Right Place, Right Time
Part 1
Summary: When Loki saves your daughter, the bond you start to form takes you both by surprise.
Warnings: Slow burn, near death experience.
A/N: Readers, your feedback is always appreciated. As a mother, I wanted to play around with how a relationship could develop in that scenario. More to come.
Dividers by @firefly-graphics
The first time your heart skipped a beat because of him, there was no warning. In fact, your heart had been pounding incessantly and the jolt you felt was like a heart attack. Distracted, running along the sidewalk chasing after a toddler who thought running away from mommy was a new game, even though you'd sat her down multiple times to explain that it was not a fun game for mommy. One minute you watched as she ran out of the playground, the next you had face planted, tripping over the broken sidewalk as she made her way closer and closer to the busy intersection.
"Someone help!" you yelled, pointing to your little girl. Startled, two men on the corner turned toward your cry, and then to the toddler next to them who had just stepped off the curb. It felt like your soul left your body as you watched the bus barrel down the road in slow motion, one man running in front of the child to stop the bus, the other clutching the little one just in time and bringing her over to you.
Sobbing and shaking, your eyes were only on her, your pride and joy, wiping your cheeks from tears you didn't know escaped.
"Sara, you gave mommy such a scare," you shakily said in between sniffs, arms out, taking your little girl from the man holding her as the other man approached. Your mind was clouded and when you turned to the blonde man to thank them both incessantly, you did a double take. “You’re…you’re…”
“Thor, and this is my brother Loki," he said with a smile, placing his hand on the other man's shoulder. "And we’re happy to have been of assistance. You certainly have your hands full.”
Adjusting the squirmy toddler in your arms, you directed your eyes up to the taller man. He prepared himself for a scream, for an angry shove, for any sort of reaction at all. But you took him by surprise, giving a nervous huff and grabbing his hand.
“It's nice to meet you both. And thank you.” Your eyebrows crinkled in earnestness as he nodded. It felt incredibly silly thinking how gorgeous he was after what you just went through, with other-worldly eyes and deep cheekbones, and his brother interrupted your thoughts. “We do need to get back, will you be ok?” You turned to Thor, shaking your head at your own silliness. Of course, they probably had incredibly important things to attend to.
“Oh yes, we'll be fine. Thank you, again.” Loki slipped his hand from yours, but not before squeezing it in return and giving you the briefest of an understanding look.
They disappeared, and you thought that would be the last time you ever saw the avenger and his alluring brother.
The second time he made your heart flutter, it had been months later and you hadn't thought about him for weeks. The fantasy of the mysterious god was exciting for a time, but the reality of a full-time job and single motherhood made you forget those frivolous thoughts. Weaving through the congested New York crowds, you'd almost passed by him without realizing it, but something in the back of your mind told you to look back.
"Loki?" He turned mid-stride, not placing you immediately, but when the recognition hit, it was evident on his face. "You're back."
He smiled warmly as you adjusted your shoulder bag. "I, uh, didn't get a chance to thank you properly for saving my daughter. Could I, um, buy you a coffee?"
He was quiet while studying your face. Did you have an ulterior motive? He didn't think so. And just when you thought he might not have heard you, he replied, "Yes, I'd like that."
The little cafe around the corner had French bistro chairs and softly played Pink Martini on repeat. Sitting at a table in the corner by the window, a latte for you and a black tea for him, you talked incessantly about yourself, your daughter, your job, while he sat there quietly listening, sipping his tea. A little embarrassed that you had just rambled on and on like a nervous teenager, you drew circles on the rim of your coffee cup. "You don't talk much, do you?"
He chuckled to himself, your words amusing him. "I like listening to you."
Your face turned pink as you looked at your hands, the remnants of your latte sitting at the bottom. "Are you staying here for a while? On earth?"
"For a while, yes."
Nodding, you quietly said, "Good."
He tilted his head upon hearing you. "You might be the only Midgardian to think that."
You shrugged your shoulders in response, not knowing what to say. You weren't dumb, you knew exactly who he was, what he had done, had watched in horror the aftermath of the destruction on TV. The glares, the whispers of others, they weren't subtle. But you also knew he was trying to make amends for his mistakes.
"It's getting late. I need to pick up Sara from daycare."
Adjusting your bag, the two of you walked toward the door. He held it open for you to pass by, taking in his intoxicatingly warm scent. Pausing on the busy sidewalk, you turned toward him. "Um, I know this is kind of silly, but Sara's birthday is next weekend and we're celebrating at that park. If…if you aren't busy…"
His smile was kind and genuine. Were you really asking Loki, god of mischief, to your child's birthday party? But he said thank you, and as you said goodbye you felt his fingertips brush against yours.
The third time your heart fluttered, you hadn't actually expected him to show up to your little girl's birthday party, but a small part of you had hoped, just maybe. Sara was full of smiles, playing on the jungle gym with neighbor kids and snacking on strawberries and pretzel sticks. The squeals of delight when she unwrapped a present and pulled out a mermaid Barbie warmed your heart, exactly what she had wanted. It was thrilling as a mother to hear those happy sounds, see her smiling face on her day and it was a good distraction from wondering if a certain someone would show up. But as you sang "Happy Birthday" and helped her blow out the few candles, the thought gnawing at the back of your mind was that he wasn't going to show. And while you felt the disappointment in the pit of your stomach, it was the nagging thought you had completely embarrassed yourself that truly bothered you. Why in the world had you invited Loki, an ancient god of the universe, the brother of Thor, to your daughter's birthday party? You groaned at the idiocy of it, imagining how he must have been so amused by you, a simple mortal in awe of the Asgardian god. Sighing, you cut slices of birthday cake, handing them out to guests. Holding a forkful of the frosted vanilla cake, you paused mid-bite as clouds rolled in and turned dark. The weather app hadn't mentioned a possible storm. First, there was rumbling thunder, and then the clouds opened up and hundreds of aliens flew out from the opening in the sky.
"Sara…" you called out in warning, picking her up from the picnic table and walking backwards from the activity in front of you. Lasers began to emit from them and your heart thumped in your chest. We need to get out of here. We need to hide.
You turned to run towards the entrance of the park, Sara covering her ears and starting to cry, when you heard your name. Looking up, you saw Loki dressed in a full green and black leather ensemble, running up to you. "What…what's going on?"
"Come with me," he said and grabbed your hand. Clutching on to Sara, the two of you weaved through panicked crowds. Don't let go of his hand!
He dodged falling objects, swerved through oncoming traffic, all while keeping you close. Your legs burned, your feet started to rub raw, but you kept with his pace.
“Only a little farther, darling,” he yelled over his shoulder. “You’re doing great.”
You couldn’t get a word in to reply, your lungs burned and your throat felt like sandpaper, but soon the massive Avengers Tower came into view among the smoke and debris. He took you through the lobby, into a back room, and you tried to catch your breath again while adjusting Sara in your arms. He spoke to a few security guards and then turned to you, never dropping your hand. “Alright, you’ll be safe here. They will take you to a room below and get you settled.”
You looked at him quizzically. “You’re not coming?”
He leaned over to look you in the eye, placing a hand on your shoulder. “Not until this invasion is stopped. I'll come check on you both soon."
The feeling of being left alone somewhere unknown was unsettling, but there was a reason Loki took you here, and that was reassuring. The security guards took you down an elevator to what you could only assume was a safety bunker. Sturdy walls, entertainment units, a full kitchen, and multiple bedrooms, but no windows. You chose a room, laying Sara down on the large mattress as she started to yawn once safely inside.
“Well bug, it's just you and me again.” You rubbed her head and sang soothing songs as she laid down to nap, heart palpitating with every loud blast outside, and soon laid down next to her, the adrenaline of the afternoon wearing off.
When you opened your eyes again, it wasn't from another resounding blast, but to gentle strokes of your hair. Eyelids fluttered as you took in your surroundings, then all at once as he came into focus in front of you, his touch delicate. Opening your mouth, he set a finger to his lips and motioned to your little girl, curled in a ball. He draped a blanket over her, then pulled you up to leave the room and allow her to nap in peace.
"You're hurt," you said when he quietly shut the door and reached up to brush your thumb under a cut on his cheek. "Do you need to have that looked at?"
A smile played on his lips as you looked at the wounds on his face. "I'll heal. Are you hungry?"
You nodded as he reached up to clasp your hand and his fingers latched on yours, pulling you into the kitchen. "Let's see what we can find."
Twenty minutes later, the two of you were eating from a big bowl of spaghetti. He told you about what had happened, how he learned about the coming invasion from Thor, and had instantly thought of you and Sara at that park.
"You've saved Sara twice now. It's like you're her guardian angel."
He smiled to himself, twirling the spaghetti with his fork. "You might be the only creature in the universe to compare me to an angelic being, y/n."
He focused more on the bowl of pasta than you. "I don't really care what people think," you said quietly, resting your hand on his.
He lifted his eyes to yours as you drew circles on his hand with your thumb. Your breath slowed and his jaw relaxed, but you broke contact first, stretching with a sigh. "I should probably get going, wake Sara up and get out of your guy's hair."
His mouth went slack jawed as he hastily got up from the chair. "I wouldn't advise that. You must stay." You paused as he rushed his words. "At least until tomorrow," he said quickly. "They could come back…and I'd be beside myself if I didn't know Sara was safe."
"Loki…thank you, but–" He cut you short, coming up to you and resting a hand on your arm.
"Please," he said softly, looking from one eye to the other. "Just so I know that you…and she…are safe."
His eyes were pleading and you swallowed the lump in your throat, pulse beating faster from his touch.
"I…" you stammered, words lost on you while drowning in his eyes.
"Mama!" You pulled your eyes away, his touch receding as you picked up the little girl running to your arms.
"Hey baby girl," you kissed her cheek and she snuggled into your embrace. "You have a good nap?"
She gave an exaggerated nod, looking around the bunker. "We go home now?"
You could almost swear you heard Loki hold his breath. Looking from her to him, you shook your head. "We're going to stay here tonight, like when we do sleepovers at Grandma's house. Does that sound like fun?"
Again, she gave an exaggerated nod, making curls in your hair with her fingers. "Where's mermaid girl?"
Your lips pressed into a line, remembering the Barbie that was left on the picnic table, along with all of her other birthday presents. "We'll have to get her later, sweet pea."
Sara stuck out her bottom lip. "Did I hear it was someone's birthday today?"
Sara turned her head quickly to Loki, an open mouth smile on her face.
"Watch," he whispered, and placed his hand out in front of her. When he opened his palm, tiny fireworks played among his fingertips. Sara giggled joyfully and clapped her hands. "Now close your eyes–you, too."
He looked at you expectantly, and you gave him a what-are-you-up-to look, but did as you were told. A few seconds passed, and then he said, "Alright, open them."
You heard the squeal of delight before you could open your eyes. "Mermaid girl!"
Before her was the blue and pink plastic mermaid, and she hugged it tightly, wiggling to crawl out of your arms and play with the doll.
"How did you even…" you whispered, but he only gave a smug little grin and watched the little girl explore the room with her new friend. He kept you company that afternoon, him a little more open as he told you stories of growing up on Asgard, the tricks he'd play on Thor, and of course, stories of his mother. Lounging on the couch with your legs tucked under you, you imagined him as the little prince, and how he grew into the man sitting in front of you, and the fluttering in your heart moved down lower to your core.
This new feeling was startling. Yes, you had found him wildly attractive, but it was like staring at a piece of priceless art. It was meant to be displayed in a museum to be marveled by all, not to hang in your living room next to a pile of laundry. You were lost in your own head as he talked, and then there was silence when he cocked his head. "Did I lose you?"
Eyes blinked rapidly as you returned to the present. "Why us?"
"Hmmm?"
"During the invasion today, why did you come back for us? You barely know me…"
He leaned forward and reached for your hand. "Y/n, you don't give yourself enough credit. You've shown me more kindness in the little amount of time I've known you than most of these Midgardians have since I've been here. If anyone deserves saving, it's you."
Your stomach tumbled, your eyes turned down, watching as his palm found yours, fingers slowly weaving together. He saw you and it was all so overwhelming. Feelings like these hadn't been present since Sara's father, and those had long since flown away. No one had truly occupied your mind but Sara for years… Sara…
You looked around the large room to find her playing under a table with her doll and a few items she had gathered while exploring the room. "It's getting late. I should give her a bath and put her to bed."
"Would you like me to go?"
Nibbling your lip, you shook your head, and as you turned to find your daughter, Loki smiled.
Sara was always an easy one to put to bed, like she was just as eager to go to sleep when you said it was time. She laid in bed after playing in the tub and listened as you made up a story about a young boy who lived in a far away land and was different from everyone else, giggling when you told about the tricks he would play on others, but really all he wanted was to be loved.
"I like it here," she whispered and you gave her little kisses on her nose and forehead and eyes, her breathing soon growing heavy with time.
Fifteen minutes later, you quietly shut her door, finding Loki lounging with a book in his hand. The massive hardcover book was propped open on his chest and you tilted your head to read the title.
"The whole world is divided for me into two parts: one is she, and there is all happiness, hope, light; the other is where she is not, and there is dejection and darkness…"
He paused, considered your words. "You are full of surprises. You know your Tolstoy."
You smiled, maybe a little proud that you could impress him. "I took some classes on Russian literature in college."
It turned your conversation into a new direction, on books and favorite authors. He pulled a book out of thin air, holding it out to you. A worn green cover and brilliant gold font, you took it, slowly cracking open the cover in your lap. "I think you'll enjoy this one."
You drew your finger over the beautiful script, the delicate pages.
The warmth of his hand met your cheek, drawing your eyes up to his. "Y/n," he paused, his body leaning in, your heart beating so hard you were sure he could hear it. "Can I kiss you?"
Lips parted, the answer on the tip of your tongue, and then the clobbering of footsteps down the hall, the bellowing of Loki's name, his hand sliding away from your face, the moment gone.
"Loki, there's been another invasion," his brother announced when he found the two of you. "We're needed in London."
Loki sighed, looking from his brother to you. "Please stay here tonight. I'll be back as soon as I can."
He left with a kiss to your hand and more questions swirling in your mind.
Part 2
Buy me a coffee
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