The Pickpocket - Part 5
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Pairing: Heimdall x fem!Reader Odin x chuckle
Word count: 2.8k
Summary: Something of an interlude chapter! You finally have the opportunity to talk to Atreus again and learn some interesting things about the All-Father.
A/N: honestly i won't even apologize for the lack of heimdall here bc i just love writing atreus so much lol<3 but i think we have some solid groundwork now to finally get into all the fun in the next part hehe... >:)
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Part 5
It was still early in the morning when there was a knock at your door. You half expected it to be Thrúd, but somehow she didn't strike you as an early riser.
Instead you found yourself face to face with a grinning Atreus seconds later.
"Sleep well?"
You returned his grin and stepped aside to let him in. "More or less... It's weird being around so many people. There's always some kind of noise, even in the middle of the night."
He laughed. "Did you hear that one guy singing outside? Absolutely off-key, too."
You nodded your head vigorously. "Like he was standing right outside my window! I was this close to throwing my shoe at his head." You noticed something. "Wait, you were still awake then? I thought you went to bed right after you came back from Odin..."
Atreus rubbed his neck. "I did, but I just couldn’t stop thinking. Weird day…"
You nodded again, in understanding this time. Felt familiar.
He looked around your room, which gave you in turn the opportunity to take note of his new uniform. It looked great. Decorated with intricate patterns and details and the material shimmered greenish in the light of the early morning sun. All in all, the piece fit him like a glove. And you felt even more stupid in your dumb potato sack.
As if on cue, Atreus then turned around and gave you a once-over in return. "Fancy outfit."
You could tell that he struggled not to laugh and gave his shoulder a quick slap. "Ha ha. We can't all be Odin's favourite after all."
He grimaced. "I'm not his 'favourite'."
"If you say so..."
Atreus just rolled his eyes and turned away from you again. As he did so, you noticed that he was also carrying a new bow. And was that... a sword sheath...? So much for not being Odin's favourite. Your eyebrows drew together but you remained silent.
Instead you watched as he walked to the broadsword in the corner and let his hand rest on top of it for a moment, clearly lost in thought. After a while, he turned around again and you looked at each other in silence, until it was now on you to roll your eyes.
"Okay, come on, spit it out already. I know you're about to burst."
He grinned sheepishly. "Well, if you insist..."
He sat down on one of the wooden chairs and you on your bed, opposite him, and then you stayed like this for some time, while he told you about everything he experienced the day prior. Starting with his little trip to Swartalfheim and his run-in with Thrúd a little later, after he had finally been able to move into his own room.
You chuckled when he told you about their little "meet-cute". You might have also just met the girl yesterday, but yeah... Her pointing her sword at him in greeting? Sounded like Thrúd alright.
"By the way, I swear I came and checked on you before I went back to Odin. But you were asleep and I didn't want to wake you."
You waved it off. "Ah, it’s all right. But... did you per chance tell Thrúd to look after me instead…?"
At that Atreus smiled mischievously. "It’s possible..."
"I knew it!" You accusingly pointed your finger at him. "I wondered the whole time why she was so nice to me."
"So you like her too, yeah? That's good."
You nodded. "She may be... a little gruff. But I think that’s exactly why I like her? She doesn't seem like someone who likes to pretend, you know."
Atreus agreed. "One of the first things she said to me was that we’re all better off without her brother, Modi."
"Ouch...", you grimaced.
"Yeah... Must have had a pretty bad relationship if she feels that way now."
"…By the way, you also think it‘s weird that we‘re sleeping in their rooms now, right?"
"SO weird!"
You were silent for a moment, then Atreus stretched his arms and said: "Well, anyway, I think Thrúd is great. For an Aesir, that is, but also otherwise."
It was at this moment that you remembered her invitation from yesterday. "She invited me to her Valkyrie training for today."
He gave you an appreciative look. "Whoa, that's cool! I wish I could join you!" He sighed. "But Odin wants to go over some books today. Which is also, like, cool and stuff. But… you know."
You looked at him curiously. "So what's it like to work with him?"
Atreus gave you an annoyed look. "You know I'm not working with him. I'm just… interested in his answers and plans. And to get him to tell me those, he has to trust me. So that’s why I'm helping him out for a bit, that's all."
That's all, uh-huh...
It annoyed you that he obviously withheld something from you here. He had told you that he ultimately came here because he wanted to prevent Ragnarök, which… okay, noble goal and all. But you had your doubts that Odin would let himself be tricked so easily. Tricked at all, really. And somehow... You couldn't shake the feeling that Atreus was also after something else. And that weighed like a stone in your stomach.
Of course, it was your own damn fault that you yourself were here in Asgard. He really didn’t owe you any explanation, looking at it from that angle. But withholding information from you while you were arguably in the most dangerous place you could be right now…? Well. You had just expected the two of you to be close enough for that not to happen anymore. For him to trust you.
It sucked to be wrong.
"And well" He then shrugged. „Overall it's pretty accurate actually to what Freya and Mimir told us about him. And Týr. Odin knows what people want to hear, so he chooses his words accordingly. But... I don't know, it's strange. I know he just wants to use me, but still... I feel strangely… respected? Safer than I would have thought, initially." He noticed your doubtful expression. "Look, as I said, I know that we can't trust him, okay? Don't worry, I won't forget that anytime soon. I guess... it's just nice to have someone who really listens to you for a change. Nothing more."
"So I’m a nobody then?", you deadpanned.
Atreus laughed. "You know what I mean! Someone who... who has answers. And is still looking for more, just like me. I’m just… I wanna see this through, see what answers he has for me. And yes, mother, I'll be careful."
"Good kid", you jokingly replied, but despite these reassuring words, there were still these quiet doubts nestled in the back of your mind...
It was just the way he talked about all of this, about Odin... You definitely had to keep a close eye on your friend in the near future. You were absolutely sure now, that it had been the right decision to follow him here. It made you feel all kinds of uneasy the way Odin seemed to try and manipulate him through sugar-coated words and nice gifts and promises of some nebulous answers to who knows what…
Suddenly you heard a soft ringing sound and looked around in confusion.
"Ah, that was just Ingrid." You were gobsmacked when all of a sudden his sword sailed through the air and then hovered next to his head. "Say hello to my sister of choice, Ingrid! Aka the biggest worrywart I know, other than father."
Again you heard the soft ringing sound and yes, it was definitely coming from the sword. Which was floating in the air right before your eyes. All by itself. What?!
"It’s sentient?"
It was weird. You had seen and experienced so many strange things in your time with the father-son duo. Magical things, talking animals, monsters and all that kind of stuff. And yet now, you were just absolutely flabbergasted by a sentient sword.
"Cool, isn't it? A pretty strong fighter, too! Right, Ingrid?"
The sword then lightly tapped his hand but suddenly Atreus doubled over in pain. You jumped off your bed in alarm but he quickly waved it off and let you know that everything was okay. You had assumed that Ingrid cut his hand somehow, but when he opened it again now and showed you his palm, you saw half-healed burn marks instead.
"Oh my gods, Atreus, how did that happen?!", you exclaimed in shock. And why hadn't it healed yet?? Usually his body took care of such an injury in no time! "Was it Odin? Did he do this?!"
"What? No. I mean... indirectly? It happened in Muspelheim. I... possibly... reached inside molten lava...?" He smiled sheepishly.
Still, your jaw dropped. "WHAT?!"
He then told you all about his mission in Muspelheim, that Odin had asked him to patch up a strange mask and that Thor had helped him get the first of the missing parts. It sounded unbelievable, but then he showed you this very mask and you hesitantly took it.
It was made of wood and indeed, pieces of it were missing. You slowly traced the foreign letters engraved into it with your fingers.
"What’s this all about, you think…?", you heard yourself ask.
"Well, this may sound crazy, but the mask? Definitely not the weirdest thing he's shown me."
You looked at him puzzled until he explained this so-called "reality tear" to you. Or, well. He tried to, at least. Because it seemed like not even Odin himself knew what it really was.
"So wait. You're telling me... there's this ‘reality tear‘. Right under our feet. And Odin..." You held the mask next to your face. "Odin needs this mask to be able to look into it and become... what. Become omniscient? And then what, prevent Ragnarök and his death from happening? Okay. You were right. That is weird."
"So weird that it could actually happen, riiight?"
You puckered your lips. "You really think so? Seems like a long shot."
"Odin gave his eye for this ‘long shot‘", Atreus countered.
"Yes, but Odin is also crazy. I thought we established that already."
"Well" Atreus gestured toward the mask. "I'm just saying, what if? I mean... infinite knowledge. Could you imagine? All the answers to all the questions you've ever had! And ever will have! You could finally find out what happened to your family!", he finished excitedly.
At first you didn't know what to say to that. You couldn't share his enthusiasm and it pained you, because you suddenly felt… lost. Incomplete. Like a part of you was missing and you just noticed. Of course you wanted to know what happened to your family. How you had managed to get into Kratos' and Atreus' protection stave. It was your life’s mystery. But on the other hand... You had a new family now. And you had long since, after years of searching, come to terms with the fact that this would remain your only one. Now being confronted with all this again so suddenly awakened contradictory feelings in you.
But before you could even think about answering, there was a sudden knock at your door.
You exchanged a quick glance with Atreus, who then took back the mask and told Ingrid to get back into its sheath, before you opened the door. Only to retreat a few steps into your room again when you saw Odin standing outside.
Speak of the devil...
He smiled and raised his hand in greeting. "Good morning you two! I hope I'm not intruding. I'm just here to pick up Loki for our little study session."
He seemed to have known exactly where to look for him. Maybe he had just put two and two together after finding Atreus‘ room empty. But you preferred to think that he was spying on you. Yes, that sounded much more like the Odin you knew through all those stories from Mimir and Freya.
"It‘s time already?", Atreus said, standing up quickly, "Sorry, I... thought I'd still have time for breakfast-"
"Oh, don’t worry. I will arrange for somebody to bring it down to us", the All-Father replied nonchalantly.
"Oh. Well… thanks! Sounds good.“
Odin then turned his attention back to you. "By the by, I wanted to apologize in case we made you feel left out yesterday. Everything was just a little… hectic after your arrival. There was no opportunity to talk to you about your future time here in Asgard."
He instructed you two to step past him into the hall so you wouldn't have to continue chatting through the doorway.
"It came as quite a surprise, of course, when I suddenly got word about two guests arriving here. As I had only expected one."
"Oh, that... That's entirely my fault, I’m afraid. Sorry for the inconvenience", you had the good sense to reply.
Odin chuckled and waved it off. "Ah, now, now. I didn't mean to imply that you aren't welcome. It was quite a pleasant surprise! Especially if it will help make my apprentice's early days here a little easier. After all, it's always good to have a friend with you, isn't it?"
He put a hand on Atreus' shoulder, who reciprocated the gesture with a hesitant smile.
You couldn't help but admire just how skillfully Odin chose his words. You almost bought it. Almost.
"With that said, I believe you're a smart girl, so I’m sure there’s no need to tell you that our studies have a rather... dangerous component, unfortunately. Dangerous to mortals, that is, excuse my bluntness. But I suppose Loki has already told you as much. So I'm afraid you'll have to be on your own for the duration of our study sessions, as much as it pains me to say. I don’t want my guests to come to any harm."
Ah… there it was. You had been wondering when he would finally bring this up...
"Oh! No, that's okay, I wasn't expecting to be allowed to tag along anyway", you replied honestly.
"You can move freely within these walls, of course. You're no prisoners here, after all", Odin added quickly, "Look around, acquaint yourselves with this place. I'm sure both of you have a rather... one-sided idea of our home. I hope you'll take the opportunity to form your own opinions now."
You nodded politely. Oh, you would form your own opinion all right... Especially about Asgard's army and its defense machinery. After all, you didn't want to leave all the work to Atreus. It might have been rather spontaneous for you to accompany him here... But then you would just have to make yourself useful in your own way.
You just had to be careful not to run into Heimdall again... He had already accused you of being a spy yesterday and you didn't want to corroborate that, necessarily.
"And if boredom should strike, I would recommend talking to the townspeople. There is always something to do in Asgard and help is always rewarded. Two birds with one stone!" He smiled, until something behind you suddenly caught his attention. "Ah! But I’m sure there’s no need for me to tell you all that, actually. It seems to me that you've already settled in quite well, even without my boring lectures. Thrúd! Good morning, child", he greeted the redhead as she now joined your little circle, "You're here to pick her up for training, I suppose?"
There was really nothing that could escape this man's attention, wasn’t there... He seemed to take this bit about being "all-knowing" rather seriously.
"Am I too early?", Thrúd asked, "I can leave and come back later if-"
"No, no. It's fine, there’s no need for that. We were done here anyway, I think. Or are there any questions?" He turned back to you and Atreus. "Objections? Requests? Are the beds not comfortable enough? The rooms too drafty?"
You quickly shook your heads in unison, whereupon he nodded in satisfaction. "Excellent! Well then, as nice as it is to stand here with all of you - makes me feel quite a bit younger again" He chuckled "There is still a lot of work to do."
He squeezed Atreus' shoulder and you couldn't help but recall your very first encounter in Midgard. Back then, Atreus hadn't even allowed Odin to touch him. He played his new role as an apprentice rather convincingly, you had to say...
"So run along now, children! And have a pleasant day", the All-Father concluded with a wide smile and waved you away.
You quickly said your goodbyes to each other. As you walked away, you briefly looked back at the two of them and saw that they were already engrossed in a new conversation. Although you knew that the All-Father wasn't much taller than Atreus, he now seemed to tower over him by several heads. Or maybe you were just imagining things out of worry.
The queasy feeling in your stomach still wouldn't go away though. No matter how often Atreus assured you that he would be careful, you would never feel comfortable leaving him alone with Odin.
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