Chapter 3.5 A Leap of Faith Part 5

He set Sleipnir in the backseat of Thor's car, a bit worried since the boy didn't have a booster seat. He didn't want to say anything though, as Thor had already done more than enough. Instead, he sent a quick prayer up to the Norns and kissed his son's forehead, strapping him in before closing the door.

He climbed into Thor's car next, feeling extremely uncomfortable. Being in a luxurious car like this brought back memories, memories that he didn't want to remember, and he bit a lower lip, taking in a shuddering breath. He needed to calm down.

"Are you alright?"

Thor's concerned voice cut through the haze of Loki's mind, and he looked up, staring at the alpha curiously. "... I'm fine." Loki wasn't used to alphas caring about him, and he didn't know how to feel about Thor's simple question. It made him sad that his life was so fucked up that he was genuinely shocked when an alpha asked him a simple question.

"Mommy? I'm hungry…" Groaned Sleipnir, beginning to kick the back of Loki's seat. "I'm hungry!"

Now was not the time for one of Sleipnir's tantrums, so Loki sighed, looking back at his son. "We're going to get something to eat now, Sleipnir. Be patient."

Sleipnir kicked the back of Loki's chair again, huffing. "I want pancakes!"

Norns, Sleipnir was the best, most adorable child at times, and sometimes… sometimes the little boy was almost too much for Loki to handle. "Sleipnir, stop. We're going to go get some breakfast now, then we're going to move into a new place, and we can spend the rest of the day coloring and playing with your toys. Does this sound fun?"

"Yes…" Grumbled the little boy, his small face turned down in a frown.

Thor had a soft smile on his face as he pulled away from the curb and began to drive, heading toward the part of the city where Loki's new apartment would be in. It was nowhere near Thor's penthouse, so the alpha hoped that by doing this, Odin could be kept in the dark.

"The cafe you'll be working at serves pancakes during their breakfast hours. Would you like to eat there?"

Loki bit a lower lip, looking over at the alpha. "I only have enough for Sleipnir to eat, and there isn't a lot there… could we go somewhere cheaper?"

"I'm paying."

"Thor-"

"It's quite alright, Loki," Answered Thor, keeping his voice light. "I said I would protect you and treat you like a member of my mob for three months. This is a part of that. Asgardian mob members take care of their own."

"Alright… well… thank you. Again."

Thor hummed softly and continued to drive, not knowing what to say to Loki to break the ice. Personal attachments aside, they were still strangers, and Loki didn't trust him one bit, so that didn't make it any easier to speak to the omega.

They all ended up riding together in silence and arrived at the cafe 15 minutes later, with Sleipnir complaining loudly about how hungry he was the whole time. Thor found it amusing - albeit slightly annoying - and Loki was obviously not amused with the young alpha's behavior.

Loki couldn't be too upset though, as he knew that Sleipnir was most likely acting out because he was stressed about their situation. The young boy had been through more in his 4 years of life than any child should ever experience, and Loki felt so guilty at times, as he just wanted to give his son the world.

And the fact that he couldn't do that right now, hurt him more than anything.

Nevertheless, he took his child's hand and made his way into the cafe with Thor, knowing that somehow, someway, things would be okay one day in his life.

A nice waiter met the pair and led them over to an empty table, immediately handing Sleipnir a complimentary coloring book and crayons. "What can I get both of you to drink?"

"I'll take a water and a mimosa, please." Answered Loki, pulling out his ID. He usually didn't drink too much, as the times when he was apart from Sleipnir were few and far between. But after the night and morning they had, he needed this.

Thor laughed softly at Loki's order and on a whim decided to get the same thing. He wasn't a fan of fruity drinks but didn't want something hard in the morning. "I'll take the same thing, please."

"And for your son?"

Sleipnir frowned, looking up at the waiter. "He's not my Daddy."

Loki huffed, shooting the young boy a look. "Some apple juice, please."

"I don't want apple juice!"

"Then what do you want, Sleipnir? Either apple juice, grape juice, or orange juice."

The child frowned deeper, seriously contemplating this. After a few seconds, he looked up, grinning at Loki. "Grape juice!"

The waiter laughed softly, writing this down. "Thank you; I'll be right back with your drinks."

Once the waiter was gone, Loki shot his son another look, crossing his arms in frustration. "Sleipnir, what has gotten into you, today?"

The little boy humphed, glaring at Thor. "I don't like you…"

Thor laughed at the blatant statement, not offended in the slightest. "Norns… I'm sorry, Sleipnir."

Loki was not amused and furrowed his brow, deciding that he and the young child needed to have a talk. "Sleipnir, follow Mommy outside for a moment, okay?"

Thankfully, the little boy listened, and put down his crayons, jumping down from his chair and taking Loki's hand. Once they were outside Loki sat them down on a bench nearby, trying to be patient with the alpha. "Sleipnir… what's going on? We've talked about this, you can't be mean to people. It makes them sad, and you don't want to make others sad."

Sleipnir seemed to feel remorseful, and looked up at Loki, beginning to tear up. "I don't want him to hurt you…"

Blinking in confusion, Loki scooted closer to his son, wrapping a comforting arm around him. "Why would he hurt me, Sleipnir?"

"Because alphas are mean…" Murmured the young boy. "Daddy hurt you, and he was an alpha…"

Loki's heart broke, and he pulled his son into his lap, kissing the young boy's temple. "Sleipnir… Thor isn't going to hurt Mommy. He just wants to help us."

Sleipnir shot him a confused look. "Why?"

"Because he feels bad for Mommy, and… and he's nice."

"Nu-uh! He hurt those other alphas last night! He's bad, just like Daddy!" Argued Sleipnir. "I don't want him to hurt you!"

"Sleipnir, Thor was protecting us from those mean alphas. He won't hurt us."

"But what if he does?"

Loki knew that Sleipnir had every right to be scared, and wasn't upset with his son for feeling this way. "Sweetheart… Mommy is trying his best to keep you and me safe. And… and I can't do that on my own. But I will always protect you, and I will never let anyone hurt you. Okay?"

His son searched his eyes for a few seconds before nodding, leaning forward, and nestling into the scent gland on Loki's neck. "Mommy… you said the same thing about Daddy. But Daddy still hurt us."

Hearing this shattered Loki's heart and he actually teared up, feeling like utter shit. "Sleipnir… Mommy will never let anyone hurt us. And… and I will always try my best to keep us safe. Mr. Thor is here to help, and… and I need you to know that whatever happens, Mommy will always love you, and protect you."

"And I'm gonna protect you too, Mama!" Stated the young boy, pulling away to kiss Loki. "And if Mr. Thor tries to hurt us, then I'm gonna hurt him!"