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villainousshakespeare · 1 year

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Therapy Fit for a God Chapter 30

Loki/OFC Rated E: Trigger Warnings: Smut, Sex, Oral Sex, Angst, talk of suicide, therapy, unhealthy family dynamics, mention of torture and mind control, touch starved, drinking, memory loss.

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

Loki’s plans to conquer and rule Midgard have come to a disastrous end. After being captured by the Avengers, he is being held on Earth. Odin has refused to interfere, and the outlook for the God of Mischief appear bleak. His only hope may lie in one mortal woman, a Psychiatric expert brought in to interrogate him.

Dr. Caroline Thorpe is intrigued by Loki and thinks that more lies beneath his actions than is commonly known. Can she find out the truth before he is shipped off to die for crimes against the Earth? And can Loki bring himself to care?

@yespolkadotkitty @just-the-hiddles @hopelessromanticspoonie @wine-and-whines @arch-venus25 @caffiend-queen @devilish–doll @enchantedbyhiddles @hiddlesholic @i-do-not-fangirl-i-fanwoman @kellatron55 @ladyoftheteaandblood @latent-thoughts @yespolkadotkitty@maryxglz @myoxisbroken @nuggsmum @nildespirandum @pedeka @redfoxwritesstuff @sinfully-lustful-darling @vodka-and-some-sass @wrathkitty @kingtwhiddleston @wolfsmom1 @poetic-fiasco @shiningloki @dangertoozmanykids101 @bookworm-christina @amwolowicz @delightfulheartdream @frostbitten-written @what-a-flammable-heart @tom-hlover @nonsensicalobsessions @myraiswack @loki-yoursaviourishere @ghostypau @ms-cellanies @colorfulfreakstudentpizza @mareebird @colorfulfreakstudentpizza @szycha22 @chokemedaddyloki @queenofallhobos @just-the-hiddles-reads @alwida10 @justjoanne242 @chantsdemarins @lovelysizzlingbluebird @lokiprompts @evieplease @unlucky-number-13 @bitchassbecky691 @georges-left-ear @mischief2sarawr @thedistractedagglomeration

Everything in the world seemed big. He was scared. Cold. Could not bring his mind to form words to fit to his thoughts.

Ice and rock surrounded him, looming up from the ground and down from the ceiling like monster fangs ready to devour him. The dark haired woman who had cooed to him, who had looked at him with a soft, gentle gaze, was no longer within his range of vision. He was alone. It was terrifying.

Yet as terrifying as it was to be alone, the giant who burst into the space was infinitely worse. He was huge and wild, covered in blood like some beast. One hand gripped a brutal looking axe, and a gauged hole was all that remained of one eye.

"Odin," the voice in his mind breathed. He was not alone then, not completely.

As Loki shrunk back onto the slab of stone the woman had carefully placed him on, the giant turned and pierced him with his one good eye.

"What have we here?"

His voice was little more than a growl. Loki could feel the animosity in it. Rough hands reached down to pick him up and carry him closer to a bristly beard and mustache surrounding a pair of pursed lips. There was no warmth, no kindness for him in that look. Instinctively, wanting to calm the fire of the creature's dislike, Loki tried to figure out why this man might loathe him so. He must look like a monster to the monster, he reasoned. Hoping to mollify the man, he thought of the woman who had held him before, the one other face he could remember. Bringing all the concentration he could muster, Loki willed himself to appear more like her.

He must have done something right, because the huge man looked intrigued now, rather than repulsed. Still, he kept Loki clutched in his oversized hands.

"Odin," the dark-haired woman's voice was not as it was when she had spoken so sweetly to Loki. It seemed as cold as the room around them.

The giant spun, and Loki was able to just make out once more the woman. She was slumped on the floor, fatigue stamped onto a beautiful face. Loki could feel waves of love around her and wished that it was she who held him now.

"Volla!"

He feared for a moment that the man would drop him and let out a startled little wail. The hands instead closed tighter around him, and he found that this was almost as bad.

"Where have you been? We have been frantic in our search for you!"

"I have been here, at least of late," her voice held humor, but a touch of pain as well.

"You sister is mad with worry. You disappeared without so much as a by your leave!"

"Perhaps because I tired of living by your leave, Odin Allfather. I wanted to live for myself, to find out what the worlds had to offer."

"Had to offer? I had secured you an offer of mariage that would have made you a Queen of Alfheim!"

"Yes, but I never really cared for Elves. Too much musty, esoteric poetry. And Freyr is such a bore. We would never have suited."

"You could have said as much," his voice was angry, and Loki began fussing in his grasp.

"I would have helped you, Volla. I would have given you the life you desired. I only wanted to protect you," the voice in Loki's mind sounded sad.

"You expect the Goddess of Secrets to share her inner thoughts?" Volla asked, again with a mischievous curl of her lips. "No, you know you would not have approved of what I wanted for myself."

"And what was that?"

"Adventure! To live a full and tumultuous life."

"And I suppose this creature here is the result of that? He is yours I take it?"

"He is," Loki heard pride in her voice, and a warmth spread through him despite the cold. "My little Loki."

"My little Loki! How could I not have known?"

"And where is the father then, who left you here to suffer the trial of delivery alone? Does he have so little respect for a Goddess?"

"He could not be with me," she said with a frown. "Some bellicose berserker of a King came rampaging in with an army, forcing him to go to war."

"Then I was right. It is the child of one of those cursed brutes."

"It is the child of ME!" she corrected, struggling to rise up as much as she could. "The son of a Goddess and of a King!"

"No!" Odin gasped, holding Loki further from his chest, bringing back the fear of plummeting to the stone floor. "Even you, wild and capricious as you are, would not be so brazen!"

"You hold in your hands the first-born son of Laufey, King of Jotunheim," her words echoed about them.

"Laufey's heir!"

"Perhaps," her voice lost some of its assurance.

"What do you mean? If this is his son..."

"Not if Odin. It is his son. But while Laufey would love the babe, there would be some trouble with his subjects. As you well know, I am not his wife. And Hyrrokkin is a jealous bride. She would attempt to set him aside so that her brood, if she can ever tempt Laufey to her bed long enough to sire one, would rule."

"And yet you lowered yourself to birth his bastard," Odin's voice dripped with disappointment.

"I wanted a child. A strong, clever child. Laufey gave one to me. It is an unexpected misfortune that I will not be around to guide him to his birthright."

"What do you mean?"

"Use your eyes, Odin. Or eye, I should say. I am dying. My time came early, and as you so kindly pointed out, there was no one to assist in the birthing. I fear my little Loki will have to make do without me."

"Volla, no!"

"Oh, my darling girl." Loki wished he could comfort the lady who's voice he heard, so bereft did she sound.

Odin knelt down beside her in a movement so sudden that Loki cried out in fear. He could smell her now, though. Even though her scent was mixed with sweat and an odd metallic tang it still comforted him to be near her.

"I fear it is so," she said simply, reaching out to tenderly brush Loki's face.

"I will not lose you. Frigga loves you too well, and you have been all but a child to us both. A willful, stubborn child, but no less dear for all for all of that."

"Even you cannot stop death, Odin. But while I may not be able to return with you, I leave you a happy replacement."

"You cannot mean for me to take the child?"

Loki realized on some level that they were talking of him now, and anxious noises began to bubble up from inside him.

"I cannot raise him, and in my absence Hyrrokkin will seek to do him harm. Bring him to Frigga. Let him help heal the hurt my death will cause her."

"Nothing will do that. This will destroy her. The babe that killed you will be no substitute."

"My sister is stronger than you think. And Loki did not kill me! That was but chance and my own will to do as I please. Promise me, Odin Bor's Son. Swear to me now an oath over my death's blood that you will take my child to raise as a Prince of the Nine Realms."

"She knows me better than you do, old man."

There was a long moment where only Loki's own soft cries broke the silence. At last, the giant holding him bowed his head in acquiescence.

"I so swear. Loki son of Volla shall have a place in my hall and at my table, to be cared for as befits his birth and station as child of a Goddess."

"Thank you."

It was as though all the energy she had put forth to extract the promise from him had been the only thing holding her upright. With her words, she sank back against the wall, limp and spent. Odin took her slim pale had in his and brought it to his face in an oddly gentle gesture. Loki was surprised to see a fat tear fall from his intact eye.

"Ancestors," Odin intoned, words sound ripped from somewhere deep inside him, "Volla, Goddess of Secrets comes to you now. Know how much she was loved in life and grant her a seat in your halls among the glorious dead."

Another tear fell down, splashing onto Loki's face and causing his own eyes to close and for him to begin to cry as well. The tears mixed together, and in the swirl of saltwater his mind began to blur again.

He wanted to stay. He desperately wanted to stay with this dark-haired woman who named him and loved him. But the other woman, the one who had kept watch over him and helped to steer his course through all of these swirling memories was weeping. He could do nothing for the one but perhaps, if he could find her again, he could be of aid to the other.

"Come back to me, my Loki, my nephew and my son. Come back to yourself. Be whole and be happy."

***

"Odin, Son of Bor! We need to have a conversation. Now."

Caroline winced involuntarily as the door to the room slammed behind Frigga. In her brief time on Asgard, Loki's adopted mother had been kind, understanding, regal, everything one would expect and hope for her to be. While Caroline had been a bit intimidated by her, it had never occurred to her to outright fear Frigga.

That ended now as she stormed up to her husband, eyes blazing with anger. While not as bulky as her husband, Frigga stood nearly as tall as him, and the way her hand fingered the dagger on her hip spoke of more than a passing familiarity with a blade. Against her natural inclination Caroline could almost feel a reluctant sympathy for Odin.

"Frigga, you look upset," Odin stated the obvious. Is something bothering you? Perhaps we should go someplace private to discuss it."

Frigga's eyes narrowed to slits as she glared at her husband.

"We will speak right here and now," she proclaimed, voice commanding the room. "Is there anything you wish to tell me, my husband? Think long and hard."

"Asgard could not wish for a better Queen than you." Odin tried.

So fast that for a moment she thought she had imagined it, Caroline saw Frigga's hand shoot out and strike Odin squarely across his face hard enough that his whiskered head snapped to one side.

"Try again," his Queen instructed.

"Mother, what has come over you?" Thor's voice rang with concern.

"I wondered," Frigga's eyes did not move from her husband's face, "why it was that you were so opposed to Loki regaining his memories. After all, the secret had been let out. Our son might not remember his true origins, but enough others did that it hardly mattered beyond a personal level. The tale of Odin Allfather adopting the son of his mortal enemies and raising him for reasons benevolent or nefarious depending on the teller's inclinations was loose in the world."

"I wanted to spare you and our son grief," Odin tried to explain.

"Silence!" Much to Caroline's surprise Odin's jaw snapped shut. "As I was saying, there was no reason to keep secret the truth of Loki's Jotun blood. What then, would it be that you feared from the procedure?"

"Could I not simply worry about my younger son?"

"You could," Frigga snarled. "But you didn't. You feared something else. Tell me, Odin Allfather, Son of Bor. The story of how you found our son, a newborn babe, left all alone to freeze to death on an altar to some unknown God. That wasn't quite the way it happened, was it?"

"Frigga - "

"Mother, what are you saying?" Thor was blinking with confusion.

"You said it was a temple, didn't you?" Frigga asked in a tone of clamped down anger.

"I did, and it was."

"What sort of temple?" Frigga demanded.

"I don't see why -"

"WHAT SORT OF TEMPLE?"

"A Valor temple," Odin muttered.

"A Valor temple. On Jotunheim. That didn't strike you as strange?"

"Of course it did," Odin sounded like a truculant child. "That is why I was investigating in the first place."

"I see. And this temple, was it to any particular Valar God?"

"If you have something to say, just say it, Frigga," Odin snapped, changing tactics as his face turned red, obscuring the mark of his wife's handprint.

"Volla." Frigga hissed. "It was a temple to Volla."

"It may have been."

"May have been," Frigga mimicked harshly. "You think that in any universe I would not recognize a temple to my own sister?"

Caroline was uncertain what was happening under the words spoken by the Asgardian royal couple, but the air vibrated with tension and hostility. A quick glance to Thor was enough to show her that he was almost as lost as she was.

"My love -"

"You saw her!" Frigga wailed. "You spoke with her. My sister, the child I had all but raised after our parents left us for the ancestors' halls. I was nigh mad with grief and worry, scouring the universe for her. You found her and you hid that knowledge from me. You let me go on searching for her for decades, when you had witnessed her passing yourself."

"Father is this true?"

"Stay out of this, Thor," Odin shouted at his first born.

"Do not take out your guilt on our son!" Frigga stepped between Odin and Thor. "Answer me, husband. You saw my sister in her last moments."

"I did," Odin admitted reluctantly after a pregnant pause.

Once more, the sound of Frigga's slap echoed through the room.

"She had disgraced herself!" Odin said, clearly in pain but ignoring it. "We had thought she might have been abducted or have been on some secret quest on behalf of her devotees. Any of a dozen explanations had been bandied about as a reason for her disappearance, and any of them would have been more admirable than the truth that. I wanted to spare you the knowledge that your sister had left us of her own free will to become whore to the enemy."

He was clearly expecting the third slap, as he grabbed her wrist mid-swing. He was not, however, expecting the quick knee up that followed it. Odin staggered backwards, releasing Frigga as he doubled over in pain.

"My sister was a Princess of Valor and the Goddess of Secrets," Frigga's voice was ice cold. "She was no whore. She was a free spirit who chose to give herself to a King as his Consort. There is no shame in this. She gave birth to a son, the firstborn son of a King and a Goddess, a God in his own right. Her only mistake was in trusting you to care for him."

"I did care for him!" Odin's voice was rough with pain. "I brought him to you!"

"Yes, you brought him to me. You gave me the great joy of a second child to love and take pride in. You watched as we formed a bond of great depth, forged in no small part by our shared attributes. And did it never once occur to you to tell me he was my nephew? I had a living connection to my sister in the form of her only child and you kept that knowledge from me! How could you?"

"The people would not have understood her liaison to the leader of our enemies. That would have tainted their love of you. I wanted to protect your name!"

"You wanted to protect yourself! I don't give a damn about my name, and you know that. Let the people come to me if they have concerns. I have never once done anything to give them reason to doubt my devotion to the realm."

"The people love mother," Thor said quietly, daring his father's anger once more. "Of all of us, she is most beloved, and with reason."

"Thank you, Thor," Frigga's tone softened as she looked at her son.

"What does all this mean, mother?" Thor asked, struggling to make sense of it all.

Caroline couldn't blame him. The accusations had flown fast and viciously. She herself felt like an uncouth interloper in the middle of a family drama. Still, she felt the need to bear witness for Loki's sake, that she could let him know the level of devotion his mother showed him and, it seemed, his mother.

"It means that Loki was not just a random foundling," Frigga explained gently. "Nor just the cast-off son of King Laufey. Loki is more than your brother of the heart, Thor. He is your cousin, by my blood through his mother. My baby sister Volla, Goddess of Secrets. Who I loved more dear than any until I gave birth to you."

"More than your husband?"

Caroline would give Odin this, he was no coward. The question hung in the air as his queen squared her shoulders and turned to regard him with contempt. Slowly, she took a deep breath through her nose and let it out through her mouth, finding a calm Caroline could only envy.

"Despite my best instincts I do have love for you," the Allmother said at last. "If you wish for that to continue, I suggest finding something to do off realm for the foreseeable future. Perhaps absence will dull the killing anger that assails me when I look at you."

As she watched from the outside of the family triangle, Caroline held her breath, waiting to see how the all-powerful God would take being so dismissed. Thor's eyes comically flickered from his mother's steely stare to his father's glowering indecision. Caroline completely sympathized with him.

"I believe that there is some business on Nidavillere that could use my attention. I will leave in the morning."

"You will leave at once," Frigga's voice left no room for debate. "And you will take your time sorting out this business."

"I will leave at once" Odin growled in defeat. "Thor, you are Regent until my return."

"Yes, Father," Thor said in hushed voice full of amazement.

Odin spun and strode to the door. Only at the last did he stop, turning back to face his wife.

"Tell my son that I am glad that he is well. I do love Loki."

"In your way," Frigga qualified.

"I am what I am, Frigga. You knew that when we wed."

"Go, before I change my mind."

"Farewell, my love."

As Odin swept out of the room, it was as though tide of anger and tension left with him. The moment the door closed behind him it was as though the taut chord that had been keeping Frigga standing was snapped, and the tall, powerful Allmother who had brought low her husband crumpled to the floor, shaking with the tears she had kept unshed all through the confrontation.

***

"Take it slow, Princeling. Your mind is still settling."

The words were said in the dry, confident voice he had known all of his life.

Loki blinked his eyes into focus and saw Eir sitting across the room, legs crossed neatly and a small smile of accomplishment on her face.

"How does it feel to be whole again?" she asked.

"I will let you know," he said, rising carefully to a sitting position. "Was it real? Everything I saw and heard?"

"As real as any memory," she replied. "They lie, of course, from time to time, and are colored by our own perspectives, but for the most part what you saw is what happened."

"I am part Jotun."

It was not quite the first thing that came to his mind, but it was the first he felt comfortable saying in front of the healer. He did not think she would care to discuss how much he longed to go find Caroline and recreate their one blissful night together. If he thought his legs would hold him he would already be out the door.

"You are. Welcome to the family."

"That's right," he looked closer at the woman. "You have Jotun blood as well."

"I do," she said, as though confirming that she had blue eyes. "It was not always as uncommon as it is now."

"You told me that on purpose yesterday, didn't you?" he was still putting things together.

"It occurred to me that you might need someone to talk to who did not share our culture's prejudices. Someone who could share some of the more positive aspects of Jotunheim. I did not realize..."

Loki watched as the Eir drew a breath, clearly working out some internal conflict. It was strange. She had always seemed so unflappable. It was as if she herself was one of the frozen peaks of Jutonheim, cold, immovable, and unforgiving. Perhaps like that realm there was more to her than first glance suggested.

"Your mortal," she said at last. "Caroline. I understand now."

"Understand?" he asked, uncertain what she alluded to.

"I did not see why she should matter to you," Eir explained, if a bit reluctantly. "Mortals have such a short lifespan. They always struck me as shallow, fleeting things. What could they possibly do or say that would be of weight in the grand scope of our lives? Your Caroline though, she is something different. She saw the need in you, as clearly as any healer would, and found a way to help make it whole. She is a remarkable woman."

"She is indeed," Loki smiled, thinking of his tenacious little love building a Jotun bonfire in the woods. "I do not deserve her."

"Few of us get what we deserve. Don't let that stop you."

"Oh, I don't plan to," his grin widened, thinking that nothing would stop him from having her.

"Odin will not like it," Eir warned.

"Imagine how little I care," he replied.

Thinking of his father, Loki was suddenly transported to the memory of Odin confronting the dark haired woman in his memories.

"She was your mother," his expression must have given away his thoughts, as she easily tracked them. "The woman at the end."

"Volla," he said, feeling out the name.

"I knew her a little," Eir told him. "She was young, for a Goddess. Willful, daring. Frigga doted on her and, to my mind, overindulged her. Odin wanted to marry her to Frey, I think in an attempt to steady her. Anyone who knew them could see it would not suit."

"And so she ran away," he filled in the blanks. "And she ended up on Jotunheim."

"It would have intrigued her, I think. Volla loved secrets, finding them, keeping them. A forbidden world would have delighted her."

"I can understand that," Loki said, thinking that he might have more than one part of his legacy to explore in the not too distant future.

"I thought you might," Eir said with a laugh.

"The last part of my memories," he said, thought suddenly coming to him. "Or, should I say, the first. That was not during the period of my lost time."

"It was not."

"Yet you had me relive it anyway. Why?"

"Odin is a strong King of Asgard," Eir said carefully. "But he is not without his flaws. His manner when he returned with you always seemed off to me."

"You were there?" He asked. "You were privy to the secret?"

"I was," she nodded. "They knew, of course, of my heritage, and so they could trust me not to be horrified by a Frost Giant in our midst. I also would understand the prejudices the riled the realm in the wake of the war. I was sworn to secrecy, and then brought in to examine you, to make sure you were not ill, and that you would not suddenly return to your blue color, I am sure. Frigga was too caught up in the joy of a new babe to love, but it seemed to me that Odin was hiding something. It has bothered me all of these many centuries. I have tried to bring it up with Frigga, but..."

"She would not hear a word against her husband," Loki sighed, knowing all too well the wall that went up when Odin was maligned to his wife.

"Indeed. I'm afraid, with you mind laying open like a book before me, I could not resist flipping to the pages where the truth was written and bringing your mother with me. I am not sorry that I did so; Frigga needed to know, as did you. But I acknowledge that I broke my word to you not to dip into your other thoughts. I therefore apologize and will accept your condemnation."

"Given that your suspicions were proven more than right, I accept your apology without condemnation." Loki's face split into a wide, wicked grin. "After all, you were already witness to other memories of a far more personal nature."

Loki was delighted to see Eir's face tinge to scarlet as the memories he referred to crossed her mind.

"As I said," she mumbled, discomposed for perhaps the first time he had ever seen, "I might have underestimated your mortal. She is truly remarkable."

"That she is," he agreed whole heartedly. "In fact, now that the circulation seems to have returned to my legs..."

"And other places," Eir's eyes darted to that part of Loki that always seemed to know when Caroline was being discussed. "Go. Your champion deserves to see you well and whole."

"Thank you, Eir," he said, surprising them both by pulling her into an embrace. "I will never forget what you have done for me."

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viviennes-tears · 2 years

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Playing mind games (Loki and X Reader one shot)

18+ blog: It is YOUR responsibility, as a reader, to think about the content that you consume at your own discretion.

A/N: This was requested by a friend of mine and has taken months for us to put together. We collaborated a lot on it, back and forth with ideas when we both had a lot going on as well. Now it’s officially finished after all the hard work put into it! Enjoy 😊

(In this particular one shot you will be given an undercover name due to the context of the story, but you will still be able to insert your name in it too)

Summary: You've been undercover working for SHIELD for some time getting close to the enemy. However your cover has been blown and now you have to seek protection, as well as taking on another new identity. Fury gathers the best of his Avengers for the job, but things don't go according to plan. You end up at the safe location with Thor Odinson and Loki Laufeyson. Can you cope living with the Gods? Will you be able to resist the trickster God's mind games?

Warnings: manipulation, mind games, smut, explicit sex, oral sex, unprotected sex, rough sex, swearing, mentions of killing and Dom Loki

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It's been over a year since Loki was forced to live at the Avengers tower as punishment for his crimes in New York. He loathes the place as it's filled with insufferable beings. A Billionaire Playboy, an ex Assassin, a Witch, a Bossy Scientist and her Blabbermouth Assistant, an Old Man who doesn't like swearing, a Man who was once a Machine, a Grump Guy who has a family, another Scientist who you don't want to piss off. Of course not forgetting his Big Oaf of a brother The God of Thunder. Despite how he feels about everyone and being cooped up inside the tower 24/7, yet it still seemed like a better option compared to an Asgardian Dungeon.

What he didn't plan on was a new resident.

One late morning Bruce entered the living room followed by Tony but at a much slower pace. Tony was far too busy muttering some equations to himself, whilst carrying some sort of tech device and a screwdriver in his hands to care how long he took to arrive. He'd been working on the new device since his insomnia kept him from his night of rest. His reasoning for leaving the confinements of his lab was because Wanda had called him and Bruce up to welcome their new arrival. Although Tony didn't like being summoned whilst he was working and kept ignoring the calls, until he gave up after Natasha threatened to cut off his manhood, along with Bruce's coaxing too. Loki had heard about the threat and snickered, lighting up his own mood, as he'd been dragged away from reading quietly in his room.

Once everybody settled down Nick Fury and someone else, someone new came into their view. You. You are the stranger in the tower. Everybody's attention was drawn to you instantly, as you entered with a slight limp. You could see some questions flashing across their faces as yourself and Fury stopped in front of them.

"This is Willow Johnson, she's had a run in with the wrong crowd so to speak." Fury introduced you and gestured with his hand towards you.

"That's an understatement." You scoffed. "I've been investigating a huge lead on a SHIELD case and I was recruited especially for it given my skill set. Whilst being an agent undercover for this case the asshole I've been in close proximity with for the past year and a half...he got the upper hand. My cover has been blown wide open no thanks to a great look-alike leading me down the wrong path. He certainly could throw a decent punch too."

"Johnson has been given a Nano Mask already to help protect her true identity." This tad bit of information from Fury helped them understand how serious the situation actually is. Plus the Nano Mask hid your banged up black eye and a cut lip for the time being.

"Your real pretty face must have really gotten banged up to cover it up with that face. Or that one could be an improvement." Tony said mockingly, now that he abandoned his project for the time being. Not that he had the right to make such a rude remark this early in the game, he doesn't even know you or what you are capable of.

"What I think Tony is trying to say is, why come here now your cover is blown? All due respects." Bruce said and tried to defuse a possible bad situation before it truly began.

"While Johnson is under protection watch she'll be here for a couple of days until we can relocate her to a more remote and safe location." Fury explained in his no nonsense voice. "Romanoff, I expect you to help Johnson with her new disguise. Go over the file with her." He added and handed over said file that he pulled out of his leather coat. After all he knew she'd be best suited for the job to be beside you during the next stages.

"So, Willow Johnson isn't your real name?" Loki asked curiously from his place far from the others. He's leaning against the wall on the other side of the room with his arms crossed in front of his chest. And the others have his attention, seemingly wanting to know what he's up to due to his usual lack of interest in most ongoings.

"Fury gave me Willow Johnson as part of my new identity, yes." You confirmed.

"And while Johnson's real identity will be classified, those who are to be involved besides Romanoff will be as follows...Stark, Barton and Laufeyson." Upon Loki hearing his name being called out it actually stunned him. He'd never been chosen to participate in anything before as no one trusted him before now in all honesty, and rightly so after everything he'd done before being forced to live with them. "You will each brush up on your files and remember Johnson is now your current priority, and details on the guy in the case are listed too. SHIELD is counting on you and your help." Fury said authoritatively, as he passed out the rest of the files.

"No way, am I allowing my brother to be alone on a mission!" Thor stood up abruptly from his seat in protest.

"He won't be alone, not with Stark, Barton and Romanoff present too." Fury replied and returned to your side.

"You know what I mean, Fury." Thor raised a brow as he stared at Fury seriously.

"Point Break has a point. We'll need an extra pair of eyes on Reindeer Games over there." Tony agreed, pointing his thumb over his shoulder towards Loki. While Jane and the rest all nodded as well in agreement.

Fury sighed heavily despite knowing already that there would be some form of protest. "Fine. Thor you're in." Then he pulled out the back up final file (just in case of the protest) from his coat and handed it to Thor. Once Thor took it Fury was called away to SHIELD's base and left them to it, until they got word of the new location.

"What's the rest of us meant to do?!" Darcy whined and huffed, as Jane gave her a petty pat on her back. Darcy had a right to complain as she too hadn't been given a huge opportunity to prove herself worth around here. Her job still entailed running out for errands and handing out the coffee to everyone, not just Jane.

"Just sit around and look pretty." Loki used the very same insult he'd received on multiple occasions in the past topped with a smug grin.

"Miss Lewis, I am sure Mr Fury has chosen the right team for this mission, even if I have my own doubts towards Mr Laufeyson's participation in all of this." Vision spoke for the first time after logically pondering over the situation.

----------------------------

Two hours later

F.R.I.D.A.Y announced that Tony expected you, Clint, Natasha, Thor and Loki to gather in the meeting room immediately. By now Tony thought everyone should have had enough time to read over their files and get their bearings together. Once you were all seated with Tony remaining on his feet at the head of the table the meeting began.

"This Ferguson guy doesn't seem all that threatening. We've faced far worse." Tony said and looked towards Loki as an example.

"Hey, I had my reasons!" Loki argued, as Tony pulled up files from F.R.I.D.A.Y's database.

"Yeah, reasons which had my brains scrambled!" Clint complained angrily.

"Watch your tongue mortal!" Loki spat at him and pointed a finger his way.

"Enough!" Natasha complained and rolled her eyes, while the entire time you just sat there looking between them all. You'd heard about what happened here in New York on the news at the time and clearly no one was going to be over it any time soon. Not that you could blame them.

The meeting carried on more smoothly and it seemed like you were finally getting somewhere with the plan. Although, keeping the peace between everyone clearly wasn't going to last long, especially because Loki had to speak up again due to Thor's lack of incapability to follow along.

"Yes, all well and good, but what does it mean?" Thor asked, looking very puzzled.

"In simple terms brother, we beat him at his own game." Loki belittled his older brother and mocked his lack of intelligence as usual.

"Oi, watch your mouth!" Thor objected.

You rubbed your temples a bit trying to ease the tension in your mind. Also you felt as though the rest of the Avengers already began to regret Thor being on their team, as the dreaded thoughts of the brothers bickering will no doubt be a common reoccurrence. Although, it wasn't to say the entire team up will be argument free with or without Thor and Loki's bickering, you imagined nothing would be pain sailing with anyone.

"Be quiet, the pair of you until the end of the meeting!" Natasha said firmly.

"I am a God and I'll do as I please." Loki felt the need to have one up on them again.

"For fuck sake, don't pull that card out again for another bloody week. No make that four." Tony said and caused a snigger to come from Clint.

Despite Loki's internal voice screamed at him to interrupt again any further stupid comments from Thor or jeer him further, he decided to keep quiet all together. Not because they told him to, but because he wanted to be quiet. There's a difference. However he was intently listening and paying close attention to every detail, while the clogs were turning in his brain as he analysed everything. Occasionally you caught a glimpse of him staring at you, which you tried to brush off and focus on the meeting instead.

However, as the meeting just got into full swing an overpowering blast disrupted everything and F.R.I.D.A.Y confirmed an attack on the tower. Then Steve barged into the meeting room breathlessly commanding you all to get out and fast. Ferguson had found you, you hadn't a doubt about it, but how? He had no idea what your new disguise looked like. Then again he has connections and he knows now that you've been working for SHIELD all this time. This means obviously he had someone check out any leads that could tell him of your whereabouts.

Steve soon returned to helping the others to ensure yourself, Tony, Nat, Clint, Thor and Loki would escape. Due to the haste speed everyone was running around at Tony and the others grabbed everything they possibly could carry in such short notice. Meanwhile you struggled with your limp while trying to keep up and dodge any oncoming attacks. In fact along Your way behind the others you tripped up because your damn limp failed you. Loki managed to quickly react with his magic to block an oncoming piece of the tower's structure from crushing you while you were down. Then with a groan and a swipe of his hands at a force the piece of the tower was flung over your head and away from you. But before you could even attempt to get up Loki scooped you up in his arms and carried you out of there.

Loki and yourself were the last to board the quinjet and with Tony's impatient attitude Loki tossed you carelessly into a seat before seating himself down opposite you. Once everyone was buckled in Natasha got the quinjet up into the air to flee from the crumbling tower. As the sight of the tower grew smaller the further away you got, Tony massaged his temples as he tried to suppress his anger. It didn't feel long ago since the tower had been rebuilt after Loki and his Chitauri army wreaked havoc on it, including the other resounding buildings, because in all reality it wasn't long at all.

Suddenly an incoming call alerted everyone in the quinjet, but no one seemed to be bothered about answering it. That was until Clint ended up unbuckling himself from his seat to answer the call. Not that he could blame Natasha, as she was too busy trying to swerve past buildings and trying to lose another craft, which was vastly approaching from behind. Albeit Tony could have easily answered as he was close enough to the controls, and yet neither yourself or the Gods would answer, as the three of you were arguing over who's fault it was about being chased. Also arguing who's fault it was as to why you and Loki were late getting onboard.

"Looks like the tower wasn't a good place after all." Came Fury's voice over the sound system.

"You think!?" Tony spat angrily.

"Not now Stark! Get Johnson to safety, that's all that matters...." an explosion behind the quinjet disrupted the connection for a brief moment and it ceased the arguing. "We're sending encrypted coordinates to the safe site." Fury said.

"How secure is this place?" Thor asked on Tony's behalf.

"More than enough compared to where you are now, and any other radio communications will be cut off once you pass the threshold in-listed in the encryption. Any information will be sent by hand due to the circumstances. Remember to stick to the plan......." the connection between Fury was cut off abruptly mid sentence.

"Perfect, just perfect!" Tony yelled whilst hitting his closed fists into the controls and pressing several buttons.

The random button pressing set off alarms and several blinking lights began to go on and off like crazy right across the control panel. Then to add salt to the wound just as Natasha flew them over the edge of Manhattan the quinjet was hit badly. The forcefield was down no thanks to Tony's childish move, while the impact caused Clint to fall to the hard floor, you and the others jolted forwards in your seats. Luckily your seatbelts saved you from the worst, but you seemed to be the only one to suffer from whiplash. You cursed under your breath as you held your hand to the back of your neck, you clearly couldn't catch a break.

"Hold onto something, I've got to put her into the water!" Natasha yelled over the now blaring sounds of the alarms and the sounds of the quinjet ripping apart, along with the blazing fire to one of the jet's engines.

Clint couldn't make it back to his seat on time, so he grabbed onto anything solid he could within reach. You had to let go of your neck and grip your seatbelt tightly with one hand, and the other onto the side of your chair, as well as closing your eyes to await the impending landing. Both Thor and Loki did the same as you expect, their eyes are open, whereas Tony gripped onto a handle above his head with one hand and the edge of the control panel with the other. Meanwhile Natasha was doing her best to land safely.

The quinjet was plummeting down fast, nose first, but the craft that had fired at you just sent off another shell. It ended up causing more damage which ultimately smashed through the other engine. There wasn't anything else left to do other than to press the emergency eject button, because Natasha could no longer keep the quinjet in enough control for a safe landing. So she slammed on the eject seat button and everyone was shot up and out of the quinjet. The upward force of the ejection made you scream and as the parachute opened on the way down was when you finally stopped screaming. It was only then that you felt brave enough to open your eyes. As you looked around you got to see the quinjet collide into the Statue of Liberty where it remained lodged inside from the waist point of Lady Liberty. The others seemed to be lower to the water than you. Yet you got to see the other craft land safely nearby.

As your ejected seat reaches the water you unbuckle your seatbelt and get right into the freezing cold water. You had to keep your head above the water the best you could, because you couldn't allow your Nano Mask to short circuit, especially not this early in the game. While you struggled to swim with the pain in your leg and the coldness of the water, you knew you had to push through and get on dry land. The water was too much of a venerable place to be and whilst being out in the open. When you were nearly on land you could see Natasha fighting off some of Ferguson's men, with Clint closely behind her with his arrows on hand. Whereas Tony was scrambling to duck for cover for the time being, until he could call out another suit, because the water damaged the one he bought with him. Of course Thor was acting as Tony's backup and holding off against Ferguson's men. Although you couldn't see Loki at all, it was as if he'd disappeared.

After you got on land you joined in with the fight the best you could, coming face to face with some of the tough guys who used to be your bodyguards. They were your body guards because of your once 'delicate flower' persona you embraced while you worked undercover on the inside. Ferguson likes women who are the stereotypical damsel in distress and needs to be protected, your bargaining chip to get in and do your job. However you're the complete opposite to a delicate flower, it took a lot of commitment to keep up the facade, only in the end there were too many cracks to cover up. Despite what happened when you were on the inside you actually learnt a fair few things including all of their weaknesses, where it hurt the most with each of the men you came up against. However one of the men you came up against managed to punch you in the face before you could dodge the blow.

"Johnson, get out of here!" Tony yelled, as he rose into the air with his newly called suit and joined in with the fight.

You obeyed Tony's instructions as you felt the Nano Mask start to glitch, which to any onlooker it just thankfully looked like facial tics. Thanks to Tony and the others you manage to escape even though you were still moving around uneasy. You soon managed to slip down an abandoned alleyway filled with industrial sized bins and other crap. It made do for now so you could check over your Nano Mask. You had to remove it to be able to see the full extent of the damage, luckily it wasn't all that bad, and you managed to fix it temporarily by hand. It would need a much more thorough look over along with the right tools once out of this alleyway. At least the glitch stopped for now temporally and you quickly reapplied the mask back over your face. Also, this time gave you a chance to rest until you all could get to the safe location. A little while later you began to hear a rustling and you jumped up into a fighting pose.

"At ease Johnson." Loki chuckled at your fighting pose.

"Loki....where are the others?" You ask, as you lower your balled up fists.

"They are indisposed at the moment. Come, we can't stay here." He demanded you to follow him.

"Where did you go? After we reached land you disappeared." You asked, as you came into step with him.

"I went to retrieve something." He said bluntly.

"Specifically what?" You ask snootily, as you've not liked his attitude since you've known him, which hasn't been for very long.

"That's none of your concern right now...we have to keep moving." He replied.

"It is of my concern...."

"Fine!" Loki grumbles and stops walking to face you. "I went to collect this..." he then holds up his hand palm facing upwards, and a precious Cherry Blossom brooch appears in the center of his palm from his pocket dimension. The floral design was made of pink gold and glass enamel, with Akoya pearls. "It belonged to my Mother. She had the flower cast in this form after it landed on my leg when I was a child. I sat in her lap under the tree while she read to me. A keepsake, a memory we shared." You were surprised by his story and by how honest he was being considering you hadn't known him for very long.

"Why would you bring it with you?" You asked curiously, as you tried to reach for it, but Loki was quick to return it to his pocket dimension.

"I always carry it with me. Now I must insist that we move." Loki then pushes past you and continues walking ahead at a fast pace.

"Why did you lose it in the first place? I mean you just puffed that out of thin air." You ask, as you catch up with him again.

"Stop asking questions, you're beginning to irritate me." He growled with annoyance.

"I'm irritating?! You're an ass!" You snapped back.

As yourself and Loki exit the abandoned alleyway and begin walking down the street in silence Ferguson himself suddenly begins running down the street towards you both. You felt a tug on your wrist and then you were being dragged in the opposite direction. You tried your best to keep up but your limp was slowing you down. Loki knew that too and he couldn't afford to waste more time. So once he knew there was enough distance between you two and Ferguson, Loki stopped abruptly, then he threw you over his shoulder in a fireman's lift. Despite your protests he carried you as he ran. However, Ferguson pulled out a handgun and began firing as he kept running on behind, causing Loki to cast a protection spell around the pair of you. As Loki rounded the next turn he saw Thor was at the other end with Mjolnir spinning fast just before release. Luckily Thor noticed Loki approaching and met with him halfway. Loki forced you into Thor before he turned to face Ferguson with his magic glowing around his hands.

"GO!" Loki yelled, as he wielded his magic and sent Ferguson flying to the ground for now at least.

Thor only nodded his head in response, yet he didn't give you any time to even catch a breath before he scooped you up with one arm and used Mjolnir to fly you both out of there. It wasn't until much later when Loki turned up at the safe location (where Thor took you alone), he looked a bit disheveled and worn out. The extent of his injuries were scares as far as you could tell, apart from the cut above his right brow. Well from now on it was just the three of you, as Tony thought you had a better chance getting there with Thor as your escort. Not that he ever thought Loki would carry on with the mission and take pride in being a part of something.

----------------------------

Two months later

You and Loki are at it again. His big mouth could not be kept closed, hence why you began this dance of skilled movements and weapons clanging together. He purposely said and did things just to piss you off for his entertainment, most of the time you gave him smart mouth right back, only getting physical in the training room. Living with Loki wasn't easy, actually living with him and Thor wasn't easy, but Loki pushed your buttons the most.

"You're terrible when it comes to most basic Midgardian things. " Loki smirked.

"Shut your gob!" You hissed only to receive a sly grin in return, almost like a promise that there is more where that came from.

You pushed your sword against his and forced him back a few steps, until both your blades met once more in a metal clang. You both then continued to move strategically about the space. Loki's graceful but powerful at the same time, an interesting opponent, but he has a weakness just the same as anyone. The simple thought about finding out what Loki's weakness might be made you all the more determined to find out, after all this wasn't the first fight you've gotten into with the devious God.

"Honestly, how does one expect to function properly on this dreadful planet?" Loki dared to provoke the bear again, as swords kept swinging and swishing through the air, before being followed by more clanging sounds as they met.

"You don't know when to shut up, do you?" You say, as you duck out of the way and swerve around him, but he's quick on the up keep of your foot work.

"If I were to be silent you'd only be bored of the sound of my brother's voice, trust me, after hearing the same stories for the thousandth time it gets tedious." He said with a tiresome tone and mock yawned in the moment of rest in the fight.

"At least he doesn't insult me." You replied before going back in for another attack.

Loki anticipated your move and gained the upper hand by blocking your attack. Your sword went under his arm and it didn't harm him in any way, then he swiftly swiped his right leg and knocked you off balance, his action barely gave any lean way for you to stop him. The next thing you knew was he had you pinned to the ground under the weight of his body. His dagger appeared in his hand suddenly then he pressed its cool blade firmly to your throat, as his other hand kept your sword at bay above your head. "You never learn," he chuckled darkly.

You sigh and roll your (e/c) eyes dramatically at the God of Mischief. A good enough distraction for you to free a leg from under him, allowing yourself the space to knee him hard in his crown jewels. The instant impact of your knee caused Loki to groan and roll off of you. He lay there clutching at the pain between his legs while you got back up onto your feet.

"When will you learn not to gloat so much?" You said triumphantly.

Only your victory didn't last long as Loki dissipated quickly into a shimmer of green, which made you realise at some point without your knowledge Loki had you fighting against a clone of himself. However you weren't quick enough to get out of the real Loki's way, as he came up from behind you. He trapped you with his left arm tightly holding you against his firm frame and like his clone he held a dagger to your throat with the other hand.

"Maybe one day you will beat me or at the very least beg for my mercy." Loki whispered seductively which sent a shiver down your spine. You weren't sure if it was the pleasurable way he spoke or simply that the breeze swept in through the open window. Although if you had more time to think about it you would have gone with the latter.

Before you could form a coherent argument his breath fanned across the back of your neck, as he tried to calm his breathing after your fight, before he disappeared all together. He left you covered in sweat from your fight and a strange warm feeling in the pit of your stomach that threatened to travel downwards. So you took a moment to compose yourself, albeit you failed to keep yourself in control of your body. These feelings made you angry at yourself, but more importantly angry at Loki. Shortly thereafter you stomped over to the sword rack and disarmed yourself, before you stripped yourself of your training gear. Once you left the training room with your gear in your arms Thor came strolling along the hall with his large heavy foot fall.

"Did my brother bother you again?" Thor asked, after pulling on your arm to get you to stop to speak to him. His grip was rather tight around your upper arm, without meaning to be because sometimes his gifted strength doesn't always occur to him when it comes to manhandling mortals.

"He's such a prick!" You complained and yanked your arm in order to get Thor to release you. He did without hesitation and hoped he didn't hurt you.

"Surely the two of you can find some common ground?" He asked optimistically.

"Unlikely." You huffed and carried on your way.

Once you were in the confinements of your room you slammed the door closed and kept your hands against the wood, as you took a few calming breaths to calm your nerves and gain some control over yourself. Despite Loki getting on your nerves it didn't help matters when there's been no news from SHIELD for over three and a half weeks. No news on Ferguson's whereabouts, no news about how long you're going have to live with the bickering brothers.

When you consider yourself to be reasonably calmer you pushed off from the door and began to strip off your sweat covered clothes. You needed to be rid of them as they also smelt of Loki, and you couldn't stand the feeling of the material clinging to your body any longer. As you were stripped down to your knickers and bra you headed to your en-suite where you ran yourself a hot bath. You added more than a generous amount of bubble bath to the water as the tub filled up. After the bath was full and the taps were off the remaining items of clothing soon hit the titled flooring. Then you process to climb in and you snack down into the delightful warmth, even some of the water spilt over the top as you got in, due to you letting it get dangerously full to the top. You felt engulfed by the warm bubbly water which began to loosen and destress your limbs. You allowed the feeling to over take and you closed your eyes to enjoy it.

"You look peaceful, my dear." Loki's dark sinful voice jolted you up from your sloughed position and your eyes flew open too. You felt grateful for the amount of bubbles there were as they kept you covered, and it was lucky you hadn't yet removed your Nano Mask either, because still to this day no one had seen you without it, just like they shouldn't for everyone's safety.

"What the fuck, Loki?!" You chastised.

He let out a chuckle that matched his dark sinful voice, as he gazed down at you from where he sat on the edge of the bath, and had one leg crossed over the other. His clothes had changed to a simple black v neck t shirt and tight dark blue jeans. You could even smell how refreshed he in fact is after your fight. His scent was strong, that was for sure.

"I merely came to apologise for provoking you. Although I did find it rather amusing." He said with a slight upwards curl to one side of his mouth.

"Couldn't your lame apology have waited until I was out and dressed?" You hissed.

"Nope! I would have missed this delightful sight." He chuckled and ducked his head down in perfect timing, right before the bottle of bubble bath could hit him in the head.

"GET OUT!" You yelled and used your foot to kick water up at him, which caused his amused face to get wiped away with the water. However he was quick to grab hold of your ankle and you slid down almost completely under the water, while the bubbles still did their job of covering all your intimate parts. Also the water is just about a hair's width away from short circuiting your Nano Mask.

"Honestly after I came to apologise this is what I get for my troubles." He scoffed and his grip on your ankle became tighter. "You're lucky that's all my intentions were, Johnson." Loki then disappeared again in a shimmer of green, and your leg dropped back into the bath with a splash once his grip on your ankle was gone.

Something about his words made you shiver again and the bath no longer felt as warm as it once did either. So you made quick work of bathing before you pulled the plug and dried off. You slipped on some comfy grey joggers and matching hoodie forgoing any knickers or bra, as you did not care enough to do so. Comfort was what you needed right now. Then you lay back on your bed staring up at the ceiling and trying to pretend like Loki hadn't made you shiver, while trying to deny the delightfulness that came from the way he spoke.

----------------------------

The following afternoon you found Loki lounging on the sofa with a book and a cup of tea on the coffee table. Whilst Thor wore headphones with a mic included, as he held his controller firmly with his thumbs briskly and furiously battling against the enemy in his game. Nothing unusual. Of course Thor didn't acknowledge your presents as you walked to the kitchen, he was too busy anyway with his game. Yet Loki did glance up at you for a second before his eyes returned to his page. It didn't bother you in the slightest though, as to be quite honest you preferred it that way anyway.

"No you bloody imbecile....get the sword....NO,NO!" Thor complained into the mic to his online teammate.

"Thor, what did I say about talking while I'm reading?" Loki grumbled.

"Then leave brother.....NO! Thanks a lot Loki he just killed me, now I have to restart this level. Oh shut up you little weasel!" Thor split talks between Loki and shrilly complained to his online teammate.

"I'm not joking, Thor! Cut it out!" Loki shouted and sat up abruptly, then with a flick of his wrist a frying pan flew past you without you noticing and across the living room, then it struck Thor across the back of the head. Although it wasn't hard enough to knock him out. Luckily.

What seemed at first like a nice family setting soon turned upside down as Thor abandoned his place, controller and headphones just before launching at Loki. Due to his head on attack and the brute force the sofa tipped up, causing both himself and Loki to topple back with the sofa. The sound of the commotion startled you and you ran towards it to find the brothers wrestling on the floor, the sofa collapsed on its side, tea seeping into the rug while its once resided cup now lies cracked and chipped, torn pages from Loki's book and that didn't even begin to cover the chaos the room is in now.

"STOP IT, STOP IT!" You yelled, but neither of them stopped. Seeing them fight was a regular occurrence and more violently compared to when you fought with Loki in the training room.

Usually they would stop when you yelled at them, but not today. They just ignored you and continued to spit out insults at each other, as they wrestled and made more of a mess, you realised for once you'd have to get physically involved too. So you quickly ran over to the tv to unplug everything and make Thor lose his unsaved place in the game. A gamer's worst nightmare.

"Nooooo!" Thor breathlessly groaned, as he recognised the sound of the tv giving out power when it was unplugged. His attack on Loki had stopped finally and allowed Loki to wiggle himself free from underneath him.

"Serves you right." Loki said breathlessly, as tidied himself up from their wrestling match once he got back onto his feet.

"Why?" Thor said, as he slumped down onto his knees in front of the tv and his hands reaching up and around to hug the inanimate object.

"Why?! Why don't you act your age and not your shoe size? Both of you? Clean up this mess right now. You're lucky that your punishment isn't worse." You said angrily and you wondered why Princes of Asgard didn't know discipline as well as they ought to know.

Loki left Thor to do all the work as usual, blaming it all on him for the mess in the first place. Despite how firm you were you couldn't make Loki do anything, it had to be on his terms and his alone, thus annoying you to no end. Immediately after vacating the room and leaving Thor to the cleaning, you returned to making your cup of tea.

"Hmmmm...I do like this authoritative side of you darling." Loki's voice huskily whispered in your ear from behind you suddenly, whilst his hands lightly brushed up and down your bare arms. You felt your body tremor from his touch which you didn't like how easily your body was betraying you. Then again it has been a long time since you were touched so intermittently. Even if his touch was barely intermit compared to how and where you ached to be touched.

"I know it's not easy living under the same roof, but I'd appreciate it if we could keep the house orderly." You said in a reasonably collective voice, and you elbowed him in the ribs to get him to stop, which he did but he didn't step back.

"It's not like we don't ever fight." Loki's voice seemingly unchanging.

"That's different." You say defensively, as you spin around to face him, his face close to your own.

"In what way is it different?" He asked with an eyebrow raised curiously.

"Well for one we only physically fight in the training room, and two we don't have the many years of baggage you undoubtedly have with Thor." You shrug.

"True, but you have to admit you enjoy our little fights." He says before pressing himself against you, causing you to be caged between his arms and your back pressed against the kitchen worktop. You even had to crane your head back to look him in the eye because of how close he is."Nor can you deny the thrill of it running through your entire body."

"What's thrilling about being insulted nearly on a daily basis, and being treated as inferrer just because there's a God who needs an attitude adjustment under the same roof?" You refuse to give up so easily as it's not in your nature, despite how much your body wants to give in.

"It is merely...how do you mortals say? Banter? Banter to pass the time." His voice is playful yet still a husky whisper and his eyes never weaving away from yours. Although, you hold your breath as Loki tucks your hair behind one ear, and he allows his middle finger to follow the outline of your face.

"Lo-"

"Willow!" Thor suddenly yelled and caused Loki to disappear from right under your nose.

You sighed heavily with relief. These feelings inside you were becoming stronger and you were unsure how long he'd play this game, because that's all you could call this between you two. After all he said it's banter to pass the time.

As you went to see what Thor was up to now you realised it was an undercover SHIELD agent heading towards the house. You knew it was a SHIELD agent because of the distinct red suit they wore that was mentioned would be worn according to the last letter. The agent dropped off the letter and sat in the living room with a glass of water and waited until the letter was read. Thor and yourself took it in turns reading the letter. It stated that Ferguson had fallen off SHIELD's radar and expressed concern that the three of you keep your eyes peeled.

----------------------------

Three weeks later

For one night you wanted to have a normal sit down family meal, even though you aren't Thor and Loki's family. You just missed the idea of having a proper sit down at a dining table with a home cooked meal. So you spent a good portion of the afternoon trying and failing to make an edible meal. Loki was alerted to the kitchen because of the blaring sound of the fire alarm, along with the smoke and burnt smell wafting out. As he stepped in he found you cursing and screaming at the burnt food that you pulled out of the oven. He chuckled at your misfortune as he walked over to you, but he stopped short a few steps when you glared at him.

"I told you, you're terrible when it comes to most basic Midgardian things." Loki said cheekily.

"I suppose you can do better?" You ask with your hands on your hips. Loki smiled and flicked his wrist. All of your hard failed work vanished and was replaced by a delicious spread. You shoved him out of annoyance, but you thanked him anyway under your breath.

Despite how irritably Loki still got under your skin, you knew since getting to know him you developed some admiration for him, more specifically his fighting skills inspired you, as did his intelligence challenge your own. On the other hand it was clear something had shifted between you both, whatever this might be and in such a short time. Not that your mind would allow you to admit anything, again regardless of how much your body was fighting against your rational thoughts. Then again innocuously you'd been teasing him with the subtle ways you walked or bent over as he walked in on you. Although, he kept messing with your mind with his silver tongue speaking of naughty and explicit things he wanted to do to you.

It wasn't long until the three of you sat at the dining table ready for the 'family meal.' Loki sat opposite you, the perfect place to keep his eyes on you, and throughout the entire meal he made inappropriate gestures/innuendoes towards you. Gestures/innuendoes that Thor was oblivious to thankfully. However, Loki knew what it was doing to you, to your body without even touching you. You silently cursed him in your mind for lightening the fire in your belly and the ache between your thighs. What you didn't know was Loki could hear your thoughts and it made him chuckle to himself.

After the meal you felt Loki following you to your room, but you weren't sure what his intentions were this time. However, you didn't have to wait long as he soon caught up to you with his long legs. Then you felt his hands on your waist within seconds of him approaching from behind. He quickly spun you around and pushed you against the wall, his body firmly keeping you against it with his hands on either side of your head.

"You wore my colours to dinner." Loki said seductively.

"You were being inappropriate at dinner." You replied cockily and poked his chest.

"What did you expect, darling? Seeing you in such a sexy little number and in my colours..." he trailed off as he bit into the side of your neck which caused you to gasp. "You keep teasing me with your voluptuous curves of late." He added before licking at the bite mark left on your skin and made you feel a little tingly, more so as he began to suck and open mouth kiss your neck and shoulder. His hands on your waist and digging his fingers into you.

"And you keep talking sinfully to me." You say breathlessly.

"Hummm...what kind of sinful things do I say?" Loki asks, as he abandons his attack on your neck and shoulder to look you in the eyes. He knows full well that you enjoy these moments you have together, as things have been heating up more and more recently.

"You say things like, I want to feast upon you until you milk my face." You reply, as Loki lightly traces his fingertips over your collarbone while his other hand remains on your waist.

"Perhaps you'll like this one too...I want you on your knees sucking my godly sized cock, until I'm teetering on the edge of orgasmic bliss. At that point I would force you onto my bed, tear away your clothing, leaving you vulnerable underneath me and let my hands explore every inch of your gorgeous body. I would attack you with my mouth and make you beg for more." Loki knew how to paint a picture for you.

"Then what?" You dared to ask. Your mind turning to mush and slowly caving to his wicked tongue, to his will.

"Then my dear I will fuck your brains out, even after you pass out from being overstimulated I will keep fucking you. I will keep using your pretty body until I am done, spurting my load into your little cunt before I plug it up inside you. You won't be able to remove it until I say so, because when you come to I want you to feel every drop of my seed inside of you, and to feel how much I've been saving up for you." Loki's words made you tremble and your breathing became shallow. Also, you could feel pressed up against your thigh just how much he was enjoying being close to you.

"I want you." You say and grab hold of the front of his shirt.

"Not tonight." You wanted to whine in protest, but Loki put his index finger over your lips to hush you before you could let out even a small sound. He has you where he wants you.

----------------------------

The next morning you find Loki sitting comfortably at the control panel, as he monitors the ongoings within a 15 mile radius of the house and its surroundings. You spot an empty cup that has a small trace of what was his tea nearby. Although, you don't stand by the door for long before slipping into the room unnoticed, or so you thought you had. However Loki heard you nonetheless with his sharp hearing, albeit he still acted surprised, as you 'made your presents known.' Then you begin to massage his shoulders and you could feel him relax under your touch, more so as he leans back into the chair and closes his eyes.

"Loki?" You ask softly, as you continue to massage his shoulders.

"Hum?" He hums deeply.

"There-there's been this constant back and forth thing between us, so what is it exactly?" You were dying to know what this all means. How he feels.

"What do you mean?" Loki asks, as he opens his eyes to look up to you.

"I mean..." you stop massaging him and come around the chair as he follows you around with his eyes. "What are we to each other?" You gesture between the two of you with your hand.

"Have I been contemplating about there being an us, if that's what you're asking?" He asked with ease. You simply nod your head in response. "At first...at first I could never have imagined being in a relationship with a mortal, a Midgardian of all things. Now I am surrounded by Midgardians on a daily basis, I have grown accustomed to some of your strange ways....what I am saying is...you were a test."

"A what?!" You asked laced in anger.

"A test. I wanted to see what works best when wooing a Midgardian. I mean you're not the only female I see since being at this safe location. All of us have gone out from time to time in our disguises for food and other essentials, of course you've only been out whenever Thor or I have been present....but what I am saying is I've met someone. I like her a lot and if it wasn't for this other girl it would be you." Loki explains.

You slap Loki hard across his beautiful face. "You son of a bitch! Don't ever test your wooing theories on me ever again!" You then storm out and leave Loki in a bad mood.

You'd finally let your guard completely down and that's when you find that your mind was right all along. You shouldn't have let him get close.

----------------------------

As frustrated as you are after what Loki had said earlier to you, you decided to get revenge. Revenge for all those times Loki made you weak at the knees and for allowing him to mess with your mind. As if making you believe he wanted more, that he wanted a relationship with you. In the end you came up with the idea of inviting Thor on a date to the local restaurant. You'd been there before with the brothers as a ploy to make the locals believe you're a normal group of people. So tonight you hoped would go well in order to take your mind off of Loki. Despite how hesitant Thor was when you asked, as it would be his first date since Jane dumped him, he felt flattered nonetheless that you asked.

Once you were ready to go out you grabbed Thor's hand and snuck out as quietly as you could. Only thing was Loki was in fact on his way back from his walk when he heard footsteps up ahead. He hid behind a nearby tree and watched you hand in hand with Thor walking up the long driveway, before becoming small dots disappearing from his sight altogether. Seeing you with his brother made Loki angry and he ended up sitting on the sofa in the dark until your return.

Later Thor kissed you goodnight at the bottom of the stairs before he left for his room alone. The date went fine, but you hadn't forgotten about Loki. He was constantly on your mind, not just tonight but 24/7. He had some sort of spell on you without the use of magic. Just like you'd said the night before to Loki, you wanted him and revenge wasn't so sweet. The problem now was Loki didn't want you. He used you.

Slowly out from the shadows Loki appears from where he'd been sitting since you left. His hands shoved into his dark blue jeans and a hurt expression on his face. You never expected to see such an expression on his face nor for it to tug at your heart strings. The pair of you just stood there for a while without exchanging any words.

"Thor is courting you now?" Loki eventually asked in a small voice with his head hung low.

"I-I wouldn't say courting, no. It was one date." You replied in the same small voice.

"Will there be another date though?" His brows frown and his eyes look up at you, almost as if he was a puppy who was trying to look cute after getting into trouble.

"I-I don't know, maybe?" You shrug and Loki nods his head once in understanding.

"Right well...goodnight Willow." Loki said and began to pass you heading for the stairs behind you. He'd never called you Willow before, only ever Johnson not that it was your name, but it was the only one he knew.

"Loki, wait!" You catch his wrist before he can ascend the stairs. He pauses in his tracks, but he doesn't turn to face you. "Did you really mean it when you said you met someone and I was a test?" Your voice was a little shaky by this point.

"What if I did and you were?" He said, as he felt your fingers slip away from his wrist.

"Then congratulations, you've-you've made me feel something for you and you hurt me in the process. If you lied then you're a coward and you're nothing like the man-God who takes what he wants." You felt tears pricking your eyes and you will yourself to keep it together.

Loki swallowed hard then turned to look at you finally. "Fine, I-I did lie to you. I am a coward. I lied because-because I was scared. Scared I could never be good enough for you. I killed your kind, their blood is on my hands. For what I have done hasn't been forgotten by me nor anyone else. This mission is meant to prove some sort of point of my rehabilitation and a chance to prove that I am worthy enough like Thor and the others. I am trying to change...I don't enjoy hurting people. I-I don't enjoy it. I do it because I have to, because I've had to. Least of all I didn't want to hurt you, but I did to protect myself from being hurt first." This was only the second time he'd been completely honest with you since you'd met.

"At first I was protecting myself from you because deep down I knew you'd hurt me, but I let you do it anyway....everything you said made me feel things I haven't in a long time, feeling your caresses made me crave more and I do. I meant it when I said I wanted you...what happened in New York is not who you are now. You've not killed anyone since. It wasn't your fault. In time they will see who you really are...but you're not the only one who's had to hurt people, had to kill. I don't enjoy it either. Ferguson made me. I haven't felt like myself in a long time, being in his company made me forget my true self. I had to blow my cover. I knew what I was doing when I followed his look-alike. I'm not stupid, I had to get out." You confessed and finally allowed yourself to cry. Your Nano Mask glitched a little from your tears.

Loki breaches the small distance between you both to cup your face in his hands and wipe away your tears with his thumbs. Your confession only proved the fact he has more in common with you than he thought, and with the new information makes him only want to protect you. Sure it's been his job, but now he wants to protect you not because he has to. He gently presses his forehead to yours and he smiles at you. In return you stop crying and you smile back at him.

Suddenly you feel light, if only for a short moment. As you pull away slightly you notice Loki has teleported you to his bedroom. Then you feel his lips crash against yours, his eyes closed as he kisses you gently, and he holds you tightly by your waist. You soon follow suit, closing your eyes and kissing Loki back in the same manner.

"What's your real name?" Loki asks after your lips part.

"Y/N," you reply without hesitation. You want to be yourself again more than anything in this world, you want to be honest with him and to be with him. So much so you remove your Nano Mask. Now he can finally see you.

"Y/N," he repeats and pulls you closer, tightening his arms around you and kisses you. "My dearest Y/N. Y/N, my love, I promise I will never hurt you again." You kiss him back harder than before and he is quick to return the passion.

Soon thereafter Loki walks you back towards his bed where he falls down on top of you, because you pull him down onto the bed with you. He groans into your mouth as you massage his scalp and nape of his neck. Yet he doesn't let you for very long, as he rips open your dress and kisses across your collarbone, then down to the top of your cupped breasts. Next he unclips your bra from the front then he trails his hand down the channel between your breasts, and stops at cupping your left breast. He looks you in the eyes as if to see if there's any hesitation behind them, but he finds none. You pull him back down to kiss his lips, already haven proven he kisses better than his brother.

Then you rub your foot up and down his leg underneath his jeans, before you pull his hand away from your breast, in order for you to sit up and rip his shirt open. Buttons went flying everywhere, both of you breathing heavily now too. Both of you close your eyes and kiss harder, tongues finally getting to explore each other's mouth in the process. As you're both kneeling on the bed kissing, you feel his hands squeeze your bum, causing you to moan and wanting him to keep touching you. His fingers soon hooked around the waistband of your knickers, then ripped them clean off and threw the pieces over the side of the bed. Then he removes the scraps of your dress and bra completely off of your body to join the torn knickers. You're quick to fiddle with his belt and eagerly get into his jeans and reach inside. You gasp upon feeling his semi hard-on in your hand. You already knew he was big from when he was pressed against your thigh the night before, but you had to see exactly how big. Loki chuckled as you yanked his jeans and boxers down to his knees. Your comical eyes staring at his assets was delightful.

As Loki kissed you again he pushed you back down. He then struggled but eventually kicked off his jeans completely. Both of you explored the other's body with hands and mouths, tangling up your limbs in a different way to when you both fought together in the training room. When Loki kissed down the length of your body again you couldn't help but tremor, you were his entirely. You gasped as he latched onto your clit with his hot mouth. He then hooked your legs over his shoulders and kissed each thigh before licking your wet folds. He was finally feasting upon you as he said he would, all you had to do was let him until you milked his face. Which as it turns out wasn't long until you came on his face. Loki groaned and slurped up as much of your juices as he could and continued to push you over the edge again.

After you cum twice on his tongue and face he let you have a break and he relaxed his jaw. When you were ready you turned on your side and used two fingers to walk down his chest, then followed the hairy trail from his navel downwards, taking his length into your hand. You began to pump his length at a steady rhyme and enjoyed the feeling of him hardening further in your hand. Then you straddled over his legs, giving yourself plenty of room to work with, as you kitten licked the tip of his cock. As you take the head into your mouth Loki hisses and grabs the bed cover tightly. He watches you suck and hollow your cheeks around him, a beautiful sight to behold before his eyes roll back. You bob up and down on his cock right up until he's teetering on the edge of orgasmic bliss. At which point he pushes you off and pins you down. You see his lust hooded eyes stare at you, while both of you breath heavily, you end up beckoning him closer with a swipe of your tongue over your lips. He kisses you and his grip tightens around your wrists. You feel his cock teasing your pussy lips as his tongue dives into your mouth. Luckily you manage to free a leg and push your heel into his arse to force him inside your warm wet quim. The kiss broke instantly and you both groaned at the feeling of Loki being inside of you. He waits for you as you accommodate to his godly size, once you nod your approval he begins to move.

At first Loki's rhyme is steady and loving, that is until you snap your hips up, causing both of you to moan in time and it sets him off. Loki picks up the pace at a rapid speed, his heavy balls slapping against you and you feel the blood start to cut off in your wrists. Ever so slightly he then changes up the angle and you find him deeper than before, almost as if you could feel him in your stomach. But the feeling of him repeatedly hitting your g-spot made your toes curl. The sounds from both of you bounced off the walls while the bed rocked and hits against the wall repeatedly.

"OH GOD! LOKIIIII, YES, YES, YES! FUCK ME!" You yelled before cumming hard, squeezing him for all he's worth and your whole body shook.

"AH, Y/N! Y/N, Y/N, Y/N!" Loki cried your name like a mantra as he came deep inside of you. His seed thickly coating your walls as he kept spurting into you.

Eventually you both collapsed in a sweaty heap of limbs and bedsheets. You didn't care about him crushing you under his weight while temporarily cutting off your breath. When he did roll over he pulled you with him and held you closely to his body. You could breathe again thankfully. He kissed your temple a couple of times as you traced your fingers around his nipple, before he kissed your swollen red lips once more.

Unfortunately neither of you could enjoy the after bliss for very long as Ferguson forced the door to break inwards. Loki held onto you possessively, while trying to keep your modesty not that he cared all that much about how indecent he appeared to be. He only cared about protecting you.

Loki Masterlist

Source: @viviennes-tears

#playing mind games #Loki Laufeyson #loki and x reader #one shot #Thor Odinson #tony stark #natasha romanoff #wanda maximoff #vision #jane foster #darcy lewis #bruce banner #clint barton #steve rodgers #nick fury #post avengers #dom loki #viviennes-tears

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twangcat · 2 years

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Chapters: 4/4 Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Clint Barton/Phil Coulson Characters: Natasha Romanov (Marvel), Melinda May Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Non-Linear Narrative, Flashbacks, Reunions, Ronin Clint Barton, POV Clint Barton, POV Melinda May, Clothed Sex, Angry Sex, Door Sex, Wall Sex, Vers Male Characters, Undercover Sex Work, First Times, Friends With Benefits, catching feelings, Angst, Hopeful Ending Summary:

"He doesn't want to see Hawkeye. He's made that clear." Natasha was kind enough to not point out that there hadn’t been any visits to any of the other Avengers either. She knew he was talking about something different. "If he doesn't want to see Hawkeye...he sure as hell doesn't want to see Clint Barton."

—

When SHIELD falls and decades’ worth of classified documents are released out into the digital landscape, SHIELD agents all over the world have to deal with the fallout in different ways.

Clint Barton uses it as an excuse to take a trip down memory lane. What he finds brings more questions than comfort. Luckily, he has more than a few tricks up his sleeve, and he knows just how to use them to his advantage.

*********

Excellent combination of angst and smut with a Phlint ending

#phlint #post avengers #fun smut

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imposterogers · 6 months

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I miss old thor so much old thor was just such a breath of fresh air. he wasn’t the stereotypical snarky hero. he wasn’t blasé or indifferent or cool. he was a stubborn cocky moody alien prince with a shakespearean accent who was groomed to be king. who loved his family and his friends. he was caring and genuine and a bit boisterous n brash. he thought you could ride a dog into battle, and loved to party. he was quick to anger, but quick to laugh. when he broke a mug on a foreign planet and learned it wasn’t polite, he went out of his way to buy the shop owner a new one and apologized. he even asked if it was ok if he came back for more coffee bc he did not want to presume that he was forgiven. he wasn’t edgy or witty but he was kind and thoughtful. he was a little feral a little wild as thunder and lightning coursed through his blood. and I loved that thor – bleached eyebrows and all.

#thor #stole this post from myself #still thinking about him #THIS thor would have been perfect with avengers bruce

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textsfromthetva · 6 months

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+ rare bonus Avengers

Loki + tumblr [111/?]

#loki #brad wolfe #mobius m. mobius #ouroboros #sylvie #lokius #loki series #the avengers #mcu #loki spoilers #loki memes #lokiedit #text post meme

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heyheresathou · 22 days

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how do y'all not let the things you like consume your entire being

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mysticdevils · 2 months

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avengers + name meanings

“‘cause if we can’t protect the earth, you can be damn sure we’ll avenge it.”

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steveybucky · 26 days

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I just love the fact that when Steve went to the hydra camp he had literally no idea what he was doing. He had absolutely no experience fighting in his new body whatsoever. He had no fighting experience at all. He wasn’t even really in the army. Literally the only army exposure he had at that point was that short time BEFORE he even got the serum. This is just Steve Rogers being like I have no idea what the fuck I’m doing so I’m just gonna wing it

He literally saves all those men by sheer force of will and an unconditional love for Bucky Barnes

#steve rogers #stucky #bucky barnes #captain america #captain america the first avenger #catfa #stevebucky #steve and bucky #this was inspired by a post where Steve says ‘fellas’ lmao

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alliesway · 7 months

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THEY HAVE DONE IT ONCE AGAIN.

#throwback to my 2021 post lol #marvel #loki series #loki season 2 #tfatws #the falcon and the winter soldier #sam wilson #bucky barnes #wandavision #wanda maximoff #avengers #tony stark #steve rogers #meme #mcu

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awanderingmuse-ficrec · 4 months

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Untitled by quietlyimplode

Fandom: Marvel

Author: @quietlyimplode

Rating: Not Rated

Word Count: 182

Pairings: Clintasha

Characters: Clint Barton, Natasha Romanov

“What’s wrong?” The words come out exasperated, the anger he feels rolling off her in waves. “Nothing.”

#marvel #clintasha #clint barton #natasha romaov #post avengers #av:fluff #av:recovery!fic #strike team delta feels #under1k #not rated #complete #fic rec

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villainousshakespeare · 2 years

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Therapy Fit for a God Chapter 9

Loki/OFC Rated M (may go up to E in future chapters) Trigger Warnings: Angst, talk of suicide, therapy, unhealthy family dynamics, mention of torture and mind control, touch starved

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8

What on earth was she thinking?

She knew better than to let Loki press her buttons that way, Caroline thought as she prepared for bed. A bed she would soon be sharing with the stupidly handsome God.

At least the sleep-set he had gotten for her was comfortable. She had been worried it would be something impractical for actually sleeping and had been quite prepared to rifle through his drawers again. To her surprise however, there was a dusty rose cotton top and white and rose striped sleep shorts in one of the bags. They were soft and comfy as she pulled them on, even if the shorts were a bit… well, short.

As she lay in bed with the covers pulled up to her waist, Caroline tried to relax and center her mind. They were both adults. It was silly to think that they couldn’t share a sleeping surface. Yes, Loki might have flirted with her in the past, but that was only to avoid her more probing questions. Determinedly she ignored the brief moment earlier that night when she had thought that he meant to kiss her. It had surely been her overactive imagination.

A sharp knock on the door proceeded Loki into the room. He smiled as he looked at her in the bed. She felt small in the sea of blankets and pillows and her heart beat loudly in her ears.

“They fit properly?” He asked, gesturing in her general direction.

“Yes, thanks,” she answered. Then, to have something to say, “I’m surprised they’re not green.”

"I am aware that other colors exist,” he said with an air of exasperation.

“All evidence to the contrary,” She quipped, eyes looking pointedly at the curtains, bedding, and lastly at his distracting pants.

"Touche," he allowed, sitting on the bed and making her pulse pound even faster. "It is a habit from my days as a child, I suppose. It was easier for the nurses charged with looking after my brother and me to color code us, as it were. Thor, naturally, was given red, the color of war, passion, blood... all of those things Asgardian's prize. Then, when I came along, green was chosen as my color. It made sense. Green is the complimentary color to red, opposite on the color wheel, and Thor and I were opposites made to complement each other. At least, that's how I saw it at first."

"What changed?" she asked quietly, noticing how he was worrying at his hand, a sure sign that he was agitated.

"I came back early from training one day. I had torn my trousers and had not yet learned how to mend them myself with magic. I entered our suite of rooms - Thor and I shared in our childhood years - and overheard Ygritt, the mistress of our wardrobe talking to one of the maids."

He was silent for a length of time, and Caroline wondered if he meant to go on. She had a feeling that he was regretting beginning this story and she kept herself perfectly still in hopes that he would continue.

"'The younger prince has a ways to go before he fills out like his brother,' the maid snickered, looking at one of my tunics. I was all too aware of my rail thin frame at the time, and it stung a bit to hear it mocked so openly.

"'That one will never be the warrior that Prince Thor is,' Ygritt replied. 'He is nothing but a weakling, hoping for status that will never be his. Such a sneaky little thing too. Always trailing after the Prince, weaseling his way in on adventures. Believe me, he will come to no good.'

"'But he loves his brother,' the maid at least stood up for me. I always liked her for that.

"'It's not love, it's envy,' the mistress replied. 'That's why I always dress him in green, cuz he's green with envy at his brother.'

"She had a good laugh over that. I laughed last, though. I planted one of Mother's diamond hair pins in her room for Thor to stumble upon, and he accused her of steeling. She was put out without a reference."

"Good riddance," Caroline said, thinking the woman deserved worse for being so cruel to a child. "Loki, you know she was wrong about you."

"That's just it," Loki said, a twisted look on his face. "She wasn't. I did envy Thor. He was brave and strong and everyone loved him."

"Most children feel admiration for their older siblings," she pointed out. "There's nothing wrong with that. Is that why you kept wearing green? Because you were punishing yourself?"

"In part, perhaps. It was also a reminder of what others thought of me, in case I was ever inclined to forget. They might bow and scrape and call me 'Your Highness' to my face, but I knew after that never to trust in such shows of deference. After a while, I grew to like the color. It matched my eyes, and my mother, Frigga, often commented that it became me. I suppose it became a show of defiance in a way."

"It does become you," Caroline said without thinking, and then felt her face flush once more.

"Thank you," he smiled fleetingly at her. "As the rose does you. It brings out the color of your cheeks. I thought it would when I saw it."

"Thank you, Loki," she said softly.

"It was nothing, a small expense."

"Not just for the clothes, although I am grateful for that. For sharing with me. I know that story could not have been easy to tell."

"It was long ago," he said, sliding into bed beside her. "It hardly matters anymore. I don't know why I even remember it."

Caroline knew, but she decided now was not the time to bring it up.

Loki waved his hand, and the lights went dark. They lay there for a bit, the only light a ray of moonlight slanting through the window. Caroline could feel Loki beside her, the pull towards him magnetic. His breathing was even and deep, indicating that he had already found sleep. She tried to keep herself as still as possible so as not to disturb his rest, but her mind was racing.

He had been so injured, repeatedly and from such a young age. No wonder he carried so much anger with him. Given the power he possessed, it was amazing that he had not done more damage as his psyche screamed out for justice. She wished that she could make him realize just how untrue so many of the claims made against him were, how much he truly was worth.

In her mind she imagined turning to him, her hand going to his cheek. She would brush away the fall of midnight hair that shielded his eyes and trace the sharp bones of his face with a gentle hand. How long had it been since someone had shown him that sort of tenderness? For that matter, how long had it been since she had received it herself?

More than anything, she longed for the courage to do as she imagined. To press her lips to his and see if they kissed her back. She wanted to comfort him, yes, but it was more than that, she would not lie to herself. She wanted him. The brilliant, mercurial, wounded God beside her. But he was a God, and she was an ordinary mortal. Besides, he had shared something with her, a hurt from his past, and she would not use that to manipulate her way into more intimacy than he was inclined to give. Instead of turning towards him, she turned away and pretended to fall asleep.

It was sometime later when, still awake, she felt him roll over onto his side. An arm reached out and curled around her, as if searching for some sort of anchor to hold onto in his dreams. She swallowed a quiet gasp and let herself be pulled closer until her back was pressed against his bare chest. Biting her lip to keep from reacting, Caroline molded herself to him, aware of every inch of hard muscle against her. He gave a small sigh and went still once more.

She lay for some time, not sleeping, just listening to him breath and feeling his heartbeat against her. She thought of the book she had read earlier that day, and slowly a plan began to form in her mind.

***

Loki did not sleep well at the most noneventful times. This had been true for most of his life.

For one thing, he liked being awake at night. Under the moon and stars the world seemed magic and possibilities endless. There was an excitement, a mystery to the darker hours that appealed to his soul.

For another, his brain was just too active to allow him to settle down with any sort of speed. It tended to go into overdrive when he settled in for the night. All of the worries of the day, of things said and unsaid, actions that might have been taken, threats lurking in the back of his consciousness, came roaring to life the moment he closed his eyes and tried for rest.

This tendency, there since birth, had become magnified to the extreme since his fall from the rainbow bridge. All of the pain and terror that he managed to keep just barely in check behind a facade of nonchalance during waking hours broke through in droves when he tried to relax for the night. He would be back, chained to the floor or ceiling, screaming for mercy from a creature who knew none. When he did catch a few moments of sleep, it would only be to waken a short time later, sweaty and shaking, feeling less refreshed than when he had drifted off.

All of this taken into account, he decided he must have been insane to intentionally trap Caroline into sharing his bed. Yes, he had gone into it deliberately, but at the time he had thought only of how alluring he found her. The mix of intelligence and kindness drew him to her, made him want to be closer to her warmth. He only wished he had thought through all of the implications.

As it was, he lay now on his back with one hand under his head, stiff as a board as tried not to disturb the woman next to him. He worked to even out his breathing so that she would not realize that he was lying there in agony, but rather think him as peacefully asleep as she soon seemed to be. He actually feared drifting off for real, lest his nightmares descend and he wake her with his screams and flailing.

He should have just kissed her earlier when the desire had seized him, timer be damned. Let the food burn, he would have found greater nourishment in the touch of her lips than he had in her admittedly delicious pasta dish. Instead, he had been a coward. While he knew in that moment she would have welcomed his embrace, a part of him worried that she would soon come to regret it, and that he would be trapped for the Norns knew how long with a woman who had rejected him or given herself to him out of pity.

And pity him she must! What in all the nine had prompted him to relate that story? He had not thought about it for centuries. Certainly, he didn't carry around hurt feelings about a careless word spoken by a lowly servant. True, he had always liked Ygritt before that, with her yellow braids and bright blue eyes. It had wounded his fragile young ego to have an attractive woman insult him, nothing more.

Why then could he not seem to shake the feeling that had come over him that day? A sad, lonely certainty that no one would ever find him good enough to love him for himself and not his title or his proximity to real power? To his horror, Loki felt his eyes begin to brim with tears, and he rolled onto his side to mask the movement of dashing them away.

The change of position brought him closer to Caroline, and his resistance cracked. She was asleep and thought him so as well, so there would be no real harm in it. If she woke, he could always claim it an unconscious action. He was desperate in that moment for a connection, and she was the first person in longer than he cared to admit who had been kind to him. Abandoning his pride, Loki reached out and pulled her to him, arm circling her.

She was warm and soft, and smelled like his shampoo and the wood fire in the hearth. As he held her, fighting back the tears, she molded herself against him, nestling into the curve of his body. The fabric of her top felt good against his chest, and the length of her legs twining with his brought a rush of blood through his body. On Asgard, women wore dresses, often down to the floor. Loki found that he was very fond of the Midgard fashion of pants, or even better shorts on certain women. The way, for instance, this pair hugged Caroline in an intimate manner, highlighting her shapely rear that he could feel blankets, was distractingly enticing. He could feel his cock hardening and was once more glad that she seemed to be a sound sleeper.

He would not take advantage more than he already was. Caroline had risked her future, her very life, to help him. He owed her everything. Yet in that moment Loki needed the closeness he found with her in his arms. It made him feel safer, perhaps even a bit wanted. Oh, not that she wanted him the way he so clearly wanted her, but she was willing to be with him, here, in this bed. It was more than he had been granted or dared to hope for in years.

He held her for a few hours, drifting in and out of a sleep still troubled, but less so than was his wont. At last, as the sun began to rise, he delicately withdrew his arms from about her. She made no protest, simply rolling over onto her other side and snuggling deeper into the pillow he left free as he rose from the bed. Placing ahead in light kiss on her forehead in thanks for a share of peace, he quietly made his way to the bathroom and then the kitchen to begin the day.

He was surprised when, not long later, she emerged from the bedroom. Caroline had bundled herself in the large purple robe he had purchased for her. She stumbled towards the coffee pot on the counter looking for all the world as though she had been the one to pass a restless night. After pouring herself a large mug and dropping into the chair across from him, she looked at him with a determined expression on her face.

"Do you have a computer with internet capability?" she asked without preamble.

"Well good morning to you to," he grumbled.

"Morning," she said begrudgingly, leaving off the modifier. "Is there a computer I could use?"

"Why?" he asked, antennae raising.

"Because I want to go online."

"Again, I ask, why?"

He was starting to feel a touch nauseous. He had trusted her, let down his guard. He had even gone so far as to reach out to her for solace, though she was blessedly unaware. Was she looking for a way now to betray him?

"There are things I want to purchase," she said.

"Ah. Well then, just give me a list and I will be happy to provide you with anything you need."

"No, I want to get these myself."

"I assure you Dove," he pasted on an insincere smile, "money is no concern."

"I'm not worried about money," she snapped, then, at his raised eyebrow, "you are a prince, after all, Sweetums."

"Sweetums?" his eyebrows shot up to his hairline.

"Dove?" she mimicked his tone.

"What is the problem then?" he asked, deciding to table the nicknames for a later conversation.

"It's a surprise," she grudgingly told him.

"I am afraid it is quite impossible to order anything from a computer, even if we had one," he told her, not liking this at all. "Any signal sent out could be used as a means to track us. Also, how would you have things delivered?"

"Well then, can you make me a list of stores and services that can be found downtown?" she was not letting this go. "I want to make a trip there this afternoon."

"I can take you downtown," he hedged, willing to go that far.

"Fine, but once I get there I need to be on my own."

"What, exactly are you looking for?" he demanded, at the end of his patience.

"Did they not have surprises on Asgard?" she asked waspishly.

"The last time I was surprised," Loki struggled to keep his voice even, "I was pulled off my feet and Hulk smashed into the floor several times. You will forgive me if I have grown wary of them."

He saw her make an effort to control the response that obviously wanted to erupt from her lips. Instead, she took a large swig of coffee and closed her eyes. He was rather sure that she was counting under her breath, but when she opened her eyes there was less irritation in them, replaced by an implacable determination that he was not sure was an improvement.

"Loki," she said, staring him down. "In the time I have known you, I have stolen the Tesseract, sprung you from jail, and accompanied you halfway around the world. I would think that this would buy me a bit of trust. I promise that I have no intention of running away, and I am not going to do something stupid to bring SHIELD down around our ears. I simply have a few errands that I would like to run myself. Now, I am going to go take a long, hot shower. Either write me down a list of shops in the village and put a little faith in me, or you can be the villain everyone else takes you for and tie me to the bed as your prisoner, because otherwise I am going."

Getting huffily out of her chair, she tromped off to the direction of the bathroom, leaving him staring opened mouthed at her. He wasn't sure what had gotten into Caroline this morning, but one thing was certain: it was going to be some time before the idea of her tied to his bed was gone from his mind.

This ended up much more melancholy than I originally intended. I think with everything going on in the world I am feeling a bit vulnerable and wistful, and Loki took some of that on. It does fit well with the theme of the story though, so hopefully you all still enjoyed. I promise, we will get to sexy times eventually, but for now it's still mutual pining.

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