A/N: And here my folks is where my part of writing this story starts…
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Chapter 7
Turquoise: A Major Shift
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It has been a month since he started living with the mortal and Loki has been slowly recovering his Seiðr, it was already nearing half of what his powers were before. It was time to execute his plan and steal the man's Seiðr.
A seiðmenn, especially a inborn one cannot survive without Seiðr, it makes their body fade by blinding light. Loki was doing the mortal a favor really, he was too trusting, too naive, to good for this cruel Nine Realms, it's best to for him to perish before he was tainted, that way he can enter Valhalla. He wouldn't even have to feel his very life force leave him, he can die without pain and full of happiness and satisfaction.
"Swefe nu." The mortal was already asleep on the couch (he insisted for Loki to sleep on the bed as he is still recovering) but he has to make sure that he doesn't woke up. "Draumr." It was a simple spell from Asgard that will replicate one's heart desire in their dreams, it is use to further he effects of a sleeping spell.
Holding his hand on the man's forehead and utter the spell. "Taka." Blinding light consume both of them and Loki felt something tug onto him and he fell.
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"...but with magic there is only one sentence, death!"
…
"I'm not a monster, am I ?"
…
"How small you are for such a great destiny."
…
"Oh, and do muck the stables…"
…
"I'm sorry, I know he was a dear friend."
"He still is."
…
"i bid my life for Arthur, not my mother's, not Gauis'!"
"The Old Religion does not care who lives and who dies! Only that the balance is restored. To save a life, a life must be taken. Gauis knows this."
"It is not the Old Religion that has done this. It is you!"
…
"He doesn't deserve your loyalty, he treats you like a slave."
"That's not true."
"He cast you aside without a moment's thought."
"It doesn't matter."
"But it must hurt so much, so overlooked, when all the while you have so much power."
"That's the way it has to be."
…
"Strawberries?"
"Uhm…they're the same color…"
…
"I'll run away with you."
…
"You remembered…"
"There must be something I can do to save you."
"You already saved me. You made me feel loved."
…
"Morgana…"
…
"NOOOO!"
"No man is worth your tears."
…
"I have magic."
"No.."
…
"Arthur..."
…
"50 years have already pass and you are still the same, you are still a young man."
…
"I want to die."
…
"And who might you be mister?"
"Morgan. Just Morgan."
…
"Marcel."
"Yes?"
"Can I ask you something?"
…
"I'm pregnant."
"Congratulations Elizabeth."
"It's yours."
"I beg your pardon?"
…
"Daddy!"
"Francis…"
"I got an A in the Algebra test today!"
"Did you now?"
"Uhm! I ace it because Daddy was the one who taught me!"
"Then let's celebrate, we're going to Disneyland, you better pack up now!"
"Aye!"
"Don't go running in the corridor."
…
"Freak!"
"Elizabeth, dear, I can explain!"
"Get away from my son you freak!"
"Dad!"
"Elizabeth, you're hurting him!"
"You let go of that freak this instant Francis!"
"No! If you're gonna break up with Dad then I'll come with him, not you!"
"You monster, what kind of freaky thing did you do to my son?!"
"Elizabeth please you have to listen to me!"
"Contain the Subject!"
"Dad!"
"Take him, get him out of here! Get that freak of nature out!"
"Elizabeth, Francis!"
"Use the containment runes!"
"DAD!"
"Francis! Come here you brat!"
"NOOOO! DAD! DADYYYYYYYYYY!"
…
"Subject 271 has unknown DNA with him."
"Can it be identify?"
"No, I'm afraid we have nothing to compare it to."
"How is he?"
"The drugs keeps him docile but he's getting use to them rather fast so we need to increase the dosage until we found an alternative."
"Keep the experiment coming."
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Loki gasped as he stood up and he was met with wide blue eyes.
"It's okay." The not-really-a-mortal's voice was soothing, comforting and empathetic. "I'll be right here."
"Despite all that?"
"Nobody's perfect, it's not too late yet, your brother will forgive you, I know he will, he love you too much for him not to."
Loki stared at the anomaly of a man, not a boy he though him to be but someone old and someone who have gone through horrible stuffs and still manage to be good, someone that is far better person than anyone, someone Loki failed to be.
"You think?" Maybe he's right, maybe it's not to late yet, maybe he can change too and maybe if he try to be a better person then he can become someone worthy enough to be by this kind man's side.
"Yeah."
He's never been so overwhelm to hear that word more than now.
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"What is this?" Merlin has to hold back a smile at the confused look on Loki's face as he examine the ice cream. He was looking at it like a baby looking at a new toy given to them. Merlin wished he bought his camera.
"It's a sweet food, Ice Cream and the flavor you have is Vanilla."
"Sweet? Like the cake we ate yesterday?"
"Yes, and the one on your plate is called Macaroon." Merlin specifically selected variety of color of macaroons because why not? Colors are fun.
"After you are done then we will go to the cinema."
"Cinema?"
"It's like gladiator games, a show for entertainment, just on a big screen. You do have Gladiator games in Asgard right?"
Loki winced as if remembering something unpleasant. "Sure we do, just, I don't really like them, it's just men launching at each other without thinking, that's more of Thor's thing than I."
Merlin chortled at that. "Don't worry there are variety of things to watch, like drama," Loki rolled his eyes at that. "Action, adventure, fantasy, mystery and thriller and animations!"
"I want mystery and thriller."
"Sherlock Holmes then! He's a detective that solves crime, from homicides to cryptic codes, oh you're gonna love it!"
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3 months, 3 months of unable to locate Loki since he land on Earth months ago, he hasn't made a move, and it keeps sending Clint to ballistics, he kept saying that maybe he was planning something big, something much more devastating than the attack in New York 3 years ago. Tony calls it bullshit, if the man isn't doing anything then they shouldn't even bother on it, Ultron is on his way to be finish.
Everything was fine, he is with Pepper and she agreed to do it with him today, until JARVIS' voice resounded to their room that is.
It was 10:47 PM and JARVIS told him Steve was calling for everyone in the medical wing interrupting his time with Pepper, he was about to tell JARVIS to give them the finger when Pepper cut him off.
"Go, it could be important." Pepper told him and kiss his cheek as Tony got up grumbling at being interrupted in their nightly activities.
Pepper rolled her eyes at him. "Just go, we can do it later if you come back before 12."
Tony sighed and went to the medical wing, everyone were already there (except for Thor, Tony can't see him) and Bruce and Helen was doing something near one of the bed that Tony can't see.
"This better be important, I was with Pepper."
Natasha rolled her eyes at that and turn to Steve. "What happened?"
"Thor collapse out of nowhere earlier and he has yet to wake up." Tony rose a brow at that, gods can get sick? "We've been trying to to wake him up but nothing work, it's like he went into a coma."
"How long has he been bed ridden?" Clint ask as he stared at the blonde god who, quite frankly, look both alive and dead.
"Just moments ago after we all went to bed." Bruce replied as he stared at the heart rate monitor.
"Let me get this straight, my night with my fiance was interrupted because Goldilocks decided to be Sleeping Beauty? He has a lover, call her and have her kiss him."Steve gave him Tony a glare that says he better shut up.
"People don't just collapse like that, especially not alien gods." He told them and Clint gave him a look that clearly said 'No Shit Sherlock' but Tony choose to ignore him and continued, "What I'm saying is that this can't be something normal, it has to be some magical juju or something."
He's planning to give Marvin a call, Marvin is really secretive when it comes to his magic but Tony really need help, they can't afford to have Thor pull a 100 year sleep like sleeping beauty with Loki here. Marvin is a smart individual (more so than him, not that Tony will ever admit it) if he want to change his keep his secret then he can just lie his way out or create new identity.
Bruce bit his lips,"It could be."
"So Thor won't wake up until we have find solution? I'll call Fury." Natasha volunteered before Tony cut him off.
"No need, I know someone, he's really good doctor, the best in the world."
"Tony you just said that it could be something magical or something, a doctor, even if he is the 'best in the world' won't be able to do anything." Natasha pointed out.
"He's an expert, if anyone can help Thor, it's him."
The others look doubtful while the two super spies look suspicious, but thankfully remain silent.
"You know what, I'll give him a call right now."
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It has been almost 3 months since Loki start living with Marvin, 2 months since the whole sharing memory disaster. Their life was fine, it was peaceful and relaxing. Marvin was teaching him things about Midgard, making him see the 'good things'.
Marvin like going out when he has free time and he recently start planning out on visiting places called Italy, France, Spain and many more places, not that Loki want to but Marvin insisted that they should travel together and see the beauty of the world, he said that he hasn't left England since he came back 15 years ago.
He was currently on the bed (Marvin still insisted for him to sleep there, the spell he used took a toll to his body and all the Seiðr that he gathered vanished along it) and using Marvin's laptop to browse through their shared photos that Marvin insisted on taking.
He heard the door open and sat up. "It's 2:52 AM." The mortal usually return before 10.
Marvin gave him a sheepish smile, "Sorry, I have to take over a surgery, there was an accident on the near construction site. Have you eaten yet?"
Loki rolled his eyes, ''I don't know how to cook remember?" Marvin's forgetfulness was really unnerving at times, seriously, the man he sure have terrible short term memory, Loki remember the time the man freak out when his new phone was missing from his pocket when really it was in his hands.
Marvin turn red in embarrassment. "Right. Wanna come to the 24 hour restaurant downtown?"
Loki stood up and went with the man.
Marvin was talking about some stuffs, about the things they could do, places to visit and pictures they could take, it was like an already hyperactive child given too much sweet that he actually got sugar rush (that's a Midgardian phrase , he's already learning a lot about the ways of Midgardians).
Midgard's food wasn't that different from Asgard, though there are things found in Midgard that can't be seen in Asgard such is his new favorite Coffee Jelly, the combination of coffee, agar, and cream makes coffee jelly an extraordinarily simple dessert—it's bouncy and chewy, milky sweet and bitter, creamy yet gel-like. Valhalla!
Loki was chewing on his 3rd cup when Marvin's new phone rang and he excuse himself.
"Another one." He told the Midgardian waiter. The meal was edible enough (unlike Marvin's really good cooking), they were really small in size compare to the meals in Asgard, their Coffee Jelly were really good though (still nothing compare to Marvin's but good enough compare to store bought ones).
Loki stared at the blue eyed man that was on the corner, he was biting his lips.
"Here sir.''
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His conversation with Loki was mainly one-sided with him doing most of the talking.
"-we can go to Italy, nest week, Francis gave me a vacation! We can check out historical places and take pictures on the Leaning Tower of Pisa and they have really good foods there! It's gonna be a fun trip-"
KRIIIIIIIIING
Merlin pull our his phone, it was Anthony. "Sorry, I need to answer this." He left the man and went on the corner.
"Hello?"
"Marvs, I need your help.'' Anthony sounds so distress that Merlin couldn't find it in himself to pull a joke.
"What is it?" he turn to look at Lucas who was eating his Coffee Jelly.
"Remember what I told you about the boy band I'm in?" The Avengers, if Merlin remember it right. "Well, one of them is sick."
"What about Helen? Or the other scientist in your 'boy band'?"
Anthony sighed. "Well, you see, it was Goldilocks, so I thought that it has to have something to do with magic and you're the only magical doctor I know."
"Describe what happened."
"I wasn't with him, Cap said that he just suddenly collapse out of nowhere and he won't wake up. He went from Goldilocks to Sleeping Beauty." Anthony tried to joke at the end but Merlin could tell that he's worried for his teammate, it was a defensive mechanism that Anthony have since he was a child, using sarcasm and jokes to protect himself.
"How long has it been?" Merlin tried his best to make his voice sound comforting and empathetic whilst not damaging the man's delicate pride.
"A few hours." It worked, just like those times in the past when Anthony gets so anxious and angry because of his father back at MIT days with James.
"It has to be a really strong magic for it to affect him, it might take a while for him to fully recover, he'll be very vulnerable until then, watch over him, record any weird activities happening on him or around him, I'll be there by Wednesday."
"I'll prepare your room in the tower."
Merlin bit his lip. "Can I bring someone with me?"
"You have taken in somebody?"
"Yeah, and he's still recovering from his previous predicament." He can feel Anthony wincing on the other side of the phone. It wasn't really an unusual occurrence for Merlin to take in some mutants, enhanced and superpowered kids that escape torture or experimentation, his desire of helping this people were further intensified by what happened to him 3 decades ago.
"Ah. Sure Bud."
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"Who was it?" Loki questioned the man who seated across him.
"Anthony, he's a close friend," Marvin replied as he scoop a spoonful at his dessert. "His friend was in a coma, possibly magical."
Loki hummed and eat his 5th cup of Coffee Jelly.
"It's your brother." Marvin blurted out making him choked. "They said he just suddenly collapse and won't wake up."
"How long will you be there?" Loki wasn't sure if he was ready to confront the band of misfits who claim to be the 'Earth's Mightiest Heroes' just yet, or ever really, he's perfectly content living here, far away from trouble and trying to be better person with Marvin's help.
"It must be something really powerful for it to affect him, I'll most likely spend a few weeks at least there, until he's fully recovered." Marvin replied and he drop the spoon on the glass and took Loki's hand. "I already told Anthony that I'll bring someone but if you don't want to come then I can have Francis look out for you for a whi-"
"No," He cut off the younger man (yes, Loki was still older), "I'll come with you." Those misfits always get on trouble and have many enemies, they could target Marvin just to get those fools, don't get him wrong, he knows that the younger man can protect himself but Loki just want him out of trouble, that desire is much more powerful than his desire to avoid them. Plus, he can just use disguise, he's not the God of Mischief for nothing.
"You don-"
"I want too," Loki snapped back. "When will we leave?"
"Tomorrow."
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Steve was really skeptical about this man Tony said could cure Thor. How can a human hope to cure him, the literal God of Thunder?
'Or is he?' Tony did say the man is an expert on this stuffs, could it be that he's like Thor or something? Thor did say that few Asgardian did do it with humans.
And Tony said that this man was someone he trust deeply and is really good at the art of Medicine an stuffs(he didn't bother to clarify).
Natasha said that the man, Marvin Ambrose, have clean records, He is a young 27 year old MBBS graduate in University of Oxford and currently work as a Surgeon at Albion Hospital in London.
The young Surgeon just arrive with his ward and was currently checking on Thor with his palm growing green on Thor's forehead and his eyes were golden, his ward has an unreadable look on his face as he stare at Thor's limp body. Clint said that he had bad feeling about the kid for some reason and Natasha was cautious about the two but, like Clint, was more wary of the little boy.
"Did you encounter a witch or something? He seems to have been hit by a very simple but powerful sleeping curse."
"Not that we know off." Tony shrugged. "He actually just came back two days before from wherever he goes."
"Can you reverse it?" Steve ask as he stared at Marvin's glowing hand.
"Yes, it was a very powerful but slowly working curse, he could have been hit way before it took effect." he turn to the little boy, Lucas, and whispered something and the boy went away. "Think of it like the curse that was cast on Aurora on Sleeping Beauty. Like that one, he's not dead but in a sleep so deep he can't wake up either own his own or with the help of others, a living corpse if you may, but unlike that one, true loves kiss won't wake him up."
"Hah! I was right Goldilocks turn Sleeping Beauty." Steve elbowed him to shut him up.
"I can cast the counter curse but it will take time before he woke up and he'll be very weak by then."
"How long will it be before he woke up?" Natasha asked as she stare at the young Surgeon with a blank look.
Marvin's eye for some reason seem to twinkle in amusement at her as he responded, "It depends really, if he is trying to break free of the curse then it will be a very quick process, it will take 3 days at most, if he want to stay there then it will take 2 weeks at most, the mind is very very delicate, I can wake him up now but the damage it will create in his mind is unknown and most likely permanent."
"So basically, if you rush things up then it might drove Goldilocks insane?"
"Yes Anthony." Tony whistled and muttered something under his breath that sound suspiciously like 'damn'. Steve glared at him and Tony raised his hand in surrender.
"But why wouldn't he want to return here?" Clint asked and the door burst open with the kid carrying a very old and heavy looking book in his hand which he handed to Marvin.
"I've been under that spell before," Tony and the kid look questioningly at him and Marvin gave the a reassuring smile, "It is a really pleasant place, it shows you what you desire the most be it wealth, power or people you lost, it makes you see a world with no flaw, a world where everything you ever want or will want exist, a utopia, if you are to choose between the two world which one will you take, the one where you are happy or the one that makes you suffer?"
"It's obvious, the real one, even if it makes you suffer at least it's not trickery." Clint responded automatically.
'Probably remembering the time he was under Loki's control.' Steve thought with a sigh.
"Well, it might be illusion conjured up by your mind with the help of a spell but it shows you your hearts desire. If you recently lost a loved one then the wound would be fresh, it will prey at your vulnerability and even if you realize it is merely an illusion or that you want to go back to reality it will not let you go easily, it will show you your greatest fear and then show you the utopia all over again till it either drives you mad or you choose whether to continue living in the utopia or not. It's easy to make a choice if you are not the one in the situation because you will look at it in a logical manner but if you re there in that situation then you'll have hard time choosing whether you want to live in an illusion that everyone are there and happy or in the world where you've lost them and suffer each day reminiscing on the past experiences that you won't be feeling anymore."
Steve felt his heart clench at that, if the illusion showed him and Bucky surviving the war and him settling with Peggy and having children and living a peaceful life then Steve didn't know if he will want to leave even if he knows that it was just an illusion.
The others were silent too, those words hit home, it's easy to make a choice if you are not the one in there but if you are then emotion will surely cloud your judgement and what you thought you'll do won't be coming into fruition.
"Wait, how do you know that Thor recently lost someone?" It was Natasha who asked the young Surgeon.
"I was having suspicion on what it was before I even took a look at his mind, I ask Anthony to keep me updated on what's happening to him, for signs of heartbeat elevations to shift in facial expression, and after receiving the reports I was 90% sure that my theory was correct so I ask about Thor's favorites, fears and if he lost someone then how recent. I'm sorry if it may seem like I'm probing on his personal life but they were necessary to know for me to identify what the exact curse is, there are a lot of curse that feels like the one cast on him and if I cast the wrong counter curse then it might backfire and make it permanent at best and kill him at worse."
"The counter curse can be found on that book?"
"No, it's on the other one, this book is about the potion that he'll need to take after he wakes up for him to recover faster." Lucas, the boy, whispered something on Marvin's ear to which he whispered something back before he turn to Thor and his eyes were once again turning gold and his hands were glowing bright blue. He was incanting something Steve can't decipher repeatedly as the sky darken as clouds gather and whirl like a whirlpool and thunder resounded and lightning flash the windows, and after he stop enchanting everything went back to normal as if nothing happen and Thor's hand twitch and he kept groaning and turn to his side.
"Does that mean it work?" Steve found himself asking as he stare at the snoring Thor.
"Yeah, he's just resting and he will do so in the next couple of days."
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A/N: And that's it! Sorry if the writing is terrible, I'm not use in writing fictions yet as I usually write academic papers and articles, anyway thanks for reading!
~Kyle Rei Basil 09