark elf?"
"I had weird dreams again."
Loki took a few steps closer to her, his demeanor giving away nothing but casual concern. "They must have been intense to leave you in this state."
She turned her head toward him, a gray sock with a pastel star pattern in each hand. "You could say that…"
The soft blush on her cheeks was all the encouragement he needed. He leaned down, his voice pitched low in her ear. "Was it me you dreamed of?"
One starred sock fell from her hands. She was stock-still but her eyes were wide. Her mouth hung open ever so slightly.
He leaned ever so slightly closer, his breath fluttering the hairs that had fallen from her loose bun. "What must it have been like to leave you so disheveled? Were the images your mind painted for you that…erotic…that it left you bothered even in the waking world?"
She had yet to turn a sufficiently red color so he continued, his voice silken and dark. "Was it so nearly real you could feel my fingers ghost over your bare, trembling skin….my breath on your neck…"
He paused, watching her eyes widen even more, holding her gaze before reaching out to hook the lock of hair before her ear on one finger. "…could you feel me possess you entirely, making you mine-"
His hand flew away from her face, knocked away by one hard check from her forearm. "SHUT THE HELL UP!"
Loki took a step back, his eyes the wide ones now. She met his retreat with a step toward him, the sound of her bare foot thudding heavily against the rug. Fists clenched, she glared up at him, blue fire replacing the softness in her eyes. He raised his open hands before him, shock settling into his body.
"I belong to no one. Don't you dare say that again. It's not remotely funny." Her voice held a different darkness than his had, a razor's edge on each carefully metered syllable.
He started to answer but his voice caught in his throat.
She was snarling at him. Fanged animals held less threat than her expression alone. "Don't make me demonstrate that I do know the definition of defenestration on you."
He hoped his usual skills of persuasion would be enough. Not that he was particularly worried, but this was entirely unexpected. "I see you feel strongly about this. Please do tell me why I need to cease to vex you in this manner?"
Her face held the snarl, but he did not miss her hands beginning to shake. "It's the same damn lines my brother used to say…just not as eloquently…"
"Your brother said what now? I must have misheard you."
"You didn't." The snarl slipped away from her lips, but the rest of her face still warned him to watch his words. "My adoptive brother never did think of me as his sister…and said things like that…but…worse."
Loki frowned deeply. "What waste of space and flesh is this thing that masquerades as your brother?"
"Bart, who else?" The menace fell from her body, and now it was all shaking.
Though there was a moment's hesitation, he put a hand on her shoulder. "I do not wish to remind you of such despicable creature as this Bart. I will refrain from teasing you in this manner."
"I appreciate it. You're basically his opposite in every way…I would hate for this to be the one thing that changes that."
She briefly touched the hand he had on her shoulder, a weak smile replacing the distressed expression she wore.
"As would I. " He gave her shoulder a light squeeze. "What I would love is to show Bart the definition of defenestration, though I don't know if Midgard has enough windows for me to send him through."
"Should you ever get that chance, I would love to see it."
"Dear lady, it would be my honor to throw that thing through as many windows as you desire." Loki smirked. "On that glorious note, shall we eat before we have make our way through an awkward ceremony?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Something was wrong.
From her place among the royal family's personal guests, Lithium could feel every hair on her body stand on end. Everyone around her seemed oblivious to the crawling feeling in the air around them, too engrossed in the fanfare of the ceremony. She tried to maintain her composure, but that was historically not among her greatest skills. Brew fine alcohol, sure. Draw near-photographically realistic people and creatures, most definitely. Stay completely calm in a crisis?
Not a chance.
She shifted from one foot to the other, all the while trying to make eye contact with Loki, Frigga or anyone else who might stand a chance at catching her silent message. She frustratingly found all who might have helped her pass along the wrongness in the atmosphere were turned were they could see Thor as he show-boated down the aisle. She was merely in their periphery, or entirely behind them.
At least that meant that when Odin lapsed into silence, staring beyond the room, muttering "Frost giants", she was not entirely as surprised as most were. She let Frigga lead her to a safe place, which turned out to be her own room. Several other women joined them, and though there was an air of chaos in her sitting area, she did catch that Frigga had enchanted her room last week, for safety and privacy sake. No one could enter without being included in certain permissions.
That does explain why the maids keep leaving things outside my door when I'm out…
While most of the other ladies were fidgety and getting each other riled up over possibilities that could not be confirmed as yet, Lithium sat next to Frigga, who kept her hand on the hilt of her personal sword, the only indication that she was concerned overmuch about the situation.
"So, Frost giants?"
Frigga looked up with an apologetic smile, her voice low so only Lithium could hear her. " So sorry, dear, I had forgotten you likely know nothing of them. They're a people from another realm, Jotunheim. A great many years ago, Odin led an army to Midgard to defend it from them, taking from them a great weapon. We supposedly had a truce with their King, Laufey, but if this situation is truly because of them, this may cause a great deal of trouble, and at the worst possible time."
Lithium frowned. "I know it interrupted the coronation, but is there more than that?"
Frigga sighed. "Most, unfortunately, my husband has been putting off Odinsleep for too long. It could take him at any moment. If serious problems arise, while we can look to Thor and Loki for leadership, the authority will not have been passed on to Thor in an official capacity."
"Ah, so there's the underlayer of politics Loki keeps mentioning." Lithium sighed. "And it would make sense to have as many powerful warriors available in case of an all-out invasion."
The two women shared a look, one that spoke what they decided not to say aloud. Heimdall was supposedly all-seeing, yet somehow, Jotun made their way into Asgard unnoticed until the last possible moment. The implications of that train of thought was not a fun one to contemplate, as neither woman wanted to see anyone around them as a possible traitor.
A short time later, there was a knock at the door. The guard stared down at Lithium when she opened it. "Is Queen Frigga still present with you, girl?"
Lithium half-glared at him. "Yes, she is. Wait right there."
I get that I'm short and not multiple centuries old, but I'm still an adult, ya' wingnut…
Frigga was already on her way when she went to fetch her, the look on her face matching Lithium's. "Don't worry, I'll have words with him about proper address for guests of princes. You may be smaller than average, but I do know that you are not a child and so shall he."
A few minutes later, Frigga popped her head back in through the doorway. "Ladies, I've been told the palace is clear and the threat dealt with. You may return to the great hall to meet your parties there."
As the last of her emergency guests filed out of the room, Lithium fell face-first onto her bed. Frigga chuckled from the doorway, walking back in and perching lightly on the edge of the bed next to her.
"Were they that rough to deal with that long?"
Lithium turned her head. "Well, truth be told, I haven't had a whole lot of female friends or relatives, so I'm not exactly sure how to deal with…all that. Only knew my bio-dad for a little while, then I was adopted by a widower who had three sons. Add in being homeschooled and around my dad's group of all-male apprentices…I was a wee-bit doomed."
Frigga patted her arm gently, sympathy seeming to radiate from her hand. "You had no mother at all? No woman stepped up to fill that role for you?”
Lithium chuckled wryly. "It's half of why I'm hopeless with my hair, something you have already witnessed first hand."
"Would you mind if I said I would be honored to fill in for those you did not have?" Lithium swore Frigga's smile was lighting the room more effectively than the lamps. "I have not had the chance to do such things in a long time, even when factoring Loki's shape-shifting adventures."
"I like this idea." Lithium grinned. "And I'll probably be more cooperative about doing my hair that Loki probably would."
"My dear, I have so many stories like that. The closest anyone has been to doing that is when Thor learned to make flower crowns from a kind and amazingly patient Valkyrie. Loki begrudgingly wore a crown of enormous purple blooms for an entire day just to get Thor to stop bothering him. They were both gangly little boys at the time."
"Omygosh, I would have given a fair amount of my possessions to see that."
#loki#loki of asgard#loki friggason#loki of jotunheim#loki odinson#loki fanfic#loki x lithium#canon x oc
1 note
·
View note
Text
Gravity Well
Chapter 8: Into Nothing
A Loki x Lithium Fanfiction (CanonxOC)
Set before the events of Thor, Loki receives as large mysterious crate of alcohol the day before his birthday. What seems like a strange yet benign gift from an anonymous person ends up being more than he, or the woman at the bottom of the crate bargained for.
Chapter Warnings: This chapter contains the end of Thor 1 and all the horrible stuff that means :(
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It felt like years of things unsaid where coming out as he goaded Thor into fighting him. There was no carefully crafted filter for his words. All else was forgotten, just the hard lump of emotions, both white hot and frigid all at once.
"I NEVER WANTED A THRONE! I ONLY WANTED TO BE YOUR EQUAL!”
Thor’s attacks were slow, his brother clearly pulling them at the last moment. He was not taking him seriously when Loki was, and enjoying it, no less. His irritation only grew at this evidence that, once again, Thor did not see him enough a threat to fight at full capacity.
He knew had had gone too far when he threw out a vague threat to Thor’s newly-found human love. And not just because Thor sent him flying, but in the split second before he went hurtling out the Observatory door, Lithium looked him dead in the eye, shock and disgust across her face.
What he would not give to never see that face directed at him again?
But he had started this, and he had to finish it, or there was no hope for him. He had to succeed.
Everything depended on this.
He would do as Odin had done, and his father before him.
Odin would be proud. He had to be. What greater loyalty was there than to end your own kind for the kind who took you in? He would do this for everyone and his father would see his worth.
Right?
Then Thor destroyed the Bifrost. No amount of logic in begging form stopped his brother from fracturing the bridge with every impact of his hammer. Not even never again seeing his human love made a difference.
Had he underestimated how much Thor had actually changed in his short stint on Midgard? Or was this just another bid for the approval of sleeping Odin, as he always had when they were children, even unknowingly? Had nothing really changed?
The Bifrost shattered like all his plans, the massive explosion a sight to see, or at least he thought so as he hurtled through the air alongside Thor. It was a twist of chance and athletic skill that he held onto Gungnir and that Thor caught the other end.
And a mixed surprise that Odin caught Thor's legs at the last second, before both of them went tumbling into the void.
It was one more chance. He could explain this. Odin would understand. He would be proud, even if things did not go as planned.
He had to.
"I can do it, Father! I can do it for us. For everyone!"
Odin adjusted his grip on his brother, struggling ever so slightly at the weight of both his sons dangling into the void. This did not stop him from looking Loki dead in the eye and say two little words that weighed more than the universe around him.
"No, Loki."
Two little words.
No, Loki, you could never do it.
No, Loki, you never mattered.
No, Loki, monsters cannot do anything right, anything good.
No, Loki, you are not worth anything, let alone leadership.
No, Loki.
NO, LOKI.
It was over.
In the last moments before his let his fingers slip from the spear, he watched Lithium come into view, barely held back from the edge by Odin taking a step in her direction, blocking her from going over as she slid to a stop.
"LOKI!"
Her scream even drowned out Thor's as the abyss closed around him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*Thor*
It took both himself, once he was back on his feet on the broken edge of the Bifrost, and Odin to hold back Lithium from diving off after Loki. Such a tiny person should not have been able to break both of their grips several times before he wrapped both his arms around her whole torso.
Even then, she still kicked Odin square in the face.
He only held onto her long enough to get her in the Observatory. She slipped from under his arms and bolted form the building, faster than he had ever seen a human move. It would not have been that weird, had she not untied the frantic horse his brother had ridden there and then proceeded to keep up with it on its mad dash back to the barn.
He stood at the exit of the Observatory, watching her flight as the deep sense of loss settled on his shoulders.
How did this happen?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lithium bolted past everyone she came across, even Frigga, despite the Queen calling out to her as she slid across the tile floor to take a turn faster. Her feet took her to the only place they wanted to go; Loki's room. Once the door was closed behind her, she stood in the middle of it, the exact place she had met him not so long ago. Her legs went out from under her, exhausted from running, more exhausted from the situation.
She let the rest of her body sink to the floor, screaming and crying into the rug . She had no idea how long she laid there, but she was beyond caring, until the arm under her head fell asleep. She used the one of the bed posts to pull herself up with her awake hand, only to collapse onto the bed with a soft flump.
A painfully familiar scent surrounded her and just made the tears fall harder.
The door opened slowly, revealing Frigga's tear-stained face. "Lithium?"
She lifted her head, knowing by the look on Frigga's face that she was a big a mess as she felt. The moment their eyes met, their tears well up anew. She pushed herself off the bed and ran to her. She didn't know how long they hugged but for Lithium, it was the only thing holding her down.
They ended up sitting on the bed in silence aside from the sobs until they quieted. Frigga squeezed her hand, looking toward her with questions on her face. Lithium nodded her permission to ask, while dabbing at her tears with the handkerchief Frigga had given her.
"Did…did you see him fall?" Frigga looked down at the ground, as if she was sorry she asked immediately after the words left her.
Lithium frowned, glancing sideways. Maybe it was just a coincidence that she said he fell. He did in fact fall, but it was no accident in the end. It was not something she could let pass though. There was too tremendous a difference between accidental death and suicide to not make that distinction, even at the risk of hurting poor Frigga more.
"I was there." Her voice cracked after all the sobs and silence. "But…he did not fall…"
Frigga's eye grew wide. "Whatever do you mean? Odin said he fell."
Lithium suppressed the growl that threatened to rumble out of her. "He didn't fall. He let go!"
Frigga's eyes filled with tears again, her face shocked. "….I cannot believe it…I cannot…"
"I wish I didn't have to…"
They sat in silence for a while longer before Frigga left her, her face steeled in a way Lithium had not seen before. She shivered, feeling suddenly cold now that she was alone. Rather than waste her time trying to find her way back to her room, which was still a struggle, she curled up under the covers right where she was, enveloped in warmth and scent. She curled tighter around herself and let sleep take her.
She woke later, the midday sun pouring through the large windows, though that was not what woke her. Had she not held her disguise through the night, her fur would be standing on end at the feeling of someone watching her. She took a deep breath and jumped over the end of bed, running toward the sitting area, ready to knock whoever was in there into the next realm.
Thor at least had the decency to look surprised when she went over the low coffee table at him, stopping with one foot on, one foot off and her fist just shy of hitting his nose. "Good morning to you too, Tiny Lithium. I brought lunch."
He sounded subdued, not speaking in enthusiastic all-caps, and it was no surprise to her. He may not have understood Loki well, but she could see in his face that he cared about him in his own way. Though she had things to discuss with him about that, she put it in the back of her mind and sunk into the chair next to him.
"Thanks." She sighed deeply and forced an appreciative smile. "I am pretty hungry."
"You should be." He gestured to the tray. "You've been asleep for three days."
Lithium felt too tired to look surprised. "That does explain why eating a horse's weight in food sounds like the thing to do."
"I only brought a horse leg's worth. I hope you are not disappointed." His smile was small and forced as well.
The two began to eat the food she had, by some miracle, not knocked over in her attack, in silence. Thor was not lying about bringing a partial horse's worth of food. Someone in the kitchen must had caught wind of her fondness for hard boiled eggs, because there was a dozen larger ones between her and Thor, and that was on top of the enormous bowls of stew and more bread rolls than two people should consume in one setting, had one of them not been Asgardian and the other was not her, the bottomless pit where calories went to die.
Thor paused before eating another egg. "May I ask you something?"
Lithium nodded, her mouth full of roll.
"Why did he do it?" Thor's face fell as the words left him. "Why did he let go? You have been close to him since you arrived. What could have caused him to do?"
Lithium swallowed the bite of roll slowly and sighed. How to answer this question was not something that came immediately to mind. Did she say what she thought, or be as vague as possible to spare Thor's feelings? Was there even a good answer at all to this?
There was none, so she went with what made the most sense.
"He was so broken…no one saw it in time…" The piece of roll she held fell into her stew. "…I tried…but I couldn't do enough fast enough…"
Thor frowned deeply, leaning forward in her direction. "Why would he be so broken? His life's opportunities have never been remotely less than my own? "
Lithium shook her head. "Then you never really saw him, never really knew what his life was like. You would have had to miss how other people treated him, the horrible things they said when they thought no one was listening, even your friends."
"It's jest in good fun, at least for the Warriors and Sif." Thor's frown grew deeper.
She pointed her partial roll at him. "But in the month and half I've been here, I have been listening. While you were gone, people were spreading nasty rumors about him having a whole group of similar-looking sex slaves who were "no doubt" been impregnated by his "lascivious proclivities". I can't call that in good fun, even if the so-called group of women was just me."
Thor started to protest but she cut him off, suddenly in no mood to hear flimsy excuses. "This is especially disturbing to me, considering he had been nothing but understanding when I set boundaries. If you know him as you think you do, you would know that what they said isn't remotely good natured ribbing. And that was just the worst I'd heard in the short time I've been here. A joke isn't a joke if another person is hurt by it."
Thor stared down at his stew bowl, confusion plain on his face. Lithium had a flicker of guilt, but she could not sugar coat this, not when she saw so much he clearly had not noticed. She would dull the edge of her words a bit more though. No need to twist the knife she already stabbed in his emotions.
"He wasn't lying when he said he wanted to be your equal." She took a deep breath, the sound of Loki's angry broken screaming still echoing in her fried mind. "But it was clear no one did. No one who could have changed how he felt, at least."
"But why take the throne while I'm gone?" Thor shook his head, unable to believe her words yet. "Why attack Jotunheim? What was the point of that? Had the Warriors and Sif not found me, what would have befallen Asgard?"
Lithium's frown became a deep scowl. "Take the throne? He didn't steal it. You were banished, Odin asleep. Frigga handed the throne to him until he woke up!"
"How can you believe his obvious lies?"
"Because I was outside the door when your mother declared him King and Gungnir passed to him. It was no lie. Ask your mother yourself if you don't believe me. I can’t believe you think so little of him when you claim to care about him..."
"His actions would have brought ruin to Jotunheim and Asgard!" Thor stood from the couch, fists clenched.
Lithium was out of her seat mere seconds after, resting lightly on her feet, arms up defensively and ready to run. Still, she held his gaze, hers daring him to try and make the wrong move. "And your actions toward Jotunheim wouldn't have done the same? Genocide is genocide, Thor, even when Asgard's Golden Boy commits it. Loki at least had the sense to do it without dragging other people into it."
Thor offensive stance held, but his face betrayed that some of her words were hitting home. "It appears there are aspects of this I had not considered."
Lithium also kept up her guard, but tears welled up in her eyes. "For all your differences, you are brothers who made the same mistakes. But Loki did it out of desperation for approval. He loved you and wanted to make sure you were ready to be King, ready to lead…ready to take advice and make Asgard greater than it is…he want you to value him as more than just...more than just a cheap trickster"
Her tears were not alone when Frigga walked in the door. Lithium and Thor dropped their guard and were crying freely by then. Frigga said nothing but gathered them both on either side of her on the couch. Her arms around their shoulders pulled them close, letting them lean on her. The three wept together until there were no more tears to cry.
#loki#Loki Friggason#loki fanfiction#loki fanfic#canon x oc#loki x lithium#Gravity Well#shenanigans#tw: sucide
0 notes
Text
Gravity Well
Chapter 6: Chaos Hearts
A Loki x Lithium Fanfiction (CanonxOC)
Set before the events of Thor, Loki receives as large mysterious crate of alcohol the day before his birthday. What seems like a strange yet benign gift from an anonymous person ends up being more than he, or the woman at the bottom of the crate bargained for.
Chapter Warnings: N/A
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Loki was used to having to readjust when his plans did not go as expected, but the stale cracker cascade of his latest venture so complete, it was almost comical.
He had factored for Thor being quick seek vengeance on the Jotun for interrupting his coronation. His ten-ton ego was too inflated for him to see that his snap assessment of the situation was driven straight through a wall by said ego. He just had not counted on said ego driving Thor to commit treason and invade Jotunheim, drawing himself, Sif and the Warrior 3 along with him. He has simply planned on his brother being defiant up to the point of treason, but no further.
He had not factored that Thor would likely start the fight with the Jotun, once they were there, nor did he expect that he would not listen to him when it was clear they could not beat the large number of frost giants that had gathered to oppose then. Though he did find it entirely amusing that it was Laufey calling him "princess" that was the last straw for his brother channeling his inner feather-helmed dolt.
He still loved the man, but there were times it was more like one's affection for a wobbly-legged baby animal than a sibling.
Odin acted exactly as he had hoped, coming to their rescue when the battle got out of hand. That he banished Thor to Midgard was completely out of the blue. Sure, Thor did throw the lives of himself, the Warriors Three and Sif into a preventable battle that was not only against Odin's express command, but also all but shattered the tenuous relations with the Jotun. Thor was always the one forgiven when he did wrong, unlike himself.
He only meant to delay Thor's ascension to the throne a little while longer, in hopes that his lack of humility and patience would be noticed. He did not want to see him banished. That was never his intention when he snuck the three Jotun into the vault. It was not his intention when he told a guard to let his father know where they were going.
If anything, he tried to stop things from becoming worse.
If Father would do that to Thor…what would he do to me?
It was not lost on him what his father had said what the reason he banished Thor. Not for all the Jotun slaughtered. Apparently that was not that big an issue, but defying Odin and endangering other strong , loyal warriors. That was enough to send away the favorite son.
That made the revelation he went through out in the snowy wastes widen the chasm of fear in his heart all the more.
Sitting in the healing room, trying to process all that happened, he just barely heard the conversation around him. Just enough that what scraps he was catching was unsettling him all the more. He glanced down at his left hand. No one seemed to notice that he left the ill-advised battle missing not only a glove but the gauntlet and sleeve beneath it and he kept it that way with a quick change of clothes before gathering with Thor's friends.
Magic always had a way to coming to his rescue.
But the more the discussion around him centered on the Jotun, the less he sensed he could stay without knowing the answering to what nagged at him down to his soul. There was risk, he knew that, but what did it matter if his fears became truth?
For all he knew, he might want the Destroyer to end him there.
As he snuck from the healing room, a voice floated into it. "Is everyone alright? Have you seen Loki?"
Hearing Lithium asking for him, he almost turned back. He had stopped by her room before leaving with his brother and friends right into chaos, just missing his mother by a few minutes. Her face had been practically glowing with happiness from the time spent with Frigga but his news chased much of that light from her features.
He had worried her the moment she heard he would be going to confront the Jotun with Thor and now he was worrying her all the more. She had been told about the Jotun attack and what they were to Asgard, and no doubt Sif would tell her about what else had transpired.
Though it pained him, he had too many questions to answer to head back now. He would go to her after, if there was an after to be had. He did not know where he could nest this possibility into any of his plans. Plans for caring for his world as it needed, plans to bring it into this current century, to not ignore what the other realms were becoming. Plans to make Asgard a haven for the warrior and the artist alike.
But this could bring that all crashing down around him.
His leaden feet continued to the weapons vault, where he had been what felt like an eternity before, though it was only a matter of hours. He could almost hear the echoes of Thor's thirst for vengeance, their father's dismissal of the idea, could almost feel the chill the decimated bodies of the Jotun left behind. They had been cleaned out now, but the memory of them, one that he has cast aside before, came back full-force as he approached the pedestal that held what he sought aloft.
The Cask of Ancient Winters seemed innocuous, were it not for the swirl of power that was obvious to the magically trained eye. Just a glowing box that could have been a decorative lamp, were it not for that. But it was the weapon of the Jotun so long ago, devastating in its abilities, so much that Odin saw fit to take it from them and store it under the strongest of security.
That such a fierce cold could answer my burning question is the worst twist of irony…
His plummeting heart only sped up its descent to the center of world as the Cask's power sent the deep blue hue snaking up his hands. He lifted it, giving little thought to the possibility that the Destroyer would come for him as well. When it did not though, he was not surprised when he heard Odin's voice behind him.
Words he had only dreamed of saying escaped in full force as he let go of the Cask and turned to face the man we thought was his father.
But Odin's words only confirmed those deep-set fears, those years of feeling the dull ache of otherness in nearly every facet of his life.
He was Laufey's son.
He was Jotun.
You always knew you were a monster…how is this anything but a curse?
When Odin fell into hibernation before answering all his questions, a thread of irritation invaded his concern for him. It was far too convenient that it happened at this exact moment, when he needed him most. Still, he called for help.
His mother had the answers, as they sat beside the chamber Odin stayed in when Odinsleep took him. Punctuating her words was insistence that he was their son, no matter the blood that flowed through his veins. Doubt followed, but was crushed down by a different weight.
Despite the anger welling up in him, he never could get used seeing his…father…in such a state, all the more so when he saw his mother's face, giving him words of hope despite her own fears. They had not been ready for Odin to lapse when he did and the worry showed on her golden features. Even if his frustration was at its highest, he could never stay that way, for his mother's sake.
He would just have adapt his plans again, like he always did.
He stood, unable for once, to continue the conversation. There was too much clouding his mind. He needed space. He needed time. He needed to process the day, from Lithium yelling at him to this very moment.
All the more so when the doors opened, and a line of guards along the hallway bowed at the sight of him. The official kneeling and holding Gungnir out to him did nothing to lessen the confusion. He knew it showed on his face when he turned to Frigga for clarification.
"With Thor banished, the line of succession passes to you. Until Odin wakes, Asgard is yours." Her face held a little more of the lightness she normally possessed. "Make your father proud, my King."
The weight of Gungnir now in his hands felt endlessly heavy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lithium slid down a corridor she had never been to before, following a line of guards who marched far too quickly for her legs to keep up with at a normal pace. The official looking man carrying a spear had been kind enough to lead her to Loki after hours of trying to find him. Said man was the first person to bother helping her, all others claiming to be too busy to give her directions. That they were looking for the same person may have had a lot to do with it, but that did not stop her from thanking him repeatedly for doing it anyway.
He had her stand just outside a large set of doors, and wait until their business with Loki was concluded. She was still close enough that she heard Frigga's declaration.
Loki was now King, even though temporary.
Loki was King.
Oh great, you're now crushing on a literal king….gooooood job…
She waited until the official and guards were around the corner to peek her head into the room. Loki stood, staring at the spear in his hands as if it was about to do a trick. Frigga sat behind him, next to a shielded bed that held the unconscious Odin, looking every inch a proud mother. She noticed her at the door before Loki did, his eyes still fixed on what he held.
"Lithium, dear, how are you? You look worn out." Frigga beckoned her into the room. "Do come join us."
Lithium's legs barely held her as she made her way just in the door. Her swirling mind would not let her move any farther than that. What did what she just heard mean? For Loki, for Frigga, for the banished Thor, which she only heard of as she passed the gossipy maids? For herself? Her hand reflexively went to her face to hide her shock.
I already barely knew how to act appropriately when he was a prince…
It was Loki who broke her stationary panic, taking the hand from her face and leading her to sit next to his mother. Her body had given up functioning normally, though it had more to do with her mad dash around the palace than the slowly ebbing stupor.
A few more moments in the sitting position brought her voice back to usefulness. "Sorry….I've been running around the palace since I heard the news you all were back…and the thing with Thor…"
Frigga frowned. "Surely there was someone who knew Loki and I were here."
Lithium shook her head. "Everyone was…busy, you could say, until just a bit ago. That official guy and the guards let me tag along."
Loki's irritation at hearing this was nearly tangible. "It seems this latest turn of events has not reached to all the staff, or else I would think those who were so discourteous would have thought a little longer about disregarding your request."
Frigga nodded. "I do believe you should make it clear to them of her status as your guest. I too have observed some issues pertaining to this."
Lithium was already blushing at the consideration the two put toward her, but their mutual desire to make things more comfortable for her just intensified the shade of red she was sporting. "Ah, you really don't have to…no one's been that bad…"
Loki shook his head. "it's not just you, little lady. If they treat you, a polite, low-maintenance guest, with disregard, how much worse would it be for difficult guests who's opinion could have far-reaching negative consequences for insulting them?"
Lithium saw a flicker of a smirk cross his face. "With that in mind, I will deal with it fairly, informing all those who work here to act more in accordance with what is befitting those in a service role. I will only deal wit this on an individual level if the problem persists after that."
Something told her there would be less far-reaching consequences to be had, given that fleeting smirk. Just as fleeting as that smirk was the little flutter her heart did. When his little smirk returned, she wondered if he had actually heard it happen. If he did not hear that one, he certainly must have heard the near- heart attack she had when he pulled her back to her feet and tucked her hand in the crook of his arm.
"Thank you for easing my concerns, Mother." He smiled at Frigga. "I'll see you tomorrow for our discussion of the necessary proceedings over breakfast."
Lithium smiled over her shoulder at Frigga as Loki led her to the door. "Let me know if there's anything I can do for you, okay?"
Frigga's smile was mysterious but warm. "I will do so. Sleep well, both of you."
A little ways down the hall, Loki inclined his head toward her, his face a strange mix of emotions she could not quite place, but his voice was as polished as ever. "How does it feel to be walking on the arm of a king?"
How did it feel, indeed?
"Considering the last time I saw you, you were a still a prince, Thor wasn't rocketed to Earth and your dad was awake and grumpled by the three Jotun amigos' last appearance anywhere, I'm a wee bit overwhelmed."
She watched another maid scurry away from them with eyes as large as dinner plates, and considering Asgardian dinner plates were a couple inches larger in diameter than she thought was reasonable, that was impressive. "That being said, I think it feels pretty good."
Loki chuckled, leaning in a little closer. "I am glad you feel that way. I hope that continues to be your thoughts on the matter, even when changes come about in the future."
Lithium almost stopped walking. His statement was maddeningly ambiguous, but just enough to make her deeply concerned. "Well, I'm not too worried about that myself….but…are you doing okay?"
He shifted his gaze back to where they were headed. "I am incredibly tired, Lithium. Today did not go as expected, but it's looking up now, however mixed my feelings are about it."
As they rounded the corner to his hallway, she felt his arm relax, followed by the rest of him. "Did I cause you excessive worry while I was away and then hard to find?"
She paused as he opened his door and ushered her in, to think of the best way to answer him. "I was worried, you're not wrong in that, especially when I heard that not all of you returned unscathed."
They both sunk into his plush chairs, Lithium just about sliding back out onto the floor as the layers of her skirt shifted against each other. Her face heating up as she righted herself, she decided to continue as if nothing happened.
"But I wasn't so worried that I lost my senses, like some certain people who took shelter in my room when the Jotun got in here. Frigga aside, it was like a whole hen house of panicky poultry."
He nodded seriously, but his green eyes held that spark of mischief that even fatigue could not fully take away. "That is an apt description for a large swath of court women. Their gossip alone is akin to a shrub row full of chirping birds."
Lithium sighed. "I shouldn't be so hard on them. I'm just used to intense situations and honestly, I wasn't exactly calm either. And when no one would give me a straight answer about where you were and if you were in one piece where ever that was…"
"You feared the worst?"
That mixed bag of emotions reappeared on his face as he stood, grabbing the abandoned tea pot that had been left from lunch. "As odd as it may sound, thank you for that. That you spent that energy concerned with my welfare means a great deal, let me assure you."
Lithium's frown became progressively deeper as he left to fill the pot with new water and heated it with his magic. He set it on a metal trivet next to their cups and added freshly loaded tea infuser. He sat heavily in the chair again, glancing at her with a less mixed emotion this time.
He looked tormented by whatever was behind his eyes as he stared just past the small crock of teaspoons.
"Loki, why wouldn't I worry about you?"
He looked up sharply at the sound of his name, genuine surprise on his face. "I would not think someone who has only known me for a few weeks would bother with that."
Careful with your words, Lithium…don't give him anything more on his very full Asgardian-sized plate…
"It's not a bother to be concerned about a friend." She leveled her gaze at him, willing all her sincerity onto her face. "Even less a bother when that friend is you."
She let him think about that as she poured him a cup to tea. She held it out to him, but when he just stared at it, she stood, took his hand and molded his fingers around it. She started to pull her hand away when she was sure he was holding it, but his other hand covered it, moving it himself. He gently squeezed her hand, and did not let go.
"I have no words that are sufficient for what this means to me."
#loki#loki friggason#loki of asgard#loki fanfic#loki fanfiction#canon x oc#loki x lithium#gravity well
0 notes
Last Seen Blogs
grimpriests
Body of Christ
easy-fold
EasyFold Canada
rick0080-blog
Naamloos
tomalbert
Untitled
zidd
By Ogden's hammer, what savings!