#hiddlesverse

"This trick worked much better when we were children and you towered over me," the younger prince easily reaches up to grip the book.

Before Loki can pull it free from his brother's grasp, Thor yanks it back and tosses it to the ground at their feet. "This is uncalled for," Loki bends to pick up the book but suddenly falls back, landing hard on the jet floor with a grunt.

"Is there a problem?" Thor asks with a smirk.

"No," Loki looks down at Mjolnir as it rests on top of his book. He stands, flicking his hand to produce a second book from his pocket dimension in a haze of green smoke. "I'll just read this-"

Thor chuckles as he pulls the book free from Loki a second time.

"Seriously?" The God of Mischief asks with a defeated sigh.

"Twenty minutes on the beach and I'll leave you alone for the rest of the night," Thor offers.

"For the rest of the week," Loki counters.

"Fine," the God of Thunder agrees and Loki's second book vanishes as the two brothers step out of the jet.

Thor and Loki walk down by the water in silence, the older Asgardian's eyes drift up towards the clouds floating by while Loki scans the beach in boredom. He looks down to check his watch when he's suddenly distracted by a small pile of tide polished stones ahead of him. Without thinking, he leaves his brother's side and begins walking towards them.

"Where are you going?" Thor asks but Loki doesn't answer. He's too focused on the scattered rocks in front of him.

He kneels down, picking up a stone from the top of the pile, looking at it closely then tossing it to the side. "No," Loki mumbles to himself as he picks up a second then a third rock. "No," he shakes his head as he examines each for a few seconds.

"Loki," Thor comes closer, standing over his younger brother as he discards a handful of stones. Without a word, Loki gets up and moves to a nearby pile. "Okay seriously, what are you doing?"

"None of these are good," Loki answers, dusting his sand covered hands on his pants.

"They're rocks," Thor chuckles, amused by his brother's sudden obsession.

"Yes but there has to be one here that's good enough," Loki says. "Not just good, no, it needs to be perfect," he adds in a quieter tone.

"You're not making any sense," he follows the younger prince to yet another pile. "Perfect for what?"

"For who," Loki responds vaguely.

Thor thinks as he follows his brother along the beach, trying figure out who Loki is referring to. To say he has few friends is an understatement, there's really only one person who even comes to mind. "Do you mean Y/N?" Thor asks.

Loki nods, his attention stolen away by an almost perfect stone. Almost isn't good enough though, he thinks as he tosses it towards the water in frustration.

"Why do you need to find one for Y/N?" Thor asks as Loki sits on the sand and picks up a handful of rocks, throwing each away one at a time. "Does she collect rocks? I've heard some Midgardians do that. I wonder if that's more interesting than collecting stamps like Jane does?"

Loki doesn't answer this time, too lost in what he's doing, what he needs to do. I have to find it, he thinks. I don't have time for Thor and his ridiculous line of questions. It doesn't matter if he understands why, Norns I don't even understand why but that doesn't matter now. All that matters is finding Y/N the perfect stone. It can't be too big or too small, the size of her palm should work. It can't be broken, no cracked edges or holes, that won't do either. It needs to be perfect because- his frantic thoughts are cut off by his brother shouting.

"Norns! I know what you're doing," he stands over his brother who shifts to stay out of his shadow.

"I doubt that," Loki says without looking up from the stones in his hand. Because I don't know what I'm doing, he thinks.

"You're in love with Y/N," the older god announces when Loki gets up again to continue down the beach.

"Don't be absurd," Loki denies the truth he hides from everyone including you as he kneels down and begins the process of picking up each stone in the new pile one at a time.

"You are!" Thor laughs excitedly. "This is a Jotun thing."

"What Jotun thing?" Loki looks up at his brother.

"I know this! I read about it when we were younger," Thor says then sighs as he thinks. "I can't remember the technical term for it but when Jotun men are in love, they bring their potential partner a stone as like a proposal."

"What?" Loki asks as he sits in the sand and looks up at his brother. He had never heard of this tradition before now but he also knows very little about his Jotun heritage. When he was a child, frost giants scared him terribly so he never studied them. Now that he knows the truth, he is almost too afraid to learn what horrid tales about them were accurate and which were only made up stories.

"Penguins on Midgard do it too," Thor continues excitedly as he remembers what he read centuries ago. "Ahh! Pebbling, that's what they call it. You're pebbling, you can't help it, it's like an instinct Jotun's have."

"That's ridiculous Thor. I'm not pebbling, or whatever you want to call it, because I'm not in love with-" Loki tries to argue with his brother but the words die as he finally finds it. The perfect stone for the most perfect woman on Midgard, Loki thinks as he turns it over in his hand. Norns help me, my brother is right and I'm not sure I'll be able to hide my feelings for her any longer.

Loki opens your office door after knocking and you get up from your desk as soon as he steps inside. "Hi," you greet him happily, meeting him in the middle of the room. "Welcome back."

"Thank you," he smiles when you wrap your arms around him. "I'm glad to be back," Loki says but what he really means is that he's glad to be back with you.

You rest your head on his chest and his hands settle on your back, holding you tightly to him. You could stay in his arms forever and sometimes you think Loki might let you. He doesn't let go first, he never does.

"You know you spoil me with these hugs," you tell him and he chuckles. "You're going to make me think I'm special cause I'm the only person that gets them."

He rubs your back lightly with one hand, "You are special."

You blush and slowly drop your arms, taking a step away from him. You don't want to let go but if he keeps talking like that, you're afraid you'll do something stupid like kiss him.

Loki's heart pounds in his chest when he catches a glimpse of your blush despite your best efforts to hide it. "I have something for you," he says, clearing his throat.

"You do? You didn't have to do that," you tell him as a smile spreads across your face. You can't help but feel excited by the idea that Loki thought of you while he was away. He never brought anything back for you before.

"It's nothing big," he says with a shrug, "It's actually probably stupid." This was a bad idea, he thinks. How could I possibly think she would accept a silly rock and suddenly be mine? I never should have listened to my idiot brother. Loki puts his hand in his coat pocket, running his thumb over the flat edge anxiously.

"I'm sure it's not stupid," you tell him, putting your hand on his arm. "What is it?"

He sighs and you can tell he's nervous which you find both adorable and interesting. You've never seen him act so unsure of himself and it really makes you want to hug him again.

He pulls a palm sized flat stone out of his pocket. It's perfectly circular and a pale gray with a hint of a blue when it catches the light. "I found it on the beach while we were waiting for the jet," he tries to steady his hand when you take it. He knows it's just a simple rock but the Jotun part of him is truly desperate for you to accept it, to accept him.

You smile and take it from him, bringing it close so you can study the smooth stone, "Loki it's so pretty."

"Really?" he asks in disbelief.

"Yeah," you nod quickly, your eyes still on the gift as you walk over to the window and turn it on the light. "Oh, look! it sparkles in the sun," you giggle.

He breaths a sigh of relief and walks over to you. "You like it?"

"I love it," you reach up and kiss the god's cheek lightly without thinking. "I'm sorry," you apologize quickly but when you look up at Loki you're completely surprised by his reaction.

His cheeks redden and he smiles. "It's quite alright," he tells you, his eyes never leaving yours.

You giggle, suddenly feeling even more nervous than you would have if Loki had seemed uncomfortable with the kiss and take a step away from him. Turning your back to him, you move to your desk but you can feel him following you, "I'm gonna keep it right here so I can see it when I miss you." You place the stone in between a photo of your friends and a mug your nephew made you.

"You miss me?" he asks.

"Yeah... when you're away on missions," you suddenly worry this conversation is going to lead to you accidentally telling your friend you love him if you don't figure out how to keep your mouth shut.

"I miss you when I'm gone too," Loki moves a bit closer to you until he's right behind you.

You turn to face him again, "Really?" You can't help but not believe him. For months you've been hoping he might care for you the way you care for him but its been so difficult to get past all of his walls.

He nods, "Always Y/N. The second the jet takes off, I start counting down the minutes until I can see you again."

Now it's your turn to blush deeply when he reaches out to take your hand. When you feel his fingers intertwine with yours, you suddenly get enough to courage to open up a bit more. "I try to plan my meetings around when I know you'll be back," you tell him. "This way I'm free to see you as soon as your home."

He chuckles and cups your cheek, "I would storm in here even if you were in a meeting with Fury just for one of your hugs."

You giggle knowing he's not lying.

"Y/N," he says, "Since we're being honest, I need to tell you one more thing." You bite your lip but the way he smiles relaxes you instantly. "I want to be more than just your friend, I want to take you on a date." I want you to be mine because I love you, he almost adds but he doesn't want to scare you away.

You're unable to form any words at first, looking up at Loki nodding which causes him to laugh a little nervously. "I'm not sure if that's a yes," he says.

"Yes!" you finally find your words but then they flow a little too freely. "I love y-" you stop and correct yourself hoping he won't notice your slip. "I would love to go out with you."

He strokes your cheek gently, moving closer to you as he puts his other hand on your lower back. "That's not what you were going to say," he smirks, the confident Loki you know returning swiftly.

You shake your head and bite your lip, suddenly losing your nerve.

"Fine, I'll go first," his lips are inches from yours. "I am hopelessly in love with you darling."

As soon as the words leave Loki's lips, you press your lips to his, closing your eyes and gripping the fabric on the back of his jacket. He kisses you back and when you finally break the kiss and chuckles, kissing your nose lightly. "Go on, say it," he smiles, holding you close.

You giggle, "I love you too, Loki."

A few weeks later, you walk with Natasha and Wanda through Central Park on the way back from lunch. You nod as you listen to Wanda complain about Tony, agreeing with her when you accidentally kick a rock on the path in front of you. You stop to take a look at it and smile.

"What are you doing?" Nat asks as you bend down for a closer look.

"I don't know, I just thought this one looked cool," you tell them.

"The rock?" Wanda asks.

"Yeah," you pick it up and turn it over in your hand. It's not very large but the rough stone is heart shaped and such a deep gray it's almost black. "I think Loki might like it."

"You two are so weird," Nat laughs.

You smile and put it in your pocket, "That's why we're such a cute couple."

I hope you liked this!! Please like, share and comment if you did 💚💚 Please let me know if you want to be added to my taglist!

A/N: Yeah, guys, Court of Mischief is now back! I want to finish this project and have it be the masterwork it is before my hyperfixation on Tom Hiddleston runs out. (I hope it stays a long time), so y'all pray for me.

My complete knowledge of High Rise and who is on what floor is limited, so if I get any inaccuracies, mea culpa. I don't know exactly if we can diagnose Robert with any specific mental illness other than "madness". And I haven't read the book so I don't know what exactly his "madness" consisted of, I just know how the film presents it externally. So I thought it would be healing if I used his "mad" scenes inspired by both my own and seeing my father's boughts of mania, to keep it realistic. Also, to make it less taboo. If you see or know someone or you yourself display any of these behaviors, don't panic, don't take it personally, just know they need a hospital immediately and call emergency services and help make sure they're safe. This has been your PSA!

Taglist: @evelyn-kingsley@jennyggggrrr@five-miles-over@fictive-sl0th@ladycamillewrites@villainousshakespeare@holdmytesseract@eleniblue@twhxhck@lokisgoodgirl@lovelysizzlingbluebird@raqnarokr@holymultiplefandomsbatman@michelleleewise@wolfsmom1@cheekyscamp@mochie85@fandxmslxt69@skittslackoffilter@mischief2sarawr @asgards-princess-of-mischief

A03//My Ko-Fi//My Etsy Shop//Masterlist//Wattpad

The world of Buffalo melted back to that of Asgard’s palace. As your feet caught the ground, you were back in the meeting room. It's high golden walls and marble table. Frigga and Thor were sitting on chairs, talking, when they turned and saw you.

“Oh, thank the norns!” she cried. She got up with her chair creaking, Thor following.

One by one, each of your party reappeared. Then the portal closed.

“Brother! How glad I am that you are safe!” exclaimed Thor. 

The god of thunder went up to Loki and squeezed him in a hug that lifted Loki’s feet from the ground. He gritted his teeth, but allowed it. You embraced your mother-in-law and saw as she counted to make sure each person who left returned. She let out a deep sigh of relief seeing that everyone was safe.

“And the ring?” Frigga asked.

Hal walked forward. From his pocket, he produced a handkerchief with a lump around it.

“Here, my lady, is the ring,” he announced.

The handkerchief and its tiny lump went into Frigga’s hand. She used her other hand to cover it. She looked down and smiled. But as her head rose, her face became serious.

“We must be careful, each item of the trove contains powerful magic,” she warned.“No one must find this or know we have it. Do you understand?”

“Yes, mother, we quite understand,” Loki confirmed. 

She then went to a guard.

“I’m going to place it in the treasury. Walk with me,” she instructed. 

The guard nodded and then walked away with her. 

The next day was a day of rest. Everyone stayed in bed until late, then grazed about here and there to do as they pleased. Stella, her baking in the kitchens, Thomas, fiddling with his inventions, and Hal, his exploration of the city. There was no word about Grendel’s forces. As far as everyone knew, no news was good news. 

You went over to the library of Asgard and selected a book. As you sat down on the chair to read the first page, a description struck you like lightning.

“The land was a great marshland, an immense swamp, but little knew of the treasure hidden beneath it…”

Marshlands. Swamps. Fields. Essex. Home. At least your old home. Will. Cora. The fire. You tried very hard not to think about it. There was enough to occupy your mind in the past. More pressing matters that shoved those thoughts aside. But now, with empty time and a reminder, it was unavoidable.

You put the book down. A new feeling had emerged inside you. 

How much had changed. Was it that long ago you were so consumed with revenge? Then a new thought struck you… Had it gone too far? You used fire for pain; had you taken more lives? Did Will truly deserve that? Did Cora? What were you thinking? You should have been focused more on returning home! Your face felt warm with shame. Guilt made a lump in your throat. Revenge was fulfilling at first. And at the same time, it now felt empty. And the past remained painful. You would not wish for a better husband than Loki. Yet the bitter pain of betrayal, though dulled with time, remained. But…did you do the right thing? Were you too rash? Were you no better than Grendel himself? Regret curdled in your stomach. What if it was a waste of time? What if you were a monster, one only capable of destruction?

You went to a guard outside the door.

“Please send for Heimdall, I wish to speak to him in private,” you ordered.

An hour of anxious waiting passed. You paced about the library. You tried to open other books to read, but could not focus on them. The grandfather clock ticked the seconds like a beating heart.

The guard then knocked on the door and opened it. Heimdall walked forth to that library. He took off his golden helmet and bowed.

“Princess,” he began.

“How is Midgard the last you saw?” you asked. You felt your fingers fidget, your heart pick up.

“Well enough, it seems,” he reported.

“How about…Aldwinter? My home? In my time?” you added on. The words spilling out.

“It seems fine-Grendel’s men have not caused trouble yet. Does something trouble the princess? Your face looks concerned,” he asked.

You took in a deep breath.

“Are…Will and Cora alive?” you questioned.

The grandfather clock ticked on.

“They are,” answered Heimdall.

Your heart kept going fast, though your breathing deepened. Shock and an odd sense of relief flooded down your body.

“Even after I made that fire?” you prodded.

“Yes, even after. They managed to survive,” he assured you.

You sat down on the chair. You let your hand go to the arm and gripped it. You then leaned down, resting a hand on your forehead.

“Heimdall, you see, I…I took a petty revenge…” You confessed.

“So we all desire petty revenge,” replied Heimdall. His eyes softened on you.

“A petty revenge that almost took their lives. At the time, I thought it was wonderful, but now…I couldn’t believe I was capable of it. It’s not that they were undeserving of punishment, I just…wondered if I went too far,” you explained.

“So did the revenge make you feel better?”

“It used to…but now…now I don’t know…”

Heimdall took a step closer to you. You sat up in your chair.

“You did not kill them. And perhaps now, you may use your gifts for betterment. Not revenge, not anymore,” he comforted.

You nodded.

“And the guilt? How I feel about it?” you asked.

“It will pass,” he said. Though his golden eyes looked on you with kindness.

“Thank you…you may go back,” you dismissed.

With that, he bowed and exited the room. The feeling of guilt that weighed on you then went away as the minutes ticked by. Peace washed down on you. The fire crackling seemed comfortable. Its light was warm and safe. And the books felt like the company of old friends. Each with something interesting inside. A weight was lifted from your shoulders, and you could rest in the moment as it was.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

The next day, Odin requested a meeting. He and Frigga stood waiting in the meeting room. You, Loki, Jonathan, Thomas, Robert, Hal, and Sif all gathered in there. Stella decided to wait this one out, but offered her steady prayers.

“You all did well collecting the first trove. What we need is the second one- the mask of death. If your prophet is correct, it is in a building in London.”

“What was it he called it? A…a high rise, he said,’ Thomas recalled.

Robert reached into his pocket and a cigarette from a box. His hands shook as he took out a cigarette and lit it. His eyes were wide, and the smell of the smoke left its spiced, sour perfume.

“That should be my place,” he said.

He took a short inhale and then blew the smoke away. It didn’t stop the shaky hands. His face turned pure white.

“Why is it called the mask of death?” you asked.

“That is because it holds immense power over the dead when worn. And when it lingers too long on the face…only death can coax it out,” said Frigga.

Jonathan looked at Robert.

“You don’t have to go,” the night manager assured him.

“No-no one knows the place like I do. The rest of you will be lost. We’ll…we’ll go…” Robert said.

“The sooner all of you leave, the sooner we collect the Trove, the sooner Grendel can be defeated,” Odin advised.

Loki conjured fitting outfits for everyone, filled with bright colors and bold patterns. Perfect for the year 1975. Part of you was awed at clothes- this was what people wore in the future! The men wore their pants, jackets, and buttoned shirts. They all kept their typical colors. Hal’s red, Thomas’s black, Loki’s green, Jonathan’s blue, and Robert’s grey. You had your own floral dress that dipped to the floor. Sif got a romper, breathing a sigh of relief as she saw it appear on herself.

“Not a damn long skirt,” she mumbled.

“Now, are we ready, my friends?” Loki asked, summoning a portal with a snap of his fingers.

“Will we ever be?” Robert replied. He then flicked aside his cigarette.

One by one, each of you stepped inside, transporting through time and space to the infamous High Rise of London.

The sun was rising. The ground was hard- a hard road everywhere, and not a speck of greenery was seen. There were those “cars” you had heard of everywhere, and a tall building. Unlike anything you had seen or could imagine a building to be. It was massive. The very top even leaned to the side like the head of a giant arrow! The sun’s light melted over it, and the windows glared their lights, making your eyes hurt. There were other buildings in the midst of construction in the distance.

But something felt wrong. Several windows of this one were cracked. It was as if the place was cursed.

“This way,” Robert said, taking the lead. 

Everyone stepped forward to the glass doors. Then walked into the grey, slick entrance.

Something felt very wrong. First, there was an overwhelming, sour, rank smell. You let out a groan out of instinct. The source? You saw piles of trash everywhere. Barricades of boxes, sour food, dirt, and more items than you could think of in corners. In the distance, you thought you heard murmuring and footsteps. There was one scream from above that made you jump and look around. Though Robert was unfazed.

“I think now we need my wife to use her gifts for the mask,” Loki said. He turned to you. “Are you ready, darling?”

You nodded. Taking in a breath, you stretched out your hand. You felt the air before you.

There was a tingling feeling. It was upstairs. Up-how many floors? You counted- twenty-five. And there was a room- the fifth room- there was a presence there that seemed to radiate something strong. A heavy presence and an item shaped ot fit someone’s face.

“It’s in room 2505,” you announced.

“My old room,” said Robert.

“Why then, aren’t we all fortunate?” Loki quipped.

“Let’s get there quickly and get this over with,” Jonathan stated.

Robert led them to the elevator doors. Thomas pressed the button, and nothing appeared. A loud creeeeeak came from above. Time passed, but it did not work. Robert cursed under his breath.

“It never works- lets take the stairs,” he offered.

Everyone turned. You sucked in a breath. You were hoping it would be a simple hike up to the room when suddenly-

“Oy! What do we have here!?” cried a male voice from behind. You hadn’t even taken one step.

Your party turned. Before you could react, you saw eight men. Their clothes were dirty and their teeth stained. They smelled of trash, booze, and urine. They looked greedily at each of you.

“Well, well, if it ain’t 2505 back here again!” one announced.

“Leave us alone, we have business,” Robert tried to reason.

Before you could say anything, they ran up. You felt your fire beneath your fingertips as the party charged. You lifted a hand, ready to send it to them.

But you felt a blow from behind you, and then everything went black.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

When you came to, the back of your head felt sore. You realized you were being dragged on a floor by your feet. Your long skirt fell to your knees as your legs were lifted up. Doors passed on the walls on the side- you were in a hallway. Doors passed by. And a man was dragging you away. You recognized him as one of the men who had attacked your party.

Your stomach curdled- terror of every horrible thing he could do went through your mind. 

“Let-let me go!” you voiced out, trying to kick, but he turned and got a tighter grip on your ankle.

“Oh, no, pretty thing, you’re coming home with me!” he hissed.

You kept squirming, your mind reeling with panic. He still kept a firm grip on your ankles.

“Keep still, won’t you?!” he cried. He turned around and knelt, trying to grab your hands. He let go of one of your ankles to grab your wrist, your hand grazing his arm.

You willed fire to come out of your palms.

He let out a scream and then jerked away, looking in horror at his burned hands.

There was no time to make a smart reply to make a good story for later. The second he let go, you sprinted off. Lifting your skirts, you dashed down through the hallways. They all looked the same- the same colored walls, the same doors, it was a nightmare.

“What the-what the fuck!?” he cried.

You ran like injured prey Trying and searching for anything, anything to protect yourself. But there was nothing. You looked through the numbers; you were on the twelfth floor. You then began pounding at the doors.

“Come on! Please! Someone, help!” you cried.

You then ran to another door. You then remembered your own abilities. How could you forget in your panic that you could unlock a door?! With a shaking hand, you tapped a door handle for one apartment. Forcing yourself to concentrate, you willed the door to unlock.

“I’m going to kill you, you little cunt!” cried the man from a distance.

Click! The door opened. You quickly got inside and closed the door. Not turning back to look at the room, you took a step back. You kept your hand over your mouth, hearing his footsteps. Not daring to even breathe. 

He then passed. You let out a choked exhale. You leaned against the door and clutched a hand over your chest, feeling your racing heart.

“Mummy! Who is she?” cried a child’s voice.

Turning around, you saw two young children- a boy and a girl- and a cradle with a baby rocking inside. A woman stepped forward. She had with shoulder-length brown hair, a floral dress like yours, and a baseball bat in one hand.

“Who…who are you?” she asked. She raised her bat, but did not swing it at you yet.

You held your hands forward.

“I’m not a threat, I swear! I was attacked! I just needed shelter!” you begged.

The woman squinted her eyes.

“How did you get in? The door is locked!” she asked.

“I’m not going to hurt any of you- but I’m going to show you how- and you have to believe me,” you explained.

You turned your wrist and willed the baseball bat to float. Everyone gasped. The woman put her hands over her mouth. The two children gasped aloud.

“Mummy! Mummy, she’s a witch! A real witch!” cried the little boy. They gathered around their mother like chicks to a hen.They looked at you in the way children looked at these things. With both fear and a curious delight.

“Are you?” asked the girl.

You smiled.

“Yes, but I use my powers for good.”

The children were wide-eyed in awe. The mother reached forward.

“What is your name?”

You gave it to them.

“I’m Helen, Helen Wilder,” she introduced herself.

You didn’t need to ask if things were always like this. You remembered Robert’s story. You walked down and sat on one of the chairs. Helen introduced each of her children. 

You then heard Loki’s voice in your head.

“Where are you!? Where did he take you!?” he exclaimed.

“Loki- it’s alright, I’m alright, I got away from him!”

“I should have torn him into pieces!” he snarled

“I already burned him!”

“Well, good- where are you?”

“I’m on the twelfth floor. I…I’m with this woman named Helen and her children. I’m safe. Where is everyone!”

“The entire group was separated! I’m with Hal and Thomas- we don’t know where Sif or Jonathan or Robert are!”

“Oh no- we’ll have to find them!”

“We’ll find them, my dear, I promise. This place is dangerous- we both must be careful! Promise me, the second you sense danger, you’ll use your magic! Or get somewhere safe!”

“I’m safe where I am now,” 

“Please, Y/N, stay there! And we’ll get there!”

“I promise, Loki.”

You walked forward.

“Could I…could I stay here? I mean…you know how it is. I won’t be a bother, I promise,” you pleaded.

Helen put her hands on her hips.

“Alright…we will…” she replied.

Helen and her family didn’t have much. She said she had a husband, but he was off somewhere- likely with some other lady named Charlotte. Everyone was staying in here for now. Trying to survive off of what scraps there were. With what was barely functional.

 Everyone just ate bowls of dry cereal for dinner. Helen allowed you to sleep on the couch. The next morning, there was tea and dried toast. The children ran up to you, asking about your powers, and you were glad to answer their questions. You would keep them entertained, and even hold the baby. You offered to stay up to feed it’s bottle and rock it so Helen could get some sleep.

You knew there had to be supplies, food, something out there-but you knew it was dangerous. You offered to check the grocery store that was one floor above. Using your fire to defend yourself, you managed to grab some supplies. Running back before anyone could attack you. You didn’t blame Helen for staying here, doing what she could for her family. Though, you peeked at what apartment number you were on and informed Loki at once.

A day passed by. You stayed with them. Making things move to entertain the children. Eating meagre meals and trying not to complain about a grumbling belly and your exhaustion from helping with the baby. Then two. Then three. 

Finally, there was a knock on the door on the morning of the third day. Helen hesitated, but you got up and sensed a presence, in fact, many presences-

You immediately swung the door open and saw Loki with Sif, Jonathan, Thomas, and Hal.

You ran up and hugged him.

“Loki- Loki, I was so scared!” you cried, letting yourself shake.

“I was too-but we’re here-”

He released the hug. Sif folded her arms.

“We can’t hesitate anymore- Grendel’s army could come any moment, we must get the trove!” she reminded everyone.

You went back to Helen and her children and nodded at them. You wished there was a way you could stay and help use supplies to help them survive-to get out, even. But you knew Helen was tough beneath her flowery exterior. She would find a way to protect her children and herself.

“Thank you-thank you for everything,” you wished. You looked at your husband. “Loki…could you conjure something for them as thanks- some food?”

Loki raised his hand. Magic swirled in the room. The once messy table had a full Christmas dinner, with goose, pies, potatoes, and more on crystal plates. The family gaped. The children ran forward and began filling up their plates.

Helen smiled back.

“Thank you as well,” she muttered.

Stepping out the door, you all left the room. You kept close together.

“Hurry, let’s go up the stairs!” Jonathan cried.

You to get up thirteen flights of stairs without any incident. And trying to ignore the occasional naked people who walked up and down with you in a drunken daze. You finally got to the twenty-fifth floor, and then it struck you-

“Where’s Robert?!” you asked.

“We couldn’t find him, we tried very hard!” Thomas explained.

“I can use my powers and locate him in a minute!” you offered.

You sent out your gifts through the building, trying to find a presence. You felt one- and it was hot nearby.

“What luck! He’s in his room!” you cried.

Everyone ran onto the floor, and hurried to 2505. You unlocked the door, opening it up to a room that smelled of it’s fresh new grey paint.

“Robert! Robert, where are you?” you asked out loud.

You turned and saw Robert. He was standing up. He lost his nice grey jacket, and his dress shirt, tie, and pants were all messy. But his face was pale- he was streaked with paint everywhere on his face, his pants, and his shirt.

“There you are! Norns, where have you been?!” cried Sif.

Robert made no reply. He then began pacing.

“Robert, Robert, it’s us!” Thomas said.

Robert ignored them and turned around and paced again.

“The high-rise keeps Robert Laing safe. Robert Laing has to go paint now,” he said.

He reached down and got a can of paint. He leaned down and picked up the brush. He then dipped it in the paint, but a bit got on his hand. With his free hand, he touched it and began laughing.

“Robert, how now, good sir?” Hal asked.

Sif’s eyes narrowed, and Loki’s lips went tight.

“Robert Laing has to paint,” he said.

“Why…why is he talking like that?” you asked.

Loki placed a hand on your shoulder.

“It’s…it’s happened again,” he told you flatly.

Robert then turned and began painting a wall. He made two strokes and then set the brush down on the floor. And then he turned and got out his pack of cigarettes. He put it in his mouth, began to light it, and smoked for a second.  Then, before it could actually burn, set it down and stepped on it to dampen the flame. He then returned to paint.

Hal walked up to him.

“Robert, it’s us, what is it?” he asked.

Robert jerked away, and began yelling.

“What the fuck are you doing?! Robert needs to be painting now!”

He then grabbed Hal’s shoulder and slammed him against the wall. The prince trembled.

“Hal…Hal, you should leave him alone,” you asked, though you were shaking too.

Hal got his breath, and then Robert let him go. Loki walked up calmly.

“Robert, listen to me-”

Robert turned and yelled.

“Oh, so you’re going to THROW ME OUT of the group?!” 

Loki held up his hands, his voice gentle. “No, we’re not going to-”

“How painful. You’re going to THROW ME OUT. Robert should die. Then Robert's pain should end! Robert should jump off this balcony, like Munrow-” He turned towards his window.

“NO!” you screamed.

Loki, in a quick second, got out his shadows. They held Robert back and pulled him to lie down on the floor. They then wrapped around him and held him down.

“Please-please-please don’t hurt Robert. Robert ruined everything, Robert is a stupid bastard,” Robert whimpered. “Robert should escape. Robert could use some whiskey. Robert needs to run away. There are police looking for Robert. Robert should escape them. Robert should go to the church. Robert should become a monk. He’ll be safe if he’s a monk. There are television cameras after Robert. Robert is a criminal. They’re going to execute Robert. Robert is…is going to die.”

He then let out a scream.

“LET ROBERT GO! THIS IS ROBERT'S LAST REQUEST- TAKE HIM TO A CHURCH!”

Loki leaned down to him and placed a comforting hand over the shadow on his arm. “Robert, you’ve done nothing wrong. We’re here to help you. We’re not going to hurt you; you’re safe.”

Loki then turned to you.

“Y/N, find the mask. The quicker you find it, the quicker we can get him to Asgard.”

You were so shaken, you almost forgot. You then reached out your senses-there was an empty can of paint in the corner, and there was the mask inside.

“Here- it’s right there!” you said, pointing to the can.

The group ran over to grab it when- 

“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” asked a voice.

It struck you. The door was left open.

You turned and saw a man with dark hair, sideburns, and a thick mustache looking over you with several other men. He scowled at Robert in the corner.

“Ey, he’s mad, isn’t he? Serves him right for fucking my wife. Stick to your own uppers, prick” he spat towards Robert.

“That’s easy to say for you to say! Richard Wilder, we are on business. Please let us be,” Loki warned firmly.

“What- how do you know my name, you prick?” he asked.

This-this was Helen’s husband?! How could such a sweet woman marry such a man? And did you hear right- she had an affair with Robert? But he was also unfaithful to her? Oh, good heavens and norns, this was all a mess!

“Please, let us be,” Jonathan asked.

“Why should we trust you? What floor do you come from?” he asked.

“We don’t come from any floor, sir,” replied Thomas.

“You talk like an upper, so you must be an upper trying to invade!” said one man next to Wilder.

“You speak a bunch of nonsense!” Sif cursed at them. “We’re on private business!”

“Oh, doesn’t matter- we could have all of you in a pulp in seconds,!” Wilder smiled.

Your stomach curdled. You posed your hands, ready to fight. 

“Then do it. Cowards.” you hissed.

They charged at you. Your group had their fists up, and Loki and your magic. You were about to release your flame when-

You saw Sif had fled and reached into that empty can, and from it, she pulled a golden, lacy mask. 

Sif then put the mask on her. 

There was a humming in the air. The floor shook like it was an earthquake. Even the men who found you all stopped and looked at her. Their fists froze in mid air.

Something changed in Sif; her face was even fiercer, angrier. She lifted up her hand- her eyes had changed to golden ones.

There was a rattling sound. Then, skeletal figures surrounded in a blue light walked through the walls.

“What the actual fuck is this?!” cried Wilder.

“Nothing but a party trick!” said one man, who stepped forward. 

He bounded to one skeleton.

“Out of the way- what are you? Stop gaping like a girl! I need to get to those tits!” he said.

Sif made no reaction other than a silent glare at him.

The skeleton reached his hand forward and placed it on top of the man’s head. It twisted his head completely backward, like an owl. And the man dropped dead to the floor.

There was a gasp and a slight cry from the party of assholes.

“Run, everyone- she’s killed him! RUN!” shouted Wilder.

Screaming not like little girls but a bunch of cruel, disgusting men, they fled from 2505. 

Everyone took a deep breath and then looked back at Sif. She lowered her hand, and the skeletons vanished into thin air. Yet she remained still. Her eyes began to look pale. The magic thrumming from the mask all over her.

“Sif…Sif, you have to take off the mask- you know what my mother said, it’s dangerous to leave it on too long!” Loki warned.

Yet Sif remained still.

You walked up to her, “Sif! Sif- listen to me- you have to, please! Sif, just-”

“Robert Laing thinks Sif should take off the mask so he can see her beautiful face.”

Heads turned toward Robert.

“If Robert’s going to die, he wants to see Sif’s face one more time,” he repeated.

“Robert, again, you’re not going to die!” hissed Loki.

Sif then raised her hand and took off the mask. She turned to face Robert briefly, and then fell to the floor. Everyone dashed towards her.

“Lady, dear lady- are you alright?!” cried Hal.

“I…I am…” she breathed out, getting to her feet with Hal’s help.

Loki made a portal. 

“Jonathan, Hal, Thomas- get Robert and restrain him- he needs to get back to Asgard immediately!”

Sif, clutching the mask in one hand, leaped through first. 

Jonathan and Thomas, and Hal all helped move the shadow with Robert in it, as he was asking where they were going. You and Loki followed throug behind them.

Once inside the meeting room, Loki conjured a potion bottle. Hal and Jonathan held Robert’s arms. His feet scrambled and pushed his feet away, trying to run, but held back, scared like a dog.

“It’s poison! It’s poison! You’re going to kill Robert!” he cried.

“It’s not poison! We’re not going to kill you- you’re safe! It’s just going to help you sleep- then you’ll wake up and feel better, go on and drink,” Loki offered.

Robert hesitantly drank the potion.

“Now…you’re going to feel tired. It’s just the medicine working, then we’re going to take you to the healers here, and you’ll be right as rain soon.”

You bite your lip, trying to find a flaw in their assessment of the situation but you can't find any. This is what I get for being SHIELD's top expert in Hydra's overly complicated computer system. I thought it was a good thing when I figured out how to extract files without triggering their firewalls but it seems like it's working against me now, you think. I guess my boss was right, I really should have gotten around to teaching other analysts to do this too because now they're going to send me to a freaking Hydra base in the middle of nowhere. You sink further down in your chair and debate escaping from the conference room, your eyes drifting towards the door. There's no way I'd make it anyways, every single person in here is faster than I am, you give up on that idea quickly.

"What's your plan then?" Steve asks Loki, folding his arms across his chest.

Your attention is now completely focused on Loki, curious to hear if he actually has a plan but he's still staring down Steve. The Asgardian doesn't look in your direction once, almost at if he doesn't realize your sitting directly across from him. "My plan remains the same, leave her here so she doesn't get herself killed," Loki says and you're quick to note that there's no concern in his tone.

He's not worried for my safety, he's simply stating a fact. I've never been in the field before, never held a gun, never learned to fight and why would I need to? I spend my days as far away from danger as possible, tucked behind a desk in my office on the 73rd floor, you think.

"She won't get killed," Steve says matter of factly but you're not sure you believe him anymore than the god does.

"And you can guarantee her safety?" Loki asks again without even a hint of worry. "You cannot simply send a civilian into an active Hydra base and assume they will not be injured or worse. She needs training-"

His words are cut off suddenly by director Fury who is sitting at the opposite end of the oval table. "That's an excellent idea your highness," he says with a sarcastic tone that makes you nervous and Loki wary.

"What is?" the younger Asgardian furrows his brow and looks at the director. You sit up straighter in your seat, unsure if Fury is on your side or not.

"You're right, Y/N needs field training," he says and you look from Fury back to Loki quickly as your eyes widen when you realize what he means. "You have one month to get her ready, we can postpone the mission until then."

"Wait!" Loki stands in response, ready to argue. "That is not what I was suggesting-"

"This sounds exactly like what you were insisting on," Thor smiles as he stands from his seat next to Loki, patting his younger brother on the back.

"I was not offering to do it myself," Loki argues, pulling away from his touch.

"I think you were," Natasha smirks.

"No, this is absurd," Loki groans. "I do not have time for this mortal-"

"Then make time," Fury says in a tone that leaves the god no room for further arguing.

Loki sighs deeply in defeat as he sits back down, his arms folded across his chest and his eyes drop to his coffee mug. After a brief moment of silence, he lifts his head and looks directly at you for the first time since the meeting began. "Seven o'clock in the East training room tomorrow morning," he states. You nod and he adds sternly, "Do not be late Y/L/N."

(The next morning - evaluation day)

You walk quickly down the hall towards the training room Loki reserved for you this morning having no idea what to expect. You're almost ten minutes early but you could barely sleep and you're terrified of how Loki might react if you are even a few minutes late. Pushing open the heavy metal door, you pause when you see Loki leaning against a nearby wall reading a thick leather bound book.

"Oh, good morning," you say. You didn't think he'd already be here and you attempt to sound cheerful and not overwhelmingly nervous.

The prince looks at you silently, checks his watch then nods seemingly in approval of your timing. The book vanishes into a haze of green mist and he takes a step towards you. "It's good to see you can tell time at the very least Y/L/N," Loki says.

"Y/N is fine," you tell him, trying to ignore what might be the closest thing to a compliment you get from him today.

He looks at you for a moment and you can't read his reaction to you at all. Today is going to be the longest day of my life, you think as you follow him to the center of the empty room.

"Wow," you mumble, you've never seen the training rooms before but you heard they held some of the most impressive technology in the Tower. The large space is covered in what appears to be simple white tiles, the floor, the walls and even the ceiling. The holograms created by the computer program can mimic any setting or environment, even weather conditions. Your eyes travel up to the high ceiling and you bump into Loki after not realizing he stopped walking.

He lets out a deep sigh in annoyance and you apologize, "I'm sorry."

"After you complete the simulations today, I will determine how many times a week we will need to meet and how long the training sessions will be," he says without acknowledging your apology.

You bite your lip anxiously, "So today is a test?"

"Yes, I need to evaluate your current abilities," Loki confirms.

"In that case, I have a really bad feeling we're going to be spending a lot of time together," you mumble when he walks towards the door leading to a side room for observation.

"As do I Y/L/N," he agrees even though you thought he was too far away to hear you. The God of Mischief goes into the observation room and you watch him through the glass that separates you. He takes a seat at the desk and turns on the computers, the lights around you dimming slowly.

"Hey, before we start I just wanted to say thanks," you say and Loki lifts his head, looking at you through the window. "I know you didn't really volunteer but you were the only one who seemed... concerned," you know that's not the right word but it's all you can think of at the moment, "about me going on the mission."

"The super soldier sometimes forgets how weak humans truly are," Loki responds, his voice coming through the speakers into the room.

"Yeah... well," you shrug. "Thanks anyway, I don't actually want to die out there," you laugh awkwardly.

Loki's quiet and you sigh, not expecting him to respond but after a few seconds he says, "You are welcome Y/N."

You smile, hoping the fact that he called you by your first name means he might be warming up to you just a tiny bit. Only a second later, the lights go out completely, your heart suddenly racing as you realize the evaluation has started and you have no idea what's going to happen.

(One month later)

You duck low as a series of bullets fly towards you, hitting the car you're using as cover. Swearing under your breath, you sit up, pressing your back against the car then stand as you turn, returning fire. Each bullet hits it's mark, taking out all three Hydra soldiers and clearing your path. You stay low, your eyes scanning the debris that litters the street as you make your way quickly around the bullet riddled car. You spot another soldier just as he steps out from behind an overturned bus. You fire first, taking him out easily then you run towards the brick building across the street and head through the open door.

As soon as you step over the threshold you squint, shielding your eyes with your hand as everything around you becomes almost blindingly white. The sounds of the harsh wind and distant sirens vanish as suddenly as the unpleasant smells of smoke and blood. You lower your hand, smiling as the training program is fully turned off and Loki walks towards you.

"So... how did I do?" you ask, hopeful as always to have his approval after a training session.

"Very well, darling," Loki smiles warmly at you.

You can't help but blush at the pet name he started using just a few days ago. The first time the annoyingly handsome God called you darling wasn't even in the training room. You were sure you misheard him say 'have a good evening darling' when you stopped by his office briefly with a question but he continued to use the pet name each time he saw you after that.

"I have good news," he tells you while he follows you to get your water. "I think you are officially ready to join the team on the mission."

You take a long drink of water then look at him stunned. "Really?" you ask excitedly.

"You passed every assessment I have thrown at you for the last week," he confirms with a proud smile. "I am no longer worried you will get yourself killed," he laughs a little.

You smile wide, "You know what that means right?"

He sighs deeply. "You truly mean to hold me to that?" he asks, sounding annoyed by the bet you insisted on two weeks ago but you know him better than that, or at least you hope you do.

"Aww don't pretend like you're not super happy about this," you laugh and hold your arms out wide. "You agreed, if I passed your silly little evaluation I got a hug."

"It is not silly," Loki says and you continue to smile at him, your arms still open. "Fine," he caves as he walks up to you, "but this stays between us."

You can barely contain your excitement when he steps close to you and accepts your hug. You had brought up the deal as a joke after watching Loki's pained reaction to Thor trying to give him a hug. You never honestly expected Loki to agree to it and you definitely didn't think he'd actually follow through with it. Now that the moment is finally here, you really don't want him to let go any time soon because you know you might never get another hug.

"This is nice," you tell him, resting your head on his chest as his arms close comfortably around you.

He doesn't respond but you can tell by the way he breaths deeply that he doesn't hate this type of affection as much as he claims to. After much longer than you expected, Loki finally clears his throat and let's go of you. "That is enough of that," he steps away from you, his eyes lowered as he smooths the nonexistent wrinkles from his black dress shirt. You watch him closely and when he looks up, you can see the smile he's fighting to hide.

"When do you think the mission will be?" you decide not to tell Loki that hug was better than you had imagined.

"I will let Fury and Rogers know you are ready at our afternoon briefing," he says. "We could be sent out as early as tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" you ask, your nerves creeping in suddenly. Surviving the training was one thing but actually going on a mission is still a scary thought.

"You will be fine darling," Loki reassures you. "I would never tell the director you were ready if you were not."

"Cause you're worried about me dying," you tease, both of you knowing Loki is in this position because he pretended to be concerned for your safety.

He rolls his eyes at you, "I will neither confirm nor deny that I do not wish for you to die while on the mission."

You giggle, "You always say the sweetest things."

Loki laughs at that, shaking his head lightly as he walks towards the door. You follow closely and pick up your gym bag. He opens the door for you and just before you step into the hallway you say, "I really hope I don't disappoint you when we do finally get to the base."

"You couldn't possibly disappoint me darling," Loki smiles warmly at you.

"That's not what you said a few weeks ago," you remind him, trying not to focus on how much larger his smirk gets when he sees you blush.

"I have been known to be wrong once or twice in the last thousand years," he admits as he steps out into the empty hallway. "But that stays between us."

"Like the hug?" you ask with a giggle.

"What hug?" Loki says before turning to walk in the opposite direction you need to go in.

(Three days later)

You take a deep breath as the target location comes into view, the jet's radar beeping to alert everyone that you're entering the drop zone. Loki sits next to you, squeezing your hand gently, sensing your anxiety rising. He leans close so the others can't hear and whispers, "You are going to be fine. Stay close to me darling."

You nod, thinking back to Loki's promise this morning after the final briefing for the mission. He told you he would keep you safe and in return, he made you promise to stay near him. A few weeks ago, you never would have believed Loki's promise but today you trust him completely.

The pilot gives everyone the signal to get ready and you stand up, following the prince as he walks to the back of the jet. The door opens and a rush of cold wind whistles through the jet. You take a step backwards, your back bumping into Loki's chest as you watch Steve, Natasha and Clint jump to the ground far below.

Loki gently puts his hands on your arms, turning you so you are facing him without a word. There's a small smile on his face when he tugs on the straps of the bag containing your parachute, tightening them slightly then his eyes scan your uniform and belt to make sure all of your gear is in place.

"Just like we practiced darling," he smiles encouragingly, his hand resting lightly on your cheek so you are looking directly at him. "Then wait for me so we can go to the computer lab together," he reminds you again. For a brief moment, you think Loki might lean down and kiss you but instead you tell yourself now isn't the time for your crush on him to surface. He lowers his hand and you can't help but instantly miss his touch.

With another deep breath, you smile at him and nod your head. "I've got this," you say, your nerves calming as you become more confident. You've been working so hard to get to this point and it's finally here. In the last three years of working for SHIELD, you never once had a desire to be in the field but now that you're here, you want to prove to yourself and everyone else that you can do more than just sit behind a desk.

There's another reason you need this mission to go well, you want to make Loki proud of you. He spent so much time with you over the last month, helping you in session after session. Coming in early before his meetings, staying late at night, finding time on the weekends to make sure you were as ready as possible. The prince even made his own deal with you this morning, he said you could have another hug after the mission and that was all the motivation you really needed.

"Yes you do," he agrees, taking a step away from the door. "Ladies first," he chuckles and you laugh, another bit of tension leaving your body.

You step up to the open door, look at Loki briefly over your shoulder and jump from the jet exactly like he had instructed you to.

(Fifteen minutes later)

You pull the chair out quicky and sit behind the steel desk while Loki stands guard at the door that leads from the main hallway into the lab. There is a second door behind you that leads to a much smaller corridor and the prince keeps his eye on it while you get to work.

"I need about fifteen minutes," you tell the team over the comms as the system reboots.

"Try to do it in ten," Steve responds and you look up in time to see Loki roll his eyes at the sound of the captain's voice.

You fight to hold back a smile. Why does he have to be so cute when he's annoyed, you think. The computer beeps as you type in a command then insert the USB to begin pulling data off the servers.

"It will take as long as it takes captain," the God of Mischief answers for you, his tone firm yet he gives you a smile when your eyes met before you look at the screens again.

You continue to copy file after file to the USB as quickly as you can for the next few minutes. The distant sound of gunfire from above keeps you vaguely aware of where the rest of the team is. Their goal is to distract the soldiers for as long as possible while you finish your work which is thankfully almost done. "Two more minutes," you inform the team over the comms, "just a few more-"

The door behind you slams open, your heart pounds rapidly in your chest as your hand moves to the empty holster on your belt. The God of Mischief yells something but you don't hear the words, rising to your feet to reach for your gun across the desk. You had removed it from your belt and placed it there before crawling underneath the desk to move a few cables right after you arrived. As soon as you are on your feet with your hand on the gun, you see the soldiers rush into the room but in an instant their faces fill with fear and you look towards Loki.

Turning your head, all you see is a bright flash of green rushing towards you as Loki's seider reaches across the room and slams into you.

(Later that night)

You groan and open your eyes slowly, squinting at the sudden brightness around you. A faint beeping in time with your heartbeat fills the room as everything comes into focus after blinking a few times. Pale blue walls surround you, the smell of antiseptic and sanitizer makes you scrunch your nose then it hits you. Oh crap, I'm in the infirmary, you realize suddenly.

"Welcome back," says a friendly voice to your left and you feel the light tug of an IV in your arm when you shift on the bed. You turn your head to face the voice but the quick movement makes you dizzy and you close your eyes again with another groan. "I'll get the doctor, try not to move too fast," the nurse tells you.

Breathing slowly, you feel yourself drifting off to sleep until the door opens and closes again. You open your eyes, forcing yourself to stay awake, you're exhausted but you need to know what happened.

"Hi Y/N, I'm Dr. Palmer," she says, looking up from her tablet. "How are you feeling?"

"Everything hurts," you mumble honestly. Your whole body is sore as you try to sit up a little in the bed. When you put your hands down on either side of you for leverage you look down and see a white cast on your left wrist then look up at the doctor.

"I'm sure it does," she says, looking back down at the tablet to skim your records. "Seems like you were thrown pretty far."

"Thrown?" you ask, rubbing your temple gently when you feel a bit of gauze and wince.

"Careful," she reaches out to lower your hand away from your injury. "I'm not surprised you don't remember the incident."

"The incident?" you repeat her, looking down at your hands as you think and suddenly remember seeing a flash of green light before everything went black. "Loki?" you ask, looking up quickly which causes you to become dizzy and close your eyes again until the room stops spinning.

She waits for you to look at her again before answering. "According to the field report, the room was breached by Hydra soldiers and Loki failed to make sure you were out of the way. He threw the soldiers and you into the concrete wall at the far end of the lab."

You listen to her in silence, pieces of your memory slowly returning. The soldiers were coming... I tried to reach for my gun... no, I had gotten it, I remember feeling the metal grip in my hand... Loki yelled something at me... Loki's magic. You close your eyes tight, pushing away the fear that surfaces with the memory of seeing his seider spreading towards you so fast there was no time to react.

"I remember bits and pieces," you clear your throat and look up at Dr Palmer.

"You're memory will most likely return slowly over the next few days. You have a mild concussion, some bruises, a fractured wrist and several stitches," the doctor informs you. "You'll need to stay here tonight so we can keep an eye on you but you should be able to go home tomorrow. I want you to rest for the next week, then you should be able to return to work."

"Thanks," you mumble, staring up at the ceiling, your mind replaying the last few minutes of the mission you remember.

Dr. Palmer watches you quietly for a moment then pats your leg gently to get your attention, "Get some rest Y/N. I told the team they can visit you in the morning before you're discharged."

"Thanks," you respond again, barely listening to her. She turns and walks out of the door, leaving you alone with your thoughts. Your mind wanders back to when you first began training with Loki and you wonder if his first impression of you was right, you never should have been in the field.

(One month ago - first day of training)

You slam to the floor hard on your side, groaning in pain as the bright lights come back on and the room resets. "Shit," you mumble when you hear the observation door opening fast enough for it to hit the wall. It's the fourth time in a row you've failed at the same point in the simulation and you don't need Loki to tell you this isn't a good start to your training.

Loki's footsteps are not rushed but the heaviness of his leather boots on the tiles makes you get off the floor much faster than your body wants to. "I'm trying," you say in your defense before he utters a word.

"Not hard enough it seems," he counters in a harsh tone. "Honestly, am I wasting my time Y/L/N?"

You sigh at Loki's use of your last name, the little bit of progress you were making with him yesterday was gone as soon as you failed the simulation the first time. "No," you say, folding your arms over your chest despite how sore your elbow is. "I can do this I-"

"Possibly, if we had several months," he cuts you off, "but we have only one."

"I know," you look at the ground near where you had fallen most recently.

"As heartless as the team thinks I am, I do not actually wish for you to get killed on this mission," Loki says and you look up at him immediately. His expression is stern but his voice softens just enough for you to believe his concern for you might be real. "If you are not capable of succeeding, I suggest we put an end to this now. I do not enjoy watching you continually hurt yourself," he gestures to the bruise already forming on your cheek from a previous fall.

"I can do this, Loki," you tell him, more insistently this time. Sometime between 3 and 4 this morning you decided you were going to get this right no matter what. Your newfound determination was based mostly on your fear of failing but you were also desperate to prove Loki wrong. "Let me try it one more time," you bargain with the prince. "If I don't die in the simulation this time, you keep training me."

"And when you do die?" he asks, already expecting you to fail a fifth time.

"Then you give up on me," you tell him with a shrug. "Tell the director you were right and I'm not good enough to go out in the field."

"Very well," Loki easily agrees to your terms, turning to walk back towards the observation room. You wait for him to wish you good luck or tell you he does want you to succeed but he doesn't say a word. Instead, he simply closes the door to the observation room, takes a seat at the controls and turns the simulation back on.

(Present - the next afternoon)

A knock on the door of the small room sends a wave of hope through you, your heart telling you Loki is finally here to visit you. You know the prince won't come but you can't stop yourself from watching the door as your excitement rises slightly. You had a lot of free time today and you spent most of it trying to figure out why Loki is the only one who hasn't visited yet.

Three potential reasons stick with you, each more upsetting than the last. Your first thought is that Loki is so disappointed in you and he doesn't even want to speak to you. The second idea you reasoned out is that he is too busy gloating and telling the team he was right about you not being capable of succeeding in the field. The third idea is the most hurtful but it's the one you feel is more likely then the others. Loki isn't going to visit because he never actually cared if you got hurt. Calling you darling and seeming like he enjoyed being with you was just an act by the trickster god to get you to train harder, pushing you through pain and exhaustion.

"Hi Y/N," Thor smiles at you warmly when he opens the door and sees you standing by the bed, picking up the bag with your belongings the nurse brought it. "Glad to see you back on your feet so quickly."

"Thanks," you give him the same forced smile you gave Steve, Natasha and Clint when they visited earlier. The three of them stopped by only briefly but it was long enough to reassure them that you were fine. You honestly didn't mind them only staying for a few minutes, you were still tired and it was hard to pretend you weren't let down that Loki wasn't with them.

"Dr. Palmer said I'm doing better than expected so she discharged me," you tell him then walk towards the door.

"Heading home?" he asks, holding the door open for you.

"Yeah, I'll be back in a week," you tell him as you walk through the infirmary together. "Oh, actually I should probably stop by Steve's office before I leave right? I didn't get to write up my report on the mission, obviously, but I can do it from home."

"He already filed the case notes, I just came from the debriefing," Thor informs you.

"Wait, how?" you ask when he opens the door to the infirmary that leads back to the main building. "I thought he needed a report from everyone who was in the field."

"Loki explained what happened," he says, not looking at you as you make your way down the hallway. He sighs, "My brother is on probation again and he's lucky it's only three weeks. Tony was pushing for longer but-"

"Why is he on probation?" you stop walking.

"Because of what happened," Thor says as if that should be obvious. He gestures to your broken wrist, "He could have killed you."

"It wasn't his fault," you defend Loki without even thinking.

"He said it was," Thor starts walking slowly again and you stay with him. "We listened to the recordings of your comms, we could hear Loki yell for you to get down and only a few seconds later we heard him attack the Hydra soldiers and unfortunately you as well. Even if he had not admitted to being at fault, it's clear he did not make sure you were out of harms way before unleashing his magic."

"But that's not what happened," you grab his arm to stop him from walking towards the elevators again and he gives you a confused look. "I heard Loki say something right after the door slammed open but I was distracted looking for my gun. I got up to get it-"

Thor shakes his head, "You got up? You weren't already standing between him and the soldiers?"

"No, I was sitting. I stood up after the door opened, after he yelled," you explain, both of you heading to the elevators.

"And he knew that?" Thor asks, pushing the button on the wall.

"Yeah, he was literally looking right at me when they broke into the room," you tell him remembering the smile Loki gave you when you told them you were almost done. "Steve told me I was supposed to listen to Loki and instead of getting down like he said, I stood up. I got right in the path of his magic."

"Why would he lie about that?" Thor asks when you both get in the waiting elevator, you shrug in response. "This is truly odd. My brother rarely accepts blame for things he has been caught doing," he says, pushing the button to take you down. "I do not understand why he would insist this was his fault if what you say is true."

"I don't know why either but I'm going to ask him," you look up at Thor.

"He is in his room," Thor tells you. "He did not want to speak to me or anyone else after the meeting, I doubt he will come out anytime soon."

"How do I get there?" you've never been to the Avenger's quarters before and you don't want to wander around until you find him.

Thor smiles as he gestures towards the elevator panel and it's then you realize he didn't push the button for the ground floor like you had assumed. "I had a feeling you would want to speak with him," he says.

You walk down the hall, counting doors until you get to the one Thor told you belongs to his brother. Before you can lose your nerve, you clear your throat and you knock loudly. Loki opens the door a moment later and stares at you in silence, clearly not expecting you to have been the one knocking.

"Y/N, what are-" he tries to form a sentence but it dies off when you walk past him into his room without saying a word. He stands at the door watching you take a seat on his couch with a mixture of confusion and anxiousness. Loki closes the door but remains near it, almost as if he's afraid to come too close to you.

"Are you okay?" he asks when you still don't speak. His eyes focus on your broken wrist for a long moment before he sees the gauze covering the stitches on your temple.

"I'm fine," you respond vaguely then ask him what you really want to know. "Why did you lie about what happened?"

"I did not lie, Y/N," he says, still standing by the door. His eyes fall from yours to a space on the floor between you. "I hurt you, I should be help accountable for my actions."

"You know it wasn't your fault," you tell him and he shakes his head. "I wasn't standing in between you and the soldiers until after you warned me, I know you remember that."

"The specifics do not matter," Loki insists.

"Why not?" you ask, standing as you get annoyed with his refusal to answer your questions openly. "Do you think you need to take all the blame because you're the one who said I was ready for the mission? Or do you think you're helping me by trying to hide how stupid of a mistake I made?"

"Please, let it go," the prince says, his back almost against the door as you take a step towards him.

"Let it go, seriously? Loki, they put on probation because we miscommunicated. I can just tell Fury and Steve the truth and then you won't be in trouble," you suggest, feeling guilty that he's been punished.

"It is not necessary," the God shakes his head with no explanation which only annoys you more.

"Loki," you try again, taking a few more steps in his direction. "You just got off probation last year. You shouldn't be back on it cause of-"

"Just stop," his voice is stern you look at him, stunned into silence. He runs his fingers through his long hair and you bite your lip, thinking it was a mistake to come here. "I am sorry I just... Y/N, I have bigger concerns right now than my status on the team. I do not care about the probation."

"What's a bigger concern?" you ask, he finally moves away from the wall, closing the distance between you.

His eyes fall to your cast briefly then he looks into your eyes. Loki sighs, "You are."

"Me?" the word leaves your mouth quickly in disbelief. "If you were so worried, why didn't you visit me? Everyone else did, even Thor came."

"I wanted to but I honestly thought I would be the last person you wanted to see," he gives you an answer that never even crossed your mind.

"Loki, you were the only one I wanted to see," you tell him and now it's the god's turn to look at you in disbelief. You reach out and take his hand, "Every time the door opened, I hoped it was you. I just wanted to see you."

He squeezes your hand gently, "Darling, I am sorry I did not visit."

You can't help but smile a little when he calls you darling. "It's okay," you say but he shakes his head.

"None of this is okay," Loki let's go of your hand then strokes your cheek lightly. "Y/N, I am so sorry for hurting you. I promised to keep you protect you, to keep you safe while we were in the field and I failed to do so, I am the reason you are injured. I can not apologize enough darling. Please forgive me."

"I know you didn't hurt me on purpose," you put your hand over his. "And I promise, I really am okay. It's just a broken wrist and a few stitches, it's not a big deal," you decide to leave out the mild concussion to not make him feel worse. "You can ask Dr. Palmer if you don't believe me," you smile more sincerely than you have all day.

You watch him finally relax as his hand lowers and he smiles a little, "I believe you."

"Good," you sound more excited than you meant to and he chuckles lightly. "And before I forget, you owe me something and I plan on collecting."

"What do I owe you?" he furrows his brow.

"A hug," you smile wider. "You said I could have another one after the mission."

His expression changes quickly, a smile replacing his confusion. "A debt I am more than happy to pay," he says and you giggle.

You don't waste a second, pressing your body against his as you wrap your arms around him tightly. Your cheek rests on his chest and you close your eyes as you relax. He's quiet, one of his hands holding you around your lower back while his other hand moves slowly up and down your back. After a few seconds, you feel him press his lips to the top of your head lightly and blush instantly.

You lean back just enough to look up at him and he smiles but you can almost feel his sudden nervousness. Without thinking, you move and kiss him lightly but as soon as you feel his lips against yours, your body fills with panic. You try to pull away from the hug completely but Loki holds you in place against his body.

"I'm sorry, that was-" you don't look at him, embarrassed that you acted on impulse. You have wanted to kiss Loki for weeks, ever since your crush became more intense but this was absolutely not a good idea.

"You should be sorry darling," he says in a tone you recognize. It was the voice he used when you couldn't help but think he was flirting with you even though you tried to convince yourself he wasn't. You lift your head and look up at him, swallowing nervously when he smirks. "I wanted to kiss you first," the prince explains.

"You wanted to-" you try to repeat his words but they don't make any sense. You put your hands on his chest and distance yourself slightly but he keeps you gently in place. "I'm sorry. I've got a concussion, it almost sounded like you wanted to kiss me first," you giggle awkwardly as you look up at him.

He looks at you with concern, his smile fading quicky, "You did not tell me you had a head injury. Are you certain you should be out of bed?"

"Oh... right, yeah. I guess I left that out. I just didn't want to make you feel any worse but it's fine. It's just like a teeny tiny concussion," you tell him quickly. "Wait... no, don't get me off topic. That's not what I wanted to talk about. Why would you say that? You wanted to kiss me?"

He chuckles, "You are so cute when you are like this."

You blush deeply when he calls you cute and you press your cheek to his chest to hide again. Just a second later, you feel Loki's hand on your warm cheek as he tilts your head up. "You heard me correctly darling, head injury or not," the prince answers your question with another smirk. Before you can respond, Loki bends down slightly, pressing his lips to yours. He holds your body tightly and you give into the kiss easily, closing your eyes as your hands grip the fabric on the back of his shirt.

When he finally pulls back to break the kiss you can't do anything but giggle and he laughs while he plays with the ends of your hair. "So... you think I'm cute?" you ask him.

"I think you are truly stunning and I am amazed by you," Loki says with a smile that causes you to blush even deeper than before. "I had planned on asking you out on a date after the mission, when you came to get the hug I owed you but then I hurt-"

You place a soft kiss to Loki's lips, "Don't you dare blame yourself again."

He gives you a warm smile, "If I keep doing it, will you keep kissing me like that?"

"No," you laugh. "I'll probably tickle you or something."

"I would like to see you try darling," he smirks, taking your hand to pull you towards the couch.

"Oh, I should probably still talk to Steve and Fury," you tell him. "So you're not in trouble or on probation anymore."

"Absolutely not," he sits down and shakes his head.

You sit next to him and he puts his arm around your waist, keeping you close to him. "Why not?" you ask as you cuddle against him as if you've done it dozens of times.

"Because now I will have more free time to spend with you," he smiles and kisses the top of your head.

"I do like how that sounds," you kiss his cheek and lean on him comfortably. "Especially since I have the next week off, doctor's orders."

I hope you liked this!! Please like, share and comment if you did 💚💚 Please let me know if you want to be added to my taglist!

After running for what feels like forever, a relieved smile spreads across your lips when you finally see the edge of the clearing where you landed the jet nearly two hours ago. You risk looking over your shoulder at Loki, the excitement you feel immediately vanishes when you see the expression on his face.

You sigh heavily, your breath visible from the cold air as you slow your pace to a brisk walk. A shiver runs up your spine and you pretend it's because your tactical suit isn't made for these freezing temperatures but you know it's because Loki has moved to be next to you and you doubt you will be able to out off this conversation until you land at home.

"We're back at the jet, cap," you inform Steve and the team back at the Tower.

"Glad you made it out safely, that was a rough one, huh? The weather report looks a bit dicey so we're sending a new flight path to the autopilot. Come on home guys," the super soldier responds through your earpiece.

"We will not be leaving quite yet Captain," Loki says in a stern tone, you can feel his piercing gaze even as you stare at the snow at your feet.

You turn to look up at the tall god, hoping an apology will help calm him, "Loki, I'm-"

"You triggered the explosion in the base well before you were instructed to," Loki states, leaving no room for arguing not that you were going to because you both know he's right. You were supposed to wait until you were outside, deep in the woods before you set off the chain reaction that would demolish the base but you hadn't and you didn't honestly have a good excuse.

"I thought-" you say but he doesn't give you the chance to finish your sentence.

"No, you didn't think, that much is very clear," he says and you bite your lip anxiously. "I mean honestly, did you even listen during the mission briefing yesterday? Or maybe you just think orders and directives don't apply to you, is that it? Do you have any idea what could have happened to you if I hadn't been there to shield you from the initial blast?"

"I-" you barely make a sound as you lift your head.

"Don't interrupt me when I'm asking you rhetorical questions," he says, his eyes locking on yours.

You put your hand over your mouth, trying to silence the nervous giggle that threatens to escape.

"This is not funny," he says, his anger fading as concern swiftly takes its place. "You could have been seriously hurt, or worse Y/N... you can't be this reckless," his hand lifts slowly to cup your cheek.

"I know," you look down again as his thumb strokes your skin. "I'm sorry, I forgot the stairwell at that East end of the base had been blocked. I should have waited until we were both clear."

"Yes you should have," he agrees in a much calmer voice.

"Good thing I had a really hot overly protective god to keep me safe though, right?" you say with an overly exaggerated grin.

"You truly are an insufferable little mortal," Loki says with a deep sigh but you can see him fighting to keep from smiling.

You giggle, "That's not what you called me last night... or in the shower this morning."

He lets out a light chuckle and shakes his head. Just as he opens his mouth to respond you hear Steve in your ear, "Um guys, we can still hear you."

"Thank you for not telling us sooner captain," Loki says with an eye roll and you take the distraction as an opportunity to place a light kiss to his cheek. He raises an eyebrow at you and says, "We're getting on the jet now, we will inform you when we get closer to the Tower."

Once Steve acknowledges him, the trickster removes his earpiece and smirks at you, "Get in the jet, darling. We will continue this discussion in private."

You bite your lip and turn to walk towards the jet, thick clouds of smoke still visible over the tree line behind you. You remove your own earpiece when you feel Loki's hand move to your lower back, "I really am sorry."

He closes the rear door with a loud thud that echoes through the empty jet. "You can apologize for making me worry on the flight home," he says while you engage the autopilot. "We have roughly three hours until they will expect to hear from us again." You giggle when Loki takes a seat and motions for you to come to him.

I hope you liked this!! Please like, share and comment if you did 💚💚 Please let me know if you want to be added to my taglist!