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#Tom Hiddleston/OFC
fanficshiddles · 1 year
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Addicting Temptations, Chapter 15
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Jodie was awake early one morning, before her Alphas were even awake.
She was feeling turned on, but she wasn’t really sure why. Not exactly wanting to wake them though, she decided to have a little fun of her own anyway.
She ducked under the covers and shimmied her way down the bed until she was level with their crotches. She could barely see under the covers, but could just make out the outlines of them and their cocks since they were sleeping naked.
Going to Tom first, she slowly ran her fingertips up and down the length of him. He twitched a few times, then as she wrapped her hand around him and started stroking him properly, he began to grow firmer in her hand.
She quickly took him into her mouth and the way she could feel him growing hard on her tongue was absolutely amazing, it turned her on like crazy. More than she already had been.
Hollowing her cheeks, she sucked him for a while until he was standing completely to attention, moaning softly in his sleep too. She giggled to herself as she then moved over to David to do the same. But she tried to keep one hand stroking Tom, now and then her thumb brushed up over the tip of his cock, making him twitch.
She took David’s flaccid cock into her mouth and began to suckle him softly, feeling him beginning to grow hard too. She had to squeeze her thighs together to keep herself under control, she was becoming so wet.
Unknown to her, Tom and David had woken upon feeling her mouth on them. But they didn’t let on, wanting to see what she would do. Just letting her have her fun and explore.
Her jaw did begin to ache rather quickly because of their size, but she did her best to keep alternating between them both with her mouth and hands. She learned swiftly that she got a big reaction when she would stroke their balls and also warp her hand around where their knot was while sucking the tip.
When Tom was close to cumming, his knot began to swell and he couldn’t hold back any longer while she sucked him as deep as she could, her lips touching the top of his knot. He reached down under the blanket and gripped her hair tightly, holding her mouth on him until he came down her throat with a loud growl, her small hand gripping around his knot helped aid his pleasure.
‘Oh, god… pet.’ He panted as she lapped up his entire length, not letting a single drop of his cum go to waste.
He was reluctant to let go of her hair to let her sort David out. But he knew he had to.
She did the same with David, getting a similar reaction when he came. She was so enthusiastic about it all, licking his cock clean like a lollipop.
David was lost in his pleasure when Tom reached under the blanket to grab their omega, pulling her up over the top of him.
As soon as she was up and straddling over his abdomen, she started rubbing down against him.
‘Oooo, pet. I was about to ask where all this enthusiasm came from, but it seems you are incredibly aroused.’ He purred and gripped her hips, helping her to move against his abdomen. Leaving a very wet trail on his skin.
‘So horny.’ She whimpered, her face was completely flushed and eyes blissed out.
‘We best fix that then.’ Tom lifted her up and lowered her over his cock instead, she sank down onto him and they both moaned together.
As soon as she bottomed out on him, he sat up and bit at her hardened nipples, wrapping his arms around her he thrust up into her, meeting her thrusts and making her cry out in pleasure. Then Tom flipped them over, so she was pinned under her strong Alpha while he took her, making her scream in pleasure.
Jodie couldn’t get enough of her Alphas that morning. When Tom was finished with her, his knot going down enough that his cock slipped out of her, David took his turn with her. Taking her in doggy style, one of her favourite ways.
She had become very clingy with her Alphas, so it didn’t surprise them that she draped herself over their laps most of the day after their exciting morning. She was truly theirs now, and the three of them loved it.
They ended up in the pool before dinner, Jodie enjoyed trying to beat them at races up and down the pool. Even though she was a decent swimmer now, she still struggled to beat them because of their size and strength. But deep down, she didn’t mind. She loved having powerful Alphas, in every sense.
‘We are having another of our parties in four months, kitten.’ David said as they were just floating around in the deep end of the pool.
‘Oh?’
‘And we want you on our arms, as our special guest.’ Tom continued for him.
Jodie’s eyes widened. ‘Really?’
Tom and David nodded. ‘If you want to?’ David said.
‘I’d love to!’ She grinned and rushed to them, hugging David first and then Tom, making them chuckle.
‘We love you, Jodie. Our beautiful, beautiful omega.’ Tom said as he smoothed hair back behind her ear.
She blushed and felt her heart race as David nodded in agreement, kissing the top of her head. ‘We do.’
‘I love you both, too.’ She said honestly and shyly. Making both her Alphas hearts soar in utter delight.
-
Chris came home from work one day to find a pile of mail at the door. Normally he didn’t bother reading it, not caring about much anymore after losing his omega. But a stamp on one of the letters captured his attention.
It was from H & T Health Insurance.
He ripped the envelope open and his eyes widened. It was an invite to one of their elusive parties again. Invites were sent out to every customer of their other business.
This was his chance, to see if he could finally find his omega. He had tried so hard on an almost daily basis to get into the building and to get a face-to-face meeting with the two Alpha bosses, but was always denied at the front door.
Finally, this could be his opportunity to see them. To get to the bottom of whether they had taken his omega or not.
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Y'ALL NEED TO SEE THIS PANEL
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dear-bunnyboo · 7 months
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୨⎯ Miscellaneous Masterlist ⎯୧
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JOE BURROW
✿ - fluff || ☁︎ - angst || ❣︎ - smut || ☻ - social media || ✎ - series
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐎𝐍𝐄* || A very public scandal between your ex boyfriend of three years leads you to meet the one. ✎
𝐏𝐔𝐏𝐏𝐈𝐄𝐒 & 𝐏𝐔𝐏𝐏𝐘 𝐃𝐎𝐆 𝐄𝐘𝐄𝐒 || Joe isn’t really a dog person but your daughter is and she will do absolutely anything to get her daddy to buy her one. ✿
𝐈𝐃𝐆𝐀𝐅 || You notice the Bengals' new staff member flirting with your boyfriend, however, Joe thinks that you are acting childish for saying so— you decide to show Joe that you didn't give a fuck. ✿ ☁︎ ❣︎
𝐌𝐀𝐌𝐀𝐒 || On the outside Joe was seen as serious and stoic but what they don’t see behind the scenes is the big baby you call your boyfriend. ✿
𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐋 𝐁𝐀𝐁𝐘 || Your secret boyfriend watches you as you walk the biggest runway of your life. ✿
𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐊 𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓 || Trick or Treat? Your costume got Joe asking for a treat. While the aftermath of the party makes it feel like a trick. ❣︎ ✿
𝐒𝐋𝐄𝐄𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐁𝐄𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐘 || From this slumber she shall wake, when true love’s kiss the spell shall break. ✿
𝐒𝐀𝐘 𝐘𝐄𝐒 || You just want Joe to listen to you and say yes for once. ☁︎ ✿
𝐒𝐎 𝐈𝐓 𝐆𝐎𝐄𝐒... || Who would’ve thought that seeing the prettiest blue eyes would lead to a lifetime of love and passion and so it goes… ❣︎ ✿
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MORE COMING SOON!
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dividers: @cafekitsune
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lokiusly · 4 months
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Not Tom Hiddleston saying “Lokius” and acting like he’s never heard of the ship name, acting like he’s not the FOUNDER of the Lokius fanclub 💚✨
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redfoxwritesstuff · 3 months
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Sunflower: Book 1, Chapter 1
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Tom Hiddleston x ofc (Mia Sull) Chapter 2 Masterlist Series Rating: M Chapter Warnings: Mentions of sexual health items, alcohol use, Nudity Series warnings: Sexual content, alcohol use
RPF Note- This is a fictional version of Tom Hiddleston. I have and will continue to play with the timeline of his career. All characters are fictional. Out of respect for the actual Tom, I have fictionalized his family members beyond the most basic details as well as as past romantic entanglements. Please do NOT take this romantic work of fiction as disapproval of his current relationship. He appears happy, has a family and I am happy for him. I have a hundred and one fictional versions of him in my head, I don't need the real life man single.
Summary: Las Vegas drew in people like him. Heart broken, lonely and rejected while his ex married someone else. Here he could be anyone though, flying under the radar of his skyrocketing fame.
Las Vegas was home to people like her. Lonely, broke and with the weight of the world on her shoulders. There was never enough of anything except stress. She was one of the countless faces that lived in the shadow of the glittering lights.
Two worlds collide in a drunken night neither can remember. What do you do when what happens in Vegas is a legally binding marriage contract between two strangers?
Chapter One
Shrill ringing cut through the silence. Slitting open her eyes, Mia regretted it instantly. The bright sunlight of the day stabbed her eyes without care for the pain it caused. Blindly, she groped toward the cursed sound of her phone ringing. Pawing at it, she dismissed the alarm or call or alert- what exactly she didn’t know and didn’t care at that moment. 
“Fucking hell…” It was hard to talk. Her throat felt like someone had stuffed it full of cotton balls. Her head pounded and it felt like she was floating. 
“Agreed…” she could have sworn a voice mumbled behind her. She had had far too much to drink the night before and couldn’t trust her senses.
“Where are you?” The voice was a distant squawk. It turned out that it was a call and, rather than dismissing it she had answered it. 
“Fuck.” she said again, not registering much but dragging the phone to her ear. “What?”
“Breakfast. You’re missing from it. Where are you?” It was her sister Ashley on the other end of the call. 
Breakfast… shit. Breakfast. “I’ll get right on that.”
“Where are you?” Ashley’s voice was so loud. Was the phone on speaker or was the volume punishing her for the night before?
“Hotel room?” Mia said.
“Mandalay Bay.” The voice behind her offered slightly stronger. The bed shifted under the weight of another occupant moving. The voice earlier hadn’t been a figment of her imagination after all.
“Who was that?” Ashley asked.
“I don’t honestly know.” She admitted, not caring if she hurt the occupant’s feelings but trying to keep her voice down. 
If there wasn’t a thousand angry hornets surfing on shifting sand in her skull, it may have occurred to her that admitting that while in a hotel alone- she assumed they were alone at least- with a strange man was likely not the greatest choice. 
“Tom.” The mystery man supplied as if that actually gave her any information. Did he expect her to remember him? Did he remember her?
“He says his name is Tom.” Did she even know a Tom? She had no memory of a Tom. 
“I heard.” Ashley was not pleased. She was whatever existed below highly displeased was. “Who the hell is-”
“Give me ten to fifteen, kay?” Mia didn’t give her a chance to answer before disconnecting the call. 
“What the hell happened?” It took all the strength in her body to roll from her stomach to her back. Her limbs felt like they had been replaced with sacks of potatoes. How much did I drink?
The thought was cut off when she saw him. Light brown hair was lit up gold in the offensively bright Las Vegas morning sun, defining the curl to the short stands. He had a sharp jaw peppered with morning stubble and defined cheekbones. Most importantly, he was without a shirt. Hopefully that was all the clothes missing from him. 
He held his hand up over his chest, suspended and looking at it incredulously. A Simple gold ring reflected off his left hand. 
Fuck. Her leg brushed against his as she shifted to face him. She was very much naked and anything resembling pant legs did not cover his leg. Fuckity fuck fuck. She fucked a married man. When the fuck did she sink so low?
“I think we got married?” Tom’s voice had fewer cotton balls and gravel now as he shifted again in the bed. 
“Oh thank god, you’re not married.” The words slipped out in a breath before the real meaning of his words sank in and she bolted upright. “Wait, what? Fuck.” She yanked the too thin blankets up to her naked chest as soon as the overly cold hotel room air made contact with her bare breasts. In the process, she stole blankets from the mystery Tom. His long toned thigh and hip was reveled and yep- he was naked too.
“I believe we’re married.” The words came slowly, calmly as he watched her. Absently, he tugged the blanket to cover his hip and maintain his cover, though he seemed far less concerned with potential exposure than she was. Who could blame him? His chest and abdomen were toned. No wonder she fell into bed with him. 
But marry him? She wouldn’t. She didn’t know him. And they couldn’t, anyway. “There’s no way.”
“Shall we find out?” Muscles rippled and contracted as he sat up, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. His back was as nice to look at as the rest of him. Quickly, she chastised herself for thinking that way. 
This was insanity. 
Look away, she reminded herself, as he leaned down and slipped on a pair of boxers. Before she could stop herself, she noticed how they hugged the curve of his ass. It was possible he had a nicer ass than her. 
Tom rummaged around as she tried to make a gown out of the blanket before handing her a white button-down shirt. It was too large for her and clearly was his. “Your dress is ripped down the zipper.” 
“Turn around.” 
He complied, but a chuckle slipped from him as he did so. “It’s a bit late for that, eh?” 
“We don’t know that.” It was a lie, she knew it was. Her hips ached in a way that made it impossible to lie to herself, but she sure as hell would lie to him.
“The condom in the trash over here says we did,” or maybe lying to him wasn’t an option. “It’s okay if you don’t remember- I only remember bits. We shouldn’t have.” 
“But we did.” It killed her to admit that. “Look, if we were so drunk we couldn’t remember having sex, they wouldn’t have given us a marriage license.”
“You think?” It didn’t sound like he was listening to her as he rummaged through some papers that were scattered on the floor. 
“I know, Tom- that’s your name, right? Look, these sorts of things happen in movies and books. Sure, you can walk into the clerk’s office and get a marriage license damn near 24/7 and walk out with a license within 30 minutes, but they’re trained to look for people too damn drunk to make that decision.”
“And what if I just found the paperwork?” When she faced him, he was looking at her intently and holding a stack of papers in his hand. 
“No.” He pulled the papers from her as she reached for them, eyebrow raised. 
“You don’t know me?” His whole demeanor changed with the question, body becoming rigid.
What the fuck sort of question was that? “Should I?”
“It doesn’t’ matter.” Sure, he was hot, but what the fuck was with that ‘do you know who I am?’ shit? But he seemed to relax with that answer. He didn’t look like a mafia throwback at least. 
When she reached for the papers again, he let her take them. She didn’t exactly have the right clothes on to try and climb the man to steal them if he had decided to be childish. The official papers were all there. Everything looked legit and the yellow carbon copies were present with the official white sheets missing. 
“Fuck me.” 
“I would make a joke, but I suspect now isn’t the time.” Tom cracked a slight smile, but she only returned a glare. 
“Not the time.” 
“So, are we married?” 
“I think so.” She wanted to puke. It wasn’t fair. She was so hung over and yet the adrenalin was letting her think through the shifting sands in her brain. There wasn’t anything she wanted to do more than puke in the moment, yet her mouth was dryer than the desert. 
“Maria, correct?” Tom spoke softer. “The paperwork said your name is Maria?”
“Mia,” She corrected absently. She was only Maria when someone was mad at her. “Hiddleston? That’s my new name? What the fuck kind of name is that?” Realizing how harsh her words were, she tacked on a quick, “Sorry.” 
“I can’t say none taken, but we’re under stress, so I’ll let it pass.” 
Fiddling with the ring on her finger, she stood in silence for a moment before sitting in a heap on the bed. It wasn’t her intention to insult his name, but she hadn’t expected to have woken up to a husband.
“Here.” A glass of water waved through the tears she hadn’t realized were gathering in her eyes. “You’re probably dehydrated. I know my head is pounding,  yours surely is too.” 
“Thank you.” She wasn’t aware of how thirsty she was until she took the first gulp of water to wash down the Advil he also handed to her.
“Slow down,” He cautioned, “or you’ll make yourself sick. 
Looking down at the last bit of water in the glass, she was silent as her stomach rolled. They had to do something. This shouldn’t have been able to happen. She couldn’t be married to a stranger. 
“We need to file for an annulment.” the words came out softly and silence hung in the air after. “The ring is pretty- hopefully it can be refunded. Do you think you picked it or me?” She was talking to fill the void in the room. 
“I did,” He sounded… something. Down. Perhaps the reality of the situation was weighing on him as well. “You wouldn’t have any part of picking it.” 
“You remember?” 
“Bits and pieces are coming back.” 
“You picked a nice one.” The ring fit her well, sparkling with promises fit for a princess she would never get to be. “Hopefully you can get a refund.” 
Silence again. There were no analog clocks in hotels anymore, but she could somehow still hear the ticking of a clock marking off the seconds in her soul.
“I can have Ashley, my sister, bring me some clothes and we can go get the paperwork filed.” The words were flowing out quickly, trying to fill the room. “We can get this taken care of and be done with it. You won’t have to see me again. I won’t make it dif-”
“What if we don’t?” Long nimble fingers that made her remember warmth twisted his simple band around his finger. 
“What?” Surely she didn’t hear him right.
“I was raised to believe things happened for a reason. The amount of things that should have stood in the way to prevent this- what if it happened for a reason?” He couldn’t be serious.
“So what, we just stay married?” 
“Well,” She cut him off. 
“We don’t even know eachother!” 
This was insanity. He was insane. Why would a man like him want to be married to some random woman he didn’t know? He looked like a goddamn god, surely women fall at his feet. She wasn’t special. Any woman could have fallen into his bed. It just happened to be her this time. 
“Hear me out,” He said. It was hard not to look at him. What woman wouldn’t want a tall, handsome man pleading with her while wearing nothing but his well fitted boxers? “Let’s take some time. Let’s get to know eachother. We don’t have to rush-”
“You’re actually insane.” In her exasperation, she flopped back on the bed. The hem of the shirt- his shirt- rode up her thighs, and she quickly sat back up and yanked the fabric down. “If we ‘take our time’, the window for annulment will close. Then-”
“Then we get a divorce.” He said it as if it was that simple. 
“Divorce means lawyers and court fees. I don’t exactly have shit to split but-” 
“I’m not concerned about my assets.” 
“How long do you want? A few days?” She ran her hands through her waves in frustration, but quickly yanked them down again as she felt the hem of the shirt creeping higher again. “I need some damn pants.”
“What about a year?” 
~~~~~~
Alcohol was burning in his throat even as he called for another. Ice clanked against the cold glass. Lights and sounds blinked and clanged around him and yet, thanks to the insulation, it sounded distant. Condensation dampened his fingertips.
It was childish; he knew that. He was far too grown to be drowning his sorrows in a bar. It was risky too- with the attention and influx of fans, he could only dream of it wouldn’t be unexpected for someone to recognize him. 
“Excuse me?” A soft voice called behind his shoulder. This was it, he was found out. 
“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m on per-” She slipped into the empty seat next to him. The bar was packed, and it had only recently been vacated. Though he looked at her, she had her eyes on the bartender.
“Washington apple?” She ordered.
Brown waves cascaded down her back. Were they as soft as they looked? The scent of flowers clung to the surrounding air. 
“Mia!” The bartender knew her. “Shouldn’t you have gone home hours ago?” 
“No point. I wouldn’t sleep anyway.” The glass slid into her hand with practiced coordination that gave away a history between her and the bartender.
“Why’s that?” He shouldn’t be listening in on their conversation, but the whiskey buzzed in his head, making it hard not to.
“AC is down. No one would get any sleep, anyway.” 
Tom downed his whiskey and ordered another. His ex may be getting married, but why should he spend that time alone?
“I couldn’t imagine trying to sleep here with no air conditioning.” 
~~~~~~~~~<3 Tag List:
@winterisakiller @alexakeyloveloki @jennyggggrrr @dangertoozmanykids101 @tilltheendwilliwrite @tinchentitri @wizardcherryblossom (Strikeout = couldn't tag)
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siggytumbles · 2 months
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!! ISO Loki-fic suggestions !!
Hello friends! I'm desperately craving some Loki x Princess fics (can be Sigyn/OFC/Reader/idc) and struggling to narrow down my Ao3 searches. If anyone has any suggestions, please share!
Some Themes/Tropes I like but aren't required: Arranged marriage, Jotun Loki, childhood friends to lovers, Stangers to friends to lovers, Idiots in love, pinning, slow burn, sexual tension, dirty talk, bonding over magic, equally mischievous MFC, embracing the others culture, world building, warrior-princess vibes, myth loki vibes.
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BRITISH MEN>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
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colorsunimaginable · 2 months
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the spare // chapter sixty-seven // death eater ! tom hiddleston oc x plus size ofc - voldemort wins au
story summary: 
While on a mission to avenge the death of her best friend, Ilvermorny graduate Melisa Alder finds herself in the middle of the fight to defeat Voldemort. Upon capture after the Dark Lord's triumph, she's being sold at an auction with other muggle borns and blood traitors. Her only hope is also her only bidder - the tall, dark, and handsome Thomus Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy's younger half-brother. Is he just another Death Eater or is he hiding more than just his face beneath the mask? Will she realize her true potential to be one of the resistance's greatest weapons?
*a Voldemort Wins AU with Tom Hiddleston cast as an OC x a plus size protagonist* *takes place in The Auction universe by Lovesbitca8*
words for this chapter: 8k warnings for this chapter: drinking, a wee bit of p in v
CHAPTER MASTERLIST
my lovely beta reader 💕 banner credit @cafekitsune
Chapter Sixty-Seven:
It’s the day after Christmas and I spend it overthinking, worried about this ‘gathering’ at Cliveden. To distract myself, I fiddle around with the new camera Thomus bought me. 
And I might have taken a few… dozen pictures of him. 
Okay, that might be an exaggeration, but regardless I now have images of him sitting at the kitchen table with a book, typing away at his desk on the typewriter, and even one I convinced him to take with me in the reflection of the bathroom mirror. 
“I think I’m… nervous,” I say as we’re getting ready to leave.
Thomus finishes adjusting the collar of his cloak around the collar of his sweater and gives me a curious look. “You likely have more in common with them than I do.”
I shift on my feet, clutching the Tupperware full of cookies tighter. “I highly doubt that. Ever since you told me about this party, all I can think about is the time you spanked me in front of them.” A satisfied smile spreads across his face as he chuckles and pulls a forest green knit scarf from beneath his cloak. “Are we all just supposed to pretend like that never happened?” He steps closer and loops the scarf around my neck, eyes focused on the task. “Are you even listening?”
“Of course.” His eyes snap up to mine as he flips one end of the scarf over my shoulder and the other down my front. “You have nothing to worry about.”
I release a strained groan and fidget with my Ilvermorny Christmas sweater, pulling the hem further down around my hips. “Let’s just go.”
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We Apparate straight there and I’m gonna be honest, I have no idea what to expect. The few parties Jacob Astor has hosted that I’ve witnessed have varied wildly. From a super serious Death Eater meeting about human trafficking to dancing with Thomus while high on a lust potion - you never really know. Not to mention, the usual crowd has been an unfortunate audience to my most embarrassing moments in the last six months. 
I shudder out of my thoughts while we trek to the large hosting room. The smell hits me first, cinnamon and oranges, and then I register the song playing gently from the corner of the room, Bing Crosby’s White Christmas . An Elf snaps away our outerwear as we approach the open doors.
The room is absolutely decked out . Floating candles light the room, hovering just under the high ceiling. Fake snow drifts down from a dim grey sky, fresh holly on every sconce. In the center of the room against the windows is a massive tree, covered in tinsel and twinkling lights. The grand fireplace is crackling with a delicious smelling fire. We walk closer to the tree, where people are gathered around on couches and chairs, and I can make out what lights the top of the tree... A bright, glowing Deathly Hallows mark. 
Well, that’s fucking weird.
I don’t have time to think on it further before Jacob Astor is standing before us. He looks as dashing as ever and not so surprised that I’m not currently blind. He smiles at both Thomus and me, and I wish I could tell if he’s being sincere.
“Glad you guys could make it,” Jake says cheerfully as he shakes Thomus’ hand, but he’s looking at me. 
Thomus smiles in return, looking more relaxed than he usually does when we’re out. “Wouldn’t miss it.”
As they exchange a few more pleasantries, my eyes wander beyond Jake, trying to see if there’s any familiar faces. I clock Kyle sitting near Will when Jake says something that recaptures my attention. “I see you had your very own Christmas miracle.” 
Thomus’ arm slides around my waist. “Yes, I had some very good luck.”
I don’t miss the double meaning to his words. I wanna remark about how his good luck was really my hard work, but I bite my tongue and force a shy smile as Jake turns to shake my hand as well.
Jake gestures to a food and drinks table set up along a wall. “Help yourselves. I think Will’s trying to start up some drinking games here in a minute.”
I start walking toward the table before Thomus, mostly because I’m eager to exchange this box of cookies for something with alcohol in it. Towards the desert section, I glance back over my shoulder to make sure no one but Thomus is watching me slide trays aside, making enough room for my offering. 
Finally with free hands, I scooch next to Thomus standing by the drinks. 
“Can I pour you anything?” he asks me. 
My eyes scan the bottles, then point to the one I want. “Yeah, can I get orange juice with Malibu?”
He reaches for the white bottle I pointed to and pours a double into the iced glass he’s holding. “Coconut rum?” he questions as he’s reaching for the pitcher of orange liquid. 
“It’s my go-to,” I say as I grab a coffee straw, taking the glass and stirring it once it’s full. I take a sip and it’s just right. He’s busy pouring his own glass of whiskey, but I offer him the straw anyway. “Wanna try?”
I briefly pull his eyes away from pouring as he leans down to wrap his lips around the straw. There’s just something about seeing his jaw flex like that that has me pinching myself. 
“Well, it’s certainly a combination of flavors,” he says after swallowing. 
I snort and forget what I’m about to say when I feel an arm brush my other shoulder. When I see who it is, I relax. “Oh, hi.”
Will’s eyes immediately find the box that doesn’t match the rest of the dishes and nabs one of the bright red cookies. “Oh, hi,” he teases after he takes a bite. His face is sans beard and rocking a stache now. “You guys ready to get trashed?”
“What’re we playing?” I ask, taking a few big pulls of my drink.
“Anything,” Will answers immediately. He pulls out his wand and summons a tray pre-loaded with tiny cauldrons just big enough for shots. A bottle of firewhiskey floats from the collection before us and starts filling the cauldrons. “Got nothin’ but a good time on the agenda.”
“Can we play Thunderstruck?” I ask. 
Will beams. “Fuck yeah we can play Thunderstruck.”
As Thomus and I follow Will back to where everyone else is gathered, Thomus leans in. “Should I know what that is?”
I can’t help but smile. “Oh, you’ll find out.”
There’s an empty loveseat Thomus pulls me onto. He tucks his arm around my waist again as he settles back, practically tucking me into his side. 
As Will passes out the shot cauldrons, I can finally sneak a peek at who’s actually here. Kyle and Will - and obviously Jake. That Roosevelt guy is here, too, but I forget his first name. There’s a pretty blond woman talking to Jake that I don’t recognize and… oh, that’s it. Small group, I see. Which I will admit I’m glad for. 
I take the first shot that Will offers me and I down it immediately before putting it back and grabbing another one. I haven’t really eaten much today, so the alcohol hits my stomach like a warm blast.
“Alright, I wanna make a toast,” Jake announces, standing with his shot held out towards the blond next to him. “Firstly, to my sister, Diana, for the last minute decorating.”
“Well, you obviously weren’t going to do it,” Diana says with a laugh. 
“Exactly,” he says. “And then to all of you - for making this past year as successful as it has been.”
For one blissful moment I had allowed myself to forget why I was here, why they’ve had such a successful year. It takes .2 seconds for the anxious pit in my chest to grow twice its size. I’m the first one to finish my shot and then sip heavily on my cocktail to wash the taste down.
“Alright, the first game we’re playing is Thunderstruck, so everyone top off their drinks,” Will says, heading over to where the Christmas music’s playing from. 
Since mine is already more than halfway gone, I shoot to my feet to fill it back up. I’m not the first one to the drinks table because Kyle is there ladeling in some kind of fizzing purple punch. 
“Want one?” Kyle asks as I glance over my shoulder at Thomus, who briefly looked at me before turning to greet Diana.
“Yes, please,” I reply. “Two actually.”
“This your doing or his?” he asks, his voice low. By this he doesn’t even have to clarify - I just know.
I look up at him and shrug with one shoulder. “Mine.”
“Hmph,” he grunts unhappily. He finishes filling the first glass and then starts the second.
“What, don’t believe me?” I ask, taking a sip of the punch. Elderberry and something that tastes like Aloe juice. 
“I believe you,” he says quickly. “Now it’s just my turn to hold up my end of the bargain.”
I sigh heavily. “You haven’t figured out how to get me away from Thomus yet, have you?”
“Well, I have a few ideas, but I don’t think you’re going to like them.”
“Such as?”
Before he can answer, we get called back to the group to start the song. I’m supposed to hide the fact that I have my magic, so with both hands I carefully cradle my half drink plus the two new ones back to the loveseat. Thomus is still chatting with Diana, a conversation I’ve completely tuned out, so I just slide our drinks onto the coffee table in front of us. 
“Melisa, can you explain the rules?” Will asks. 
I’m a bit taken aback by the use of my whole first name - especially being pronounced correctly - instead of my last. Everyone’s eyes are on me now, so I take a deep breath before spilling the details. “Okay so, we go in a circle and every time the song says ‘thunder’, one person drinks until they say ‘thunder’ again, and then the next person starts and so on and so forth, does that make sense?”
“I’ll start!” Will says before pressing play and jogging over. He comes to sit on the armrest of our loveseat.
The first few thunders come in quick succession, so once Will goes, I go, and then Thomus. The thunders go around the circle a few times before the first long stretch lands on Thomus, who has to finish his whiskey, and with some encouragement, grabs the punch I push towards him. With the circle being small, by the time the song’s over, everyone has finished their drinks.
“Now that we’ve all settled in,” Will jokes, “the next game we’re playing is called Captain.” He sets the music back to Christmas music and turns the volume down to a background level. “Usually, it’s played with a pirate's hat or a sailors hat, but since it’s Christmas - “ he waves his wand and a Santa hat appears on Diana’s head, much to her delight “ - this is what we’ve got. Does everyone know how to play?”
I shake my head, noticing the alcohol has started to loosen my limbs. I’d finished my cocktail during the game and have started on the punch - which I swear keeps refilling itself.
Diana rubs her hands together conspiratorially and leans forward over Thomus to explain. “Whoever has the hat gets to pick someone to do a dare. If they do the dare, then we all take a shot and they get the hat, but if they don’t then they’re out of the game. Last person in the game wins.”
I smile at her. “Please don’t pick me first.”
She laughs. “Don’t worry, I got my eyes on someone else.” She jerks her chin towards Jake, who immediately dons this ‘oh shit’ face. She leans back, crossing her arms with a shit eating grin.
“Why’s it called Captain?” I ask. “Just because of the hat?”
“Whenever someone gets the hat, we’re supposed to say ‘Aye, Aye Captain’,” Thomus explains for me, his face leaning in close. 
I immediately giggle. “Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?”
He runs his hand down my thigh and tilts his head in confusion. “What?”
I shift in my seat, getting closer to him so our thighs touch. “Nevermind.”
“Aye, aye Captain!” Roosevelt and Will shout. 
Diana taps her chin like she’s still considering. “Hmm, dear brother, what shall I make you do?” Then she grins. “I dare you to take your socks off with your teeth and wear them tucked into your collar for the rest of the game.”
My head quickly swivels to where Jake is sitting to get his reaction and he does not disappoint. His face scrunches up in disgust as he slouches in his seat, already toeing off his nice shoes. 
“Hopefully those aren’t the ones you were wearing yesterday,” Will laughs. “Or are they?”
“Shut your trap, Hoffman,” Jake grumbles. 
We all wait with baited breath as he grabs his calf to pull his foot closer to his face. He quickly traps the sock between his bared teeth and pulls. It slips off and he does the same to the other one before tucking them both into his collar. 
He grins triumphantly and quickly summons house slippers for his bare feet. “Ha!” he says. “Drink up, assholes.”
We all take our drinks as the Santa hat gets transferred to Jake. 
“Aye, Aye Captain!” we all shout. 
His eyes jump from person to person, and he’s quick to settle on Kyle, who clearly isn’t paying attention. 
Kyle’s sole focus is on Thomus, blatantly staring at him with something akin to determination and consideration. 
The look quickly disperses as my stare gives Jake’s intention away and Kyle’s expression neutralizes. 
“Kyle,” Jake says. “I dare you to serenade the person to your right.”
Kyle sighs dramatically, rubbing his hand down his face. “I’m not nearly drunk enough for this.”
Nevertheless, he swiftly gets down on his knees in front of Diana, a hand clutched over his heart. As he’s clearly about to break out in song, I briefly wonder if he’ll have a decent singing voice, and I find out soon enough as he belts out the easily recognizable first notes to All I Want for Christmas is You . His voice is off-pitch and scratchy, and I genuinely can’t tell if he’s being bad on purpose or not. Everyone starts laughing and I can’t help but join in. 
When he gets to the end of the first verse, he takes Diana’s hand and gives the back of it an exaggerated kiss. We give him a round of applause as he takes his seat. Jake gives Kyle the hat while we take our drink for the round.
It doesn’t surprise me that Kyle chooses Thomus, I only worry what he’ll make him do. He’s looking around, trying to come up with an idea until his eyes land on Thomus’ drink in his hand. 
“Malfoy, I triple doxy dare you to… finish yours and Alder’s drinks in one go.”
Thomus scoffs. “And here I thought you were going to pick something difficult.” He quickly finishes the rest of his punch in a few gulps before trading glasses with me. “Tada,” he proudly announces after easily downing the rest of mine, then he stands holding our four empty glasses by the rim in one hand. “Drink up.”
As Thomus goes across the room to refill our punch, Kyle leans forward, staring at me intently. 
“We need to get him drunk,” he hisses low. 
I blink at him in surprise, then jump my gaze first to Thomus’ back and then to the rest of the group. No one seems as surprised as I am. Even Roosevelt, who I overheard someone refer to him as Eric, doesn’t bat an eye. Is everyone in on this plot?
“That’s your plan?” Will asks incredulously.
“It’s the start of one,” Kyle answers. “Get him so drunk he passes out and she can just… leave.”
“Just leave ?” I ask. I look to the windows, searching for that shimmer from the magical barrier from before. “What about -”
“The tattoo doesn’t work here,” Jake quickly adds. “And there aren't any additional wards to trap you here.”
Everyone is looking at me, waiting for my response. My heart has leapt to my throat to block any logistical questions I have before Thomus swoops back into his seat.
“What’s that look for?” Thomus asks me. I quickly snatch the glass he hands me to swallow my thrumming heart back into my chest. 
Diana jumps in for my rescue. “I was just telling her about my ex.”
“Oh Merlin,” Thomus groans, slumping back against the loveseat. “It’s not a story about me, is it?”
What? Jesus fuck, these people keep smacking bludgers at me one after another. 
I try not to react outwardly to the news that Diana and Thomus used to date, even if this news is just as jarring as the imminent plan for my escape from him. I focus on her, really taking in what she looks like. Extremely tall and willowy with big round hazel eyes and a cupid’s bow mouth. Jealousy flares up inside because I can’t help but compare us. Her thighs combined are the size of just one of mine. 
She flips her long dirty blond hair over her shoulder and crosses her legs, perching an elbow on the armrest of her chair. “No, but I ought to, shouldn’t I?”
“Definitely not,” Thomus says, quickly sitting forward with a hand outstretched towards Kyle. “Pass me the hat.” He settles the white faux fur rim of the Santa hat over his dark curls. 
“Aye aye, Captain!” they all shout. I’m too anxious and fixate my eyes on my drink, still fizzing on the coffee table in front of me. My mind is racing with all that could potentially happen. Where would I go? How long could I hide? Could I be summoned back because of the tattoo? If the idea is to get me close to Voldemort, wouldn’t fleeing just put a target on my back? I wonder if I’d be able to get a message to Hermione about -
Thomus’ hand brushes down my arm. “Melisa?”
My eyes snap to his, focused on me, and I swallow around nothing. “Yeah? Sorry.”
He gives me a sly smile. “It’s your turn.”
“Alright,” I sigh, making a face. “Lay it on me.”
He takes a deep breath and I expect it to be something genuinely challenging, but in all honesty it’s a bit underwhelming. “I dare you to sing the alphabet… backwards.”
I snort. “Jokes on you because I was taught that in the second grade.” 
“Oh, I’m sure,” he grins. “Let’s hear it, then.”
Looking at him, I feel less nervous about making a fool of myself in front of everyone else. So I start to sing, keeping my eyes on him or on his person, because after a few moments the prolonged eye contact makes my face heat. 
Even after I’m finished with the letters, I keep going with the end of the song. “ Now we know our ZYXs’, next time we will go to Texas. ”
Will laughs. “Why the fuck are we going to Texas?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. Ask Mr. Morley.”
“Who the fuck is that?”
“My elementary school music teacher,” I reply smoothly. “Now drink the fuck up.”
Jake is the first to finish his drink, so he stands to get a refill. “We should play something else. All our dares suck, no ones gotten out yet.”
“I’ve got a good one,” I say quickly. I’d taken a drink, too, because why not? Who wants to make hard decisions sober?
I pluck the Santa hat off Thomus’ head and slip it over mine. “You ready, Will?”
Will squares his shoulders, facing me dead on, expression serious. “Born ready.”
“I dare you to recite a poem - any poem, but you -” I start to blow a raspberry with my tongue in between every word “- have to talk like this.”
Will snickers. “You got that from Spongebob.”
“So what if I did? You still gotta do it,” I smile. “And I don’t think I heard my ‘aye aye, Captain’.”
Jake and Kyle are the only ones who don’t say it. Kyle is lost in his thoughts if his dead eye stare at his drink is evidence enough, and Jake is too far away at the food and drinks table to care.
It’s hard to keep the grin off my face as Will complies with my dare. “ Mosquito lands on my cheek. I try to slap her, but I just slap me. ” He finishes by standing with a bow. 
“That’s it?” Diana protests. “It was so short.”
“It’s a haiku,” Thomus explains. “A type of Japanese poem.”
“Oh, yeah that’s right,” she says. “Do you still work for the Daily Prophet? Or has that taken a backseat for… other things?” 
“A bit of both, really,” he sighs. “The Dark Lord hasn’t required much of me lately, so I’ve been helping Barnabas Cuffe with editing. In addition to helping my sister-in-law with the New Year’s Eve Gala she’s hosting.”
“Speaking of,” Jake says, rejoining the group, “why weren’t we invited?” It’s obvious he’s not really offended, just genuinely curious. 
Thomus sighs and speaks with a hint of resentment. “Only the Sacred Twenty-Eight and whoever’s crawled up through the Dark Lord’s ranks, I’m afraid. Not even the Lots are allowed to be present.”
“Well, if you’re free, Melisa,” Diana says, speaking to me. “You’re welcome to come to a New Years Eve party here. It would just be us and a few of my girlfriends from Oxford.”
I’m genuinely shocked and flattered that this goddess is inviting me to a party, but I know that this has to be a backup plan for escape if tonight doesn’t go as Kyle wants it. I don’t even get a chance to respond because Thomus puts a possessive hand on my leg, wedging his long fingers into the tight space between my thighs. 
“Unfortunately, that’s not possible,” Thomus says, speaking for me with a tone of finality, and doesn’t even bother to explain why.
She peers at us curiously for a moment before realization dawns. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry. I totally forgot.”
The tray with all our mini shot cauldrons fill back up as Thomus just gives a silent nod of acknowledgement. 
We play another couple rounds of Captain before all the drinks finally start to do their job and loosen everyone up. I know I’m starting to feel it, especially when I stand to go find a bathroom. 
Thomus insists on accompanying me, especially when I steer towards the bathroom down by the kitchens. He takes me back out to the lobby, showing me where the bathrooms are there. Secretly, I’m glad, because I don’t think I’d be able to make it up and down all those stairs without tripping at least once. I don’t think Thomus would either, based on how many times he bumps into me. 
He even follows me into the women’s bathroom, insisting that it doesn’t matter since we’re the only ones in there. 
“I didn’t realize how clingy you were,” I tease, saddling my way into one of the stalls to do my business.
He slides into the one next to me. “Oh, poppycock. I’m just being a gentleman and making sure you don’t fall in.”
My laugh is sharp and loud in the echoey bathroom. “That actually happened to me when I was in preschool. The seat wasn’t down so my butt got all wet and I just sat there waiting to be rescued by a teacher.”
I hear his warm chuckle. “How old were you?”
“Four,” I say as I finish and leave the stall to wash my hands. He joins me a moment later, still chuckling to himself. “What?”
He shakes his head absently. “Nothing, you’re just… adorable.”
I snort as I reach for a paper towel. “Right.”
He dries his hands too and quickly reaches for me as I try to pass him to the door. He leans back against the counter, a hand on my hip and one on my cheek, pulling me towards him. I don’t resist and lean into him, our lips quickly meeting. My arms snake around his waist, wanting a hug at the same time, because it strikes me that if I leave tonight… this could be it. 
I still have a million doubts and questions that need answered, but right now… right now he wants me and I need to bask in it for as long as I can, while I still have the chance.
I deepen the kiss and I boldly slip one of my hands to the front of his jeans. He’s already semi-hard, but at my touch, he groans and bites my lip. 
“You want to do this here?” he asks, his voice husky.
I nod, my other hand coming around to undo his pants and slip my hand inside. “I want you so bad.”
He drags kisses along my jaw and down my neck. “It’ll have to be quick.”
“And hard,” I breathe, practically panting with want already.
Determination in his movements now, he flips us around until my fupa is pressed against the sink counter and he’s grinding against my ass. He moves my hair away from my neck, sensually kissing the soft spot below my ear. Over my sweater his hands slowly grope down from my chest, then my stomach and the fleshy “handles”, as he’s called them before, where my fupa meets my hips. 
I push my ass back against him. “I thought you said we had to be quick.”
He bites my neck, wringing a moan from me. “Patience,” he warns. 
One hand lets go of my handle and slips underneath to firmly cup the junction between my legs. I sigh heavily and whine, rocking my hips, increasing the pressure on my clit. 
“Fuck,” he groans out. Finally he hooks his fingers into my waistband and yanks my pants and undies down to my knees. I push my ass out towards him when he takes a step back to pull his cock out. He moans when his tip pushes through my lips, feeling how wet I am. Then he doesn’t waste a second longer and slides home. 
I cry out, biting my lip in an attempt to keep it muffled. I plant my hands on the smooth cold counter and immediately start rocking back and forth, desperately impatient. With a hand on the center of my back, he pushes me forward while snapping his hips to my ass, seamlessly sliding into the pace I’d set. Quick staccato slapping echoes around the room as he thrusts hard and deep. My eyes roll back into my head, hardly aware of the noises I’m making because I’m too busy losing my mind to the pleasure.
He slows all too soon, pulling me back up to attach his mouth to my neck again. My back bends to accommodate him, and while still keeping him buried to the hilt, my chest juts out. He takes advantage of the position and pushes my sweater up until his fingers find the band of my bra and he pushes that up too. My heavy breasts fall into his hands and he groans, pinching my nipples, and fucking into me with slow, but hard thrusts. 
My eyes flutter open briefly, a sudden urge to see. He’s fucked me in front of a mirror before, but he hasn’t done it since I’ve gotten my sight back. Admittedly, I have a bit of an out of body experience, looking at what’s happening instead of feeling it. I hate what I look like, of course. Sometimes in my head I look different than I really do and seeing myself in the mirror can be pretty jarring. 
But then I look at Thomus’ face. He’s so… wrapped up in me, hands full, mind clearly numb with ecstasy. 
I close my eyes again, grimacing, swallowing down the sudden onslaught of longing and loss. It’s probably all the alcohol, but tears fill my vision because I just can’t bear losing this. I quickly blink them away, avoiding looking in the mirror again. 
I don’t want to ruin the moment, so I start pushing back against him again, urging him to pick up the pace. 
He obliges me for a few moments until he slows to a stop. He’s still panting and holding me against him before he sighs heavily.
“Darling, you feel amazing, but I don’t think I can finish,” he murmurs hesitantly, sounding regretful. 
I nod, sniffling. “It’s okay, we can stop.”
He pulls out and I swiftly right myself, pants back over my hips, bra holding what it should, sweater in the right place. It’s only then that I look in the mirror again. Luckily he didn’t bite me too hard, so there’s no hickey to cover up. I just wet my fingers and run them through my hair before flipping it back over. Leaning close to the mirror, I check that my makeup is still good.
“Were you crying?” he asks point blank, staring at me in the mirror. 
“No,” I lie, but I feel a river about to gush out of my nose, so I quickly snag a paper towel and blow into it. “I just had to sneeze real bad and didn’t wanna ruin the moment.”
Fully dressed again, he slides a hand down my butt, gripping it appreciatively. “I’d be happy to help you finish,” he suggests.
I shake my head. “No, it’s okay,” I say, forcing a reassuring smile on my face. I rock up onto the balls of my feet to plant a quick kiss on his cheek. “Still scratched that itch and felt amazing.”
He takes my hand, pulling me to the door. “Then let’s get back. Hopefully they won’t give us too much grief for taking so long.” He smirks down at me and winks. Actually winks . It's such a quick thing, but it makes my heart contract in my chest with the need to be wrapped up in him again. 
God I’m so fucked.
~*~
As predicted, when we return Will and Jake are quick to wolf whistle. They’re over by the music and Thomus joins them while I sink into his seat next to Diana. My face has got to be as red as my sweater, but Diana doesn’t comment on it. She just hands me a full shot cauldron with an understanding look. Grateful, I take the shot. Getting dicked down sobered me a bit more than I wanted.
Eric is busy scribbling away in a little notebook and next to him is Kyle and his stupid judgmental face.
I ignore him and focus on Diana. “So what did you study at Oxford?”
“I studied Art History,” she says, “but I didn’t get, like, a degree or anything. I just wanted to know a little more about the art I was seeing in the museums here.”
“That’s one thing I haven’t done since I’ve gotten to England,” I say. “I used to love going to museums.”
She tilts her head, looking curious. “Were you meant to stay long?”
I shrug. “I had an internship at the Daily Prophet, which I’d been hoping would lead to a full time position at some point.”
“Oh, so you worked with Thomus then?” she asks. “You knew him… before.”
“No, actually,” I say, reaching over for my punch. “I… He wasn’t around all that much while I was there.” 
“What gives with the Deathly Hallows mark on the tree?” Kyle asks out of the blue. “You know it’s just a story, right?”
Diana, who’s clearly much more sober than Kyle is right now, looks at him without mirth. “It’s very real.”
I nod along, knowing all too well the truth behind the Deathly Hallows.
“Grindelwald murdered a lot of our family with the Elder Wand,” Diana continues. “Not to mention, I’ve seen invisibility cloaks with my own eyes.” She grimaces. “And yes, I know what I just said is an oxymoron.”
With another pull of my drink, I feel gutsy enough to ask something that’s been on my mind for a while. I lean closer to her and lower my voice. “So… has your brother… always been… “ I sigh. I feel silly saying ‘on our side’, but how else can I put it? “I don't know, I guess I'm asking about allegiances.”
Kyle gives me an ‘are you serious’ look. “Of course he’s been in on it,” he says, as if it should’ve been obvious. 
“The entire time?” I ask skeptically, distinctly remembering how not nice he was when we met the night Montague got beat the fuck up by Thomus.
“He’s playing the long game,” Diana explains. “Jake’s very good at wasting The Great Order’s time.” 
Her eyes are on the three men in the corner and I turn to look just as the three of them take a shot. “Does Thomus know?” I ask, my voice low.
“Thomus is under the impression that Jake just has reservations about certain things,” she says. 
“Participating without actually participating,” I surmise.
She nods. “Exactly.” Her gaze is drawn to Eric, and she stares at him for a moment before she asks, “What happened to your hand, Eric?”
Eric looks up, seeming to have forgotten where he was. He looks around and finds the three of us looking at him. Then the question seems to sink in and he looks down at his hand. Bandages wrap around his palm and twist up his two middle fingers.
“Oh, I uh, had a bit of an accident a few days ago,” he says. “Working on the…“ He eyes me for a second before looking back at Diana. “On the thing.”
“You don’t have to speak in code,” Kyle says to him. “She can handle a few more secrets.”
I nod in agreement, though really it has nothing to do with how good I am at keeping secrets. I’m just too nosey for my own good.
“Right, sure, yeah,” Eric says. He looks down at his notebook. “I’m having a bit of a timing issue. I think I’ve got the explosive strong enough, but it seems the stronger it gets, the less time I have before it goes off.”
I quickly glance back at Thomus, catching him downing another shot, before turning back and whispering, “You’re building a bomb?”
He nods. “Something powerful enough to break through Anti-Apparition wards.”
My eyes widen. “That’s a thing?”
The corners of his mouth turn up in an amused grin. “I’m definitely trying to make it one.”
“Do you have the recipe?” I ask, a bit eager. “I’ve had a similar issue with magical film developer. I might be able to help.”
“Yeah, here.” He flips through a couple pages until he lands on a spread that’s definitely got more use than the rest, then passes it to me.
As I scan the page, I see that a few of the core ingredients are the same, just how they’re incorporated is slightly different. The measurements are also scaled down for testing purposes.
“If this were to scale, how much willow root would you add?” I ask. 
“The entire root, but I chop it up.”
“If you grind it down into a powder and then weigh it, it’s easier to be more precise with the amount you add,” I explain, not looking up from the page. “And you’re not adding nearly enough bursting mushroom powder.”
When I look up, Eric’s head is tilted, his eyes unfocused, his mind clearly running away from him with this new information. “Interesting,” he says. 
“Magical film developing potion always implodes on itself. It’s just a fact. But I’ve made it so much that I can time it down to the second it’ll implode,” I explain. “Would you… want me to write the recipe down for you? Then you can compare.”
He blinks back into focus, nodding eagerly. “Yes, please do. Here.” He passes me his pen and I quickly jot down my recipe on the next available page in his book.
By the time I’m done, the music gets turned up, and the three in the corner start making their way over to us. I toss down the rest of my drink before reaching for Thomus’, but Kyle stops me. 
“Don’t,” he warns.
I quickly put two and two together. “What did you put in here?” I demand with a hushed voice.
“Relax,” he says, standing. “It’s just something to speed things up.”
Completely oblivious, Thomus plops right down next to me, swinging his arm around my shoulders. 
“Is that mine?” he asks, not bothering to wait for my response before he grabs his drink and chugs it. He audibly plonks the glass onto the coffee table and turns to me, grinning mischievously from ear to ear, looking like he has a dirty secret he can’t wait to share with me. I return his smile with a hesitant one of my own. 
He leans close to speak in my ear, though he’s not exactly quiet. “Have I told you how beautiful you are?”
My face immediately flushes because everyone heard that. I look around in panic to find everyone staring at us, too. Their expressions aren’t of disgust, though, just surprise.
“Oh my god,” I say, covering my face with my hands. I shoot to my feet. “I need a drink.”
As I speed away, I hear Thomus ask, “What did I say?”
I glance over my shoulder to see Diana covering her mouth in a fit of giggles and Jake shakes his head. “Dude.”
I’m munching on one of my red cookies when Thomus comes up behind me, his hand drifting down my back to settle on my waist. “What’s the matter?” he asks.
“Nothing. You just -” I glance up at him, noting his dilated pupils and flushed cheeks. “I guess I’ve just never seen you so relaxed. Especially around other people. And we’re acting like we’re…” My heart’s thundering in my chest as I force the last few words out. “Like we’re a couple.”
He turns to face me and leans a hip on the table. “You’re right, it is a bit out of our usual routine,” he admits, his expression serious. “I apologize if I’ve made you uncomfortable.”
I sigh and shrug a shoulder. “No more than you usually do.” I put my hand over his where it rests on the table, pushing the tips of my fingers against his knuckles. “And I don’t hate… this, how it feels, you know? It’s just hard to pair it with everything else,” I say. “If that makes sense.”
He nods slowly, looking down at our hands. “This is all new for me, if you can believe it,” he says softly. “I just wanted you to enjoy yourself.”
I bump his hip with mine. “Hey, we fucked in the bathroom. I’d say I'm having a decent time.”
He snickers and leans in to kiss my cheek. “I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”
I don’t know how to respond to that, based on tonight’s agenda, but luckily Will calls us over from a card table Jake summoned to play Exploding Snap.
~*~
A little while later we’re all sitting around the card table. I’ve elected not to play since I don’t have my wand and technically Thomus doesn’t know that they know I have my magic.
Throughout the game, Thomus gets noticeably drunker than everyone else, despite only sipping his drink. During one round while waiting for his turn, I guess all the drinks and whatever Kyle spiked his drink with, finally catch up with him. He passes out with his head propped in one hand and the other loosely clutching his cards. 
When they notice, the room goes silent except for the Christmas music still playing. Kyle slowly reaches over and shakes Thomus’ shoulder, making his head fall right onto the table with an ominous thunk that does not match the vibe of McCartney’s Wonderful Christmastime .
I stare at his face, overwhelmingly anxious about his well-being, when an uncharacteristic snore breaks through the silence between songs. 
“Finally,” Jake sighs, tossing his cards onto the table and running a hand over his face. “You sure about this, Kyle? There’s no turning back from this.”
Kyle stands, pulling out his wand. “Trust me. This is the only way.’
“What happens now?” I ask. 
Kyle moves Thomus’ unconscious form into the air where he hovers with his arms and head dangling.
But he doesn’t answer me. 
“ Kyle ,” I press, “what happens now?”
“Now, we put him to bed and by the time he wakes in the morning, you’ll be long gone,” he answers, moving with Thomus towards the stairs on the other side of the room.
I stand too, quickly following him to demand answers. “Where, exactly, will I be?”
“That’s up to you,” he answers casually. “You can probably get away with hiding here in this massive fucking house until he leaves.”
“What, you think he’s just gonna accept that I’m gone?” I ask. “No questions asked?”
“Yeah, we’ll just tell him you must’ve left in the middle of the night or something. What room am I putting him in, Jake?”
We’ve gotten to the stairs and it’s only then I realize everyone has followed us, with Will right behind me. 
“Three doors down from the top of the stairs,” Jake answers. “On the left.”
I realize it’s the same room he put us in before and my face heats at the memory of being bound to the wall and fingered within an inch of my life. We get into the room and I rush forward to pull the velvety soft duvet back from the pillows. Kyle gently lowers him and I make sure he’s settled properly to avoid potentially choking on his own vomit in his sleep. 
“What now?” I ask, pulling off Thomus’ shoes and tucking his legs under the blankets before pulling up the unfitted sheet to his chest.
“Merlin,” Kyle exclaims. “Will you quit it?”
I cross my arms over my chest. “ No , I won’t,” I say tightly. “We need this figured out before there’s no going back.”
“Fine,” he says, mimicking my stance and leaning against the wall. “What’re you so worried about?”
I take a deep breath, trying to speak calmly. “What makes you so sure he’s not going to find me?”
“What do you mean?”
“He’s literally the Death Eater’s best tracker.”
“He hasn’t found George Weasley,” Will says.
“I’ve no fucking idea how George has managed to avoid getting caught by anyone , given how much of a high profile he has, but there’s no way I could do the same and be close to Voldemort like you want. A missing Lot? The Death Eaters are gonna go apeshit.”
“What about that Lot that escaped early on? Killed her owner and everything,” Kyle says.
“I’m pretty positive she’s straight up left the country,” I say, talking with my hands. “And I don’t think any of us are on board with killing him.”
Kyle nearly rolls his eyes. “I never said we had to kill him,” he says. “You’re here, out of your wards. There’s no need.”
“Okay, well me leaving the country is the exact opposite of what we want,” I say and start to pace. “How long would I be hiding?”
“I don’t know,” Kyle answers, shrugging. “Could be months.”
“Great, so you’re just gonna come get me when it’s time to, what, attack Hogwarts? Do you really think there’s gonna be another fight there? Or are we waiting for him to make an appearance somewhere?”
“I’ve heard he’s pretty reclusive right now, actually,” Will pipes in. “He hardly leaves the school.”
“Great!” I exclaim with fake enthusiasm. “So I’ll just camp out in the Forbidden Forest, then? Take my chances at running into Dementors, Death Eaters, centaurs, fuckin’ giant spiders , for fucks’ sake?”
“Girl’s got a point, Kyle,” Jake says, shoving his hands in his pockets and leaning against the ornate bed post. 
“Well, what else is she going to do? She’s useless to The True Order just playing house with a Malfoy,” Kyle says.
“Hey, I’ve done stuff,” I protest. “I’ve passed important notes to the Order, hidden a fugitive right under Thomus’ nose, and it was me who got the word to that safehouse that it was going to be raided.”
“ What ?!” Jake looks at me absolutely stunned. “That was you?”
“Yes! Who else in that room from the meeting would’ve tipped them off?” I ask. “ And I’ve managed to become immune to that scary as shit magic suppression potion. Have you ever taken that shit? It’s utterly terrifying to not have your magic.” I stop my pacing and look around at all of them. “To be completely at the mercy of someone who couldn’t give a shit whether you lived or died? We’ve all been sterilized and raped and branded as property. ” 
I pull my left sleeve up, bearing the tattoo and the scars Bellatrix left me. Diana’s visibly horrified and everyone else just looks mildly uncomfortable. “And these are just the scars I’m willing to show you.”
I force myself to calm down, breathing deep in through my nose and out my mouth. “I’m not going to jump headfirst into a plan held together with Spellotape and superglue,” I say after a moment. “Thomus trusts you guys. Aren’t you his best friend, Jake? Are you really gonna break his trust by losing something he obviously has put a lot of time and effort into keeping alive?”
Kyle is glaring hard at the carpet and Jake's intense focus jumps between me and Thomus. 
Jake exhales heavily. “She’s right.”
My shoulder’s sag with relief. “Thank you.”
“We have to think of a legitimate way to get you away from him,” Diana says. “Do you think he’d ever… let you go?”
I frown. “Like… set me free?” 
She nods. “Then maybe you could get scooped up by another Death Eater or something, someone who works more closely with You-Know-Who or who’d… loan you, I guess.”
I turn around to gaze at Thomus, sleeping soundly, and recall every possessive look or grab he’s given me. “No,” I say softly. “There’s no way he’d let me go willingly.”
Kyle snorts. “Yeah I second that. The asshole nearly slits my throat if I even talk to her when he’s not around.”
“Even if I could convince him somehow,” I say, “it wouldn’t matter what he wanted. I know he’d use the Death Eaters as an excuse. He couldn’t pretend I was gone if someone saw me. The Malfoy’s reputation and the trust the Dark Lord has in them would be put in jeopardy. There’s no way he’d risk the lives of his family.”
“Is there anybody that out ranks him?” Will asks. “Someone who could make that choice for him.”
“I’m not sure, really,” I admit. “I’m sure there is, but I don’t know who. Someone older, like his brother maybe?”
“We just need a reason for them to take you from him,” Jake explains. “Like a change of… ownership.”
“Who, though?” I ask. “And why?”
“Probably best if that’s something for us to figure out,” Kyle says pointedly. “Just in case.”
I sigh heavily and start heading towards the door. “Whatever. All I care about is that it’s legit, okay? Something that’s not gonna get any of us killed.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Will agrees, stepping out of my way. “Where’re you going?”
“To stand outside and pretend that I’m free.”
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lulubelle814 · 2 months
Text
Regards, Loki
Louisa has a hard time making ends meet until one night, her best friend convinces her to sign up on a sugar daddy website, but she only agrees to sign up for correspondence, not sex. Cora only made her promise to keep it up for a week, and she didn’t want to let her best friend down. Once the week was over, Louisa would delete her profile. It's just when she's going to delete her profile at the end of the week that she receives an interesting message.
Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 - Chapter 9 - Chapter 10 - Chapter 11 - Chapter 12 - Chapter 13 - Chapter 14 - Chapter 15 - Chapter 16 - Chapter 17 - Chapter 18 - Chapter 19 - Chapter 20 - Chapter 21 - Chapter 22 - Chapter 23 - Chapter 24 - Chapter 25 - Chapter 26 - Chapter 27 - Chapter 28 - Chapter 29 - Chapter 30 - Chapter 31 - Chapter 32 - Chapter 33 - Chapter 34 - Chapter 35 - Chapter 36 - Chapter 37 - Chapter 38 - Epilogue
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fanficshiddles · 3 months
Text
Silly Traditions, One Shot
Summary: Loki thinks Christmas is ridiculous and a waste of time. Until you surprise him with a gift, then he finds that perhaps it's not all that bad after all.
Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you all have a wonderful time. x
-
Loki rolled his eyes from the corner of the room as the Avengers team all began sharing presents between one another. Minus Thor, who had gone back to Asgard for a few days without Loki, as he was in exile so couldn’t return to Asgard yet.
Loki thought that Thor likely would have been the only one to gift him something on this tedious mortal holiday, since he always tried to include him. The team didn’t trust him yet, and he couldn’t really blame them after what he did in New York. Though he was trying, but his mischievous streak kept peeking out, which didn’t help matters much. Even if he meant no harm really, he just enjoyed mischief too much.
While he was beginning to adjust to living in the compound, he hadn’t really warmed up to any of the team yet. Although there was one person he found himself often leaning towards, that he had a soft spot for, who didn’t cringe or seem to be irritated by his mere presence… You.
You’d been living with the team for about a year, so knew them all pretty well by now. Of course, what Loki did was bad, and at first you had been a bit scared of him when he first arrived four months ago as punishment from Odin, to make amends. Though as time went on, you found yourself laughing along at his mischievous antics, you even managed to get some decent conversation out of him. You were the only one, aside from Thor, that included him wherever possible.
What had helped him get into your good books rather quickly was when your cat, Mittens, was stuck up a tree just a few weeks after he’d arrived, you were frantic with worry but the rest of the team were more dog people and said that the cat would get down on her own. You knew your cat though, she was well and truly stuck and she was too high up for you to reach her. Loki had been the only one that helped, he levitated up and carefully brought your precious darling back down into your arms.
You’d been so grateful for that, and Mittens took a shine to Loki straight away too. You often found Loki sitting in the library with Mittens on his lap while he read a book, though you’d made sure to stay hidden as your heart melted at the sight.
Loki couldn’t deal with watching more of the sight of people gushing over such stupid gifts, so he made his way towards the door to go elsewhere. Though he stopped in his tracks when he heard footsteps rushing towards him and he heard you call out his name.
‘Loki!’
He turned slowly towards you, noticing your cheeks were a little flushed as you shifted nervously on front of him.
‘Merry Christmas, Loki.’ You said as you held up a present towards him.
Loki raised his eyebrows in surprise. ‘You got me a gift?’ He couldn’t hide the surprise in his voice, though he really wasn’t sure how to feel about it.
‘Of course. It’s from me and Mittens.’ You smiled brightly up at him.
For the first time in a long time, he felt his heart melt a little at the fact someone else had thought about him in such a way, perhaps not all mortals were so bad after all... Though as he began peeling open the wrapping paper, he shook the thought from his head, it would no doubt be something stupid and meaningless, something that would just get re-gifted or left in the bottom of the cupboard somewhere…
He completely regretted thinking what he did when the present was revealed to him, becoming utterly speechless for once in his life.
‘I… can’t believe you got this for me.’ He gasped out as he lifted up the beautiful personalised dagger. It had an emerald handle with his name carved into it.
‘Do you like it?’ You asked, uncertain, because he was quite difficult to read, though he did seem surprised you weren’t sure if it was a good surprise or a bad one.
‘I love it. I can’t thank you enough.’ He then had a genuine smile, one of the most genuine smiles on him you’d seen.
‘I’m so glad you like it… Though I have to admit, I did get some help from Thor. I don’t really know you that well, but wanted to make sure I got you something that you’d actually use or like. Not something that would just be shoved in a drawer and forgotten somewhere.’ You admitted, still blushing a little.
Loki tilted his head slightly and let out a small chuckle, he was incredibly warmed at the gift and didn’t really know how to react.
‘It is not often that someone can make me so speechless. I am really grateful for this gift, thank you. Truly.’ He picked up your hand and kissed the back of it, making your blush worsen as you felt your skin tingling from his lips.
You were called back by the others, but not before asking Loki a question. ‘Are you joining the Christmas party tonight?’
Loki scrunched his nose up a little. ‘I wasn’t planning to.’
‘Oh, ok…’ You tried not to sound too disappointed, you knew he wasn’t overly fond of things like that.
‘Although… I regret that I do not have a gift for you in return. So, if my presence would make up for that, and perhaps a dance, then I will consider joining?’ Loki asked with a charming smile, his heart quickened slightly at the way your face lit up entirely from his words.
‘It certainly would make up for it.’ You smirked at him.
Loki found himself grinning right back at you. What on earth was coming over him? He mentally face-palmed himself as he retreated from the room.
He found he was a little obsessed with his gift from you. It was perfect for him, and with the personal touch… he just couldn’t believe it.
-
You joined the Christmas party that night, you’d picked out a nice green sequin dress. So looked nice and Christmassy as the lights glistened off all the sequins. As usual for parties, Tony had gone all out. Especially with it being a Christmas party, so there were decorations everywhere. A DJ and plenty of alcohol.
After a few drinks, you felt the disappointment hit you slightly as there was no sign of Loki. You figured he would decide against coming, but you didn’t take it to heart really, as you knew this wasn’t his style. He’d made it clear in the weeks leading up to Christmas that he thought it was a load of rubbish, a pointless holiday with stupid traditions.
Though as you were enjoying your third cocktail, you felt a tingle run down your spine when you heard a smooth, warm voice from behind you call your name. Turning around, you couldn’t hide the big smile that spread across your face as you gazed up at Loki.
He was wearing a black suit with a green and white striped tie. You always thought him handsome, but you found yourself struggling to form any proper thoughts right now.
‘Loki… I’m so glad you decided to come.’ You eventually managed to blurt out under his heated gaze.
‘Is this Christmassy enough, do you think?’ He smirked and motioned to his tie.
‘It’s perfect.’ You giggled a little.
‘I must say, you look beautiful… Especially in that colour.’ He said as he eyed you up and down.
‘Thank you, Loki.’
Your heart was racing just with him being here. You did have a crush on him, and had done for a little while. You thought he would never reciprocate that crush, since he was a God after all. Though you would certainly enjoy whatever you got from tonight when he asked for your hand to dance.
It was a Christmas song that was playing, so it was a fun dance. Loki spun you about and he seemed to actually be enjoying himself. He liked the way you laughed as he twirled you and the way you blushed hard when he slipped his arm around your waist to bring you in close to him.
Even though Loki was the God of mischief and lies, he would be lying to himself if he said he didn’t care about you… and if he said he didn’t find you beautiful. He was beginning to think that perhaps you felt something for him, with giving him such a thoughtful gift and the way you kept blushing around him, plus wearing his colours tonight. So he decided it was now or never to try and make a move.
He swiftly danced you towards the side of the room, even though no one was really paying any attention to the two of you anyway. You wondered what he was up to, but didn’t think much of it.
Until, that was, there was a distinct tingle of magic in the air, you could feel it on your skin as goosebumps rose on your arms and neck. Loki had that usual mischievous glint in his eyes whenever he was up to something, he looked up and stopped dancing.
‘Oh my, look what we’ve landed underneath.’ He mocked a gasp.
You looked up and laughed, there was mistletoe hanging right above the two of you. It was surrounded by a very light green haze, Loki’s signature mark.
‘Correct me if I am wrong, but isn’t it tradition for whoever ends up under the mistletoe to… kiss?’ He asked cheekily as he looked back at you with a smirk.
If he thought you were blushing earlier, you certainly were now. Your entire face was on fire as you nodded. ‘It uh… it is.’
‘Well, I wouldn’t want to be the one to break a Christmas tradition… may I?’ Loki asked as he stroked your cheek so softly.
As if you need to ask! You thought as you nodded, a bit over eagerly.
He slid his hand down to your chin, holding you in place as he dipped his head down towards you. You reached up on your tiptoes to meet him halfway as you closed your eyes, when your lips touched you both forgot about everyone else around you, nothing else mattered in that moment but the two of you.
Loki deepened the kiss for a moment, surprising but delighting you. You were on cloud nine.
When you both broke the kiss after a little while, you were glad to see that you weren’t the only one with red cheeks. Loki’s had a hint of red, too.
Loki chuckled and trailed his fingers against your cheek, then he tucked some of your hair behind your ear. ‘Well… perhaps some of your silly mortal traditions aren’t all that bad after all. I especially like this mistletoe tradition.’ He smiled widely at you.
‘Yeah… I think it’s my favourite too.’ You smiled just as widely back at him.
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use-your-telescope · 5 months
Text
When Everything's Made to be Broken - Chapter 6: All That is Waiting For You
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Summary: The Avengers try to befriend Theo, though the results are not what they hoped.
Author's Notes: You know how last week I said this week’s chapter didn’t have much Loki? Lolol I lied, I forgot that this chapter is solely Loki/Avengers. This is another song that’s split between two chapters so it’s not absurdly long. 
If you enjoy, please reblog!! I'm a lil' blog (less than 100 followers, haha) and reblogs really help me out <3
Content Warnings: None
Word Count: 3,815
Read on AO3 | When Everything's Made to be Broken Masterlist
Song: Careful - Paramore
I settled down,  A twisted up frown  Disguised as a smile, well You would've never known I had it all, but not what I wanted 'Cause hope for me  Was a place uncharted and overgrown
The moment the pre-mission briefing concluded, chairs scraping on the floor echoed through the bright, sterile conference room. Almost as if disappearing into shadow, the newest member of the Avengers slipped out of the room, stalking down the hall to her quarters. 
Despite the discreet departure, the others noticed her absence. Rogers glanced over at the chair where she previously sat, a frown tugging at his lips as he rested his chin on his hand. Romanoff’s exacting stare followed the sorceress out of the room, lingering for a moment on the empty doorway. Maximoff simply sighed, her disappointment hung heavy in her brow as she forced herself to her feet, Vision trailing behind as they departed. 
Loki’s attention remained on the empty seat beside him, mulling over the behavior of the new team member while the other Avengers took their leave.
That first evening, Theo charmed with lighthearted banter and a sharp wit, so much that Loki expected that the Silver Shadow would steal the hearts of the Avengers and the public in mere days. What followed, however, left Loki wondering if the woman who sat beside him moments before was in fact the same woman he spoke to that first evening.
Had it not been for the fact that she attended and participated in the required meetings, training, and other obligations, Loki could have been convinced that Theo did not reside amongst the Avengers. She did not join the others for meals, occupy common areas, or otherwise make her presence known within the tower. While cordial, all invitations to socialize consistently received rejection, often with a half-baked excuse and no opportunity for follow up.
“She reminds me of you.” Thor appeared next to Loki, pulling him from his ruminations.
“Pardon?”
“Lady Theo - she reminds me of you, when you first joined us.” Thor repeated, nodding at the empty seat. “Always hiding.”
“I was not hiding, I was simply keeping an appropriate distance from people who did not wish for me to be present.” Loki corrected his elder brother. He rose to his feet, rolling his shoulders and his neck before gathering his belongings from atop the glass conference table.
“You were hiding.” Thor smirked, earning a trademark Loki eye roll. “How long do you think it’ll take her to warm up to us?”
“I imagine it depends on a variety of factors; the constant surveillance of her every move by every Avenger certainly will not expedite the process.”
“Are you speaking from experience?”
“It would not be wise to push such a subject.” Loki drawled, starting toward the door.
“You’ve been watching her as well,” Thor acknowledged, trailing behind the younger prince.
“I’ve been observing her.” Loki corrected his brother yet again, allowing a hint of sharpness to color his resonse.
“Same thing.” Thor rolled his eyes, shoving his hands into the pockets of the ratty blue jeans that he insisted upon wearing - how a king, how a god could be seen in such attire still baffled Loki, however he had long given up on convincing Thor to avoid such questionable attire. He followed Loki into the corridor.
Just outside, Maximoff and Vision stood deeply engrossed in a conversation. Maximoff’s brows drew together as she locked eyes with Vision, her arms crossed as she leaned back against the wall. The combination of their lowered voices created a wash of sound, almost like a hum that floated through the barren hall.
“I hope you will find it within you to excuse my brother and I,” Loki remarked with a hint of sarcasm, recognizing that the couple likely were waiting for the brothers. “Far be it for us to intrude upon a private conversation.”
Maximoff rolled her eyes, but cracked a smile as she pushed off from the wall. 
“You appear to be deep in thought, Lady Maximoff,” Thor commented. “Tell us, what is on your mind?”
“Theo won’t talk to us.” Maximoff bit her lip, eyes trained on the floor as they ventured down the hall. “She won’t talk to anyone.”
Having just endured a similar conversation with Thor, Loki had no interest in dwelling on the subject. "A curious observation."
“Perhaps she is not yet feeling confident.” Vision speculated, seemingly oblivious to Loki’s efforts to deter further discussion on such matters. “I imagine there are significant changes that she is still adapting to; she might be attempting to limit the exposure to new phenomena in hopes of easing her transition to the team.”
Stopping in the elevator bay, Thor jabbed at the call button; how he hadn’t yet broken the button was truly a miracle, given the brute seemed inept at pressing the button gently.
"I hardly believe she is anything less than confident;” Loki dryly pointed out, “With her introduction and her interactions thus far, she seems perfectly self-assured."
"Yeah, on missions,” Wanda frowned at Loki. “But you know as well as I do that we don't only go on missions."
The witch was trying to imply something; whether Loki wanted to know the point she was working towards, he was skeptical; however, it seemed he would have little choice in the matter, so he relented. "And what do you propose?"
"We're more than our powers. Even the Avengers can be just people.” Maximoff created a small orb of crimson light in her hand, allowing it to float there until the doors to the elevator opened with a chime, at which point she dispelled the illusion with a swipe of her hand. “If she would come to dinner, or a movie night, or just hang out with us,  maybe she’ll realize we don’t just go on missions."
The discussion paused just long enough for the quartet to enter the elevator; it was not until the floor had been selected and the doors closed that Vision spoke. "Has she received an invitation to join us?"
“I’ve knocked on her door a few times, but never gotten an answer. And I invited her to get dinner with us the other day, but she turned it down.” Maximoff frowned, shaking her head. “Natasha tried a few times, but she didn’t have any luck either.”
“Perhaps Captain Rogers may provide us with some insight,” Vision suggested, resting one hand on the small of Maximoff’s back. “His social skills are exemplary.” 
While Loki understood that Rogers was, in many ways, considered the ultimate role model amongst “Earth’s mightiest heroes,” he suspected that Rogers would be ill-equipped to provide guidance regarding this particular situation; the Captain’s success in social situations came from his much-idolized stature, not from expertise in social etiquette. However, raising doubts regarding the skill of the Avengers’ leader would inevitably end in disaster, so Loki held his tongue.
Upon their arrival in the residential quarters, Loki made his way to the kitchen, craving a cup of tea after a long day of drudgery and a reprieve from the conversation. Unfortunately for him, the others continued to ponder the situation at hand as they followed close behind.
Inevitably, Captain Rogers was already in the kitchen, preheating the oven for dinner.
Norns help him, Loki could not escape the matter if he tried.
Muttering a brief hello, Loki set about procuring a mug and setting a kettle to boil.
“My good captain, just the person we wanted to see!” Thor beamed, stopping behind Rogers and slapping him on the back in greeting. “We need your advice.”
“Oh?” Captain Rogers smiled, turning to the group with wooden spoon in hand. “What can I do for you?”
“We’re trying to figure out how to get Theo to come out of her suite and hang out with us.” Maximoff said, tucking both hands into the pockets of her hooded sweater. “You’re really good with people - any ideas?”
The Captain pondered her question for a moment, his forehead creasing as he stroked his chin. "She seemed comfortable while we sparred."
Maximoff sighed, rolling her eyes. "I would prefer she connect with the team outside our powers, Steve."
Rogers hummed, nodding to himself for a moment before he offered a suggestion: "If she doesn't want to come out and socialize, you could always go to her."
“Perhaps she is an introvert; it is estimated that anywhere from 25% to 40% of the general population are considered introverts,” Vision said, “Introverts find large group scenarios tiring, and often prefer to socialize in small group interactions or in one-on-one settings.”
The captain nodded. “In small groups, she seems to talk more.”
"We ask to join her in her suite…” Maximoff trailed off, thinking through an idea. “Maybe if there's less people, she’d be more comfortable."
Coincidentally, the screaming whistle of the tea kettle pierced the air while silent alarms rang out in Loki’s mind. if Theo had no interest in socializing with the Avengers, she certainly would not take kindly to the Avengers forcing themselves upon her. 
Maximoff ought to have known that - after all, she tried something similar with Loki, and it objectively did not end well. 
Despite every molecule of his being wishing to stay out of the matter, Loki cleared his throat. "Perhaps you ought to consider–"
"A movie night, brother!” Thor’s face lit up as he interrupted Loki, misinterpreting Loki’s attempt at persuading the group to consider an alternative as a show of support. He slung an arm around Loki’s shoulders, which Loki promptly attempted to free himself from lest he spill boiling water and burn himself. “Lady Maximoff shall invite Lady Theo to partake."
"–Or watch a movie with her in her suite if the living room is too much." Rogers tacked on the alternative before Thor became too caught up in the planning of yet another insipid film night.
Maximoff beamed at Rogers, straightening up with renewed purpose. "I'll go ask right now. Thanks, Steve."
Steeping tea in hand, Loki didn’t bother sticking around to see what would happen; he had no interest in a film night, much less witnessing the inevitable rejection that Maximoff faced.
Perhaps he’d use the time to conduct some additional research on the newest Avenger.
You’d make your way in,  I’d resist you just like this You can’t tell me to feel The truth never set me free, So I did it myself
Though Loki initially intended to spend his time researching the mysterious new sorceress, his evening consisted of reviewing the economic proposal that Valkyrie sent him.
Avenger or not, New Asgard still needed governing, so his curiosity around the Silver Shadow had to wait.
By the time he finished reviewing the proposal, the late hour and dull text practically lulled Loki to sleep. It had, in fact, lulled him to sleep for a short time, until he woke in the pitch black with his cheek pressed against the mahogany wood of his desk, at which point he stumbled to his bed and fell asleep once more.
Golden sunlight filtered through the windows when Loki strolled into the kitchen, rolling his neck in a feeble attempt to remove the tension that came from sleeping in a less than ideal position. Maximoff sat at the breakfast bar. Yet another frown tugged at her lips as she mindlessly scooped cereal from her bowl, letting the milk and the grains fall from the spoon back into the bowl before repeating the process.
“Is the Scarlet Witch a bit blue this morning?” Loki inquired, moving to the fridge to search for breakfast.
“I tried the advice Steve gave yesterday about spending time with her in her suite…” Maximoff’s sigh that accompanied the statement held a heaviness that Loki had not heard in years, not since… “She turned me down.”
Loki turned to Maximoff. Her brow knit itself together, her nose wrinkled and lips pursed as she stared down at her cereal. Even her shoulders sagged with disappointment. The sight was so familiar that Loki could imagine it in his sleep - in the earliest days of Loki’s tenure as an Avenger, he caused that very expression to practically live upon Maximoff’s face. It was the eventual guilt that built up from seeing the pitiful frown over and over that forced him to stop sequestering himself in his quarters. 
“I’m sorry.” Loki murmured, now regretting his prior silence. If nothing else, the Scarlet Witch had a heart bigger than most, though her desire to accept everyone left her vulnerable to rejection and heartbreak.
“I just want her to feel welcome.” There was a slight quiver to Maximoff’s voice, though she didn’t look as though she were moments from tears. Loki let out a silent sigh of relief - a crying Maximoff scared Loki more than any extraterrestrial invasion, especially before he’d had coffee.
Procuring some yogurt from the fridge, Loki ventured over to the coffee pot, pulled a mug from the cabinet and poured himself a cup of coffee. Warm ceramic mug in hand, he took a seat next to Maximoff at the breakfast bar.
“She may need time. Remember what Vision said - she is likely still adjusting...” Loki attempted to reassure her, though he doubted it was any help. Despite the moniker of Silver Tongue, finding the right words to comfort others never came naturally. 
Maximioff nodded, continuing to mindlessly drag her spoon through her cereal. She had yet to eat any of it since Loki arrived; with how the morning progressed, Loki wondered if the cereal was even appetizing, or if it had become soggy after sitting in milk for too long..
The sound of footsteps echoed down the hall, growing louder with each beat. Moments later, Sergeant Barnes and Wilson joined them in the kitchen. 
“Good morning Sam, Bucky.” Maximoff perked up, plastering a thin smile on for the soldiers.
The Sergeant offered a grunt, watching her through heavy-lidded eyes as he trudged to the fridge.
“Morning Wanda, Loki - what’s good?” Wilson offered a bright smile before finding a coffee mug and pouring himself some coffee.
It was easy to tell which of the soldiers could be considered a morning person. 
“We’re trying to figure out how to get Theo to come spend time with us.” Maximoff admitted. “Steve suggested I spend time with her in her room, since that seems to be where she’s most comfortable, but she completely shut down when I asked.”
“How did you ask her?” Wilson inquired. 
If anyone knew how to coax Theo out of her shell, it would be Wilson - his experience as a trauma counselor with veterans lent him expertise in navigating difficult social situations. Perhaps Loki ought to have suggested they seek the Falcon out instead of remaining silent and causing Maximoff even more heartache.
“Well I asked if she wanted to come join us for a movie; she told me no thanks.” Maximoff began, still mindlessly dragging her spoon through her cereal. “So then I asked if she wanted to hang out in her suite instead, saying no one should be alone all the time. She looked at me like I was crazy and then told me that she was okay, thanks for the offer, and closed the door.” 
Wilson opened his mouth to reply, but opted against speaking; instead, his expression twisted with something rather unreadable, while conflicting thoughts reflected in espresso eyes. The only sound came from Sergeant Barnes pouring his coffee, followed by the scraping of chair legs against the floor as he joined the rest of the group at the breakfast bar.
Maximoff glanced up, waiting for Wilson’s response. 
“I love Steve, I really do, but that was probably the worst advice he could give you.” Wilson finally sighed and shook his head, then scratched the back of his neck. 
“How so?” Maximoff’s eyes widened, golden flecks catching in the sunlight; she stopped dithering about with her breakfast as she frowned at the Falcon.
“She’s probably nervous, but doesn’t want to admit it - if she’s nervous, she needs a safe place to retreat to.” Wilson explained, taking a prolonged swig of his coffee before continuing. “Cornering her in her suite removes her ability to escape. She probably felt trapped and panicked.”
“You make her sound like a wild animal.” Sergeant Barnes commented, apparently now coherent enough to contribute to the conversation.
“It's a natural instinct.” Wilson rolled his eyes. “Fight or flight. She’s in a place with a bunch of people who she thinks don’t trust her and who she knows were told to win her over. Of course she would be on edge.”
“What are we talking about?” Romanoff appeared seemingly out of nowhere to interrupt the conversation, clad in exercise attire and carrying a water bottle in hand. Belova appeared beside her moments later, braid swishing behind her as she came to a halt. 
For Midgardians, the Widows certainly mastered the ability to move in silence. 
“New girl.” Sergeant Barnes replied, his tone flat.
“What about her?” Romanoff cocked an eyebrow, leaning forward on the countertop. A fine sheen of sweat that coated her skin and a faint flush colored her cheeks, undoubtedly the products of a morning spent in the gym. 
“No one has been able to get her to come out and talk to us.” Maximoff explained yet again, though she showed no signs of irritation from having to continually update others on the topic of conversation. 
Belova took her sister’s water bottle, refilling the container before taking a long drink.  “Loki has,” she tattled, smirking at the Asgardian.
Elaborate fantasies of casting enchantments to mute the younger Widow flashed through Loki’s mind, though instead he settled for staring daggers at her. 
“What? When?!” Maximoff smacked Loki’s shoulder and glared at him. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Stark’s party… Stark left her to fend for herself with the journalists and she appeared nervous, so I offered her an escape.” Loki flatly explained, before adding: “However, that is quite different than coaxing her out of her quarters.”
“The prince rescued the princess.” Romanoff winked. “They spent a good two hours talking and laughing on the balcony.” 
More fantasies of elaborate revenge danced through Loki’s thoughts, the prospect of wiping the smug satisfaction from her face more tempting by the second… 
“What, you don’t think I was watching you?” She challenged, a devilish glint in her expression.
“I do not doubt you were.” Loki retorted, rolling his eyes at her. He hadn’t forgotten that he was once the enemy - if someone was not watching his every move, he would be shocked. It was that same knowledge which stopped him acting on his worst impulses, recognizing that such a moment of weakness would inevitably result in a loss of the delicate truce that allowed Loki to reside on the same planet as his brother.
“Loki, you’re the only one who has managed to get her to talk. Clearly she connects to you for some reason. You have to be the one to try and get her out of her room.” Romanoff made it sound so easy - simply walk up, knock on her door, and invite her out. 
Perhaps it would be easy if Loki were someone else, but this was Loki - his attempts to do right by others were rarely met with success.
“That is preposterous,” Loki muttered, pausing long enough to finish his coffee. “If she were intelligent, she would avoid any association with me whatsoever.” 
“And why not?” Maximoff challenged.
“Well, where would you like me to begin? Jötunheim? New York? Ragnarok?” The snarling bite to Loki’s answer and venomous scowl should have scared the others away; however, these were Avengers. Scared was not a frequently used word to describe them.
“Loki, we’ve all got questionable pasts.” Sergeant Barnes rolled his eyes, otherwise stone-faced when met with Loki’s ire.
Loki cocked an eyebrow at Sergeant Barnes, who completely ignored him. 
“We don’t become Avengers by picking flowers - we kill people. We’re good at it. Most of us got started by killing the wrong people.” Sergeant Barnes continued speaking between bites of toast, his tone so casual that one could have thought he was commenting about the weather. “Does it suck? Sure, but that’s life. I’m sure she’s killed plenty of people to get Fury’s attention.”
“Or - and hear me out here - she would do well with you being the one to connect with her because she feels like she’s done so many bad things that the others might judge her for. After all, she said we were right not to trust her.” Wilson pointed out, apparently in agreement with Romanoff’s absurd proposal. “You can empathize with her because you felt the same way when you first got here.” 
The constant reminders of Loki’s early days as an Avenger simmered beneath his skin, burning and raw despite the time that passed, only sowing seeds of doubt as the conversation continued. Putting their faith in Loki was foolish, at best - it wasn’t as though the god had managed to get her to speak for more than a couple sentences at a time since the first night. Why would he succeed where the others failed?
“Might I remind you that she had no desire to accept a position as an Avenger because she preferred civilian life?” Loki attempted another argument. “A civilian is something I will never be. I was raised to be a prince and a warrior.”
“No, but you are more than those two things.” Wilson countered, with the audacity to smile as he locked eyes with Loki.
“Stark had luck speaking to her when he gathered data to design her armor.”
“He was teasing her; that’s not the kind of thing that will get her to come hang out with us,” Maximoff pressed, frustration accenting her tone and mirroring Loki’s internal state. 
“Shuri made her laugh. You ought to ask her to assist.” Undeterred, Loki put forth another effort to avoid responsibility for a task that he’d inevitably fail; he didn’t need another opportunity to let the team down.
“Shuri is in Oakland.” Sergeant Barnes said. “You’re our guy.”
“I’ve never seen you so nervous to talk to a woman.” Romanoff interjected, earning various levels of laughter from the others. 
Loki groaned, running one hand through his hair and tugging on the ends. 
There was no way out of this.
“Fine. I will humor you and attempt to invite her out of her quarters,” Loki snapped. He stalked towards the corridor, then turned back to the group.”But when she desires nothing to do with me, do not say I provided no warning.” 
Storming back to his quarters, one thought repeated through Loki’s mind: this would be an utter disaster.
You can't be too careful anymore When all that is waiting for you Won't come any closer You've got to reach out a little more More, more, more...
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lady-rose-moon · 10 months
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The Meeting || I Have You || Loki x OFC!Reader ||
A/N: hello everyone and welcome to the first chapter of I Have You! I hope you all enjoy this as it is very dear to my heart.
For people who have not read it, you can find the OFC's introduction HERE to know who the reader shall be through the duration of this story!
↣ MASTERLIST
↣ I HAVE YOU MASTERLIST
Again, welcome to I Have You!
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The winter solstice had just ended, and the parties had ceased their music, parents were gathering their children and guiding them home from a long night of celebrating the next change of season, though it shall not happen for the next few months. Asgardians old and young had gathered to celebrate that they were in the deep of winter and spring shall soon bloom. 
In the Asgardian Palace, the Aesir royal family had just finished their evening celebrations with their fellow lords and ladies of the other realms, apart from Jötunheim’s King, Laufey. Asgard and Jötunheim hadn’t had the best track record so it was best that they be left to themselves. The golden walls caught the last fires from the torches that hung from them, showing a slight regality of the now dominant darkness outside. At the head of the large table, King Odin finished his chalice of wine and set it down, rising to his feet to look down the table. Thor, his firstborn, was surrounded by his friends as they discussed the latest battle they had snuck away to fight. Odin admired Thor’s bravery and need for battle but did not approve that he sought out a fight when it was not needed, if he carried on then it could lead to more than just a verbal thrashing from the King and Queen of said realm. The old King sighed and raised his staff, Gungnir, high in the air before bringing it down on the stone floor to make a loud bang which brought all attention to him. 
 “Welcome to newer times of the year, my friends. I hope the next year will be as peaceful and thriving as this one has been,” Odin spoke, and the table listened to him as he spoke, truly enamoured by every word the Allfather spoke, “I apologise for my brief appearance, but I must retire for the night. I wish you all safe travels home, goodnight.” The table chorused a soft goodbye and Odin stood, departing from the dining hall with his wife on his arm.
Everyone resumed their conversations once the doors to the dining hall shut behind the departing King and his Queen. About halfway down the table, a boy sat beside Volstagg and a black-haired girl that couldn’t be much older than himself. This boy was Loki Odinson, second born to Odin Allfather and Queen Frigga. The boy did not look happy to be attending the dinner that his mother had firmly demanded he attend. He had wanted to stay in his room and read all night, watch fireworks from his window and celebrate his own way but Frigga would not allow it. 
 ‘You are almost 1,000 years old now, Loki, you must make a name for yourself.’ His mother had said to him that morning. But Loki had already made a name for himself, he had married young to a giantess, Angrboða. With her, he had sired three children: Fenrir, Jörmungandr and Hel. Loki loved his children with his heart, he had tried his hardest to keep Fenrir close to him so that Odin could not get his hands on his beloved son but while Loki was in the bath one night, a member of Odin’s Einherjar had snuck into his room and stolen his firstborn. 
Angrboða and Loki mourned the loss of their son and continued to do even after Angrboða informed Loki that she was with child once more. The child had been born strange, an egg instead of a baby. Loki had been confused as he held the bloody egg, but he felt nothing but love as his baby grew inside it. The same happened to his egg that happened to Fenris only this time, it took less time. Angrboða was watching over her egg fondly as Loki was meeting with officials from Vanaheim when a member of Odin’s Einherjar came in from a door behind her and promptly knocked her out, stealing the egg. The next Loki heard of the egg, Odin informed him that it had been thrown into the oceans of Midgard and Loki grieved, grieved for the loss of his first son, for the banishment of his second and for the love he knew he will never receive off Odin now.
When Hel was born, Loki saw her half-dead body and sobbed, resting his head on Angrboða’s chest as his child suckled her nipple for milk. He wasn’t sobbing because he didn’t want this child, he already loved her so much! He cried because he knew she would also be considered a monster by Odin and sent away just like her elder siblings. Loki and Angrboða tried to convince everyone that she had lost the baby, that it had been stillborn but the Allfather had not believed her. Loki had taken it upon himself to keep Hel close and to protect her, he did not leave her in her cradle for a bath, he did not let her sleep away from himself and Angrboða.
 Loki was terrified of losing his only little girl, he had always wanted a girl and cherished her cute giggles and excited squeals whenever he showed her simple magic tricks. Even through all this added protection, Odin had torn his only daughter from his arms and banished her to Helheim. That day came and went, many more passed and soon even Angrboða left him, she had died of a broken heart at losing all three of her children but Odin passed the death off as the flu to his citizens and life went on. 
Then there was a time, three hundred years later, when Loki decided he had had enough of grieving for his family, and he wanted to ruin Odin. Loki decided it would be funny to seduce Odin’s current warhorse, Svaðilfari. It had been all fun and games until she discovered she could not turn back from a mare into her human form, she had used her magic to scan herself and found another little bundle of magic beneath her own. Loki’s heart stopped and she realised she could not stay near Asgard’s palace while she was pregnant with her child and so she ran. Many warrants went up all over the Realm to find the prince and as she was reaching her eleventh month of pregnancy, she had hidden to wait out the rest in the mountains and away from any other life.
When her son, Sleipnir, had been born and she could shift back into her human form, she held her son close to her and looked down at him lovingly, appreciating this blessing from the gods. Sleipnir had been born a foal as she had carried him that way for the whole duration, she watched him change into a normal human as his magic slowly built up over the few hours, she spent holding him. He looked just like her, ebony hair already on his head, deep green eyes, and the cutest smile he’d ever seen since… her heart skipped a beat as she remembered Hel and her smile. Sleipnir had Hel’s smile and she was so proud. 
Two months later, when he was sure that Odin wouldn’t think him to be the culprit of Svaðilfari’s disappearance, he returned to Asgard castle with Sleipnir. Odin had been suspicious of course, but Sleipnir showed no reason to be a threat, so he wilfully ignored the child for once. Loki had been thankful for this, and he had shown his son around the castle with a bright smile, listening to Sleipnir’s cooing and enthusiastic squeals. 
Then they arrived, Queen Serena and her two daughters, Serenity, and Isabella. It was widely known that Princess Isabella was adopted after her father had saved her from her mother and sent her to live with the royal family of Midgard’s moon.
Loki was required to stand with his family, staring boredly at the new royalty that he would have to study about later as he itched to get back to his son safely locked in his chambers.
"King Odin, oh grand Allfather, I present my daughter, Princess Isabella Moon to you and pronounce her my heir to the title of Queen of the Moon Kingdom," Queen Serena announced and Loki raised a curious eyebrow as he took in those words. This Queen is favouring her ward rather than her firstborn, he mused to himself, perhaps I, Odin's second born still may have a chance against my brother if that is so.
"The Nine Realms recognise Princess Isabella Moon as heir to the Moon Kingdom," Odin replied, holding his hand out to Isabella and watching as she took it warily, "Princess Isabella Moon, can you declare with your whole heart that you will honour this title and always respect your mother's choice?"
Isabella's back straightened and she nodded bravely, "I so swear it, Allfather," she replied softly, her voice catching in Loki's ears unexpectedly, igniting a curiosity that had been dulled through motherhood.
Odin nodded and looked beyond the Princess to the crowds, "I present to you, Crown Princess Isabella Moon of Midgard, the heir to their Moon Kingdom!"
The crowd applauded and Isabella smiled nervously as she looked out to the crowd, waving hesitantly as she realised the situation she was in before her younger sister grabbed her hand and dragged her out onto the dance floor.
Despite his interest, he took no notice of Princess Isabella as he was still nursing Sleipnir and recovering from his birth but later in the night when cuddling his already sleeping son, she walked up to him with a gentle smile.
“May I hold him, your majesty? I won’t wake him, I swear,” the girl smiled and looked at him with a curious look in her eye and he reluctantly handed his son to her, watching her carefully as if she would turn away and take Sleipnir from him. She didn’t. She took a seat beside him and gazed down at the young boy in her arms with a soft smile before she began to speak again, “is he yours? Mother had me and Serenity informed of your fluidity to respect you! He’s so beautiful, he looks like you.” 
Loki looked at the girl with surprise evident on his face before he smiled and nodded as he gazed down at his son, “his name is Sleipnir. I love him more than life itself and if something happened to him…. I wouldn’t forgive myself…” He mumbled weakly and smiled gently at her before huffing and wiping his eyes quickly, “I’m sorry, I’m still very hormonal. Mother says it will last a month longer and then I shall be back to normal.” He gently took Sleipnir back from her and smiled lovingly at his sleeping son’s face. 
Smiling, Isabella tucked a bit of hair behind Loki’s ear and watched him curiously, “forgive me, the Allfather spoke of you and said your reputation was horrible, that you cared for no one but yourself and your son.” That made Loki laugh as he looked up from his baby to meet Isabella’s eyes, his heart so full of grief and pain that Isabella could see it so clearly on his face and she reached her hand out and cupped his cheek, flinching back when Loki instinctively flinched away from the contact.
“Please don’t,” Loki mumbled, looking away from her and down at his son, “I’m not at all crazy about contact after what has happened to my family.” He sounded so broken, his eyes were glossy with unshed tears and Isabella hated herself for taking all this time to get to him, to get to her soulmate.
“I’ve gone through many lovers, Isabella, I’ve never been able to hold them. Please don’t think you’ll be the first to try to stay with me, the last one died because of me and my family.” 
Isabella sighed and nodded, giving him a smile before she stood up and moved to kneel in front of Loki and Sleipnir, pushing away some of Sleipnir’s loose hair and she giggled when Sleipnir started to rouse from his sleep, “I suggest we should move him, your highness, if he wakes right now, he shall not sleep the night.” Loki nodded right away and lead Isabella through a side door and down a corridor or two until he got to the grand doors of his chambers, and he turned to her with a shy smile.
The way Isabella’s heart fluttered when she saw Loki’s own smile was indescribable! She had just met the Godling, and she already knew that he was the one she was assigned to by Ymir and the Yggdrasil. Gently stepping back, she gave a small wave to Loki and to Sleipnir’s slowly rousing face before she turned on her heel and left. 
Loki watched her leave with a sad smile before Sleipnir started to get fussy and he laughed, walking into his room and over to his bed after locking the front door and all the windows, “you are a fusspot when you just wake up, sweetie!” Laying Sleipnir down, Loki undressed him from his onesie and proceeded to change him before giving him a new nappy and conjuring up a bottle of warm milk as he paced around his bedroom, smiling down at his son as he watched the young boy drift off again while drinking the milk. Sighing in relief, Loki slipped into bed and laid Sleipnir down beside him and held his tiny hand in his own before closing his eyes and falling asleep.
"Thank you," he whispered into the night, his mind thinking of the Princess he had just met and the promise of a better life.
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He had let his guard down. Odin had backed off. Everything was supposed to be fine! He had merely stepped into the next room to grab Isabella and show her that Sleipnir had finally said “mummy”! When he came back, though, his son was gone. His son was gone, along with the last of his heart. Dropping to his knees, he stared at his bed where his child had been not two minutes ago. He broke. His heart was now sawdust blowing in the Asgardian summer. Isabella knelt beside him and rested her head on his shoulder as she tried to hold back her own tears. It had been a year; she had known the broken family for a year and had become quite attached to Sleipnir, so this loss affected her deeply. She watched as her soulmate’s heart shattered and the boy in front of her barely looked like the proud mother, he had been just three minutes ago... He looked so vulnerable, so broken, so helpless and Isabella hated seeing him so. 
“It can’t be so, I just left for a moment! How did... how did he get in here...?” Loki mumbled weakly, more to himself than to the woman holding him so lovingly. He stood abruptly and started pacing around the room, trying to figure out the fateful lapse in his judgement. Why had he walked out on his son? Did his son cry? Did he call for his mummy only to be taken away still? Where had Loki gone wrong in his watch? Why did he look away?! 
“Loki, you’ll burn a hole into the marble if you carry on pacing,” a gentle voice whispered by his side, a warmth surrounding him as Isabella took him into her arms and sniffled, “we will all mourn for them alongside you, but you must remember that I can easily break the treaty with Asgard for this, you know Serenity will agree to my choice when she finds out about this and so will Mother.” Isabella stroked her hand through his silky hair and frowned when Loki shook his head.
“No, this is another of Father’s malicious tests of loyalty. Pull out now and he’ll forbid your return to Asgard the moment the comment leaves your mouth. I can’t lose you too, Isabella, you’re the only one left!” Loki begged her, his weakness shining through now that he had lost all of his children. Isabella helped him cling to her as she shushed him gently, stroking his hair and frowning.
The Demoness knew that she would not be able to forget how broken Loki looked on the day he lost his foal. All of the faith that she had for the Allfather and belief that Loki and Odin might be peaceful someday shattered the moment the first tear rolled down Loki's cheek. Now her loyalty was to Loki and only Loki.
Delicately, she cupped his cheek and smiled lovingly at him as she lifted his head so he could look at her, “I’m never leaving you, I have you, I promise.”
~~~
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@lokisgoodgirl @lokisninerealms @evelyn-kingsley @slpnbty2001 @jennyggggrrr @hahaha12123445 @ozymdias @holdmytesseract @itsybitchylittlewitchy @lovingchoices14 @xorpsbane @huntress-artemiss @muddyorbs @nerdy-fangirl-65 @lonadane @silverfire475 @chantsdemarins @iamsherlocked1479 @kittiowolf210 @just-someone11 @stupidthoughtsinwriting @loki-laufeyson-1054 @fictive-sl0th @coldnique @anukulee @eleniblue
~~ fic tags ~~
@thegodofnotknowing @crimson25 @simping-for-marvel @buttercupcookies-blog @vileepponine @pinestwinssimp
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sarahrogersevans · 1 year
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I’ll Be Home Soon- Tom Hiddleston xreader fan fic
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Summary: Tom is leaving to go film Loki season 2 and Y/N takes him to the airport personally to say goodbye
Warnings: angsty & a lot of fluff and cute moments, tear jerker, mentions of Loki season 2 but no spoilers, this is gonna be kind of a sad one I’m sorry lovelies, let me know if I miss anything
~Tom’s POV~
I was packing to go film Loki season 2 and I was really excited to continue playing Loki again. I finished packing the rest of what I needed and I got my phone out to call a cab to take me to the airport but then my girlfriend Y/N came in the room and said “hey Tom would it be ok if I took you to the airport this time? I wanna be able to say goodbye to you there if that’s alright?” I smiled taking her hands in mine and said “I would love it if you took me, thank you my love.” I kissed her knuckles and grabbed my bags to carry them to the front door and Y/N said “ok got everything honey?..” I looked at my bags and said “Yep I believe so, do you have the car keys?” She grabbed the keys from the key holder and her purse and said “yep I’ve got them, lets go.”
I put my bags in the trunk and the ride there I noticed Y/N was quiet while she drove & when we got to the airport I grabbed my bags and we walked in and I checked in my bags & noticed Y/N was squeezing my hand not wanting to let go while we walked to the gate, I hated seeing her look so sad everytime I was leaving for a work trip. I’m just glad Y/N wanted to take me to the airport today, I was happy she was walking me to my gate, I hate walking in an airport alone and it’s harder saying goodbye at home. I held her hand on our way to the gate and we’d look at each other every so often and I almost cried knowing I was leaving her again. Y/N saw a cafe on the way and said “wanna grab a snack before we get your gate love?” I did feel kinda hungry so I smiled and said “good idea darling, let’s eat something. We both bought a sandwich and a drink and sat down to eat and I told her what the plan was for Loki and she would smile at me the whole time while I talked and I loved how she was always a great listener. Y/N finished eating and said “I’m so excited to see the new season Tom it sounds amazing, I couldn’t be more proud of you.” I kissed her hand and said “Y/N you are so sweet this is why I love you, we should get walking again.” Y/N nodded and handed me my backpack and I held her hand again on the way to the gate.
~Y/N’s POV~
We got to the gate and Tom took off his carry on backpack off his shoulders and said “darling here come closer please.” I walked closer to Tom and he put his arm around me for a hug and I smiled putting my arms around him & I started crying a bit in his chest and Tom lifted my chin up so I’d look at him and he wiped away my tears and said “Y/N please don’t cry my love, I promise I won’t be gone too long ok? I love you so much and I love that you came to see me off please don’t cry because if you do, I won’t want to leave you.” I laughed a bit while wiping my face and said “ok ok, I’m sorry Tom. I just love you so much and I hate being apart from you it’s hard but I hope you have fun I’m so excited for you getting to play Loki again.”
Tom smiled and said “I love you so much, and I promise I’ll be home soon ok? I will walk out and give you the biggest hug, nothing will keep me from coming back to you.”
Tom pulled me closer and leaned in to kiss me and we heard the annoucement for his flight and I said “ time to go, oh! One more thing I may have snuck something into your suitcase for you, to remind you of me.” Tom smiled pulling me in for one last kiss and said “you are adorable Y/N, I have to go now sadly but I will be back I promise you.” I nodded and said “I know you will Tom, go. I’ll be here when you come home, fly safe I love you.” He walked down to the plane waving to me and I watched his plane take off doing my best not to cry though I already missed him a lot but I knew he would be home again soon.
Hey lovelies! I thought I’d write a Tom Hiddleston xreader fan fic since I had been writing more Loki fics 😊 I thought the idea for this one was cute, I hope you enjoy 💚🤍🤗xx
Taglist:
@lokiandbuckysdoll
@jessybarnes
@nana1000night
@sunshine-on-my-mind
@anotherfuckingmarvelfanaccount
@imyourbratzdoll
@writersblog20
@delicatecoffeepeanut
@marvelstarker-mha98
@chrisevansdaughter
@vrittivsanghavi
@precious1610
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linusbenjamin · 5 months
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tom hiddleston the day after he said he's done playing loki
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redfoxwritesstuff · 20 days
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Sunflower: Book 1, Chapter 12
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Tom Hiddleston x OFC Series rated: M Chapter warnings: None- a bit fillery AN: There is some whiplash when you side step into a new and hyper fixation that is so far *not this* that this felt weird lol.
Masterlist
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Tom sat at the small dining table talking on the phone. Mia tried not to listen but it was hard not to. What she needed to be doing was sleeping in. 
It was Tuesday morning and the strangest weekend of her life was well in the rear view mirror. She had to face reality and go to work tonight. Thankfully her shift was an early one, all things considered but still. It felt like returning to a world that she didn’t quite fit into again and she couldn’t put her finger on why.
“Everything alright?” Mia asked, sitting down at the cramped table with him. 
“The lease is signed and you can pick up the keys as early as tomorrow.” Tom started with the good news first. “But I’ve got to fly out to New York today for an interview.”
This was it. Mia knew it was coming. There was no way their lives would allow them to be together and after the night before, it hurt. She hated that it hurt. 
They should have kept things business. She shouldn’t have let him in, even a tiny bit. She shouldn’t have opened her heart to the possibility of him. Dumb. God she was so dumb. 
“I need to be there for two days.”
“Work snuck up on you?” Mia tried not to sound sad. 
“In a way.” Tom took her hand in his, the casual affection burning her heart like a knife. “I’ve been dodging Luke for most of the weekend and it slipped my mind. I can come back here after for a but. I’ll need to make a stop home though in a few weeks.”
“You don’t have to stay here so much.” Mia cringed at her words. 
“I want to, darling.” The endearment pulled her eyes to him. Had they gotten to that point? “You’re my wife and it’s only right that when we can be, we’re together. I’ll leave you with some funds for a new couch, groceries and what have you. Whatever you think you’ll need.”
“I can take care of the utilities.” Mia insisted. “I can transfer services from here, it shouldn’t be a problem.”
“I’ll let Luke know.” 
~~~~~<3
Mia’s phone pinged, drawing her nose out of her book. It was Ashley texting her a link to a news article. So far, she had been so good about avoiding looking at the tabloid stories for the weekend. 
This one though, she couldn’t not see if she was going to dismiss that annoying ‘unread message’ notification. The article preloaded a headline and the picture without her having to click on it. Technology was ever so helpful. 
Looking back at her was a picture of her walking, her arm in Tom’s toward the restaurant from the night before. It had worked, someone had taken the picture. There was a zoomed in shot of her left hand, the unique ring set she loved from the moment she woke up married. 
“Don’t click it.” Tom’s voice was soft. “That’s not a path you want to go down, trust me.” 
“Okay.” She locked her phone. “If you say so.”
“It exists, it means Luke was right and did his job. That’s all that matters.” 
~~~~~<3
Sally hugged Tom tightly at the apartment door. Tears glittered in her little blue eyes as her arms strained to hold onto him as hard as she could. She was wrapped in Tom’s arms as he knelt on the ground between his two suitcases and held her to him. 
This little person was a part of his life now and in a few short days, he cared for her greatly. It terrified him how quickly that bond developed, more than anything else had. She was a little person who was caught up in this whole marriage business and the chaos of his life. She was a child with no say.
“Are you going to come back and tell me more stories?” Her little voice was muffled by his shoulder. 
“Of course.” 
“Do you promise?” Sally asked. 
“I do.” 
Mia’s back stiffened. She was protective over her daughter, as was to be expected of a single mother. There had been countless promises made to Sally over the years that hadn’t been kept. Sometimes, it was Mia herself who didn’t keep the promises but a broken promise that could be avoided was different than someone promising something they couldn’t deliver.
Never promise anything you’re not sure you can keep was a concept she lived by. It was the only thing she could do to try and counter the look on Sally’s face when the promised phone call never came or the Christmas present that was ‘in the mail’ never was delivered. 
When Sally got older she will start to question why the gifts were mailed and the time together was by phone when her father only lived on the other side of the city. But for now at least, she was young and thought the best of everyone. 
“They’ve got to get going, Sally.” The neighbor girl elected babysitter for the night sat on the couch as she waited. “Come on, let’s watch the Nightmare Before Christmas.” 
The movie was Sally’s latest obsession. She loved that she shared a name with a main character. 
“I’ll be back in about an hour, give or take.” 
~~~~~<3
It felt strange to watch Tom load is bags into the back of the car. She didn’t like it and that was something she didn’t like even more.
They drove to McCarran International Airport with tension thick in the air. It didn’t feel good that he was leaving like she thought it would. 
She wanted him to stay longer. She wanted to get to know him more. 
Tom shifted, pulling his wallet from his back pocket. Mia watched but didn’t say anything. It felt like there were so many words inside her that she wanted to say but she couldn’t identify a single one. 
Tom held a card out to her. “Here,” The card hung in the air, suspended by his fingers. She glanced at it then back to the road.
“You don’t-”
“Think of it as a promise that I’m going to come back.” Tom set the card in the cup holder rather than wait for her to take it. 
“That is so cheesy.” Mia couldn’t help but laugh. It was short and died under the tension in the car.
“The movers will be paid ahead. Use that card for a couch and coffee pot- whatever else you feel you need.” 
“I can’t just use your card. I don’ want to leave you in a pinch or something.”
“It’s a credit card. It’s got enough on it and won’t leave me stranded if you go overboard. Not that I think you will. Please, use it. Get a couch and coffee maker. Whatever else you need too. And if something comes up and you need it for something else, use it. If you’re unsure, text me. Call me.”
Mia sighed. She wanted to protest and wanted to send him away with his card but she couldn’t. There were things she needed to replace if she was going to not take the bugs with her. 
“Fine.” 
~~~~~<3
“What airline do you want me to pull up to?” The airport was almost always busier than it had any right to be regardless of the time of day. This time was no exception.
“Can you park?” Tom asked. 
“What?” Mia hadn’t expected to park. They’d already gone by the short term parking. “We’d have to swing around again…”
“Delta it is then.” 
The car stopped on the side of the road designated to load and unload passengers for Delta airlines. Fiddling with the hem or her shirt, she didn’t know what to do as she stood on the sidewalk. 
Tom retrieved his bags from the back of the car without trouble. She had wanted to help but she didn’t want to be in the way. It was easy to be in the way at the airport.
The, in what felt like a blink of an eye, they were standing on the sidewalk together. What an awkward pair they made. 
“You should probably get going, huh?” She didn’t know what else to say. What she really wanted to say was: ‘don’t go’. She couldn’t say that though. 
“I’ll be back in a few days.” Tom said and they stood in silence again. 
People moved around them. The night sky was a deep dark blue though the ground all around them was lit up bright as day. There was no shortage of lights around the airport.
“Come here.” Tom reached out and grabbed her by the wrist. 
She was caught off guard by the action. He pulled her to him and she went easy enough. In a blink of the eye, she was in his arms and the world slowed down and tears she didn’t expect burned at her eyes. 
It felt safe in his arms. The heat of his body radiated off of him. There was more than enough heat in the air already but the heat of his body was something different. She could feel the pounding of his heart in his chest. The scent of his body wash clung to him.
Had he held her since the morning after they changed their lives forever? She didn’t think so. There had been small moments of careful affection but this was not that. Was it a show for anyone observing them? For some unseen cameras he forgot to warn her about? Was it real or was it an act?
“What are you doing?” Mia carefully wrapped her arms around him. 
“I’m holding you.” Tom said as if he didn’t know what the actual question was. 
“Why?” Mia mumbled, her cheek resting on his chest. “Is someone taking pictures?” 
“Not that I know of.” She could feel him sigh. 
“Then why?” 
He was quite for a few moments. The world moved around them and she couldn’t help but to relax into the embrace. The airport faded away as her eyes slipped closed. 
“Because I wanted to.” Tom finally answered. “Because I think I’m going to miss you.”
Nothing seemed like the right response to his confession. In the absence of words, she simply pulled herself tighter against him for a moment. Would it convey what she wanted to say but was too scared? 
And then, the embrace was over, and he was walking away with a parting wave. 
Watching him disappear into the airport, bags rolling behind him left her feeling alone. He thought he was going to miss her. She was scared to say it but, she thought just maybe she would miss him too. It was something she should have said. She wished she had said it. 
She stood watching as he made his way toward the ticket machines. He stopped and looked out the large windows. Her breath caught in her chest as a look of surprise crossed his face for a moment before it lit up in one of his smiles. His smiles were beautiful. 
Raising his hand, he waved at her a final goodbye. 
~~~~~<3~~~~~<3
Mia’s hands were held in his. Her heart felt like it was trying to beat out of her chest. The words said to here were hard to follow but she loved the way they sounded in his voice. 
He had a magical voice. This was magic. He was magic. 
“Do you take this woman to be your wife?” The officiant said. The rest of the things after were lost to her but that lingered in her mind. 
“I do.” Tom said as clearly and confidently as if he had been sober. 
It took a few tries to thread the matching wedding bad onto her finger though once it did, it nestled against the engagement ring perfectly. She hoped that they would nestle their lives together into one just as perfectly. 
“And do you take this man to be your husband?” Again the other words were lost. Was he able to keep track of the things being said to them? 
“I do.” She hoped she sounded as clear and confident as he did. The simple gold band slipped onto his finger as if it was made to be there. It felt like his hand had been waiting forever for her to put that simple ring where it had always belonged. 
“You may kiss the bride.” The officiant said. 
Tom reached out, caressing her cheek with his hand before pulling her into him. She could feel the metal ring on his finger and loved it. Then his lips were on her’s.
Soft and strong. She could smell the whiskey on his breath and as she gasped a breath, she could then taste it on his tongue. Her arms were around his neck as she arched into his embrace. 
There was no where else in the world she was meant to be in that moment. 
~~~~~<3
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mistress-ofmagic · 1 year
Text
Around The Realms in 80 days- Chapter 17
Pairing: Reader x Loki
Story summary: You have fallen through a portal during the convergence into Asgard and come face to face with Thor, and his brother Loki. With no way to return, you must travel with the two men and their hoard of asgardian soldiers to get back home. Things get from bad to worse when you have to share a tent with the god of mischief himself.
Notes: Um hello!!! I said there would be another chapter shortly for all of you who interacted with my last post mawahah! I'm so sorry this has taken me an insane amount of time I had about a three month break from writing and Tumblr and I've been very quiet! I won't go into all the details but it's been some ride but I am back finally and I hope to god some of you are still out there in the void answering me! Hope you enjoy this latest instalment, I feel a bit out of practice writing so I hope it doesn't seem disjointed or anything! Hopefully I won't leave it quite as long for the next chapter!
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“What about this one?” 
The book shop was warm and pretty crowded, it felt like you had been in for hours. Still, it was nice to be doing something normal…right? 
Leaning against the wall, your thoughts flitted back. You had actually gone up to bed eventually last night and snuck in next to Loki. You had woken to an empty bed again. 
If there was something you had noticed about Loki it’s that he was an early riser, not something you could ever relate to. 
You had laid in bed for a while, pondering over if you had made the right decision. Internally groaning, you realised that you literally had nothing to wear for today again. 
The people of New York are going to think I’m heavily into the medieval vibe you thought sadly, mentally running through the Asgardian dresses you owned trying to work out which would be the least LARP-y. Either that or go for the office aesthetic again, not something you were particularly interested in. 
Finally, you had forced yourself up to face the horror inside the wardrobe (after a few attempts of waving your arms around like a maniac thanks to Tony’s technology). You opened it up and…
You blinked. 
Had you accidentally transported yourself into someone else’s bedroom?
The wardrobe was filled with….well, normal earthly clothes in your size.  Shirts, trousers, skirts, even some dresses that weren’t giving a peasant girl vibe.
“What the fuck?”
You took out a shirt that you would actually wear. Just in time, you heard the door to the apartment open.
“Loki did you…make me some clothes?” You yelled through.
He came into the bedroom, rubbing his hair with a little towel.
Jesus, you had to get your hormones under control, who gave him the right to look so pretty immediately after working out? If this was going to be a regular sight every morning you had got to stop reacting so viscerally. 
“What are you squawking about now?”
“Did you…magic these clothes up for me?”
Loki raised a brow nonchalantly
“Well you were yapping about not having any clothes yesterday.” He stared at you and you stared back, incredulously. 
He rolled his eyes,
“Fine I’ll get rid of them. Honestly make up your mind up. You complain about a lack of clothing and then complain when you have some…” He muttered. 
“Hey, wait, I’m not complaining.”
“You’re not? That’s unusual.” 
“It just…it just took me by surprise that’s all. It was…nice.” 
Loki stared at you with his brow slightly furrowed, as if you were a puzzle he was yet to figure out. 
Your insides twisted funnily. 
“So…thanks.” You gave an awkward smile. 
Loki tutted,
“I only did it because now you don’t have to spend any time today shopping for garments and we can focus on my book shopping instead.” He headed towards the kitchen. 
You rolled your eyes.
“Sure.” You murmured, rummaging through your new clothes. 
Now, you were stood in a book shop, dressed, curtesy of Loki, while you waited for him to pick out his books. 
You had been kind of concerned when stepping out with him, that you might get attacked or something since you know, you were chaperoning the guy who destroyed New York after all, but to your surprise, barely anyone had given you a second glance. 
People only see what they want to see after all and you doubted anyone had expected Loki to be wandering down the street. 
“How many books can one person have? You’re so old, surely you’ve already read like every book in existence?” You moaned. 
Loki shot you a pointed look but ignored your statement. 
You turned round and browsed the shelf half-heartedly in front of you. Your interested piqued slightly, realising that there were some books in a similar vain to your examinations yesterday; ones that even Tony didn’t have in his collection. A particular book caught your eye, 
“Norse mythology for dummies.” 
Checking over your shoulder to make sure Loki wasn’t looking at you, you picked the book up and started flicking through. 
With one last sly look at Loki, you jumped to the part about the man himself. There was a silly little picture of him looking rather impish, with red hair and jester like clothing. 
You chuckled darkly, “suits him.”
You stared at him through your peripheral, trying to spot any similarities and struggled to find any with this cartoonish picture. You wondered if Loki realised how he was typically portrayed in books and if it upset him at all, he was rather vain after all. You found a biography section that you skimmed through. 
“Loki has been described as the trickster god…. a shapeshifter, sometimes taking the form of a horse or an old woman…”
You snorted, putting that on the list of questions to ask him later.
“Loki’s relation with the gods is varied, sometimes he assists them and other times he is malicious towards them…Loki’s father Laufey is a Jotun, hailing from Jotunheim.. little is know about Loki’s mother.” 
Wait..you suddenly remembered the fire demon talking about that.
You quickly flicked to the page about Jotunheim. 
“Jotunheim is the home of the frost giants…”
“What are you doing, mortal?” Loki looked over at you curiously, startling you out of your reading and you snapped the book shut.
“N…nothing. Just doing a bit of homework. I’m going to go and get this book.”
You dodged Loki’s attempt at swiping the book from you and headed to the checkout. 
Smiling briefly at the man behind the cashier, you paid for your book and a bag of sweets, and sat one on of the chairs near the door, returning to your page. 
“A cold and barren world with very little sunlight…” you whispered under your breath as you skim-read the rest of the page. 
There was a brief part on some notable events, including teenage Loki and Thor barely escaping having chased the giants for stealing some apples.
Kind of an over-reaction jeez, reminder to not steal apples on a different planet. 
Also something about Loki loosing an eating contest to someone called Logi (finding out about Loki’s past was turning into a bit of a hoot). And finally Thor having to wrestle an old lady? 
You shook your head. This was ridiculous. Nothing about Loki’s parentage though. You turned the page and found a portrait photo of a Jotun. He looked nothing like Loki, for starters this guy was blue with white markings on his face and chest. 
You sighed and jumped to the pages on Muspelheim, the fire realm, instead. A few seconds looking at some more fire demons made you feel slightly queasy however, and you shut the book. 
Just in time, you caught Loki wandering back over to you with a pretty hefty pile of books. 
“Let’s leave mortal.” He stated, haughtily.
“Did you pay for those?” You asked him. 
Loki rolled his eyes and tutted, but, in his defence, made his way back to the cashier. 
“That will be a no then.” You muttered. 
You watched him, brows raised to see how the man behind the checkout would react. Just as the rest of the public had, he did not seem to be phased despite Loki of Asgard now standing in his shop. In fact, he seemed to even be flirting with him.
Unbelievable. 
“C’mon.” You grumbled once he returned to you grinning rather irritatingly. 
The cooler air outside was a welcome change from the stuffy bookshop. Still, you were used to much cooler Septembers than this, and you missed your home autumn climate. 
A pang of guilt hit you very briefly, as you thought about your family at home. They had seemed happy enough with the idea you were now working with Tony Stark, and you had failed to mention the whole dangerous space travel aspect.
“Have you got everything you wanted?” You turned to Loki. 
“Indeed I have.” 
“Excellent.” You moved to walk back to the towers. 
“Ah.” Loki cleared his throat. “Actually, perhaps we could go to the coffee establishment you mention constantly.”
You blinked.
“You wanna go get coffee with me?” You asked, surprised. 
He smirked,
“I know it must be difficult for a mortal like yourself to believe I would ever grace you with my presence…”
“Oh for…yeah whatever. I didn’t mean it like that, I just meant…”
He continued smirking at you, annoyingly. God he pissed you off.
“Asshole.” You muttered and checked the time on your phone quickly.
“I have about an hour…” You spoke out loud without thinking.
“An hour?” He was still smirking.
“Hm?”
“Going somewhere are we? Surely my escort does not have any other prior engagements?” 
“Gross, please don’t call me your escort.” 
“You haven’t answered the question.” 
“I erm…” You stuttered. 
God why did you feel a twinge of guilt about telling Loki that you were meeting Oliver in the afternoon?
This was stupid, you had nothing to hide. 
Loki continued to peer at you curiously, enjoying your discomfort. 
“I’m meeting up with someone.” 
“Oh?” Lokis smirk dropped finally, his face growing slightly more guarded. 
“Prey tell, who is this mysterious figure?”
You rolled your eyes. “Come on, let’s go to the coffee shop.” 
Loki fell into line next to you. 
“I’m curious, just who could have taken my escorts attention away from me?”
“I told you not to call me that.” 
“You’re avoiding the question mortal.”
You sped up. 
“I’m not avoiding it…”
You were only half listening to him, already deciding what to get at Starbucks. Since there was no Costa in New York. Boo. If you were going to get a coffee later with Oliver, you should probably not get one now or you would be jumping off the walls. It felt too warm still for hot chocolate season though…
Loki caught up pretty quickly with his long legs. 
“You know, I’ve always wanted to go to New York.” You sighed wistfully as you looked around the streets. 
Despite the shit-show that was your life currently, you had a sudden happy feeling flood you. You never believed you would even go to New York, and here you were walking around, enjoying the city. 
“This is kind of cool right? I guess it didn’t settle in before. I really want to do the tourist bits before I leave, like the Empire State Building, central park and the statue of liberty. Maybe go see a show, visit Brooklyn Bridge, go the the Grand Central…hopefully if I survive the fire demons ill get to do them.” 
Loki looked at you funnily,
“Why do you have to go home?”
You squinted up at him. 
“Well I can’t stay here forever, I need to go…beg for my job back probably. I’m running on low funds here and I doubt Stark will let me live in the towers rent free forever like a little pet.” You snorted. 
“And, once this all gets resolved…or you know even if it doesn’t, I’m not an Avenger or even in official employment of Stark. Plus this may surprise you I did have a life before all this.” You paused, “albeit not a very exciting one. Come on, let’s go to this Starbucks.” You stopped outside and entered. 
“What are you going to order?” You asked him. 
Loki rolled his eyes and looked at the board.
“There are far too many options.”
“Yeah, it’s pretty overwhelming. Well, erm, do you like coffee or not so much?”
“It is acceptable.”
“Erm, well there are different types of coffee I guess like espresso if you like a very strong coffee or a latte if you like milkier coffees.” 
He rolled his eyes again.
“I know the different types of coffee, I have been to Midgard before.”
“Jesus. Well then, you can get syrups if you like them sweeter or there are options like frappachinos which are kind of more just milkshakes.”
“What will you be ordering?” 
“My usual, a vanilla latte, my namesake after all.”
“Yes, the drink you had the day we first met.” Loki smirked. 
“You mean the drink you caused me to spill everywhere when you literally pushed me over!”
“Haven’t we had this conversation before? I thought you were a spy.” 
“Didn’t apologise for it though.” You muttered. 
Finally you got to the front of the queue. 
“Hi, I’ll have a vanilla latte please and a -“ You looked expectantly at Loki. 
“Another one.” 
You got your purse out to pay when Loki swiped his card agains the machine. 
“Oh…thanks.”
Loki raised an eyebrow cooly, 
“You said you were low on funds.”
“Er, yeah.” 
After getting your drinks you managed to find a table to sit down on.
You stared at Loki in anticipation, watching him as he took his first sip.
“Well?” You asked, strangely nervous. 
He took a dramatic pause before answering, definitely doing it on purpose to goad you. 
“It’s not…terrible.”
“Woo!” You let out a squeal to which Loki stared at you disapprovingly. 
Taking your own first sip you sighed happily.
“I’ve missed you coffee!” 
“You’re very dramatic about coffee.”
“Well you’re very dramatic about literally everything.” 
Loki sniffed.  “I am not.” 
“You really are. You could win an Oscar.”
“I do enjoy winning things.” He said, proud of himself.
“Okay.” You rolled your eyes. “What books did you get?”
“Hm. I need to improve my Midgardian knowledge it seems so I picked up books on human physiology and theology, as well as this abridged guide to quantum theory.” He snapped his fingers and a huge book that must have been as thick as your head appeared on the table.
“Jesus I’d hate to see the unabridged version.”
“Speaking of human physiology, how is your…affliction?”
You took another sip. “Hm? What affliction?” 
“You know…” He eyed you cautiously. 
You snorted coffee out your nose.
“My period?” You hiccuped.
Loki gave you a look of distaste as he passed you a napkin. 
“Indeed.”
“Do we… let’s actually not talk about that.” 
Loki sighed. 
“Very well. I thought friends were supposed to talk to each other about intimate things. What do you wish to talk about?” 
“Yeah but, you know. You are a 20 million year old alien male, it’s not… well…. some intimate things don’t have to be talked about. It’s not the done thing.” 
“Once again you have no concept of my age. Why does me being a male change anything?”
“Well because… I don’t know really it’s just sort of something woman talk about between themselves, most men don’t want to know I guess.”
“Why would they not want to know?” He asked.
“Erm, I guess…well I don’t know really.” 
“I could turn into a woman if it would make you feel more comfortable.” He took a sip of his drink smugly. 
You eyed him suspiciously, unsure if he was joking. 
“Not right now, that might attract some unwanted attention. Remind me to ask you to do that later though. Or perhaps a horse.”
You expected this to trip him up slightly, one of your current favourite activities but he merely blinked.
“As you wish.” 
“God, can we just talk about something normal for once.”
“Like who you are running off to meet?”
“Er, well no, not that…” 
Speak of the devil… your phone, laying on the table, buzzed and flashed up with Olivers name. Before you had change to grab it, Loki reached across the table and snatched it up with lightning speed. 
“Wh…hey!”
“Whose Oliver?”
You grabbed your phone back.
“We met him yesterday, jeez your memory is bad. And don’t take my phone.”
“I have no recollection of meeting a mortal of that name yesterday.” 
“Er, sure he was in the lab with Stark.”
You checked his message. 
  Oliver: Still okay to meet? Shall I come to Stark Towers?
“Oh.. you mean the moronic head-of-starks-fanclub boy.” 
“What did Oliver ever do to you. He seems nice actually and he messaged me asking to meet up.”
“Ah, so you are running off to meet another boy.”
You snorted, “another boy, please that sounds as if we are on a…never mind. Unlike you, Oliver actually wants to spend time with me.”
Loki leaned back in his chair and looked at you with an odd look on his face. 
“Well I’m here aren’t I?”
You shot him an exasperated look. “Only because I am the only reason you can leave the tower. Be honest Loki, would you really have come out to a bookstore with me if you weren’t under strict  instruction to not go out alone?” 
Loki shifted and blinked,
“Well I…” 
“Exactly. It’s fine I’m not upset but I’m allowed to meet up with people who actually enjoy my company, not just tolerate it.” 
You quickly replied back to Oliver to tell him he could meet you outside the towers.  
“Your company is not always… intolerable.”
“Careful now, that was almost a complement.” 
You sighed and looked around you. Once again, no one had noticed that a dangerous war criminal was sat, relaxing in Starbucks like it was the most normal thing in the world. It felt nice though, to be amongst…normal people going about their every day business, complete unaware that their lives were potentially at stake and you were somehow tasked with ensuring that didn’t happen. God you wished you were just as ignorant, there was no way you fit in with the gods and superheroes you were currently keeping company. 
“Are we prepared for the trip?” You asked him. 
Loki nodded. “I believe Volstagg and Fandral will also be accompanying us.”
Your eyes lit up,
“Aw nice!” 
Loki shot you a dark look. 
“No, not nice. It is highly irritating.”
“Well, the more people we have the better, no?” 
Loki rolled his eyes but didn’t reply. 
You let yourself people watch for a bit longer, watching as a guy ate a sandwich and completely missed his mouth as he read a newspaper. 
“He’s a simpleton.”
You chuckled as the guy looked round in embarrassment, “yeah.” 
“Then why are you meeting up with him?
“What?” You snapped your attention back to Loki. 
“The boy.” 
“Oh…well actually Oliver is super clever he went to Harvard and got an internship with Stark while he was studying.”
“Please, Midgardian education is nothing compared to the far superior Asgardian education. He wouldn’t have even met the entrance criteria.”
“Isn’t Asgard kind of backwards when it comes to things like that though? Seems like there’s kind of a harsh class difference, you know, gods vs the rest of Asgard?” 
“Do not pretend Earth is any better.” He scowled. 
“No, but I’m just saying, maybe Oliver couldn’t have gotten into the schools you went to but wouldn’t that have been because of his states rather than his brains? Also you age so much slower than we do so you have more time to learn things which is kind of an unfair advantage.”
You took a slurp of your coffee.
“You certainly seem to be quite enamoured.” Loki stated, cooly and guarded. 
You blushed in spite of yourself. 
“I…I am not…enamoured.” 
It’s true you were up quite late texting him before Loki got irritated and said the light was disrupting his abilities to sleep and banished your phone to the shadow realm or something. 
Loki stood suddenly.
“Going somewhere?” You asked surprised. 
“If we are going to head back for you to be on time for your rendezvous we should return mortal.” 
“Oh.” You checked the time, he was right. 
He strode off out of Starbucks and as you attempted to catch up, you wondered if he was annoyed you were ditching him for someone else. 
The walk back seemed to be feeling awkward and you felt bad for abandoning him. Which is probably what prompted you to say the following:
“You could come with me and Oliver if you wanted? This afternoon?”
Loki looked at you as if you had suggested he ran around Stark Towers naked doing the cha cha slide. 
“Or not…just a suggestion.”
“Why in the realms would I want to do that mortal?”
“Well I just wondered if you were maybe a bit bored at the towers and would prefer to hang out with some different people for a change.”
“I would not prefer to hang out with you and that midgardian.”
“Jeez I take back my invitation.” 
It was quiet between you again. 
Aw man this sucks. You felt a strong sense of guilt for some reason and was that…a feeling of sadness? Where you…sad that you weren’t spending the rest of the day with Loki? It had been kind of fun spending the morning with him, even with his complete lack of knowledge around what counts as an appropriate conversation. 
You snuck a glance up at him as you walked, laughing inwardly at his outright questions surrounding your menstrual cycle earlier. He looked kind of annoyed, but then again, you mused, his usual facial expression was kind of “mildly irritated” so it was difficult to tell. Loki had the worst case of resting bitch face you had seen.
As you got closer to the Towers, you spotted Oliver waiting for you. You smiled and waved at him as he walked over.
“Hi” He grinned. 
You awkwardly looked at each other, both wondering if you should go in for a hug or not.
“You look nice! I like the more modern look today” He said cheerily. 
“Aw thanks!” 
You could almost feel Loki rolling his eyes behind you.
“Norns above this is sickening. No need to lie mortal boy she looks the same as usual.”
“Are you going to stay here and be rude all afternoon or do you have somewhere else to be?” You shot at him. 
“I have far more important things to do than stand and talk to midgardians.” He sneered.
“Well why don’t you go do them then.”
“Well, I will.”
“Fine.”
“Fine.”
“Goodbye.” You spat. 
You turned to face Oliver who looked slightly unsure at the interaction he had just witnessed. 
“Shall we?” You asked rather briskly and strode off in whatever the opposite direction of Loki was. 
Notes: Let me know what you though! Not sure how many are still out here lol but I hope you enjoyed! Loki is a master of hot and cold!
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