@thefateofwar said: "Sit." Kratos' smiling would strike fear to any other, he is sure but for the child before him it is unbearably kind. A dampness about his eyes that would earn the axe should any dare to voice it now shown in the gentle press of his hand to Atreus shoulder, clearing his throat in a practiced manner. "When you were young you would ask me for one thing. A story. I could not give it then but I have been training for you and if you would permit it, for your birthday, I would like to gift it now."
♔—- The idea of Loki’s birthday had always been a bit of a sore spot. Not that most Aesir paid much mind to the importance of the day. Celebrating year after year grew tiresome when one could live for thousands upon thousands of years and one year seemed to sweep by in the blink of an eye. But Loki was always a special circumstance because no one really seemed to remember the specific day of their birth. Sure, Odin and Frigga claimed a date, but the rest of Asgard couldn’t really support those claims because Loki’s birth had been rather secretive and the child had been kept away from the public due to ailment.
Loki remembered the ailment rather clearly. That sickness came and went, especially during their younger years, but the rest of Odin’s story or explanations for why most of Asgard went unaware of the second prince’s conception or birth held very little merit.
The day Kratos swept through Asgard with Fenrir, Hel, and Jörmungandr, Loki was finally able to make sense of the oddities that surrounded their early life. Why Asgard seemed so uncertain of the younger prince, why Loki remembered a loving father that they’d been close to but clearly didn’t have in Odin, why they were so odd for an Aesir, and why even the simplest questions couldn’t properly be answered or supported by more than a few people...
Like the date of Loki’s birth.
They knew their birthday was coming up. Odin had at least known a rough time period in which Loki had been born. Once Heimdall’s restraints to the king had been broken, he’d been free to give Loki an overwhelming amount of knowledge and truths, some of which might have been better left unknown. And, of course, Kratos’ reintroduction to Loki’s life gave the young God insight into the life they lived before Odin. A painstaking process, really, as Odin corrupted Loki’s memories of life on Midgard with a loving mother and father and a modest cabin. Some days, the mischief-maker struggled to make sense of what was real and what wasn’t, wading through a sea of jumbled memories to sort out what actually was and what had been planted in their mind by a corrupt king.
Kratos helped, of course, giving Loki as much information as the poor soul could hope to absorb. Even in the centuries the father and child had been separated, Kratos’ memories of his Atreus never faded. Loki thought it would take time getting used to the name, but in actuality, it felt like home. So much so that only their father was permitted to use it. It sounded wrong coming from anyone else’s lips, didn’t hold the same sentiment or warmth.
The command to sit came with a surprising gentleness that many likely didn’t believe Kratos capable of. It shouldn’t have come as a shock that their father remembered the special nature of the day, but Loki spent centuries with a father who never loved them, never went out of his way to show care or genuine concern. Kratos wasn’t like that and while he did sometimes struggle with verbal communication, he always did his best to make Loki feel loved. They both wished to make up for lost time and yet... Loki still found themselves shocked that such an invitation had been extended.
“All right?” the murmured quizzically.
The expression their father wore only deepened that feeling. The ability to show wide emotional range usually escaped the Spartan and while he felt intensely, he never really showed it. Hints of tears clung to his eyes now and a warm, sentimental smile sought to reassure his child that he only requested Loki’s company for something to share.
“Father, are you all right?” Anyone else would have been afraid to make mention of the signs of mist around the man’s eyes, but Loki did not fear their father. Calling him out quickly became one of their favorite things to do.
A large hand, rough in texture but warm and strong to the touch rested upon Loki’s shoulder, reassuring them that nothing was wrong, and easily guided them down to sit in a plush chair adorned with a few emerald pillows. With a graceful little plop, the God relaxed, though their eyes never left the larger man.
“I...” Frustration passed over their visage briefly, eyes blinking rapidly a few times over. Every time Loki thought about their life with Kratos, it felt like a mental exercise. Memories came back easier now, with more clarity, but always with a little bit of resistance, like their mind grinding the wrong gears together in the processing phase. Even still, a few moments bubbled up to the surface. A canoe Kratos rowed, his little boy sitting opposite him with wanderlust-filled eyes that darted from his father, to a massive temple, to a beaten-down statue that stood in the center of a small island, to the side of Jörmungandr’s massive body, and right back to his father. He kept asking for stories and every one Kratos delivered fell flat. They were never stories so much as blunt statements or commentary that didn’t make for a very good story. Loki even found himself correcting Kratos’ stories to make them more entertaining. “I did ask you for stories a lot, didn’t I?”
Poor Kratos never stood a chance in that department. Even as a small boy, Loki rarely knew when to shut up and always tried to engage those around him into holding a conversation. Kratos had never been good at that, but he tried so hard.
“As long as you do not tell me about the scorpion and the frog again, I would love to hear your stories.” They’d be proud about how clearly they remembered Kratos’ retelling of that age-old fable a little later. “I--” Pale cheeks filled with a pleasant, rosy color and as if to match Kratos’ expression, subtle dampness made Loki’s eyes shine even brighter than usual. They didn’t expect the overwhelming tidal wave of emotion to crash down on them, but it happened every time the pair shared these genuine and intimate moments.
“I’d love that very much.”
