#loki request

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!

⋆⁺₊⋆ ━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━ ⋆⁺₊⋆

All Mother Frigga was not only known for being one of the smartest and beautiful women of Asgard, but also for the grand soirée’s hosted almost every other week. Typically they were hosted for events, however Frigga also loved to host gatherings for the sake of it, this being one of those times.

You had actually managed to get a date for this ball., and wasn’t an accident. Using it as an opportunity get your mind away from your childhood best friend - The Young Prince, Loki of Asgard.

You had recently come to the realization you had feelings for the man. You noticed your heartbeat would speed up at the littlest of glances, the smallest of smiles, the sweetest of looks.

How you had come to this conclusion was finding your cheeks the brightest of red in the mirror while allowing your mind to fall to the idea of the Prince. You cursed yourself that day, and cursed the God of Mischief for fooling you into these feelings.

You couldn’t help it however, his bashful smiles, his bright blue eyes that seemed to just do things to you - you couldn’t get him out of your mind.

And you knew, he did not feel the same way. I mean, he was Loki of Asgard, and you were you, of… Well, nothing really.

You had met him in the gardens when you were young. Your father was a nobleman on the war council and you had been visiting the castle for a few weeks when you had bumped into the boy. Immediately the two of you clicked, it was easy. You had the same curiosity for the world, the same mischievous and playful spirit, the same yearning to know more, to be more.

And now, centuries later, you lived in the castle. You had moved to the castle at Loki’s request, to help him with his studies to become the Crown Prince for when his brother finally was crowned. Now, you had a rightful seat at the war council - just as your father had.

It had been years of the two of you being side by side, you had become inseparable. Everyone knew it, everyone saw it.

You had both dated others, but nothing ever stuck for either of you. You didn’t mind, until you realized you had feelings for the Young Prince.

So now there you were, down in the Ball Room as hundreds of other Asgardians danced around you all the while awkwardly standing next to your date. Ironically, the only dress you had at the moment to wear was a dark green gown, laced with gold ribbon.

The man you stood beside wasn’t terrible, he was sweet, but just… Boring. It was nothing against him, he was handsome, but he didn’t get your jokes, your sarcasm, or even your compliments. It seemed he truly didn’t have a brain.

You smiled at him as he spoke about battle, in a dramatic fashion - explaining something about decapitating an enemy. You had stopped listening minutes ago, but yet you sipped your drink politely, letting your eyes wander slightly, looking for… Well you know who you were looking for. To your dismay, you had yet to see the blue eyed man.

So you moved your eyes back over to your date, whose name, you actually could not remember for the life of you. He had seemed to now be distracted by one of his friends who had come to speak to him. Seeing as they were now enthralled in a conversation, you took this as the best moment to step away.

You moved quickly, giving a quick muttered excuse to leave and moving carefully to the large banquet table. The foods and deserts upon the table made your mouth water. You reached for a rosatum, thankful for the sweetness that dissolved upon your tongue.

You let your eyes wander again, you watched as couples danced happily upon the dance floor, their lovestruck gazes never leaving each other’s. Your heart panged in an odd manner, was that jealousy? Yearning?

You didn’t know, and preferably, you didn’t want to.

As you were finishing one off of the many drinks you had tonight, you felt a pair of eyes studying you from afar.

You had grown a knack for sensing Loki from what felt like miles away. You were not one for magic, but his magic you could feel. You didn’t know why, you assumed it had something to do with the time you had spent together. However you didn’t mind, he wasn’t able to sneak up on you anymore - he had done it enough.

As your eyes snapped to his, a velvety feeling filled your lungs. A small smile crept up upon your face as you gave him a small curtsey, a running inside joke between you two.

You could see a smile creep up his expression as he bowed his head to you.

You could almost see his eyes graze your figure, but he was too far away to truly tell. Standing the upon golden steps across the room his aura bled confidence, that you could see from hundreds of feet away. He was wearing a beautiful dark green and gold suit plated with golden armor, a show of his status.

You wanted to wave him over, and you almost did - until your date grabbed your shoulder.

“You disappeared back there,” he smiled politely, pulling your attention, albeit begrudgingly, away from the Young Prince across the hall.

You didn’t see how his face fell.

“I apologize,” you smiled half-heartedly.

“I was just getting to the best part,” He laughed, his face red and flushed from alcohol, “I hadn't told you about the beheading!”

He did, a thousand times already.

You hoped your true emotions were not showing upon your face, as that would be quite rude. But truly, you could not stand to be around this man anymore. You had already listened to enough battle re-telling while on the council. You wanted to come up with some excuse to leave, maybe that you had fallen ill - but before you could even get another word out, the hairs on the back of your neck stood.

“Would you care to dance My Lady?”

You spun to the side, unaware of your date’s narrowing eyes upon the man now in front of you both.

“Loki.” you had almost gasped out in relief, he was finally here to rescue you from this horrid date.

His sharp features seemed to soften as they took you in, admiring the gown you had put yourself in. Loki’s eyes met yours again and his feathery gaze fell into an odd stoic wall you could not break through. He smiled politely at your date before holding out his arm for you to grab.

You took it willingly, wrapping your arm with his.

You didn’t even glance back to your date as Loki took you through the crowd, finding a perfect spot for the two of you to dance. You felt yourself become relaxed at the mere presence of him. His familiar oaky and leathery cologne invaded your senses, sending your heart into a frenzy of beats. His hold upon your arm was sturdy and powerful, almost as if proving something. You didn’t question it, happy you now had space between you and the man you were just with.

“A date?” The black haired man finally spoke out. His voice was solid, there was a strong lack of emotions behind his question, throwing you off.

You nodded.

“Y’know, Adrián is one of the stupidest Asgardians I’ve ever met.” He quipped. His tone was void of the typical teasing you were used to, but you smiled and laughed anyway, moving your body with his as you turned to dance with him.

“I realize that now, I actually didn’t even remember his name. I’m not sure he does either, he’s had enough mead for a lifetime.” You smiled, a genuine smile as you gazed up to Loki. Truly taking in his striking features. You had danced together time and time again before, however you always jumped at the chance to admire him. His hair was slicked back and styled, and his blue eyes almost looked green from the reflection of your clothing. “I think I could only handle the same story twice, and I have heard it enough already for a millenia.”

A small smile crept up to Loki’s face at your comment, but yet his stoic facade still stood between you and him. He spun you around once, stepping into place with the others dancing around you.

There was an odd silence between you two at this moment, it made you uneasy. Quiet was normal between you two - time spent together reading by the fire, studying in the archives, or even just spending time going on walks in and around the palace - but this quiet, it was different.

You kept your eyes on him as he failed to meet yours, “Is there something wrong?” You finally asked, your voice filled with genuine concern. You wanted to reach and brush the stray hair from his cheek back behind his ear, but you refrained.

Loki shook his head, licking his lips as he danced your body with his own. His eyes finally falling upon yours as he spoke, “It’s insulting for you to parade yourself out here in my colors, with your arm around another man.”

His words held a certain… frustration, that you could not decipher.

Your lips parted in surprise at his words, your eyes staying upon his as your eyebrows raised, “What?” A small nervous laugh escaping you.

His own eyebrow perked up, spinning you around with him as he scanned the crowd of people beside the group dancing, “Did you do it on purpose?” The irritation in his voice was certain as his eyes met yours again.

You had seen Loki frustrated before, angry even. However this was different - it was an emotion you had not seen upon the man. Your mouth went dry at the accusation, you were confused as to what he was implying - had you understood, you’d probably faint.

“I’m sorry?” You asked again, your voice still holding the nervous laugh from before. Avoiding his gaze you spoke again, “I do not understand what you are insinuating.”

While you failed to meet his gaze, you didn’t fail to notice the pink that seemed to climb up upon his neck. His own eyes flickering away from you to the crowd that surrounded you, he seemed… Nervous.

Suddenly, as if seeing something in the crowd - his eyes glowed with frustration once more before snapping to you again. He spun you around again, your gown glittering under the soft light from the chandeliers. Before pulling you close to his body, leading you two into a gentle waltz. The dancing had now become the background of your focus, giving Loki the authority to lead you was easy.

“Look at you, mea columba. You are adorned in gold and green.” Loki’s eyes scanned you up and down, a dangerous emotion flickering through his blue eyes. “You’re practically mine in those colors.”

Your eyes snapped to his blue ones in surprise. You opened your mouth to respond, but you had nothing on your mind to respond with, you were still mulling over his words in your mind.

Practically his.

You gulped as you closed your mouth, your eyes flitting from his eyes down to his lips, where a small smirk had begun to form upon them. Of course, he was playing a game with you, it seemed he always was. As your eyes met his again, you found the wall that was once there was now broken. You could see his frustration now melt into something different, confidence.

You hadn’t noticed Loki had led you both near one of the many exits of the ballroom. You now had stopped dancing, his arm still leading you two wherever he pleased. You looked around finally, seeing you had stepped past the beautiful archway leading you both down a quiet hall. You didn’t mind, the music was becoming overwhelming.

“It was the only gown that was decent enough for the ball.” The words tumbled from your lips haphazardly, it was the first response you could manage. You cursed yourself internally for drinking as much as you had. Deep down you knew that wasn’t the key to your flustered state, however it was easier to blame.

Loki’s eyebrow perked again at the excuse, leading you to an open isolated balcony looking upon the beautiful Gardens lit under the moonlight below. He turned to you, his arm unlacing with yours and taking a few steps away - keeping his eyes trained to your figure he spoke, “I thought you wore those colors for me.”

You froze, the soft chill of the wind sending shivers up your spine, or was that from him? You couldn’t tell. Swallowing thickly you moved to the edge of the balcony, looking down upon the gardens. Your nerves were on high alert, feeling his gaze upon you as you attempted to ignore him.

You couldn’t, his presence overwhelmed you in a way you couldn’t properly comprehend.

Wearing colors for him? Why would he care? Has he ever cared before?

You couldn’t recall a time where he had.

The silence enveloped the two of you, the only sound being the laughter from the ball room and the soft melody of music that echoed down the hall. Loki’s eyes fixated on you, and your own refusing to meet his. It was a silent battle of push and pull - a simple game which you knew you were losing.

You didn’t notice him pulling nervously at his fingers behind his back.

Knowing you couldn’t just let yourself lose, you pushed back. You felt confidence consume you, as you had played this game with him many times before. Straightening your posture you turned to him, your eyes finding his already upon your form.

They hadn’t left.

And finally - you spoke, bringing the silence to an end.

“I hadn’t realized you laid claim upon a color.”

As the jest fell from your lips, excitement flashed through the prince’s blue eyes. His hands falling to his sides as he moved closer. His body was now mere inches away from yours, you could feel the unusual cold chill from his body that you had grown to find comfort within. His hand reached to lift your chin, his eyes meeting yours.

It seemed as if lightning struck as they connected, your body tensed as the confidence you had just felt faltered for a moment.

A knowing smirk slowly made its way upon Loki’s face. “And anyone that wears it.”

Your breath hitched at the implication, your eyes flicking down his figure before meeting his eyes once again. You gazed at him through your eyelashes, your teeth finding your bottom lip as you returned his playful, smirk.

“Well,” You paused, taking your time to mull over your words as a certain heat rose in your lower half, “If I must, I may just have to - take it off?” You glanced away briefly, “If that pleases you,” you met his blue eyes again, “Your Highness.”

You lowered yourself into a curtsey, your head now below his abdomen. Before you could sink any lower, his cold hand grabbed your upper arm - pulling you back up to him. He was leaning over now, your faces just threads apart.

You could feel Loki’s breath upon your lips as he spoke, “Oh you mischievous little thing,” his tone low and rasping.

Lifting you and setting you upon the bench like railing of the balcony, one hand finding your lower back, his grasp the only thing between you and the gardens below sending a wave of adrenaline through you. His other hand - crawling up your leg under the flurry of skirts you adorned, your own hands finding his neck. He whispered finally, leaning over so that his lips now at your “You know I would like to do that myself.”

Stunned by his sudden actions, his declaration, and the closeness of the two of you - it had seemed as if you had suddenly lost the ability to speak. Your lips parted in surprise, his strong grasp steadying you just enough.

Your nervous gaze fell upon him - his attention fixated upon you. Your lungs shook as you took in a shuddering beeath, searching for the words to say, to continue this game.

But you couldn’t find those words, in fact, he didn’t even give you the chance to - as his lips were now on yours.

Your heart skipped eight beats at once and a small gasp escaped you. His kiss was hesitant at first, but when your eyes fluttered closed, and your hands found his hair, pulling him closer - as if giving him permission - he didn’t restrain himself any longer.

Loki’s hand on your lower back was now moving up to your shoulder blades, moving your body flush to his. The hand that resided within your skirts gripped your thigh tightly - as if he could sink claws into your warm flesh.

As he leaned closer, you broke away - your nervousness from being mere inches to the edge causing your momentous pause. Breathless and shamelessly warm, your lips parted, ready to warn him of your anxieties. His hungry eyes met yours and he spoke for you.

“You think I'd be so foolish as to let you fall?” He clicked his tongue teasingly as he spoke, “The only foolish thing I’ve done is let you be seen in this dress while not by my side.”

A wild glimmer flickered through his icy blue gaze, desperation clawed through them as they trailed down to your gown. As they flicked back up, the mischievous smirk you were used to took hold of his expression. You could see the gears turning in his mind - you knew his next actions would be bad news.

You felt yourself flush with amorous excitement.

Loki’s hand upon your back lowered once more - all the while still holding you sturdy - and his other hand loosened from your thigh. “We wouldn’t want anyone getting the wrong message now,” his eyebrow perked as he cocked his head to the side slightly, his tone low and commanding, but yet far from his usual Prince-like-regality, “Would we?”

You felt a cold sharp object graze where Loki’s hand once was. Your breath hitched as you heard the sharp ripping of fabrics.

Your eyes snapped down, your skirts now cut away, revealing your bare legs and a dagger gripped between Loki’s palm. As he conjured the dagger away in a fluff of green particles, feathery gasp escaped your lips at the sudden coolness of the breeze against your skin. His hand found your thigh once more - however much higher than he had before.

“Much better now,”, he pulled you against him and wrapped your legs around his lower half. His dangerous gaze never seemed to falter.

“Don’t you agree?”

You wanted to disagree, in fact you wanted to yell at him for cutting up such a beautiful gown. But hungry excitement flooded your veins.

“Loki…” You whispered out a warning. You wanted to say more, tell him that this game had gone too far - but the yearning for more clawed through your chest and down through your lower half. Something else told you this wasn’t a game anymore. Your tongue flitted over your lips - Loki’s eyes falling to them - watching as you bit back the words you truly wanted to say.

“Oh mea columba,” He practically groaned out - his voice coated with desperation, “As much as I love seeing you in gold and green, I think I’d much prefer you with nothing on.” As he spoke, his hand on your upper thigh crawled farther up - reaching the hem of your panties.

A soft whimper escaped your lips as his cold fingers played with the hem “If that pleases you, My Prince.”

As the words left you, his gaze shot to yours. His eyes glowed with hunger, so much so that even you could see that he was starving.

“What would please me, is the idea of you never wearing another man's arm -” He paused, his fingers slipping under the hem, his hand grasping the side of your hips. He lowered, his lips finding your jaw - you stretching your neck to give him access. The kisses started slowly, giving you time to move your hands around to his neck and lowering them further down his chest.

“However,” he began again - his lips now lowering down to your neck “You can wear my colors-” He stopped again, his teeth now grazing your collarbone, unbeknownst to you his piercing gaze stared up at you, “As long as I get to claim you as mine.”

You shuddered at his words, realizing this was not a game anymore. This was desire. Your hands found the back of his head once more, his once styled and slicked back hair was now a mess - his natural curls now showing through.

The goosebumps that raised on your flesh was telling enough for Loki, he smirked against your skin. Straightening himself into a stand, all the while kissing you feverishly up your neck and collarbone.

Tightening his grip upon your hip - hovering his lips just breaths away from yours he spoke, “Should we take this to my bed chambers then,” he paused, his sensual gaze now upon yours, “My lady?”

You gazed up at him through your lashes - your body warm with desperation, with the want - no - the need, for more.

“Please-” the plea was barely a word, but instead a hushed moan that you couldn’t control.

At the sound Loki’s eyes flashed - both hands now at your hips, lifting you from the railing. His arms wrapped around you, flushing you against him. You barely had time to register the green particles that surrounded you both, before your head was upon a pillow and soft silk sheets beneath you. Loki’s arm released you gently as he leaned back, now straddling you.

He whipped his hair back, brushing it away from his face as he took a steadying breath, his eyes finding yours again. You noticed he no longer wore gold armour, but just his shite undershirt and black pants that he wore underneath.

Your heart seemed to stutter as you watched him, his biceps flexing as he moved to unbutton half of his shirt. His sensual gaze looking you up and down, sending shivers through your spine, and velvet through you.

You watched silently as he dropped his head into hands, a deep sigh wracking his body. Shoving your paperwork aside, you rest your hand on his forearm, your concern evident on your face. He looked up at the contact, a small sad smile on his lips.

"Are you alright?" you asked, searching his eyes for anything that might clue you in on why he was acting so out of character. You waited in silence as he gathered his thoughts.

"I... do not think I am a good person," he finally replied.

The confession hung heavily in the air, the following silence deafening as he waited for you to form a response.

"What makes you say that?" was what you finally settled on. His brows furrowed as looked up to meet your gaze.

"I... hurt people. With no regard for their feelings. And I do not even dwell on it. I just do it," he mumbled softly, scrubbing his hands over his face once again.

"Ah. Memory cell?" you asked, knowing exactly where this conversation was going. He nodded sullenly as he ran a hand through his hair in a halfhearted attempt to tame the tangled curls.

"Want to tell me about it?" you asked, hoping he would take the opportunity to open up. His eyes shifted, looking around the less-than-private workspace.

"Not here."

You nodded and stood, taking his hand in yours as you led him to through a maze of hallways to your room. You pulled him through the door into your small quarters and gestured for him to take a seat on your bed, pulling the chair from your modest desk to sit face-to-face.

You tried to focus on the issue at hand rather than the fact that Loki was here in your room on your bed, tucking your hands under your crossed legs to prevent him from noticing their slight nervous tremor.

"Talk to me", you said gently, breaking the silence. He took a shaky breath.

"Back home, I am not exactly... well-liked. I do not have many friends. The few people who tolerate me only do so because of their loyalty to my brother. I did something especially cruel to one such friend..."

You reach your hand to bridge the gap between the two of you, resting it on his knee. Your heart skipped a beat as he gently took your hand in his.

"I cut off her hair and she... confronted me."

He paused again, clearly unsure if he should continue.

"What did she say?" you asked, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

"That I deserve to be alone", he mumbled, "and that I always will be."

Sadness squeezed sharply at your heart, aching for him.

"That's not true," you said softly before he stood and turned to face away from you, hands on his hips. He let his head fall to stare down at the floor.

"What if it is?" he asked, his voice thick with emotion.

"Loki..." you trailed off, standing to place a comforting hand on his back. "You're not alone. And you definitely don't deserve to be."

He turned to face you once again, looking down at you with a pained expression.

“How can you believe that?”

The question knocked the air from your lungs. Sure, he had a record of… general mischief, but you had seen his file; he cared so deeply for those closest to him. Surely a few lapses in judgment did not negate that entirely.

“Because I know you. You’re caring and ambitious and so intelligent.”

You take a step closer to him, grasping his forearms for emphasis.

“And maybe you’ve done some things you regret but you’re still you. And I happen to like you a lot, Loki.”

You paused, heart thundering in your chest as you realized what you had just confessed. You bit the inside of your cheek as you waiting for him to break the silence that had stretched between you. You let your hands drop to your sides as he remained quiet, a contemplative look on his face.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—you don’t have to-“ your stuttering sentence was cut off as you were pulled against his chest, his arms wrapping themselves around you tightly. You slowly brought your arms up to wrap around his torso, feeling his chin tuck itself against the top of your head. You stayed that way for a few long moments, allowing yourself to hold him as long as he needed.

“Thank you,” you heard him say quietly from above.

The emotion in his voice tugged at your heart. You had never seen him like this. Since his arrival at the TVA he had been combative and noncompliant, causing Mobius and your shared higher-ups quite a bit of grief. And yet you found yourself liking him more and more as time went on. You couldn’t help but see the best in the unruly god before you.

And it didn’t hurt that he was tall, dark, and handsome.

Loki finally pulled away, slipping his hands awkwardly into his pockets as he looked down at you.

“Perhaps I should ah… take my leave. I wouldn’t want to impose…” he trailed off as he made his way to your door, reaching for the knob.

“Loki?”

He paused.

“Yes?”

“You can stay… if you’d like. I’m done for the day and I could use the company,” you offered, knowing he would never accept the offer unless he felt like it was at your request.

His hand dropped from the doorknob as a soft smile appeared on his lips.

“I think I would quite like that.”

You smiled as he returned to his place on your bed. You sat next to him, crossing your legs under you.

“Tell me about your home,” you said, offering him a lifeline to keep the conversation moving along.

“Well… what would you like to know?”

You thought for a moment.

“What is the food like? Do Asgardians hold balls? Did you have many suitors?”

He laughed softly at the barrage of questions, looking down at his hands.

“The food is nice. Mostly smoked meats, fruits. Mead, of course. The occasional ball. No… official suitors,” he replied, shifting to lean back against the wall.

“What about a girlfriend? Boyfriend?” you press, a stab of jealousy making its way into your forethoughts.

“I am not overly familiar with your Midgardian courting terms…”

“Girlfriends and boyfriends are like… romantic partners. But you’re not married or anything. Just… together,” you explain, your cheeks beginning to burn.

“Ah. No, no girlfriend or boyfriend or anything.”

“I find it hard to believe that a prince does not have a partner of some kind. A… courtship maybe?”

A sly smile makes its way across his face.

“I’ve had my escapades,” he replied, leaving it at that. “And you?”

The flush on your cheeks intensified.

“No… nothing like that,” you admitted, thoroughly embarrassed by your lack of romantic connection.

Loki shifted again, sitting up to lean closer to you.

“Nothing? I find that hard to believe.”

You shrugged, heart picking up speed at his increased proximity.

“There’s not much time for that when you’re partly responsible for the continuation of the Sacred Timeline,” you replied.

He leaned forward ever so slightly, his eyes pinning yours.

“We appear to have some time,” he quipped quietly.

“We?”

“If you’ll have me…” he trailed off, eyes flicking down to your lips. Your heart thundered, mind going blank. After a moment’s hesitation, you forced yourself to nod.

Your mattress squeaked quietly as he leaned forward to ghost his lips over yours. You closed your eyes as you felt his hand cup the side of your face. You let him take control, relishing in the feeling of his mouth claiming yours. He pulled away slightly, resting his forehead against yours.

“Did you mean what you said before?” he asked, voice barely above a whisper. You nodded quickly, anxious to be kissing him again. He obliged, claiming your lips once more as he gently pressed you back against your duvet.

His tongue caressed your bottom lip, requesting access. You slid a hand up into his hair, opening your mouth for him as he pressed his chest against yours. His hand slid from your hip up to your neck, encircling it softly.

Feeling him harden against you, you pressed your hips up against his, rocking up into him slightly. You heard his breath hitch slightly, a silent moan catching in your throat. His hand fumbled with the zipper of your TVA-issued jacket before sliding it off your shoulders.

You wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling him down flush against you. The feeling of his body pressed against yours-

“Loki!”

You flinched as a muffled voice called his name from the other side of your door.

Mobius.

Loki’s lips left yours, beginning to make their way down your jaw to your sensitive neck.

“Loki,” you sighed, not wanting this moment to end.

“He can wait,” was his quiet reply.

A loud banging on your door startled him out of his reverie.

“Apparently not,” he muttered.

He sat up, straightening his shirt and tie before offering you a hand and pulling you upright. You flushed at the sight of your disheveled uniform and his hair freshly mussed from your ministrations.

“How do we tell her?”, Fandral asks Thor in the observatory. They just arrived back from Vanaheim and to say that they were all dreading what was coming next was an understatement. 

Thor looked to his friend, worry filling his eyes, “I do not know. From my understanding of fated ones…she should already know.”

It was supposed to be a quick diplomatic visit but everything went horribly wrong when Thor was found with the Prince of Vanaheim’s betrothed early this morning. Loki begged him not to get involved with her but he just wouldn’t listen. His cock making all of the decisions. 

As they make their way through the great halls, they hear the sounds of sobbing echoing throughout. 

“No.”, Thor breaks out in to a run to the open door at the end of the hall. The door that leads to Loki and Y/N’s chambers. When Thor arrived at the door, closely followed by Sif and the Warriors Three. As soon as they enter the seating area and make their way to the bedroom they see you and your young daughter Mina, who just celebrated her seventeenth name-day not mere weeks ago. 

Mina is holding onto her mothers hand. 

Without looking away from your face she takes a deep breath before she speaks, “Grandmother had to give her a tonic. She was…inconsolable…

She finally looks over to Thor, more tears falling down her pale face. A beautiful combination of her mother and father, tainted by grief. “What happened to my father?..”

Thor looks at his niece miserably then looks over to his friends that have followed him to hell and back, “leave us.”

Sif gives him a nod but then looks over to Mina, “I am so sorry Princess. If there is anything you require…”

“Thank you Lady Sif. I will extend your condolences to my mother.”

Sif nods and motions for the rest of the party to leave. Mina turns her attention back to you, trying to erase the memory of the last few hours. The moment the bond broke it was like half of your soul left your body. The moment Loki died a part of you died with him. 

Thor walks over to Mina and places a hand on her shoulder, “do you wish to wait to speak of this?”

Mina shakes her head, “no, I want to know how my father died.”

Thor removes his hand from Mina’s shoulder and takes a seat in a chair by the vanity on the wall across from your bed where you lay unconscious. He looks down at his hands and takes a deep breath, but before he can start speaking of what happened, Frigga walked through the door. Odin along with her, she was holding his hand like he was the only thing keeping her grounded, like if she let him go everything would go along with him. Thor looked at his devastated mother, “mother..father..I..I had come to speak with Y/N.”

“Yes. To speak of how my father has died.”, Mina interrupts.

Thor looks back to his niece, “Mina..your father. He died protecting me…

“Protecting you from what?”, she asks, no emotion behind her voice.

Thor looks down at his hands again, “I..when we arrived I had caught the attention of one of the ladies of their court..”

“Oh Thor..”, Frigga’s head bows down in disappointment.

“Loki warned me. He told me that she was betrothed to one of the Princes, but I did not listen…when the lady and I were found in a…compromising position..they sent the guard after us. We called for the Bifrost but..we were too late. Prince Valendi cast his dark magic straight for my heart but Loki…Loki forced me to the ground and took the blow himself..I was sure to grab his body before we were taken back to Asgard.”

The silence in the room was deafening.

No one made a sound.

No one moved an inch.

“Thank you uncle.”, Mina leans down and kisses your forehead. “I want to be informed as soon as she wakes.” The healer nods, Mina stands and looks to her uncle. “Take me to my fathers body please.”

“I don’t think that is a good idea Mina.”

“Take me to my father. Please.”

Frigga steps in between Mina and Thor, taking Mina’s hand in hers, “darling girl. Let the healers prepare your father. I know he would not want for you to see him in such a way that would cause you distress.”

“Take. Me. To. Him.”, Mina repeats herself calmly, her voice not going above a respectable volume. She learned at a very young age that she can get her point across a lot easier if she speaks in a calm manner as apposed to yelling and throwing a fit. Her mother used a very similar tone with her father and it was usually the only time she actually saw him afraid of anything. 

Thor looked at his niece with the same type of fear.

“Alright.”, Thor nods and turns to leave your shared rooms with Loki, Mina following close behind. They walk in silence until they arrive at the door standing between her and her fathers lifeless body. Thor looks at Mina one last time before he opens the door, “are you certain?”

Mina takes a deep breath and nods, “yes.”

Thor looks at Mina and then opens the door.

She takes a step forward and then abruptly stops, like all of the courage she had on the way here immediately left her body as soon as she saw her fathers lifeless one. The intake of breath she took was so loud it made Thor’s heart break a little bit more. She takes a moment to collect herself but then starts to move forward again. All Thor can see is the little girl that grew up running around the halls. The laughter from his memories echo in his head but are quickly interrupted by the sound of Mina’s anxious breathing. 

Her whole life is about to change..

Mina finally arrives at the bed that is cradling her fathers body. His eyes are closed but he doesn’t look peaceful. He had a slight furrow in his brow. Like he was worried about something when he took his last breath. Maybe he was thinking of them when he died. Maybe his last thought was what was going to happen to you and his precious baby girl when he died.

It broke her heart. 

The idea that her dad died worried about his family. 

That he didn’t die surrounded by people that love and care for him. 

Holding his chosen ones hand. 

Mina looks over her fathers body and she sees the wound that took his life. A hole in his chest where his heart should be. Where she would lay her head down when she was sick and the sound of her daddy’s heartbeat was the only thing that would comfort her. The place where her mother would place her hand when she was feeling pride or joy. The need to touch her chosen powerful, a necessity.

She looks to his hands but they too are covered in blood. Of all of the things that stick out to her, that all of a sudden seemed to bother her the most in that moment. Her father was always clean. He would never want to be seen with his hands in such a state. She looks around and sees a small fountain with running water and a few healers waiting along the wall, awaiting the moment they are instructed to begin preparing his his body for his journey to Valhalla.

“Could someone fill a bowl with warm water for me please. And I will need rags as well.”

“Mina. The healers will see to him.”, Thor beseeches.

She shakes her head, “my mother would be doing this herself if she were able, but she is not. Nothing will be done to my father before my mother has a chance to say her goodbyes and prepare her fated to her liking.”

Thor wanted to argue but he felt a hand on his shoulder, he looks down and sees Frigga staring up at him. She shakes her head, silently telling him to let her be.

Frigga moves to stand next to her granddaughter and then looks at her son. Her beloved baby boy. She loved him as soon as Odin placed him in her arms. She secretly wanted another child but knew that Odin was content with his golden son. Loki was the answer to her prayers and here he was now.

Gone.

She combs her fingers through his hair, the same thing she used to do when he was a boy. He hadn’t let her do it in quite some time. A part of her expects him to open his eyes and this would all just be another trick that Loki would have to file in the never do again pile. 

But no. His eyes would not be opening.

His eyes would never open again, never to show the mischievous gleam or pure joy of causing chaos yet again. Or the look of pure love when he looked at his wife and daughter.

Frigga looks to her left and sees Mina staring at her father, her eyes now bloodshot red. Frigga doesn’t know if it’s from her Jotun form slipping to the surface or if they are red from tears. Now that she’s thinking about it, she doesn’t even remember seeing the girl blink. 

“Mina.”, Frigga tries to get her attention.

“Hmm?”

“My girl. Will you look at me?”

She shakes her head, “with all do respect grandmother. I have centuries to look at you. I now only have mere moments to see my fathers face. I fear by the time I see him again in Valhalla I might not recognize him. I’m fighting the urge to close my burning eyes to try and remember the sound of his voice in this moment but I refuse to lose even a glance.”

She proves her point because when a healer brings over the requested bowl of warm water and rags. She doesn’t break her line of sight from Loki’s face. She thanks the healer politely but doesn’t move to grab the materials left for her.

Frigga looks at her confused but then realizes her granddaughters conflict. 

Frigga walks to the tray that was set on the foot of the bed and dips one of the rags in the warm water. She wrings in out and places it in Mina’s hand.

Mina goes for his hands first and Frigga can’t help but notice the shake to Mina’s hand as she begins to wipe the blood away. His pale skin starting to show through, when Mina finally spoke again Frigga jumped slightly.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”,Frigga smiles sadly. She looks over to Thor who has tears streaming down his face. “My son. Why don’t you check on Y/N? She should have family with her when she wakes.”

Thor nods and leaves the room, Frigga turns her attention back to Mina who has moved on to Loki’s neck since his hands were now clean. The blood has been long dried and is getting harder to remove but Mina refuses any assistance. She begins to remove Loki’s chest plate but Frigga could not let her move forward. She places her hands on top of Mina’s to halt her progression.

“Mina. He would not want for you to see this.”

Mina doesn’t respond, she lightly shoves Frigga’s hands off of hers and just continues to fumble with Loki’s armor.

“Mina.”, Frigga tries to get her attention again.

Mina once again ignores Frigga’s attempts at distraction, especially when she finally gets Loki’s chest plate off and all that stands between her and his fatal wound is a thin undershirt. The bits of his chest she could see were covered in blood or were red and inflamed from the wound.

“I thought he would be blue.”, Mina whispers to herself.

Frigga ignored her statement, “Mina. Allow the healers do the rest.”

Mina ignores her grandmother and moves to remove her fathers shirt but that is when Frigga decides to intervene. Once again, she places her hands on top of Mina’s, stilling her movements, “I cannot let you do this child. I’m sorry. I know you wish to take care of your father but I knew my son well. And I know deep down in my soul that he would not want for you to see him this way. When the healers have cleaned him, they will give us time with him to say our goodbyes. But I will not allow this to be the image that is seared into your mind. I will not have you remember him this way. Please Mina. I beg of you. Go sit with your mother. She will need you now. More than ever.”

Mina finally looks over at Frigga, “I don’t want to leave him. I don’t want to let go.”, she finally blinks and tears cascade down her cheeks.

Frigga reaches out and rubs a tear away, “I know. But he wouldn’t want you to cling to him so. He would want you to take care of your mother, to be there for her. You are the only piece of him that she has left.”

Everyone wondered why you and Loki never had another baby. Honestly, you both just wanted time for yourselves as a family of three. The beauty of being alive for centuries is that you could take your time raising your babies, large age gaps between children was not uncommon on Asgard. You and Loki had actually spoken recently about adding to your family. It looks as though it was not meant to be.

Mina looks back to Loki’s face and then back to his hand that she is clutching in hers. She stands and kisses the back of it and lays it back down on his side. She leans over and kisses his forehead and whispers something only meant for her and her daddy. She looks to Frigga and nods and they both stand to move out of the room so the healers can finally cleanse Loki’s body. Frigga walks Mina back to Loki and your rooms, her arm wrapped protectively around her shoulder. When they arrive they see Thor sitting in the chair that Mina was once sitting in, he looks to Mina and Frigga nervously, not sure if she wants to be in his presence.

Thor stands, “Mina. Your mother has been stirring. Eir believes she will wake soon.

Mina nods and sits down in the chair that Thor had just moved out of. She takes your hand in hers and cradles it to her chest after placing a kiss on the back of it. Just like she did to her fathers hand, only this time she knows her mother will wake to return to gesture.

Thor looks to Frigga who motions for him to meet her by the door. Thor nods and they both quietly make their way to the hallway outside of your bedroom. “Has she spoken?”

Frigga shakes her head, “barely. It took much convincing to get her to leave him to the healers. I fear what Y/N’s state of mind will be when she wakes. I don’t know if Mina will survive losing both of her parents.”

Odin rounds the hallway, “my son. I need you to debrief the council on what transpired on Vanaheim. We need to convince the nine that this incident will not lead to war.”

Thor nods, “yes father.”, he hugs Frigga and then leaves his parents to make his way to the council chambers.

“Have you been to see him?”, Frigga asks Odin after Thor is well enough away.

Odin nods, “what a mess. My heart breaks for Mina. We will have to keep a close eye on Y/N. The loss of one’s fated…”

“I know. I will speak with Idunn, maybe she has some insight into what we can do for Y/N..if anything.” Frigga looks back into the room where Mina is sitting with her mother, anxious about what’s to come in the next few days.

“We must begin making preparations Frigga. The funeral will take days to plan and announce.”, Odin reminds Frigga, snapping her out of her thoughts.

“I know. Just..give me until tomorrow. I will start making arrangement tomorrow.”

Odin squeezes her shoulder lovingly and then leaves her by the door, knowing she was going to stay vigil by your bedside until you wake.

After a few hours of sitting with you, you finally opened your eyes.

“Mina?”, you see your daughter asleep by your side. She’s sat in a chair, her body slumped over the hand that is holding yours on your bed. When she doesn’t respond to you, you give her a little shake, “Mina…”

Mina finally sits up, she blinks trying to clear the bleariness from her eyes, “Mom?”

You nod and then close your eyes, the last thing you remember was a snap and a whooshing sound. You remember feeling sick. You remember feeling hot. Then feeling cold. And then nothing. 

Like someone vacuumed half of her soul out of her body.

No one had to tell you what it was.

You knew Loki was dead.

You knew because whenever you would close your eyes you would hear the sound of his heart beating. Yours beat the same rhythm. Like right now?..silence. You hear nothing but the sound of your own breathing and your own broken heart.

The sound of your eternal loneliness. 

Mina squeezes your hand, “Mom. You with me?”

You nod, “yea..sorry. How long have I been out?”

“Almost 24 hours…Mom…the healers were here not too long ago, they said that when you wake up..you can go see dad…

Your body froze.

Were you ever going to be ready to say goodbye to your fated one? The love of your life? The man you thought you had centuries with?…

You look to your daughter who is a spitting image of Loki and you knew in that moment that you had to be strong for her. Loki would want you to reach for him through Mina and pour all of your love and comfort into her. That will be how you survive. 

You reach out and rub Mina’s cheek, “let’s go see Daddy baby.”

After Eir said it was ok for you to walk, you and Mina made your way to where they had Loki’s body. Waiting for all of the rites and rituals before he is sent off to Valhalla.

The guards at the door open it and you and Mina step through. There in the middle of the room, on top of a golden slab was Loki. He was laying on top of a bed of green and gold flowers, small gifts and offers from people in the palace to wish Loki a safe travel to his eternal resting place. His hands are folded on top of his chest where his half helm is gently placed.

Mina moves the helm off of his hands so you could reach out and hold one, as soon as your hand touches him you feel your soul reach out. Like it was holding out a hand for Loki to hold but there was no hand reaching back.

And this is how it will forever be. Her soul reaching out for its other half but never being able to grasp it.

“Can I have a minute with your dad?”

Mina nods and gives you a kiss on the cheek, “I’ll be right outside.”

You nod and watch her leave the room, making sure she closes the door behind her. You turn your attention back to your husband.

“Hey honey. You’re a real asshole for dying on me this soon. You told me you were going to be there for me to annoy for centuries now you’ve left your poor daughter as the sacrificial lamb..real selfish of you.”

 The humor coming out of your mouth can’t stop the tears coming down your face and the joking mood you were just feeling is now turning into red hot anger, “how can the Norn’s be this cruel? How could they force us together to then just do something like this? Break us apart so quickly like it was nothing but a sadistic game for them. To take him away from Mina?!”

You comb your fingers through his hair, “..how could they take you from me?!…

You rip yourself away from him and the next thing you know you are screaming at him, “how could you leave me? How could you leave Mina?!”

Closing your eyes and taking a deep breath you look back to your husband and walk back to his side, your hands go back to his hair, “what am I supposed to do without you?”

“Mom?”

You didn’t hear Mina come back into the room, you quickly wipe your face, “hey..sorry..”

Mina smiles at you sadly, “it’s ok…Grandma is waiting outside..she wants to see you.

You nod, “ok…”, you turn your body back to Loki making it clear that you had no intention of leaving his side.

Frigga approaches you slowly, “hello darling..”

The door closes you and Frigga inside of the room so Mina takes the opportunity to go somewhere she has been dying to go since all of this started.

Her dads personal library.

Luckily for her, Mina was one of three people her dad trusted with the enchantment to get into his workroom. Mom had her painting room and dad had his workshop/library. He had so many amazing books, most of which you couldn't find anywhere else anywhere in all of the nine. 

A lot of them are also forbidden.

Especially the one she is currently looking for.

When Mina gets through Loki’s traps she finally gets into his workroom and passes his weapons and his dress armor. The armor he wore for special events. He wore this one for her nameday. She grabs the green cape and presses the soft fabric to her nose, taking a deep breath. It still smells lke him.

Mina closes her eyes to keep the tears at bay but when she opens them she looks over to his desk and sees the painting you had painted for him all of those years ago and the tears fell. It was the one that you painted of yours and Loki's hands holding Idunn's golden apple. The apple that changed everything.

Steeling herself again she lets go of her fathers cape and walks passed his desk to the door that leads to the library. Once she gets to the section she is looking for, she finds the book she needs to roughly pulls it from the shelf and slams it open on a nearby desk.

She quickly sits down and opens the first few pages, skimming the words, looking for the correct section.

Her finger is rapidly moving line by line. Her hand frantically flipping the pages until she slams her finger down on what she was looking for.

“There. There it is..”

Mina looks up, a plan formulating in her head. She stands up, her chair falling to the floor behind her. She slams to book closed, scoops it up and tucks it under her arm.

“I’m coming dad.”

To be continued...

Original Request From @eleniblue:

𝑻𝒉𝒆 bAbYsItTeR 𝒐𝒇 𝐀𝐬𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝

A reader x Loki

No one talks about how Loki became a babysitter.

It certainly wasn’t in any prophecy.

It started with boredom.

And six abandoned children.

Y/N was exhausted.

Single mother of six, working five jobs, surviving on caffeine and willpower. When her usual childcare fell through, she hired a babysitter through an app — a woman named Viva.

Viva was glamorous in an artificial way. Long bleached curls, sharp eyeliner, loud perfume. She talked fast, smiled wide, and seemed far more interested in her phone than in the children she’d been paid to supervise.

“Kids are easy,” she had said with a dismissive wave. “I’ll just take them somewhere fun.”

She took them to McDonald’s.

She ordered them Happy Meals.

And then she left with some punk dude who offered her more money and free WiFi. So, of course she'd abandon the kids at the local MC Donalds, which was completely empty except for the workers who weren't paying her any attention. Because why would she, a twenty one year old want to stick around and babysit six kids under five?

Loki had not intended to visit Midgard that day.

He had intended to sit in the corner of a mortal establishment, sip coffee, and enjoy the anonymity.

Instead, he noticed six children sitting alone at a long table. No adult. No supervision. One toddler trying to climb onto the table. Another shaking a soda cup way too hard it was bound to explode at any moment.

He sighed.

“Surely,” Loki muttered into his coffee, “this is none of my concern.”

One of the children made eye contact.

And it was over for him.

He was now involved.

He used subtle magic to prevent injuries. Fries that would have fallen simply hovered. A tipped chair righted itself. A spill redirected itself mid-air.

After ten minutes, one of the older kids leaned toward him.

“Are you a wizard?”

“I am many things,” Loki replied dryly.

“Our babysitter left.”

That got his full attention.

“Left?” His voice dropped, dangerously smooth. “Define left.”

“She said she had something more important to do.”

Another kid piped up helpfully, “She said we were old enough to handle it!”

The toddler was chewing on a napkin.

Loki pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Do you possess a parental contact number?”

The children, who have not yet completely grasped the concept of stranger danger, happily handed him one of their phones.

...

Y/N answered on the second ring.

“Hello?”

“Yes,” Loki said calmly, though there was a thread of frost in his tone. “Are you aware your offspring are currently unattended at a McDonald’s?”

Silence.

Then —

“What?”

Her voice cracked.

“I am with them. They are unharmed. Your hired guardian, however, is not.”

Y/N arrived fifteen minutes later, breathless and pale.

She rushed in, counting heads, checking faces, kneeling to hug each child.

Then she looked up at Loki.

He stood tall, elegant, composed — surrounded by half-eaten Happy Meals.

“I— I’m so sorry,” she said immediately. “I’m a single mom. I just needed a break. I thought she was reliable. I— I don’t know what to say.”

Loki studied her.

She looked tired. Not careless. Not cruel. Just overwhelmed.

“You may begin,” he said coolly, “by never employing that woman again.”

She nodded rapidly. “She’s fired. Absolutely fired.”

There was a pause.

One of the kids tugged Loki’s coat.

“Can he babysit us instead?”

Y/N blinked.

Loki blinked slower.

“This is absurd,” Loki began.

The toddler grabbed his finger.

He did not pull away.

“…I suppose,” he said stiffly, “I have demonstrated competence.”

And that was how Loki of Asgard became a hired babysitter and Y/Ns best friend.

Time Skip — A Few Months Later

Loki had rules.

No permanent injuries.

No sugar without purpose.

No crying unless absolutely necessary.

He was, regrettably, excellent at this.

The children adored him.

Y/N trusted him.

And once a week, he took them to McDonald’s to give her a quiet, relaxing evening at the spa.

He sat at their usual table now — coffee in one hand, a sleeping toddler sprawled across his chest.

The other five rotated between eating and the indoor play structure.

Loki was decorated.

Again.

Stickers dotted his sleeves. One glittery butterfly was pressed firmly to his cheek. Someone had drawn on his hand with washable marker.

He allowed it.

The toddler stirred against him. He adjusted automatically, one hand resting protectively along the small back.

He pretended not to notice how natural it felt.

That was when the doors opened.

The Avengers walked in.

Tony Stark, mid-sentence. Natasha beside him. Steve scanning the room automatically.

Thor stepped in last.

And froze.

“Brother?”

Loki did not look up immediately.

He took one slow sip of coffee.

Then he raised his eyes.

Yes.

He was covered in stickers.

Yes.

He was holding a sleeping toddler.

Yes.

Five other children immediately ran toward the Avengers yelling:

“Uncle Loki brought us ice cream!”

“Look how pretty we made him!”

“He uses magic to stop us from falling!”

Thor’s face went through seven emotions in three seconds.

Tony’s mouth fell open.

“…Is this a hostage situation?” Tony asked carefully.

"Should we call 911?" Bruice asked, worriedly, already pulling out his phone to dial 911.

“It is childcare,” Loki replied icily.

Thor walked closer, staring down at the toddler curled against Loki’s chest.

“…You look… content.”

“I look exhausted.”

Natasha crossed her arms, smirking. “You’ve got glitter on your jaw.”

“Do not speak of it.”

Steve blinked at the stickers. “Is that a unicorn?”

“Silence.”

The children swarmed around Loki again, one climbing into his side. Another leaning against his leg.

He did not push them away.

Thor’s smile turned soft.

“You would have made a fine prince.”

“I am still a prince.”

“With children,” Thor clarified.

Loki scoffed — but gently adjusted the toddler again when they shifted.

The door chimed again.

Y/N stepped inside.

She had come early.

And she stopped.

There he was.

Loki of Asgard — God of Mischief — covered in stickers, surrounded by happy children, carefully holding a sleeping toddler while arguing with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.

She covered her mouth to hide a laugh.

Then she didn’t bother.

A soft giggle escaped instead.

Loki looked over.

Their eyes met.

He looked faintly horrified.

She looked warm.

“You’re very good with them,” she said gently.

“I tolerate them,” he corrected.

A child hugged his leg.

He didn’t move.

Y/N smiled wider.

Thor leaned toward her conspiratorially.

“He is fond of them.”

“I am not,” Loki snapped immediately.

The toddler made a small sleepy noise and clutched his coat tighter.

Loki froze.

Carefully — so carefully — he rested his chin lightly against the child’s hair.

“…They are manageable,” he amended.

Y/N’s expression softened completely.

And in that loud, chaotic McDonald’s — Loki did not look like a villain.

He looked like their home.