#swigs

Not being able to feel your fingertips started to become quite the burden as you fiddled with the controls on the coffee machine to switch it to the hot chocolate mode Tony had added (only after pestering him about it countless amounts of times) in an attempt to warm yourself up.

As the milk and chocolate poured from the machine into the cup, you wrapped the thick, fluffy blanket you had draped around your shoulders tighter around yourself. Your toes were currently suffering from the same numbed curse as your fingers despite four pairs of socks and you thought of how wonderful it would be to be huddled up next to a toasty fire and defrost your frozen appendages, when you suddenly remembered the fireplace that had been installed in Tony’s liquor room (a strange place for a fireplace, but Tony had claimed it added to the ‘ambience’ of the room). As soon as the machine was done spouting the hot milk and liquid chocolate, you gave it a good stir. The heat of the beverage helped to regain feeling in your hands as you wrapped your fingers around its warm caress and started heading over to the liquor room.

The room itself was decorated to look the same age as some of the older alcohols it contained. Cabinets and racks filled the walls of the room and the liquors that were stored in them were sorted into type and age. The youngest liquors were placed at the top and the oldest could be found closer to the bottom. As for furniture, there was a single large couch that you could see the back of when entering, and it was placed in front of the fireplace accompanied by a beautifully carved coffee table complete with lavish coasters and an extravagant rug placed beneath it. Of course the room wouldn’t be complete without a bar, just right of the mantelpiece.

You approached the double doors of the room, hoping and praying that Tony had left it unlocked and to your delight the door gave way to your push, letting out a creaking moan in protest. You were contemplating trying to start a fire through the traditional method of lighting a few pieces of paper that would eventually catch onto larger piece of kindling or just pouring a bottle of vodka over the logs and setting it alight, when to your surprise, the fire was already lit and the only source of light in the room. You quickly noticed the silhouette of someone who was rather large sitting at the left end of the couch, their right hand draped over the back of the seat, and left hand holding half a glass of red wine. It didn’t take long to figure out who it was.

“Ah my dear, you caught me red handed.”

“You told me you had stolen Tony’s alcohol just once.” You said while walking over to the couch.

“Is it really stealing if he’s never going to notice?” Loki said before bringing the glass up to his lips to take a small sip and swilling the red liquid over his palette to savour the taste. “Besides, I wasn’t lying to you at the time. This is in fact the second time I have stolen a swig.”

A frigid night like this was Loki’s optimal temperature given his Jotun heritage. He was wearing just a green v neck and sweatpants which you had convinced him to buy when you went on a search for a new wardrobe for him that didn’t make him look like he was attending a renaissance fair. As for the fire, you remembered him telling you that despite being one for the freezing elements, he had an unsung appreciation of fire and it reminded him of celebrations held on what once was Asgard.

“Never knew you were a wine person.” You said, now sitting on the opposite side of the couch.

“Well it’s not quite as strong as Asgardian liquor, but I was never one to drink with the intention of losing my inhibitions and this stuff is rather rich in flavour.” He said while observing the wine left in the glass.

“I’ve never really been much of an alcohol kinda person in general, as you can probably see,” you said while slightly raising your mug enough to draw his attention to it. “I guess it’s just a taste I have yet to acquire.”

“Ah yes, I don’t recall finding the taste of liquors appealing until I was about 950. Even now my tastes are still evolving.”

You chuckled. “Oh yeah, Norse god, how could I forget.” You said, grinning at him. Loki smiled in response.

“Oh speaking of which, I appreciated my honourable mention from Gabriel in that TV show we’ve been watching. Though I still think the idea of archangels is preposterous.” Loki said, taking another sip.

“Funny how you’re from another realm entirely, yet you find the existence of angels hard to believe. Also, you’ve been watching it without me?!” You exclaimed, pretending to be more offended than you actually were.

“You told me that you’ve watched that show a countless amount of times. Besides, I was bored and I finally managed to figure out how that blasted viewing system works.”

“I wish I could have been there to see an a thousand year old god struggle with Netflix.” You said and giggled at the thought.

You both sat in a comfortable silence while sipping your drinks and staring at the fire, its flames dancing and leaving flickering shadows along the walls of the room. Sensation began to return to your toes because of the delightful heat provided by the fire as you lifted you legs to rest them on the table before you. Loki turned to you after about a minute or so.

“(Y/N), my dear. Tell me a secret.”

“Loki, darling, you already know all my secrets.”

Over the past few months, you had developed an unusual relationship with the trickster. You had been telling each other little secrets about yourselves and for you it had become a form of release. You felt rather relieved knowing that Loki didn’t care enough to tell anyone and that he trusted you to do the same.

“Lying to the god of lies won’t get you very far, my dear.” He said lowly, giving you a knowing look. You sighed in defeat. He was right.

“Fine. I uh, well…I’m self conscious about my chest…” You said, looking away from his gaze down at your fingers that were fidgeting around the mug.

“Why? What’s wrong with it?” He asked. You looked up in time to see him shoot a quick glance down at your chest and you felt heat quickly rising to your cheeks.

“Well uh…It’s just that…there’s practically nothing there. I don’t have shapely breasts like, say, Natasha. My boobs are super small and I can’t help but wonder if that’s why I’m never considered as a romantic interest.”

“Oh (Y/N), the size of your breasts do not make you any more or less of a woman. It’s unhealthy to be comparing yourself to others. Anyway, a man who pursues women based on the size of their chest is shallow, undeserving of a woman’s time and attention and quite frankly undeserving of the title of a man.” Loki said sternly while looking you in the eye. “And as for romantic interests, it’s quite bold of you to say that no one has ever viewed you in that way. I’m more than confident in saying that I’m sure that’s not true.” He winked at you and took a larger swig of wine from his glass.

You opened your mouth about to ask what he meant by that, but you were interrupted by the door, that had been left ajar, opening fully and flooding the room with the light from the hallway. The figure that walked in proceeded to turn the light in the room on and your eyes adjusted to see Tony looking at the two of you, the look of anger shaping his facial features.

“Oh I’m sorry, am I interrupting your little slumber party?” Tony asked while crossing his arms to project his unamusement.

“Well, as a matter of fact…” Loki started.

“Loki…” You said, looking sternly at him. It was unwise in this situation to be aggravating Tony when he was already in a bad mood, and Loki knew that. Usually that knowledge wasn’t enough to stop him from sassing Tony, but since you were involved, he seemed to yield and took the final sip of wine from the glass.

“Is that my vintage 1978 Romanee-Conti Grand Cru Pinot-Noir you’re drinking??” Tony said, pronouncing the french words horribly wrong.

“Oh that’s what this is. My apologies, I thought it was just glorified grape juice.”

“That costs $13,000 a bottle!” Tony exclaimed, beginning to raise his voice. “Look here Reindeer games, I didn’t let you stay here just so you could break into my liquor storage and help yourself!”

“Oh please, might as well put it to good use rather than using it as a conversation starter in your little pissing contest with other rich imbeciles.” Loki snapped back, glaring at Tony who gave you a look that suggested he was about to rope you into the argument, until Loki interjected. “Stark, you can blame me all you want but don’t drag poor (Y/N) under for this. She was only here to enjoy the heat of the fire since your heating technology is so unreliable.”

“Yeah, I noticed as soon as I got back.” Tony said, this time in a calmer tone.

“Yet your first priority was to have a drink straight after getting back?” You said, stating more than asking.

“It’s my way of dealing with what I’ve seen and done. It’s hard being a hero, you know.” Tony said, rather sassily.

“Tony, dear, that’s alcoholism you’re describing, not heroism.” It was your turn to sass him.

“You know what? Fine. I’ll fix the heater then I’ll have a drink. Will that make you happy?“ 

"Yes, Tony. I’d appreciate it very much. Thank you.” You said, smiling at him. 

Tony just huffed and left the room, leaving you and Loki laughing behind him.

“I have a feeling you drink his wine for more than just the taste.” You told Loki then gulped the rest of your now lukewarm chocolate.

“What can I say? Getting a rise out of people is in my nature.” He said while chuckling and getting up off the couch. He walked over to the bar and placed his used glass on the side. “It’s getting awfully late, pet. How’s about you head to bed. Stark is going to be undoubtedly pissy tomorrow, so you’re going to need the energy to put up with his sour mood.” Loki said, turning to you and holding out a hand to help you up. You took his hand, stood up and adjusted your blanket that had started to slip off of your shoulders before placing your empty mug on one of the coffee table coasters and making a mental note to clean it up tomorrow.

“As much as I am an adult who can take care of herself, how could I turn down an escort from a god?” You giggled and earned a smile from him in response, and he held out his left arm. You bought your right arm underneath his and wrapped it around his left, and you both made your way out of the room and towards your bedroom.

It was hard to prevent the blanket from falling with your right arm occupied and the movement from walking, but you managed to keep it in place as you and Loki took your time strolling through the compound halls talking about his recent shenanigans involving the avengers and his plans to irritate the hell out of them. You came up with an idea involving tampering with the coffee machine so it made decaf and watching Tony spiral into madness by headaches and falling asleep at the most inconvenient times. Loki couldn’t help but commend you for coming up with a plan so devilish that he considered going through with it.

Eventually though, you reached the door to your room and you let out a small sigh in dismay knowing that the conversation would have to end.

“Here we are.” Loki said, letting you untangle your arm from his.

“Yeah, it’s a shame really. I could talk to you till the crack of dawn about everything and nothing.” You said, looking at Loki who grinned at your comment.

“The conversation could run dry some day, you know.” Loki replied, and you gave him an amused look.

“Well you already know all my secrets, but I’m sure we’ll find something else to discuss. Which reminds me, I wanted to thank you.”

“What ever for?” Loki asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“I guess for being that one person that I can rely on to keep my secrets. Being able to vent to you is something I really appreciate. It leaves me feeling like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders, you know?”

“Well in that case, I should be thanking you too for being my partner in crime.” Loki said while grinning. You couldn’t help but smile at the idea of sneaking around the compound with Loki and playing pranks on people.

“Okay, you really need to stop rubbing off on me. At this rate, there’ll soon be two mischief gods running around the place, and I’m sure Tony would have an aneurism if that was the case.”

“Oh but what’s a king without his queen?” Loki asked, giving you another wink before moving slightly closer so you were almost chest to chest and he took your hands in his.

“I’m not sure of how it is in this realm, but in Asgard, women were never judged by appearance. It was their strength, intelligence and personality that people took notice of and what shaped them as an individual. Something as trivial as the size of their chest didn’t affect their loving kindness or strength as warriors. You’re a strong and beautiful woman, (Y/N), and anyone who can’t look beyond physical features and see that may as well be blind.” He almost whispered, his voice dipping lower than his usual tone.

“I…thank you, Loki. I’ve never received such kind words.” You were unsure of what else to say, his mini speech had thrown you off so much.

“You’re very welcome. Now, go and tuck yourself in before you catch a death of cold.” He said, stepping back a little.

The sudden urge to hug him came over you and you jolted forward and wrapped your arms around his waist. A part of you expected him to recoil, but instead he bought his arms up to hug you back, and planted a kiss on your head. You blushed at the gesture and pulled away to look at him. 

“Goodnight, Loki.” You told him softly.