Notes: In this world, young mermen and merwomen are referred to as pups.

Characters: Loki; Odin; Frigga; Thor; Jane Foster; Svadilfari; Original Male and Female character(s)

Relationships: Loki/Thor; Loki/Svadilfari; Thor/Jane Foster.

Tags: Alternate Universe - Merpeople/Human; Bad languaje as in people swearing and the like; Uncle Loki; Nephew Thor; Teratophilia.

New tag: Slow Burn Thorki (13/04/2020)

That damned arsehole! Looki looked at himself again in the ice mirror. Yep, no hole. Where the mouth should have been, there was nothing, and the part that fused the tentacles to his hipbones lacked the twin siphons that usually an octopus would have. Loki looked down on his brand new tentacles and he wanted to cry again. Cry in outrage and yell and destroy everything within reach. This punishment was too much, and just because of a prank!

Earlier that season, Loki had confused the shoal to arrive a little later than usual and then he had cast an illusion to make the fish look like birds, feathered and all. The other mers had panicked and Odin had been forced to punish him. Loki had accepted that he may have gone a bit too far, but to get his lustrous, black and blue tail shifter into octopus' tentacles!? And for a thousand years!? Ludicrous, absurd, preposterous! His beautiful tail! Loki whined. He couldn't go out between the other mers like this.

So now, Loki had retreated to the deepest part he could find and lived exiled in a cave filled with bioluminiscence creatures and plants. Sure, he could just go out, ask for forgiveness from the city and present his face to every citycent and that would make it all over, but Loki had pride! And so, that's how a week passed by. And then other, and then another. And Loki noticed that he was gaining weight. The irony, oh, the irony. Of course he was getting fat! He couldn't go and shit, so everything stayed inside. Ugh! He looked at the mirror again and frowned.

"You are so full of crap!" he grumbled, angered.

As time passed he discovered that he just needed to eat less. His body could burn everything he ate, it just took longer. It also meant he couldn't eat as much as he had before. A century in his punishment and Loki had found the perfect balance between how much to eat and how much to move. Once, he stopped eating altoguether and found himself looking like a skeleton. Now... Now he just ate some fish, a kale maybe, algae... Little bites. It was maddening.

His autoexile meant nothing, Loki discovered soon after. Mer people still remembered how good he was with enchantments, curses and other magical properties and sought him out for love potions, enacement spells and beauty routines. And Loki... Loki was petty and unforgiving. He refused at first, but little by little he started giving in and by his third century of punishment he had a steady income of clients. Everything was almost well until Odin anounced his marriage.

People stopped coming to him until the wedding week approached. Then, everyone wanted to know everything about looking their best. Looks, always the exterior. Loki got fed up and 'closed his business'. There were complaints about it but they abated short of the wedding day. After that, no-one came back.

Intrigued, Loki went out of his hiding place and listened to the rumours: the queen was a witch. She had powers of her own and her remedies were the most sought out. Loki felt rage at it and, jealous, sneaked around the palace. He wanted to see that witch! And see he did. She was a beautiful mer, with a cheerful song in her voice, golden hair dancing around her head and breathtaking blue eyes. Loki snorted. Odin had fallen for the exterior. Loki's next step was to meet in person. He managed to get an audience with her. He wouldn't go by himself, but with an illusion.

"My great Queen," he greeted, lowering his head. "I come to you for aid." His exterior was that of a pale mer, poor hair without shine, a massive scar on his chest and an ugly arrangement on his face. "I am told you can cast remedies for the ugliest creatures. "Please, help me!"

But she didn't raise to the bait. She studied the illusion and smiled serenely.

"My good mer, what you need is not for me to change your appearance with magic, but to find something else within you," she said, melodic voice and all. Loki's jaw almost dropped in surprise.

After a couple of more words she sent him away, asking him to try a look inside himself for something to love and to come back when he found it. Even if it was small. And then, Loki understood. Frigga didn't give them spells, she gave counsel. And only used her magic if it was absolutely necessary. Loki retreated to his cave, now convinced that Odin had chosen the right one.

As centuries passed, less and less people came to him, which suited him well, until only the most desperate came for his aid –those to whom Frigga wouldn't give her magic it would seem–. Some of them were criminals, Loki knew. They wanted cloaking spells or deathly draughts. Loki, on his part, started asking for other ways of payment –he had enough trinkets already, but that was hardly the point–. He gave them time limits for usage and asked for their most beautiful and pure features in exchange. Usually they refused to pay but sometimes there would come a desperate enough soul looking for the impossible.

00000

"I want to be human!" the young girl said. "I know you have gone to the human world before. I want to go there too. And live above. I am sick of being confined."

"Confined?" That was new. It seemed that the rules about swimming near the surface had changed. The girl nodded.

"Ever since prince Thor went up and almost got caught in a net, the King has decreed that o one is to go near the surface ever again."

Loki hummed. It would be another two years until his punishment ended –he could almost feel the taste of his favourite dishes– so he shouldn't aid the poor pup to go against the rules. Then again, if the pup became human, she wouldn't be breaking any rule.

Aided by his tentacles, he turned around and rummaged through his belongings. He found it, a medallion. He pushed the rusty thing on the young girl's hands.

"Listen, and listen well. Swim at full speed towards the surface and don't stop until your head comes above water. Then, put this around your neck and go to the shore. As soon as your fins touch the sand, they will become legs. If you ever want to come back down, cut your hand and drop your blood over it, then throw it to the sea and jump in. Your tail will be back in a second. It is important that you do not lose it. Never take it out when going near water. Understood?" He saw the girl nod, then he proceeded to give her some tips about how to survive with humans. How they acted and what not. He also told her that he hadn't been up there in a while, so things might have changed. He shooed her away and went back to his own tasks. But she didn't move, still on the same spot, medallion in her hands.

"And the payment?"

Loki thought about it.

"On your first blood, bathe under the moonlight by the shore," he answered. She nodded and left.

Now, alone again, Loki meditates. He has not been out for over two centuries. He missed his nephew's birth and his subsequent birthdays. He never sent a gift nor word of good natured wishes, which means he is a stranger to his new family. Before they were only Odin and himself and now... Now Odin has a wife, a Queen, and a son. He saw Frigga, once, and deemed her worthy, not so much of Odin as to being their Queen, but he never took interest beyond that. How old was Thor now? Surely older than a couple of centuries. A pup still? Growing into a young mer? Or maybe he was bratty? That he had almost been caught by humans meant that he was rather rash or stupidly curious.

Two years more. In two years he would be free to go back. Not that Odin told him to keep to himself. In fact, he was sure his brother wanted him to stay at the palace so everyone could see his punishment and forgive him. Loki frowned, he would never let this ugly thing be seen if he could prevent it, but his little experiment of exchange of hexes and the like for trinkets and the like had resulted in people seeing his ugly tentacles. They were dark, grayish, spotted. Even Loki's breathtaking tail's colour had been altered. And he had been forced to live almost a thousand years without shitting! Loki became angered again just thinking about that. He was sure his stupid older brother never thought about it when he decided to shift his beautiful lower half into this monstrosity.

He frowned to himself.

"Now, are you going to grow restless?" he admonished to his reflection. "Surely you can wait for a little longer before doing another trick, can't you?" His frown stayed in place. Growling, he swam away, tinkering between his possessions until he found it: a ring. It was just an ugly band that looked faded golden, but it had power. It had the power to help him regain his tail. Through all these centuries Loki had never tried to change back into his tail, nor to change into human, but the thought had remained in his head, tempting. Loki knew that if he dared change his shape without Odin's magic lifting the curse, Odin would know and after that his punishment would be worse. Loki shuddered.

To be stuck in this form for life would be the worst, so he decides to turn in for the day and bows to stay in his best behaviour until Odin gives back his precious tail. He needs rest. With a last glance to the ring he goes to his little niche on the wall of the cave and closes his eyes.

00000

Loki was fuming. Where was Odin? The time limit for his curse had passed already. Two hours ago. Two hours! Loki could say that these past centuries he had been in his very best behaviour. Not one prank, he had been fair in his trade and never bargained with people who could pose a threat to the kingdom, so where was he? Why hadn't Odin come? Odin knew where he lived now. Odin was swimming late and Loki had lost his patience.

With great effort –mental effort, mind you, Loki was as fit as ever, and even though he hated his tentacles, he had had one thousand years to acquire himself with them and was very dexterous– he went out his cave and crept towards the city. It took him to reach about another two hours. Loki felt irritated to no end. On the other hand he was anxious. What if he had crossed paths with Odin and missed him? No matter. Odin was King, and as King he would come back to Asgard sooner or later –Loki hoped it was sooner rather later–, and then they would talk. He wanted his tail back. And his asshole! He wanted to eat whatever filled his mouth to the brim and then go and take a great dump. The greatest of them all. In fact, Loki was sure that he would need a name for such a feat.

As he approached the palace he noticed something. Eveyone were out: not near their houses, no, they were literally out of their houses but in the palace's grounds. They were swimming about, chatting happily. Loki, panicking, cloacked himself with another enchantment and approached cautiously.

"...you. I bet their wedding will be more impressive than his parents'." It was one of the things Loki caught. He waited by a rock, listening, gathering intel. After a few minutes getting water of the rumours and gossips Loki was ready to tear appart the whole place. Odin, that bastard! He had completely forgotten about Loki! His hands grabbed at the rock, as his tentacles clenched. The rock started cracking under the pressure of his strength.

He took mouthfuls of water, filtering it slowly. As slowly as he could abate his temper. It didn't help that the people around him were swimming happily to celebrate his stupid nephew's birthday –and wasn't that just a charming coincidence?– and talking about all the beautiful and accomplished pups that were trying to get the pup's attention, and betting on who might win the golden son of Asgard's heart. Loki felt his claws growing bigger as his anger got the better of him, pupils becoming black, vertical slits that parted moss-green eyes into two, fangs also growing bigger, wider, longer. He needed to hunt prey. To slash with his claws, to tear and rip and destroy.

He impulsed himself out with the help of his tentacles and swam as far away as he could before his temper released a wave of pure magic. He didn't know where he was, he just knew that there was a shark in front of him, ready to attack. Well, if Loki died by the sharp maw of the animal, he wouldn't be sorry. The fight was a fierce one. The shark got a hold of one of his tentacles and sawed the limb. No matter, their blood was already mixing in the water. Loki clawed at the animal, feeling feral himself.

He didn't know how long he fought the massive creature, he only knew that the longer it took, the more dangerous his situation. The blood would attract other predators, and surely more than few mers. The last thing he wanted was to be seen like this by his fellow mers. But, his mind supplied, did it mater now? Odin forgot and Loki was sure to be cursed to the end of his life. Wouldn't it be better to be done with his suffering now?

A decision made in a split second, in an altered state of mind: he would let the shark tear his head off. He closed his eyes, jaw set, hands fisted. He was ready. Then, something darted from behind him, passing close to his cheek and landed on the shark. The creature shook, trying to take off whatever had pierced it on the snout off, but it couldn't. Loki opened his eyes to see a bident stabbing the poor creature. Instead of focusing on the shark, Loki looked over his shoulder, black hair providing a curtain for his face for a few seconds. Through the strands he could see gold and red. Another mer. With a long, strong, red tail, marbled with golden scales here and there. Blonde mane over his head. He wore a necklace made of shark's teeth.

The red-golden mer swam past him towards the retreating shark. He got the bident out and finished the injured creature. Loki frowned.

"What in the Seventh Seas do you think you are doing?" he blurted out. The blond mer twisted to look back at him. Gorgeous blue eyes locked on his.

"Saving your life?" the young mer, for Loki could only see him as a pup, said with a cocky smile.

"Well, I was in no need of saving," he growled, still desestabilised. He was panting slightly, taking shallow sips of water, filtering faster than he could get the water to his gill.

"Oh, I don't know," the arrogant young mer said, smiling. "You seemed to be in a pinch with that shark. If I am not mistaken, it was about to tear your head off." The pup was smiling flirtatiously.

"And it didn't occur to you," Loki said, trying to calm down a little," that that is what I was aiming for?" His hands were fisted once again, claws digging in his palms. His fangs hadn't receded yet. They grazed his lips. His words seemed to surprise the pup, for he lost his shining smile.

"What? Why?"

Loki growled and left. Or tried. Wtih one less tentacle, he found it was more difficult to swim around.

"Don't follow me!" he growled at the pup when he felt the waters move.

"But! But! You are injured!" the pup protested.

"Of that, I am well aware, pup. You ruined my momentum and now I am not in the mood to die, but to retreat and be misserable. So thank you for wrecking my very busy schedule," he snapped at the blonde and tried to swim faster. It hurt. Having lost a tentacle. It hurt too much, but he kept going. The pup was still following him. Loki felt his patience running thin –not that he had much to begin with but still– and was about to send the pup back when he talked first.

"My name is Thor, what's yours?"

Loki stopped in his tracks, looking at the now smiling blonde pup. He seemed happy that he had managed to take Loki's attention.

"Thor? As in Crown Prince Thor?"

"The very same in the flesh," the pup said, spreading his arms as if showing off. Loki frown deepened once again.

"What in the name of the Sea are you doing out here!? Go back to the palace and partake in your celebration party, pup!" he admonished. The pup seemed to be thrown back by his outburst, but Loki was in no mood to treat the son of his brother with any kind of respect. This little asshole was half the asshole his father was, right? Half asshole, half impressive. He had gotten the perfect mix between Frigga's beauty and Odin's hardness. The only thing Loki could see of the pup was his father's arrogance.

"I... I smelt blood and..." Thor's golden face had become pale. "I thought I could help..." he added with a small voice. Loki sighed.

"Do whatever you want," he barked and went back to his way. Injured as he was, it took him longer to reach his cave. He also paid no mind to the pup. So much so, that when he arrived and went into his niche to relax he was almost startled to death by the pressence of said pup. "What are you still doing here?"

"I... I thought you... I mean, I wanted to escort you, since you are injured and... You are not bleeding anymore, but you still might attract..."

"Attract what?" Loki asked now. He was feeling very tired, so instead of yelling he just asked, fire almost gone. The pup turned bright red then and Loki couldn't help but to rise an eyebrow.

"Ah... Unwanted company... I mean... You are very attractive and..." the pup was stammering, his flush growing up to the root of his head and down to his neck. He was rubbing his nape, nervously.

Loki couldn't help himself, he barked a laugh, then he lost it. He was laughing so much and so hard. He couldn't remember the last time he had done so.

"So... You thought I would be attacked by other mers? You are so endearing, pup," he said, still laughing. The pup was now completely red, though he didn't look embarrassed but affronted.

"I was just doing my duty," he protested.

"Yes, of course. Now, let me tell you one thing, pup. No one dares attack me. No one would want to be on my wrong side, because I simply can trap them inside a crab's shell," Loki commented, while starting to tend to his wounds. Then, realization seemed to dawn on the young mer.

"You are the sea witch!" he exclaimed.

Loki looked up at him, surprised.

"Excuse you?"

"Yes! I mean, I've heard tales of you! The Sea Witch. A mer with tentacles that can grant wishes for a high price. Oh! My luck!" Thor seemed ecstatic.

"What in the seven..." Loki muttered.

"No! I mean. I have wanted to meet you, you see? And today!? What are the odds! I need a favour. Or no. I mean, yes. But I will pay. I am the prince, after all, I can pay." The pup beamed. He seemed convinced that whatever he needed Loki would provide for a monetary price. Then, a thought passed through Loki's mind.

"Pup, do you know my name?"

The boy nodded, enthusiastic.

"You are Loki, the Sea Witch."

Loki felt another pang of anger.

"Do you know about the Royal Family. About your father and his siblings," he asked then, carefull, studying the young's face. Another nod.

"Yes. Father had two brothers: Vili and Ve. They died after the last great war so father was the only one left to rule, he was the youngest of three brothers," he said, proud of himself.

Loki felt his blood run cold. He had been forgotten. There had not been three but four brothers. Loki and Vili had been the oldest ones, twins of the same egg. As soon as he could, Loki had renounced his claim to the throne, passing it to Ve. When!? When had he been erased from their lives? Was it because Loki exiled himself? He felt numb. He looked at Thor, past him really, but his eyes were locked in his direction. The pup seemed uncomfortable.

"Is that so," Loki said, quietly.

"Em... I think I will leave you here now. You seem to need to rest," the pup said, turning to leave. Loki nodded, but Thor was giving him his back so he couldn't see it.