Chapter 3.6 A Leap of Faith Part 6

Snorting softly, Loki returned Sleipnir's kiss, tickling his side. "I love you, sweetheart. I know that things are scary right now, but… one day things will be okay. And we'll be so happy that we'll forget all about Daddy."

Sleipnir giggled, the laugh just causing Loki's heart to melt. "And then we can live in a big castle! And I can find a new Daddy!"

Laughing, Loki stood up from the bench he was sitting on, plastering Sleipnir's face with kisses. "And then we'll live happily ever after."

"And I'll have lots of brothers and sisters that are nice to me!"

"I don't know about that," Snorted Loki, entering the restaurant again. "Right now you're just enough for Mommy."

Thor looked up as Loki approached their table, relieved that it seemed his son was in a better mood. "I didn't know what you wanted, but I ordered Sleipnir some pancakes since he was hungry. They should be out any moment."

Loki found a soft smile spreading across his face, and he set Sleipnir down, genuinely touched by Thor's small act of kindness. "Norns, thank you… Sleipnir, say thank you to Mr. Thor."

The young alpha pouted, begrudgingly looking at Thor. "... Thank you."

"Of course, Sleipnir." Murmured Thor, looking down at the young boy's drawing. "What are you coloring?"

"None of your business!" Chirped the small alpha, continuing to color.

Loki was so embarrassed, and pinched at the bridge of his nose, rushing to apologize. "Norns, Thor, I'm sorry. That's something a character on his favorite tv show says. I swear he doesn't mean anything rude by it."

Thor wasn't offended, as he sort of understood why Sleipnir was wary to warm up to him. He didn't know everything that Loki had been through but knew that it had to be rough if he and his son weren't traumatized by the events in the diner last night.

Thankfully, the waiter returned with Sleipnir's pancakes and took Loki and Thor's orders, promising to have them out in a few minutes. Loki reached out to cut up Sleipnir's food, but the boy moved away, a determined look on his face. "No, Mama! I wanna do it myself!"

The silverware he was given was plastic, so Loki wasn't worried about him hurting himself. "Alright, alright."

Seeing Loki interact with his son was nice, and Thor was awed by the younger omega's tenacity. Just looking at Loki, you would never imagine that he or his son have been through the things that they've been through, and he was honestly amazed that the pair were able to be here laughing and joking today, after the events of last night.

Their food arrived then, so the pair made light conversation, with Thor trying to help Loki feel more comfortable. It was… nice, being able to just have a genuine conversation with someone that didn't revolve around politics, business, or money.

After paying for breakfast, Thor arranged to have Loki speak with the owner of this cafe so that he could sign any new hire paperwork. Loki didn't want Sleipnir to distract him, so the little boy and Thor were sitting at a table a few feet away from the omega, where he could keep a watchful eye on his son.

Thor was amused that Loki's son continued to glare at him or shoot him daggers, and decided that he would try and break the ice, and get to know him better. "How old are you, Sleipnir?"

"4."

"That means you'll be starting school next year. Are you excited?"

"Mommy says I can't go to school yet, because we might have to leave."

This made Thor feel quite sad, and he told himself that even if Loki refused to join his mob at the end of this three-month period, he would do what he could to help the omega set up a life for himself. There was just something about Loki and his son, and Thor couldn't accept just doing nothing when it came to the pair.

If nothing else, he wanted to help them, and maybe restore a bit of his good karma.

"I don't like you."

Snorting softly, Thor sipped at his drink, staring over at the boy. "Why?"

"Because you're an alpha. And alphas are mean." Stated Sleipnir, continuing to color. "And I don't like alphas. They always hurt Mommy."

Thor's smile faltered when he heard this. "Norns… I'm sorry you had to see that, Sleipnir." The boy didn't reply, so Thor sighed, trying to break the ice. "Well… I promised your mother that I would protect you and protect him. No more bad alphas will hurt you."

Sleipnir frowned slightly, looking up cautiously at Thor. "If you hurt Mommy, I'm gonna hurt you."

It actually pained Thor's heart to hear this, as he could only imagine the things that Sleipnir had been through to make a threat like this. While others might find the boy's words comical, Thor took them to heart. The last thing he wanted was for this child to grow up never being able to trust alphas because of their past, and if nothing else, he wanted to make a way for Loki and Sleipnir to gain some stability in their lives.

Even if he gained nothing from it.

Sighing softly, Thor looked at the young boy, placing all the genuine care and emotion he could into his voice. "If I ever hurt your mother, you are allowed to hurt me, Sleipnir. And I want to promise you that I will never hurt him. Or you."

The young boy set down his crayon, meeting Thor's gentle gaze. "Mommy says we can't promise things if it's not true."

"Well, your mother is right about that. But I won't hurt either of you. I promise."

Pouting, Sleipnir picked up his crayon again, continuing to color. "I'll be really mad if you break your promise."

Smiling softly, Thor nodded, amused with the young boy. "And you have every right to be." He looked up when he noticed Loki approaching them and stood as well, thankful that Loki accepted his help. "Well?"

"The owner is fine with me working here as a waiter and told me that I start tomorrow. So after Sleipnir and I move in upstairs, I'll take the bus to go get some essentials." Answered Loki, running soothing fingers through Sleipnir's hair. "And thank you again, Thor. You had no reason to help my son and me, but you did. So thank you."

Thor hummed, relieved to hear that everything worked out well. "Movers are still moving furniture into the apartment upstairs. Why don't I drive you both to the store?"

"No, no that's okay. You've already done so much for us." Answered Loki, shaking his head quickly.

"Loki, it's alright. I've blocked out the entire day. I promised that for the next three months, I would treat you as a member of my mob. And I mean that." Assured Thor. "Let's get over the fact that this is weird. I understand that my helping you makes no sense, and I'm aware that there's no reason for me to do this. But… I want to do this. And I want to help. If you'll allow me, then… I would love to take you to the store so that you can get some things."

Loki honestly felt like things were working out too well. His life wasn't a movie, where his Prince Charming would swoop in and save the day, making sure that he and Sleipnir would never be sad again. No, his life was one where he was let down, time and time and time again, and the only reason he'd made it this far was because he'd been cautious.

Every single time he'd let someone in, he'd gotten hurt or betrayed, and he just couldn't go through that again, with his son.

With that being said though, he didn't have many options. And right now, his best bet was allowing Thor to give him mob protection for three months. If he did this, he could save everything he got from the weekly stipend, he could gain work experience, he could really get back on his feet, and make a life for himself and his son.

He just… he just hoped that he wasn't making a mistake.