I really hope you like this chapter... I do!! :D

~Songs:

1st Part: Never Be- 5 Seconds of Summer

2nd Part: By Your Side- Tenth Avenue North (if you take out the parallel between God and a human, it's absolutely perfect. For maximum feels, listen to it while reading the second part. )

- edit:

Lokidottir

Chapter Fourteen

~Thea's POV~

As it turns out, I have under ten minutes to read and write Leah a letter before Thor and Loki head back to Asgard for the evening. Her letter was short: telling me about how she had pressed the flower she had given me, how happy she is to have Princely back, and how much she misses me and when will she see me again?

Mine is relatively short too, considering that I'm on a time crunch, but I tell her "soon". I don't want to tell her the exact day that we're coming, in case something goes wrong and I either don't get to see her or we don't get there on Sunday.

After seeing Loki and Thor off, and confirming with three different people that Loki and I are roommates tonight (I eventually have to give in to the fact that it's true), after looking for Jack to find out that he's in the shower, after trying to steal a snack from the kitchen and getting kicked out by Kyle, I defeatedly head to my room to do my homework, a rather long math worksheet on factoring equations.

Five minutes later, the numbers are running through my head and I can't focus. Finally, I lug my paper, pencil, and calculator (that I'm technically not supposed to be using) up to one of Bruce's smaller labs.

"Hey Thea, what's going on?" he asks. He's at his desk, on the computer, taking notes on something scientific, his glasses perched on his nose.

"Homework. Are you busy?"

"Not too busy to take a break and help you out." Bruce spins around in his chair to face me. "Let's see it."

I hand him the paper, and Bruce's eyes dart back and forth up the page, more likely than not solving the entire worksheet in his head. Then, he says, "All right. You're off to a good start, so what's the problem?"

It takes Bruce about thirty minutes to get the concept of factoring through my thick skull. Thankfully, unlike Tony, he's an extraordinarily patient teacher, and by the time we're through, I feel confident.

"Thank you so much, you're a lifesaver," I gush as I begin to scribble down some answers to a couple other problems.

He smiles, but there's something in his smile that's sad. "Don't mention it."

"Is something wrong?" I ask cautiously, wondering if I've done something wrong (again).

Immediately, the sadness vanishes. "Nope, I'm all good." He nods to my homework, "Go ahead and finish that and ask me if you have any more questions."

*

Dinner is an extravagant affair, and we eat in the larger dining room. In total, there are fourteen of us, with the additions of Coulson and Maria Hill, and we have all changed into a somewhat formal attire (no idea why).

Clothing has actually been something of a dilemma, seeing as I only brought some clothes for a few nights in New York. Thankfully, Pepper saved the day by shipping out some of my clothes and also grabbing a couple other cute things when she was out shopping last week. Tonight, though, I've picked out a simple black shirt and white blouse that used to be Darcy's. I also curl my hair slightly.

Jack still looks tired, and his face is all cut up from his excursions with Clint. Barton, on the other hand, looks perfectly normal, if a little smug. I grin at him, and Jack makes a face at me.

We had, of course, invited Peter over for dinner like we've been doing for the past two weeks, but as usual, he has (politely) declined the invitation. Jack and I haven't heard from him in a very long time- when Jack had gone to visit him at his house yesterday after school, his aunt had told him that he was gone.

I take a seat between Jack and Jane, near the back of the room. I can already smell the food from the kitchen, and my mouth waters eagerly at the prospect of Kyle's and Tony's cooking (and from what I heard, Jane pitched in a little bit too).

"You don't deserve pie," huffs Jack, who is still put-off that I got a milkshake and he didn't.

"Excuse me, I actually helped buy the apples. And I worked just as hard as you today," I say as I dig into my salad, "It's not any fun getting beat by Kyle over and over and hearing him brag about it." df

"And Loki," Jack adds wickedly, because he knows this reminder will piss me off.

I punch him in the shoulder.

*

~Nobody's POV~

After apple pie, everyone heads up to the roof as the sky darkens over New York City. While the adults sip wine, Thea and Jack light firecrackers and take turns chasing each other around the roof.

"JACK GET BACK HERE YOU NEARLY SET ME ON FIRE!" yells Thea, and Bruce, from his perch beside Max and Tony, watches her as she sprints after a laughing Jack with a brandished spark flaring at the end of her stick.

"Funny how the world works, isn't it?" asks Bruce, nodding towards a gleeful Thea and Jack.

"What do you mean?" Tony asks, who has one hand on his wine glass and the other on Pepper's waist.

"Like this. One minute those two are being normal, doing homework, playing with each other like kids their age should. And then the next, they're fighting things that no kid should ever have to do. Get what I'm saying?"

"I know exactly what you mean," says Max, grimacing as he, too, watches Thea run around, the firecrackers lighting up her joyful, illuminated face.

The last few weeks have been more than stressful for Max. He's been looking out for Thea as she's been learning how to fight, killing a wolf, threatened for her life, heard her screams as Loki tried his best to help her, and then cried at night, watched her work on her school work, trying to be a normal girl and not succeeding. All under the premise as Thea tries to fight for her own independence. Kyle doesn't always share his views on what she should and shouldn't do, leading to more than a few conflicts with his brother that they've tried their best to hide from Thea.

Max knows that he shares several characteristics with at least one other person: Thea is being forced into something that she should never ben forced into at her age, at any age, actually.

"I was just helping her on her homework earlier today when it struck me," continues Bruce when Max tunes back in, "It's just not fair."

"Life's not always fair," says Tony, and even he is being serious. "And if there's someone who knows it, it's Thea."

And then, it's as if the sky opens up: the clouds darken and rain begins to pour over the roof. From the adults, there are several exclamations as everyone tries to get under the awning (Darcy is using her purse as an umbrella without much success), but from Jack and Thea, there's just the joy of running rampant in the downpour.

Max can't quite take his eyes off Thea as she twirls around in the pouring rain, her skirt swirling around her, her face lit up, getting soaking up as she laughs gleefully, her eyes sparkling for once in a long time.

*

At nine, when Steve informs Thea that Loki has been delayed in Asgard and to go ahead and start trying to sleep, she's both slightly apprehensive and appreciative. A storm has brewed from the rain, and it's getting closer to Stark tower. Nonetheless, Thea walks into the two-bedroom and plops down on the bed next to the wall. There aren't any windows in here, but the crack under the door and the loud thunder is enough to let in the sounds and sights of the storm.

When Loki finally gets back to Midgard, at around ten-thirty, he finds Thea cowering and crying underneath her blankets, having been woken up from another nightmare. From the din of the storm, she doesn't hear his approach, and when he yanks the blanket off her, she yelps, covering her face with her hands.

From the glow of his scepter that he carries in his hand, Loki can see her tear-stained face. He tilts his head, saying in a slightly belittling voice, "I see that you are having trouble falling asleep. Again."

"Don't look at me," she chokes, ripping the covers back to her hands, turning her back on him and facing the wall. "I'm always crying."

"Well yes, you are," says Loki, and Thea can hear the sound of the bed creaking as he sits down at its edge. "And it's not your fault."

"You're being strangely kind today," she says with annoyance, still not turning around. "What did you do with the real Loki?"

He chuckles. "I'm not being kind. I am being honest, Thea."

"I don't care. I don't even know why you're in here, I don't need anyone, and I definitely don't need you."

Loki is silent for a couple moments, and then he says quietly, "Why do you do this?"

"Do what?" she snaps. Loki can easily discern that she's trying to fight back tears.

"You fight me."

At this, she finally turns back over, lying on her back and staring at the ceiling, wincing at the next bout of lightning that glistens through the crack in the door, illuminating the room temporarily. "I don't know what the hell you're talking about."

"You run from me, Thea, you fight me at everything." His hand reaches down to wipe her tears, and when she slaps it, he adds, "You see?"

"You're mean to me Loki," she says shortly. "You are, and don't you dare deny it!"

"I'm not."

"Well then what do you expect me to do?"

"I expect you to know that if you push people away," His fingers twirl in her matted hair, untangling it, and she tolerates it just so that he can't make another point, "It will only make them pull harder. And it will make your life harder too."

"My life's already hard enough!"

"Then why do you make it even more so? It is not only myself that you fight, Thea, but so many more. And I know precisely why."

"Enlighten me," her voice is dripping with sarcasm.

"You're frightened. Your family is, for the most part, no more, and you're very alone. You have something to prove to the world. You resist anyone that you think makes you look weak. You think appearing tough is the best way to get rid of these feelings. So you run. You run to make people want to leave you alone."

Her lip trembles and a tear trickles down her nose.

"I see that I'm right," says Loki, "Now let me ask you this: where will you run?"

"What?"

"Where are you going to run to, Thea? You're fighting a losing battle, thinking you're unconquerable like this. Your fears chase you, and alone, you are going to run into a wall, a dead end, and those fears will consume you like wraiths."

Lightning flashes again, and fright flickers in her green eyes.

Both of them are quiet for the longest time, and then Thea sits up. "L...lo..." she stammers, and then finally breaks down, throwing her arms around Loki's neck. He grabs her in a tight embrace and rocks her back and forth as her small body racks with sobs.

"Shh..." he murmurs. "Stop crying, kitten, hush now." But she keeps crying and crying, and Loki holds her tightly.

Finally, her tears slow down to soft whimpers, and she leans back, away from him. "I'm...I'm sorry."

He raises his eyebrows. "I never knew you were capable of apology, Thea."

She takes a deep breath, wiping her tears from her eyes and only manages a small, wavering smile.

He moves some of her hair from her eyes, and returns the smile.

"Loki?"

"Hm?"

"Please don't...please don't..." she stammers, and the fact that Loki has raised a skeptical eyebrow makes her even more doubtful of what she's about to say. Finally, looking down, in a hushed whisper, she breathes, "Please don't leave me."

"Why do you say that?"

She shifts uncomfortably, causing the bed springs to squeak slightly again. "Because...you're not...you're not always good, Loki. One day, you might... I don't know, I just don't know!" she exclaims, clearly frustrated.

Loki doesn't say anything for a moment. Then, he says, "Give me your hand."

"What?"

Loki rolls his eyes, "Give me your hand, Thea."

Hesitantly, she lets him take her hand. He turns it so that her palm is against his; her tiny hand is dwarfed compared to his much larger ones. "See this?"

"Yes, I see our hands, Loki," she says sarcastically.

He has the urge to flick her, but restrains. "Thea, we are very alike in many ways, you and I. But we're also very different. We also dislike one other ninety percent of every day, usually because you have done something incredibly stupid." When she makes a face at him, he ignores her and continues, "I cannot always promise your safety, I cannot always promise your happiness, I cannot always promise that you will always like my actions. But this I can promise you: I am not going to abandon you, kitten. I may leave for long periods at a time, but never will I forever leave you."

"Never ever?" she asks in a very Leah-ish tone.

He smiles his mischievous smile. "Never ever."

"I'm not hugging you again," she says dryly, but her eyes are shining in a way that Loki knows that she is trying not to be emotional, "That was enough disgust for the day."

"Well that's a shame because I'm hugging you," Loki smirks as Thea squeals when he reaches out and grabs her.

"Looooki!" she exclaims, trying to wriggle out of his grip. "Let...me...go!"

He finally releases her so that she topples back down on the mattress. "That's enough. You need to sleep now." He stands up as she pulls the blankets over herself. Then, he leans back down and kisses her forehead softly, the first time he has done so when she is fully conscious.

"Ew, ew, ew," says Thea, turning around on her stomach, apparently disgusted.

He chuckles. "Good night, Thea."

She humphs, her mouth squished in the pillow. Shaking his head, Loki heads on over to his own bed.

*

The next morning, Thea wakes up groggily to the sound of voices: Loki and Max at the door.

"I have no idea what you are all talking about," says Loki coolly. "Thea didn't make a sound during the night."

"Then you must have bad hearing or something, or she wasn't sleeping," says Max, who looks perplexed. "Because not a night has gone by without her waking up screaming. I was out here in the hall a lot last night, and I didn't hear her either."

"I suppose tonight was a miraculous exception then," says Loki sarcastically.

Thea blinks sleepily. Last night, she had slept better than she had in forever.

She has not an inkling of an idea why.

THANKS FOR READING!!!

Please VOTE and COMMENT.

By the way, in lieu of a question asked, Peter won't be in the story for a while. If you look at the timeline he doesn't re-become spider man until 5 months after Gwen's death.

He will be in soon, for a bit, but after that, not until the end of the book... Sorry!!! :)