Title: Know How to Hide (and How to Get Back)

Pairing: Loki x Heimdall

Disclaimer: Matantei Loki ((Ragnarok) Gods of the New World) is not mine, nor is Into the Woods. Both are owned by their respective creators.

Song: Finale: Children Will Listen – Into the Woods

Author's Note: this song came on my Pandora and I remembered, "Hey, I like this musical. Well, let's use this song."

Enjoy!

-START-

Sometimes people leave you

Do not let it grieve you

Loki stalked the sidewalk, occasionally taking a comically large step that landed him along the gutter of the road. It was the same way a drunkard would walk after too much gin, or how someone wearing tall heels would stumble on uneven asphalt. Loki's steps were more deliberate for the sole sake of entertaining himself.

The boy was on his way to see the watchman who he'd recently become great friends with. Well, perhaps that was a small overstatement. They were on better terms, but still argued endlessly. Still, the fact that Loki, whose laziness was the mightiest and most palpable in Asgard, was making a special trip to Heimdall's house proved something.

"He better be thankful," Loki said with a scoff, talking to nobody except his own haughty consciousness. "I'm taking a break from my busy day to see him."

Actually, Loki had nothing to do except listen to Mayura rant about mysteries, but hell, Heimdall didn't know that. It was still a damned good excuse.

Loki walked along, doing more random twirls as he went. As long as he was in the form of a little boy, he might as well put on the act. It would be hard for anyone to keep one's composure on a day when the sun was so warm and when the town was so lively. People bustled about like ashes from a fire, skittering and flying in every direction. That couldn't have been it, but the trickster god refused to even entertain the notion that it was because he was excited to see Heimdall. No, Loki wasn't one to get happy at such petty things.

The last time he'd been so happy to see someone was Odin.

The boy stopped walking.

Odin.

The name stung, but after everything was said and done, it shouldn't have.

Odin hadn't really wanted to kill him, but he had died anyway along with Baldur. Odin had been his best friend, and how he was gone. Odin had left Loki all alone in a new world.

Well, that was false. Loki knew he wasn't alone

His sons were still there, after a close call or two. Mayura was still keeping him company. Thor, one of his dearest friends, was more than happy to stay by Loki's side. So many people that cared were always around him.

Including Heimdall.

Then he wondered, would Heimdall someday meet the same fate as Odin? Or would he vanish like Reiya? Or always remain absent, like Spica or Hel?

Or would he always be there? That seemed unbelievable, considering their fates as gods.

"Loki?" a familiar voice called out. The small god swiveled his head in the direction of the voice. The small god had wandered all throughout town, somehow winding up in the front of the local park. Heimdall, who was the source of the voice, was sitting perched in a tree with a hawk o his arm, as usual. Loki burst out laughing at the stupid sight.

"Hey!" Heimdall said, face turning red. "And what is so funny?"

"Must you always do that?" Loki asked, hand wiping a tear from his eyes, barely able to form sentences through his giggles. "You look ridiculous."

"I'm not the one twirling on the sidewalk and staring at the fence like some goddamn…" he started, trailing off. "You know what? For the sake of good taste, I won't finish that sentence."

The watchman set his bird to the skies and leaped down so that he was right before Loki. The young boy stepped back almost as if it was a reflex to avoid some kind of attack. Both realized it, and averted their eyes. Things were still far from perfect, or normal, for the two boys.

It was Heimdall who dared to break the silence.

"You look worried about something," Heimdall said, cocking head and leaning forward to analyze the expression on Loki's face. "You look like even more of a tight-ass than usual. Tell me, what's on your mind?"

"A tight-ass?" Loki asked, bristling.

"Exactly," Heimdall said with a smirk. "Fess up. You were just standing there before I called your name. I saw you. Are you hiding in your daydreams like your little girlfriend? Or wait, your assistant? I don't know what she is to you, but still. Are you adopting her ditzy habits?"

Heimdall's good-natured laugh was what made the trickster god lose his last shred of formal composure. The trickster crossed his arms and took a step towards the other boy, unafraid. "Call Mayura my girlfriend again and I'll tell her about your new ghost-hunting hobby. She'd love to have a partner to go solve paranormal mysteries around town."

Heimdall blinked. "Um. That's not one of my hobbies."

Loki smirked. "I know."

The watchman shivered and nodded, understanding Loki's wicked words and close to begging for forgiveness. Before he could apologize, Loki decided it was only fair to answer Heimdall's earlier question. "I was just thinking about Odin."

Heimdall paused and turned. Suddenly the somber demeanor he'd observed made sense. "Oh. Right. I'm sorry I asked."

"Do you think you'll vanish too?"

"Huh?"

It was all of a sudden very obvious that they were the only ones in the park. Everything went silent, except for the screeching of a hawk overhead. "What do you mean?" Heimdall asked, lifting a brow.

"Odin died with Baldur," Loki said. "That won't happen to you, right? I mean, you won't let it happen, right?"

The watchman was confused. "Um. I think I'm good."

The trickster kept staring at the ground. Only after a few seconds of silence did he lift his emerald gaze to meet Heimdall's. "Don't lie. You can't be sure."

"Well, no…"

"But your promise is good enough," Loki said, smiling. Heimdall sighed, glad to be left off the hook. Being interrogated by Loki was tough, even for someone like Heimdall. It was a grueling experience he was hardly in the mood for. "I promise, Loki. I won't leave you alone."

"I'm not alone," Loki responded bluntly.

You are not alone

"I know," Heimdall said, extending a hand for the trickster to take. "Can I ask the same of you? Will you always make sure that I'm never alone?"

Loki stared at the watchman's gloved hand. Slowly, he took the boy's hand firmly. "Of course you can."

No one is alone

-END-

Check-outs are fun. They are the best part of RA life.

Except they're not.

Ah well, stay tuned for more Loki x Heimu stuff! Thanks for reading, bye bye!