Thinking about Loki with a S/O who is a local shepherd.
tags: Loki x reader, prince loki x reader, reader is human and not a giant, fluff, comedy
A/N - I wrote this out at three am. this is just a short bit I wrote out while i was working on the hc's and the one-shot for this idea. a quick translation for the nickname he gives the reader, it means "my love".
Loki claimed not to be attached to the sheep and goats you tend to every time you come down to see him. yet every single time you looked over, you would catch this man letting half of the flock climb across him like a mountain or letting the babies sleep on his coat like he was a living blanket.
It was positively adorable to see.
The ones he cared about the most in the flock were the new lambs and goats that had been born last spring. he liked watching you look after them just as much as he loved playing with them and he was impossibly gentle whenever youโd let him hold them in the palm of his hand.
it was safe to say that he got very attached to the lambs and the baby goats of your flock quite quickly. no matter how much he tried to deny it, you could see it in the way he'd have to fight back a softer smile whenever you offered to let him hold them.
they were his buddies. they mattered to you, and in turn they now mattered a great deal to him.
so much so, that on occasion he has tried to hide them from you so he could spend more time watching you care for them.
One evening, while you were getting ready to head back up the Yggdrasil tree to your farm with the flock before the sun went down, you noticed a few of the lambs and goats missing.
Scratch thatโnot a fewโmore like several were missing.
You didn't panic at first. lambs and goats tended to wander a bit when they got curious, you had nothing to worry about. at least, not until you kept coming up with dead ends when you tried retracing their steps in the snow.
eventually, once it began to sink in that something was off, you did a headcount with the help of the livestock dogs a few giants gave you awhile back. you looked through the flockโnot once, not twice, but three different times just to be positive they werenโt flopped over in the grass somewhere.
it wasn't until you circled the entire clearing and the mild panic that they wandered off into the woods began to set in, that you finally turned to Loki.
โLoki...โ you questioned, raising a brow as you noticed him holding as still as possible, โsweetheart, did you see where all the lambs wentโ"
โI have no clue! Maybe they just got hungry wandered off.โ He interrupted, his response almost too quick to escape him and a bit to strained for you not to notice.
The look on your face shifted from concerned, to knowing once you processed what he said.
Something was off.
he responded way too quickly, like heโd just spent the past few minutes preparing for that question.
turning away from the patch of grass you were looking through, your eyes narrowed a bit at him. your lips pursed and your hands rested on your hips as you focused on his expression.
Loki's lips were pressed into a thin line. a veil sweat formed on his brow from how intensely you stared at him. he struggled to keep himself from turning away from facing you. His hands were clenched into fists at his sides like he was trying to focus his energy into something, and despite the bandages wrapped tightly around his eyes, you swore his eyes might have been darting back and forth.
you knew that look.
The lack of movement of his head had your brows raising, and the sight of some of your livestock dogs staring intensely up at his helmet may have given you a hint as to where the lambs and goats were hidden.
โLoki..โ you chided, snow crunching under your feet as you approached the giant. placing your hand on his boot, you gestured up towards his head with a mitten covered hand, "why aren't you looking down at me?"
Loki swallowed the lump in his throat as he ever so carefully tilted his head just a little to the right. you swore you could hear what sounded like tapping along the metal of his helmet when he attempted to turn his head.
"Sorry about that, elskan.." he replied, clearing his throat as he tried to take on his usual tone, "I think I may have pulled a muscle in my neck. besides why would I need to look down at you when I can hear you from right hereโ"
The sound of lamb bleating interrupted him.
A beat of silence passed over the both of you.
Before the bleating came again, this time with more calls joining the one.
Loki's jaw snapped shut at the cacophony filling his ears, practically forgetting the rest of what he planned to say as he froze on the spot. by that point, he knew his plan had been foiled. now, all that was left for him to wait for was the lecture.
you didn't have to say anything.
he got caught before his scheme could work itself out.
because not even three seconds later, the tiny taps of hooves clinking against metal filled the air. A soft sound that was shortly accompanied by the sight of a dozen lambs and baby goats poking their heads over the rim of his helmet.
a mixture of relief and utter wonder at the sight was written on your face.
you simply just stared at the scene in silence for a good few minutes. silently processing the sight of your partner, a prince of giantsโa man who was so feared among fellow that they cried out in fear at the mention of his nameโlooking down at you with an expression on his face that made him seem like he was a fox caught robbing the hen house. all with a dozen or so lambs hidden away on his head.
you had so many questions as to how they even managed to climb up there, or if it was even possible for them to do so without you noticing them.
you blinked at him once.
Then twice.
and finally, a third time, before you sucked in a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh.
"Lokiโฆ" you huffed, giving the giant you adored so deeply a pitying look, "honey, you know they have to leave before the sun goes down."
Loki's face scrunched up into a mixture of embarrassment and defiance. his long magenta hair swayed in the wind as he tilted his head back so the little ones wouldn't fall down to the ground below, just managing to keep his head in a position that would still allow him to make eye contact with you.
he was a stubborn man. sweet, but nonetheless stubborn. you knew in your gut that he wasn't going to hand over the lambs and goats easily.
"It hasn't even started setting yet." he claimed with a confident tone, gesturing with his finger towards the tree line, "it would be too late for you to walk back anyways, sweetheart. just spend the night here like last time."
your head turned in the direction he had pointed to.
"โฆ.Loki the sun is literally going down over the tree lineโ"
"THE STARS AIN'T OUT YET, DAMMIT! WE GOT ANOTHER THIRTY MINUTES."
eventually, you ended up caving and deciding to camp out with your flock next to the tree he had been chained to.
Not that you minded much. falling asleep nestled on Loki's shoulder, listening to his mighty heartbeat against your ear and the low rumble of his voice as he quietly watches over your sleeping form and the dozens of sheep and goats curled up at his feet by the fire.
That was something you wouldn't trade for gold.
