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“To the surprise of all, the new Kid Loki was a good and kind and helpful trickster, beloved by his brother Thor and grudgingly semi-trusted by all, or most, asgardians. So naturally the ghost of his old-self or perhaps merely an echo of it - annihilated the kid version forever, stole his body and wore it with none the wiser.(To this day, no asgardian knows).”____177A BLEECKER ST - NY A face hard to recognize at first sight. She sensed a lot of strength and a hint of electricity. He had dishevelled hair, different style and armor and his green eyes filled with something that might have been pain. The air was heavy with energy, something was off. That was an ordinary day in the life of the newyorker, nothing was really in its place nowadays.Casey Kinmont could hardly tell who he was since the face on him was no longer the wrinkled old man she had last seen on the news during an attack. Loki had the features of a teen idol and his attire was completely transformed, though he had kept the green color as a trade mark. Thankfully, it wasn’t long until she could remember Billy’s description of Loki’s current appearance.‘I’m telling you, Casey…’ Billy sighed while shifting next to her, hugging his knees. He sat by her side next to one of the Sanctum’s wide windows where they watched the full moon in a cold night, an habit for the two of them since they had established a friendship ‘He looks like… trouble. Try thinking about the personification of trouble, maybe one of those hot demons that people describe in young adult books. That kind of appearance. Gloomy and hot -- don’t tell Teddy I said that, I am disgusted with myself, believe me. Anyways. He’s taller than all of us, I’m pretty sure he is growing his hair. Piercing green eyes. Gods, I hate it when he stares for too long because it’s like he can see right through you… and when he walks in he just… struts. He literally struts...’Casey could not help a laughter by then, but taking a good look at him now, she could see the reason of Billy’s distress. Her mind was racing.“Ah… can I help you?” Apprehensive, her fingers tightened around the door frame while she tried to process the whole situation as quickly as possible. Standing there was one of the Avengers’ greatest enemies and she was right before him, on her pajamas. Brushed teeth and all. Oh, man. Would Stephen hear her if she sent him a psychic message? There was another thing, though... Loki looked like he had just had his ass handed to himself. His armor was broken on so many spots she wondered what would have happened to him if he had not been wearing it at all. His fingers were bloodied and bruised and he seemed to struggle to keep standing.Loki gritted his teeth and nodded at the question. The girl with short blue hair seemed to be around his age, if he had a specific age at all, that is. Probably not. Small eyes, thin eyebrows still rising above the silver frame of her glasses. She wore a gray tank top and baggy blue pajama pants. If he were to attack her and people really kept their last outfits in the afterlife, she was screwed.It was late in the night, Dr. Strange was not glad to have his nightly readings interrupted by whomever rang the doorbell, people would always bring problems and not once words of gratitude. Alas, he was the Sorcerer Supreme and it was a part of his duty as such. Answering the door late in the night, however, was something that he, Wong and Casey called a 'pain in the ass' if the guest's visit happened to be a surprise, which was more often than he'd like. When the doorbell stopped ringing, he was almost relieved. Almost. Casey rushed into the dimly lit room followed by the new-found guest and was faced with her tutor staring at her while still holding the unread piece of paper between tensed, scarred fingers. "By the Hoary Hosts of Hoggoth." he let out under his breath after one look, alarmed, his brain sent alert signals to the rest of the body as it would commonly happen in stressful situations, and if having the God of Mischief himself looking like a complete mess standing right on your vintage carpet was not stressful, then Strange had yet to learn the meaning of the word.Though the vessel had gone through a transformation, his magic signature still felt somewhat familiar. Something drastic had obviously happened and he was most intrigued to know what the visit was about. After the incident with Billy, his other apprentice, Strange was careful to sit down and inquire about the issue with the Young Avengers and he was not surprised to acknowledge Loki’s involvement in it. This was probably related to the previous experience . Not only that, but Loki was also culpable for several other infringements of public mayhem and trespassing private property. In fact, Strange heard from Tony Stark himself about Loki's breaking into the Avengers Tower and hacking into their database.“So… Stephen… Loki. Ah... Sorry to interrupt your reading, but it looks kinda important.” Cross-legged and in his striped robes, Strange dropped the newspaper on a silver platter that still contained a fumy cup of tea. It felt awkward to witness the Sorcerer Supreme himself in his comfy night clothes, flip-flops and bed hair, but Loki tried not to stare for too long. “Loki?” A rhetorical question, of course."Hello, Doctor. Sorry to interrupt your tea. I find myself in quite the situation and… since we’re old acquaintances… I thought I should step by.”Strange could already feel his temples stinging and making his skull vibrate.“If by old acquaintances you mean that time you sent your brother to kill me, then yes, I suppose so.” “Oh that wasn’t m--""Of course it wasn't." Doctor Strange dismissed the plea with a hand gesture, there were more urgent matters that needed attendance at that moment. “We will leave that for later, I don’t want you dead on my carpet, you look like you've been chewed on by Death herself. I would have a lot of explaining to do to your brother and I already have a lot on my plate as it is.” Strange got up from the armchair and approached them, Casey still looked from one man to another as if expecting something to happen, there was too much tension in the room. “What troubles you, Loki?”“Many things trouble me.”“Is this about how you unleashed an alien parasite to endanger the Young Avengers team and consequently kept them busy so you could steal Wiccan’s powers to grow yourself up, and now you are barely being able to contain the magic?”You got me there, he thought, sweating on his feet. He looked paler than usual and that itself was an accomplishment. His hair had already begun to stick to his feverish forehead. Loki hummed, displeased.“I know where you are coming from, Doctor, but it was borrowed and I gave it back. Mere details…” His current drama had nothing to do with it but he was glad to know that Strange knew of his situation with Billy, he heard that the boy was under his mentorship and he could not risk crossing paths with him without mentioning it beforehand. It would be worse. Always thinking ahead, the ways of a trickster.With pursed his lips, he watched Strange’s attire change into the usual one, the room being filled with green sparks. Once it was gone with a brief airflow around them, Strange’s red cape floated around dramatically before settling down against his sides.The doctor was not exactly trying to hide his discontent, he would not buy Loki’s distortions. "It has nothing to do with it, I just... it's something else entirely." Loki continued. "Please don't keep me waiting, I was really looking forward to that tea." Loki opened his mouth to speak but closed it right after, pursing his lips for a moment before letting out a defeated sigh. "More difficult than I thought, I'll give you that. I should know where to begin by now but I have never talked about this before and it has been a couple of years." Wasn't I supposed to be a storyteller? Casey was unsure whether to stay or leave. She watched quietly on the spot, ready to help if it were to be a trap. 'This better not be a scheme', Doctor Strange thought to himself as he stared at Loki's tired face. He seemed terrified, which made Stephen wary. This was Loki, after all, what had he to fear? ‘or you will find yourself in big trouble, Trickster.’
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Who knew the sly Silvertongue would have trouble opening his cursed mouth to talk about something.Loki sat across from Strange with a tea cup of his own, legs crossed and sad eyes."You could start by telling me why you look like... this.""I suppose I could, but there are more important things. Let us start with what you already know." Loki sipped the tea and licked his bruised lips. "I needed Billy's powers to grow myself up because I'd just reincarnated and still looked like a child. An old spirit in a child's body is never a good thing." "I do remember." he was judging Loki, of course, but interrupting would be no good. Just let the trickster talk. "The Loki that died during Osborn's Siege, the war... he was the Loki.""I don't think I follow..." "The old, bad-guy Loki died and Thor brought back a brand new reset version with a pure spirit, immaculate and innocent as innocent as a Loki can be, that is. I'm sure you heard of it, all the Avengers were telling him not to bring him...me back."Stephen was trying to put the pieces together as to why Loki kept referring to himself in the third person, but had not quite grasped it yet."You know how Lokis are, we are never truly gone. The Old Loki managed to put a piece of himself into the new body and consequently killed the innocent spirit. I'm it. I'm that part. He wanted to make sure things wouldn't change, he didn't accept the fact that a Loki was to be good, it was always this never ending cycle. Loki was to thrive and conquer." The young boy's fingers were shaking, making the tea cup tremble along.Stephen listened attentively and quite in shock. He would have never imagined, and why would Loki tell him something so important and so... personal? "I never told anyone about this, except for Thor while I was under a spell, or else I wouldn't have, either." Loki's eyes were teary, he couldn't bear thinking about how Thor had just nearly killed him only to back away in the last second before the final blow "This is why I look like this, he didn't handle it well. Well, you did get your answer." "Loki, I am truly sorry that this happened to you even though I am not entirely sure of which side you are on and if you can be held accountable but do not ask me to fight Thor." Loki frowned at Stephen, indignant. "That's not what I am asking of you. As I was saying..."Stephen, thrown off by this, did his best to regain focus. "I was banned from Asgard because of something I did not even do, I can't go to anybody else. The other Loki is a time traveller and he is inhabiting this realm at this very moment. He wants to make sure I go bad, he can possess people and manipulate them accordingly, he is doing all he can to corrupt me." "Corrupt you? But aren't you already a fragment of him?" "I am, but since we are not the same person, I still got a chance to change. It's what I am trying to do."Strange doubted it, but again, so did everyone else. Maybe he was telling the truth, but would he risk it?"And how exactly do you need me to help?" "The other Loki is trying to get me and I feel that those I love are in danger, family and friends. Like Billy, for example. People I like and care about." Strange was not expecting such a confession and he still had his doubts about the nature of Loki's feelings for the Young Avengers, specially for Billy."I doubt that your other self will mistake Billy for an affection of yours, Loki. You need protection.""Oh, but you are mistaken, Loki knows of my feelings."Strange frowned, unsure of what that meant. He was caught in the web of contradiction. Loki could be seeking protection only for himself and using others as an excuse to reassure that he got what he wanted, but at the same time, if asked about why he decided to care for others all of a sudden, he could pull off the 'I'm trying to be a better person' card, like he had just done. "I can't promise you anything, do you understand? And if your brother comes barging in through these doors I won't do anything to stop him." "Noted."Oh, but Loki knew that under the stern piercing look, he had already gotten what he'd come for. Strange was an Avenger, those people had big big hearts.
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“I should remind you that this is all temporary.” “Of course.” “As soon as your other self is handled, you need to go. Understood?” “I am aware, I don't wish to become a nuisance under your guardianship, Doctor.” Why else would he want to stay in that depressing victorian house anyway? He had other things to do. Well, not now of course, right now he was just attempting to stay alive. “And you must keep a healthy distance from Billy. This is necessary, Loki. It’s the most important condition along with you not touching anything or wandering through the Sanctum by yourself. Are we on the same page here?” What a control freak, worse than myself. He’s probably into kinky stuff.Although he still felt as if he would pass out at any moment, Loki couldn't get rid of a sly smile as they continued to go up the stairs with Casey on their heels. Loki addressed her the question:“Is he always like this?” While Strange rolled his eyes impatiently, Casey couldn’t help a smile.“He is. I know, right? Get used to it.” “Excuse the two of you, I can still change my mind.” “Never said a thing.” She chuckled.Less than an hour together and Loki was already gathering followers for his army, the boy really lived up to the expectations.“This is your room. I feel the need to reinforce: don’t touch anything, don’t talk to the goblings if they are to show themselves to you, the ghouls are not trustworthy so the same goes to them. Don’t open any door even if it insists that you do so, don’t go through any portal that might appear out of nowhere.” “I have a question, Doctor." “Yes, Loki?” “Am I allowed to breathe?” “You are walking on thin ice, boy.” “Kidding. Thank you for letting me stay.” He gave Stephen a pat on the shoulder and offered him a smile. Stephen leaned away from the touch as subtly as an elephant would. “I will try and stay out of trouble.” “Once again, not the best answer to be giving me.” “I see progress… do you see progress, Casey?” “Definitely.”Strange didn’t like where this was going, they already liked each other.“Worry not, Strange. I shall behave myself.” Loki smirked as he stepped into the room and made his way into the middle of it.The room had many shelves stacked with books of all kinds and sizes, various ages and colors. Candles floated around even though there was modern electricity available and Loki liked that touch. A King size bed for a prince, (it was only fair) wide windows that made it seem like the moon was your neighbor, a covered mirror, nightstands and a beautifully well preserved dressing table from the 50’s.“I’m counting on it, Loki. I’m ignoring every bit of common sense life has granted me with through hardship to allow this.” “Yes, and for that I am eternally grateful. Now, Doctor, where can I take a shower?” “Are you sure you are in condition to? You look weak.” Casey said from the back of the room. “So you are just going to roast me like that? A wounded man?” “Casey, would you mind showing Loki where the bathroom is? I need to let Wong know of this madness or he might attempt against Loki’s life.” “Oh, please do. I don’t need more of that. My life has already been attempted against enough times this month.” Loki wore a smile while saying this, but his tone showed that those were bitter words. “Alright, I will. Come with me, Loki. Can you walk ok after those stairs?” “Right after you.” He winked at her.The bathroom was tidy and smelled really nice. There were clean hand towels on the sink as well as scented candles. Very considerate with the guests. “Here” Casey put a blue robe in his arms and stepped back “My room is next door if you need me, just shout out. Not literally though or we might wake someone up. Just knock.” “Thank you… hey, before you go… can you help me out of this? I could try magic but given my current situation I would rather not risk it.” Casey was doing her best to play it cool. Loki was asking her to take off his clothes.“Ah… okay, no problem. Just tell me what to do..” “Feel up until you touch the tiny hooks underneath, will you.”Gods… too much, she would have needed a glass of wine before that, but there was none.“I’m on it.” If Loki was in pain, he swallowed it and let her do the job without complaints, which made Casey think about how much pain gods were able to endure before actually dying. “There you go.”She helped him out of the armor and set what was left of it next to the sink. There were blood stains on the green shirt he wore underneath.“Are you sure you’re good, Loki? We could ask Stephen to take a look at you, he is a doctor, after all.” “And make him grumpier than he normally is?” Loki snorted as he took off the shirt – Casey took advantage of Loki’s eyes being covered by the shirt while he attempted to remove it to analyze the situatiation.His strong chest was covered in small cuts, a little blood here and there, but the bruises looked seriously bad. Thor must have thrown him around like a rag doll. She couldn’t help noting that his chest was broad and strong, the muscles were firm and the skin – the areas that were not bruised and covered in blood or dirt – was pale and milky. It looked so soft.So different from Thor’s tan, rough figure. Not that she’d been staring at the God of Thunder when the Avengers met at the Sanctum, of course. She totally wasn’t. Loki had no chest hair, like a young man just out of puberty, which he probably was from the conversation from earlier. Still too many unanswered questions.“Do you like what you see?”He had caught her staring and stared back fiercely, brows up in a mix of amusement and defiance. Upon feeling her face reddening, Casey immediately took control of the situation in the best way she could.“Sorry to stare but it looks bad, people come here with injuries all the time and you just get used to staring.” “But are they gods?” Loki was only messing with her, he did feel awful from the fight. He turned around to run the water for his bath but his arm seemed to have a different idea. The arm just wanted to play cool and be by itself for the moment.“Here, let me…” Casey executed her movements gracefully and was kind enough to add extra pink bubbles to Loki’s bath water.“Thank you, Casey. You were nothing but corteous from the moment I got here, remind me to pay you back.”“You’re welcome. I mean, as long as you don’t betray us in the end. I’m serious about this, Loki. You seem like you can be a nice guy and you are having the perfect opportunity to prove it.” Casey didn’t want to repeat Stephen’s words but she couldn’t help it, she had to say something as well or she wouldn’t sleep properly. Stephen and Wong were her family now and she would protect them “Stephen is not that generous with villains. Not that you are one, given your story, but we must agree that Lokis got history.”“I am aware of the situation just like I was before coming to your door. I know how absurd it all sounds and I wouldn’t have come if I had another option. I know about my reputation, Casey. I’ve pondered and hesitated before this visit, but I must risk it. I thank you and Strange… and probably Wong if he doesn’t try to kill me when morning comes.”“Right…” Casey nodded like she was still trying to convince herself. She inhaled softly and dried her hands on a towel hanging nearby before getting up from the border of the tub.“Just one more thing, Loki.” “Yes?” “If you hurt Stephen or Wong, I’m tracking you down myself to kick your ass.”That made him smile. She was such a nice girl.