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thefallenbibliophilequote · 3 years

Text

I Know Places

Loki x Reader

1989, chapter 12

"And everyone was watching"

Summary: It's hard to find the one, but even if you do find him it's always going to be a daily struggle to make it work. Can you even make it work after he broke your heart? The answer to that is complicated, but it all started when you found each other again in the stark tower- and that's where our story begins.

Word count: 5,106

Warnings: an intense game of Uno, angst, fluff, Odin, and one perfect punch. Not in that order.

A/N: we are so close to the end! Thank you @chrissquares for the beautiful dividers! And thank you so much for @nacho-bucky for beta reading this for me!

No one is allowed to repost my writing or steal or copy my work! Reblog on tumblr is fine.

Series masterlist

Song on Spotify and YouTube

His hands were on your waistline yet again when you woke up. It has been this way ever since Bruce cleared you from the med bay. Loki refused to leave your side. Every time as you fell asleep you felt the tingles of Loki's magic, helping you calm your mind and dream peacefully. Loki had told you all about what happened, so once he managed to get through your powers he took it upon himself to make sure you sleep safe and sound. You didn't remember your dreams, yet whenever you woke up you could not feel more at peace. It had been far too long without Loki for you- it always was.

You slowly cracked your eyes open through the daylight, coming face to face with the trickster god sound asleep. You couldn't help the smile that took over you- he looked so young, so innocent, here sleeping next to you with a soft light casting shadows on his long lashes. You brushed a strand of hair from his face and when he stirred you turned around and backed into his embrace.

"Good morning, darling."

"Good morning, Loki." You hid your head into the soft pillow loving how it now smelt of him, taking his hand that was draped over you and lacing your fingers with his, tightening his hold on you.

Opening your eyes you looked at the small blaze that stayed seated on your bedside drawer.

"Oh shoot, we forgot to put the candles out last night." You looked around the room where candles were still lit up, giving the room a warm light besides the illumination from outside.

"Leave it, darling. Let's go back to sleep." He kissed the side of your neck, grunting when you got out of the bed, leaving him in the warm sheets. "You don't need to put them out."

"It's dangerous, Loki, it'll take just a moment."

You went around the room and put out the small fires along the way, one by one. You got to your dresser and blew on the candle softly before stepping away, and then you noticed it didn't die out. You blew on it again and yet it only swayed.

"I can't put this one out." You tried again.

"Maybe it doesn't want to, just leave it be." Loki groaned as he stretched in bed. "Leave it lit."

You huffed and blew on it again with more force, and the fragile little flame burnt out, leaving the room lit only by the outside rising sun.

Satisfied with yourself, you went back to the bed, and fell on top of Loki with a giggle.

"Okay, now we can rest."

•

The walls were filled with hushed chatter as Thor passed the gold filled halls. He went through the familiar corridors with his head held up high until the guards pushed open the door for him and he entered the throne room.

"My son, what have you come here to inform me?" Odin looked down upon the golden haired prince as he walked towards the stairs of the Allfather.

"Well Father, I'm sure you will be glad to hear that we managed to find Y/N and she is all better now." Thor smiled at his father before continuing, "We also found the missing weapons, but I'm afraid there are some bad news as well…"

"Well, get on with it."

"We figured out who was responsible for the missing weapons- apparently it was Lady Iyllir, Father."

"What? How preposterous. You can't expect me to believe that! The lady and her family are very well respected, and the young lady is to marry your brother soon!"

"During the battle we saw her there- she was threatening Y/N and others. Loki had to take her down." Thor tried explaining to his father, but it was of no use. "I saw it."

"You saw it? Are you certain Loki didn't just act without thinking?" Odin questioned his son, Thor just nodded, remembering how Loki had looked at you when you laid motionless as they took you back from the warehouse.

"I have no doubt that he thought it though, what was done was necessary and just."

Odin only hummed, considering his son's claims.

"It ended as it should have, and besides- we got everything back!" Thor laughed lightly, smiling at his father but it didn't last long.

"Not everything."

•

"As much as I love having you back, kid, I will have Steve ground you to your room if you do what you're about to do!" Tony threatened you and you bit your lip to hide your smile. You looked to Natasha in front of you, and to Loki next to you, before laying the card on the center of the table.

"Take four, Uno." You let the smirk take over your face.

"Gosh-darn it- fucking hell-" Tony grumbled as he took cards from the pile.

"Come on Tony leave her alone, her cards were just better than yours." Steve chuckled and looked over at you.

"Yeah Tony, I won fair and square." Loki smirked besides you and put a hand around your waist.

"No, I don't trust it." Tony pointed at Loki and then at you. "You helped her cheat, didn't you?"

"I don't know what you mean, Stark." Loki tilted his head a bit in a show of innocence, but Tony didn't have any of it. "Why would I interfere in the game?"

"You kids are in love, that gives you motive!"

"Perhaps, but alas you have no proof." You could feel him relax next to you as others laughed and some even threw cards around until you couldn't continue playing the game and instead you just talked about nothing in particular and ate snacks.

You looked around at all your friends with a small smile on your lips. It felt all too familiar and yet so foreign to you. You never thought you would have this, a family doesn't end in blood but it doesn't have to start there either. There, through the spies and geniuses, you found a place where you felt protected and happy- a safe haven. Maybe every bait and switch in the tapestry of your life was a work of art that was meant to bring you all the way here. It was almost perfect, you almost had everything you could wish for but you decided not to dwell on that now while Loki was smiling so openly and Steve was laughing alongside the group that gathered around you- surrounding you with warmth even December storms couldn't penetrate.

"Love," Loki called you in a quiet voice. You looked up at him. "What's going on in that pretty little head of yours?"

You almost winced at that, but you only shook your head.

"I'm just-" for luck of a better word, "home."

You stayed in the compound with the team for the weekend, the quiet outside and the trees helped all of you get some normalcy after everything that happened. You missed that.

It seemed like Loki understood you, he always did, as he kissed your forehead and brought you back to the conversation. It was almost weird seeing him exchanging non harmful snarky comments with Bucky, and somehow getting along with your newfound family, but you only took it with a smile, basking in the warm feeling as you caught Steve's eye and offered him a smile which he returned. You couldn't wish for anything better than this.

•

Loki has been called by Odin to a meeting, and so he reluctantly got out of your bed as daylight reached your window and was now walking into the palace. He was stopped in his tracks, however, by a shriek.

"You!" he turned to see Iyllir's mother pacing fast towards him with her husband trailing behind her. "You are a murderer, you killed our daughter and you dare walk here with pride? You are a disgusting vile frost giant-"

"If I were you, I would be careful with how you talk to your prince." He sharply replied. Loki didn't spare a thought about Iyllir's parents- or her demise at all, so it didn't occur to him that her parents would still be at the palace. "I understand your grief, I sincerely apologize for it, but your daughter was a traitor of Asgard and forced my hand. The deed was justified."

"You can say whatever you want, prince," Iyllir's father spat the word at him and he clenched his jaw, trying to keep his composure. "Our daughter only did it because of you! I heard the rumors, everyone knows about the Midgardian girl you chose over Iyllir! She was simply doing what had to be done to make you choose correctly!"

The yells started to draw the attention of the workers who were around the palace entrance, he could hear them whisper as they passed by. It's a scene that he is out here in clear sight with the mother and father of the girl he had killed.

"You are nothing but a cunning little fox, a pretend prince, thinking that a mortal could be with such a monster. Don't you know that their petty little lives are but a fraction of ours? Nothing can come out of it but you suffering- and I hope that you will suffer immensely." The once graceful lady was gritting her teeth now. "And as from what I know from Midgard, you can run but the hunters are always hunting for foxes like you."

Loki had had enough of it.

"If that is supposed to be a threat then it is a poor one," his voice was low now and he was satisfied with the way their eyes went wide and they took a step back when he took a step forward. "I suggest you leave Asgard, for good, before I show you what it is like to be hunted. You won't last long, I assure you of that, I will make sure you feel how insignificant you are that you think you can talk to me in such a way. Your daughter hurt the woman I love, and her death was quick but I promise it will not be the case with you if you even dare talk about my love in such a way."

He took pride at the fright in their eyes, the way they scrambled away into the nearest carriage.

Straightening his collar, his sharp glare silenced every whisper in the hallway as he made his way to Odin.

•

You stood in the kitchen, making a batch of pancakes when you saw Loki enter the kitchen. You walked to him with a smile.

"Loki! You're finally back, would you like some pancakes?" You leaned up to kiss him but you barely felt him return it. He seemed to be considering your offer for a bit too long, before he nodded.

"Of course, my love, I would love it." He smiled at you and it made you forget everything else, as well as the batch you had on the pan that was getting burned by the second. Loki scrunched his nose, "Why do I smell smoke?"

You spent the day with Loki, a lazy Saturday afternoon with your lover, a perfect day.

Loki didn't seem to talk much, he didn't have that usual spark in his eye that you always saw. But that was okay, you managed to bring it out of him, you always did.

Your lazy day got ruined when Natasha and Sam showed up at the entrance of the common room with a bucket full of filled out water balloons and a hefty amount of water guns.

"Grab your weapon of choice, Bucky started this so we are going hunting- and you are on our team."

You turned to Loki with a smile; maybe this will cheer him up.

"What do you say, trickster? Do you want to go hunting?" with a smirk Natasha threw a gun your way and Sam threw one towards Loki, as you got up you missed the ghostly look that crossed Loki's face.

Now, you were sure that Bucky and Steve started this as a friendly fight. But the two punks were now running away as the fight turned into a war.

"Come on now Y/N, won't you spare me?" Steve had a mischievous glint in his eyes that betrayed his words. You had him cornered as he had his hands held up at the loaded gun you were pointing at him. You disarmed him from his own water balloons.

"I'm sorry Cap, you started it." As you started spraying him with water he ducked to the side and grabbed water balloons.

"Run."

And run you did, you saw as others fought beside you, when you spotted Loki you grabbed his hand and took him with you. You sprayed water behind you when you tried to lose the ones who chased.

"Where are we running?"

"Come on, I know a place we won't be found!" you giggled when a balloon hit Loki and he glared at Steve who was right on your tail, grabbing your gun and aiming right at his face. At the shriek you heard you knew Loki hit his target.

You ran for the fences up ahead, yelling at Loki to jump right when you did.

"Love," he tried to keep up with you as you pulled him with you. "You have failed to tell me where we are going."

"You'll see! They can't track us here." you took a sharp turn when you reached the woods until you stopped in front of a big tree. You started climbing it and Loki followed until you got high enough that you saw above the other trees. There you decided to lean on the tree while sitting on a wide tree branch with Loki by your side.

Loki kissed the palm of your hand and no words were exchanged when you played with his hair and you watched the skies as they turned into a canvas of warmer shades of colours.

•

Days have passed as you went back to the tower and you found yourself waking up to a cold bed, and if Loki was there with you then he disappeared during the day with the same explanation, "I have a meeting in Asgard."

At what point does an explanation become an excuse?

One day you decided to distract yourself with cleaning your room, so you started with your dresser. Pulling out boxes of jewelry you went to open them and start sorting when you caught side of a green glimmer in the dead of the night just outside of your door and with sudden annoyance you threw the box you held back into the drawer then you closed it and got up from the floor.

"Hi love-" Loki started, smiling when he saw you again.

"Loki, tell me what's going on, you are gone so much lately!" He gave you a smile that you knew all too well.

"I told you-"

"No excuses! What's wrong up there in Asgard?" You sat on your bed and Loki stood in front of you, you tried to pull him to sit beside you but he didn't budge. You saw the resolve fall from his face and his sharp cheekbones only enhanced the somber look he had now.

"It seems that my brother has loose lips whenever he talks to my father, and some talks have spread."

"And what about it?" you tilted your head to the side and watched him as he tried to keep his composure; you saw the anger flash in his eyes but it wasn't directed at you.

"Well, it seems that my father is not pleased about everything that occurred."

"Of course he isn't, but I'm sure Thor made it better if anything!" you drew circles on his palms with your thumbs.

"No, he isn't pleased with what was taken from Asgard- he isn't pleased that a mortal has Asgardian powers," he clutched your hands in his when you started to let go. "He isn't pleased with you."

Now you were the crestfallen one. You tried not to get lost in your head.

"What does he want?" Loki knew you were trying to hide the fear that was sinking deep within you.

You adjusted the skirt of your dress, standing nervously in the middle of the room. You weren't really sure why you were feeling this anxious when you've seen Loki hundreds of times before, but now you knew why as you were straightening your dress you remembered that you bought it because of him- for him. The green of it reminded you of the shirt he often wears; when you complimented him he admitted to it being his favourite colour.

You hoped he would like it.

So yeah it was just another movie night with Loki, but it was the first one after you realized you were in love with him, after you actually let your feelings get inside your head and take over your actions.

The familiar gentle knock on the door startled you from the daze and you went to open the door to Loki.

There he stood in front of you in his green dress shirt- he always dressed like he was a royal going to a gala of some sort. And you loved it.

"Hi darling," Loki took a minute to look you over at the dress you wore. He had to tear his eyes away from your body to look into your eyes. "What are we watching this time?"

He smiled at you as he walked in and you willed yourself to act naturally- he was your best friend, nothing changed.

"I like the dress, you look marvelous in it." You decided to go to the kitchen to get some much needed water and snacks for the movie.

"Yes, thank you." You took pride at the steady voice you managed to voice out.

Loki stood there in the middle of the living room and admired the way your body looked as you wore his colours. He put his hand over the pocket of his pants, feeling the golden necklace he got you. In Asgard it would seem like courting- giving a lady a necklace such as this, but he hoped in Midgard it is regarded as something more casual. He wouldn't want to give away his own feelings that seemed to burst through. Loki knows he can be comfortable around you- you made him feel welcomed and loved. But this feeling is new to him, this feeling towards you was new as well.

He didn't know he was smiling until you walked up to him with a smile and his favourite snacks.

"Let's start!"

As the movie went on you felt more like yourself with him, the chemistry was still there just like he was still your best friend- your newfound feelings didn't change it and you were grateful for that.

"I could never be that," you said suddenly during the movie.

"What do you mean?" You had your legs curled under you as you sat on the couch next to Loki. You turned to him, setting your drink down.

"A hero." When he gave you a strange look you continued. "I know that magic doesn't exist, but everyone dream for it. And I know that everyone, me included, would want to enter that magical universe and get out of this mundane world- but in reality it is never what it seems like."

"But wouldn't you like magic?" Loki felt his heart drop at your words. "You love all of these movies and all of them have magic in them."

"I would love it! But think about it Loki, in reality it would be such a difficult life, even the characters there know it and we see it. So yeah I would love it, but I think it could never be peaceful and it would only end up hurting. So I can long for it, but I don't think I would like to have it," you explained and bit your lip before looking at him. "I'm happy right now."

You smiled at him and continued watching the movie. He decided it is probably better if he didn't give you the necklace tonight.

•

Whatever you imagined Asgard would be like after the countless stories Loki had told you- nothing could have prepared you for the extravagant sights of it. Golden arches and flush greenery everywhere you went. You knew Asgard was a place for the gods, it was a dreamland and yet still this was far from the capabilities of your mind.

The sights of it drew your attention from the reason you were coming here in the first place. That was until you felt Loki's hand squeeze your own, and you started to really notice your surroundings.

You heard the whispers of the Asgardian people as you passed by, standing between Thor and Loki. You saw the judgmental looks people sent your way when they saw Loki's hand was entwined with yours.

Then you saw the palace. If it were any other day, you could've pretended that you were there with Loki for a ball like the one you imagined so many times so long ago. But now you were filled with dread that you were certain you were going to throw up, and it wasn't because of the travel.

The travel was nice comparing to what you expected, a man named Heimdall greeted you and when you looked into his eyes you felt as if he could see through you, as if he knew everything about you. He was still nice to you, wishing you luck as you walked on the bridge towards the palace. You didn't know how he knew but you accepted the welcomed wish.

Loki and Thor were both quiet as you stepped through the guards and when you passed the gate chills went down your spine. You felt as if you were trapped in a box when they closed it behind you, like you just walked into a gilded cage.

You understood what Loki was always ranting to you about- it was stifling in here.

Loki guided you until the three of you reached dark yet golden doors that behind them you knew the Allfather sat. right before the doors opened you looked over at Loki and at the sight of his tense face and hollowed eyes you remembered it all: all the countless times Loki came home to you in distress and on the brink of crying, all those times you had to hold him until his mind finally let him sleep, all those times were you had to force Loki out of all the toxic self destructive thoughts that were planted in his head by his father.

You weren't as scared anymore when the doors opened and you walked forward, holding Loki's hand tightly.

You hated him from the minute you saw him. A king sat there on a throne, you didn't expect anything else but what caught your eye and fuelled your already blazing hatred were the stairs. The throne he was sitting on was placed on the top of a line of stairs that led up to him, letting him look down at anyone who entered the place. It disgusted you, but you had to keep your cool for now, for Loki.

You remembered everything that Loki and the team explained to you about what happened during all this time that the two of you were apart. And most of all you remembered your promise.

"Ah my children, you finally arrived." Odin said before looking at you. You refused to let him see your fear, so you straightened your back but still kept holding Loki's hand. "And are you the midgardian girl I have heard so much about, Y/N?"

You looked at Loki who squeezed your hand and gave you a small nod with a little smile.

"Yes, I am." You tucked your hair behind your ears before getting to what you really were here for. "I heard that you wanted to talk about my powers."

"Yes, my child. Come forward." He told you and you reluctantly let go of Loki's hand. Loki looked at his brother who seemed just as agitated as he was and that was already not a good sign. "I'm assuming you have been told already that by Loki's mistake you have received Asgardian powers. The kind of powers you have are of the ancient arts of Asgard."

"Okay, what about it? Loki protected me and I ended up getting these powers that I have learned to control over the years." you furrowed your brows at the information and tried to smile at your own claims, it had been difficult to process but you understood your powers better now.

"That is well, my child." Odin rested his hand on the armchair and leaned back with his staff. "But since these powers are Asgardian, a mortal should not have them. They shall be taken away from you."

"I beg your pardon?"

"What the fuck?" you and Loki spoke at the same time.

"Father, you cannot do this, she is more than worthy to carry these powers." Loki came forward to stand in front of you now, protective.

"I agree, Father the powers have chosen her. These types of ancient powers were supposed to kill a mere mortal but they didn't, that surely means something about her capabilities." Thor added and stepped forward too, putting a hand on your shoulder. You looked down as you got lost in thought before speaking up.

"How can you do it? Take my powers away, I mean." Loki turned to you but you kept your gaze on the floor.

"Well dear, I am the Allfather, ruler of Asgard and the 9 realms. I am capable of doing things you- a mere mortal, cannot comprehend. And about how I would go about it-"

"May I approach you, before you continue?" you then asked, and it took him a second to consider it before he nodded. What is the harm in a midgardian girl being by him? You shrugged Loki's hand off when he went to take your arm. He was downright scared by the look in your eyes.

You went up the stairs towards the almighty Allfather and when you were on his level, he leaned forward in the chair awaiting what you had to say to him.

"While you are all that, I am Y/N, a human girl from earth and-" you smiled at him before taking your fist and colliding it with his cheek, making him throw his head back in the process. The look of fury didn't startle you when you met his gaze. "I'm sorry, but I made a promise a long time ago, Your Highness." You bowed your head and walked back down the stairs to Loki, who seemed to be at war between a prideful smile and fear for your safety.

"How dare you, you cannot do such a thing-" Odin stood up with his staff ready.

"Can't I?" you tilted your head at him as you stood next to Loki. "I didn't use my powers like I so easily could, because I didn't want to. So do continue what you said."

"Are you mad?" Loki whisper yelled in your ear.

"Quite possibly." You turned to kiss his cheek and found that hidden mischief in his eyes that you loved so.

"Father, please forgive her, I am certain the lady was just upset about the new information."

"Oh no I wholeheartedly meant that." Thor gave you an exasperated look before Odin dismissed him.

"Well as a matter of fact, extracting the powers away from you will involve a very deep process since the powers are so attached to you and your mind. Extracting those means also extracting all the memories of everything your powers have touched or affected- as well as their source."

You did not appreciate the satisfied look he had on when your own face fell as you took in his words. You couldn't be comforted by Loki who you knew would have detected a lie if Odin had uttered it as a form of revenge and pettiness.

You knew that there was no choice as far as Odin was concerned, but you knew Loki and you could feel his brilliant mind spinning around seeking a way out for you, he may have let Odin hurt him but hurting you is crossing a line no one will come back alive from.

So you did have a choice in fact, but given the opportunity you never thought you'd have, the answer wasn't hard to pick.

"Okay." You heard your own voice pick the path you will walk on, your voice was quiet but you knew they all heard you clearly.

"Y/N!" Loki turned to you and you did too. "You don't have to do this, don't think that because he says so I will let it happen when you don't want it!"

"I want it, Loki."

"You what?" he was taken aback- his eyes were studying you now, calculating an explanation.

"These powers Loki, they are not good."

"No, don't say that, don't let him convince you that something about yourself is bad- Norns, darling nothing about you in bad."

He cupped your cheek, trying to get you to understand. But he didn't understand what you were saying. Your eyes turned glossy with unshed tears.

"It's horrible, these powers are evil- I don't want them anymore." You searched his blue eyes but all you got was resistance."I felt them Loki, I felt them and they hurt. I want them gone, and now I have a way to do it."

"No, love can't you see? I've been trying to tell you this from the beginning- Your powers don't only cause harm. They can also heal and calm people down, they can do good- you are good."

"I've been there Loki- inside my mind, and all these powers are just dark. They hurt me, I don't want them anymore. I don't want it, they are staining me like blood on my hands- I don't want to carry this around anymore." You put your head in the crook of his neck, seeking comfort in his touch.

Loki froze in place at your words, they broke his heart because of the way you felt, but you also broke his heart because if you choose to lose your powers then…

Next thing you knew Loki moved away from you and walked out of the door before you could chase after him.

"Loki!"

•

Tags: @ayybtch @buckys-other-punk @chaoticpete @madcrazy50 @mishkatelwarriorgoddess @the-departed-potato @rogerrhqpsody @onceupona-happilyeverafter-love @percabethismyotp14

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remsmoonlight · 3 years

Text

— title : glitter in the sky

— word count : 2.3 k words

— pairing : loki x reader

— summary : before putting into place his plan for thor’s coronation, he seeks you out one more time for comfort only you can provide

— warnings : maybe a teeeeeny bit of thor bashing but incredibly minor .. love ‘im fr , bit of sadness

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　requested ? nope　/ requests are open *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

an: i got this idea, first from watching the first thor movie because aw, and then moving onto silent hill and that field scene is a whole vibe..... who doesn’t wanna just chill randomly in a field with the sun on your skin with no responsibilities? hell yeah .. anyways this just got away from me in a way ha

Trailing your gaze up to the sky, your eyes marvel at the merging colours as you study them intently, witnessing the blend of hues and tones from a bright blue to a mixture of warm pinks and burnt oranges light up the surrounding area before you knew they would fade into nothing more than a dark blanket who’s only source of light would be the moonlight and the stars that would litter it.

Your shoes crunching the dry grass and the sounds of chirping from the various wildlife encompasses you, it takes all of your strength to not allow a large grin to brighten your features.

Despite being so late in the afternoon, time walking on a fine line towards the early evening, the heat from the sun is still so strong, comfortably toasting your skin as a heavy blanket on a cold winter’s night would.

In the distance you’re able to spot the intimidating stature of the aged tree, though it’s intimidating in name only ⎯ for now it holds only those memories that lay locked deep within your heart. Your situation is a rather unusual one. Many summer afternoons had been spent shielded from the harsh rays of sunlight that shone over everything it could touch, though they hadn’t been spent alone. Rather, they’d been spent with an exceedingly phenomenal man. Can he even be called that? You wonder to yourself, Loki was far from human. Far, far from it.

“ to think I had been of the belief you would not be appearing. “

The suddenness of the voice slicing through the noises of the concealed fields would have shocked you more had it not been so honeyed. Holding the recognisable smoothness that you only associated with Loki.

“ this is the first time I’ve ever been late, thank you very much. “ you answer with an unwavering nerve as you stare at him while amusement floods your expression.

“ and the last, I’m sure? “ an eyebrow raises as he questions you, a warmth brightening his aura against the coolness he exudes normally.

Believing he’s not of Earth had been hard for you to grip, to believe fully, no matter how many tricks he could conjure before your very eyes. Though disappearing right before you, then feeling the whisper of his breath dance on the back of your neck so gracefully had been the confirmation you required. From there on a friendship blossomed into something more, you both becoming more and more involved with the other. Holding such unbelievable secrets were not a common place for you, to have this continues to make you feel like such a special soul.

“ oh, shut up! “

You stroll towards him, closing the distance with an enthusiastic energy that not even the longest of days could wear you down. Nothing in the world makes you feel so secure and guarded than when you finally feel the weight of his arms snake around you to bring you forward into his embrace. For Loki, you are a home away from home. Never do you gaze upon him with untrustful eyes, nor do you view him as beneath you, many negative connotations are attached to his name and you? You simply see him for who he wishes he could be, only ever in your presence does he try not to disappoint you. Back on Asgard that’s all anyone ever expects, so why not play into their prejudices? It has protected him so far, though the thought that perhaps even that has done more harm than good tresspasses into his mind on a rare occasion.

It’s not something he wishes to think about there though. He wants to dedicate his short visit to you entirely. Pushing away the increasingly regular thought it’s just a heartbeat, he is not one to be naive to pretend. Illusions are second nature to him, to forge them as easily to breathe, but to experience them are something that is in his power to prevent. He could allow this one instance to be selfish.

“ might I inquire of your wellbeing since we parted last? “ he requests as fingers entwine with yours to guide you to the slight hollow space within the tree. You drop yourself without any elegance to the ground, he settles behind you with his legs on either side of yours.

You can’t help but marvel at the differences between the two of you, like night and day. However, your differences fit like a puzzle with no inconvenience.

“ life keeps trying to test my patience, same as ever but ⎯ “ you pause, your eyes shining with remembrance of the gift you had brought, of course you knew it’s nothing more than a silly little trinket but you couldn’t help but fall in love with it. “ here, my friend’s been making these pieces for their business and I couldn’t help but think of you. “

Adoration is the only thing that overwhelms him in this moment, it’s a feeling he wants to lock away to relive over and over, for the only time he has never been treated as an afterthought is by his mother. Now? It’s a feeling that hasn’t been forged by a bond born of blood, but one that has arisen naturally. The item in your hand is a small metal band, with designs etched onto its body.

“ it’s only a little thing I know ⎯ “ you begin to babble, the words tumbling before you could even stop them. Your mind losing all control over your language before Loki put a stop to it.

“ I’ll have you know it’s not the physical item itself, but the sentiment behind it I hold dear. “

You want to respond with equally sweet words, but the heavy tone doesn’t go undiscovered by your ears.

“ Loki, what’s wrong? “

“ nothing, why do you ask? “ the God denies, switching the questioning to you.

Turning to face him, your eyes scout all over his features to spot anything that would give you cause to continue on with your concern. It’s light, the ghost of sorrow concealed behind a curtain of confidence and ego, even the most professional of liars can’t hide the truth of that. The hurt cuts too deep for a flimsy pretense of everything being perfect for it to bury those feelings.

“ you’re an amazing liar, but I’m beginning to get the hang of you. Besides, sadness is something difficult to completely hide. “

A heavy breath is released, your fingers from their position on his shoulders feel as if there’s an invisible weight that has almost decreased. You wonder how long he has carried this with him.

“ tell me. “

Every fibre of Loki’s being is fighting to keep his feelings kept away out of sight, to imagine they never manifested themselves into reality, but locked into place by the profound compassion swirling in your eyes he wants to finally divulge everything in his mind that has been plaguing him. Who knew a mortal could have such an enchanting effect he thought humourfully to himself.

“ the deadline for a successor to my father’s throne is approaching. “

“ and you’re worried? “ your brows lower, confusion marking your features as you struggle to understand why that could be so bad?

“ I've veiled many things from you, a fault of mine I understand completely. “ he admits, a sorrowful smile gracing his lips.

“ it’s never too late to share them. It might help you feel better? “

Loki wonders just what it is he has done in his history to be blessed with such an understanding and caring soul as yours, nothing could ease the lasting effects of each and every of his transgressions over his many years of living. How exactly could such radiance and light find the dark Prince of Asgard so easily? Many who lived in his realm would argue that he’s not deserving, instead countering that his brother should be in such a position of happiness.

He simply gazes upon you before speaking, a slender finger raising to tuck a few stray hairs behind your ear.

“ the successor has already been chosen, they always have been. This is a mere formality. “ switching his sight from you to the environment around you both, turning to look upon the steadily darkening sky.

“ so why do it then? “

“ to ensure that the process is seen as fair, despite the favour repeatedly falling to my brother. “

Nodding in understanding, you finally realise why there is a darkness that swirls over his head now he speaks of the topic. Living in the shadow of the golden child is not easy, your heart hurts as you realise that there must be many people who do not see the same man who you see. They see audacity instead of a daringness, to mistake him for an egotistical know it all instead of someone who has a thirst for knowledge and tricks.

“ never did they wish to stop viewing me as a troublesome child, I suppose I never aided in changing that. “

Nothing falls from your lips, knowing no words could do justice for what you need him to know, to feel. Twisting yourself onto your knees, you lean forward and allow your arms to provide him comfort as they surround his neck. One hand raises to rest in the dense raven locks of hair you constantly marvel over, moving ever so softly to trace patterns.

“ I’m sorry. “ you mumble softly, wanting to say more, but you can’t help but resign yourself to being unable to say anything meaningful. Instead, figuring it would be better, first, for him to speak his emotions without looking for any advice.

“ you’ve nothing to apologise for. The pieces will fall as they should. “ he comforts, whining to himself over the absence of your warmth as you withdraw the embrace.

“ Loki, what do you mean by that? “

“ nothing for you to worry yourself over, my dove. “ he shakes his head, as a chuckle that is short accompanies it, contains little genuine amusement to settle you.

“ I’m being serious, what are you talking about? “ your demand is light in touch, though your gaze holds an unrelenting strength as he looks towards you once more.

“ again, nothing that requires your concern. Midgardians, you worry too much. “

“ over things that can get the people we love into trouble, of course. “

His heart pauses in beating as the words seep into his mind, realising exactly what you spoke. Briefly, does he wonder if he misheard you, thought deep down he knows what you spoke.

“ did you ⎯ ? “ an unrecognisable vulnerability crosses his expression as he begins to ask what you had said, to hear it again as if for the first time.

A reddening of you cheeks can be seen, you look down with a sheepish grin. This had not been the way you had imagined using the love word. Of course, over the years of your life many things had not gone to plan, so this was just another instance in a long, long line of events that just got away from you. While you know there is something mutual, you can’t bring yourself to look upon him just yet.

“ you heard me correctly. “

Elation swells within him, even the thought of perhaps you would prefer Thor had you met him first could not creep more than a few feet before being banished from sight and mind, it’s not something he wants to entertain. Especially for what he has in mind to plan for the future. Instead, he allows himself to be engulfed in your love, to experience the last piece of goodness that has been reserved for him, knowing it won’t last.

All you feel from your dropped gaze is your nose being nudged by his, then the weight of his lips on your own. Moving together as if they are fighting to mould into one, fitting together so well. Both of you are left breathless, momentarily caught in the feeling of the other that oxygen is the last thing on your mind.

“ do not trouble yourself over events that have not come to pass yet. Especially on an evening as fine as this. “

The corner of your lips tilt higher as your turn away from him to peer over the surroundings you had briefly forgotten. The burnt colours had long since faded into darkness, the stars being the only light as they can only be likened to being glitter in the night’s sky. A true beauty.

“ I love nights like these, where you can see all of the stars. “

“ you’d be besotted with Asgard’s constellations. “

You’d settled back into the position you were in previously, with arms encompassing you protectively with your back secured firmly to his chest. Loki explains the beauty of Asgard, and how even in the day the stars can still be seen against the shining vividness of the colours of their sky. Quarrelling against the gold hues from both the sun and the palace he knows only as his home.

“ that sounds wonderful. “ you whisper, feeling fatigue sneaking its way to the forefront of your mind.

“ it truly is a beauty to see. “ agreeing with you, resting his head upon yours. Wishing nothing more than to be able to stay there in that moment forever.

“ I wish I could see it. I’m very jealous right now. “

He can feel you becoming increasingly drowsy, flattered that you would even let your guard enough to even allow sleep to touch you. Having you on Asgard would certainly make him a happier person, to have someone who isn’t his mother understand him would be freeing. Though his father would die before he allowed that to happen, a mortal on Asgard.

“ Perhaps one day. “

Loki can’t be sure if you even heard that, but it’s something he wants to entertain. Besides, what is the use of being a master of mischief and tricks if he couldn’t make such a desire come true?

#loki x reader #loki imagine #loki layfeyson x reader #loki layfeyson imagine #loki fluff

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fanficshiddles · 3 years

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Trust, Chapter 10

As the weeks went by, everyone was surprised that Loki was actually behaving himself. Well, in regards to not killing anyone anyway.

He was having plenty of fun causing mischief and playing pranks on everyone. Darcy joined in a few, actually enjoying her days for a change.

Sure, he could be annoying too, but she could be too. And she enjoyed his company. And everyone else didn’t fail to notice he seemed to like her more than anyone else. She was able to poke or whack him without getting more than a glare. But when someone else tried that, oh boy…

‘Move out the way, reindeer games.’ Stark shoved past Loki, but barely made it a few steps away from him before he was blasted into the nearest wall for daring to touch him.

It nearly caused a huge fight, but Steve managed to calm Tony down while Darcy was able to drag Loki away.

That same evening the team had managed to persuade Loki and Darcy to join them all to watch a film. Even if they had been reluctant to invite Darcy because she always spoke through films.

‘What the fuck is she doing? She can’t even run properly… There, I told you she was going to get killed from the start!’

‘Who the heck would walk into a dark room and NOT turn on the lights?’

‘Oh no, they better not hurt the dog! Anyone but the dog!’

‘Well of course that idiot was going to die. He was reckless and stupid!’

Loki found it amusing, especially because everyone else looked extremely pissed off whenever she opened her mouth.

Once it was over, Darcy stood up and stretched. ‘Right, I’m off for something to eat before bed. You coming, Loks? Or staying here?’ She asked, knowing he had to either go with her or stay with the team.

‘I’ll stay here for a bit.’ Loki said, not moving from the sofa.

‘Alright. Catch you in the morning. Night everyone!’ She ruffled Loki’s hair to annoy him before heading off, earning a scowl from him but nothing more.

Tony looked at Natasha and Clint with a what the fuck? look on his face. ‘Did she seriously just mess up his hair and actually not get murdered for it?’ He said, making them laugh.

‘Pssst, Darcy.’

Darcy groaned and whacked at the hand that was tapping her arm.

‘Darcy!’

She opened her eyes and glared up at the interruption of her sleep. It was Loki, looming over her.

‘Jesus, Loki. What do you want? Why are you in my room?’ She frowned and looked around confused.

‘I’m bored.’

‘So? What do you want me to do about it?’

‘You’re my supposed babysitter, so I don’t know.’ He shrugged and stood up straight.

Darcy ran her hand down her face and sat up. She looked at the clock and her eyes widened. ‘Loki, it’s five in the morning.’ She grumbled.

‘And?’

‘And, it’s still the middle of the night for me! If you want to go bug someone, go bug Jane. I’m sure she will be up by now.’ She went to lie down again but Loki wasn’t giving in so easily.

‘Last time I did, they weren’t too pleased with that. Come on. Besides, I want to show you something.’

‘If that is some euphemism for your dick, I don’t want to know.’

‘Darcy.’ Loki growled.

She knew she wasn’t going to get anymore sleep. He wouldn’t give in until he got his way.

‘Ugh. Fine! Give me ten minutes to get dressed, I’ll meet you outside.’ She grumbled, slowly dragging herself out of bed.

‘Excellent.’ Loki grinned and teleported outside her door.

She hung her head down and rubbed her eyes, trying to wake up more.

When she eventually came out of her room, Loki was tapping his foot impatiently with his hands on his hips. ‘That was twelve minutes.’

‘You were actually timing me?’

‘No more chat, come on.’ He grabbed her wrist and started practically dragging her down the corridor.

The only time he initiated touching her was to either drag her somewhere or there was one time a spider landed on her shoulder so he had flicked it off her. But it was more than anyone else got, as he didn’t even like standing too closely to anyone else.

Though she couldn’t blame him. They still didn’t exactly treat him overly well. Not giving him much of a chance to redeem himself. And it pissed her off some of the things they said about him, she would stick up for him when she could, of course.

She was surprised when he took her to the lifts and right up to the top floor. He then led her to the fire exit that led out onto the roof.

‘Loki, where are we going?’ She asked when they went up the steps.

‘Just wait and see.’

Once outside on the roof, Darcy was rather surprised. It was still dark, and because it was frosty the night sky was clear. Showing all the stars.

Loki went over to the edge and sat down, Darcy followed and sat next to him. She looked up, following his gaze.

‘Wow. I didn’t realise how good of a view it is up here. It’s so clear.’ She said in slight awe.

‘See that bright star in the middle of a group of them, there? Almost a golden colour?’ Loki pointed at it.

‘Yeah?’

‘That’s Asgard. It can only be seen from Midgard once every one hundred years.’

‘Shit, really? That’s amazing!’ Darcy was surprised, she never even knew it was possible to see Asgard from Earth at any time. ‘Wow.’

Loki pointed out a few other planets and stars that she had no idea about. But she started shivering, it was the start of winter and she hadn’t exactly dressed for being outside.

‘Here.’ Loki conjured up his cape and he draped it around her.

‘Thanks. I’m honoured.’ She teased.

‘If you tell anyone I gave you my cape I will push you off here.’ He threatened, but had a smirk on his face.

‘Charming.’ Darcy scoffed.

They stayed out for a while, just looking at the stars.

‘I still have my doubts about being here.’ Loki said out of the blue. Darcy looked at him and smiled softly.

‘Look, I know the others are assholes. But just give them more time. You can’t really blame them for being overly cautious, not after what you did. When you get to go on a mission, you can prove yourself.’

‘What if I can’t.’

‘What do you mean?’ Darcy frowned.

‘What if I am exactly what they think I am. If I haven’t changed. I am perhaps the monster that everyone has told me I am these past few years, maybe I wasn’t brainwashed.’ He said in a clipped tone.

‘You’re not a monster, Loki. You’re really not.’ Darcy looked forward again. ‘If you were, you’d have killed me as soon as you abducted me. Heck, I know I’m not the easiest of people to get along with, but you seem to be the only one here who wants to be around me for longer than a minute. That says a lot.’

Loki frowned and turned to look at her. ‘Darcy.’ She looked at him. ‘You are the easiest person I’ve ever met to get along with. You’re real, there’s no bullshit with you, no illusions. Better than those that put up a façade. At risk of sounding cheesy, you’re the first person in a long time… actually… ever, where I’ve felt I’ve been able to be myself without feeling at risk of being hated or feared.’

Darcy smiled genuinely at him. ‘Likewise, actually. You are the first person to see me for me, not just a busy body who is good for fetching coffee. Just the apprentice.’

Loki and Darcy weren’t really sure what just came over them. But they felt a weird at peace and warm kind of feeling. Smiling at one another, they said no more and just looked at the stars again for a while.

But Darcy knew that the others had Loki all wrong, that was for sure. She just hoped they would see him for him soon, or that he would maybe let them in a little. It had to go both ways.

#Loki #Tom Hiddleston #tasertricks #darcy lewis #fan fiction #trust

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lokislittlesigyn · 3 years

Text

OG616 : Thor: The Dark World - Pt.6 [Escape From Asgard]

[My masterlist, where all parts of this and my other fics can be found]

Pairing: Loki / Sigyn (basically an oc based off the marvel/myth namesake)

Warnings: Technically sort of nudity? Nothing is described, and the context is purely medical. It’s all at the end so if you’d like to skip that last bit, go right ahead.

Author’s Note: rewatching thor 1 tonight filled me with the itch to post more OG. I love seeing people enjoy this little story - and I hope it lives up to your expectations! <3

Taglist: @high-functioning-lokipath , @onaheroicmission To be added to the taglist, just ask me here or send a message! <3 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day, Sigyn stood in the throne room along with Fandral, Volstagg, Odin, and a handful of Einherjar. Everyone had to be caught up to speed: The Dark Elves had returned, after so many thousands of years, and attacked. Murdered Queen Frigga.

Worse, now they were gone without a trace.

"We are still unable to restore the palace shields. Our artillery cannot detect them, even Heimdall cannot see them." Fandral looked at Odin, "My King, we are all but defenseless."

Odin remained still, pondering, until Thor entered.

"She's your prisoner now?"

Sigyn glanced at Thor. They must have Jane. She clenched her jaw and looked to Odin, wondering if, perhaps, grief clouded his judgement.

Odin turned to Thor, who commanded, "Leave us."

The Einherjar, along with Fandral and Volstagg, bowed and left. Sigyn followed, giving Thor a meaningful glance as she passed.

Be wise, brother.

Sigyn left slowly, lingering a while in the shadows. Listening as Thor conveyed a plan, and Odin disregarded it.

"We will fight! Until the last Asgardian breath, the last drop of Asgardian blood." The king clutched his spear, leaning on it.

Haven't enough died already?

There was a pause before Thor spoke again. "Then how are you different from Malekith?"

Odin laughed. "The difference, my son, is that I will win." Then, beating Gungnir on the ground, he dismissed Thor.

Winning. As if victory would bring her back. As if it would change anything. Victory is nothing without the ones we love. Sigyn shook her head, storming out of the room.

~~~~

Odin soon commanded the Bifrost remain closed and established a war council.

As usual, Sigyn was not invited. She decided against barging in. If Odin was beyond reason, time would be wasted on him.

Besides, they had enough problems to deal with. Beyond the Dark Elves’ return, the Aether had infected Jane, and if they did not act soon, the universe itself could be lost.

Sigyn closed a tome she had been studying. Runes, depicting magical forcefields... And how to counteract them.

She made her way to a case off in the side of her room, grabbing one of Loki's lesser-used daggers - until now, it had been left exclusively on display. She placed it in a sheath on her thigh, which was concealed under her skirt. Then, walking over to the mirror, she studied herself.

Time changes us all, she mused, But how strange that it changed me so quickly. One year out of hundreds, and life has become so... Different. She gazed out the window.

Afternoon. Golden sun bathed all of Asgard in brilliant light, the sky so clear and cloudless that even now, stars shone a little in the distance.

If not for the fact the Dark Elves could attack at any time, it could be considered a perfect day.

Every passing minute was agony.

We must act - we can’t wait for Malekith to strike first. Thor had a plan.. He would know what to do. Sigyn straightened up. If I can be of service to him...

She quickly turned, throwing on her special black cloak before jogging off to find Thor.

~~~~

That night, Thor, Fandral, Sif, Heimdall, Volstagg - and for once, Sigyn, met in the dead of night. They sat around a candlelit table in the back room of a tavern, concealed by the darkness.

Thor was first to speak. "What I'm about to ask of you is treason of the highest order. Success will bring us exile and failure shall mean our death...

...Malekith knew the Aether was here, he can sense its power. If we do nothing he will come for it again, but this time lay waste to all of Asgard. We must move Jane off world."

"The Bifrost has been shut down and the Tesseract locked away in a vault," Sif noted, followed by Heimdall.

"There are other paths off Asgard, ways known only to a few."

Thor leaned over the table. "One, actually."

Sigyn's heart fluttered in her chest.

"No." Volstagg said, earning a warning glance from Sigyn. Their gazes met, then broke as they turned back to Thor.

Fandral sighed. "He will betray you."

"He will try." Thor responded.

"Of course he will," Sigyn leaned closer, "But if he has enough incentive to help you, then he will fight for you until his dying breath. If nothing else, Loki is useful to you. He's miserable in that cell..."

Thor looked at her intently. Fandral raised his brows, watching her.

Sigyn's face flushed as she realized her mistake. She cleared her throat.

".. I may have visited him."

"May?" Fandral smirked.

"How did you get past the guards?" Thor's eyes never wavered. Sigyn tilted her head at him and lifted her hood, disappearing from sight.

"Oh, Sigyn.." Volstagg sighed. "Loki's all but ruined her." He lamented as Sigyn dropped the hood again, unable to contain a mischievous smirk.

"Did you know?" Thor turned to Heimdall, who shook his head.

"No."

I fooled the gatekeeper? Sigyn glanced down at her cloak. You deserve a name, my tricky friend.

"Well, what then?” Fandral piped up, “Your lovely mortal is being guarded by a legion of our Einherjar who will see you coming from miles away."

Thor looked at Sif. "I won't be the one who comes for her."

Sif met Thor's gaze. "And what of the Allfather?"

Now Heimdall spoke. "It is my sworn duty to notify him of crimes against the throne."

"Assuming you can get Loki's help, and you can free this mortal - what good would it do?" Volstagg huffed, growing agitated, "We'd all be dead the minute we step one foot outside the palace."

"That, my friend, is where we won't be leaving by foot." Thor answered.

"It's settled, then. Each of you know what you must do." Sigyn looked at Thor, "But what of me? Even with this," she motioned to the cloak, "I'm still the trickster's wife. Not to be trusted."

"That is precisely why you are needed," Thor smirked slightly, "You will help guarantee Loki is on our side."

~~~~

Thor walked down to the dungeons, seemingly alone. Approached Loki's cell, where the ebony-haired god was waiting.

The inside of his cell was perfect.. Too perfect. Immaculately clean and put-together, like its lone tenant, who watched Thor with a critical gaze.

"Thor.." Loki walked up to the barrier. "After all this time and now you come to visit me." He stopped. "Why?” He sneered, “Have you come to gloat? To mock?"

"Loki, enough." Thor remained straight-faced. "No more illusions."

The trickster's eyes widened, then defeated, he disappeared.

The true Loki appeared in the far end of the cell - which was revealed to be a complete wreck, destroyed furniture strewn about it. He was sitting there against the far wall, just as disheveled as the messy room around him.

Ragged.

Heartbroken.

"Now you see me, brother."

Thor walked closer to him.

"Did she suffer?" Loki watched him. His eyes were tinted red - he'd been crying.

"I did not come here to share in our grief. Instead I offer you the chance of a far richer sacrament."

Loki's gaze darkened. "Go on."

Thor watched him intently. "I know you seek vengeance as much as I do. You help me escape Asgard and I will grant it to you, vengeance. And afterward, this cell."

Loki examined the cell, then looking back at Thor, chuckled. "You must be truly desperate to come to me for help."

Thor turned, slowly walking away.

"What makes you think you can trust me?"

"I don't." Thor stopped and faced him again. "Mother did. You should know that when we fought each other in the past, I did so with the glimmer of hope that my brother was still in there somewhere. That hope no longer exists to protect you -

You betray me, and I will kill you."

Loki paused a moment, then hummed. Smiled. "When do we start?"

Thor looked to his right and gave a single, firm nod.

Next to him, Sigyn appeared, the hood of her cloak now pulled down. Loki leaned forward from the wall, his eyes wide and trained on her, glancing over her tear stained cheeks. He gulped.

"Hello, my love." She cast a spell, holding the energy in her hands, "I believe we start now."

~~~~

Sigyn guided Loki to a small room where his armor was waiting. Remained quiet as she traced the frayed edges of his shirt - a physical reminder of the rage, the despair he felt from Frigga’s death.

He shifted his weight and they locked eyes. There was a distinct pain behind them. The very same pain she had seen before, when he was brought before Odin... Her hands made their way down his waist, eventually pulling off his shirt. She swallowed, almost afraid to touch him - it felt like ages since they’d been this close.

He watched her, quiet, and helped remove his other ragged clothes in turn. Finally, he broke the silence.

"That cloak, where did you get it?"

Sigyn looked at him. "I made it." She grabbed a healing stone and crushed it, forcing herself to remain steady as she healed a scrape on his exposed side.

"You enchanted it yourself?"

She hummed an agreement.

Loki raised his brows, shifting his weight and cocking one hip. He grabbed his nearby dark green undershirt, pulling it on.

"It was.. It was Frigga’s idea. She showed me the right spells… Hold still," she now healed a wound on his leg, trying desperately to ignored the fact her face felt warm. "We have to do this quickly."

Loki obliged, craning his neck to see the spot she’d healed. “It’s just a bit sore.” He adjusted his shirt.

“I’m sorry..” She stood, helping him dress, wishing they could stay like this - her, tending to him, finally seeing him, finally close to him...

But they had to hurry.

“Don’t be, you did fine.” He still spoke gently. “I can handle this much,” he offered, and she grabbed a comb, urging him to sit while she set to untangling his messy locks.

"I’m sorry we don’t have more time," she murmured, trying to be gentle.

He adjusted his sleeves, pulling on his bracers. "Thor wouldn’t allow that. Though I’m sure you asked anyway."

"It was worth a try.." She ran her hands through his hair, tucking it back behind his ears. "I had hoped to at least see you, let you bathe, let you sleep properly.."

"I’m an enemy of Asgard, remember? We don’t have such luxuries." He pulled his boots on, then stood.

Sigyn set the comb aside, stepping in front of him.

He was beautiful.

Clad in his colors, his body healed, he looked more like himself. And his eyes… Still shielded and colder than before, but now they looked at her intently, taking in the sight of her as long as they could.

"After all this, Odin will see you as a hero." She reached up to caress his cheek. "I’ll make sure of it.. Then we can be together again."

Loki was silent. He placed his hand over hers, keeping it close.

"I promise." She moved closer, their bodies touching, her lips hardly an inch from his, she could feel his soft breath on her skin-

Knock knock.

Thor. He was still waiting outside. Sigyn pulled away. "We have to go."

Loki’s shoulders dropped, and he nodded. "Well. Let’s not keep them waiting."

#loki x sigyn #loki fanfic #logyn #OG616 #thor: the dark world

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imagine-loki · 3 years

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Trust, Chapter 10

TITLE: Trust CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: Chapter 10 AUTHOR: fanficshiddles ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine Loki kidnaps Darcy Lewis, in hopes of getting the tesseract in return for her. Imagine his surprise when he grows rather fond of the mortal, finding that she understands him better than anyone else ever has. RATING: M

As the weeks went by, everyone was surprised that Loki was actually behaving himself. Well, in regards to not killing anyone anyway.

He was having plenty of fun causing mischief and playing pranks on everyone. Darcy joined in a few, actually enjoying her days for a change.

‘Move out the way, reindeer games.’ Stark shoved past Loki, but barely made it a few steps away from him before he was blasted into the nearest wall for daring to touch him.

It nearly caused a huge fight, but Steve managed to calm Tony down while Darcy was able to drag Loki away.

That same evening the team had managed to persuade Loki and Darcy to join them all to watch a film. Even if they had been reluctant to invite Darcy because she always spoke through films.

‘What the fuck is she doing? She can’t even run properly… There, I told you she was going to get killed from the start!’

‘Who the heck would walk into a dark room and NOT turn on the lights?’

‘Oh no, they better not hurt the dog! Anyone but the dog!’

‘Well of course that idiot was going to die. He was reckless and stupid!’

Loki found it amusing, especially because everyone else looked extremely pissed off whenever she opened her mouth.

‘I’ll stay here for a bit.’ Loki said, not moving from the sofa.

‘Alright. Catch you in the morning. Night everyone!’ She ruffled Loki’s hair to annoy him before heading off, earning a scowl from him but nothing more.

Tony looked at Natasha and Clint with a what the fuck? look on his face. ‘Did she seriously just mess up his hair and actually not get murdered for it?’ He said, making them laugh.

‘Pssst, Darcy.’

Darcy groaned and whacked at the hand that was tapping her arm.

‘Darcy!’

She opened her eyes and glared up at the interruption of her sleep. It was Loki, looming over her.

‘Jesus, Loki. What do you want? Why are you in my room?’ She frowned and looked around confused.

‘I’m bored.’

‘So? What do you want me to do about it?’

‘You’re my supposed babysitter, so I don’t know.’ He shrugged and stood up straight.

Darcy ran her hand down her face and sat up. She looked at the clock and her eyes widened. ‘Loki, it’s five in the morning.’ She grumbled.

‘And?’

‘And, it’s still the middle of the night for me! If you want to go bug someone, go bug Jane. I’m sure she will be up by now.’ She went to lie down again but Loki wasn’t giving in so easily.

‘Last time I did, they weren’t too pleased with that. Come on. Besides, I want to show you something.’

‘If that is some euphemism for your dick, I don’t want to know.’

‘Darcy.’ Loki growled.

She knew she wasn’t going to get anymore sleep. He wouldn’t give in until he got his way.

‘Ugh. Fine! Give me ten minutes to get dressed, I’ll meet you outside.’ She grumbled, slowly dragging herself out of bed.

‘Excellent.’ Loki grinned and teleported outside her door.

She hung her head down and rubbed her eyes, trying to wake up more.

When she eventually came out of her room, Loki was tapping his foot impatiently with his hands on his hips. ‘That was twelve minutes.’

‘You were actually timing me?’

‘No more chat, come on.’ He grabbed her wrist and started practically dragging her down the corridor.

She was surprised when he took her to the lifts and right up to the top floor. He then led her to the fire exit that led out onto the roof.

‘Loki, where are we going?’ She asked when they went up the steps.

‘Just wait and see.’

Once outside on the roof, Darcy was rather surprised. It was still dark, and because it was frosty the night sky was clear. Showing all the stars.

Loki went over to the edge and sat down, Darcy followed and sat next to him. She looked up, following his gaze.

‘Wow. I didn’t realise how good of a view it is up here. It’s so clear.’ She said in slight awe.

‘See that bright star in the middle of a group of them, there? Almost a golden colour?’ Loki pointed at it.

‘Yeah?’

‘That’s Asgard. It can only be seen from Midgard once every one hundred years.’

‘Shit, really? That’s amazing!’ Darcy was surprised, she never even knew it was possible to see Asgard from Earth at any time. ‘Wow.’

Loki pointed out a few other planets and stars that she had no idea about. But she started shivering, it was the start of winter and she hadn’t exactly dressed for being outside.

‘Here.’ Loki conjured up his cape and he draped it around her.

‘Thanks. I’m honoured.’ She teased.

‘If you tell anyone I gave you my cape I will push you off here.’ He threatened, but had a smirk on his face.

‘Charming.’ Darcy scoffed.

They stayed out for a while, just looking at the stars.

‘I still have my doubts about being here.’ Loki said out of the blue. Darcy looked at him and smiled softly.

‘What if I can’t.’

‘What do you mean?’ Darcy frowned.

Darcy smiled genuinely at him. ‘Likewise, actually. You are the first person to see me for me, not just a busy body who is good for fetching coffee. Just the apprentice.’

But Darcy knew that the others had Loki all wrong, that was for sure. She just hoped they would see him for him soon, or that he would maybe let them in a little. It had to go both ways.

#Loki #God of Mischief #Submitted fic #submission #trust #chapter 10 #fanfichiddles

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fanfic-collection · 4 years

Text

Loki x Reader: Quarantine P3

Yay! I wrote more! Please comment

Clint lay in the medical level bed. Natasha and Steve stood outside the room, nervously anticipating the results, holding out their tablets as Bruce typed away at his own screen from within the tablet.

From your floor, you and Loki waited with baited breath. Thor on his floor, and Bucky on his own, everyone waited.

'Well, good news everyone.' Bruce announced, his voice coming through everyone's communication devices. 'Looks like it's nothing life threatening, just a rare strain of the flu, probably caused by contaminants from Tony's labs in the vents.' Cries of relief rang out and Bruce smiled, wiping at his glasses.

Natasha rushed into the medical room, grabbing Clint by the collar and shaking him, 'Don't you do that to me! You had me so worried!' She angrily growled, before hugging him tightly.

Clint coughed weakly, turning his head from her and winced, before hugging her back. 'Sorry 'Tash.'

Steve clasped Clint on the shoulder, 'We're just glad it's nothing too serious and you'll be back on your feet in a few days.'

You, Loki, Bucky, and Thor, appeared on the screen from your own floors, not yet making the many flights to the medical floor. 'We're glad it's nothing serious.' You said with a smile.

'Even though it's not as serious as we feared, we should still keep distance from each other, there's a lot of us in one building and I don't think it's wise to be all together.' Steve said, glancing over at the wall screen, 'Best you don't come visit.'

'Are you sure?' Bucky asked.

'We probably shouldn't even be hugging him.' Steve gave a reproving glance to Natasha.

Natasha raised her eyebrow in a challenging response and Steve didn't say anything more to her. Instead her turned back to Bucky, 'Clint is your isolation partner but I won't leave the care of him to just one person. We can all pitch in on this.'

Natasha muttered, 'You think Loki's going to risk her safety to help Clint?' She looked at you before looking back to Steve.

Loki's eyes narrowed on Natasha but he remained silent. His hand absently moved towards your upper arm, nearly touching it protectively but not quite brushing along it.

'I won't have my isolation partner risk infection because Clint can't control himself from crawling in the vents.' Loki said stiffly.

'Hey, I can control myself.' Clint replied indignantly with a cough.

You smiled placatingly, looking between the two of them.

'I think it's best to keep those with less certain immune systems away from each other.' Steve nodded, agreeing with Loki.

Loki raised his eyebrows before slowly smiling.

'It's agreed. Let's get Clint healthy and then, we'll go back into isolation just as we were before.' Steve clapped his hands together. 'Anyone else have anything to add?'

Thor grumbled, 'When does this end? I am beleaguered and bored, all I do is sit around, even your movies are of no entertainment.'

'The exercise room is open, Thor, you can use that.' Bucky offered, 'We could spar.'

Thor grunted.

'You could continue your studies.' Loki tried.

Thor groaned, exiting from the call.

Loki glanced down at you, then shrugged and exited from the call.

'You should probably check in on him soon.' You said softly.

'Must I? Must I always keep after him?' Loki sighed, setting down the tablet on the counter.

'You're a better brother than they give you credit for.' You said, resting your hand on his forearm.

Loki smiled at you softly, looking down at your hand.

Pulling your hand away, you turned your head and coughed into the crook of your arm. It was a small cough, but a cough nonetheless.

Loki's brow creased in worry. 'Are you alright?'

You frowned, biting at your lower lip, 'Just a tickle in my throat I think. Or hope.'

Loki pressed his hand to your forehead gently, it was cool, very soothing and you felt so warm under his touch. 'You feel warm, but I cannot tell.'

Sighing, you leaned against his hand. 'I don't know.'

'I'm normally cold.' He admitted.

'I thought so. You feel really nice.'

Loki smiled, a touch of pink on his cheeks.

Abruptly the tablet started ringing, and Loki pulled away from you with a snarl. 'What?'

'Loooooki.' Thor's whine could be heard through an echo. He seemed to be in the bathroom.

'What?' Loki repeated irritably.

'I need your help.'

'Where are you, why aren't you in view of the camera?' Loki held up the tablet, twisting and turning it to see the image better that he might view Thor.

There was silence for a bit and Loki finally could make out the interior of Thor's bathroom but still not see Thor. 'I messed up.'

'What did you do?' Loki grumbled, though his irritation at being interrupted was slowly giving way to curiosity.

'I found one of Stark's hair trimmers and I was somewhat fond of the way it had been in the past when it was out of my way, and I thought perhaps I might trim it a bit on the tips...'

'Go on.'

'Now that there are no traditions to uphold, and father to please, I figured I could let my hair change for a bit, or just I don't know.'

'What did you do, Thor?'

'I didn't know how the thing worked!'

'Thor.' Loki said gently, a hint of amusement in his voice.

You moved closer to Loki so you could try and peer into the tablet and into the darkened bathroom with Loki who was still scanning the place curiously.

Slowly the tablet lowered and light was visible: a buzzcut down the center of Thor's hair, otherwise long and golden mane, one strip of flat nearly bald head was visible.

You fought to keep a straight face, managing a soft, 'Oh.'

Loki blinked beside you, a small snort escaping him.

Thor moaned long and low. 'Looooki.'

'You probably should've made me promise not to laugh, brother.' Loki muttered, fighting back a snicker.

'Is it truly that terrible?' Thor groaned, brushing his hand through his hair.

'Oh all that and more.' Loki nodded emphatically.

'Loki, be nice.' You tried softly, fighting back giggles.

Loki raised his eyebrow as he glanced at you. 'I am being nice, I haven't commented on it. I'm just agreeing with him.'

'Loki, please brother, you have to make it better.' Thor pleaded.

Loki sighed, 'Do I really?'

Thor nodded emphatically, his hair flopping around.

Loki glanced down at you and you said, 'It would prove my point.'

'Which is?' Loki asked.

'That you are the better brother, always there to help him, no matter what.'

Thor was too busy looking in the mirror and trying to fix his mangled haircut to hear you, moaning softly all the while.

Loki sighed, 'Oh alright. Fine. Thor. Thor!'

Thor looked back at the tablet. 'Yes?'

'I'll do what I can but it won't be amazing. My skills are limited, but it will be better than it is.'

Thor's face lit up and a smile spread across his features, 'Oh thank you! Thank you brother, truly you are wonderful! I'll be down to your floor right away!'

'No. I'm coming to you. I won't risk you bringing contamination here.'

'I can't watch the haircut?' You asked.

'I'll take a picture.' Loki said, 'I don't trust him not to have some illness on him, besides, you need to rest, whatever this cough is, I don't like it. I want it gone.'

You smiled and shook your head ruefully, 'I'm sure it's nothing, Loki.'

Loki returned a few hours later, looking pleased with himself. You had been dozing on the couch, a large quilt wrapped around you. You started upon him reentering the apartment living room but quickly regained your senses and smiled upon seeing him.

Loki held up the before picture, promising Thor that he would delete it, but saving it to a special folder. Personal use only, he said. And then the after picture. Thor's hair was longer on the edges and fairly short in the middle, it wasn't a professional cut but it was certainly decent and would hide Thor's horrible attempts at a self haircut. It looked almost like it had done when he first arrived on Earth after the whole Thanos incident so it wasn't too terrible all things considered. Thor had said Loki did better than a crazy old guy so Loki took the compliment.

'You've been cooped up inside for a while.' Loki said softly. It was late in the evening and seemed to call for soft voices.

'Yea, the quarantine has been going on for a while now.'

'I have an idea.' Loki murmured, scooping you into his arms, thick, giant blanket and all. You leaned into him, and closed your eyes again. For a bit you dozed as he walked, taking you wherever he would. You trusted him, wherever that would be, knowing it would likely be in the tower anyways.

There was a rush of cool air on your face and your eyes fluttered open as you heard Loki's boots crunching on the gravel of the Stark Tower roof.

Your mouth fell agape as you stared up at the vastness of space laid out before you, all the stars in the sky spreading for miles around you and Loki as he carried you to a corner of the roof where the two of you could sit down and nestle together.

'Oh, Loki...' You breathed slowly, gazing up at the stars blinking overhead. 'This is beautiful.' You breathed in the sharp air, cool and crisp. So high above the sounds of the city that you couldn't hear the cars or traffic. And with the quarantine, there really wasn't much cars or traffic.

Pulling back your blanket, you patted it for Loki to crawl in next to you. He happily obliged, crawling under and pulled you into his arms before carefully wrapping you back into the blanket once more.

The two of you sat cuddled together, you in his lap, Loki just gently touching at your arms, feeling you in his lap as you gazed up into the infinity of the cosmos. You asked him about Asgard, about his home, what he remembered of growing up, anything that came to mind. And he asked you about yourself. The conversation flowed easily and for hours, only the occasional fits of coughing interrupting the two of you. Eventually Loki conjured water for you to ease your talking and make it more comfortable.

'And that, is the Lokabrenna.' Loki smiled at the name.

You took a sip of your water and leaned back into his chest, just loving the deep bass of his voice in your ears. 'I could listen to you talk all night.'

'Could you now?' Loki asked, chuckling.

You felt a flush rise to your cheeks, 'Just saying.'

Loki leaned down and nuzzled your face, 'If I were talking to you, I would be more than happy to.'

'R-really?' You felt your flush deepen.

Loki nodded.

You bit at your lip. 'You know what would make this night even better?'

Loki hummed thoughtfully. 'What?'

'Nevermind.' You squeaked, certain your face was on fire.

Loki leaned around you, glancing at your face, looking at you curiously, 'What?'

'I was just going to say, that maybe if... Never mind... It's silly, I'm probably sick.' You forced a cough and turned away.

When you finished cough, Loki touched your cheek and turned your face back to his, 'May I kiss you?' He asked shyly, through long lashes.

'I was hoping you'd ask.'

Loki leaned forward and his lips gently met yours, slow yet short. It was brief and hesitant, just barely connecting, a lifetime that lasted an instant before pulling apart. Then another round of coughs were wracking through you as you turned away and were coughing into the crook of your arm. Perhaps he had taken your breath away.

You inhaled deeply, gazing up at him with a giant smile, 'Sorry.' You croaked.

Loki looked at you concerned, some of his black locks falling in his face. You stroked his cheek, brushing the hair away and touching at his sharp cheekbones.

'Are you alright?' He asked, 'Was that too much?'

'That was wonderful. I'm afraid to ask for more.'

Loki smiled, exhaling softly, his warm breath cascading over your face.

At that moment the dawn chorus began and Loki glanced over his shoulder at the first rays of the sun appearing over the horizon. 'Perhaps I should get you back inside to some sleep. If you are unwell I shouldn't keep you up at all hours of the night.'

You bit your lip, looking to his thin pink lips, so pale and smooth and longed for another kiss. But there was all the time for that in the world. There was the whole rest of quarantine, and then perhaps the rest of life after that. Who knew what the future might hold?

'Yea, let's get some sleep.'

#Loki x reader #multi chapter

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vaingloriosa · 4 years

Text

let it snow (and awaken hearts)

Summary: Almost like a Christmas miracle, you get the news that the love of your life has returned from the dead.

Words: 2.2k+

Characters: Loki Laufeyson x f!reader

Warnings: none. takes place somewhere in a non-canon timeline where loki returns but he isn’t the one from 2012. though christmas is briefly brought up, it isn’t discussed in-depth.

Author’s notes: hello, y’all! this is my first story in over three months and my final story for the year of 2019. “let it snow” is part of a writing collaboration with one of my dearest friends, susie of @pendragonfics! what sparked as a random idea and one of those “just kidding!...unless?” moments has come to this. our prompt was: “You fell asleep on me, but it’s fine, I made sure you’re warm and comfortable.“ where we took creative liberty with it! our two stories are like narrative foils where susie’s is more on the fluffy spectrum whereas i navigate the choppy waters of angst with comfort (because it’s the HOLIDAYS, BABEYY!). thank y’all for your support this year!

read “let it snow” by @pendragonfics

Homecoming.

Snow silently leaves its mark on the New Zealand land overlooking the roaring sea. Purple and pink hues grace the skies and provide a beautiful setting for the evening. It’s almost majestic the way that the New Asgard had transformed over the years. From the Asgardians losing the only home they knew to rebuilding a life afterwards; it was never about the place, it was always about the people.

You stretch out your arm for the snowflakes to melt against your warm hand. A shadow of a smile forms on your lips as you turn your hand over to capture more falling snowflakes.

The people.

It had been years since the Snap, since losing him, years you have bore witness to immeasurable heartache, pain, and lingering suffering. Uncertainty was always cast above your head for you didn’t know you would ever see the people you cared about again. You put your mind into aid efforts for the Asgardian refugees, hoping that healing would come in the form of volunteerism for the people he helped protect, for his sacrifice not to be in vain. To see life blossom back again after slaying the Titan, bringing everyone back, to see the light of the Asgardian people return brought a sense of peace.

Maybe you can move forward.

Then, when you thought you did enough mourning, Loki returns. Alive.

A breath catches at the back of your throat, tears welling in your eyes when you got the call from Valkyrie. You boarded the next flight to New Zealand with fidgety hands in your lap, trying to find the right words to say to the man you’ve always loved, the one you presumed dead and mourned but now living and breathing.

Perhaps the pattern of rising from the dead when presumed otherwise should’ve been a sign.

An early Christmas present indeed.

Mortality as a Midgardian sinks in the middle of your chest as you read the welcome sign of New Asgard. This is far different than being reunited with your loved ones after everything has been said and done to undo the Snap. Nothing can ever truly prepare you to meet the love of your life again in your lifetime, not alive at least. You knew Loki might outlive you and you had made peace with your future. Maybe mortals weren’t meant to be with gods, but you want to be the exception.

Your love for Loki never left, not even a sliver.

The sound of your heels pacing along the floor echos down the corridor.

“Stop pacing back and forth before you make me nervous!”

Above the raging thoughts forming in your head, your head perks up from the familiar voice of your friend. A smile forms on your lips as Valkyrie softly bumps her shoulder on yours, taking a place right by your side. You take a shaky breath out as you start to pick at your nails you just done earlier this morning. Stars, you are a complete nervous wreck.

“You look lovely this evening. Is it new? Who’s the designer? We should’ve gone together! Have you seen this snow? So lovely this time of year...” You try to change the subject but Valkyrie knows all the tricks in your hat, white bunny and all. Her eyes know the full story and you know there’s no point in hiding away from the Asgardian queen herself.

“First off, we did go together. You’re the one who suggested it. And two, why are you avoiding the inevitable?”

You look longingly at the ornate wooden door mere feet away from where you two stand. Your chest rises unevenly from taking a deep breath in then you move your gaze over to Valkyrie and shake your head.

“I don’t know what to say to him. How does one convey their messy emotions about seeing the one they love rise from the dead? ‘Hello, I mourned your death but surprise to me! Not dead!’” It’s a forced laugh that escapes your lips which in turn brings a prickle to the corner of your eyes. You take in a short breath then let it out through your teeth. You wrap your arms around your chest in an effort to comfort yourself and guard your true feelings.

Valkyrie cocks her head to the side, placing a warm hand on your upper arm which melts away from of your tension. You put your arms to your side then shake your head, a nervous smile once again.

“Most of the things I’m feeling are selfish, I know. All this can more than likely be resolved if I just talked to Loki but it’s been years. Things could’ve...changed.” The last word almost comes out as a whisper but the condensation that forms indicates you said the word out loud. Your friend takes both of your arms into her hands and forces you to look at her directly in the eyes. You’re almost petrified by the intensity.

“Stop doing this to yourself; it won’t solve anything. I only briefly talked to him and he’s been asking about you. Things haven’t changed between the two of you on the Loki front.” She offers you a small smile, rubbing both of your arms for reassurance. You can feel some of the tension melt away from your muscles and begin to ease up just a bit. Your mind still spins of things to say but it’s now an organized chaos.

“Be it as it may, whether it’s the Yuletide or the Christmas energy in the air, the universe has spoken. Now,” Valkyrie lets go of you then brings her hands up towards her head where the crown sits nicely on top. It’s more a formality than anything but she said that it was just the cherry on top of the whole king thing. With gentleness, Valkyrie removes the golden crown and examines it in her hands for a second. It’s nothing exuberant or too gaudy, just the way that it should; a delicate golden circlet with laurel-like tendrils woven all around. Right in the center is a peak with a stunning red gemstone in the middle.

Valkyrie clears her throat then gestures you to bow your head. Your eyes narrow, shaking your head as you put two and two together.

“Val-”

“Not another word.”

You do as she says, bowing ever so slightly as Valkyrie fixes the crown on top of your head.

“You have the power of me and the gods alongside you now. It’s time you get your damn ass in there and talk to your boyfriend.”

You let out a sharp snort then give her a mock curtsy. You already feel slightly powerful with your new given rule. “Thank you, queen.”

Valkyrie calls out as you walk away. “Don’t do anything stupid with that crown of mine!”

The night appears to be in full swing once you pull open the wooden double doors. Laughing people glide all over the dance floor, merriment sounds and lively music fill the open air, with people enjoying the sprawling Yuletide feast table. Lights twinkle above every head in the ballroom that creates an almost surreal and dreamlike atmosphere. You let your eyes wonder from the decorations to the faces of joyous Asgardians as they celebrate another year of being together, of being alive.

You crane your neck to find a particular set of eyes but to no avail.

Once again, you feel that heaviness in your chest as if you suddenly forgot how to breath. Even with the pep talk, it’s no match for what lies ahead for you. Knowing that he’s somewhere here, walking, breathing, existing...

The music switches to a more slow tempo song.

You watch couples take each other in their arms, swaying to and fro, eyes locked into each other’s souls. There is no one else in the room but them together, in that moment, soaking in each other’s presence. A melancholy feeling washes over you as you remember asking Loki to dance at one of Stark’s stupid galas you always despised being dragged to. You’ve been mustering up the courage to ask him all night that with one final swig of liquid courage, you came up to him and offered you his hand.

The look of pure delight sparkling in his eyes still stays with you.

A smile forms on your lips when you recall the moment.

“Hello, my love.”

A breathe catches in your throat. The sound of his voice...you blink twice to make sure that this all real and not a figment of your imagination. You turn around to face the man you’ve never thought you would ever see again in your mortal life.

“Loki.”

His name feels ancient on your tongue, as if you never knew you would be able to say it again. You can feel Loki take a hold of your hands as you continue to examine his face. This is real, this is all real. He is in front of you and not dead somewhere out in deep space like they’ve told you. Loki is standing there, right here and right now, in the flesh, body and soul. You can feel tears prickle at the corner of your eyes knowing that the two of you have been reunited by a red string of fate; almost like destiny.

Loki rubs his thumbs along the tops of your hands. “I know I’ve been gone for awhile but I didn’t expect you to become queen of Asgard in such a short amount of time. Never doubted you once, little dove.”

For the first time that night, you allow yourself to be vulnerable and cave into your emotions. You burst out into laughter, tears streaming down your cheeks, then press your body against Loki, wrapping your arms around his neck. You close your eyes as you nuzzle into the crook of his neck, taking in the scent of sandalwood and a hint of spiced cinnamon. Loki can feel the tears along his exposed skin and he holds you even tighter in his arms.

The rest of the world had been forgotten for a few seconds as the two of you focused on only each other. Almost everyone in the ballroom had taken notice of the glorious reunion between you and the raven haired prince. Thunderous applause erupts around the two of you and you let go of Loki to press a warm hand on his cheek. He places his hand over yours, fond eyes looking at you as you press your lips onto his for a soft kiss.

All of a sudden, the jitters you’ve had before dissipate for you knew there is nothing to be worried about anymore.

You can feel Loki’s lips curl into a smile as he sinks in deeper to your touch. There’s another rounds of some hollers and you can feel your ears burning from such prying eyes. You take his hand, nodding towards the entrance in a silent invitation of escape. He takes your cue, interlocking his fingers with yours as you guide him towards salvation.

Once outside, you take him towards an intimately lit garden with archways full burnt orange calendulas. The snow has given way to a peaceful and silent winter’s night. Loki brushes away some snow from a bench then pats the space right next to him. After you remove the crown, you place your head on his shoulder.

There’s a slight tension between you two of you.

“I know you may have a lot of questions-”

“That’s an understatement.”

“And there are no words to tell you how deeply sorry I am to have put you in such a difficult position.”

You move your head away from Loki’s shoulder to look at him. There are tears welling up in his eyes as he remembers the hurt he has caused not only his people but to you especially. What Loki thought he was doing was protecting everyone he has ever cared for has turned against him. Nothing was prevented, people still suffered, however, he still had hope that things could get better.

“It’s unfair for you to have gone through such turmoil and loss again and again. You deserved to be safe and happy, not this. I apologize for not sending you a sign but it was far too dangerous. There aren’t enough apologies that can express it. I promise you that I will do everything in my power to be there for you and fight by your side. May we never have to be separated again.”

You place your hand on his cheek to wipe away the tears that drop down his face. “You don’t have to apologize. I know you did everything you could and I did everything I could. We were brought back together, I think that’s a good sign.”

Loki takes the hand that was resting on his cheek and presses soft kisses on each knuckle.

“So, are you going to tell me what happened?” You raise an eyebrow at him and he lets out a small laugh, almost as if reminiscing on his adventures.

“Yes, but I don’t want to ruin this moment.”

You lean against your chest as your eyelids become heavier and heavier; his heartbeat almost like a lullaby. There’s a flash of green magick as Loki summons a knitted blanket to wrap around the two of you. You let out a sleepy smile when you feel Loki bring your legs up to rest on his lap.

“Welcome home, Loki.”

For a brief moment, you open your eyes to soak the moment all in. Loki presses a small kiss on your forehead with a smile.

“With you, I already am.”

Tagging: @kwaiky (my cinnamon apple, my day one freak nasty), @cura-posterior (WHO WOULD’VE THOT I WOULD BE BACK ON THE WRITING TRAIN AHA!!), @diansaprince (bithch lily...im loveu thank u for being on this ride with me...churro pride), @black-widow-fangirl (queen, your creativity and motivation inspire me to no end), @deviantramblings (HOE JASKLDJSKAL LOOK AT US! LOOK AT US! thank you for being the light of my life), @moonbeamgogh (miss. maeve...u beautiful sunflower we loki hoes had a delicious year), @michverse (okay i know u ain’t on this joint as much but...that’s our white king okay...thank u for everything bb), @attentionseekingprincess (ANOTHER OG ON GODDDDDD you’re amazing)

#angel writes #loki laufeyson x reader #loki x reader #loki #loki laufeyson #loki odison x reader #loki odinson #loki imagine #loki laufeyson imagine #marvel #marvel imagine #marvel x reader #tom hiddleston #dude it has been forever so idk how to tag my story lmaoo

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badsext · 4 years

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For Asgard! : Klaus x Valkyrie

⚠️: Smut

Klaus is rifling through some antiques in Reginald’s study when he comes upon a strange object, a golden geometric sculpture with interlocking shapes like pieces of a puzzle. Klaus immediately thinks of pawning it for cash, but then he hears something. At first he thinks he’s imagining it, but the object is humming. He picks it up and attempts to rearrange the pieces, but it won’t budge.

“Where’s the goddamn off button?,” he mumbles to himself. He struggles with it a bit more before giving up and throwing it against the wall. It comes to rest on the floor and produces a clicking sound before going silent. Assuming he must have broken it, he stoops to pick it up. Then a bright beam of refracted light comes streaming out of a small hole in the top. The light is so intense it makes him shut his eyes tight.

When Klaus opens his eyes the study is gone and he is standing on an open road by the sea. A pickup truck swerves to avoid him. It’s not unlike the time a mysterious stolen suitcase transported Klaus into the Vietnam war. Fortunately, this time his destination is a peaceful fishing port. The sign reads ‘New Asgard’ and in the distance he spies a pub. “Eh, what the fuck,” he says to himself. Klaus lights a cigarette, shoves the puzzle device into his pocket, and marches into town.

The bar is full of fishermen, drinking and chatting amongst themselves. No one even blinks at Klaus as he saunters up to the bar. He orders whisky then rotates himself 360 degrees on the barstool to take in his new surroundings.

He observes the woman resting on her elbows at the other end of the bar looks like she could kick his ass, which was exactly Klaus’ type when it comes to women. And she is gorgeous. Her thick utilitarian clothing and dour expression can’t hide it.

“The sea was plentiful today, your majesty.” A robust bearded man hails her as he collects his drinks from the bar.

“Aye, Harek. I’ll drink to that!,” the woman smiles and lifts her beer stein, then goes back to her beverage. Klaus leans in, his mind full of questions.

“Excuse me, barkeep? Where am I?”

“New Asgard.”

“Well, yes, that was on the sign, but…What year is it? What is today’s date.”

“Are you alright, my friend?”

“Just tell me.” Klaus insists.

“Tuesday, May 10th, 2023…and it’s just about noon.”

“Oh, boy,” Klaus’ eyes grow bigger as he fishes around in his coat pocket for payment.

“I’ve got this one, Bjorn. Put it on my tab.” It is the beautiful woman from the end of the bar. She looks Klaus over, commenting with a soft, ambiguous grunt.

“Many thanks for the drink, your majesty.” Klaus opens his coat like a dress and curtsies.

Valkyrie stifles a chuckle. “You can skip the formalities. That’s just Harek, he’s stuck in the old traditions. I am Brunhilde, last Valkyrie of Asgard, and king of New Asgard, but you can call me Val. What’s your name, stranger?”

“I am Klaus, 4th son of Hargreeves and irresistible bad boy at your service.” He winks. “If I may, why is the monarch of a small country drinking in a pub at noon on a Tuesday?”

“No, you may not,” she snorts. “But today is your lucky day because I’m bored and this ale makes me chatty.” Klaus moves to the empty stool next to hers and rests his chin in his hand, ready for Val to spill the tea. “I was part of a squadron of fighters, the Valkyrie, defenders of Asgard, but I am the last. My sisters in arms were slaughtered in battle including the one I loved. Her voice trails off for a moment as she stares off into the distance. “Then Asgard was destroyed.”

“Moon exploded by a telekinetic?” Klaus offers a guess.

Val furrows her brow at him. “Fire giant. The people of this town are the survivors of genocide and I am their leader. THAT is why I drink. What’s your story, Klaus?”

“I grew up in a family with superpowers and I’ve got the worst one. I communicate with the dead, and yes, that’s just as much fun as it sounds! I was kidnapped by assassins and tortured, escaped back in time to the Vietnam war where I fell in love with a soldier who died in my arms. Then my siblings and I tried to stop the apocalypse and failed. We’ve traveled back in time…let me see…six times now? We always manage to fuck it up. That’s why I drink.”

Valkyrie tips back the last of her ale and slams the empty stein on the bar, then holds up two fingers. “Shots for me and this miserable bastard!” The shots arrive and Valkyrie clinks her glass with Klaus.’

“Have I started to grow on you?,” he asks, making the shot disappear down his throat.

“The jury’s still out,” she replies, following suit.

Klaus stands up and walks over to the juke box. “Hey, you got a quarter?”

Valkyrie tosses him the coin. He snatches it out of the air with precision that surprises them both. He makes a selection, then comes shimmying back to the opening chords of ‘Immigrant Song.’ Valkyrie smiles. “You’re kidding me, right?”

Klaus shakes his head “iiieeeaaaaahhhh!,” he sings along, pleading with her to join him on the dance floor. She obliges, reluctantly at first, moving to the music, enchanted by Klaus’ goofy charm. The song fades. Something slower begins to play. Valkyrie captures Klaus by the collar and pulls him in close. Her rich brown eyes search his green ones.

“I’d like to take you home and….,"she reaches down and wraps her hand firmly around the bulge in his pants. He shudders in anticipation. Valkyrie tosses some money on the bar and heads for the door, pulling Klaus behind her.

“Don’t wait up,” he announces to no one in particular.

Valkyrie takes Klaus back to her modest cottage not far from the rocky shore. They stand at the foot of her bed. She removes her vest, then starts working on his belt.

“Your majest- um, Val?…I love the fisherman gear: puffy vest, rubber boots, cable knit sweater…it’s hot, but I was wondering if you had anything tighter…perhaps made of leather?” He bites his finger, anxiously awaiting her response.

Valkyrie narrows her eyes at him. “Alright, pretty boy, but be careful what you wish for.” She disappears into the closet and emerges wearing her armor. Klaus’ jaw drops.

“Does this excite you?” She rips open his shirt to feel his heart.

His breath catches in his throat. “Y-you didn’t mention it had a cape!”

Val kisses his neck and whispers sensuously in his ear, “I also have a pegasus.”

“Oh dear god.” His eyes fall shut and his head rolls back.

“Enough talk.” She rips off the rest of his clothes. “Down on the bed.”

Klaus lays down facing her. He watches her lustful eyes roving his body’s topography, but then her expression snaps back to one of severity. “Roll over,” she says. His face lights up. He rolls onto his stomach with his face in the pillow. Val slaps his tight little ass. “Mmm…,” Klaus relishes the sting. Val soothes his sensitive pink cheek with a caress. Klaus lifts his pelvis up to make room for his stiffened cock.

Val reaches under the bed for one of her toys. This one has Klaus’ name on it. She turns it on. Klaus immediately recognizes that sound. He perks up and practically wiggles with excitement. She glides the toy over his ass. His skin has goosebumps. She pauses to put a bit of lube on the tip then she uses it to stimulate his tight little hole. “Oh!,” he shudders at the sensation. “Are you ready for me, pretty boy?”

“Yes.” He is breathless. The waiting is so hard. She slowly inserts the toy. Klaus whimpers and groans until she is fully inside him. She increases the vibration. “Ah,”. Klaus pushes back against her hand. She pulls him by the hair so she can see his face while she fucks him. His face is twisted in pleasure and pain, only seconds from release. She turns off the toy, takes it out. “Don’t you come until I tell you to.” She scolds. “Only good boys get to come.”

“Oh, I promise to be a good boy. I do.”

She pulls off her armor and lies back with her head resting high on a stack of pillows. “Shut up and satisfy me with that pretty mouth.”

“It would be my pleasure, your majesty…For Asgard!.” He dives between her legs to devour her. His tongue glides over her clit, back and forth. His lips wrap around her most sensitive flesh to suckle her throbbing bundle of nerves. He sinks two fingers inside her. She moans, grabbing the back of his head. He takes the encouragement and focuses his movements. She comes in spectacular fashion, crying out and squeezing his head between her muscular thighs. He rises with traces of her essence on his chin. “Was I a good boy?”

“A very good boy.” She flips him over on his back and takes his cock in her hand. She pumps it a few times until it is fully erect. Her other hand slides over his smooth chest up to his neck. She looks into his eyes to gage his reaction. He whimpers and bites his lip, his sparkling green eyes pleading. Her fingers wrap tighter around his throat, squeezing with light pressure. Then she straddles him, sliding her slick pussy over the tip of his cock. He groans and bucks his pelvis. “Not yet, pretty boy. It’s sweeter if you suffer.”

She kisses him, drawing his bottom lip into her mouth and biting it gently. Then she rakes her teeth over his nipple. First one and then the other.

Klaus’ eyes roll back in his head. “Fuck,” he rasps.

Her hand grips tighter around his throat and the other rests against his chest as she lowers herself onto his cock. She bucks forward, slowly at first then picks up speed, her little tits bouncing as she rides. Klaus is in ecstasy, looking up at her in awe. Her brown skin glistens with the sweat of her labor. She leans into her climax, moaning and spasming with her eyes shut tight. When she regains control, she can see that Klaus is about to come, so she climbs off and grabs his wet cock. “Now, pretty boy. I want to watch you come.” She pumps him until he gushes over her hand and makes a mess of himself.

Her whole demeanor changes. She kisses him tenderly then runs off to the bathroom, returning with a warm damp hand towel and a dry one. He smiles up at her, cleaning himself off. She smiles back. “Looks like we manage rather well together, don’t we?”

“You are a goddess.”

Valkyrie laughs.

“What? What did I say?”

“Do remember us when you go back, will you?” She sits next to him nuzzling his ear.

“That’s the thing. I don’t know how to get back. In fact, I’m not a hundred percent sure how I got here.”

“You had the power all along. Just click your heels together three times. Haha! 'There’s no place like home.’”

“How can you be so cavalier? I might be stuck here!”

“Klaus, don’t be ridiculous!” She gets up, reaches into his coat, and tosses him the puzzle device.

“You’re going to have to show me how this thing works.”

“Might want to put your clothes on first.”

Master list

@elliethesuperfruitlover @miraclesoflove @bitch4bagels @bi-satanist @punknatch @ringpopdust @valkyries-for-valhalla @dandycandy75 @vinawyatt

#klaus hargreeves fanfic #klaus hargreeves imagine #klaus umbrella academy #tua crossover #tua fanfic #mcu crossover #valkyrie #valkyrie imagine #klaus hargreeves smut #valkyrie smut #tua smut #robert sheehan smut #tessa thompson smut

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omgrachwrites · 4 years

Text

May Queen (Loki Laufeyson)

Pairing: Loki Laufeyson x OC

Summary: Astrid, the princess of Vanaheimr relocates to Asgard to seal a betrothal to the youngest prince and an attempt to escape unforeseen forces. She soon finds happiness and a multitude of new friends. Unfortunately treachery and deceit lie in the court of Asgard in unlikely places, and she learns that true love never dies.

Warnings: fluff, little bit of angst

Words: 2075

A/N: This is just a filler chapter but I hope you guys enjoy all the same! xxx

Part Ten - The Party

Astrid saw the blunt flat of the iron blade coming straight at her and she ducked, preparing her defence. Unfortunately – although she saw the blade coming – she was off by a mere couple of seconds and the flat of the sword whacked her right in the centre of her forehead. It hit her so hard that her ears started to ring. Rubbing her head she looked up at Sif who opened her mouth to apologise, Astrid shook her head and got right back into the correct fighting stance.

Fighting with real swords – no matter how blunt or light – was much harder than Astrid had anticipated, Sif was an amazing warrior too. Astrid was living proof of that for she had blisters and calluses all over the soft skin of her hands which were fit to burst, she had a cut through her eyebrow and by the stinging feeling of her forehead she knew she would soon have a dark bruise. However, Sif still looked perfect apart from the tangled mess of her hair that was the only indication that she and Astrid had been sparring, it was very impressive.

Sif laughed as she looked at the princess, “I admire your persistence my lady but perhaps we ought to take a pause. You’re bleeding.”

Impatiently, Astrid wiped the trickle of blood that was running from her eyebrow and she was about to persist even further. She wanted to keep training; however before she could even think to string a sentence together there came a snide remark. It came from a visiting prince who had been watching the whole thing from the shadows of the trees, unbeknownst to everyone else.

“Maybe that’s why princesses shouldn’t try to fight, do us a kindness Your Highness and leave the fighting to the men and capable warriors. My lady,” he finished by addressing Sif and bowing his head. Loki surged forward angrily before Astrid stopped him with a hand on his wrist.

“You know, I can do something about the way that I fight, I can practise at it every day until I’m one of the greatest warriors that Asgard has ever seen. On the other hand, there is nothing you can do about your twisted face and ugly heart. I truly do pity the woman that has to marry you.” The prince was stunned into silence; all he could do was muster an angry look before he strode off.

Astrid rolled her eyes as she saw the expression of disappointment on Loki’s face and the amused expression on Sif’s.

“Look, I know that I shouldn’t have said that and I’m sorry,” she threw her hands up in surrender though she didn’t regret it and she wasn’t sorry. Not one bit.

Sif laughed and she shook her head, “on the contrary, I think that you just said what every woman in Asgard is thinking. But really, I think that we need to take a break from this whole sparring session.”

Astrid bowed her head, knowing that she wouldn’t be able to talk Sif around; she made her way to the near trickling fountain to get a drink of water. Loki followed her, hot on her heels.

“Are you okay? You seem distracted,” Loki cupped her warm cheek as he inspected the cut on her eyebrow, “hmm, it’s not deep. There probably won’t be a scar.” Astrid smiled as she saw that his nose was slightly red from the exposure to the spring sun.

“Yes, I’m distracted, it’s because of the dream that I had last night, it was very unsettling,” she had hoped that all memory of her dream would drain from her mind that following day. Unfortunately, the dream was just as vivid as ever, it felt like she had really entered that room of ice and snow. The freezing man seemed all too real, the memory of him made her shiver.

Loki sighed as he pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head, stroking her hair, “I promise you there is nothing to fear, and there is nothing like that room here in Asgard. If there was I would have seen it. As for the freezing man, my father is a hard man but he’s not a monster, I am certain that he’s not keeping any prisoners such as that.”

Astrid smiled, resting her head on Loki’s chest, gazing up at him, “that’s definitely a relief. Was your father angry this morning?” Odin had found Loki in Astrid’s bed – nothing intimate had happened between them – and he had seemed to be extremely angry.

Loki winced, “yes, he was ranting and raving, shouting about things that he did not mean. About how he wasn’t happy about our marrying or the alliance,” he paused, “though I have to admit, it is odd, he was the one who brought up the subject of our families allying in the first place.”

Astrid’s heart sank, though she hadn’t been happy about marrying Loki at first he had come to show her that he was a caring man, a kind man and of course he was handsome to boot. Also, she just couldn’t go back to Vanaheimr without having a prince for her husband, her mother would be so disappointed. She sincerely hoped that Loki wasn’t in the same mind of his father.

“And what about you? Do you want to marry me?” Astrid asked nervously and thankfully he nodded.

“Of course I do, I wouldn’t go to all this trouble if I didn’t,” he beamed and Astrid smiled, cupping his cheek.

“Do you love me?”

At Astrid’s bold question Loki raised an eyebrow, “well no, I mean, how could I? We haven’t known each other for very long. I care about you but it’s not love.”

His words came at a blow; though she knew that that would be the answer it still hurt to hear him say it out loud, “yes, of course. I’m sorry for asking,” her face blazed red and she wanted to get out of there, she’d go anywhere as long as she didn’t have Loki’s pretty soft eyes looking at her, “excuse me,” Astrid excused herself and walked back onto the sparring field, “thank you for your lessons today and for giving me a thorough thrashing,” she laughed, “I was wondering whether we could continue with this at the same time next week?”

Sif nodded with a smile and suddenly there came a girlish musical giggle, “then in the meantime please allow me to properly introduce you to the ladies of the court,” Ingrid smiled; Ingrid was very beautiful, she looked every inch the goddess. She was married to an extremely wealthy but considerably older lord.

“I accept and thank you for your kind offer my lady,” Astrid smiled, ignoring Loki’s look of confusion as she set off with Ingrid.

Over the next few days Astrid didn’t see many people outside of Mara or Ingrid’s group of ladies, she couldn’t face Loki, she was still embarrassed and hurt by his words. The ladies of the court were very pleasant to be around and they all seemed to welcome Astrid with open arms. Astrid knew better now though and she knew that appearances could be very deceiving and as a result she didn’t really trust any of them with her secrets.

Odin decided that his youngest son was set on marrying the heir of Vanaheimr so he decreed that there would be an engagement party to properly announce it to the kingdom. He also announced that nobles from every corner of the kingdom would be invited. Unfortunately, that meant that Astrid’s mother would be attending and Queen Eira was a perfectionist and she wasn’t truly happy unless she was complaining about something.

The night of the party arrived much more quickly that Astrid would ever have wanted and just like old times Mara was helping her to ready herself.

“You must look every inch the goddess because that’s exactly what you are,” Mara beamed as she placed a crown of green spring flowers amongst her curls, “these flowers will go perfectly with your dress.” When Mara got the dress out and laid it on the bed Mara groaned internally when she saw that the dress had a golden bodice with a splaying skirt of emerald green.

“Gold and green? I don’t think it will go with my complexion very well, I’m sorry Mara,” the excuse was feeble but it was an excuse all the same.

“Nonsense, you’d look absolutely beautiful in it and besides, Loki favours green and gold. In that dress you’d look truly like his bride.”

Astrid wanted to argue but she decided that it would come to nothing; she supposed that Mara had had that dress made especially for the party and she didn’t want to hurt Mara’s feelings by refusing to wear it. So, she sighed in defeat and allowed herself to be dressed in her future husband’s colours.

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

The engagement party was in full swing, though it was very much missing one of its guests of honour, Loki was confused, he was sure that Astrid had known the time. The party had been started when the moon was barely visible and now it was high in the sky, its light casting the party in a silvery light. Asgardians were very good at making merry so Loki allowed the party to be started before Astrid had arrived.

“She’s late,” a booming voice sounded in his ear and he felt a hand clapped on his shoulder; it was Thor looking very red faced and his words were slurred.

“She’s angry with me, she asked me if I loved her and I told her that I didn’t.”

“Oh brother, don’t you know that you have to lie to women sometimes? You’ve truly got a lot to learn,” he sighed, “brother, look,” Thor pointed to the stone steps and there she was, descending them in beauty and grace. She looked positively radiant in robes of green and gold.

When the princess reached him he completely forgot about her being late, “you look so beautiful.”

She smiled serenely but it almost looked cold as she gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek, “thank you. And you look very handsome,” she whispered against his skin before gliding across the hall to greet her guests.

Loki knew that he had to make amends; he had obviously hurt her feelings so he accosted her while she was on her own.

“Would you like some wine my lady?” he asked, offering her a jewelled golden goblet full of Asgard’s finest wine. Astrid looked at the wine with an almost scared expression and Loki didn’t really know why.

“That’s kind of you but for certain I completely prefer Asgardian mead,” she said, picking up a bottle of it.

“Okay, well, would you like to dance?”

“I’d love to but just not with you,” Loki sighed at her words and he took her hand, leading her out to the balcony beneath the starry sky.

“Do you love me Astrid?”

“No,” she sighed and elaborated when she saw Loki’s confused expression, “I didn’t expect you to love me either, truly I didn’t but it still hurt when you said that you didn’t.”

“I’m sorry, I never meant to hurt you,” he said tucking a stray curl behind her ear, “but we’ll have nothing if we don’t try. Can we promise to try? With the moon and all of the stars as our witness?”

“As long as we seal it with a kiss,” Astrid smiled as she cupped his cheek, her thumb rubbing over his bottom lip. Loki grinned and swooped down, kissing her long and hard, Astrid’s hands clutched at his hair as Loki deepened the kiss. They only pulled away when they heard a giggle and a rustle of the bushes.

“My mother has been dying to see you, probably to give you some advice about marriage,” she paused with a pretty bashful smile, “or me.”

“Well, we can’t keep her waiting then can we? Come on,” Loki chuckled as they walked back into the hall, scanning the room for Queen Eira.

“She’s over there,” Astrid pointed to the further side of the hall before sighing, “talking to Erik, this won’t be good.”

“No, I imagine it wouldn’t,” Loki chewed his lip; it wouldn’t be good to see Erik again, not after Astrid had ordered the execution of his wife.

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@void-imaginations @theonelittleone @for-the-love-of-the-fandom

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woodelf68 · 4 years

Text

Mornings

A loosely connected series of scenes throughout Loki’s life, from infancy through a future diverging from The Dark World. 9118 words.

(Note: Loki’s age in each scene is as follows, with the years being the Midgardian equivalents -- scene 1, less than a year old. Scene 2, 5 yrs. old. Scene 3, 10 -- picture kid Loki from the movie flashback. Scene 4, about 15. Scene 5, close to 20, canon Loki as seen in his cell in The Dark World. Scene 6, between 25 and 30, it’s reader’s choice as to how much time they wish to have passed between the last two scenes.)

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

The querulous cry of a newly awakened baby rang out in the quiet of the room. From her position with her head comfortably pillowed on her husband’s chest, Frigga held her breath, hoping. Perhaps he -- The cry came again, more demanding. She huffed a resigned laugh and started to push herself up. “At least he waited until we were done.” Odin slid out from under her. “Stay; I’ll fetch him.” Pulling on the robe draped over the end of the bed, he padded across to the cradle on the opposite side of the room and smiled down at his seven month old son, who immediately reached for him. “Hello there,” said Odin, ridiculously pleased, as always, when Loki quieted as soon as Odin picked him up, laying his head against Odin’s shoulder and putting his fingers into his mouth to suck on them. “You’re a good boy, aren’t you?” He pressed a fond kiss to Loki’s silky black curls, cradling the boy against his chest as he automatically checked his diaper. “Yes, you are. You don’t keep fussing once you’ve got someone’s attention. Now Thor -- well, let’s just say that your brother was always a bit more fond of the sound of his own voice.” While he was more than happy to leave this particular task to Frigga or the servants during the day, Odin was not so incompetent that he could not make quick work of changing Loki into a dry diaper, as he did so now. That taken care of, he picked Loki back up and returned to the bed. “What do you say? Are you hungry? Do you want your amma?” He sat down on the side of the bed and passed Loki into Frigga’s waiting arms. “Hello, my sweet son,” Frigga cooed, bringing Loki under the fur with her and guiding him to her breast. That first day, when a hungry baby had been placed in her arms, there’d been no time to look for a wet nurse, and when Loki had taken the goat’s milk she’d sent for without any problems, she had been reluctant to seek out one, selfishly not wanting to hand him over to another woman every couple of hours. If he was to be her son, she wanted him to look to her for his needs, for comfort and nourishment both, and she knew well enough that there were herbs to bring in a woman’s milk, and had soon found a spell to hasten their effects. They had told the court that she had hidden her pregnancy with magic, lest word of her vulnerable state reach Laufey’s ears and make her more of a target for foul play with Odin and most of Asgard’s warriors away fighting in the war. It had been easy enough to add, to those in her retinue close enough to express concern, that the magic had delayed her milk coming in. She could still remember the fierce rush of satisfaction a few weeks later when she had been able to nurse Loki herself for the first time, her heart whispering “mine ”, that feeling of him becoming really and truly hers. Not born of her body, but nourished by it, and he had thrived and grown apace ever since. If there had been the inevitable whispers that Odin had brought home a war bastard, most died away quickly enough as all saw how she doted on Loki, and Odin had, fortunately, come home for a brief visit around the time that Loki would have been conceived. Loki turned into her now and she felt her milk let down as he began suckling hungrily, his eyes fixed steadily on hers. She relaxed into the comfort of the pillows and furs, running a gentle finger down his snub nose and smiling as his eyes crossed as he tried to focus on it. Odin lay back down beside her and gently took hold of one of Loki’s feet, smiling as the tiny toes curled in response to his stroking thumb and Loki’s eyes cut briefly to him before refocusing on her. “Who’s that?” she asked softly. “Is that your pabbi?” She glanced at Odin and Loki followed her gaze, his small hand starfishing against her. “Yes, it is! And do you know how you can tell, hm? Because you called and he came. There are not many who can command the king of Asgard like that, you know.” Odin chuckled and slid back under the fur, coaxing Frigga’s head onto his shoulder so he could wrap one arm around wife and son both and use the other to run his hand through the long, heavy waves of her hair, shining golden in the gentle early morning light that illuminated the room. “Very true. And two of the three people who can are in this room.”

Frigga made a contented noise and relaxed even further, letting her eyes drift half shut in pleasure. The duties of the day would claim the king soon enough, but in that moment, he was simply her husband, and a father, and she cherished every second of such times.

--------------- “We’re about to be invaded,” Odin murmured, hearing the patter of four small feet and the whisper of hushed voices outside their door. It was his favourite time of the day, that early morning hour when he lay relaxed and comfortable with Frigga and they talked about their plans for the upcoming day.

“One of the perils of having children.” she said, smiling.

“But perhaps also one of the pleasures?” he suggested, smiling back. “Admit it, you will be sad when they have grown too much to come tumbling in like overexcited puppies at the break of day on occasion.”

Frigga laughed. “You are quite right. I shall no doubt be proud of the fine young men they grow into, but I shall miss my little boys.”

"Should I knock? Maybe they’re still sleeping.”

"Knock softly!”

A subdued knock sounded on their door, and Frigga called “Come in!”

Thor and Loki burst into the room, still in their sleep clothes. “Happy Name Day!” they chorused. Thor held up the jar he was carrying. “We got you some flowers.”

“And we drew you some pictures,” Loki added, coming over to the bed with some papers clutched in his hand.

“Oh, thank you, the flowers are lovely! Place them right there on that table, Thor, and come show me your drawings.” She took the papers from Loki and patted the mattress beside her. Promptly Loki climbed onto the bed to snuggle into her side, a small, soft warm presence, while Thor scrambled up next to him and crawled over her body to plop himself down on her other side. Odin sat up and leaned over Thor to see the drawings as well. The top one was done in coloured chalk, perfect for capturing the texture of fur, and Frigga smiled as she recognised the black and orange patches on the rounded white shapes in the center, one large and three small.

“It’s Runa and her kittens!” She’d taken both boys to visit the barn cat and her litter a few days ago, instructing them to sit still and quietly and let the kittens approach them if they wanted to. Thor, ever boisterous, had kept fidgeting and whispering, but Loki had sat perfectly still, enraptured by the three small shapes, and had been rewarded when one of the exploring kittens had wobbled over on unsteady legs and had determinedly pulled itself up onto Loki’s lap, where he’d gently stroked it until it had started purring remarkably loudly for a creature of its size.

“Yes!” He beamed proudly. “Do you like it?’“I do indeed, and I love the flowers you drew around the border; they’re very bright and cheerful.” She moved his picture underneath the other one and saw what Thor had drawn. “Oh, Thor, this is really very good.” She admired the dragon rendered in Thor’s careful pencil work. “I should have you design a tapestry for me.”

“Really?” Thor sounded delighted by the idea.

“Why not? Where is this dragon flying to, for instance?”

“His cave, in a mountain,” said Thor. “And it’s filled with his treasure horde.”

“I hope he’s a peaceful dragon,” said Frigga. “I’d hate for anyone to want to hurt him.”

Thor’s face fell at that, as if he’d already been dreaming about slaying the dragon and winning some glory for himself. “I suppose he could be, if you wanted.”

“I do,” said Frigga firmly. “And perhaps he could have a younger dragon brother to fly by his side?”

“Me and Loki!” Thor enthused. “We could be the dragons! And we live in the cave together and go out and have adventures.”

“That would make a very nice tapestry,” agreed Frigga. “You boys could have it for your room.”

“I’ll start sketching it later today,” Thor promised.

“What about us?” Odin asked. “Can your mother and I live in your cave while you boys go out flying around on adventures?”

“Yes! I’ll draw you two lying at the entrance with just your snouts sticking out. You can be a gold dragon, Father, and you a blue one, Mother. What about you, Loki?”

“Green,” said Loki promptly.

“Well, I shall look forward to this epic picture,” said Odin, ruffling Thor’s hair. “It’s a very good likeness of a dragon, Thor. And I like yours as well, Loki.”

“How big should I make the drawing, Mother?”

“We’ll figure that out after breakfast. Speaking of which, why don’t you two go get dressed and ready for the day and we’ll do the same, and we’ll come collect you for breakfast when we’re ready.” She leaned first to the left and then the right, kissing the tops of her sons’ heads. “Thank you for the presents; they’re beautiful.”

“You’re welcome.” Loki knelt up on the bed and wrapped his arms around her, squeezing tightly. “Happy name day, Amma.”

Frigga hugged him back, smoothing a hand over his tousled curls. “Thank you, my darling.” She released him and he slid off the bed, giving Thor room to climb over her and follow suit. He leaned over to give her his own hug once he was on his feet.

“Happy name day,” he echoed. “I’ll help Loki get ready.”

“Thank you, my sweet.” She gave him a squeeze and let him go, watching as he took Loki by the hand and led his little brother from the room. She turned to Odin, beaming. “I think we have the best boys in the entire Nine Realms.”

The skin around Odin’s eye crinkled up. “I’ll remind you of that the next time Thor lets his temper get the better of him or Loki’s curiosity leads him into trouble.”

“I didn’t say they were perfect ,” Frigga said. “Perfect would be boring. And we both know who Thor got his temper from.” She looked at him pointedly.

“I feel like I should be offended but I know you’re right,” Odin admitted. “But if he can learn to channel it, it’ll prove a great asset in battle one day. And at least he got your sweetness of heart to counter it.” Odin leaned over and kissed her.

“Flatterer,” she said fondly. “And what of Loki? What does he have of us?”

“He has your sweetness as well, and your cleverness, and your sensitivity to magic.” Odin looked thoughtful. “I’m not sure what he has of me. My eyes, perhaps,” he joked. “Or my eye; he only ever saw the one.”

“He has your watchfulness,” said Frigga, after a moment of thinking. “He knows how to sit and listen quietly, and remember what he hears. And how to choose his words with care.”

“If he picked that up from me, then I am well pleased,” approved Odin. “Let us hope that he grows up with a taste for politics; those traits will serve him well.” He rolled out of bed. “Come, we had best bestir ourselves before our hungry young dragonlings decide to go foraging for themselves and leave nothing but crumbs and wreckage in their wake.”

Frigga laughed -- but she could picture the scenario all too well. She bestirred herself. ---------------

Loki woke with his heart pounding. Just a nightmare, he told himself, but telling himself that and truly believing it were two different things entirely. It would have been easier if he had been able to simply look to his side and see Thor asleep in his bed, but they had recently been given separate rooms, and he wasn’t sure, at the moment, that he liked it. He sat up, throwing back the covers and swinging his feet down onto the floor. He slipped from his bedroom and made his way across the common room that connected his and Thor’s chambers, the sky outside the windows lit with the brilliance of the stars, and quietly looked into Thor’s bedroom. Thor lay sprawled out on his bed, motionless, but Loki could hear his soft breathing from where he stood and was reassured. He retreated and made his way out into the hallway, and crossed over to his parents’ rooms, feeling the light tingle of the wards that, he knew would permit no one other than himself or his brother to enter once his parents had retired for the night. He passed light-footed through his mother’s weaving room and paused, hovering in the doorway of their bedroom, looking and listening. His parents lay back to back, his mother nearest to him, and after a minute he was sure of the slow rise and fall of the blanket covering her. He moved further into the room, just needing to be sure that his father was all right, too, before he could go back to bed.

“Loki?”His mother’s voice was quiet, sleepy, but Loki nearly jumped out of his skin and couldn’t help letting out a squeak of alarm.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you. Are you all right?”

“Nightmare,” whispered Loki back. “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to wake you. I just wanted to make sure you were all right.”

“Want to come in?” Frigga held up the blankets invitingly, scooting back away from the edge of the bed to give Loki more room. She bumped back against Odin’s solid form and he grunted and woke.

“Hmphm?” he murmured, still half asleep.

“Scoot back.”

Odin obliged, but lifted his head, confused, when Frigga followed after him and spied a black head silhouetted against the dim light of the room. “Loki?”

“I’m sorry, I just had a nightmare and needed to make sure you were all right before I tried to go to sleep again,” Loki apologised again. “I’ll go now.”

“Are you sure?” Odin moved back further on the wide bed, putting space between him and Frigga, and wished all parenting decisions were as easy as knowing what to do when your child came to you upset in the middle of the night. “You could come in between us, safest place in the Nine Realms."

Frigga smiled and moved back towards the edge of the bed, creating a perfect Loki-sized space in between them and lifted the covers higher. “Come on, sweetheart.”

Loki hesitated a second, then his feet carried him forward and he scrambled over his mother’s body. Up close, his father looked strange with his eyepatch left off for the night, but he had seen the scarred socket before, and he only glanced at it for a moment before nestling down between his parents and feeling his father’s arm drape comfortingly over him.

“That’s it,” Odin pressed a kiss to Loki’s hair. “I’ve got you; you’re safe.”

Frigga turned over and curled around Loki from the other side, letting the covers fall back down over them and reaching out to rub his shoulder. “Do you want to tell us about your dream?”

“I wasn’t in any danger ,” said Loki. “I was just...alone, here in the palace. It was completely empty; I couldn’t find anyone. But then finally, I found you. Except you were lying like you were laid out for a funeral boat, and I knew you were dead.” He took a deep breath, filling his nostrils with the scent of her, and felt the lingering dread from the nightmare dissipate. “And then I woke up.”

“Oh, sweetheart.” Frigga stroked his hair soothingly. “I’m sorry, what a terrible dream. But I promise you that I am very much here and alive and have no plans to go anywhere anytime soon.”

Odin’s heart ached for his son. It was a common theme that ran through Loki’s nightmares, that of being alone and abandoned. Sometimes he was someplace cold, and crying for help that didn’t come, and Odin knew the source of that one. Sometimes Loki was surrounded by fire, and Asgard was burning around him, and that one worried him. This one...well, he knew how close Loki was to his mother; his mind probably couldn’t think of a worse scenario. “No more do I,” said Odin, hugging Loki just a little bit tighter. He thought of saying something serious, about how he still had a good many years left in him yet despite his age, but decided instead on levity. “You won’t get rid of us that easily.” He tickled Loki’s stomach.

Loki giggled and grabbed at his father’s hand. “Good,” he said firmly. His father turned his hand, slotted his larger fingers through Loki’s own, and left his hand there, covering Loki’s reassuringly. Loki relaxed, feeling warm and safe and most definitely not alone. “You don’t think I’m a baby for not wanting to be alone after a nightmare?” he asked hesitantly, just to make sure.

“Of course not, sweetheart,” Frigga reassured him. “I expect you’re still getting used to waking up alone in a room of your own, aren’t you?” She had often enough, through the years, looked in on the boys at night to find them snuggled up together in one bed to suspect that they had found comfort in each other after bad dreams. Certainly Loki hadn’t sought their bed in a while.

“Yes, exactly,” said Loki, grateful that she understood. “I used to be able to wake up and see Thor sleeping in his bed and know that it had just been a dream and that everything was all right.”

“Your mother and I are lucky,” Odin pointed out. “If we have a bad dream, we have someone right here next to us to say that everything is all right and that it was only a dream.”

“I never thought of that,” said Loki thoughtfully. “Do you have bad dreams, Father?”

“I do, sometimes.”

“What about?”

“The usual, I think. Losing someone that I love, being lost. Finding myself in front of a crowd of people and realising that I don’t have any clothes on.”

Loki’s eyes widened and he lifted his head, twisting around to look back at his father. “You have that one, too?”

Frigga laughed. “I think we all have, at one time or another. I used to have that one when I was younger, but no more. I seem to have grown out of it, thank the Norns.” Odin had handled that question well, she thought. Loki didn’t need to be burdened with the details of his father’s nightmares. She heard the first birds begin to call outside, but since the birds had gone to bed hours before she had, she felt justified in ignoring them. “Go back to sleep, little one,” she told Loki softly. “Morning will be here soon enough.”

Loki closed his eyes obediently, and she began to sing softly, the words of the lullaby unforgotten through the years. Frigga watched him, his lashes lying dark against his cheeks, his breathing growing slow, and even, until she was sure he was asleep, and quietly finished the last verse. She glanced at Odin then, to see him watching her, the expression in his eye soft. “I half wish Thor were here as well,” she confessed in a whisper. “Perhaps he’ll come hunting down his brother in the morning. Then I could have all my boys snuggled in safe around me.”

Odin looked amused. “Are you implying that I am one of your boys as well?”

“You are.” Frigga’s tone of voice dared him to say otherwise. “Mine to love, mine to care for.”

“Good,” he said with satisfaction, sounding remarkably like Loki had but a short while earlier, and closed his eye, a contented smile on his face.

Frigga watched her husband and son with a heart full of love. She should suggest that Odin spend some time with the boys tomorrow; both Loki and Thor were always hungry for more of their father's time and attention. And they were old enough now to learn more of the behind the scenes work of ruling the realm; perhaps if she framed it as an educational opportunity, Odin would agree it was worth carving out the time from his schedule. She found Odin's and Loki's joined hands under the covers, and laid her own atop them. falling asleep to dream of the day when her sons would stand side by side and lead Asgard into a bright and prosperous future.

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

“Loki! Why are you still abed? Did you forget that we were going to go hunting this morning?” Thor came bursting into Loki’s bedroom with all of his usual exuberance, undeterred by the fact that his brother was still, obviously, asleep, or had been up until a moment ago.

Loki groaned and buried his head under his pillow. “Changed my mind. Tomorrow’s better. Go away. I’m sleeping.”

Thor spied a familiar-looking book on Loki’s nightstand, the same one he’d been reading last night at supper. “Were you up all night reading?”

“What if I was? Some of us wish to improve our minds.” Thor was quiet for a moment, and Loki had the vain hope that Thor would go away and leave him in peace. Then he felt his covers yanked back, and squawked in protest.

“And some of us wish to go hunting with our brother,” said Thor cheerfully. “Come on, the fresh air will wake you up.” He took hold of Loki’s legs.

“Thor, don’t you dare, I’m warning you --”

Thor pulled.

There was a flash of green. It was followed by a startled croak.

Loki peered over the edge of his bed at the large green frog sitting on his floor. It looked back at him mournfully. “I warned you. Now hop along and stay out of trouble and I’ll change you back this afternoon. If you want to go hunting then, fine, if not, I promise to go to bed earlier tonight and we’ll go tomorrow morning.”

The frog tried to walk, one webbed foot at a time, towards Loki’s bedroom door, before figuring out how to manage his long legs and gave a short hop, then a longer one, and presently disappeared from sight. He was going to be in so much trouble when he changed Thor back, Loki thought, but some things were worth it. He wondered if Thor would brave going to their mother, or if he would have the sense to simply wait the morning out in his rooms. The first option would restore him to his own form faster, if he made it into Frigga’s presence and could convince her of his identity, but it also risked him being seen by a member of the staff and deposited outside in a pond. Grinning at that mental image, he pulled his blankets back up and let his head sink back into his pillow. He reclosed his door with a wave of his hand and sank happily back into slumber.

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

Loki lay in bed and watched the dim lighting of the cell brighten. Morning, he assumed, though really he had no way of knowing, would never see the sky again. How early was it? he wondered. Was the sky still pink and gold from the sunrise, or had it already turned to blue? The constant white glare of the cell bothered him more each day, made him long for the shaded green places in his mother’s gardens (he could not think of her as anything else in his heart), or the dim recesses of the library, lit by the warm glow of lamps, or the muted light filtering in through the curtains in his rooms. At first it had been enough to have a place where he knew he was safe, where he could simply let down all his defenses and rest without fear or pain. He had slept for long stretches of time, those first weeks, while his body healed, waking only to eat ravenously of the food that was delivered to him. He heard the rattle of a meal tray being delivered now, the curt “Breakfast” spoken by the guard before they disappeared again. He rose and went to collect the tray.

It had not escaped his notice that his meals weren’t standard prison fare, that there was usually at least one thing on his tray that was something that he particularly liked. There was always fresh fruit and juice for breakfast, and today, a veritable feast of a mushroom and cheese omelette and hot buttered toast and the spicy sausages his mother knew he liked, because of course it was her doing, he knew that much. There was even, astonishingly, a bottle of elven wine. the explanation for which was in the new book that had accompanied his breakfast tray. He opened it and read the inscription on the flyleaf:

My dearest son,

It seems cruel to wish you a happy name day, but I hope these small tokens of my affection will give you some pleasure on this day nevertheless. I tell myself it is better than last year, when I still thought you dead, and if you are kept apart from me, at least I know that you are alive and well. And I let myself hope that next year will be better yet, that something will have changed, for I refuse to believe otherwise. I will find a way to force it to change myself, if I have to. If you would only tell us what happened to you, give your father a reason to trust you again -- But this is not the time or the place to chide you for that, only know that when you are ready to talk I will be here to listen. And know that I will never stop loving you, nor celebrating the day you arrived in our lives, for you are one of the greatest gifts I have ever been given. As always, I remain

-- your loving Mother

He cried bitter tears then, tears of longing to feel her arms around him again, and tears of regret for his lost life. He wanted, desperately, to see the sky, to breathe fresh air, to walk without coming up against a wall after more than a few paces. Would it change anything if he told? He tried to remember why he hadn’t, that first day when he’d been brought back and paraded before Odin in chains. Spite? Anger? Shame? To show his parents how it felt to have a secret kept from them? Yes, all of those, he knew, but were they worth it? Did he want Thanos to come upon an Asgard unwarned, and unready? He thought of the palace littered with bodies, of the palace empty of life save for the slaughtered bodies of those who had had the chance to fight, and remembered, with a sudden chill, the nightmare that he had had more than once as a youth. He thought of his mother dead, and not knowing until one day a meal tray arrived with plain prison fare, no special treats. No more books. Of never seeing anyone again except the guard who delivered the meals, of never being able to have an actual conversation with anyone again. Alone, forgotten. Except no, Thanos would not forget him. Panic rose up and engulfed him, and he reached for the wine, uncorking it and taking a healthy swig.

The wine helped a little, but he couldn’t truly relax until his mother’s projection appeared in the afternoon and the relief that swept through him almost made him giddy. He thanked her for the gifts, and was ashamed at how the basic courtesy made her face light up like the sun.

“I only wish that I could do more.” Her hand rose, as if she would cradle his face. Loki fought the urge to turn into the touch, lest the contact shatter her illusion, and allowed himself to imagine he could feel the warmth of her hand upon his skin. “Tell me what it’s like outside today,” he said impulsively. “Is the sky blue?”

“It is, clear and blue with a few puffy white clouds floating around. It is just past midday, and the garden is full of the scent of the roses in bloom.”

She seemed to know what he craved, and painted a picture of the gardens with her words that invoked all his senses. And when he didn’t stop her, she continued on with all the everyday details of life in the palace lately, what she was doing to fill her time and then what was going on in the greater Realm, slowly expanding his world. She took it as a good sign, that he was finally expressing an interest in the outside world.

Loki knew her time for him was up when she glanced behind her, as someone obviously came into the room where her body stood.

“I must go now, but I’ll be back tomorrow,” she promised. “Imagine me giving you a kiss and a hug, and I swear that I shall one day do so in fact.”

“Mother,” Loki said quickly, before she could vanish, the careful “Allmother” that he sometimes used never having become easy or comfortable on his tongue. “Thank you for coming. And what you asked of me -- in the book -- I will consider it.”

Her face lit up again. “I am glad to hear that. And I will never, ever stop coming to see you, not until the day that you are able to come and see me .” She held out her hands to him, letting him be the one to dispel her illusion in the little ritual they had developed, and reluctantly, he brought his hands down on hers, an almost physical pang running through him when there was no solidity of contact and she vanished in a shimmer of gold.

“Husband,” Frigga said cooly, turning to face her visitor. “What brings you here at this time of day?”

“Do I need an excuse to come see my beautiful wife?’ Odin asked, a challenging glint in his eye.

“Well, if you have no matters to bring to my attention…” She trailed off, then squared her shoulders and lifted her chin as she faced him. “I wish to see Loki.”

“Do you not already see him?” he countered.

Frigga froze, had he seen or was he only guessing? His face was that inscrutable mask which served him so well as king but which she hated to see on her husband.

Odin sighed. “I know you send your projections to him, you need not worry about that.”

Frigga relaxed. “Ah. I had wondered, but it seemed better not to bring it up if you were willing to overlook it,” she confessed.

“After that first time, when you didn’t press me further to allow you to visit him, I surmised that you had found your own way of seeing him. I know your abilities, and I know you would not let anything keep you from either one of your children if you thought they had need of you.”

“I would not,” she agreed, steel in her voice.

Odin dropped his head, half turning away from her. “I had no right to forbid you from seeing him in the first place. It was wrong, and it was cruel, and I am sorry for it. I wish that I had a better excuse, but in the moment, I was simply angry that he, too, had chosen to attack what he had sworn to defend. Jotunheim I could understand, to some extent, but Midgard?” He closed his eye briefly, feeling the weight of his years, and admitted the ugly truth about himself. “And I spoke what I knew would hurt him most.”

“Yet not sorry enough to take it back once you had spoken.”

“It would have been seen as a sign of weakness.”

“It would have been seen as a sign of compassion!” Frigga snapped, then shook her head. Anger would not get her what she wanted, she knew that much. “So alike, the two of you are, always knowing the words that will wound deepest."

Odin fiddled with a paperweight sitting on a table, a simple, smooth stone with a design on it that had once been painstakingly painted by a young boy. “I remember asking once, what of me you saw in Loki. I had hoped for a better legacy than ‘cruel’ and ‘obstinate’.”

“It is not too late to fix things, Odin,” she urged. “A wise king knows when to admit he is wrong, and to correct his mistakes instead of letting them continue unchecked because he is not man enough to face up to them. When has Loki ever responded well to harshness? Perhaps he would not have stayed so recalcitrant in his refusal to speak of what befell him if you had showed some sign of kindness when he was returned to us. Who knows how long he spent in the Void, unable to think of anything but the fact that he no longer felt that he had a family? That his entire life was a lie? Small wonder he emerged mad, if that is all that happened, but I do not think it is. He did not just stumble onto an army of Chitauri and decide to invade Midgard because he wanted a throne. You did not see his face when I had Gungnir handed to him; he did not expect it, he did not want it. He did not desire rule, only respect, to be seen as Thor’s equal, to make you proud. Would it have killed you to have welcomed him back as his father before you pronounced judgement as his king?” Frigga could not help her voice rising again in condemnation.

“Invading another realm was not the way to gain that respect, nor trying to completely obliterate one!” Odin protested, turning back to her in anger, then his defiance dropped away. He did not want to turn this conversation into a fight anymore than Frigga did. “Never mind Jotunheim, not now. As I said, I understand something of what drove him to attack it, and though I do not condone such an extreme action, it was within his rights as ruling king at the time to retaliate for Laufey’s attack on Asgard. But it is what followed after that complicated matters. I could not simply banish him to another realm to learn a lesson as I did with Thor because I do not know what lesson he needs to learn, and I do not know if that realm would be safe, and most of all, I do not know whether Loki himself would be safe, or whether he might attempt to end his own life again.” Odin looked at her bleakly, the memory of Loki’s face as his son let go of Gungnir and let himself fall into the Void one that still haunted his nightmares. “What else could I have done, other than what I did? And what would you have me do now?”

“It was not what you did but how you did it,” Frigga allowed, for Loki had been a threat that needed containing at the time, even she had to acknowledge that. “But as for now -- be his father! If you want to get him to trust you again, you have to show him that you deserve it. And you can start by letting me visit him, in person.”

“Why now?” he asked, stalling a bit but also curious. “Why have you waited this long to ask again?”

Frigga pursed her lips. “To be honest, until today, I have not been sure if he would welcome my actual presence,” she admitted.

“And today?”

“It was a good day; he was quieter, more settled.”

The corner of Odin’s mouth turned up. “Perhaps we should have sent wine long before this.”

“Do you know everything?” she demanded in exasperation.

“I wish I did. I would give much to know what happened to Loki in the year that he was gone. But do you not think I look in on my son every now and then? I know what today is as well as you do.”

“I don’t think it was just the wine. It had been opened when I arrived, yes, but not enough was gone to influence him in any way. I think he is just...coming back to himself.”

Odin thought of the way Loki had sat quietly and listened to his mother today, as he had watched from Hlidskjalf for a while before withdrawing his Sight and giving them their privacy, no longer the ranting, rage-filled man who had come back to them. It had been a slow change, but a steady one, and he thought longingly of the possibility of one day having his son back. Loki was not Hela, he reminded himself, despite their remarkable physical similarity. The Norns must have been laughing at him when they had sent him Loki’s way. A second chance, to raise a raven-haired child right. And he thought he had done so. Loki had not been molded for war, had not grown up without the softness of love. A succession of memories flashed through Odin’s mind. A baby, smiling and quieting as soon as he was picked up. A small body nestled against his. A boy trustingly slipping his hand into Odin’s. A young man walking with his mother’s hand tucked securely through his arm, love and pride in every line of his bearing. A son grown tall and strong, a son any man would be proud of. Had he told that to Loki often enough, or had he simply assumed that he knew, that that was what Odin had been saying whenever he laid an approving hand on Loki’s back or shoulder, whenever he trusted him with some matter of state, some diplomatic mission? Somewhere along the way they had lost that closeness which Loki and Frigga still had, and Odin had never regretted it more than when Loki had learned of a heritage which did not matter in the slightest to him, but had driven Loki to such despair that he had no longer seen a reason to go on living.

“Odin?” Frigga’s voice broke him out of his thoughts.

Odin cast back to the last thing she had said, and remembered, Loki coming back to himself. “I pray that it is so.” He paced across her room, thinking. He was going to agree to Frigga’s request, he knew, but he wondered if he could get something more out of it. Loki’s refusal to talk of what had happened to him during the year he was beyond all their sight irritated him in more ways than the simple defiance of it. Nothing about Midgard made sense; was that simply because Loki had not been thinking rationally at the time or was there a huge puzzle piece there that they were missing? His instincts said the latter, and he wished not for the first time that Thor had managed to bring home the weapon Loki had wielded along with his brother, wondered if there might not be a clue there. If the Bifrost had not been shattered, he would have gone and demanded it of the mortals himself, and not taken no for an answer. Or was he simply looking for a reason which would justify Loki’s actions, that he might give him a chance to redeem himself, as he had given Thor? He nearly growled in frustration as he came up once again against his complete lack of knowledge.

“How much do you think he wishes for your company?” he asked. “Enough to finally tell us what happened to him in exchange for it?”

“I don’t know,” Frigga admitted. “But he did say he would consider talking about it when I mentioned it again today.”

Odin brightened at that. "Considering" was not "agreeing to", but it was the first time that Loki had even given them that much. “Then perhaps we should wait until he comes to that decision. If we give him something that he wants before he does so, it might remove the impetus to give us what we want."

“Odin,” Frigga pleaded, allowing all of her yearning to come through in her voice. “I have not been able to hold my son in over two years. Have not been able to offer even the comfort of a single touch.”

Odin hesitated, then gave in. “A week. We will give him a week, and if he does not say anything more about it, then I will go to him with my offer.” It was hardly any time at all, when Loki had held out this long, but he was tired of being at odds with his wife, and hoped this would help mend the rift between them.

“And if he refuses it?”

Odin looked at her face, saw the fear that she would be further denied the chance to visit her son, and felt shame that he was the cause of it. If Loki scorned him as weak for this, then so be it. He would make this one thing right. “Then you may visit him anyway.”

Frigga’s face lit with joy, and the next thing he knew she had her arms around him. He tried to get his arms up to embrace her back, for he had not been favoured with such attention for a long time, but she was already stepping back, her hands lingering on his shoulders for a moment while she beamed at him.

“Thank you,” she said with heartfelt fervour.

“Am I forgiven?” he asked hopefully.

“Ask me again when I have held my son in my arms,” she said, but she was still smiling, and Odin’s heart felt lighter than it had for a long time.

As it turned out, they didn’t even have to wait a week. ---

----------

As if thinking of the old dream conjured it back into existence, Loki was haunted by it again that night. Running through the empty palace, looking for someone, anyone, only to find, at last, Frigga, laid out and lifeless and waking to his heart pounding in panicked dread. And for the first time in his life, he could do nothing to reassure himself of her safety other than wait for her visit. When she arrived, he took a deep breath of relief. Only a nightmare, he told himself. But it was harder to dismiss when he woke from the same dream the next morning, except this time he had heard Thanos’s laughter when he had come upon his mother’s dead body, and impossible the third. He was too agitated to eat breakfast and paced restlessly until Frigga finally showed up.

“Tell the Allfather,” he said, having made up his mind that he had to do something, that if the Norns were sending him a message he could not risk ignoring it. If he could not be free to guard his mother’s life, then he must give up what knowledge he had that would allow her to be best prepared to defend herself if and when Thanos broke into the Nine.“That I will answer any questions he may have in return for you being allowed to visit me in person.”

Joy swept through Frigga. “He will be hearing petitioners now,” she said. “Shall I interrupt him or wait till he breaks for the midday meal?”

“Better wait." He didn't want his mother to leave when she had just arrived, and it would give him time to prepare what he was going to say, how much he needed to reveal. "But do it today."

“I will,” she promised.

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

A couple of hours later, Loki came to his feet as he heard approaching footsteps and stood facing the front of his cell, his hands clasped behind his back. He tensed as he saw Odin, but his heart leapt when he saw his mother following behind him.

“Loki,” Odin greeted. “I understand you wish to strike a deal.”

“I do. I will answer any questions that you have in exchange for mother being allowed to visit me whenever she wishes. Inside my cell,” he stressed. When Odin didn’t respond immediately, he swallowed his pride and added “I swear I will not hurt her, nor attempt to use her in any way to escape this place.”

“I never thought that you would hurt her,” Odin admitted after a moment, and glanced at Frigga, then gestured towards the cell. “Very well. Go ahead.”

Two long strides forward and Frigga was deactivating the energy barrier that formed the front of the cell, one more and she was pulling Loki into her arms. “Loki,” she breathed out fervently. “My son.”

It had happened so fast, Loki hadn’t been prepared for it, and flinched back for a second, from the shock of being touched after so long without it, and because for so long before that, touch had always meant pain instead of comfort. He didn’t know what to do for a moment, but then her scent hit him, the smell of herbs and flowers and fresh air, that whispered ‘home’ and ‘safe’ and ‘loved’, and his arms came up instinctively as he wrapped her up tight in his embrace and buried his face against her neck. “Mother,” he said desperately, and then quieter, for her ears alone, “Amma .”

“I’ve got you,” Frigga whispered, burying her hand for the first time in the new length of his hair. “You’re safe.”

Odin heard them both, and relief and remorse swept through him in equal measures. Their son was still in there, still reachable, but looking at Loki’s face was almost painful. Whatever happened today, he vowed he would not keep them apart again. Belatedly he realised he had not reactivated the energy barrier and stepped forward to do so.

Loki heard the faint hum crackle back into life and glanced up, a faint smirk on his face. "A bit slow there, weren't you? I could have teleported right out of here in a second."

Frigga tightened her grip on him. "If you had tried, you would have had to take me with you."

"What an excellent idea, Mother," Loki said brightly. "Where would you like to go?"

She gave him an admonishing shake. "Don't tempt me, you."

"And yet you didn't," said Odin. "Perhaps I am simply choosing to trust my son to keep his word, that he will not try to use his mother's presence in an attempt to escape. Am I wrong to do so?"

Loki shook his head, and raised his chin a notch. "You are not."

For the moment, the mask was gone from his son’s face, Loki’s eyes wide and vulnerable in a too gaunt face, and Odin was reminded of just how young Loki still was. "Good,” he said approvingly. “In return, I ask you to trust me, Loki. Tell me what happened to you. Let me help you, if I can."

“I will save you time and tell you the only thing that you need to know. Thanos the mad Titan seeks the Infinity Stones, and a way into the Nine. Asgard must prepare her defenses and stop him from finding them all.”

Odin's mind instantly flashed back to the conversation that he’d had with Thor on his return to Asgard, when he had grilled him about everything that he could remember Loki doing or saying on Midgard, seeking some clue to his youngest son’s behaviour.

He had a sceptre, with a blue stone, with the ability to control the minds of others.

He was not like himself at all. He looked unwell, and afraid at times, and the manner in which he attacked was so unlike his usual style that I thought he must be in league with someone else.

I thought I was reaching him, when I asked him to stop and come home. For a moment I could see the brother that I knew in his eyes, but then he said that it was too late to go back, and he shook it off and went back to the attack.

A picture was coming together in Odin’s mind, and it was not one that he liked. Loki, his mind already broken, falling into the hands of a being of incomparable power, one who wished to escape his exile outside of the Nine. Thanos discovering that Loki had the ability to walk the shadow paths between worlds. Had the scepter truly borne a blue stone, or had it been a yellow stone concealed in a blue housing? Were the mortals the only ones it had been used upon? The Tesseract. Mind stone and space stone. One risked to gain a second, a ploy that had failed. If Thanos could break into the Nine, it would not only be the Stones he came after, Odin guessed, it would be Loki, for failing to deliver what he had been sent for. For he had no doubt now that Loki had been sent. A year gone, beyond Heimdall’s view. How much of that time had been spent in the Void, how much being broken until his proud, powerful son had been turned into a tool to be used? Had Midgard been offered as a reward for service, or had Loki wanted it as a sanctuary, a bulwark against the Mad Titan when he felt he no longer had a right to claim Asgard as his home?

Oh, Loki, Odin thought, his heart clenching for his son. What did he do to you? He reached out and deactivated the force field at the front of the cell again, and walked in to join his wife and son, meeting Loki’s startled gaze steadily. He had failed his son once, he was not going to fail him again.

“On the contrary, I think I’m going to need to know a great deal more than that.”

Loki, still standing within the circle of his mother's arms, stared. Odin had set the barrier to re-form behind him, effectively trapping him inside the cell with Loki. He would need to call the guard now to let him out. "Was that wise? Locking yourself in with a dangerous criminal? I only promised not to hurt Mother, you know."

"if I have been so poor of a father that I need fear attack from my own son, then perhaps I deserve it." There had been no threat in Loki's voice, though, merely a pointing out of facts, and Odin grinned mischievously. "You can try, though."

Unexpectedly, Loki felt the corner of his mouth quirk up, feeling oddly reassured instead of offended that his own strength and skills were being dismissed. He wanted his father to still be strong, he realised, wanted to feel that childhood certainty that Odin could fix anything, that he could handle any problem brought to him and make everything all right again. He knew that wasn't the case anymore, but still, if Asgard were to stand any chance at all against Thanos, she would need the strength of all her warriors, led by a strong king. And that king needed to be armed with knowledge as well as weapons, knowledge that Loki was tired of bearing alone. If nothing else, Odin could share that burden.

"I would not wish to upset Mother," he said diplomatically, and heard Frigga huff beside his ear.

"No more would I, yet I fear I have done so for far too long. But I am trying to make amends. To you and to her," Odin stressed. "Talk to me, Loki, please. Let me be the father I should have been when you first returned."

For a change, Loki did not feel the need to deny that Odin was his father, knew he could not do so with any conviction at the moment. If not Odin, then who? Certainly not Laufey, who had left him to die. At least Odin had been there, and was here now, apparently still willing to call Loki his son. Perhaps one imperfect father willing to admit his mistakes was better than none. The anger that he had nurtured for over a year fizzled out, and he swallowed hard. "What more do you wish to know?"

"Everything."

His mother's hand gripping his tightly, grounding him, Loki took a deep breath and began to talk.

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

“Amma.”

Sif woke to a small hand tugging on the sleeve of her nightshirt. A pair of clear blue eyes beneath a head of tousled black curls peered at her from just over the top of the mattress.

“What is it, Ullr?”

“I had a bad dream.”

Sif yawned sleepily. “Do you want to spend the rest of the night with us?”

Ullr nodded. “Yes, please.”

He held up his arms to her, and Sif saw that he had his much-loved stuffed bear with him, a present from his Aunt Jane. She sat up and reached down, lifting Ullr up onto the bed and scooted back. Loki, who was always a light sleeper, woke with an inquisitive noise as she bumped into him.

“Mhm?” He rolled onto his side, automatically reaching out to drape an arm over her and draw her close, and came up against an unexpected shape. He woke a little more. “Sif?”

“It's just Ullr. He had a bad dream.”

“Put him between us, then.” He moved back, making room.

“Go on, Ullr.” Sif held the covers up. “You heard your father.” She smiled as Ullr promptly scrambled over her body and was instantly gathered in close by Loki.

Loki nuzzled Ullr’s hair, breathing in the sweet scent of his son and wrapping an arm securely around him as Sif turned to face them, letting the covers fall back over them, enclosing them in a soft, warm cocoon. Ullr didn’t seem visibly distressed, so either the dream hadn’t been too bad, Loki thought, or the memory of it was already fading. Still, there were words which had to be said.

“I’ve got you,” he said softly. “You’re safe.”

#ficwoodelf #loki #frigga #odin #thor #sifki #a bit at the end #marvel fic #mornings

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redfoxwritesstuff · 5 years

Text

Second Best (unrequited Loki x ofc)

Written for the Lovely @mrs-captain-evans writing challenge and with assistance form the always amazing @winterisakiller (seriously, she saved this when I had NOTHING 48 hours ago)

Summary: Young prince Loki has his first feelings of longing and love for another. Yet matters of status, class and court make romance a tricky dance to learn. With his elder brother's encouragement, will Prince Loki lay claim to the heart of the one he wishes to court or will he crash and burn?

warnings: Light mentions of sex, angst, unrequited love

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The golden walls glittered as the candles flickered in the light breeze from the open balconys. It was a warm night but not overly so. The skies were clear stars danced in the sky. In the distance, the moon reflected off the calm coastal waters outside the city. People mulled about the large open ballroom, talking softly in small groups on the outer rim of the room or eating from small plates. Glasses of Asgardian wine were clutched in many hands and drink was already flowing freely.

In the center of the room, many swayed and danced to the music while holding their lovers tightly to them. Others carefully circled each other, hoping to catch the eye of the one they wished to court or be courted by.

Pairs of feet moved in perfect time, a practiced display of dedication and education as pairs and groups moved to the latest dances. It was among these dancers that Loki spotted Astrid from his place just outside of the ballroom.

It was custom for the Asgardian royal family to join these balls late. It did no good to be announced if there was hardly an attendee to observe their entrance after all. It pained the young prince to stand just outside of view and pretend to be listening to his King Father while watching the girl he loved be spun around the dance floor by the hand of another. Yet he must until it was time.

“The All-Father, King Odin.” The man who’s official role Loki couldn’t recall announced his father’s entrance. “Accompanied by his Queen Wife, Goddess Frigga of the Sky.”

There was some clapping and cheering for his parents from those close to the royal family but most bowed or took to knee to show their respect and loyalty to the ruling couple. Thor gave Loki a nudge and offered a smile when he tore his attention from the woman raising from her curtsy. “Will you ask her, Brother?”

“Tonight.” Loki answered.

“You deserve her. She’d make a fine Princess for Asgard.”

“She will. She’s cleaver and quick.” Loki nodded, not taking his eyes off the women with the golden hair tied back with intricate braids and warm pink gown. The light tan of her skin was complemented by the warm candlelight.

“Beautiful too.” Thor agreed before settling his eyes on a brunette with honey skin. “I’ve got my eye on that one for the night.”

“Should you not start thinking beyond the night?” Loki questioned as the usher waved them forward.

“I’ve got my whole life to find a queen, only now to sample all the flowers of the garden”

“Crown Prince Thor Odinson of Thunder.” The man announced as Thor stepped into the light, head held high and red cape billowing behind in in the light breeze.

“Prince Loki Odinson of Mischief.” Loki stepped forward, just one step behind his elder brother as heads bowed at their passing in respect. It wasn’t the reception their parents had gotten but still, respect was paid to the princes as they passed.

Loki’s eyes remained trained on her as he walked through the crowd of party guests. First he had to attend to his royal duties, greet the nobility by his parents’ sides. Once official duties were taken care of he could move onto the no less official duty of socializing.

Normally he wouldn’t look forward to these parties. He didn’t particularly enjoy the grand events with their half truths and hardly hidden agendas on all sides. Loki much preferred to observe people of all stations when they believed themselves to not be watched. That was when you could see their true faces and their true motives. But once the pleasantries were done, he could seek her out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Your Highness, Good Evening.” Her voice- it was more melodic than the music played by the court orchestra. Just the sound could make his heart skip a beat. She was of noble birth and wore that nobility well in the delicate gown and intricate braiding woven through her hair.

“Astrid, Good Evening. Has the ball treated you well, my darling?” Loki wasted no time plucking her offered hand and bringing her knuckles to his lips with a slight bow.

“It has, my Prince.” a soft smile graced her lips and Loki returned it in kind. “Where is Prince Thor?” He faulted, smile flinching from his face as she rushed to set his mind at ease. “Tis only proper that I offer him the evening’s greeting as well, of course.”

“He is dancing with his choice for the night.” Loki pointed with a subtle tilt of the head toward where his elder brother was spinning around a noble girl, her dark hair fanning out behind her and a delighted smile on her face. Thor held her close, hands a bit lower than proper and his intention for the night clear in the lusty way he would periodically rub his hips against her as he spun her close.

“Only for the night?” Astrid eyed the couple closely, wheels turning. “Should he not be searching for she who would become his Queen?”

“One would think so.” Loki agreed, “Yet Thor acts as if he has all the time in the world. I suspect he’ll not settle on a queen until Father forces his hand.”

“Do you believe that will be soon?”

“Perhaps. Perhaps not. It is not my place to question his romantic life until the throne is vacant and one of us must take a seat upon it.” Holding out his hand, Loki asked, “Let us leave this talk behind and dance, my darling.”

“Of course.”

Astrid slipped her graceful hand into his. For a moment, Loki admired how the golden rings on her fingers glittered and how the candlelight reflected off the warm peach paint applied to her long nails. There was a contrast between them, the warmth that seemed to radiate off of her countered the cool that was his milky white skin and dark hair. Together they balanced each other, or so Loki thought, just as a Queen should balance her King. Just as his own Queen Mother balanced his King Father.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They danced together much of the night. The guests dwindled but still they danced, only breaking long enough for Astrid to say her evening’s greetings to Thor before he departed with the woman who would be queen of his bed this night.

“Do you truly believe Thor will become King?” Astrid asked as he spun her around and toward the balcony overlooking the gardens.

“Unless something were to befall him, yes.” Loki admitted. “Fates willing, it will not come time for either of us to sit upon the throne anytime soon. Thor is battle tested and a noble warrior, though he still has much to learn. We both do.”

“Still, the All-Father grows older each year.”

“We all do.” Slowly, they spun to a stop yet Loki didn’t step away.

“Loki?” Her eyes swept out around them, finding that they were largely alone. Just as Loki had intended.

“Astrid.” Her warm blue eyes returned to him and he could drown in them. They reminded him of the royal hot springs, unnaturally blue yet inviting just the same. “I wish to speak to your father.”

“About what? Have I displeased you in some way?”

“No, not at all. The opposite in fact.”

“I don’t understand?”

“I wish to formally begin courting you, my darling. It is my wish to begin the process that would make you a princess. My princess.”

“What? Why?” That wasn’t the reaction he had expected.

“Because I care for you. Your mother must surely be an undiscovered goddess for she blessed you with the name of beauty that somehow still pales to live up to the vision that you are. You are regal and sharp. You are noble and elegant. You are warmth. I fell in love with you the moment I set my eyes upon you all those years ago and my love for thee has done nothing but grow with each passing moment of time we spend together.”

“Loki, we can’t. Not officially.”

“We can. You’re of high enough station. We’ve been dancing around each other-”

“That’s not why.” There was a sharpness to her voice that he hadn’t heard before. There was a coolness to her words he would have never expected.

“You don’t feel the same, do you?” There was an edge to his voice that Astrid had only heard when he’d speak down to those who dared to insult him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

An icy chill seemed to spread through the night, there but just barely so that one who hadn’t grown through the years with Loki as he studied magic would mistake it for the weather changing. In a room, floors above what could have become a royal couple Thor paused over his latest conquest as a chill passed through the open room.

“Is everything alright, My Prince?” The woman below him asked, raising up onto her elbows. What was her name? Martha? Maria? Mercy? It didn’t really matter, did it?

“Yes, my Princess.” Thor didn’t look at her as he spoke. Rather his eyes scanned the night sky outside the room, debating for a moment if he should untangle from her and clothes the windows against the chill or if it would do any good. Likely, it wouldn’t. “Tis nothing I cannot address in the morn. Come, I’ve not finished blessing you.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I apologize for my forward behavior.” Loki stepped away and let his arms drop.

“Loki,” There was a pleading in her voice that he wasn’t sure he trusted as he came to realize that he had been strung along, kept as a backup option for all this time. “I do care for you, I do. It’s just that I can’t be tied to only you.”

“Why is that? Many would give anything for my undivided attention. I tell you that you may have it, that I love you and you tell me you can’t be courted by me yet you say you care.”

“I just- I can’t have my options limited.” Astrid pulled a thin braid from behind her back and twirled the end around her fingers.

“Limited? What better suitor could approach you than I? No noble man will make you a princess with a chance to become queen.” Loki’s back was straight and his shoulders pulled tight. Tension radiated from his body as he tried to understand.

“But perhaps one whom might make me Queen.” Astrid retorted.

“No foreign Crown Prince is going to come and sweep a noble woman off her feet.” Loki snorted.

“Perhaps. But Prince Thor has yet to wed.”

“Thor? You’d prefer not to court formally on the off chance that Thor will wish to wed you? The very same Thor who is bedding his conquest of the night at this exact moment?”

“I just- I need to keep my options open. Loki, I care for you. I do. Just as you care for me.”

“You do not.” Loki’s voice climbed as he stepped away.

“I do. Can’t we just continue as we’ve been?”

“No!” His voice roared out, echos bouncing back off the golden pillars. “Do not show your face to me again. If I am not good enough for you, you are not good enough to stand within my presence. Leave.”

“Loki?”

“Leave this palace by dawn!” Loki’s voice cracked as he shouted the words. “I do not wish to lay eyes upon you again.” He turned and matched stiffly out of the room.

“Loki!” She called out after him. “Don’t do this.”

“LEAVE!” His fist slammed the pillar next to him and left a web of cracks spreading out.

Astrid nodded silently and carefully began walking. She kept a wide distance between her and Loki, having never seen him in such a state before. Once out of eyesight of him, her footfalls came faster until she was eventually running.

True to his word, Loki saw to it that her and her family were removed from the palace proper when she had not left of her own accord in the days following. In the coming months the woman who had desired so much to be queen that she rejected the second son was married to a noble man of her parent’s choice. She’d never see the golden halls of Asgard’s gleaming palace again as she died a few short years later while birthing her first child.

For Loki however, the pain of the rejection from his first love sat in his heart as a red hot ember reminding him that he was second to Thor. Loki would always live within the shadow of his elder brother though he fought to be seen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My Loki Tag List: @0-0-0-0-0-0-0-7, @theoneanna, @alexakeyloveloki, @dangertoozmanykids101, @bambamwolf87, @nonsensicalobsessions, @j-u-s-t-4, @michelegurl, @tinchentitri

#mrs-captain-evans writing challenge #mce writing challenge #loki fanfiction #loki fanfic #loki x original female character

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thebifrostgiant · 5 years

Text

If You Know Where to Look - Part 20 (2/2)

Summary: in which something unexpected is found. A fire burns

Part 1 / Previous

Read on Ao3

Word Count: 3,166

Rating: T

Pairing: Loki/Reader

Chapter 20: ... If You Know Where to Look (cont.)

The next day, you go to the ash alone. The crunch of snow is loud when all else is quiet. Even the stream has ceased its gurgling, frozen over and still, set to remain that way until spring thaws the world once more.

The tree’s boughs are all but barren now, a few fire-golden leaves still trembling in the air. The trunk is coated in frost that’s as delicate as lace and crackles beneath your touch.

As you stand there, though, the forest comes alive, and there’s the scrabble of tiny paws as squirrels search for the last of the season’s nuts and seeds, the flash of wings as winter birds in shades of reds and blues alight on branches, the resonant chirps of chickadees. It makes you smile, makes you realize that you’ve actually come to like this curious little corner of the planet, cold and all.

[[MORE]]

Your smile falters as you think about Asgard, however, how much you want to go home. You’ve spent too much time on Midgard already, time in which anything could have happened with Thor, with Ülle. With your family, thinking you dead once more. The entire kingdom thinking Loki dead. Are they mourning him? You have no way to know.

This time, the fire comes readily, fast and flagrant, and you lean your face away, surprised at its ardency. The blaze in your hands is much stronger than a mere flicker, a rolling, sweltering ball of flame that you can feel against your skin, feel the heat of it, hot enough to singe, and yet you remain unharmed.

You stare at it a long moment, letting it burn, watching to see if it will quiet down or fade, if it will wither with nothing to feed it. It doesn’t, a steady force ever smoldering. You tip it into one palm, and then the other, back and forth like pouring liquid flame. It follows your movements, your control. You have power over it, and it’s a heady feeling. You could touch it against the tree trunk, burning through the wood, licking at bark and branches and leaping from tree to tree, farther and faster, until the whole forest was awash with it. You could let it all burn. But you don’t.

If only Loki were here to see it, you think, watching the way the heat distorts the world above the fire. You sigh, and let the light go out.

***

Loki is just stepping out of the bathroom, warm from his shower, his hair dripping over his shoulders at the ends when he hears the main door swing open and click shut.

“I did it again.”

He turns his head to see the bright pink skin of the palms she holds up, close to being blistered. There’s something of elation in her face, the rush of success, but it’s subdued, hesitant.

He tips his head, trying to arrange the thoughts in his head so they line up, fit together.

“How did you manage it? What were you thinking of when it happened, this time and the last?”

“Why, fire of course,” she says, tone belying the almost sly glimmer in her eyes. Her grin has a sharp tilt to it, more than a little amused. “Same as I’ve always thought. I don’t know what made it different this time.”

But Loki thinks he does.

“Because I wasn’t there.” It’s not a possibility he cares for, but his opinion never was what determined the outcome ultimately. And all this time, that has been the one thing consistently holding her back.

“What? I don’t think that’s...” She pauses, blinks. “Oh. You think that what they did to you is affecting me as well? By proximity?” And it’s her turn to tip her head, curious, lip bitten slightly in thought.

“Or perhaps my presence is a hindrance.”

“Of course not,” she says, quickly and artless in a way that speaks of easy honesty. “I’d rather you be there so I could show you.” It warms him, more than he’d have expected, to hear her forthright support. She turns an assessing gaze upon him, wondering. “What exactly did they do that it would impact my ability to use magic?”

Loki shrugs, graceless and apologetic, because he cannot say any more than she can.

“Something to suppress or block magical energy, but the method of it, the exact function, I do not know.”

She crosses the room to sit beside him on his bed, tucking feet covered with thick socks under herself.

“That puts us in a rather difficult situation,” she mutters dryly. An understatement. “Any next step we could take, to try to find a way home, try to go back to Asgard, and you can’t even show me, because that would just be too easy.”

Loki can’t help it. He laughs. Quiet, restrained snickers grow, become loud and free, and she drops her jaw at him in incredulity, eyes flashing.

“I’m serious!”

But now that he’s started he can’t stop, not with that baffled, indignant look turned upon him. It’s not, it’s not funny, not really, but he doesn’t really know what else to do. She’s right, there’s no easy way forward, no path to be seen, but...

“We are so fucked,” Loki curses, in that moment wholly unrefined and not caring in the least that he’s not acting like a proper prince, like a gentleman of any kind.

But she laughs. She laughs, and the sound of it is the only thing wonderful that he’s heard since the discussion began.

***

They take breakfast back to their rooms, picking at sweetened, flaky bread and bits of fruits from their plates and warming their backs in front of the heater, which has once again resumed its clicking.

“Is it possible there’s something else that’s influencing this? Is there some other factor that’s been in every circumstance that I’ve been unable to conjure fire, that hasn’t been there when I have? Besides you? What if... what if we’ve gotten it wrong? What if it’s the weather, or the cycle of the moon?”

Loki sips hit coffee as he considers it. It wasn’t as if they didn’t both have the tendency to assume the worst, he thinks with a grimace that has nothing to do with the bitter drink. But it was, by far, the most likely scenario that whatever spell or whatnot that had been used on him had a delineated range.

“The moon should be at its fullest tonight, which could make your power stronger,” he says tentatively, but doesn’t mask his skepticism. The waxing of the moon might have an impact on her ability to use magic, aiding her recent successes, but it is not enough of a constituent to be hopeful about.

“So,” she says, adjusting her quilt so it’s tighter around her shoulders. “If I try again this evening, when you are with me, we would find out which it is?”

Loki nods.

***

The wind is cold and swift, twitching through the tops of the trees and against your skin as if on some shuddering, chilly race. The branches clack in rhythm, and loose snow swirls around your feet and the grey trunks all around. The sky, though clear, is cheerless and impassive, with the sun of Midgard well on its way toward setting, low in the sky like a yellow eye.

It certainly feels like the sort of day where magical potency would be augmented, be it in storm or rivers of ice, in fire or in your own soul. Though the trees are slumbering with winter, there is a restlessness to them, as though in anticipation. It’s a wonder you hadn’t felt it until Loki had pointed it out, this ascension of power, the buildup. Or perhaps you had felt it, just without conscious realization. The world, despite settling into itself for the long quietude and dormancy of wintertime, has seemed more alive to you these last days. This, perhaps, is why.

It is not exactly hope that you are feeling, because you do not truly expect this to work, or won’t allow yourself to, but... there is more than a mere chill in the air, and you cannot prevent yourself from feeling it, that foreboding, the idea that something is stirring. Within you, or without, you will soon know.

You huddle near the ash tree, sheltered slightly by the arc of tree trunks that surround it and by Loki’s silent presence. With numb fingers, you touch its bark, almost feeling its heart, its flow of magic within.

You swallow tightly, and wring your eyes shut before you can hesitate, because despite yourself, you do, so badly, want to hold the fire in your hands once more right now, to know that you do have a chance to find your way home, that all is not futile and bleak.

Your fingers shake with cold, but your hands are steady before you, your breathing even and deep, setting icy air in your lungs. Warmth.

You think of fire, of lightning, of smoke and embers and all that lies between, of heat and life and desolation, intensity and unbound chaos, and Loki, and everything you’ve been trying for all along.

You don’t open your eyes. You don’t have to. You know, with a vivid certainty, that if you open them, there will be nothing to see.

More than anything, the disappointment makes you angry, and your finger curl into fists that quiver, and then unfold to cover your face as you rest it in your hands. You realize, distantly, that you’re taking this way harder than you should be, that you’ve not lost anything further, that you had no worse a hope. That, at least, now you know. But it doesn’t make the sting of it any less sharp.

You hear a sudden inhale beside you, and you look up, and see that Loki is taking this just as hard. His face, normally so indurate and brave, now trembles like a leaf in the wind. Without a further thought, you turn to him and bury your face in his chest, needing comfort as well as giving it.

“I’m sorry,” you say, “I’m so sorry,” over and over, because it’s all you can think to say, because there isn’t much else.

Loki wraps his arms around you and just holds you, his chin against your head and the scrape of wool against your cheek, the clean scent of grass and clover and the feeling of Loki’s breath in your hair soothing you until you can breathe again. At least you are not alone. Things are not quite so bad if you have Loki with you in the thick of it, through it all. And it doesn’t matter how cold it is, because Loki is warm, and here, and it is enough.

***

You stare out the window, at the moon, bright and silver in the deep night sky, perfectly round. It offers no answers to all your questions, how and why and what now?

“I don’t know what else to do,” Loki admits quietly.

You turn around, finding his eyes with your own, helpless and lost as well.

“I don’t either.”

You press your lips together, feeling tense and miserable. Loki takes a step toward you.

“We’ll figure something out, In-Hvas-“ he cuts off abruptly, looking frustrated with himself, and his eyes fall away. “Sorry.”

“It’s alright, Loki,” you say gently, not at all in the mood to hold a grudge or entice a fight. “I don’t hate it, not when I’m starting to think that you mean it fondly.” Your lips curve up just slightly, amused. But it doesn’t last. “I just... I don’t like being reminded of something so ugly.” The last part comes out as a whisper, hardly daring to say it aloud for fear of the inevitable accompanying pang of surprisingly raw hurt. Your hand reaches up without permission to cover the mar.

“It’s not ugly,” Loki says, a simple declaration that only makes you frown at him, baffled. Would he lie, now, after everything, knowing how deep the wound resides in you?

But he doesn’t sound like he is lying, and that makes even less sense.

“It is,” you say, because it is. “I am.”

“Oh no. You are,” he smiles softly, “the flower as well as the thorn.”

His eyes reflect the low lamp light, and there’s no trace of a lie in them, none at all. But...

“I don’t understand. How could-“ Your throat feels tight. “Nobody would want someone who looks like this.” You pull your hand away almost viciously, barring the scar.

“That is not true,” he says fiercely.

“What do you mean?”

For a moment, he seems to be fighting some sort of internal battle, conflict on his face. But then he steps closer until you can feel the heat of his body.

“I do,” he whispers. “I want you.”

Startled, you look up at him, silently begging him not to lie.

“W-what?”

“You,” he repeats, reaching up to gently caress the length of the scar on your face, and you feel it, can feel almost nothing else. He tips your chin up with his fingers, leaning his forehead against your own and shutting his eyes for a moment to ask, “Is it truly so hard to believe?”

His eyes search yours, his sole point of focus, fervent and vulnerable and so very earnest.

And you find that no, perhaps it isn’t, not when he’s holding you so sweetly, when his breath against your skin mingles with your own, and the pleading note in his voice begs to be listened to. And, you think, you would believe anything he says when he looks at you like that.

“Loki,” you breathe, a request and invitation and a thousand other things. He moves closer, head tilted down, but hesitates just before reaching you, as if unsure. But there is nothing to be unsure of, not now. “Loki.”

You kiss him, because you want him too. His lips against your own are soft, and warm, his mouth that has given countless lies and the bitterest of insults now nothing but sweet. You close your eyes and lean into it, the warmth and tenderness, Loki’s nose brushing yours, his hands touching your face, your back, your own coming up around his shoulders. So much else for now is so wrong, but this... this cannot be anything other than right. Wholly, entirely, completely right.

Eventually, you part, and take the time to look at him for a while, just to see his small but thrilled smile, the curve of the lips that you now know the taste of.

You cannot hold back a smile of your own, nor do you want to, not when you’re so very happy.

Loki’s face is a little flushed, eyes bright, and by far the most lovely thing you have seen. Feeling bold, you run your fingers up his neck, into the downy-soft hair at his nape, stroking lightly. He tightens his hold, and you lean into him, letting your forehead rest against his cheek.

Your fingers brush against something small and solid, and you pull back with a frown.

For a moment, Loki looks stricken, and you’re quick to press a kiss to his jaw, laughing a little.

“No,” you say reassuringly, “I just... I think there’s something in your hair.”

His brow furrows, as confused as you are — and you would never tell him so, but it’s cute — and he leans his head down so you can part the strands with both hands, combing through to pick out the little piece of something or other that he must have picked up while you were in the woods earlier. You catch it and prise it free, trying not to tug too hard on Loki’s hair.

You hold it out under the light of the lamp, squinting at what at first looks like a seed of some kind. But you look closer, and it becomes clear it’s not a seed at all, but a bead of sorts, lucent as glass with a tiny hole through the center. It’s dark enough to be disguised among Loki’s hair, and you jerk your head up at once, looking at Loki with mingled dread and excitement.

Loki blinks, and then blinks again, like he’s trying to clear his head, and you’ve seen him do that before. It makes sense now.

“Loki,” you whisper, low and urgent, and he comes near to look at the little periapt in your palm. “I think,” and you hardly dare to hope, but you remember Bǫlverkr’s pouch, his words. Bestow it upon him. “I think this is what we’ve been looking for.”

Loki stares at you for a moment, intense and shocked, and then reaches for the bead to examine it. He stops before touching it and pulls his hand back.

“Maybe you should put it down,” he says, not taking his eyes off it, but the worry in his voice is enough to make you tip it onto the table at once.

“Do you think it would hurt me?” you ask.

“I don’t know what it might do,” he says. “Besides the obvious. But it contains strong magic indeed to suppress mine so utterly, and yours besides. This didn’t come from Asgard.”

“Alfheim?” That would explain Lyngvir’s involvement.

“Perhaps.” Loki’s thinking the same as you.

“What do we do with it? I don’t think it’s wise to just get rid of it.”

“No. It doesn’t seem to be targeted, just a general suppression of magical energy, which means that anywhere we might leave it would experience some nasty effects.”

“And it’s evidence,” you say, because adding credence to your story would only be a benefit to you and Loki, to prove who had done it and have them subjected to the justice they deserve.

“It is that as well,” Loki says, grinning at you in the way he does when you’ve said something clever, appreciative and decidedly fond.

“I don’t know how we’re going to negate the power of it if it’s effectively negating your ability to do so.”

“We might not have to.” He’s still grinning, gaining excitement and hope as he works through it. “We should be able to find what’s necessary to, ironically, suppress its power. With any luck, it shouldn’t even be particularly hard. The book I was reading a while back, the one about runes and potions, had quite the helpful list of plants available on Midgard and their more useful properties. It should tell us everything we need.”

Had it really been that easy all along, you wonder, because everything you’d done, all you’d tried and failed has come to this, and it’s almost too much to hope for this to be it, finally, almost too much to believe.

“Loki,” you say, wonderingly, staring at him and laughing a little, because you’re starting to believe it. “Oh, Loki, we’re going home.”

__________________________________________

*Tag List*

@steve-rogcrs @ps-ghost @ha-tep @professionalphangirluniverse @whosaidididthat

#loki fic #loki fanfic #loki/reader #loki/you #loki x reader #loki x you #loki odinson x reader #loki odinson x you #loki laufeyson x reader #loki laufeyson x you #loki imagine #loki fandom #loki #if you know where to look #bifrostgiant writes

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iblue-kitzune · 5 years

Text

Of Rising Calamities Beyond the Cosmos: Chapter 5

Darkness was the first thing Jane noticed when coming to, and as soon as her vision cleared up, a patch of blue, white, yellow, and purple colors—all in different shades, entered the field and released a flash of light that lit up the area. It was so bright that it temporarily blinded the young woman.

“Aaaaah!” she ducked her head, with her eyes shut closed, and hid behind the curtain of her long dark brown hair.

“You can open your eyes now, Jane...”

At the sound of a familiar voice speaking to her, the astrophysicist raised her head back up and opened her eyes. The second she did, however, a glint of a shiny object quickly shot past her. But as quick as it happened, the young woman still managed to catch the unknown object —which turned out to be a shooting star— with her keen eyes as it flew into the far distance.

Then to her surprise, the star gave off one final flash before it exploded into a ball of pretty colors that reminded her rainbow fireworks.

‘...Oh...my...god...’

A burst of euphoria swelled up inside of her, and the feeling nearly consumed her whole as she slowly looked around the area with wide eyes, taking in the beautiful cosmic sky that was filled to the brim with many stars of different sizes, colorful streams of light that buzzed with energy, planets, and galaxies.

It was a sight that left her speechless.

And it was a sight that nearly reduced her to tears.

“What is this place...?” she asked, reaching out with tentative fingers to touch a nearby floating star. “Is...is this my...mind?” a child-like smile grew on her face when the star moved, and this encouraged her to find more to touch.

“It is,” the same voice that Jane heard earlier answered her.

Drops of red liquid appeared ten feet away from her, forming a puddle on the ground until it grew and took the shape of a floating ball with beady little black eyes.

“Aether...” Jane said, nodding at the strange red blob. “I can’t believe this is my mind. It looks so...bright and beautiful now,” she mumbled, poking curiously at a cluster of stars that flew by.

The Aether closed her eyes in an upside down smile. “That is because you’ve never allowed your mind, your imagination to go wild. Be free...until now,” she explained to the woman. “When you limit yourself and your mind, you limit your imagination. Your growth. Your understanding.”

Jane stopped playing with the stars, and just held them in her arms as she turned to the Aether. “Is that why things became a bit clearer to me when you entered my life, and as sad as this sounds, possessed me and showed me that there is more to this universe? More than what I’d thought before?” she asked.

“Yes. Then I left the rest up to you. All you needed in the beginning was a little...push...and maybe a little bit of encouragement too.”

Jane sweat-dropped at the Infinity Stone’s cheeky response.

‘It was a lot more than that and a “push” but whatever.’

“Do you know why you are here?”

Jane frowned as she released the star cluster, letting them float away from her, and crossed her arms across her chest. “No...” she answered hesitantly, as if she was unsure of her answer. “Wait a minute...” she bit her lip and thought about it more.

“Have you figured it out now?”

“I passed out...” Jane looked up and stared at the red blob. “But I don’t think it was just from mana exhaustion alone. I feel as if something else happened...” she turned away and looked down at her hands and arms, picking out the goosebumps forming along her skin. “Something that slipped by me unseen...” an image of her, Kagome, and Inferno finishing up a battle with a group of elemental monsters hit her, and from there, she noticed the Jane in the flashback mindlessly wipe a purple mark away from the gash on her arm as it closed up from Healer.

‘Hmm...’ the Aether said, taking note of the realization in the woman’s golden brown-amber eyes. ‘Looks she figured it out.’

“Oh...!” Jane said with a sudden intake of breath. “Stupid me! How could I have not noticed that earli—Cold!” she suddenly exclaimed with a shiver and quickly wrapped her arms around herself. “S-So...cold. Why is it s-s-so c-cold?” her teeth chattered as she mumbled to herself in a miserable voice, ‘I do not like this...I wish I was warm...’ and closed her eyes.

“The poison seems to be taking a greater effect on you now,” Jane heard movement then felt a pulse of energy go off. “And with you being a fire user, you start to get cold if you’re sick, not hot like everyone else.”

Before the half-spirit could open her mouth, the feeling of a warm feathery body wrapped around her, and she jumped in shock with a sharp gasp. The young woman opened her eyes, “Aether...” and looked up. “You changed,” she stated in quiet wonder.

Ice blue eyes with a hint of red and surrounded by black sclera clashed with warm golden brown-amber ones.

A giant bird about the size of a house with a golden orange and white body and a blue tipped-black crest that matched her talons and seven fluffy tail feathers sat beside Jane. She looked down at the hybrid woman who looked back up at her in shock.

“You’re a phoenix.”

The Aether nodded. “You wished for warmth, and so, I gave it to you...” she said with a smile. “However, it wasn’t just me alone. Your new friend helped out too.”

A puzzled look crossed the scientist’s face.

With a single flick of her right wing, the Aether threw up a ball of red energy in the air. It exploded in a sea of red particles, and a single image sprung forth from the dust.

In it, Jane saw the outside world, a view of what was happening outside of her unconscious body. And speaking of her body...

“Huh?” she caught a glimpse of a tall man in chains with long silky black hair and rich emerald green eyes sitting next to her body that was apparently cocooned inside of a huge jacket. “Who is that?” she looked at the giant phoenix.

“Take a good look at him. Does he seem familiar to you in a way?”

Pursing her lips, Jane turned back to the image. In it, she saw her body shiver, and she blinked in shock when the man looked over, picked her body off from the ground, placed her in his lip, and wrapped his arms around her in one smooth motion.

“((Two days have come and gone and you still haven’t managed to stay warm on your own in the little amount of time I left you be, Dr. Foster,))” she heard him say with a sigh. “((How did I, a powerful trickster god, managed to get saddled with the duty of looking after a half-midgardian woman while those Poké creatures and Miss Kagome went out to look for some ingredients to make an antidote? If only I had full access to my seidr...))” his voice trailed off quietly.

It was within that moment when the mysterious dark haired man looked down and stared at her, she spotted the damaged muzzle around his mouth.

“No fucking way...” Jane couldn’t believe what she was seeing in the image, but the truth was right there. Staring right at her in the face. “This man—no, god! This god was the griffin all along?! And he had the Tesseract with him too when he fell out of the sky during that strange aurora borealis thunderstorm! That means...” she gasped and placed her hands on the side of her head in complete shock. “That means he came from another universe...a universe different from ours since that’s not the same Tesseract Tony used, along with the five stones, against our enemy last year!” then she calmed down, took another look at the guy, and narrowed her eyes at him. “Now why do I get the suspicious feeling that I’ve seen his face somewhere before? Maybe on TV perhaps?”

The Aether smirked. “Actually...” she gave the half-human astrophysicist a sly smile, making the image disappear with a flick of her wing. “You have, back in Norway in fact, on the news covering New York’s invasion...” then with a flick of her other wing, she summoned forth five other images. “And the two of you actually have a history in other realities...some more imitate than others,” she hummed those last five words to herself.

Though it didn’t matter because Jane still heard her, sensitive hearing and all, and was left confused by her cryptic statement. But that didn’t matter to the woman one bit—it wouldn’t be the first time the Aether tried to trip her up and she knows that this one wouldn’t be the last, so she ignored the phoenix and took a look at each image.

(VISION 1 FROM REALITY #1)

A short five-foot-three human woman was making her way down the long dark hall filled with golden pillars with Sif trailing along behind her.

The two turned the corner and spotted two men. The one on the right was Thor —which sent a small pang of nostalgia and grief through Real Jane just by looking at him in this image. Jeez! Talk about an immediate punch to the heart. It’s too bad that she hadn’t even gotten the chance to get to know the guy, become his friend like the Avengers did in that short time they fought together, or learn more about Asgard from him other than what he already told her in those three days she spent time with in the New Mexico desert— while the one next to him on the left was tall and dark with sparkling emerald green eyes, and had chains locked around his wrists. It was a man that Human Jane immediate recognized on sight, and with a strange glint in her eyes, she lifted her hand and pointed at him. “You’re...”

The man stepped forward and said, “I’m Loki. You may have heard—

She slapped him hard in the face, making Thor in front of her flinch, as if he was the one who got hit instead, and Sif behind her stare at the two in shock. “That was for New York!” Human Jane bit out.

Loki blinked before slowly turning his head and looking down at her with a charming smile. “I like her,” a small laugh escaped from his lips as he looked at Thor and said this.

Human Jane said nothing as she angrily moved a stray piece of her hair behind her and glared at Loki, who sensed her stare and looked back down at her.

The two became lost in their own world as Thor moved out from behind Human Jane and went over to his friend to discuss some plans.

(VISION 2 FROM REALITY #1)

Human Jane closed her eyes when Loki ran over to her side and covered her body with his, protecting the woman from the blast that went off behind them the moment Thor slammed Mjolnir down on top of the Aether.

Seconds later, the two looked up. They stared at each other then at the drops of Aether in its liquid state, floating harmlessly around them, and before they could react, the Aether left their side.

(VISION 3 FROM REALITY #2)

A tired and older-but-young-looking Human Jane was sitting down in her living room and talking to Darcy. She was in the middle of catching up with her best friend, who had been gone for five years due to the snap, and finishing up her third cup of coffee when the doorbell rang.

“That must be the pizza guy,” Human Jane said as she sat her cup down on the coffee table in front of her and got up from the couch. Then she grabbed the correct amount of change she needed out of her wallet and headed towards the front door.

“Hello!” she opened it and smiled. “You sure got here qui—” the smile immediately left her face the moment her eyes landed on the two people standing in her doorway.

“Hello to you too, Jane Foster! You’re looking quite well I see,” Loki smiled down at her.

And as for Thor, who gained a lot of weight and a longer beard since the last time she saw him, he gave her an awkward smile and a wave of his hand.

However, she ignored that, her focus solely stuck on Loki.

“Y-You...you...”

“Yes?” Loki prompted with a grin, his features twisted in amusement.

It was a look Thor knew all too well.

“Loki...don’t—”

“You look a little bit speechless there, Dr. Foster. But don’t you worry, I’m alive and well! If you don’t believe me or trust what your eyes are seeing right now, go on then. Hit me,” he dared the woman. “Unless you’re afraid of hurting your hand a—”

“Loki!” Thor looked at his younger brother in shock. “What are you—” he was cut off again, but by Human Jane this time.

SMACK!

Thor sighed heavily when his brother got punched in the face, and to his dismay, Loki shrugged it off and taunted her...

Again.

Thor immediately stepped back in surprise when the dark haired god grabbed his family jewels in pain and crumbled to ground at Human Jane’s feet.

“Why do you always do this, Brother?” he whispered to himself, shaking his head at Loki’s choking words of “You’re still feisty as ever, lovely Jane!” and at the seething look of anger Human Jane was giving the laughing, moaning god.

(END OF VISION 3)

“What the hell...”

As Jane turned toward the last two images and glanced at them, her mind still whirring and trying to process what she had just seen from the previous ones, a huge blush immediately broke out on her face.

In the fourth vision from reality three, she caught a glimpse of a pair of silhouetted bodies moving around underneath the sheets in a dark blue queen sized bed, which she assumed belonged to this reality Jane. And the half-spirit guessed correctly when she saw Human Jane, her lips locked in battle with Loki’s while he expertly teased the young woman’s body, pinching and stroking her in all the right spots with his long skillful fingers all while thrusting—

“Oh hell no! No, no, no, no, no, no, no, I am not watching that any further! I refuse to!” she looked away, drowning out the moaning and groaning sounds coming from the two lovers who were getting increasingly louder and friskier by the second, and checked out the last image.

In the final vision from reality number four, she spotted a very pregnant Human Jane in her purple colored nightgown and cooking some kind of Italian dish over the stove with Loki coming up behind her. Jane saw the raven haired god wrap his arms around the woman and greet her with a kiss on the cheek. Then to the half-spirit’s complete shock, Human Jane killed the fire and turned around in his embrace, showing off the engagement ring she had on her finger to the world, only to giggle in delight when he kissed her forehead. Seconds later, he pulled back some to gaze down at his pregnant soon-to-be wife lovingly and leaned in. With a beaming smile, the woman all-too happily stood on her tiptoes and eagerly met his waiting lips. Passion soon took over the two, which became evident the moment Human Jane moaned when he broke away and started trailing kisses down the length of her neck, and it quickly turned into lust once Loki reached down between their bodies. With a grin that spelled total mischief, he grabbed the edge of his fiance’s nightgown and slowly lifted the piece of cloth up inch-by-inch—

“Fuck! Noooooo!” Jane cried in denial, turning her head away from the sight and away from the laughing Aether, who made all of the images vanish with a loud pop. “God dammit Aether! Why did you have to show me all of...of...of that shit?! Now those images are never going to go away! They’re gonna be stuck in my head forever because of you!”

Suddenly, she started to feel a bit faint now.

“Well, you did sort of ask...” the Aether pointed out with a proud smile and looked down at the young astrophysicist who was red all over, her face hidden behind the curtain of her dark hair. “And so, I kindly delivered you an answer—well, many answers!” she corrected herself, oblivious to the smoke pouring off of the poor woman in waves.

“Why you mischievous, cheeky little...” Jane trailed off, feeling even worse than she did seconds ago. ‘Oh great, it’s probably the poison working its wonderful magic through me again. Yaaaaay!’ she said sarcastically.

“Hmm...?” the Aether perked up in slight concern at the sight of the flushed woman falling back. “Jane?”

The last thing Jane saw and heard before the cosmic sky around her disappeared and turned pitch black was the worried look in the phoenix’s eyes as she reached out to her.

“Jane!”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Loki tried not to let his worry show as he did his best to tend to Jane.

One minute he was reading a book, that he pulled out from one of his many dimensional pockets, and the next minute, he heard a sharp cry in his lap then felt the rising of heat coming off of Jane.

The sudden change of her temperature nearly burned his hands, and he almost dropped the woman in shock—almost, but he didn’t. So Loki bared through the sting of pain and got to work on removing his jacket off the sweating woman. He paid no attention to the group of five pokemon who walking by in the area, and he sure didn't look up when they stopped in their tracks to watch what he was doing.

As soon as he got the Asgardian jacket off and removed Jane’s own jacket off too, he heard footsteps. Loki raised his head just as he sat her on the ground, and he was about to tell them to go away when a red-orange and grey falcon pokemon with black tipped wings and black-yellow tail feathers flew over and carefully plopped down right on top of Jane. Then a tall red and yellow duck-like pokemon with a flame lit tail sat down right on the other side of Jane —that was not occupied by the god— while a small dark bluish-green ghost-like pokemon with several red gems around its neck hovered above Jane’s chest, right next to the falcon.

Loki took a good look at the three, and realized what they were trying to do.

“((You’re Talonflame, Magmar, and Misdreavus correct?))” he asked, recalling some of the stuff Kagome told him about pokemon yesterday.

The two fire types and ghost type nodded.

“((Fine. Stay and help if you want to, but try not to be so rough on her.))”

The pokemon heard him loud and clear and nodded in understanding. The two fire types went back to absorbing the heat from Jane’s body and taking it into their own while the ghost type closed its red-yellow sclera eyes and released a soothing, glowing blue light that sparkled off its body.

“((What is—))”

“She’s using Heal Bell, which is a healing technique that cures the user or the victim from all status conditions. And that includes poison too,” Talonflame spoke up in a high masculine voice.

“However, none of us have tried healing a half-human before—let alone someone of spirit origin, so we’re not sure if it’s going to work on the girl or not,” Magmar added in a low masculine voice that sounded deep and baritone.

The three sat back and watched the Screech Pokemon heal the woman, taking care not to disturb her work as the light washed over Jane.

“Hmm...” a frown appeared Misdreavus’ face as she opened her eyes, and the light vanished, much to the shock of her two friends.

“It didn’t work?” Talonflame asked.

The ghost pokemon looked at him and Magmar. “It did...for the first five seconds at least,” she said. “Until her...mana —she looked in Loki’s direction for confirmation, who nodded his head, then turned back to the fire types— detected my aura and kicked me out.”

“((It does make sense. Your energy is foreign to her, so it’s possible that her mana views your aura as a threat.))”

The pokemon sighed at the man’s explanation.

“I was afraid of that.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

“What should we do, Miss Celebi? It looks like Misdreavus’ Heal Bell failed,” a silky feminine voice asked.

Celebi, who was a small light green fairy-like pokemon with sky blue eyes surrounded in thick black rings, turned to the other pokemon and gave her a serious look.

“{I want you to find the Lycanroc siblings, Houndoom, Mightyena, Krookodile, Manectric, and Luxray, and take them with you to the city. I have no idea what’s taking Kagome and the others so long, but they should have been back by now. Can you do that, Zoroark?}”

Zoroark, who was a tall grayish-brown fox pokemon with crimson red and black accents and aqua blue eyes that were rimmed red on the sides, nodded her head and turned in the direction where the city was located at.

“Okay, but what about you?” she asked without looking behind her. “What are you going to do?”

The legendary psychic and grass pokemon flew up into the night sky and looked down at the dark type fox.

“{I’m going to look for an old human friend and see I can bring him here to help the girl. I think he just might know what to do!}” Celebi told her before taking off in a flash.

Zoroark waited until the fairy completely disappeared from view before she took off in a blur down the grassy road.

‘An old human friend?’ she repeated, passing by various monsters and spirits who moved out of her way. ‘Is Miss Celebi talking about—’ an image of a middle-aged human with short brown hair, brown eyes, and a clean-looking beard that was shaved down into a goatee flashed through her head as she jumped over a lake. ‘Oh yeah! She’s talking about that human...Tony Stark,’ a smile crawled onto Zoroark’s lips the second she landed on the other side, safely, and continued making her way deeper into the valley.

#lokane #fanfic #chapter five #nsfw-ish #jane foster #half-spirit!jane #loki laufeyson #marvel #mcu #dmc #tox #inuyasha #pokemon #au verse #multiple crossovers #a tale of new beginnings gallery #of rising calamities beyond the cosmos

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lokis-lady-death · 5 years

Text

When Worlds Collide Ch 5

Loki x Reader/ Arthur x Reader

Lady Death: Special shoutout to @maladaptive-ninja-returns who has been under the weather lately. I hope you get to feeling better soon and I hope this extra Loki chapter makes you feel all nice and fuzzy inside <3

Arranged marriages, blood oaths, and kingdoms trying to become united ultimately end up divided. The reader is the princess of Vanaheim and her hand in marriage has been promised to both Loki of Asgard and Arthur of Atlantis. Her choices could ultimately build or destroy the realms.

Prompt, Part 1 , Part 2 , Part 3, Part 4

Chapter 5 Gift Giving

Once you stepped onto the altar, you took your place with Loki on one side of Odin while Frigga and Thor stood on the other. The king of gods took little time to begin his speech with a single tap of his spear onto the marble floor, his voice commanding attention as it boomed through the main hall.

He delivered his words as any other major speech you had heard. Regarding the other realms, thanking their leaders for coming to the palace on such short notice, even making a comment of what a beautiful job Frigga had done on the decorations.

Odin’s words became inaudible as you began looking out amongst the crowd of dignitaries from across the realms. You choked back your overwhelming sense of dread while making yourself stand straight and dignified to match the rest of the royal family.

There was no room for weak nerves.

This is what you had been raised for.

But in all the court functions, dinners and parties you had been dragged to by your uncle, this was the first time you had been so extravagantly displayed before other royals and ambassadors.

Like a living doll.

And this was meant to be your life from now on: constantly watched by all the realms as you ruled over them at Loki’s side.

Your life as the untitled princess of Vanaheim would cease and you would begin your ascent as the future queen of Asgard.

Biting your lips, still unable to concentrate on the king’s words, you peered back out into the crowd. So many unknown faces.

Until your eyes landed on a known one.

King Arthur. You locked onto him without even meaning to, his icy blue eyes piercing into you like a knife through food. You inhaled sharply and quickly darted your eyes away.

There was something about the way he stared at you that sent a shiver up your spine, like he was peeling away layers of you. Not just your clothes, but your flesh, trying to get a glimpse into your very soul.

You had become so entrapped in your own spiral of thoughts you slightly jumped when fingers laced between your own. You barely had to turn to meet Loki’s eyes, his smile easing your mind enough that you were able to swallow your nerves. When you smiled back, his grin widened just before looking back towards his father.

King Odin’s hand swept back towards the two of you and you felt Loki stiffen under the allfather's attention.

“There is something to be said about a union that is able to bring peace to so many,” you heard the king say. “It takes a strong person to put aside their own naivities, their own ambitions, their own sense of self. All so that they may dedicate their lives to the sole purpose of preserving the peace of their people.”

Odin’s eyes fell on you, making you stand just a bit straighter under his watchful eye. But to your surprise, he smiled warmly at you. “Lady y/n. The people of Asgard and Vanaheim know of your sacrifice to be here with us. I and the queen have an intimate knowledge of the insurmountable pressure you must be under in order to see this union through. We thank you and your people for committing to this sacred unification of our kingdoms.”

His eyes landing on Loki next, he went on. “And Prince Loki, my youngest son. You are wise beyond your years, perhaps even more so than my own. I have watched you evolve to be so much more than the trickster of your youth. You have truly become someone worthy of the title King.” Odin surprised everyone, none more so than Loki, when he extended his spear to him. It was a well known powerful tool, forged by Odin’s father and the only weapon known to rival that of Thor's mighty hammer Mojinor. “I can think of none more worthy to be king of all gods. As a token of my admiration to you, my son, I present to you Gungnir. May you treat her with the respect she has earned and to protect all nine realms in the name of Odinson.”

Odin looked back to the crowd but you were drawn towards the look of pure shock on Loki’s face as he admired the staff in his hands.

Clearly he was shocked by the gesture and it took you gently squeezing his fingers to get him to turn his attention back to allfather’s words.

“And to all our people, I have my official announcement. Prince Loki shall be crowned king in the fortnight. Once he has been officially crowned as king, we shall see the kingdoms of Asgard and Vanaheim united by marriage.”

Odin opened his arms out to the crowd, leading them into a joyous uproar.

There was something so dreamlike, so glamorous about it all. The claps. The cries. The glory.

“All hail Prince Loki and Lady y/n.”

Loki's hand stayed on yours until the applause ceased and took care to lead you both away from the alter behind his father, followed by Frigga and Thor, arms linked. You could see something wrong by Thor’s clenched jaw and betrayed eyes.

He didn't seem to like his father’s comments.

Loki, however, was still dazed and in awe of the staff he was given. He above all else knew the powers of such an ancient weapon. He had studied it along with Thor's hammer and other mythical artifacts of power.

This staff in his hand had shifted the tide in the Aesir and Vanir wars, by far one of the most powerful in all of the realms.

And allfather had given it to him.

Loki's grip tightened on you and the staff as he lead you through the ambassadors that tried to speak with the two of you. He was polite but stern as he told the dignitaries, “Yes, thank you, it is such an honor. Yes, it is a magnificent weapon, but we haven't the time to to visit I'm afraid. Yes, I'm truly blessed by our ancestors. Oh, I'm sorry, we must be going.”

It proved effective as you moved passed the guests trying to congratulate you. The two of you were outside the main entrance of the palace in no time.

You couldn't help but marvel at his ability to brush through a crowd.

It wasn't until he couldn't hear any other people around that he finally slowed pace. “Well that was…” he stumbled few a through words before offering, “Surprising.”

Loki let you go to balance a hand on each end of the staff, slowly bringing his hands together to engulf the weapon into a deep green glow. And in an instant, it was gone.

Your eyes widened when Loki swept his hand over himself, displaying a ray of light down his body.

And just like that his armor and helmet were gone as well

You couldn't help but marvel at it all. “I always found magic fascinating.”

He quirked a brow at you. His smile became sly as he let out a short laugh. “If it's a show you're wanting, I'm afraid I only know a few spells. Nothing spectacular.”

“Oh?” You shrugged your shoulders, trying to play coy as you pointed out, “I only ask because your mother had mentioned that she had taught you magic.”

At the mention of Frigga, Loki’s expression softened. “Did she?” he pondered.

You clasped your hands together and arched your chin up to meet his gaze before pressing further. “She also asked me to request you display your gift to me.”

“I see.” Loki seemed to consider this comment before offering you his hand. “I do have something I can show you. If you're up for a little moonlight horseback riding.”

The playful glint in his eye was too enticing to refuse. As soon as your fingers took his, he began leading you back around the side of the palace. There was a clear walkway of cobblestone laid out before you, but Loki pulled you off the path. Instead the two of you followed closely along the palace walls. His step quickened, but not so much you couldn't keep up.

The further he brought you, the faster your heart began to beat, keeping in sync with the mounting excitement. You had never snuck around at night, much less with a man.

And who better to do so with than the god of mischief himself?

You had managed to keep pace when suddenly a set of guards rounded the corner. Loki was quick to lean flush against the wall, curling you up in his arms against his chest, allowing the shadows to swallow the two of you.

His fingers clasped over your mouth as he whispered, “Shhh,” into your ear, his warm breath sending a tickle down into the pit of your stomach.

And you blindly obeyed, fighting back the natural instinct to scream in order to divulge a stronger desire: to be welcomed into the hidden world of the god of mischief.

You wanted to see what he was really like. behind the golden armor, behind the titles.

Who was this future king if gods?

When the guards finally passed, Loki's hand fell from your mouth and you took a deep breath.

His hand was already locked with yours as he pulled you along.

“Not much further, darling.”

“Is there a particular reason as to why we’re sneaking?” you had to ask.

Loki didn't slow down but he did glance over his shoulder so that you saw his smirk plainly, even in the darkness. “I often find even the most innocent acts can prove to be entertaining if you treat them like getting caught would prove troublesome.”

The thought itself sent a wave of exhilaration down to your core. As the stables came into view, you couldn't contain the mounting anticipation.

The stable was opened up with the horses in individual stalls. They were massive beasts, letting out light neighs as they became aware of your presence. Loki took one animal's head and gently stroked down her snout as he calmed it, letting loose soothing shushes. The horse- a hardy chocolate mare- brushed her face against his as she quieted down. The other beasts followed suit and soon everything in the world was silent once again.

“I suppose you're going to need to ride side saddle?”

You looked down to the dress, realizing it wasn't particularly made for horseback riding. “Yes, I suppose you're right.”

He flashed you a grin before taking hold of your hand and bring it up to stroke the horse's mane with him. “This is Kjala. She has a calm temperament and shouldn't mind you riding with me.”

“She's magnificent,” you commented while Loki began collecting her things.

He was quick to dress Kjala while you took in all her majesty. Her coat shined in the starlight while her dark eyes scanned you over as well. You reached out towards her nose, smiling to yourself when she nudged your fingers.

“It's not a chariot or anything particularly fanciful, but it'll do for where we’re going,” Loki commented on his own work. He held out a hand to help you mount.

“Exactly where is it we're going, if you don't mind me asking?”

“As a clue, I'll tell you we have two destinations in the same place.”

“A riddle if I've ever heard one,” you laughed, taking the prince's hand.

As soon as you took hold of him, he effortlessly lifted you into the front of the seat. With what could only be described as flawless elegance, Loki rose up onto the back of saddle, grabbing onto Kjala's braided reins. When he moved, you had to shift yourself into a better position. Without meaning to, your hand landed directly on Loki's inner thigh.

You hadn't even realized it, only making matters worse when you slightly wiggled your hips further back to steady yourself on the beast.

But the prince had noticed. He had choked back a groan, his legs tending under your touch while his fingers dug into the reins.

You were a bit surprised to see his cheers a bit flushed when you looked back up at him. “Are you alright?”

Loki closed his eyes and cleared his throat. “Yes. Quite. Let's get going then.”

As Kjala began to move, your hands landed on either side of her neck trying to stay balanced. “Here, Loki offered as the horse brought you out of the stables, “Hold onto the reins with me.” His face was against yours, his lips at ear level as he gave you instructions. You bit your lip, taking hold of the braid just below his hands.

“Do you feel comfortable with me taking us faster?”

“Yes, by all means,” you said trying to hide the edge in your voice from the collecting urges building up inside of you. The tickle of his breath in your ear was enough to create a delicious sensation, but the feeling of his arms on either side of you, his thigh against yours. It was making you breathless.

Just like that, his heels gave one swift kick to Kjala’s sides and she took off away from the castle. The road went from paved and open to heavily wooded in a matter of minutes. You tried to focus on the sound of her hooves beating into the soft dirt or the crunch of the occasional twigs beneath her weight, but you found it harder and harder to ignore the rising heat inside of you. Loki’s body was pressed firmly against your back, his fingers at some point wrapping around your own on the reins. And his face, so close to yours, his breathing only noticeable as moist warmth against your skin.

Distracted by your own clustering thoughts, you nearly jumped when his grip on you tightened as he pulled in the reins. Kjala came to an abrupt halt. You whipped your head around, trying to see what Loki could possibly be bringing you out there to see.

But it looked like any other part of the woods, cloaked from the light of stars by overgrown ancient trees. The prince dismounted first before reaching up to help you down. His hands latched onto your hips, lowering you to the ground like you weighed nothing. The two of you stood for a long moment like that, his hands on your hips, your hands on his arms. You locked eyes with him and,for the fleetest of seconds, you hoped he would kiss you.

Instead he finally released you, turning back to Kjala. You bit onto your cheeks to push down your own urge and watched him until a bag and lantern from the saddle. With a wave of his hand, the lantern illuminated.

“Just a bit further,” he offered as his hand took yours. The two of you left the horse and began moving through the thickening brush. Every step had your heart beat faster and faster until finally you can to a cave.

“This is destination one,” he told you. “Its just inside that cave.” You must have tightened your hold on him because he passed you a reassuring smile. “Do you trust me, y/n?”

You swallowed before answering, “Yes, I trust you.”

“Excellent, because for this I must request you close your eyes.”

You looked straight into the empty abyss beyond the cave opening: utter and complete darkness. With just a tad of reluctance, you closed your eyes.

You had come too far to stop now.

Loki took hold of your hips again, slowly easing you into the mouth of the cave. Just before you finally stepped through the entrance, you took a deep breath.

You could hear Loki speaking just below a whisper but you couldn't quite make out specifically what he was saying. But you didn't need to understand the words to recognize an incantation.

There was a shift in the air around you, suddenly going from moist and dank in the cave to something fresher, even sweeter. Like flowers.

But what made it so peculiar wasn’t the abrupt change. It was the fact that you recognized the scent.

“Alright,” you finally heard him say as he released you. “Open your eyes.”

You did what you were told, feeling the air leave your chest as everything came into focus. Your head pivoted one way, and then the other. There was no way you were where you thought, it made no sense.

“Are we in…. Vanaheim?”

Loki only smiled at you as you took a few tentative steps around, taking in everything you could.

Instead of woods with broad pine trees and snow capped mountains in the distance, you saw skinny white barked trees scattered around, coated in the tiny white flowers that filled the air. Where the ground was once only dirt, now it spread out in thick, lush grass.

You were home.

“But how?”

“I created a portal.”

You cut a look at him, sure you had misheard him. “A portal? Is that the magic you wanted to show me?” Letting out a short laugh in disbelief, you turned back to the trees. “And you said you knew nothing spectacular.”

A portal was no small feat, and you were more than impressed. Still in a daze at what he had done, you nearly missed the sound of a bird singing from one of the upper branches.

When you stopped moving to try and place the sound, Loki took your hand. “Now that, that is your surprise.” The two of you walked over to the tree you could hear the music coming from, moving slow so as not to scare it.

You covered your mouth to silence your gasp, feeling tears begin to swell in your eyes. There, hidden behind the leaves and flowers, was a bird with a small red body and long green tail, it’s feathers curling upwards so much so it looked more like fluff.

“She looks just like my Valkyrie,” you breathed out. “She’s beautiful….”

But while you were staring at the bird, Loki was watching you. “Yes she is,” he agreed, never letting his eyes leave you. “Absolutely beautiful.”

A few more birds came along and all of them went out into the sky, singing their song into the night, dancing on wings through the wind like a practiced ballet just for you to watch. One of the birds even came down just barely out of arm's reach.

“I had no idea they were here,” you realized, looking around. “We must me miles away from the closest village.” Because unlike in Asgard where everyone lived in the city, Vanaheim was much more rural with small towns spread out through the realm.

“They’re called aste gimstein which, if I’m not completely butchering the translation, means love jewels. They live in small families like this in remote areas. They don’t know any natural predators out here so they’re relatively trusting.” Loki held a hand out an let out a high pitched, sing-song whistle to the bird that watched you both. Your eyes widened as the little ball of fluff perched neatly on his finger.

You smiled, watching him inch the bird closer and closer to himself before turned to meet your gaze. “Your painting certainly is on the mark, y/n. Truly they are as magnificent as you made them out to be.”

“You did all of this,” you marvelled as you tentatively pet the bird. “You created a portal and found these birds, all because of a painting?”

“All thanks to that painting, I would say. I had Heimdall the gatekeeper of the Bifrost locate where a family lived and managed to get my hands on a few ornithology books before finally finding what species they were.”

“And you did all of that since this morning by the lake?” The bird’s little head twitched one way and then another before hopping over to your hand, beginning to sing it’s song again. “Loki… I don’t even know what to say to this.”

“After you told me the story, I was curious to know more about the birds. You see, I’m a procurer of knowledge. I appreciate a good understanding of the world around us. Or in some cases, the people around us.” Your eyes looked up to meet his, eyes cut over to you, catching you looking at him. You didn’t turn away, instead listening intently when he went on. “And lately I find myself wanting more and more to understand you, y/n. But there’s not books about you. No stories. I only have you to learn from.”

The bird hopped off your hand and his fingers intertwined with yours while he took a step closer to you. “I truly believe that if I understand you- and you me- we could do some real good for the realms. For our people. Together.”

“Loki, I…” you spoke, barely above a whisper.

Loki’s lips lightly brushed over yours, sending a jolt through your body that seemed to put ever nerve on edge. He pulled his face back while bringing his hands up to lace through your hair, cradling your face as his eyes scanned over yours.

“I created this portal to go anywhere in Vanaheim you want to visit. Consider it another gift for giving me the honor of making you my wife. And my queen.”

At that, you couldn’t restrain yourself. You wrapped your arms around his shoulders and brought him down as you lifted yourself on your tiptoes to close the gap between you and crashed into his mouth. The pent up need filling you all night was boiling over so much you thought you might explode.

Loki had been mindful all night of how he approached you in front of the dignitaries, respecting boundaries that were laid out by social standard and showing nothing but the utmost respect for you the entire time. He had managed all night to keep his hands off of you but now that no one else was around, holding back was becoming harder and harder.

He pressed your back against the tree, sliding you up to where you were eye level as his tongue swept across your lips to beg for entrance. Your mouth took him in and the two of you became so intertwined you couldn’t feel where one began and the other ended. You pulled up the length of your dress, moving it so that your legs could wrap around his hips and pin you both together.

The sensation of your bare legs clenching around Loki was enough to cause a low growl from the back of his throat. You had never heard such a decadent, animalistic sound.

It sent a shiver straight up your spine, escaping your lips in a soft moan that only pushed him further. His hands moved down to your skirt so as to dig his fingers into the meat of your thighs as his hips grinded into yours.

You were so engrossed in one another that you didn’t notice the rainbow of light coming down around you. The sound of birds dispersing from the trees and a soft buzzing emanating from the light made you both pause, but not fast enough to be ready for the vacuum suction of the light. You were pulled away from the tree- away from Vanaheim- into the colors through space.

“What’s happening?” you yelled as Loki kept his grip on you.

“It’s the Bifrost,” he explained, breathless and agitated. “It would seem someone from Asgard is looking for us.”

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helplesslyfictional · 5 years

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Loki Fanfiction - Remember the Old Ways, Chapter 9 - “Just Hidden”

Author’s Note: I'm aliiiiiiive! That's right, my darling readers, I'm back to update. I hit a creative wall along with a bad stint of depression, only briefly stepping out with a burst of inspiration yesterday. Updating this fanfic is incredibly important to me, so I'll be working hard on another update in a week. However, because my mental health is the most important thing, I'm not going to be pushing myself too hard to meet my (self-given) deadlines. I do hope that you enjoy this. I didn't expect the progression to go quite like this, just like Tolkien didn't expect some of his plot twists until he wrote them. I can't wait to bring the next chapter to you all!

Chapter Summary: Loki's connection to Time strengthens with new visions, exposing painful truths and lies. Pairings: None! These stories are focused on family relationships.

What characters, then? Loki, Thor, Odin, Frigga, OCs [Sophia] [Forsetti], Heimdall

When? Pre-Thor 2011: From Asgard to Earth, will go through Thor 2011 Chapter Warnings: Mature themes, non-specific descriptions of battlefield and explosions, emotional trauma, anxiety

Taglist: @loki-the-fox; @i-am-loki-and-now-i-speak-up; @trickster-grrrl; @deviantredhead; @mylokabrennauniverse; @leanmeanand-green; @juliabohemian; @latent-thoughts; @lucianalight; @nox-th-lk-sf; @be-a-snake-stab-your-brother; @myart-reviews Please let me know if you would like to be added/removed from tags and I’m more than happy to do so!

AO3 story link; Wattpad; Promo/Master Post (please share if you like the fic!)

tumblr: Chapter 1 / Chapter 2 / Chapter 3 / Chapter 4 / Chapter 5 / Chapter 6 /Chapter 7 / Chapter 8

“Loki.”

Loki’s eyes fluttered open as he tried to wake up.

“Loki?”

A woman’s voice - was it Mother?

Then his memories rushed back, putting the voice in its place. Sophia. Turning over, he saw her shadowed figure next to his bed. “What is it?” he asked, squinting a little bit as his eyes adjusted to the light.

“You said if I was overwhelmed to let you know,” she said softly.

Ah, right. Given that she hadn’t come back before he went to bed, he’d almost forgotten. “What can I do to help?” He didn’t want to suggest anything that might be taken the wrong way - her comfort was of paramount importance right now after she’d summoned that memory.

Sophia really shouldn’t have done that, but, in her defense, he was careless at times with experimentation. It was the joy of the unknown, the unexpected, that made such methodology exciting. Even with this new relationship, this new person, he was exploring, watching, learning, and reacting. It was thrilling after the stagnant air of palace life.

She moved a little, the moonlight revealing her face. “I’m not sure what you can do - I suppose even just being with you makes me feel less alone. More safe. But I have to sleep, or I’ll feel worse in the morning.”

“I’ll come to you,” Loki said slowly, stretching, “and keep you company until you fall asleep.”

She nodded, and he closed his eyes to focus on her bedroom. When he opened his eyes again, he had to steady himself against a bedpost. It was disorienting to go from sitting to standing so suddenly. Sophia was clutching her blankets around her, her form diminutive in comparison to to the size of her bed.

He thought briefly about commenting on the awkwardness of the situation, then decided against it. Carefully, unsure of how this form would interact with its surface, he sat on the bed, crossing his legs.

Sophia shifted to lie down, looking up at him. “Thank you,” she said softly. “This means a lot to me.”

“You’re welcome,” he responded. Though he was tired, the few hours he had gotten were more than enough to last him for a while. He’d already woken up once that night with a nightmare about his demise, so he didn’t mind being awake for the rest of the day. Though in some ways Thor’s vision assured him he’d live for eight years, the irrational part of him somehow feared he would die in his sleep.

Sophia closed her eyes, but after a few moments she frowned and opened her eyes. A deep-seated fear was coming from within her. Pursing her lips, her hazel eyes met his gaze. “Please - I hate to ask, but could you stay after I fall asleep? I just...I don’t know…” Her voice trailed off as she squeezed her eyes shut. “It’s silly, I’m sorry.”

Loki understood too well. In many ways, he didn’t want to be alone at present either. “I’ll stay,” he said softly. “I won’t leave until you ask, if that’s what you want.”

Tears welled up in Sophia’s eyes as he felt her overwhelming relief. Reaching out, he took her hand and squeezed it.

It was what he’d want if he was in the same position.

She gave him a smile, relaxing as her eyes fluttered closed. A few more tears came, a sniffle, and then her breathing deepened as she started to fall asleep.

Leaning back, Loki surveyed the room, which was quite dark with no windows. Then, not wanting to disturb her, he worked on the thought exercises his mother had taught him to hone his mind for magic. He didn’t particularly like to do them, but it would help pass the time.

At one point, Sophia’s breathing quickened and she stirred. Undoubtedly she was dreaming. It seemed to be a nightmare, however, as she began twitching, her breath becoming rapid. Loki reached out and put his hand in hers. Images flashed through his mind, snapshots of buildings crumbling, the earth rending apart. Despite the feelings that came with them, he continued to hold her hand, wishing her peace.

After a few moments, her fingers tightened around his, her muscles relaxing.

As the light underneath her door began to grow brighter, he heard the sound of footfalls upstairs. After a particularly sharp noise, Sophia stirred, opening her eyes, then glancing up at him.

“Oh my god,” she said, “You stayed.”

“Of course.”

She propped herself up on her elbows. “Thank you, Loki. I slept better, I think.”

Loki briefly thought about asking about her nightmare, but decided against it. Let her focus on her pleasure at his presence instead of the darkness.

“Don’t you need sleep?” she asked. “You don’t seem tired.”

“We only really need sleep to refresh our energies, not as a biological necessity,” he said, straightening, stretching his neck. “As a result, if we aren’t doing much, we can go longer without it if necessary.”

“Lucky you, I’m jealous,” Sophia said with a smile. “I should let you go, though. I’ve taken far too much of your attention.”

Loki searched her eyes. Her smile was genuine, her heart warm. “Very well,” he said, “but if you need me…”

“I know where you are,” she finished. “Thank you, again.” She blushed and laughed. “This is more than anyone’s done for me.”

Loki smiled in response, her warmth infectious. “You’re welcome,” he said, “and no need to be so polite. We might be family, after all.” With a wink, he returned to Asgard.

Afterwards, Loki attempted to return to a normal routine. But as he rushed to get out of the palace to an academic graduation, he passed a feasting hall and heard his father’s strident voice pealing out. “Are you nearly finished?!”

The muscles around his heart clenched as he halted in place, a childish panic growing in his mind. Was Odin speaking to him?

“I’m trying, Odin, just a few moments more!” It was his mother. Her voice was filled with fear and tension.

Something was wrong. Loki rushed into the hall, looking around sharply. It was pillared, less decorated than other spaces, but currently filled with a golden banquet table and flowers.

There was no one in sight. What was going on?

Perhaps they were around the corner. Quickly, he strode toward the other end of the ballroom.

“Are you nearly finished?!” It was Odin’s voice again, exactly the same as before. Loki’s eyes darted around the room as he flexed his hands nervously, preparing to cast his magic if needed. Was this a recording of some kind? Was someone playing a trick on him?

As he stepped forward, a sudden blast sent him backwards, hitting the floor hard. His instincts helped him roll with the momentum; he leapt to his feet to see the other end of the hall smoking. A guard was standing in front of his father as they were attacked by some humanoid in armor. Odin lifted Gungnir and felled the enemy with a blast before turning in Loki’s direction. “Frigga, hurry!”

“I’m trying, Odin, just a few moments more!” Mother’s voice came from behind him.

Loki pivoted to see his mother kneeling before a magical circle, her hands out and wreathed in her signature silver magical energy. Runes swirled in front of her as he heard her murmuring underneath her breath. He recognized a binding spell, but didn’t know the technique she was using. Stepping closer, he looked to see what it was she was binding.

A pile of golden cloth lay on the floor inside the circle, and he gasped as his eyes fell on a baby. Its eyes were open, its small limbs flailing, but it wasn’t crying despite the chaos.

A blink, and they were gone. Breathing fast, Loki looked around the room once more to find it as still as when he first entered.

A vision, his mind told him, even though his heart beat fast from the shock. A vision of the past, like when he was in the Seer’s chambers. What was the meaning of it?

And when had the palace been attacked?

Loki pursed his lips, conflicted about whether to continue on to the graduation as his mind worked quickly to understand what he’d seen. His common sense won out, so he left the ballroom and continued onwards, departing the palace and walking out into the streets.

He couldn’t help but scan his surroundings, looking for hazards. The blast had set him on edge, so that the back of his mind was screaming about danger despite the peaceful streets. A light glinting off a horse’s bridle, a sudden laugh, or the movement of a child’s ball made his muscles tense.

Arriving late to the graduation, Loki stayed as long as was polite before his return home. This time he took a more quiet route, preferring not to be as stimulated by the crowds of the main thoroughfares.

Loki was still disturbed by what he’d seen. There’d been no warning, no slow connection to Time as he’d felt the first time he’d had a vision. Perhaps he’d missed it in his fear upon hearing his father’s voice.

When in the past had this happened? Somehow intruders had made it deep into the palace - his father was telling Frigga to hurry as though something needed to happen. As though he was concerned whether or not they would make it.

And who was the child? Was it Thor?

Loki’s thought were interrupted by a growing prickling feeling in the back of his mind. Oh, no. No, no, this was not a good time for another -

In a moment, the street around him was transformed into one covered in ash and rubble. Einharjar ran, scattered, between buildings. Some turned to fight enemies in bronzed armor as they came upon one another. The sky-shroud was obscured with smoke billowing up from smoldering fires. Looking up, Loki saw ships of an unknown design bombarding the palace shields.

“Come on, men!” Loki turned to follow the sound of the commanding voice. A sergeant of the guard waved his men forward - a small group of four, haggard and bleeding. There was a cry - “Incoming!” - and the group ducked as the building beside them exploded, scattering stones in every direction. Loki shielded himself magically, but a stone that was headed toward him passed through harmlessly.

As the dust began to clear, one of the guards stood up, then began digging in the rubble frantically. “Sir! Sir! Can you hear me?”

Loki’s eyes widened. He knew that voice. He knew it, where did he know it from?

“Sir! No - no!”

It came to him. Loki walked closer, squinting his eyes for visual confirmation. Yes. It was Lord Forsetti, albeit much younger. He was removing debris to find his squadron, gasping in despair as he found each one dead. Forsetti bowed his head, touching his forehead to those of his squad members, murmuring the traditional words, “I bid you take your place in the halls of Valhalla…”

Forsetti looked up suddenly, and Loki turned to see one of the humanoids in armor, close enough now for him to get a good look.

Whatever type of being could get this far into Asgard must be powerful. It was clear this warrior fit that description. Its countenance was fair and comely, with long hair unbound shrouding pointed ears. Its armor was intricately wrought and well-fitted, shining despite the grime. In its hand was a curved sword, gleaming in the firelight. Its eyes, however, were cold and calculating.

It had seen Forsetti, who had frozen, eyes wide as his hands were covered in the blood of his comrades. It seemed to regard the young lord, then decide he wasn’t worth the time, turning to walk quietly down the street.

The first thought that sprang to Loki’s mind, against his better nature, was “coward.” Any Asgardian would have attacked the enemy on sight; Forsetti had frozen instead. If anyone had seen him, he’d be flogged, if not executed - regardless of his nobility. Shaking his head, though, Loki saw the fear and grief in Forsetti’s eyes. Turning to look at the rest of Asgard, Loki saw his home smoldering and bare under attack; the same fear and grief threatened to overtake him as well.

Closing his eyes, a tear escaping, Loki wished for the past to disappear. Please, he pleaded silently with the universe, please, I don’t want to See anymore.

The sounds of battle around him diminished, and when he opened his eyes, he was in the present once more. Now that he’d seen the street demolished, Loki looked at things more carefully. Some of the buildings were indeed constructed of newer materials, while others had a shift in the color of the stone, indicating the usage of a different quarry. The scars of this conflict were still present, just hidden.

Just hidden.

He needed to know what happened. If Forsetti had been present, this...invasion had to have occured within his lifetime, not before. Quickening his steps, it wasn’t long before Loki was standing before his favorite location to use an informational beacon. It was out of the way, almost hidden, rather than some of the more public locations, such as those in the Hall of Sciences.

A quick search revealed nothing. It’d have to be more in-depth, then. If the two visions were connected - which given the armor of the enemies, Loki believed so - then his parents had a baby at the time. That meant it was shortly after Thor’s or his birth. Glancing at a timeline of events, there was no mention of an invasion. At all.

Loki’s heart sank. Another secret, probably. He was making a lot of assumptions, however, so perhaps it wasn’t the case.

But deep down, he felt that it had somehow been concealed. How could damage of the magnitude he’d seen be covered up? If so, where should he look?

Probably Forsetti was the key to this. A quick check of Forsetti’s age revealed that yes, he would have been the right age for service in the guard, and his records revealed he had served at that time. However, Loki froze as he found the records sealed. They were only accessible by the Crown - which, fortunately, meant he could access them - but still, that meant there were matters of importance within. And it meant that its access could be tracked.

Leaning back, Loki glanced around the corridor. No one in sight.

Anyone could use this beacon. Tapping his fingers against his leg, he decided it was worth the risk, opening the file. There was little to no information, however, despite its classification. Files about his squadron were similarly empty. No information at all was given about their deaths, simply their names. As he attempted to cross-reference their deaths with public records, he found that they didn’t have any. It was as though these squad members had never existed in the first place. Never born, never died.

Surely that couldn’t be the case.

But the names from these sealed files didn’t exist elsewhere. No record of their birth, life, existence in censuses, death, nothing. Their existence had been erased.

Loki bit back the fear rising within him. Had Father done this? Why?

Forsetti had quit working for the guard just a couple years after Thor’s birth. This, he felt, was the indication he needed that the invasion occured around that time. Most likely Forsetti struggled with the aftermath, given what Loki knew. The baby, then, it must have been Thor. The invaders must have gotten quite deep into the palace to have reached that hall.

The invaders. He’d never seen a race like theirs, but he’d heard of one similar, buried in the history books. A quick search revealed that yes, he had remembered correctly.

The invaders were Light Elves, from Alfheim. The reason they’d fallen from Asgard’s memory was that, prior to the Fall of Arlathan nearly 1800 years ago, the Light Elves could no longer maintain contact with Asgard due to a worsening conflict.

How, then, could they have mustered an army 500 years later to invade Asgard? Though the Elves were reportedly skilled in magic, they in no way in recorded history had the technological capabilities that he’d seen - ships with the ability to bombard the city.

Forsetti might have answers, but he was of low rank at the time and unlikely to know much. However, there were others present in the city at the time, namely one person he hadn’t even considered asking.

Heimdall.

The reason Loki had avoided Heimdall was the sentinel's oath to his father. It seemed likely that they might be discovered if Heimdall were to let Odin know about their inquiries. However, he could hold key information that could answer their questions, since this battle, in particular, was being covered up.

Additionally, Heimdall’s abilities were suspiciously similar to what Thor and Loki had discovered about themselves. Heimdall had the Sight in a way, Loki guessed, but he could instead See the present instead of the past or the future. Perhaps he might have an understanding of the Seers or their magics. Undoubtedly he was aware something was currently amiss between Loki and Thor, if he’d been paying attention.

Loki decided then to find Thor and find out what he thought. Perhaps Thor had heard something different from Father about the attack.

Taking a different path out of the corridor in an effort to avoid detection, Loki went off to find his brother. As he guessed, Thor was returning from the Chanter’s hall after a ceremony. Loki took him aside to a private room, explaining to him what he’d seen.

Thor’s reaction was unsurprising - disbelief, then surprise as the details continued to sink in. “I’ve never heard of this,” Thor said, crossing his arms. “You think the baby was me?”

“Of course,” said Loki with a sigh, “Forsetti quit the guard just after your birth, so I think the invasion must have happened then.”

“An invasion, brother, you’re talking about a massive event. How could we have never known about it?”

Loki spread his arms, giving a shrug. “We didn’t know about the Seers either. There’s lots of things we haven’t been told, we just have to go looking, I suppose.”

“But - covering it up? How could such losses go unspoken? Would they not be venerated as heroes and their deaths mourned?” Thor’s face showed concern. He seemed deeply unsettled by the idea, as though the dead were somehow lost, not in Valhalla or Hel.

“I know not, brother, but the silence surrounding it suggests a greater reason for keeping these events quiet.”

Thor locked eyes with Loki. “A matter of security, perhaps? How the invaders penetrated our defenses?”

“I don’t think a matter that small would require such significant intervention,” Loki said, shaking his head. “I think there must be a more important reason, I just can’t figure out what it could be.”

Loki broached the idea of speaking with Heimdall to Thor, who stroked his beard as he thought. “I think we could speak with him,” Thor said slowly.

“You don’t think he would report back to Odin?”

“Heimdall is extremely loyal to Father, but he can be reasoned with. If we ask the right questions, I think we won’t raise any concern.”

Loki narrowed his eyes at Thor. “You know he doesn’t really speak with me, so you’ll need to do the talking. Do you think you’ll be so deft as to ask the right questions?”

Thor shot Loki a smile. “Loki, you always underestimate me.”

“With good reason. I remember you blundering us right into a brawl with the Wethin family because you forgot their daughter was married.”

Thor grinned, not even bothering to rise to the accusation. “Fine, but even so, I think we can navigate around it. Heimdall could provide us with some important answers to all...this. And what’s the true harm if Father finds out we’re poking around?”

Loki did a double-take. “Well - um - there’s a lot, Thor.” He started ticking things on his fingers. “One, that we have the same abilities as the Seers. Two, that we’re Children of Time. Three, that we have a strange connection with a Midgardian that I think might be a sibling. Four, we know about an invasion that might be covered up around your birth. Need I go on?”

“Alright, you’re right, that is something we’ll need to approach more delicately on our own. Things need to be broken more…slowly to Father.” Thor crossed his arms, tapping a finger against a bicep.

“Yes,” Loki said, rubbing his forehead. He really didn’t want to deal with Father’s temper. At all. “Do you know if Heimdall is busy?”

“I don’t know of any use of the Bifrost today,” Thor said, striding past Loki. “So let’s go.”

Loki closed his eyes, hoping that they weren’t about to cause further problems for themselves.

The brothers decided to walk along the Bifrost bridge instead of riding, since the weather was so pleasant. The wind would always pick up as they began crossing over the water, blowing some of the spray into their faces. A quarter of the way across, Thor halted, squinting, then turned. Loki followed his gaze to see Sophia. He’d been wondering when she’d show up today.

She grinned guiltily, looking around wide-eyed. This was the first time she was outside the palace. “I hope I’m not bothering you,” she said loudly over the wind.

Loki put his hands on his hips. “Of course you are!” he said in a mocking tone.

A smile split Thor’s face and he pretended to shove Loki. “Don’t listen to him,” he said, “Come on! Have you seen the Bifrost yet?”

“Is this it?” Sophia said, walking up and gazing down at the myriad colors underneath her feet.

“No, no,” Loki said with a laugh, “This leads up to it.” He gestured down the bridge to the golden dome.

Sophia nodded and looked around, her brown hair blowing with the wind. “This is beautiful. Probably the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, and that’s saying a lot.”

Thor seemed to stand a little taller. “Asgard is a beautiful place,” he responded, drawing her alongside them and beginning to walk. “We’re going to see Heimdall, our sentinel.”

“He keeps watch?” asked Sophia, looking up at them.

“Yes,” Loki said, “he both keeps watch over the Realms and is the gatekeeper of Asgard.”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought King Odin kept watch over the Realms.”

Thor laughed, and Loki grinned along with him. “He does as King, as Protector of the Nine Realms,” Thor said, “but Heimdall is able to actually see all things in the universe and relays that information to Father.”

Sophia’s eyes widened. “That’s quite an ability!”

“Yes,” Loki said. “That’s why we’re going to ask him some questions.” He paused, realizing something. “Please don’t try to take me over, though - I feel like I have to say that all the time now. Heimdall would certainly notice a change in my behavior.” He wasn’t certain if Heimdall would be able to see her in his body. That would certainly be a question to ask later, if Heimdall ever found out about her.

Sophia looked at Loki with a smile, but her eyes were serious. “I won’t do it again unless it’s necessary. I honestly didn’t really know it was going to happen the first time, and I am sorry about that. I suppose it was disturbing for you.”

It wasn’t overly so in perspective, but he appreciated the thought. “Thank you.”

It wasn’t too long before they made it to the golden dome, with Heimdall, in his golden armor, standing ever-vigilant. “Welcome, princes,” he said, stepping down from the central pedestal. “I’m honored you’ve come to visit.” His brilliant eyes drifted downward. “And that you’ve brought a visitor.”

Loki’s heart stopped. He heard Thor inhale sharply. “You can see her?” Thor asked, frowning.

“Of course.” Heimdall’s voice remained calm and unwavering. “Welcome, Sophia Alexandria Florian. I hope you are finding Asgard to live up to the stories you’ve read.”

Sophia was hugging her sweater close around her, seeming to shrink as her fear became evident. “Thank you,” she said tightly. “It is.” Her eyes drifted over to look at Loki, who gave her a confused expression.

He didn’t know what to do. He hadn’t even processed that this was the first time he’d heard Sophia’s full name. Heimdall could see her, which meant that, potentially, he’d seen all of their interactions.

By the Norns, how much did he know? How much did Father know already?

“Well, Heimdall, you continue to surprise me,” Thor said, trying to make light of the situation.

“Indeed,” Heimdall said, folding his hands in front of him. “But I suspect you’re here to talk about a great many things.”

Thor looked at Heimdall hard. “It will be difficult to continue if we know all will be passed on to Father.”

“I am bound by oath to our King,” Heimdall said, “However, only matters of the utmost importance need reach his ears.”

“A king’s time is valuable,” Thor said, giving Loki a glance. “Too valuable for sundry matters, I would assume.”

Well, Thor did seem to know what he was doing. Loki begrudgingly credited his brother with taking the right approach.

“Indeed,” Heimdall replied, “Or to be troubled with the details of all who visit Asgard.”

Thor gave Loki a knowing look. Yes, fine, you don’t need to gloat, Loki thought.

Thor was considering his words carefully before speaking. “What do you know of the Seers, Heimdall?”

Heimdall’s orange eyes flicked toward Thor. “I know much about them, Prince Thor. They were once an active part of our lives in Asgard. What do you wish to know?”

“Are there Seers who still practice their magics?”

“Yes, but none on Asgard.”

“Where are they?”

“The remaining Seers practice on Vanaheim, often in secret.”

“Why?”

Heimdall looked visibly uncomfortable. “I cannot answer that, Prince Thor.”

Thor frowned. “Why not?”

“Because it would violate my oath.”

Loki held back any expression of surprise. It was difficult, since he’d no idea the Seers were considered a matter directly related to King Odin. Thor looked at Loki, seemingly to gauge his reaction, but he continued on.

“Of the remaining Seers, is there perhaps someone who would speak with us?”

Heimdall relaxed a little, though his stoic nature made it difficult to read his state. “Yes. There is a matron named Evelin of Clan Vidfavne who might be willing to do so.”

“Vidfavne,” Thor said, crossing his arms. “The clan that’s pillaging the countryside. You think she’d be willing to speak with us?”

“She is an amenable woman, and if you seek her guidance regarding Seers, the clan would have no reason to be aggressive particularly toward a prince.”

Thor nodded. “Your abilities, Heimdall, do you know if they’re related to the magics of the Seers? One called it seidr.”

A small smile crossed Heimdall’s lips. “Yes, Prince Thor, it is indeed related to seidr. I possess the Sight, though only for the purposes you know - my ability is specific and honed. I can See the present in all aspects, and for that I am grateful. The abilities that you and your siblings have gained, however, are just as specific, great in power because of its focus, instead of the broad-ranging Sight of the typical Seer.”

So he did know. Wonderful. Just wonderful.

Thor pursed his lips. “Have you told Father of what we’ve learned about our abilities?”

“No, my prince.” Heimdall’s answer was terse and unexpected.

“Why not, Heimdall?”

“There is no need at this time.”

Thor seemed to be thinking. “Siblings,” he said. “You said siblings. Do Loki and I have a third sibling?”

Heimdall seemed to carefully consider this. “Yes,” he said slowly. No doubt he was measuring what words would go against his oath. Loki’s heart started beating faster as he began to realize that Heimdall could possibly confirm what they’d been questioning this entire time.

Thor also was carefully considering the wording of his questions. “Who is this person?” he finally said. In answer, Heimdall simply shook his head.

He needed to reword the question. Loki wracked his brain, trying to think of an alternative. Then an idea came to him. Drawing closer to Sophia, he said, “Is Sophia Alexandria Florian our sister?”

Heimdall’s eyes crinkled in a hidden smile. “Indeed.”

The air of the observatory seemed to settle as all present seemed to soak in the implications of what had been said.

Sophia broke the silence. “Well, that’s that then.” Despite her blasé statement, however, emotions were roiling inside her.

“How?” Thor blurted out, then caught himself. “Sorry, Heimdall, you probably can’t say.”

“I cannot. But I think that Prince Loki’s insights in the matter will be most revealing.”

What insights? “I haven’t found anything related to how this could have…..oh.” The sound escaped Loki’s lips as realization hit him. “Oh - shit.”

Thor wouldn’t like this. That is, if Loki was thinking right. Yes. Yes, it must be, that would - but how would it have worked? No matter, it made too much sense.

Loki glanced at Heimdall. He was cooperating enough that it seemed safe to discuss this.

“Thor, that was what I saw this morning. With Mother. The baby, it - it wasn’t you.”

Thor looked stunned. “It had to be,” he said, confused.

Loki found himself getting emotional. “Thor, I’ve thought about another time Mother could have been pregnant, and I could never think of any. There was no other time for a reason.” Loki glanced at Sophia, who was staring at him with tears glistening in her eyes. Then he looked back at his brother. “It’s because you weren’t the only child that was born that day.”

Thor physically took a step back, his mouth opening as he grappled with the idea. “No,” Thor said with a desperate smile. “Loki, that’s not funny. We can’t joke about this.”

“Oh my god,” Sophia said, wiping at her tears. “That explains some stuff.”

“Thor, I’m not joking,” Loki said, “I wish I was. But it all makes sense. Mother was using binding magic, not on you - but on her.” He pointed at Sophia.

Thor was staring at the floor, breathing heavily, likely in an effort to control his emotions. Sophia moved to go to him, but Loki quickly grabbed her and pulled her back. “Not now,” he told her softly.

Thor was volatile right now. Loki couldn’t tell if he was liable to lash out in anger or not, and he didn’t want Thor to hit Sophia. Even if she wasn’t present, the physicality of their connection made it seem as though she would indeed be physically hurt. As a mortal - or at least someone bound to a mortal form - she could be injured.

Looking up at Loki, tears glistening on her cheeks, Sophia tried to speak, but couldn’t. He couldn’t tell if it was Thor’s emotions cascading through her or her own, but they were understandably overwhelming.

“Heimdall,” Thor spoke, his voice breaking. “Please tell me that Loki is wrong.”

“I cannot,” Heimdall said. “For that would be a lie.”

Thor kept his head down. “Thank you - for your honesty,” he forced out, then walked out of the dome quickly, using Mjolnir to fly away immediately.

“What! Really!?” Sophia said in shock. “He just leaves?”

Loki held on to her shoulder. “He has a hard time when he’s emotional,” he said to her. “I know this is hard, it’s hard…” he swallowed back his own sorrow which threatened to spring forward, “it’s hard for all of us.” He needed to be strong for Sophia right now, because he was the only one that could.

Sophia turned to look at Heimdall. “You knew - you knew all this.” She wasn’t speaking accusatorially, simply stating it aloud.

“He has certain duties - “ Loki interjected to try and calm her down, not wanting to upset Heimdall.

Sophia continued without listening to Loki. “It must’ve been hard.”

That wasn’t what Loki had expected. He looked up at Heimdall to gauge his reaction.

Heimdall nodded. “Duties are always difficult, that is why they are important.” He stepped forward, tilting his head a little as he gazed at Sophia. “You know much of the hardships a duty can cause, and have endured much for seemingly little reward. Remember that such rewards are often intangible and difficult to see.

“If it is a comfort, I have watched you all your life, Sophia. There was always a witness to your pain, though you did not know it. You have not suffered in vain; the lessons you have learned will certainly guide you through the years to come.”

Loki hadn’t heard Heimdall string that many words together in his life. The sentinel's words seemed to hit Sophia right in the heart, panging deeply. She nodded, unable to speak.

He looked up at Heimdall, feeling the need to speak for the three of them. “Thank you for your understanding, Heimdall, and your kind words. Though Thor was unable to express it, we’re grateful for what you’ve done today.”

Heimdall had never been kind to Loki, but he saw the sentinel soften just a little. “Thank you, my prince,” he said.

With that, Loki turned and guided Sophia back down the rainbow bridge.

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