Chapter 1.4 Escape Part 4

They were about 2 hours away from their destination, so Loki hoped that things would continue to go smoothly. The shelter he contacted told him that they had a bed for him and his son and that they would hold it for 24 hours before giving it away to someone else. That had been 18 hours ago, so Loki knew that he was racing against the clock right now.

The rest of the ride to the town that the shelter was in was uneventful, and Loki shook his son awake once they arrived, feeling exhausted. He'd been up for over 24 hours at this point but knew that he couldn't give up just yet. They still needed to pay a taxi to get them there, so after using the restroom and cleaning up a bit, Loki paid a taxi to take them to a shelter.

It was currently 4 am, so Loki took a moment to thank the Norns for getting him and his son there safely. They were out of Jotunheim's area of influence and had managed to not get caught in Helheim, so for this Loki was thankful.

They were currently in Asgard's region of influence, and because Asgard and Jotunheim were sworn enemies, Loki knew that he'd be safe here. No one would ever know who he was or who his son was, and they'd be free.

They were free.

They'd escaped.

Now wasn't the time to cry or sigh in relief though, as they still needed to get to the shelter and check in. Loki thanked the taxi driver for the ride and picked up a sleeping Sleipnir, paying the driver and heading into the building.

The shelter wasn't really in the best area of town from what it looked like, but that was to be expected. Places like this weren't in upscale areas of cities.

They were always in the slums.

Taking a deep breath, Loki opened the doors to the shelter and greeted the night shift attendant, reaching into his pocket for his ID. "Hello, I'm Loki Laufeyson; I called earlier and was told there was a bed reserved for myself and my son."

The attendant hummed, eyeing Sleipnir. "How old is the boy? We don't accept omegas with children over 5."

Loki knew that his son was tall for a 4-year-old - Svadilfari was 6'5, and Loki was 5'11, so that wasn't too surprising - and sighed softly, beginning to frown. "He's 4. He's just tall like me."

The front desk attendant stared off with Loki for a few seconds before sighing, typing Loki's name into the system. "Let me take you to your room. After breakfast at 9 am, we can sign paperwork."

"Thank you," Murmured Loki, following the omega up a flight of stairs, and down a hall. The omega attendant knocked on one of the doors three times before opening it abruptly, turning on the light. "Marlie? You have a roommate. This is Loki and his son."

The sleeping omega in bed groaned softly and blinked a few times, sitting up in bed. "Hey."

Loki nodded politely, noticing that the red-headed omega woman had a little girl nestled against her side. He felt bad about them being woken up so abruptly, and sat down on his bed, gratefully taking the bedsheets, blanket, and pillows that were handed to him by the attendant.

"Get some rest. Breakfast is from 7:30 to 8:30, and the bathroom is down the hall, first door on the right. Do you have any questions?"

Loki shook his head no, so the attendant left the room, letting Loki know that he would speak to him tomorrow after breakfast again.

Now that they were alone Loki sighed, sitting down on the edge of the twin bed that he and Sleipnir would share.

He'd done it.

He was free.

Before he knew it he began to cry and tried to remain silent, not wanting to disturb the omega on the other side of the room.

Sleipnir noticed his tears though and frowned, quickly sitting up. "Mommy! What's wrong?"

Loki sniffed, quickly wiping at his eyes. "Mommy's just happy, sweetheart. Here, stand up so that I can fix our bed."

Sleipnir seemed like he didn't believe him, but otherwise stood up, patiently waiting for Loki to make up the bed. "Is this our new home?"

"Shh," Shushed Loki, smoothing out the bed. "They're sleeping. We don't want to wake them." He patted at the bed then, wanting Sleipnir to sit down. "Let's take off your shoes and go to sleep."

Jumping up on the bed, Sleipnir hummed quietly while Loki took off his shoes, looking around the room. "Is Daddy gonna find us?"

Loki stilled for a moment, trying to calm his still-racing heart. "No, sweetheart. We're safe now."

"Promise?"

"I promise. Now let's turn off the light and get into bed. We have a long day tomorrow." Whispered Loki, kissing Sleipnir's forehead and climbing into bed after him.

"Can you tell me a bedtime story?"

"Not tonight, sweetheart. Remember, we have to be quiet so that we don't wake them up." Answered Loki, playfully pinching at Sleipnir's side. "Now sleep."

"Can I have a kiss?"

Loki smiled warmly, love blooming in his chest. Leaning forward, he kissed his son's scent gland on his neck, tickling him and pretending to gobble him up.

Sleipnir squealed happily and turned around in Loki's arms, nestling himself under Loki's scent gland on his neck. "Night, Mama."

"Goodnight, sweetheart."

✨✨✨

A warm hand on his shoulder waking him up startled Loki, and he sat up quickly, immediately moving in front of Sleipnir defensively.

"Whoa, whoa, it's okay. I'm Marlie, your roommate. I'm just waking you up for breakfast."

Loki relaxed, running a tired hand through his hair. "Norns, I'm sorry. Thank you, Marlie."

The woman smiled gently, not offended by Loki's response. "It's 8:15. Once it's 8:30, they stop cooking breakfast, and whatever is left is all that's there. I know you just got here, so I didn't want you to miss breakfast."

"Norns, thank you." Sighed Loki, reaching down to gently shake his son awake. "Sleipnir? It's time to wake up, child."

Sleipnir groaned softly, beginning to open his eyes. "Mommy… I'm hungry."

"Let's go eat then. We have to hurry, they're almost done serving breakfast."

Sleipnir sat up fully then, looking over at Marlie. "Who is she?"

"She is our roommate. Say hello." Urged Loki.

"Hi…" Murmured Sleipnir, hiding behind Loki shyly.

Marlie laughed, reaching behind her to encourage her own child out from hiding. "This is Sarah. Sarah, say hello to Loki and his son."

Her little girl giggled and waved before running back behind her mother's legs, peeking out after a moment.

"I can take you to the breakfast hall if that's alright?" Asked Marlie, looking down at Loki expectantly.

"Sure, that'd be great, actually." Replied Loki, playfully rubbing at Sleipnir's side. "Alright sweetheart, let's put on our shoes."

"Okay!" Chirped Sleipnir, hopping off of the bed and running to put on his shoes. Loki stood up and moved to help him, but the child swatted him away, a determined look on his face. "No, Mama. I wanna do it myself."

Snorting softly, Loki watched Sleipnir put his shoes on and tied them for him before slipping on his own shoes, and taking his son's hand before following his roommate out of the room and downstairs to the cafeteria.

"You'll get a tour of the facility after breakfast, and they'll tell you when meals and snack times are, but I'll tell you anyway. Lunch is at 12, dinner is at 6, and snacks are at 10, 3, and 8." Explained Marlie, leading Loki to the breakfast line. "The schedule for the week is posted here. We eat something different every day."

Loki reached out to grab a tray for himself and Sleipnir. "How is the food?"

It's… eh. It's food." Answered Marlie, grabbing a tray for herself and her daughter. "We're not allowed to keep food in our rooms, by the way. This place is "three strikes and you're out", so we have to be careful about what we do."

Loki sighed softly, not surprised. Many shelters were often at capacity and were always looking to lessen their numbers, so most shelters had strict rules in place about what could and couldn't be done.

After finding an empty table, the pair cut up their children's pancakes and sausage before beginning their own meals, continuing their conversation. "This is a job-readiness shelter, so to live here you have to work. Do you have any work experience?" Asked Marlie, trying to get to know Loki better.

Loki didn't count his past forced prostitution as a career, and shook his head, looking away from the woman. "I'm only 21, and… and my husband never let me work. We got married when I was 16, and he never let me have a job."

Marlie's face softened when she heard this, and she shot a gentle smile Loki's way. "That's okay. They don't kick out omegas that have no work experience. They'll most likely start you out at a restaurant as a waiter."

This wasn't surprising, but Loki was just grateful that this place would help him find a job. He knew he wouldn't make much as a waiter, but any money was better than no money. Once he saved up enough he could get himself a studio apartment for himself and Sleipnir, and then… things would begin to pick up.

They would be okay, one day.

✨✨✨

After breakfast, Loki and Sleipnir were allowed to access the closet of the shelter and grabbed a few pants and shirts to get them through the week, thankful to receive new clothes and underwear. They then showered, and met with a caseworker at 9:30, who went over the rules of staying here, and set Loki up with a job, which he was relieved for.

He would begin working at a diner a mile down the road on the night shift, which did worry him. The last thing he wanted was to leave Sleipnir alone at night unattended, but… he needed this job. He told himself that Sleipnir would be okay and that he could come to check on him on his breaks and lunch every night.

This new life that Loki and his son were embarking on was terrifying, and Loki had no idea what would happen from this point forward. But he knew that above all else, he would make this new life work for them.

He refused to go down without a fight.