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maladaptive-ninja-returns · 3 years

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It’s The Avengers (03x17)

Loki x Reader Avengers The Office AU (Slowwwwww Burn)

Season 3 Episode 17: Homecoming

SEASON FINALE

Series Summary: Living in the Avengers facility post-apocalypse in a better timeline Tony Stark has decided to capture every moment by pulling The Office on the Avengers. All of housemates are pretty used to the idea except for you, who had just come here to finish her degree, and the newest member- Loki.

Warnings: something mild that you guys have been waiting for

Word Count: my therapist diagnosed me for ADHD and she said that I am on the borderline of the spectrum. In the sense that I have a chance of getting better if I go through proper therapy and bring a change in my thinking. That is good to hear and hopefully I will do better by myself in the near future.

MASTERLIST in bio, darlings. Tags are open (check bio)

A whirr followed by a piercing hum of a machine filled the blackness of the recording device. "Oh shit," a whisper was heard from within the dark. "What," another whispered back. "I forgot to pee." "Scott," multiple voices whispered at once, making Scott apologise to everyone in the dark. "All right, everyone," Natasha's composed voice addressed everyone, "we are jumping in five, four-" "Bucky, is that you?" Steve's voice was quite low. "Three-" "Yeah...well, I've never travelled to space so..." the White Wolf was quick to answer his boyfriend. "Two-" "Maybe I should've worn a diaper?" Scott's whisper was an amplitude higher now, the fear quite evident in his voice. "One."

The darkness was replaced by a flash of light flooding the lens before gradually giving way to a desert. The camera moved around to take in the Avengers team all suited up in black and purple scrutinising the area around them. Slowly everyone was opening their suit helmets once the oxygen concentration on this alien planet was confirmed. Scott was taking little jumps with his legs crossed. "Excuse me," he exclaimed quite urgently before running haphazardly behind a blue bush. Steve and Bucky stood there holding hands while their gaze went everywhere to look for any sign of trouble. Natasha tested the comms, the incoming signals from the Compound and the number of people who had arrived with her. "I have taken the attendance and we have arrived intact," she narrated robotically into her comms, "though Scott seems to be suffering from travelling sickness." "I'm okay," he shouted from behind the bush with heavy inhales in between his words, "just my bladder. Everything is a-okay. Nothing weird in the pee-pee." Wanda was already making use of her power to scan the entire planet while standing in one spot, her hands glowing in red plasmic waves while the rest of her body floating in a trance. "Have to say, this place almost looks like earth except for those little weird looking rabbits who were watching me behind the bush," Scott commented, coming back to the group. Natasha made eye contact with the one GoPro fitted on Scott's shoulder.

Natasha: *pushing her pigtails off her shoulder* So Shuri and Tony worked out the Pandora Box's algorithm of teleportation in *smiles* forty-eight hours. Bruce helped with the foundation, of course, I just sent him on vacation when Shuri arrived because the big guy was exhausted. *inhales and looks in the direction of her Space Team* As you can see we volunteered to rescue Y/N and Loki- *Tony's voice cracked through the comms* just Y/N. *camera panned in on Natasha's face going back to a stone-cold b*tch* Natasha: *sighs* Pepper deserves a reward for keeping him on earth Tony's voice: I heard that Natasha: *completely ignores Tony* Wanda is looking for them, Steve is here in case we need more brainpower for rescue. Bucks is our muscle and I am here in case any of them have second thoughts about killing anything that tries to hurt my family. And we are all worried that Scott might die on this trip. *camera zooms in on her* We don't even know what he contributes to this group. *camera slowly turns to record Scott, standing there tongue-tied, right from his shoulder* Scott: *in a low, disappointed tone* I am standing right here.

The camera- or cameras that were embedded in the dangerously fitting space suits- panned in on Wanda's eyes opening with a red glow. "I found them," she announced on a wavelength of confusion. "What's wrong?" Steve asked the question rising in everyone's mind. "Remember the woman who tried to kill Loki and Y/N?" "Aellae," Scott replied in the most derogatory way while making a face. Wanda blinked and tilted her head a bit. "She's alive."

On the Other Side of the alien Planet Coming into focus, a rusty looking fabric came into view, the loose cross stitch giving way to the light of the nearest star to pour in while the fabric flapped in the cool breeze. Panning out from the fabric, the view was shifted to you sitting up from what looking like one really good nap- thanks to that glow on your face and no gravity known by your hair that was everywhere. You wore a brown cotton dress without sleeves- exposing the black thread tied on your right bicep. A bit of air was knocked out from your lungs when Lulu bounced on you to hug and lick you to his satisfaction. The little tent was filled with your giggled and weak persuasion to get him off you. A gust of the cold breeze entered with the figure that came in with the tent. "Grandmamma!" you exclaimed, getting up to go hug Se'tiri, who patted your back. The camera settled down in front of the two of you as you sat down where you had been sleeping. "What are you doing here?" you asked Se'tiri, all smiles till you were hit with a sudden realisation. "Wait-" "You had fallen sick in Jotunheim," Se'tiri explained that sudden rush of questions inside your mind, "so Loki brought you back to me." "Is Loki okay?" was the first question that popped out of you. "You think anything can happen to that mannerless boy?!" she almost cursed him, tapping her cane on the floor. "He left Jotunh-" "Aye," Se'tiri waved your worries away with her hand, "do not worry about useless things. He is mannerless but he thinks ten steps ahead. You worry about yourself. Look at you, huh? You've lost so much weight. Does that boy not feed you? All that beautiful fat has vanished from your body." You were nearly on the edge of tears, hugging Se'tiri with all your might. "I love you, Se'tiri. And I can feed myself. What's that got to do with that 'boy'. It's not like he is going to cry if I lose a couple of pounds. Speaking of which, he isn't even here. Where is he?"

In the Middle of the Desert "I warned you not to follow me." Javier's camera was already panning on Loki's black-clad figure from his right side. The drone flying over them recorded Javier's resolute facial expressions. "I can't let you go to war alone." Loki snickered, barely able to contain his laughter. The drone moved away from them to record an eerie-looking shadow standing on the top of the opposite dune; a shadow with tentacles breaking out in every direction around the figure. Upon focusing, it turned out the figure was Aellae, looking at the figure of Loki laughing on his knees now. Her pale skin was cracked and her lips were dry and chapped. Those eyes were dark and clearly full of unsatisfied rage for the God slithering in the sand on some joke she did not understand. One moment she was standing here, her gaze suddenly locked with the drone; the other moment, she was seen at the foot of the dune before presenting herself right in front of Loki. Loki- all done with the laughter that Javier was clearly not pleased with- cleared his throat, wiped away the tears from the edge of his eyes and stood up to face a very horrid looking Aellae. "'Sup," the God greeting, barely trying to hold his laughter inside him. "You sold me out to those punishers!!!" she stressed the 'P' to nearly spit in his face. "You need to have some value for me to buy you before selling you out, Aellae," he soothingly stressed to the witch. Aellae was already baring her teeth at Loki, her shadow tentacles growing bigger with every passing second. "I guess riling your own kind against you paid me. I don't see your frail human anywhere." Her giggles of content were stopped by a voice from behind her. "Oi!!!" Loki, Aellae and Javier turned in the direction of this extremely familiar yet surprisingly thunderous 'oi'. The cameras panned in on the figure appearing on the other dune, riding a beast- hairy, husky, well built, no eyes, just a mouth with evident fangs and a roar that could be heard for miles- that almost looked like... "Lulu!" Loki shouted, "I told you not to bring her here you slow-witted pile of husk!!" "Oi oi Loki!!" you shouted back with a tsk. "Do not talk to my baby like that!" Lulu roared in agreement. "And you-" you turned towards Aellae- "no one gets to hurt my boys... except for my family! Families are weird." Aellae snarled at you. "Oh, but I will hurt them. But first I will hurt you." Both you and Aellae wore stern faces, neither of you backing down. Loki on the other hand was rolling his eyes and pressing his forehead with his fingers. "Why can this woman not give me a single day of peace?" Javier looked at Loki with a raised brow, about to say something when Loki raised his index at him. "No. Do not." Giving Lulu a pat, you were already mounting off the dune on his back. Aellae too was rushed towards you in horrific teleportation jumps till she came to a halt in the middle. Once, twice, thrice- the witch tried to move but she seemed to have been trapped right there. You came to a halt a few feet away from her, confused as to what just happened. Aellae was really not able to move. "What's wrong?" you seemed confused. Aellae turned to look up at Loki with all the world's animosity in her eyes. Loki, with his hands behind his back- that the drone recorded glowing- looked down at her with a smirk. "Not so fast," he whispered. Looking down at her feet, she noticed the familiar green and golden glow. With a scoff coming out of her lungs, Aellae gathered her shadows in her palms and directed it in your direction with great force. The shadows swirled around her fingers, found a target in you and rushed in your direction at a speed you were not able to comprehend soon enough. But the drone recording this fight could see them stop right before they came within two feet of you, freezing mid-air like icicles made of dazzling black liquid. "Not on my watch," a whisper stronger than the hot breeze in the desert came from behind you. All eyes watched as Wanda emerged from behind the sand dunes, floating over to come by your side. Her palms glowed with her ethereal magic but her poise made it seem like this took no effort at all. Your eyes widened on seeing Wanda right next to you. Inhaling all the alien air in your lungs, you opened your arms, right in time for Wanda to twist her fingers and raise her brow and smirk. "WANDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!" you shrieked. And your shrieks were being directed by the Scarlet witch towards Aellae with no delay, making her lose her footing in no time. Lulu was helping you slide down his back right into Wanda's arms. No one could figure out when your shrieks had turned into wails muffled in Wanda's arms. "It's so good to see you," you bawled in her chest, making your witch laugh. "Aw! I missed you too! Though I have been watching you every day." Both of you were embracing each other in the highest hug possible while moving side to side in a slow down. And all this while, Aellae was throwing her attacks at you, which barely made through Wanda's shield. From where Loki watched this unfold, the futile efforts of the bad witch were just clad in some dark humour. "Everything about this makes me cringe," he groaned. "Stop it Aellae," he shouted in her direction, "you are just embarrassing yourself." Aellae wanted to go all dark, her eyes, her features, all covered in the shadows she carried, evidently preparing for a big bang. And just before she could release it, Green and golden chain made of pure magic were wringing her waist, pulling her away from the two women. They yanked her towards Loki, on the top of the dune where the God stood stoic as ever, his one hand behind his back while the other casually carried out what needed to be done. She was roaring in his face, wanting to burst open from those chains, but Loki was already fetching shackles from his pocket dimension to bind her in their magic. "The boys will take care of you," he announced without putting much effort in his words, seeming quite bored. "Man, I love the boys," another familiar voice came from his side. Javier turned his camera to record Scott sitting on the sand playing with the rocks while looking up and smiling at Loki. "They remind me of someone. Like a boy band, I think." Behind him stood Steve and Bucky, both shielding their eyes from the starlight with shades. Natasha was sitting next to Scott, surprisingly entertaining herself with Scott's pebbles game. "Why did we tag along, again?" Bucky asked his boyfriend. Steve puckered his lips, opening his mouth to say something. "Well, the cameras need the sexy while Wanda and Loki take care of things," Scott mentioned as he swimmingly put on his own shades for Javier's camera. Bucky and Steve seemed satisfied with that explanation before a good amount of blushing.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Javier and his drones pointed themselves in your direction. "They better work." Javier seemed pretty serious. "Shuri will be firing the mechanism in exactly-" Natasha looked at the countdown on her watch- "two minutes and thirty-seven seconds. So, everyone, take positions." "Wait," you begged loudly out of the blue, turning towards someone outside the frame. "I'm sorry I have to leave you, my precious baby," you croaked. Your giant floof came forward to smell you before licking your face. He chirped out loud, rubbing his head with yours. "I love you too," you announced at the edge of breaking into tears, hugging him as gently as possible. Loki blinked a few times before looking away from you. Clearing his throat, he came to stand next to you, taking his sweet time to raise his hand and pet him right where he loved it. "Don't let that witch out," he commanded softly to his pile of husk, to which Lulu replied with a loud burp that carried the cries of Aellae from the oblivion inside him. That earned him more soft pats from the God. "Will you be okay alone?" you had to ask, even though you knew that would just bring up more emotions in your throat. "Of course, he will," Loki acknowledged, pointing you in the direction of the nearest dune. There on the top stood six floofs, both big and small just like Lulu. One of them, the biggest of them all, roared with a pulsating sound. Lulu replied with a roar of his own, giving you one last tug before walking towards his pack.

"So, your powers are back," Steve commented, his thumbs resting in his belt loops as he waited for the clock to take them back home. At the same time, Scott was asking you the most awaited question. "Hey, Y/N, what happened at Jotunheim? After you were taken hostage?" Just as your inhaled a lungful and furrowed your brows at the question, Loki was smirking at the captain, moving a step closer to you to wrap his arm around your waist. Call it a reflex or a reaction built on experience but as soon as his arm was wrapping itself around your waist, your arms were grabbing onto his shoulders with your life force within one-tenth of a second "Let's test it out," the God pondered with no drop of doubt on his face, before disappearing with you. An awkward silence loomed after the golden swoop, leaving the Cap a little bit tongue-tied. "You just had to ask," Bucky rolled his eyes but the camera was zooming in on this one mischievous smirk on Natasha's lips as she took her position in the centre and pointed to the block Javier was supposed to stand on. "I am still curious-" Scott raised his hand in the air as he took his position- "in case anyone is curious."

The Lounge The continuous smacking of the LED screen was heard out of the frame while a very flushed MJ sat on the sofa, never blinking for a minute straight. The camera turned to find Peter still smacking the LED and its router while his little bulging bicep was peeking out from his half-sleeved white t-shirt. "Anything yet?" The soda that had barely reached the eighteen-year old's lips spilt a little as she found herself back in reality. "Huh? Wha-oh! No. Nothing." The flushing embarrassment must have increased tenfold on seeing the camera focused on her for she tried to shift in her seat, trying to face away from the camera. Peter stopped the smacking abruptly to let out a groan. "Come on you dumb machine! Work! We need to find out where my friends are!!!!" The 'machine' started to vibrate; the intensity increasing by the second. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry I didn't mean to offend you," Peter was blurting out in one breath. "Peter! What did you do?!" MJ was pulling the boy away from the screen before an intense pressure of air blew them over to the sofa- Peter landing over MJ. In the very next second, you and Loki stood in the middle of the lounge, his arms still wrapped around you. Your eyes closed, your head pressed to his chest, hands clutching the fabric of his long coat as hard as possible, your existence just wanting to stay in this shell even when the people around you started to move. Peter was breathless at the sight. Pointing at you and Loki, no words coming out of his mouth, just that his eyes were getting moist by the second. "Y/N-" Loki's voice was smooth as his hand tried to move your undone hair from your face- "we're home." You made the effort to open your eyes and take a small step away from his chest, but the vertigo of space travel was still playing with your brain, making you lose your balance. Not fast enough for Loki to not catch you in his arms and bring you back to his chest. "Breathe," he ordered in his scruff yet gentle voice. And you obeyed. The camera was frozen on those pale hands holding you tightly to his chest, and that one tick of tension in the brows of the God that seemed to dissolve into a resting cold face as soon as it appeared on the surface. Once your breathing was steady, you tested your balance. "Good now?" You nodded and Loki let you go. The frame captured you slowly parting from him, your gaze stuck on his, relief on both faces, and Peter appearing in the middle with tears streaming down his face, his arms ready to take you both. "I'b soooo habby you're okayyyy," he bawled through his tears and hiccups. MJ pulled him away by his shirt. "Yes, yes, you're really happy now let them breathe first," the sweet girl ordered him in a monotonous tone. You broke into a smile at Peter's overflow of concern and Loki mirrored you all the same. A ruckus could be heard from the lab, specifically Tony asking for you. After two seconds of silence, he was bursting into the lounge breathless to find you standing there, in flesh and blood. Within the breath that you used to wave at him and say, "Hey Mr Sta-ow!" he was already hugging you with the intensity of a thousand suns. "Tony, you need to let her go before she chokes due to lack of air," Pepper pointed out as she stood next in line to hug you. "Are you okay? Does it hurt anywhere? The last feed we got was-" "Yes, Loki saved me," you assured your father, cutting him mid-sentence. "You shouldn't be expecting anything less from him by now. Right, dad?" That's it. That word did it for Tony. All the waterworks that he had been saving suddenly started to pour out while he took Loki's support as a shoulder to hide his outburst. The God softly patted the man on his back with gentle but quite awkward 'there, there's.

Two Hours Later "I'm sorry, I swear this is the last test." Bruce was adjusting his glasses on his sweaty nose, trying his best to stay composed under the stress those two dads standing behind him were giving him. Clint was even holding his resting bitch face in place. "It's okay, Mr Banner. Please take your time, as I told you the last five times." You were surprisingly calm. "Are you sure you don't feel anything weird?" Tony had to make sure.

Bruce: *sighs* Seven

"Yes," you were resisting the urge to scold him by biting your lips and closing your eyes as you lay on the table with all the scanners surrounding you, "I am fine. How about you go take a look at Javier and Loki?" "They got over with the tests half an hour ago," Clint mentioned, taking a sip of coffee from his takeaway cup. "So, there are no foreign sensations in your body?" Tony furrowed his brows as if they would have helped you answer his question. You shared a tired look with the camera.

Bruce: *groans* Eight.

"It wouldn't hurt you to trust me, Tony," Bruce finally blurted it out, picking up the syringe to draw a blood sample from you. "Oh, I trust you-" Tony nodded with assurance in Bruce's direction while Clint mimicked that nod- "it's the...other alien I don't trust." Clint shook his head. Your palms legit slapped the slab you were lying on, taking the men by a little surprise, as you got up to face them. "That alien is the reason I am here." The camera panned in on that nasty glare you were giving those two while Bruce stepped back with his needle, trying to look at anything but you. "He is also the reason you froze to death in Jotunheim." Tony was quite assertive with his voice. "Well, I am not dead, am I?" Your voice rose a tempo higher. Clint raised a brow and took small steps to join Bruce on the side. "And if you saw me in Jotunheim, I am pretty sure you damn well know that I am the one solely responsible for me dying in that frost prison because I know you know I did that on purpose!!" Tony was already matching the rage wavelength with you. "And that makes it all the more reason for you to stay away from that man." "I WAS DYING BECAUSE I WANTED TO COME HOME!!" Your outburst came with the waterworks. Your voice shook but that did not stop you from taking the floor and standing in front of your father. "AND I KNEW LOKI WAS THE ONLY CHOICE!!" "You had Carol," Tony was gritting his teeth. "She has a family to look after too, Mr Stark. And last I remember she was the one who trusted me to stay with Loki till she came back because she knew who was trustworthy. And why are we even having this discussion? That GOD literally fought his own kind for getting me and Javier home safe. What more do you want to take from him to finally see that he can be trusted? What are you afraid of? That he will trick you and take over the world? That he is planning some universal scale annihilation? Well, good for him. At least when he is not thinking of world domination he is busy saving your dumbass destructive DAUGHTER EVEN WHEN HE DOES NOT HAVE TO!!!!" The loud sobs did not stop. But Tony definitely did, watching his anger crumble as he embraced you in his arms and lightly patted your head to make you feel better. "I'm sorry," he finally confessed, "I almost felt like dying when I saw you freezing on the screen. I was angry at myself for not being able to save you." "Then why are you blaming him?" you asked in between your sobs, pointing in a general direction away from here. "Because he was close to you and I wasn't. I am so sorry, my baby. I just wanted to give you a normal life. I just wanted you to have normal friends, normal college life, normal stuff like boyfriends who I could threaten when they came to take you out for a date. I never wanted you to just disappear into space out of nowhere." The camera turned towards a very wide-eyed Clint just staring into oblivion.

Clint: Well, I thought the older one with daddy issues would handle it well. But *chuckles* she really is his daughter. *takes a sip of his coffee* *feels the taste on his tongue* *makes a bitter face with his tongue out* Ugh! Why is this thing been tasting so bad for these past few weeks?!

A Few Minutes Later Scott, Peter and Pepper being the most avid listeners of the night, showered Loki with questions about all they witnessed on the recordings. Both boys were wearing rabbit beanies and pink pyjamas to compliment Pepper's fuzzy blue ones. Loki- to the shock and awe of everyone who witnessed this- was unexpectedly patient, answering all their queries. "And they bought it, just like that," Pepper stated with a null expression with curious eyes. Loki shrugged, shifting his arm pillow to Pepper's side. "Their kind takes the female superiority pretty seriously. They practically pray to them. So, it wasn't that hard once Y/N told them she was my wife." Peter and Scott- with their head resting in their palms- let out a stretched 'wow' with dreamy eyes. "They surely are one of a kind." Pepper tilted her head, "Is there some sort of encyclopedia where I can learn about all these creatures? I have been craving new knowledge recently. And Tony keeps all the Discovery channel on child lock so that is not helping. At all." Scott waved a hand at Loki. "And what about the time at the bar? Those beings with long antlers. What are they called?" The camera swivelled to you standing at the entrance of the lounge smiling a glowing smile at the scene unfolding in front of you. You too were on your brown pyjamas, finally looking like a kid amongst all these super adult. Once the camera caught your attention, you nodded at it and walked towards the recording room. "Come on, let's get to it before I fall asleep for seventy-two hours."

You enter the room with a yawn and a stretch, sitting down on the chair and scratching your exposed legs in those fuzzy shorts. Once the signal is given, you look at the camera. You: *sigh* *smile lightly* Well, that was a wild ride. And even saying that is an understatement. All that stuff that we- The door opens and the camera shifts to record Tony apologising before turning to you. "Don't stay up late, okay. You need your sleep," he reminds you in a hush. You nodded and replied with a smile. A pause of three seconds and Tony walks towards you to pat your head and plant a soft kiss in your hair. "Goodnight." "Goodnight," you blow a kiss back at him. Tony walks out with the most precious smile on his face.

You: *inhales* so where were we? Yeah. *laughs* You have seen everything, right? *snickers* and this guy still said he wanted a normal life for me. *laughs some more* This is the normal, father dear. This is how it is! Normal college life? To be honest I am not that disappointed that I missed a couple of assignments. I mean you don't get to say 'I'm sorry I didn't turn in my homework because I was busy being stuck on an alien planet'. *pauses* *presses her lips together to put a stop on the smile* You: Oh! Peter has already used that line. Well, then that makes two of us. And get a boyfriend so he can threaten him? Pfft! What is this some ninety's rom-com high school drama? Someone needs to tell him his daughter hasn't dated in this lifetime. *shakes her head* *stares into oblivion* and with the kind of things, a hundred things, she looks for in one single man guy, she might date in this lifetime... or the next one. *makes a face at her own thoughts* You: *groans* I mean come on! I can't just start dating a guy. You saw how I was when everyone around me was a complete stranger. I barely talked! *looks at the person behind the camera* You: What do I look for in a ma-that's a long list sweety. *shakes head vigorously before giving up* *long sigh* *licks lips* *shrugs* Well, the first thing I want in someone I would consider to be eligible as someone dateable would a person who is my friend.

Recording flips to the small clips of you meeting Loki for the first time, bickering, fighting, laughing together, pranking each other, watching movies together, sharing secrets about the other avengers and reading books together in the library.

A person who *thinks for a moment* gets how important family is to me. And when I say family...well, you know what I mean.

Another clip edit shows the God helping Bucky train in the training room, teaching Natasha about new poisons, blocking all the foreign sounds from the lounge when Pepper was soothing her belly and watching Boys Over Flowers. One time he lifted all the heavy furniture while Tony stress-cleaned the entire place all the while the God read a book. Another time he kept replacing Clint's coffee with a substitute that was good for his heart and tasted better.

I would want to date someone who gives me attention? *tsks* In the sense that they know I am there. I don't know if that makes sense.

Flip to the clips showing Loki moving the side table out of your way- with his magic- when you were busy dancing with your headphones on; him cooling down your tea to bring to a drinkable temperature; him threatening Sam so he doesn't eat your period chocolates; his concerned eyes stuck on you when you were stressed out about your exams at two in the morning in the library before he got you something to drink and offered to go in your place instead; he and Peter playing darts with David's face pasted on the dartboard; him taking the fairy lights from you to place them near the roof where you could not reach, in your room.

Someone who is funny.

The flip is to all the clips where you are either snickering, giggling or cackling with laughter, choking on your drink after Loki said something sarcastic with a straight face.

Someone who respects my space and my decisions

The recording shows Loki smiling while looking at you lecturing the men in the house about mansplaining and how it was an inherent thing for some; the God helping you make sandwiches for the Avenger's donation drive to Stark orphanage; Loki being the first to ask 'want me to help you pack' when you announced to the family you were going to visit a haunted house with your college friends; Loki putting a repel spell on your door when you wanted to be alone; him just sitting in his room by the window reading while you took his entire bed to make zentangles, neither of you talking throughout the time together.

Someone who is not afraid of physical touch. I would really want that.

All the falls that Loki saved you from with his arms, chest and entire body, be it in the Avengers facility or out in space; all the hugs he gave you at your low points; all the pats on your back flash one by one on the screen.

Someone who is *shrugs* *smiles a weak smile* happy for my existence? *brows furrow though the smile is stuck on your face* Someone...who I can get comfortable with. I don't have to put up a facade for them.

Edit flashes of all the moments where Loki gravitates to come and sit next to you, be it in the lounge, the library, the lab, the training room, the spaceship, alien planets. Another edit is of all the moments when you gravitate towards Loki, sometimes a mess in your nightclothes, hair unkempt, burping out loud, sometimes farting without any restrictions, other times groaning and letting your head rest on his shoulder. Other times just plane crying ugly in front of him.

*blinks* *furrows brows further* Someone...who I feel safe with?

This time the shift is to the clips where you are drunk and coming home from the club and Loki is supporting your frame to walk you to your room; another clip shows you watching a horror movie in the lounge late at night and you are burrowing your face behind his shoulder while he sits there with discomfort on his face for whatever movie both of you are watching; there is one where you are not feeling evidently anxious in the crowd of aliens and the camera is zooming in on you fingers lightly holding on to the edge of Loki's coat while you both walk through the market; another one is of you smiling as you look at Loki gush over the simulators in the modified spaceship; then there is one where you are smiling once again despite being surround by lethal frost giants and the reason of you smile being the God who is standing beside you and at the same time standing a step ahead of you to act as a shield for anyone who dares do anything in your direction.

You are evidently surrounded by clouds of confusion and doubt hiding an impending realisation somewhere inside them. Your lips are parted but no sound comes out. Just when you feel like you have it, confusion grows darker on your features. The door clicks open and Loki's face pops in to find you in the room. The surprise on your face does not go unnoticed by either him or the camera. "You do realise you teleported here in terms of light-years," Loki comments. "Huh?" is all you can manage. "Go get some sleep before Clint comes to kill me in my sleep," he orders before turning towards the camera and finally walking out. A good few seconds pass in deafening silence. Your eyes are still stuck on the door. A few blinks later your eyes go wider. Even the camera knows what has happened for it is panning on the unadulterated shock on your face as your lips finally move to express this newfound theory. "...oh fuck."

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haravath0t · 3 years

Text

Mahal Kita

Pairing: Loki x Filipino!Reader

Warnings: none, just fluff!

A/N: Ahh! It finally arrived! My first ever Loki drabble, or a Loki work in general! And it’s a Filipino!Reader too! What a combination! I’m so so excited to have been able to have do this drabble for my lovely @tomholland-96 ! Thank you Lex for being so enthusiastic about my culture! You have no idea how much I appreciate it! I hope you enjoy this as much as I do writing it! Happy readings, everyone!

*Translations will be in bold and italics!

“Nanay! Tatay! Hi! Kumusta po kayo? Okay na ba kayo?” (Mom! Dad! How are you? Are you guys okay?) You say, excitedly, beaming at your phone screen before you set your phone down on a sturdy place to Facetime your parents while you continue to set up ingredients for tonight’s dinner.

Loki couldn’t help but take his eyes off of the book he was reading to watch you. He even smiled a bit as you laughed with your parents and showing your parents the food that was steaming nicely from the pan, the nice scent filling your nostrils. It was easier to filter out the chatter coming from all sides of the table, since you already had him up in his head. He really admired the way you openly grounded your culture, and even became rather interested in it.

“Okay ma, pa, kakain na ako! Naghihintay na ng guests ko!” (Okay ma, pa, I’m going to eat now! My guests are waiting!) You say to your phone as you put the dish on the big serving plate. “Sige, anak! Nandoon ba yung boyfriend mo? Kailan makikita namin siya, ha? Gusto ko makita kung gwapo ang future asawa mo!” (Alright! Is your boyfriend there? We need to see him, ha? I want to see if your future husband is handsome!) You mom teases, earning a laugh from you. “Oh my goodness ma, isang araw po, mas gusto namin kung in person na ng meeting ninyo.” (One day, we’d rather meet you two in person) You say, shaking your head. Loki then closed his book and got up to help you put the plates and utensils on the table, making you smile and thank him. “Alright ma, pa, tatawag ko kayo bukas!” (Alright ma, pa, I will call you both tomorrow!) You say waving at the screen, smiling more when your mom and dad wave back.

“Oh, sige anak! Mag ingat ka, ha?” (Alright, you take care!) Your dad says, earning a nod from you. “Opo, Tatay! Ingat din! Love you, bye!” (Yes, dad! Take care too!) you say hanging up the phone and making your way to the table with the team waiting for you. “Alright you guys! Dig in!” you exclaim, smiling when the team quickly takes some adobo or sinigang. You laugh as you see Bucky and Sam fighting over who can get the bowl first, or Tony casually eating some of his sinigang with the rice. You took a seat next to Loki, who was quietly and patiently waiting for you. “Here, my darling, I gave you some rice on your plate,” he whispers, kissing your forehead. “Thank you, love,” you say, looking at him with a grateful smile before the two of you dig in.

Loki had been eyeing you as he helped you put the dishes away, biting his lip nervously. He doesn’t know why, but this question has been itching on him for quite a while. So, with a breath, he asks.

“Darling?”

“Yeah, my love?”

“Ummm… I have something that I would like to ask.”

“Go ahead!”

“Can you teach me tagalog?”

You get surprised by this as you put the last dish away, looking over to see the poor guy nervous. You couldn’t help the smile and giggle that left your lips. “Can I ask why?” you were getting more and more excited by the second. Loki was now scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. “You see, I thought I could impress your parents with it. When we go and meet them. I’d find it rather shameful and disrespectful if I didn’t at least know about your heritage and your language. Even if it’s a little.” He reasons, causing you to smile even more and walk to him so that you can cup his cheeks and peck his lips. “Well, if you want to darling, then I don’t see why I can’t try. If anything, I’m actually so so happy that you actually want to learn something about it.” You say happily, making Loki reciprocate a small and soft smile back. “Well, I am relieved,” he starts, holding your hand so that you two could go to his room, “Because, you see… erhm… I did try to learn it myself, the language that is. I searched the local midgardian libraries, even asked Stark, but, I believe I don’t think I’m making much progress. I suppose it’s more assuring if my Filipino significant other helps me.” “It’s hard to find a perfectly good definition for some words, but I’ll help you!”

And so you did, you and Loki sat next to each other on the bed, going through basic phrases like “Kumusta po kayo?” (How are you?) “Ako po si Loki” (I am Loki) “Maraming salamat po” (Thank you so much) and so much more. If anything, the god was actually progressing quick, so much quicker than you thought, that you both decided to take the rest of the night off to watch a corny Filipino movie on Netflix (A Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla movie, of course). You were both now laying down in your room, watching the movie on the TV in your lover’s arms, hugging his form while nuzzling your head into his neck. You were smiling in content, still quite happy that Loki was so committed to make a good impression on your parents.

He was now combing your hair as you and Loki made fun of the lines, but still kept watching; a newly found guilty pleasure the both of you surely will have in the future. You didn’t realize, however, that your tiredness is getting the best of you, eyes subconsciously and slowly closing and open as you slowly succumb to sleep. “Y/N? Darling? How do you say I love you?” Loki asks as he watches the characters confessing their love to each other. “Mmmm...mahal kita…” you mutter softly as your eyes start to stay closed a bit longer.

Loki looked over at you and couldn’t help the smile that had appeared on your face. You were so beautiful and cute, and you were comfortable in his arms and his touch. “Ah… seems like my precious Filipina must take her rest then…” he whispers, more to himself, before he leans over towards your almost sleeping form. “Goodnight, Y/N, my darling, mahal kita.” Loki whispers in your ear softly with a smile before he covers you both in blankets. “Mahal na mahal kita, Loki.” (I love you so much, Loki) is the last words you say before you are completely asleep in Loki’s arms. Loki, despite the rarity of him sleeping, tries tonight. Admiring you in front of him, he whispers, hoping you’ll somehow hear: “Sana… sana sapat ang pagmamahal ko sayo.” (Hopefully my love for you is enough)

Permanent Taglist: @world-of-aus @world-of-aus-reads @whew-oh-em-gee @tomholland-96 @lordyitsjordy @letstalkaboutsebbaby @thee-soom-soom @lookiamtrying @vesper852 @hailhydra920 @buckybarnesthehotshot @heyiamthatbitch @rodrikstark

(If you’d like to be apart of the taglist, or any specific type of work, please let me know! ☺️❤️)

#loki x filipino!reader #loki oneshots #loki headcanon #loki imagines #loki laufeyson x reader #loki laufeyson #loki odinson #loki odinson x reader #loki fanfic #mcu fanfic #mcu imagine #loki x reader #filipino!reader #filpina!reader #loki fluff #mcu fluff

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midgardianweasley · 3 years

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Broken Promises

Thor Odinson x Female!Asgardian reader

Prompt: “I never meant to hurt you”

Angst that ends with some fluff.

Word Count: 1389

Summary: When the Frost Giants break into Asgard’s Weapons Vault, Thor wants to go and protect Asgard from Jotunheim. His girlfriend, Y/N, wants him to stay, knowing King Odin had ordered he not go. However, he goes anyway. (In this imagine, Jane and Thor are just friends, Thor only gets cast out, Jotunheim don’t invade Asgard.)

“Hi Heimdall” you speak, walking up towards the Guardian gatekeeper who was facing the realms, ensuring that no one was getting into or leaving Asgard without permission. “Good evening, Lady Y/N. What brings you here at this time?” He answered, briefly turning to face you before returning to his previous position.

“I couldn’t sleep. It appears to be a regular occurrence nowadays, I’m worried about Thor. Can you see him?” You ask. Since Thor got cast out by King Odin, you couldn’t sleep, your appetite had been disappearing more and more with every meal placed in front of you, you were worried sick. You’d told him not to go, not to start trouble with Jotunheim, knowing it wouldn’t end well for your boyfriend.

“Please Thor, you can’t! you need to let this go, you have no idea what you’re getting yourself into.” You exclaimed, standing by his brother, Loki, who was also trying to convince him to leave things be.

“Let it go? With all due respect Lady Y/N, I simply can’t just stand by while Frost Giants are somehow managing to break into Asgard’s weapons vaults.” Thor turned to you, almost confused at your statement. How could you expect him to just sit back while his Realm could potentially be in danger?

“Thor, listen to me, please.” You slowly walk up to him, taking his face in your hands. “I admire that you want to protect Asgard, truly. And you know I support you in your battles, your desire to keep the realm safe, but this won’t end well for you or the future of Asgard. King Odin said so himself.”

He appeared to be considering your words, trying to bring himself to be rational and listen to reason.

“Okay. Okay Lady Y/N, I won’t go.” He spoke, somewhat irritated by the conclusion.

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

Upon hearing from Loki that Thor had been cast out, you initially had no idea how to respond. You went through a variety of different emotions. Shock, sadness, anxiety and anger was in the mix too. You understood that he wanted to protect his kingdom, but it ended up doing more damage than good.

“I can, Lady Y/N. He’s been spending time with some midgardians, he appears to be in safe hands.” Heimdall tells you.

“Can you hear what they’re saying? Is Thor happy down there?” you anxiously respond, now pacing back and forth next to the gatekeeper.

“He’s spoken of his missing you. He wants to return home, I believe he’s trying to find a way.” Heimdall speaks, sparking a shimmer of hope within you.

“Wait, he’s trying to return home? I thought he couldn’t unless-”

“Unless I allow him to. Lady Y/N, As much as I would like to help you, King Odin has ordered that he stay in Midgard. I can’t override the King’s orders.” Heimdall now turned to face you.

“But he belongs here, Heimdall! He’s Odin’s son, he’s soon to rule Asgard. He can’t stay down there, he needs to be home, with his family, his friends, me.” You plead, hoping he’ll understand your perspective.

“I’d like to be able to bring Thor back, but the decision does not lie with me. It lies with the King.” Heimdall concludes, beginning to turn back to face the realms. “It’s getting late, I think you should try to get some sleep while it’s still dark.” Sleep. It almost seems like a joke to you. How can you sleep knowing one command is stopping Thor from returning home. Thor may not be in your good books, but that won’t stop you from approaching King Odin the next morning.

“Good morning Lady Y/N, is there something I can do for you?” The King smiles, you feel a little more at ease when he smiles towards you, but you also know it won’t last long when you start to speak, better yet, ramble.

“Good morning Sir, I don’t mean to bother you” you begin, not before respectfully bowing before him. “I know you cast Thor out only a few days ago, and I respect your decisions, but, i can’t help but feel he belongs here. He can’t stay among people who aren’t his home. He needs his family, he made a mistake, he believed he was helping you and proving himself to be worthy. I know he disobeyed you, he broke a promise to me and as much as I disagree with his actions, I feel he will have learned his lesson.” You ramble, only finishing partly due to running out of breathe and to seeing King Odin put his hand up to signal you be quiet.

“I admire your determination, Lady Y/N, however, Thor no longer has a place here in Asgard. If he cannot follow leadership, he cannot be a future leader. He disrespected me and he is being punished.” Odin speaks, gently with with a firm undertone to his voice.

“Sir, I believe he was trying to show leadership by doing what he thought was best, if you’d just let him explain-”

“I don’t need explanations. I need order. I am King of Asgard and if I let my son disobey me, what example does that set for the kingdom? I want this realm protected just as much as Thor does.”

You open your mouth to further try and defend your cast out boyfriend, when Queen Frigga comes in and walks towards Odin and begins to speak into his ear. You stand patiently, awaiting what could be a simple dismissal or potential punishment for daring to question the King’s orders. When the King sighs and nods towards Frigga, he turns to you. He doesn’t smile, but he doesn’t frown either.

“Due to the Queens wishes, Heimdall can bring Thor back” You smile gently. “On the condition that he come straight to me and we will discuss things further, until then, I will inform Heimdall and Thor will return shortly.” you nod eagerly towards King Odin and give a smile towards Frigga, attempting to silently show how grateful you are to her.

~Timeskip~

Thor has been back for a day now, he’s been with his parents since his return. You decided it best to hold back on seeing him, despite how much you missed him to let them have time to speak to one another about his future in Asgard. You walk out of the Library, holding a book in your arms, about to go back to your bedroom, when your met face first with an armoured chest. When you look up, you’re met with a smiling Odinson staring down towards you.

“I see your anxious reading habits haven’t changed upon my dismissal then Darling.” Thor chuckles. You give a simple smile in return before he continues to speak. “I heard about your statements given to my parents, that was awfully brave of you, father was quite taken aback by it.” You nod, before deciding to speak.

“Was it worth it?” you whisper, taking a small step back.

“Your speaking to the King on my behalf?” He questions.

“All of it I believe. Disobeying the King, breaking our promise, returning home.” You say, slightly louder than before, certainly more teary eyed.

“I’m truly sorry Lady Y/N. I never meant to hurt you. I got into my own head, I wanted to prove to my father that I could be the next King of Asgard. But I believe, and you’ve proven, that every King needs to listen to their Queen.” He speaks, closing the gap between us, hesitating, but wiping a stray tear that had fallen down your cheek, despite you trying to stop it.

“Your Queen?” you whispered, slightly stunned by the term.

“If you’ll still have me. Father let me return, but I have a lot more redeeming of myself to do. I wanted to start by making things right with you, if that’s possible.” He spoke, now matching your whispers. You smile towards him. He was right, he had a lot of making up to do, but what mattered most right now, was that he was home. Where he belonged.

“No more breaking promises.” You spoke, meeting his eyes with a little fire behind yours. He nodded towards you before pulling you into a hug.

“No more breaking promises, my love”

#thor #thor odinson #thor odinson fic #thor odinson x reader #thor odinson x y/n #loki #loki laufeyson #king odin #queen frigga #thor fanfiction #angst #fluff #asgard #jotunheim #midgard #thor odinson angst

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lifeofroos · 3 years

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Masterlist of retellings/fanworks:

This list is seperated by category, with a short summary of each story beneath the title. The older the story, the higher it is listed in the category. So for the newest, probably best stories, look at the very end!

Greek Mythology:

Much too lovely a night for commitment:

Apollo got himself drunk (Or, as he calls it, ‘a little tipsy’). Dionysus decides its time for him to take a break and they end up talking.

I am not necesserialy asking for your blessing (But I'd love to get it):

Artemis' afternoon rest is disrupted by Ariadne, who has something to say. Artemis doesn't necessarily disagree, but...

The Night:

Ariadne wandered far into the forest at night. It makes Dionysus nervous, but she can't help but feel calm and in love.

Vultures:

Vultures, Athena called them. Enyo and Ares take a break from battle in the encampment. They have to kindly disagree with their sister.

Ghost Story:

Ariadne is awoken one night by a ghost girl named Cora. They keep meeting again and again, through different stages in their lives.

The girl who likes dogs:

Hades needs someone to walk his dog a few days per week. He asks Persephone to do it, as she walks more people's dogs. Yet, that might not be the only reason he asked her...

Back:

Dionysus thought it would be impossible to get his beloved Ariadne back. When she is there again, in front of him, he thinks it can't be real. There is no way he can just hold her now, and love her again...

The Queenly Ghost:

Ariadne raises the spirit of Pasiphae, her mother. Although she isn't sure exactly what to say, she knows she has to say something.

I Hope For The Future:

Hades comes to the surface for a moment to have a chat with Demeter. They are still new to their domains and it is unsure who their allies will be. They hope it'll be each other.

The Story Of Tonight:

They should have held back Artemis, Apollo and Hermes before they climbed onto the buffet table. Now that they are already drunkenly singing, it is a little too late, don't you think?

I’ve Got A Proposal:

Usually, Dionysus tends to be quite smooth. Not when asking the woman he finds the best if she wants to marry him, though.

Test Of Courage:

Dionysus and Hephaestus are nearing Olympus, meaning the end of their quest is in sight. Hephaestus wonders whether he'll dare to complete the mission when the time is there. Dionysus tries to show him he probably will.

I Told Him To Try A Little Harder:

Zeus wants Hera as his queen. Hera wants Zeus to prove he really thinks she is worth his efforts, with something big. Something unexpected.

Hide (Just a little longer):

Hera will be the queen of the universe, with her husband Zeus as the king. There is no denying it. Yet, she would like to keep it under the covers for a little longer - until she knows she finds the courage to tell her mother.

Give Me Anything But The Giraffes:

During his meanderings, Dionysus came to Africa, too. Without his army, he trecks further south into the country. A guide helps him over the savanah, where they meet some creatures Dionysus hopes he'll never encounter again.

The Walk:

Aglaia loves Hephaestus and the other way around. Yet, so shortly after Aphrodite left, they don't know what to do about it. Maybe it's better that way. It means they can slowly discover their love instead of crashing into it.

Right Hand Men:

In order to create a destructive power the world has never seen before, Ares and Enyo decide to get married. Right now, at this very moment.

Kiss Me Not (Yet):

Ariadne wants to kiss Dionysus, she really does. Yet when she tries, all she can do is recoil. All Dionysus wants is for her to feel comfortable.

Mind and Matter:

Hephaestus never expected Athena to show up to his forge ever again. When she is there anyway, it takes little for the tears to come out.

For I Am Not A Weapon To Be Wielded:

Phaedra can hardly accept the feelings she got for Hippolytus. She starts to wonder why she has them and soon enough, she decides she doesn't want to be a weapon of the gods anymore. A retelling of Phaedra's story. Because I stuck to the source material, I can only advise viewer discression. Contains themes of suicide.

Mom Isn’t That Angry:

After Dionysus hasn't been seen on Olympus for a long time, Athena is send out to find him. She does, in a sleeping bag somewhere in the middle of nowhere, healing from injury. She decides to sit by and hold his hand until he feels better. Sometimes, it's the wisest thing a person can do.

I wish I could keep him:

Due to the danger on Olympus, Zeus gives Dionysus to Persephone, so she can raise him in secret for some time. When spring comes, he needs to come with her. She can't help but hope that she can keep him, just slightly longer, even though she knows the danger makes her hope idle.

Egyptian Mythology:

Two-faced:

Set killed Osiris. When Isis left to search for him, she left her son Horus drifting down the Nile. How big is the chance that Sets' wife Nephthys finds him? She takes him in, but whenever Sets' with her, she can't tell: Does he know, or not? And what does this mean for the baby, or more importantly, for them?

Riordanverse:

Hotel Walhalla’s weird activities to the death:

We all know of sword-fighting, spear-throwing, and yoga to the death. Yet, what other weird, totally peaceful activities have they managed to make dangerous in hotel Valhalla?

Percy Jackson one-shots:

In this book, I write Percy Jackson one-shots. Most of them were previously uploaded on my FanFiction and Wattpad account, but I decided to transfer them here as well! ! I write romance, random headcannons and ideas, cute stuff and funny ideas (No angst, very bloody stuff or anything like that). The One-shots get better in quality further in the book. The first ones are not amazing, but I added them to be complete. Update: I have decided to stop writig one-shots, but all of these stay right where they are!

At Least He Got The Minotaur:

Percy has just arrived in camp. A camper runs to Chiron and Dionysus to tell them. The camp directors are more than a little surprised at the news that a new, young camper could defeat a minotaur. It couldn't be the prophecy, could it?

There are always reasons:

Percy is in camp to meet with some friends. He seizes a chance to ask Dionysus about why the god released him from the Chrysler building, all those years ago. He gets a more profound answer than expected.

This Might Be Crazy:

Nico has some issues and needs help - even he agrees. He is just not really sure if Dionysus of all people will be able to help him. Or: A fic in which Nico gets therapy from Dionysus, learns to live again and regains control of his life, inspired by what was said in Tower of Nero. Updates every three days! This fic was nominated for the Solangelo awards 2021.

Elevators and Boys keep me awake:

Nico is going through a tough time. Luckily, he has his upstairs neighbour Dionysus to help him. Or: A Nico-gets-therapy-from-Dionysus-story, but in a mortal AU.

The Biters:

Short stories about Clarisse, told via those around her, ranging from when she was a little girl to getting claimed to getting a boyfriend and becoming a hero.

A Question:

Nico figures out Will went to Dionysus a couple of times, with questions about how to make his boyfriend feel more comfortable. Nico finds it adorable, really.

Loki (2021):

Maltesers:

Loki notices Mobius carrying a bag with a sweet scent coming off of it. Perhaps he would like to try some of that, too.

See You later, Alligator:

Loki is bored on Asgard. On a wim, he decided to transform a few things in his room into animals. After all, what can come from that except for some harmless fun?

Bohemian Rhapsody, or: Misschief on ice

Finding out that Loki can figure skate is one. Finding out that he has qualified himself for a world championship is in a whole other ballpark. Still, Mobius and Sylvie support him to the best of their abilities. Even when Loki decides to skate by his own rules.

Whoever you are:

Loki is gender fluid. Before they knew Mobius, they casually slipped in and out of different looks, whatever felt right at the moment. When they began dating, it suddenly felt so weird. Mobius tells them he'll love them, no matter who they are.

Rangers’ Apprentice:

High school could go many ways:

For a group of five orphans, the time for high school has come. Will is determined to get onto a sports team. Yet, is that truly what he wants, or has he been putting up an act for himself?

During all of this I have one question:

Crowley has an idea and plays a prank on Gilan and Halt. They handle the situation quite well, I would say.

KoFi - AO3

#masterlist #writing #writer #lifeofroos

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lailannajacobs · 3 years

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If You’d Ever Had A Real Boyfriend, Maybe You’d Know What To Do With A Fake One | GIBP IV

Pairing: Fey!Loki x fem!reader

Chapter Summary: You experience your first council event and get to know Loki a little bit better.

Warnings: pure fluff

Word Count: 12.5k

A/N: I know this took quite a while to come out, but I ended up writing far more than I’d intended and I spent a lot of time editing to try and get the fake dating as perfect as I possibly could. I hope you don’t mind the length so much and I’d love to know what you think of the chapter!! <3

You had wanted to spend the whole hour in the bath, scrubbing the stupid Junabee from your hair, but Loki had given you an hour alone and you weren’t about to waste it soaking in a tub; no matter how luxurious or tempting it was. You’d chosen a dark silky blouse and fancy but comfortable pants, quickly noticing that Valkyrie had made a slitted compartment in the leg for your dagger. You hadn’t spoken about it with her and you didn’t know if that was her way of ominously warning you to stay safe or simply that she’d gotten a better read on you during your afternoon than you’d thought. Either way, you were glad to have it there.

Even though they clashed with the outfit, you’d kept your boots on underneath, refusing to part with them. You weren’t in the mood to get blisters from shoes you’d never worn before and needed to to know you could run and move if need be. Your steps were silent on the floor — another reason you’d kept on the boots — hopefully imperceptible even to Fey hearing. Leaning your ear against the door, you waited, listening for movement in the hallway. Nothing. Your hand was tentative on the handle. You gently pulled open the door and stepped out, eyes scanning the hallway. You bit back a groan.

Loki was leaning against the opposite wall, freshly changed into a dark suit, the cut and style similar to the likes of human fashion and his dark hair combed back. You were momentarily surprised he owned something like that, but with the mountain of clothing you received from Valkerie only hours after meeting her, you should have guessed she would have made something for him as well. It was a clever move on his part, and you wondered if it was him or his seamstress who had decided on the suit. Regardless of who’s idea it was, the clothes fit him so perfectly, even you couldn’t deny that he was incredibly handsome. The thought made you scowl. He raised a brow.

“I thought you were going to be back in an hour,” you blurted then quickly realized how suspicious you sounded.

He shrugged, “I lied.”

The silence stretched on after his words and you turned them over in your mind. He knew you would try and leave. It was the only reason he would have lied about something so unimportant. And you stupidly believed him. You ran your tongue over your teeth, trying to hide your frustration — at him, yes, but also at yourself. You should have known that after sneaking off this morning he’d be watching you even more closely. If you’d have stayed put, maybe you could have gained his trust enough to search the palace on your own. Now, you’d only made everything harder for yourself. There was no way he trusted you before, but he sure in the Seven Hells didn’t trust you now. You should have known better than this. You had to be better than this. You felt tears burn behind your eyes and you struggled to keep ahold of yourself.

He cocked his head, looking at you more closely now, as if he could see beneath your skin if he tried hard enough. You avoided his gaze, watching the trees swaying outside through a nearby window until you were sure your voice wouldn’t crack when you spoke.

You tried to turn the tables on him Instead of trying to defend your own actions, and muttered, “that wasn’t very nice of you.”

He seemed to find that funny, his intense stare breaking as he pushed off the wall and approached with slow, lazy steps, “and what were you about to do, sweetheart?”

You took in a deep breath; pasted on a coy smile. You had to calm down and get your act together if you wanted to get through this. And you were going to get through this. For yourself. For Nat. You had no other choice.

You closed the door behind you.

“Find you, of course,” you replied sweetly.

His head dipped in a slow nod, lips pursed as if he was trying to fight a smile. You didn’t for a second think that he believed me.

“Well, sweetheart, you found me,” he crooned.

You couldn’t fake any kind of enthusiasm, the words dry when you said, “lucky me.”

“Lucky me,” he countered, lips curling into a wicked grin. His eyes were bright and taunting as if he was winning a game you weren’t aware you were playing, “and now that you’ve found me, what are you going to do about it?”

His voice had dropped so that his question sounded like a dare, words laced with danger and promises of something more. Your breath caught in your throat. You hadn’t realized how close you’d gotten now that he was leaning against your doorframe. You looked up haughtily, holding his gaze as you searched for something to say in return, but you had nothing. He tucked a loose strand of hair behind your ear and raised a brow, that insufferable smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth.

Annoyed and all too aware of how close he was standing, you snorted and pushed past him. It wasn’t the most elegant or articulate, but it was the best you could come up with.

“Anything I should know about this party thingy?” you asked, hoping you could get back onto solid footing with some distance and a neutral question.

He was silent as he strolled beside you and you had to look up at him to make sure he’d heard. The only reason you didn’t repeat the question was the pinched look on his face and the way he began by saying, “I won’t lie to you,”

You stopped short, your hands on your hips. He paused and turned. When you didn’t back down, he nodded as if he’d just remembered lying to you less than an hour ago.

“Not about this,” he explained, though you weren’t comforted in the slightest by his answer. He was obviously comfortable lying to you and seemed to have it in mind that he would need to. Obviously, as king, he wasn’t going to tell you most things, but you wondered what that meant for your fate and Nat’s.

You kept walking, not wanting to get distracted and make a big deal about something you couldn’t change. For now. You motioned for him to go on.

“The council isn’t going to like you,” he replied bluntly, “they’re all part of the generation that burned down the temples of the old gods and almost half supported the discoveries that led to the war on purity.”

You closed your eyes for a few steps and tried to ignore the sinking feeling in your chest. Several decades before Hayle inherited the throne, Dark Elf scholars from Alfhiem discovered that magic flowed through the Nine Realms like currents in a massive loop of energy. They had found that the each specific mutation that differentiated the races attracted certain currents of energy and allowed those mutation to interact with and manipulate the magic of the currents. Humans couldn’t interact with any.

Then, when Odin later took the throne, a human scholar named Brock Rumlow was found guilty of capturing and testing on as many of the other races as he could get his hands on to try and imitate the mutations to give himself more power. Odin had taken the opportunity to turn as many of the other realms as he could against humans, burning the temples the humans had built when they had believed the magic had come from the gods. They had set out to eradicate the ‘lesser race’ — humans who had no power and would inevitably try to steal everyone else’s. Anyone who had sided with Odin despised humans and were a threat to them, even hundreds of years after they had lost the war on purity.

You were in more danger here than you’d realized.

“Great,” you muttered. Then a terrifying thought occurred to you that he might actually agree with them, “if they’re part of your council, why haven’t you gotten rid of them?”

He looked down at me in surprise, “kill them?”

“Kick them off the council,” you snapped, “you were king for at least a little while. You could have changed that.”

You stopped yourself from saying that he should have changed it. The actions of one human should not have been enough to condemn the entire race for future generations and every other race that had sided with them. But you should have known when Asgard had abandoned everyone good in the war that they didn’t care for anyone other than themselves.

Loki remained silent as a beautiful Fey woman crossed you in the hallway and nodded politely as she walked past. Her eyes lingered on you and the space between you and Loki so you stepped a little closer to him as you walked, your shoulders practically touching. When you were certain she couldn’t see you anymore, you stepped away from him, afraid he could feel your anger radiating off you in waves.

“Their positions are for life,” he said with a shrug, “and unfortunately, that’s a long time.”

“Unfortunate,” you scoffed, then muttered, “maybe you should have considered the first option gave you.”

His steps faltered slightly, “I beg your pardon?”

You knew he’d heard with his Fey hearing.

“Nothing,” you chirped.

He looked at you warily before continuing, scanning your body from head to toe as if he was looking for the dagger you’d pulled on him the day before.

“Thankfully, the head of the court is impartial,” he finally said when he seemed satisfied you weren’t going to try anything, “and the ultimate decision is his. My advice to you is to ignore the rest of them and focus on making this convincing.”

You nodded. His plan made sense, but there was so much that wasn’t on your side simply because you were human. If this was a fight, you were starting it blindfolded and with a hand tied behind your back. You clenched your teeth, frustrated. He’d conveniently forgotten to mention how desolate our situation was before you’d agreed to it. Though you hadn’t really agreed to it. It would be a long time before you forgot the way he’d casually threatened your life and the pain he’d caused last night.

“If you knew all this, then why in the Seven Hells did you drag me into this?” you snarled, unable to keep the emotion from your voice, “wouldn’t it have been easier to use someone who was Fey? I’m sure Valkyrie would have been available.”

You weren’t sure why you’d called out the seamstress, but now that you had, you wouldn’t mind him explaining some of the million secrets you knew they were both keeping from you.

He didn’t seemed fazed by your outburst, his face almost more impassive than it was before, “easier maybe, but it would have been too obvious. The fact that you’re so unexpected makes it the most believable.”

Your anger was dropped to a simmer for a moment when you wondered what he meant by ‘too obvious’. What kind of past was between them? Maybe something was still there and this whole situation was coming between them. Maybe your deal was ruining a perfectly decent relationship. You decided you didn’t care. You weren’t here to become invested in their lives. You had other — more important — things to worry about.

“This hallway leads to the council’s banquet hall,” he continued once he realized that you weren’t going to say anything else on the subject, “if ever I’m not here to escort you, this is the easiest way to get from our rooms to the hall.”

“There are other ways?” you asked, thinking that the better you knew the layout of the palace, the better your chances were of finding the Hand.

He glanced at you side-long, wary of your question. With reason, but you weren’t about to confirm that.

“I mean, what if I’m not coming from my room,” you supplied, hurrying along.

“You can always ask for help,” he said. His face took on a serious quality that you hadn’t seen on him before, “the walls have ears here. Unless you’re in your room, know that I’ll be able to hear you if you’d like help.”

You didn’t know what to think about that. You’d been talking pretty freely about your deal, even though it had been in hushed tones most of the time. But that meant that whatever you said could be overheard by anyone. You were going to have to be even more careful than you’d first thought.

He nodded as if he could read your mind and honestly, with the minute demonstrations of magic you’d seen so far, you weren’t sure he couldn’t. You didn’t know anything about Fey magic and because of it, you were even more at a disadvantage. If you were going to have to spend a few moons here then you were going to have to learn more about it. Maybe even put your pride aside and ask him about it.

“Do you think you can make it convincing in there, sweetheart?” he asked, pausing a few steps away from a set of double doors. You’d been so lost in thought that you hadn’t realized you were already at the banquet hall.

“YN,” you grumbled, “and I think I can manage.”

“Good. Then I think we should hold hands,” he said.

You rolled your eyes, though you were glad he’d had the decency to accept your terms and ask you first.

“How romantic. And original,” you laughed, though there was no humour in the sound, “did you come up with that all on your own, prince?”

“You did want a heads up,” he ran a hand through his hair, “and funny thing is sweetheart, love isn’t original. Or so I’ve heard.”

“Never been in love?” you couldn’t help but ask.

“No,” he kept his eyes on the door ahead, not giving anything away, his voice steady when he asked, “have you?”

A crazy kind of laughter bubbled in your chest at the irony and impossibility of your situation. Afraid it would turn into full blown panic, you managed to push it far enough down to say, “no. Looks like we’re perfect for this.”

He rocked back on his heels, the corner of his mouth barely twitching upward, “I knew there was a reason I chose you.”

“I broke into your palace, I don’t think that counts,” you scoffed.

He offered his hand, “I let you.”

“Keep telling yourself that, prince,” you said, your frustration back as if it had never left. You tried to ignore that familiar itch blooming at your tailbone, “you people are so overconfident and arrogant that anyone with half a brain could break into this place.”

“And yet, here you are,” he pointed out, that infuriating smirk growing.

You crossed your arms, tucking your hands tightly against your body to hide your growing temper, “not because of your charm.”

He leaned in close, lips almost touching your ear when he whispered, “you’re no peach either, my queen.”

“At least I’m not a spoiled brat who coerces helpless humans into miserable bargains,” you whispered back, head snapping to face him and your composure slipping away faster than usual. We were so close now your noses were practically touching and you made sure to take a step away from him.

He shook his head and you felt a shimmer of magic surround you like a bubble. You looked around as if you could physically see it, but obviously nothing was there. When you looked back at him, Loki’s eyes were ablaze.

“Like you’re helpless, YN. You obviously don’t like me and that’s fine, but don’t think for a second that I’m clueless. You can fool them, sweetheart, but not me.”

You let out another humourless laugh, easing the pressure in your chest slightly, “and there’s that overconfidence and arrogance I was just talking about.”

“Are there any other insights about me you would like to share?” he asked, that bored expression quickly replacing any sort of emotion you might have seen on his face.

“Not right now,” you snapped.

He huffed a sigh, “then we should go in.”

You took his hand. It was a rough, warrior’s, easily engulfing yours.

He smirked.

“Shut up,” you growled, tempted to rip your hand away, “this is a necessity.”

“I didn’t say anything,” he pointed out, though there was no doubt in your mind that he knew exactly what he’d done to get under your skin so easily. Just the thought infuriated you more.

“This is never going to work,” you muttered.

He paused, voice taunting when he said, “not with that attitude it won’t.”

It took all of your restraint not to punch him in the arm with your free hand. He was so cavalier about all of this that you had trouble believing he took any of it seriously. How were you supposed to get the book when this was over when his vanity seemed to take precedence over everything else? He raised your hands and placed a slow kiss on yours, his intense gaze never leaving you. You glared at him and could feel his lips twist into a smile on your skin. Before you could snap at him for being an arrogant prick, he pushed open the doors and was on the move again, tugging you along with him. You did your best to keep up with his long strides through the smaller hallway that led to fancy looking doors at the end. You didn’t know if you were late or it if it was you dreading the party, but it felt like he’d picked up the pace.

You kept repeating to yourself that the walls had ears and that you had a job to do. You had Nat’s face etched into your mind — the sheer panic, wide eyes and gaunt face of the day the two of you had gotten captured. You had to get her out. You had to. Which meant that you couldn’t go around hating the man you were supposed to love. At least, not blatantly you couldn’t.

“I couldn’t be happier than to be here with you in this moment, Loki,” you said as you approached the doors that looked even more impressive up close, “there’s no one else I’d ever want at my side.”

He stopped with his hand on the door and looked over at you with a curious, but slightly amused expression on his face. He leaned over so that his shoulder barely brushed up against yours and said, “commendable attempt, sweetheart, but you might want to remind your face of your intentions if you want anyone to believe it.”

Then he pulled you into the room with him before you could say anything else. You did your best to wipe the scowl from your face. It wasn’t easy to do when this was the last place you wanted to be, but every pair of eyes were on you so you had no choice. And there were a lot of them.

The banquet hall was filled with Fey in elegant evening wear, male and female alike, all dissecting you as if you’d intruded on their private event. The room was smaller than you thought it would be, though it still had high arched ceilings, wide stained glass windows and a long table set up in the back with an impressive spread of food. A quick scan of the crowd gave you the impression that there were almost fifty Fey here but not one friendly face among them. Your legs suddenly felt like jelly and you were surprised you were somehow still standing.

Loki looked down at you and raised a brow. It was a silent challenge as if he thought you were intimidated by his court — that you couldn’t keep up. The arrogant look reignited the furry that had been doused by the judging stares and brought you back to your senses fast enough that you didn’t stumble after Loki when he walked you toward the centre of the party. Because of course you were going to the centre of it. Where else would you go?

“Nice to see everyone,” he began, shooting them all courtly smiles, though he lingered slightly longer on the five men who stood a few steps apart from the others. Their tunics looked similar to most of the other men, but you could tell their designs were more carefully tailored for their bodies and the fabrics better suited for the cut of the shirt and pants they wore. These men exuded power and confidence, and you could only assume that they were the council members that you were supposed to impress.

But the council of stuffy old men that you’d been expecting was nowhere to be seen. Only two of them appeared to be over the age of fifty, all the other in their early thirties at most — though you didn’t doubt that most of them were at least a few generations of humans old. All were Fey, and objectively speaking, all of them were quite handsome. Their looks were sharp and angular, traditional of the Fey and alluring in the way that they were surrounded by an air of magic. But the moment you looked into their eyes you knew you didn’t want to be in the room with them any longer than you had to. These men might not have been cruel at the beginning of their lives, but any kindness that might have once lived within them was long gone. And judging by the way their lips puckered in disgust, Loki had undersold their hatred for humans. You didn’t know if Asgard had ever had a human queen before the war, but you’d been warned they weren’t keen on it now. You just hadn’t been ready for them to look at you with more disgust on their faces than most of the people in Odin’s realm did — that was, those who bothered to look at you at all.

“We didn’t realize you were back from your travels, prince Loki,” the Fey man in the middle sneered.

“I arrived yesterday, Tywin” Loki replied curtly, his face impassive as he ignored the jab, “my court was aware.”

You tried not to stare back and forth between the councilmen and Loki. You had assumed that the council and his court were interchangeable, but obviously if they had been, these men would have been aware of his return — his return from where though? And if he had arrived yesterday, then you’d gotten to Asgard not long after he had. Maybe if you’d gotten here sooner you wouldn’t be stuck in this mess…Regardless, you couldn’t help but wonder if your arrivals were a coincidence or if there was something more going on to this whole situation than just a fight for his crown? There had to be a million things he wasn’t telling you, but would any of those things affect your end of the bargain? There were too may questions you didn’t know the answers to and you had to keep your face neutral before your rising worry ruined your scheme and your chances of getting the Hand before it even started.

“And who is this human you’ve brought with you?” Tywin asked, never once giving you any of his attention. He spoke the word as if you were a shameful object Loki had brought with him to use to taunt the council rather than a living, breathing, conscious being.

Loki lolled his head to the side, shooting you a lazy look you took as a signal to answer the Fey’s questions.

You lifted your chin, staring them all down one by one, and spoke slowly, pronouncing each syllable clearly just to make sure they got it, “YN YLN.”

The man’s lip curled, but he didn’t get a chance to speak.

“She will be my queen,” Loki declared.

There was no hesitation or doubt in his voice. It didn’t matter that he needed their approval to take the throne or that they had clearly pointed out that the title no longer belonged to him, he was above these people. They answered to him. Even masked by the bored look on his face, the authority in his voice was so strong, you found yourself believing it. And judging by the frustration on their faces, they did too — even if it was begrudgingly.

“We’ll discuss the technical aspects later,” he decided, his tone suddenly flippant as if he hadn’t just commanded the whole room into silence, “tonight is not meant for business.

He cut through the middle of the crowd and led you to the banquet table at the back of the room, dismissing the rest of the council. The silence lingered and followed you to the table, but slowly, the chatter began again, taking on a life of its own. You let out a since once the music had started again and their gazes were no longer boring into your back. Loki let go of your hand and offered you drink.

You must have looked at the pale red liquid suspiciously because he said, “it’s safe for humans.”

You hated that he seemed to be able to read your expressions so easily.

You grabbed the flute form his hands, the liquid sloshing in the glass before you downed it in a few quick gulps. The taste was sharp and not overly sweet, and went down smoothly. Which meant you had to be careful. You were human. Although your abilities would inherently handle the liquor better than most humans, that was what you were at the moment. Human. One too many drinks and you might do something incredibly stupid.

“Don’t look too pleased to be here,” he muttered, running a hand through his hair. You thought it looked like he wanted to tear his hair out, but the look flashed by so quickly you were pretty sure you’d imagined it. He shoved his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels. The arrogance on his made you sure that you had.

He handed you another drink, “try not to spill this one.”

“I hate this place,” you whispered.

“Mingle,” he whispered back, “then you can leave.”

You blew him a kiss and stomped off. It was a pitiful attempt at love and you knew it. You needed to do a better job at pretending to be his queen, knowing that if you didn’t, you would never forgive yourself. But of course, the things you knew and the things you did rarely matched up. It was the reason you were a human stuck in this stupid mess in the first place.

Loki stared at you from across the room but didn’t approach. You tried to keep from rubbing your temples. You’d been in Asgard less than a day and you were already exhausted. You chalked it up to stress, not wanting to admit to yourself what the real was and rolled your shoulders back. You smiled at a passing Fey woman. She smiled back. There. That wasn’t so bad. You had a job to do. Loki wanted convincing? You were going to make it so damned convincing he was going to let you spend the whole day sleeping in tomorrow. You tried not to grind your teeth at the thought that you still needed someone to ‘let you’ do whatever you wanted. You down your drink, set it on the table and grabbed two more from a passing waiter. Once you got this done, you wouldn’t need anyone to let you do anything. You were going to be free again. Nat was going to be free. You could this. You spotted Loki across the room and off you went. You could do this.

Only you didn’t get far. A member of the council stopped you with a hand clamped around your arm. You flinched at the vice-grip. If the Fey man noticed your discomfort, it didn’t bother him enough to let go.

“You’re quite pretty for a human,” he leered, drawing you closer.

He was the youngest of the council members by far, looking about Loki’s age. His sand coloured hair was cut short and styled in a way that showcased his pointed ears and accentuated his ocean blue eyes. He was tall and square, holding himself like a warrior. You didn’t doubt he was one. Nothing about him was kind. Everything was rough looking. The humans had a myth that the other races were all carved from stone by the gods and brought to life through their immortal breath, but this Fey looked like they’d forgotten to polish him off, the lines around his eyes harsh and unfeeling.

It took all of your restraint not to shove him off, only the thought of Nat fending off jerks like this in Flaik keeping your anger in check. You were trained for this. That training might have been buried deep beneath hundreds of years of memories but it was there and it was time you dug it back up and used it.

You patted his arm, your cheeks forced into a smile, “interesting that a man such as yourself would say that.”

HIs lip curled in disgust as if he was insulted you hadn’t swooned over his pathetic excuse of an insult, “why’s that?”

“Because I thought the Fey were supposed to have perfect eyesight. Quite pretty doesn’t cut it for your future queen” you ripped your arm out of his grasp and strode off to where you’d last seen Loki, but he wasn’t there.

Great. Of course he’d left you to fend off these vultures yourself. One day you were going to punch him and you weren’t going to be sorry about it.

“Nicely done,” Loki whispered, standing so close you were practically touching.

You almost jumped out of your skin. You had no clue where he’d come from.

“Don’t patronize me,” you snapped, shoving one of the two glasses at him, “I don’t need it.”

He peered down at you, but didn’t try and defend himself, “understandable, but you may want my advice. If you can avoid Helio, do. He might be the youngest on the council but that doesn’t mean he’s any better than the rest of them.”

You snorted, “nice court you’ve got here, prince.”

“It’s a lifetime position, remember?” he said, nodding politely to the guests as you walked along the fringes of the party.

You knew he’d told you that before, but this time you deflated, feeling like you’d agreed to a situation that kept getting far more hopeless that you’d realized. He stopped and gave you a little shrug like he knew exactly how you were feeling. For once, there was nothing condescending in his expression and he genuinely seemed to understand. Maybe he did. He needed this to work too. But then again, maybe he didn’t. He was only loosing a title and not the person he loved most in this world.

He extended his hand. You tried to control the jittery feeling that was spreading through your limbs and through your body, making your breaths more and more shallow. Instead, you tried to focus on the fact that what you were doing wasn’t impossible. Improbable, yes, but not impossible. It would only become impossible if you didn’t take his hand and work with him. You didn’t have to like him. Seven hells, you didn’t even have to trust him. All you had to do was stop letting every little thing discourage you and do this with both feet in. You’d find a way to get the hand. You and Nat had gotten through worse. This time would’t be different. It couldn’t be.

You took his arm instead and stood a little closer for effect. The gesture put a little smile on his face. It was the perfect look to convince the council he was besotted and you knew you should do the same. Remembering the lessons from your childhood, you smoothed out the tension you knew must be on your face and told yourself that you hadn’t messed anything up yet. You were human in a Fey’s realm. It was only natural to be a little tense. You could play the part. You could lie just as well as he could.

“What’s the goal tonight?” you asked, voice low so that you wouldn’t attract any unwanted attention from the fey stealing glances at you.

His face was pleasant when he said, “I just need you to be seen.”

“With you?” you tried to clarify, a little put off by the way his tone didn’t match the look on his face.

“No. Just seen,” he brushed back your hair, leaning in so close that you shivered when his lips brushed against your ear, “I don’t trust any of them,” he whispered, “and neither should you.”

You wanted him to say more, but you understood enough to know that making sure you were seen by all the council was a failsafe to make sure nothing happened to you. If they all knew who you were and what you looked like, none of them could claim ignorance if you were kicked out of the palace — or worse. You tried to swallow the lump in your throat. Yesterday he had made your deal seem like a piece of cake. Now you were sure he’d lied. Only the worry that your life might be on the line kept you from lashing out in anger.

“If I die, you don’t get to be king,” you reminded him through clenched teeth.

Loki backed off slowly, his movements measured and controlled, “if you died, I couldn’t imagine ever being sane enough to properly rule a kingdom.”

His words were a subtle reminder that despite your distance and the noise in the room, everyone here had Fey hearing and could listen in if they really wanted to — and they probably did. You mentally slapped yourself. You were going to have to start thinking before you spoke.

“Your words are too sweet,” you said, shooting him a pointed look, “but you’re far too strong to lose your sanity over a human, especially that our love will live on for far long than I will.”

He seemed to realize his mistake and pressed a kiss to your forehead. You narrowed your eyes at him and he shrugged with a little smirk.

“It is your everlasting love that will make me the best king I could possibly be,” he looked like he was enjoying himself far too much and you waited warily for his next words, “after all, sweetheart, I know you’d scale any building for me.”

You placed your hand on your heart for effect. It was better than punching his arm.

“And yet your love is so irresistible, it’s almost as if I didn’t have a choice in the matter,” you shot back.

He grinned.

“Aren’t you two sweet,” a male voice sneered.

You almost groaned. This had to be another councilman. Loki smirked and mouthed tell it to your face before he turned so that you were facing a man who resembled a boulder both in shape and wit. You were glad it wasn’t Helio again, but this one didn’t seem much better. Still, you managed somewhat a decent smile.

He didn’t wait for either of you to speak before continuing.

“I’d heard a rumour a few moons ago that we were going to have two kings instead of a king and a queen rule Asgard this time. But I don’t know where such a rumour could have come from, especially that you two have known each other for…” he was waiting for an answer, looking between you with a smug grin. You doubted he could have made it more obvious that he was hoping to catch you in a lie because these people didn’t believe you were in love. Whether that was because you were human or because you weren’t the right sex, you were no longer sure. You snuggled even closer to Loki and looked up at him with an expression on your face that you hoped showed nothing other than love.

Loki licked his lips, teeth scraping against his lower lip as he tried to hold back laughter. Your gaze inadvertently dropped to his mouth for too long before you looked back up into his bright eyes. Judging by the strange expression on his face, you weren’t doing a very good job at conveying love, which only made it harder not to scowl.

“Every day I learn something new about her,” Loki crooned, “it feels like we keep meeting over and over…like we just met yesterday.”

There was a victorious little glint in his eyes that you hoped the councilman interpreted as love. All you saw was a challenge to keep up.

You widened your grin, partly afraid it might look a little crazy but going with it anyways, “and yet, at the same time it feels like we’ve known each other for an eternity. I can’t remember what it was like not knowing him.”

You both turned back to face the Fey man and he narrowed his eyes, trying to see beneath the act. You tried to snuggle in a little closer, but with Loki’s hands in his pockets, there wasn’t much more you could do to get closer. He seemed to realize that in the way he stiffened slightly, but neither of you moved, afraid too much fidgeting would make the councilman see something he wouldn’t have otherwise found.

You were afraid the Fey could hear your heart pounding and you waited for him to say something. Finally, it was Loki who spoke instead.

“YN, I would like you to meet councilman Lucius Bonnefort. Lucius, meet your future queen.”

Lucius grit his teeth. He hadn’t been given a command, but the order from his king was clear. He was to treat you with the respect of any other Fey here. Loki raised a brow, waiting. It looked like Lucius might turn his teeth to dust he was gritting them so hard.

“Pleasure,” was all he muttered before sulking off.

You looked up at Loki and found a frigid expression on his face. His council may have been challenging him but at least they still respected him. The harsh lines on Loki’s face didn’t soften. Maybe it wasn’t respect. Maybe it was fear. You’d gotten a glimpse of his power last night that you didn’t want to relive. Maybe they knew better than to cross their king.

You strolled and mingled with some of the other party guests, but none of the other council members came to see you. It was clear they wanted nothing to do with the two of you, and although Lucius seemed to have bought your answer, you weren’t convinced any of them bought your act. It wasn’t like they wanted to, so why would they? The two of you standing close together wasn’t going to change any of that.

You stopped yourself from rubbing your eyes, trying not to let show how discouraged you were becoming. You’d never been in love. You’d never even had a serious relationship or anything that lasted longer than a couple nights. If this was going to work, you had to think. You couldn’t rely on your own experiences to get you through this. You needed something big. Something that would convince them, without a shadow of a doubt, that you were at least a real couple.

You glanced around the room, looking at all the people who refused to make eye contact with you. As much as you hated it, you needed them to look at you. And you needed to make sure that you did something big when they did. An idea began to take shape in your mind. You didn’t like it, but you were pretty sure it would work.

“Mind if I break one of our rules?” you whispered as softly as you could, catching Loki’s attention.

He leaned back, an amused look on his face. The dip of his head was barely visible but enough to give you the go ahead. You took the drink from his hand and grabbed a knife off the table behind him. Loki observed every movement curiously, no longer seeming quite so bored with the event. You gently tapped the knife against the glass, the hollow ringing echoing throughout the room. It wasn’t hard to get everyone’s attention when more than half of them had been stealing glances at you all evening. You placed the knife gently on the table and you free hand fluttered up instinctively to the pendent resting under your shirt. The weight of it was a strangely comforting reminder that what you were about to do was for the right reasons.

“Hello everyone,” you cleared your throat, hating the way your voice trembled, “I know a toast is a bit of a human tradition, but I was hoping, since I intend to be your queen in a few short moons, that I could say hello with a little tradition of my own. I just wanted to say what a pleasure it has been meeting all of you and I hope to get to know you better in the future. I love Loki more than any of you can imagine, and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life here!”

The speech was premature and overconfident at best, but it wasn’t only a statement to prove that you be queen, it was also a message to Loki. You might have gotten caught off guard when you’d broken into the palace, but you were going to walk away with the Hand. You could play these games better than anyone here. You had no choice to, and you had the skills to prove it.

The tentative clapping wasn’t even done when you turned around, placed your drink on the table, grabbed Loki by the face and pulled him in for a kiss. He stiffened under your touch, lips frozen in place. You panicked. What did you just do? You were about to pull away and try to come up with a credible excuse for what had just happened when finally, his hands slipped around your waist and he pulled you closer, kissing you back. You melted into his touch. His lips were soft and gentle, and he let you lead the kiss until you pulled away slowly. You stared into his eyes, not quite sure that you’d actually done that. Loki didn’t say anything, his body oddly stiff. You couldn’t read his expression so you stepped back, his hands lingering a little longer before he let go. Unnerved by this strange version of Loki, you bopped him on the nose with the tip of your finger, surprising yourself with the gesture. His eyes narrowed but you only grinned, taking your little victories where you could get them.

“Enjoy the rest of your evening!” you announced, reaching around him for you glass and raising it.

You were met with a few wide eyes and bewildered looks, but thankfully, everyone raised their glasses and took a sip. You nodded and smiled, meeting a few eyes before turning back to face Loki. His courtly smile masked whatever he was feeling, and you had no idea whether he was furious or not. He extended an arm. You took it but you didn’t know what to think.

This time, as you walked through the party, you got a few smiles and a few nice to meet yous. You shot a winning smile to a fey man as you passed. Not sure what to do with it, he immediately looked away, flustered. The reaction eased some of the pressure on your chest, but you knew the party was far from over. And judging by the way Loki was deathly silent, you were also going to have to contend with him later. He pulled you into a dark alcove at the far end of the banquet hall, the sounds of the party falling away. Apparently he thought sooner was better than later.

“So that’s how we’re doing this?” he demanded.

You had to crane your neck to look up at him you were so close, your chests practically touching. His eyes were emeralds on fire, and with the ghost of that fake smile still on his lips, the effect was terrifying. Despite the number of the drinks you’d downed, you were aware enough to be wary of it.

“I warned you first,” you blurted out. Hating how defensive you sounded, you took a deep, steadying breath but the way it closed the distance between you did nothing to calm your nerves. If anything, it was almost as if your magics were creating an electric current between your bodies. You didn’t know if he could feel it so you ignored it, “I made the right call. Look at them.”

He learned over you to see around the corner, looking at the crowd who was still talking about your little toast. He smelled like mint and summer nights and you tried not to breathe in the pleasant scent.

He settled back into the alcove and raised a brow, “all for the greater good, right sweetheart?”

The words were spoken like a threat rather than an observation, dangerous and cunning. You swallowed, wondering what you’d just gotten yourself into. Actually, you knew what you’d gotten yourself into and you were doing a damned good job of it. If he thought he could intimidate you out of doing your job and securing the Hand then he was very well mistaken.

You jut your chin up, your faces inches away now, “exactly. Maybe you should keep up Prince Loki.”

He chuckled, his breath tickling your cheek. You mimicked his arrogant brow lift, waning for an answer. He said nothing, leaning in even closer. Your breath hitched and you wondered if he was going to kiss you just to spite you.

“If you’re going to make this a competition,” he whispered with a wolfish glint in his eyes, “then I’m willing to play, sweetheart.”

He pulled you out of the alcove before you had a chance to reply. You didn’t know if you’d just made things harder for yourself, but you’d definitely made them more interesting. Though you weren’t sure more interesting was what you needed.

The crowd parted for you as Loki cut across the room and you cursed your short legs for having so much trouble keeping up. He led you toward the only Fey here who actually looked like an old man. His sharp cheekbones and tight skin had gone soft and wrinkly, and the long hair cascading down past his shoulders was as white as his long beard, both of which resembled the frozen landscape of Niflheim. The fey looked thoughtfully between the two of you as you came to a stop in front of him, the corner of his eyes crinkling.

“You two are certainly something,” the fey said.

“That’s love,” you gushed, taking the lead on the situation.

Loki placed a quick kiss to your temple before making the introductions. The fey was Eamon Loveless, the head councilman and the one who would have the final say on your relationship. For some reason, probably to get back at you, Loki had brought you to the most important person in the room. You straightened. You could do this.

“Prince Loki,” Eamon was looking at you when he spoke, “I must say, when you told us you’d found your future queen, I hadn’t been expecting Miss YLN. You hadn’t quite painted a clear picture.”

You weren’t sure what Eamon was accusing him of, but Loki didn’t look worried. With his hands still in his pockets as if he couldn’t be bothered to take them out, he gave a little shrug.

“I didn’t want to influence your opinion before meeting her,” Loki explained, “but I imagine you could only have been pleasantly surprised.”

Eamon smiled, “I’m glad you’ve found someone else who makes you happy.”

Loki’s arms tightened at his side, squishing your arm in between his. Any more and it would hurt. You tried not to look up at him in surprise. There had been someone else? Who? When? Immediately, Valkyrie flashed through your mind.

“YN is magnificent,” he grit out, obviously affected by the comment.

Suddenly, the two of you were too stiff. Too awkward. You tried for a fond smile. Eamon’s expression never changed so you weren’t sure if you’d achieved it or not. You felt the panic begin to rise. Where was the Loki who had lied so easily to Valkyrie? Where was the king who’d commanded the room? Where was the prick who’s taunted you seconds ago? The silence was dragging on and you had to fight the urge to fill it with useless babbling. Instead, you lifted Loki’s hand from his pocket and interlaced your hands, giving yourself time to think.

“He’s too kind,” you finally said, addressing Eamon, “it was his kindness that first attracted me to him.”

“And how did you meet?” he asked.

Your heart flipped in your chest. You thought you had come up with something clever to fill the silence but really you’d just dug yourselves into an even deeper hole. You opened your mouth but nothing came out. Snapping it shut, you let out a sharp breath that you hoped he misconstrued for a laugh. If this was a competition, then both of you were failing miserably.

“Why don’t you tell the story?” you asked, looking up at Loki.

He looked down at you, eyes glazed over and you weren’t sure he even saw you. You dug your nails into his hand. Hard. The pain must have snapped him out of whatever thoughts he’d been sucked into because that smug little grin returned. You’d never thought you’d actually be glad to see it.

“It feels like it was yesterday,” his eyes were bright as if he found himself amusing, “I was in Midgard visiting King Earl and she was a maid.”

“So he thought,” you interrupted, doing your best not to glare at him. At least he was out of whatever that was, even if it meant he was back to annoying you, “I was actually a soldier in the king’s guard and I knocked Loki flat on his ass for his mistake.”

The fey’s eyes widened. Loki chuckled. He didn’t seemed bothered by your comment. If anything, it looked more like he was warming up to the idea of your little competition.

“That was only because I was stunned by her incredible beauty,” he explained.

“And my skill apparently.”

You thought he was going to offer another counterpoint, but instead he nodded, “it’s all true. Though I must say, normally we’re more evenly matched.”

Eamon nodded slowly, dark eyes taking in everything, “and what happened next?”

“I asked her to dinner,” Loki answered simply and you thought that was going to be that, but he wasn’t letting you off the hook that easily, “but she said no.”

“No?” Eamon asked, surprised.

By now your little story had gathered a small crowd and everyone was looking at you expectantly. The human who’d turned down the future king of Asgard. You couldn’t glare at Loki, fearing you’d give something away, but you knew he was grinning, watching you squirm. You’d told hm to keep up. You should’ve expected that a king would play to win.

You shrugged, “I didn’t think we’d have anything in common. And I was busy.”

The last comment earned a few chuckled from the crowd and you lifted your free hand, palm up, as if to say what could I do about it.

Loki took over, “the next time I went back to Midgard, she realized that maybe she’d been too hasty to turn me down, and she asked me to dinner instead.”

“When someone looks this good, how are you supposed to say no,” you laughed, lifting onto your toes and kissing him on the cheek, “and he was so eager, it was adorable. He said yes immediately.”

He turned and stared at you as if you were the only person in the room. You were caught off guard by the intensity of it and you couldn’t look away. It was a dangerous game you were playing. The corner of his mouth lifted slightly. You smirked.

“Eventually, we did go to dinner and got to know each other better,” he continued, turning to face the ever growing crowd, “turns out we had a lot more in common that she originally thought.”

The crowd laughed at his callback and you almost sighed with relief. The councilmen might not have bought the act yet, but at least the other nobles were beginning to seem convinced.

“It wasn’t love at first sight,” you murmured, knowing you didn’t have to speak loudly for them to hear, “but I think it’s something so much better than that,”

He tilted his head and looked at you with that half smirk and a glint in his eyes. If you didn’t know any better, you almost would have thought he was impressed. You grinned, hoping your smug look of victory came across as loving. You were good at this, and most importantly, now he knew it too. Just because he needed a queen, didn’t mean he couldn’t easily replace you if this wasn’t working out. You weren’t going to give him any reason to change his mind.

The councilman’s face was still silent and impassive. All you could hear was the heavy beat of your heart as you waited to see if he’d bought any of it.

A gentle smile softened Eamon’s expression and you almost squeed Loki’s hand with relief.

“You two seem to complement each other quite nicely,” Eamon said, “almost as if you were fated to meet.”

This time your smile was genuine. The orange moon was still far away, but at least you were headed in the right direction to get Nat out of Niflheim. Loki let go of your hand and wrapped an arm around your waist to pull you in closer. You tried not to be stiff, but it was hard when you were hyper aware of every place that your bodies connected. You’d never been affectionate, even with Nat, so you found yourself over analyzing your posture, wondering how credible you could really be. Loki on the other hand seemed completely at ease, fingers drawing little circles on your side.

“I’m positive you will like it here in Asgard, Miss YLN. Although I’m sure you must find our realm a little strange,” Eamon continued.

His words let you know you weren’t doing a very good job at masking your discomfort.

“I’m fine as long as Loki is here with me,” you tentatively rested your head on his shoulder. It seemed like the right thing to do.

“YN is fine no matter what,” Loki affirmed, “she’s the strongest person I know, fey and human alike.”

You wanted to scoff at such a lie, but it was cut short when you saw the admiration in everyone’s eyes, even the councilman. For some reason, Loki seemed to be able to sell love far better than you could and you looked up to see just what you were missing. His eyes were wide and filled with puppy-like innocence that didn’t at all suit the fey you’d met and spent time with. The crowd didn’t seem to agree. It was a good reminder of his skills as a liar and how little you could actually trust him.

“I must admit that I was worried when I saw that your future queen was human,” Eamon shot an apologetic smile your way, “but I must say that your confidence has inspired me, Prince Loki. I’m looking forward to seeing how both of you manage with your trials in the future.”

Loki tensed at your side, but you didn’t know why. Eamon’s words were a good thing. He wanted to see how you’d overcome obstacles in the future which meant that he wasn’t ready to kick you out of the palace just yet. That might have only made one council member, but you had to start somewhere.

“And we’ll do it with grace and dignity,” you beamed, your cheeks sore from all the fake smiling.

Eamon nodded and wished you a good rest of evening, and with that, the crowd seemed to disperse as well. You stepped out of Loki’s arms and walked off to the banquet table in search of food and a reason to stand facing the windows, desperate for a break in the whole act.

“I think that went well,” you murmured when you felt Loki walk up beside you.

“Not bad,” he agreed, “you’re almost as good at this as I am, sweetheart.”

You snorted, “better, prince. Better.”

“We’ll have to see about that,” he promised, “get ready. Here’s another councilman. Three down, two to go.”

You sighed and popped a small berry that looked like a grape into your mouth. You rolled back your shoulders.

“Ready.”

You both turned around at the same time, wide smiles on your faces.

“So that’s it then?” you asked, leaning against the doorframe to the banquet hall.

Your legs could barely keep you standing and you could feel the soft pulses of a headache coming on. The party was dwindling, but all of the council members were still mingling with the remaining guests. When you’d asked, Loki had said that he’d wanted to stay until they had all gone. All you wanted to do was eat a real meal and go to bed. If you could, you wanted to try and find the Hand first, but really, there was nothing you wanted more than food and sleep. But none of that mattered. You were stuck here.

“You look tired,” Loki remarked, but when you opened your eyes, he was scanning the crowd thoughtfully.

“Human,” you answered and hoped it was enough of an explanation that he wouldn’t press for the real reason.

“True,” he hummed, “I forget sometimes by the way you stare down the council as if you’re ready to fight them all at once. It’s not wonder none of the other guests were brave enough to approach.”

You were about to retort but realized he had a point. And you were too tired to say anything. You let your head fall back on to the wall and closed your eyes.

“I’ll work on it,” you muttered.

He didn’t say anything. Only when you opened your eyes a few moments later thinking maybe he’d left you standing alone did he say, “why don’t we head out?”

You pushed off the doorway, “yes.”

He chuckled and offered you an arm, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this enthusiastic.”

“Well, you’ve never threatened me with a good time before,” you took his arm, surprised by how familiar the gesture had already become.

“And what do you think I’m offering you now?” he asked.

“A meal and a bed, hopefully.”

He raised a brow.

You smacked his arm, “not yours.”

“So yours then,” he smirked.

You smacked him again or good measure.

“We’re not saying goodbye?” you asked when you noticed you were headed away from the party.

“We can always turn back.”

You pulled him along, “don’t you dare.”

Loki slowed his stride and let YN set the pace. She looked exhausted and he felt bad for not having realized sooner the extent of what he’d asked of her. He should have warned her earlier about the councilmen or at least given her more information about what she was going to expect but he’d been too afraid she’d decide the Hand wasn’t worth it and leave him stranded. And despite all that, she’d done amazing in there. She’d even made a party with the council bearable, which was something he didn’t think he’d ever say. It didn’t matter that she’d made her stance on the whole situation very clear by glaring at him every chance she got, the crowd seemed to love her. Which was far more than he could saw of himself. As soon as Eamon had mentioned Cortese he’d frozen up, lost in memories. The only reason no one had questioned his behaviour was because YN had brought him back fast enough that it wasn’t too suspicious and the fact that he was king. Or used to be. If he didn’t start acting like he was in love, all the power in the world wouldn’t make him king of Asgard again. Hela had made sure of that.

Despite having a million other things to do tonight, he wanted nothing other than an early night and a peaceful sleep. But with Hela whispering in the council’s ear day and night, along with the imminent war Gamora had foreseen, Loki hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in moons.

He looked over at YN who’d been quiet since they’d left the hall. She’d done more than enough tonight. He didn’t have to drag her with him.

“YN?”

“Hmm?”

When he looked down at her, he realized her eyes were closed and that she was letting him guide her. Loki was only surprised for a moment before he remembered always seeing her with a glass in her hands. Obviously what she was feeling wasn’t trust.

“What do you want to do?” he asked.

Her brows furrowed but her eyes still didn’t open, “when?”

“Right now.”

That got her attention.

“Eat and sleep,” she replied without thought.

She didn’t say it aloud, but Loki knew she also wanted to be alone. He could see it on her face and the way she’d let out a small sigh when they’d first walked into the silent hallway. He understood the need more than she could imagine.

“I can have dinner sent up to your room…or we can do something else if you prefer?” he added quickly when her face pinched into a strange expression he couldn’t read.

“No,” she blurted out and then stated more calmly, the first option’s fine. Are you joining?”

He shook his head, “only if you’d like me too.”

She seemed to hesitate, looking at the walls as if they physically had ears.

He saved her from having to find a clever way to turn him down, “actually, I have things to take care of tonight and I have to return to the banquet hall. Do you know the way back to your room?”

She nodded so quickly Loki almost laughed. She was a terrible liar. He didn’t know where the performance in the council room had come from, but he had no doubts she was lying to him now. The prospect of being on her own seemed to have rejuvenated her. She straightened, cricking her neck from side to side and scratching over her shoulder. She obviously wanted to take a look around — without him around of course.

“Explore or don’t,” he said, truly meaning it, “the council knows who you are now, so no one will kick you out of the palace if they see you snooping around.”

“Who says I’ll be snooping?” she yawned for effect, “I was planning on getting an early night.”

This time he couldn’t help but laugh, “sure. Goodnight YN. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

Her face fell.

“Don’t worry, it’s only breakfast,” he reassured her, omitting the fact that they had a meeting after breakfast. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. It was no secret that she didn’t trust him. He didn’t blame her. He was lying and he didn’t trust her either.

“Only with you?” she clarified.

“Only with me,” he echoed.

That seemed to appease her and she was about to leave when something occurred to him. The words were out of his mouth before he could stop himself.

“Can I ask you a question?”

She paused, “only if I can ask you one.”

“Fair enough,” he amended, “would you spar with me some time?”

Loki had been surprised when she’d said that she was a soldier and he was more than a little curious to know how many of her lies had been based in truth. She’d shut down all his earlier attempts at getting to know her better and he was certain she’d do her best to keep it that way. So he figured he would have to be more clever about it.

He was surprised, and pleased, when she nodded.

“I would like that.”

“Good,” he murmured, afraid that if he said anything else she might change her mind, “your turn.”

“What Lucius said about…” she didn’t finished her sentence but she didn’t have to. He knew what she was talking about.

“He likes to speak out of turn,” Loki paused, choosing his words carefully. There was no one else in the hallway, but this was information that his future queen should have already known, “some of the council members haven’t always been supportive of the fact that there was an equal chance that there could have been two kings on the throne or a king and a queen. Even if fate decided to bring you into my life, those council members still seem bitter about my personal preferences..

She nodded slowly, taking the information in. There wasn’t much other than a thoughtful expression on her face and Loki was relieved. This whole thing would have been finished if she had reacted any other way.

“Has there ever been two kings or two queens in Asgard?” she asked.

“Not yet,” he smirked, “but love is love. And in Asgard, that’s the only requirement. There’s nothing they could say or do about it.”

Her face softened and she took his hand. The gesture surprised him, even more so when she gave it a little squeeze, “as it should be. Goodnight prince.”

And then she walked off in the wrong direction.

When he pointed that out, she looked back over her shoulder, an innocent smile on her face that didn’t match the mischief in her eyes, “just taking a little detour, don’t worry about it.”

He was probably going to worry about it later, but he watched her walk away. He’d promised himself that he’d give her as much freedom as was safe for her and his realm. There was no way she’d find the Hand on her own, so he had to trust that she wasn’t really and threat and that she’d be safe after what he was about to do.

When he couldn’t hear her steps anymore, he turned back to the council room. No one reacted when he walked in.

Hela had made her move less than a moon ago, but the council had taken that opportunity whole-heartedly to remind him that he was no longer king. He was only a prince temporarily in charge of the realm, but he wasn’t going to lose his position. He refused to let his people fall into Hela’s hands. Loki had never wanted the crown, but now that he’d had it, he was going to make damn well sure that he kept it. His brother had asked for that much.

“Listen closely.”

Loki didn’t need to shout. His voice carried throughout the room, his tone reminding them that he had once been their king. And with reason. He was far more powerful than everyone in this room, even some of them combined.

“No one touches YN,” he warned, his words slow and deliberate. He found every set of eyes in the room, making sure they all felt seen, “she will be your future queen. There is no doubt about it in my mind. And she might not have a long lifespan, but I have a long memory. You will treat her with the same respect as you did my mother. You’ve been warned.”

He didn’t give them a chance to answer and walked back out of the room. Loki didn’t think any of them would go outright and kill her, but he knew enough of them were power hungry bigots to do something stupid. Thankfully, the council was still wary of him even if he wasn’t their king any more. He could rest easier knowing they’d been warned and his own court was keeping an eye on YN most of the time. It wasn’t a foolproof plan, but he wasn’t going to lock her up or stop her from roaming the palace, even if it did cost him his title.

He strode through the palace, not sure where he was heading and not sure what to do with himself. His whole body felt two sizes too small and he couldn’t shake the feeling. There were so many other things he had to do, but he couldn’t make himself decide on one. Only the thought of his bead was appealing, and even then, he was too restless to really consider it.

“I saw your queen,” Nebula said, falling into step beside him.

She was still dressed in her commanders uniform, dirt smudged over her eyebrow. She’d been sparring with the soldiers again. Not that he was surprised. She been so grumpy this morning that he pitied his army; though at least he knew they’d be prepared to face anything. There were very few things that were more terrifying than his commander when she was angry.

“Where was she?” he asked.

Nebula’s voice was clipped, her mood no better than it was this morning, “roaming the halls, looking incredibly suspicious.”

Loki threw up a magical sound bubble that would contain their voices. Knowing how suspicious it looked, he didn’t like to do it often, even if it was now the second time he’d done it today, but he knew she wasn’t about to let this go. Feeling the magic, she waited until it snapped into place.

“That doesn’t surprise me,” he said with a laugh, knowing that just because they couldn’t be heard didn’t mean they couldn’t be seen.

Nebula crossed her arms, keeping up with his long strides, “she wants the Hand, Loki.”

He waved away her worry, “it’s safe.”

“What makes you think she won’t get it?”

He shot her a look. They both knew who was guarding it. There was no way anyone was getting it — human or otherwise. His answer didn’t seem to satisfy her.

“Who says she’s not a spy?” she continued, her voice rising with irritation, “who says she’s not here for the book to give it to Hela? Who says we even have the right woman?”

Loki tried not to pinch the bridge of his nose. Nebula was right to be concerned; there was a reason he’d appointed her as commander. Still, he found himself saying with more confidence than he felt, “I wanted to know how to prevent Hela from winning over the crown and it gave me her name. She has to be the future queen.”

“Did you ever stop to consider that maybe we need to kill her and not work with her?” Nebula demanded.

The words were harsh, but valid. Yet Loki knew Nebula wouldn’t actually go through with it. As far as they knew, YN was innocent, despite wanting the Hand. And he was sure she was an ally, not an enemy. He couldn’t explain why he was so certain, but he’d decided it the moment he’d met her. However, it wasn’t like he could explain that to Nebula. She would need something far more concrete than a gut feeling.

“You’re being rash,” she continued.

He realized she was steering them toward the kitchen and his stomach growled in anticipation. He wasn’t sure how she did it, or if she was even aware she was doing it, but Nebula had a way of knowing what was best for their court, even if her harsh demeanour didn’t always make it very evident.

“Says the woman who wants to kill the future queen,” he countered.

“She wouldn’t be the future queen if you had thought things through,” she growled, stopping him a hand to his chest, “we’re walking a thing line here, Loki.”

“I know that! But I needed to present my queen today and she showed up just in time. Don’t you think there’s something to that?” Loki’s voice was rising and his control was slipping. The bubble around them almost dropped in the burst of emotion.

She poked him in the chest, but she’d lost all bite at his outburst. They were both tired and running through this blind. Arguing wouldn’t help any of them see things clearer.

“We had a backup plan,” she murmured.

“You would have been miserable as queen,” he shot her a smile, “especially that you would have to admit that you find me incredibly attractive.”

She punched him on the arm, “I’m a good liar.”

“Very true,” he laughed, “but this is the best option, Nebula. Trust me.” Loki wasn’t sure that he trusted himself, but he had to believe he was doing the right thing. And if he wasn’t, at least he knew his court was there to help with his mistakes — and to make sure he never forgot them, “and I’ll stay on my guard with YN.”

She sighed reluctantly, but finally looked convinced, “okay.”

“Okay,” he changed the subject, “what have the citizens been saying?”

“They’ll fight if it comes to war again. I tried to reassure them that nothing was wrong and that we were just gathering information, but they know something’s coming. They can feel it,” Nebula shrugged, “Hela’s arrival’s made them all uneasy.”

He nodded slowly and sighed, “better they’re wary than oblivious.”

“They’d better be wary,” Nebula said with a printed look, “you have a human for a future queen and she was stupid enough to agree to the trials. You’d better hope you were right about what that thing meant when it gave you the word YN.”

Loki could only nod and let the magic bubble drop. He was about to follow her into the kitchen when he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. The hallway was empty, but he could have sworn he’d seen something. He listened closely, waiting to see if whoever it was might give themselves away.

“Are you coming?” Nebula called from the kitchen.

He heard the banging of pots and decided he’d better go inside before she decided to start cooking and accidentally set the palace on fire. With one last look around, he walked into the kitchen.

#loki #Loki Laufeyson #loki fanfic #loki fanfiction #loki x you #loki x reader #loki x female reader #loki x y/n #fan fiction #fanfic #marvel #reader insert

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pandawritesmanythings · 4 years

Text

Loki x Reader (Medieval AU)

Chapter Summary: Your adventure continues! But is the future as clear as it seems?

Warnings: None, I think!

Word Count: 2,2k

A/N: Hey guys! Sorry about not posting last week, I just needed to recharge and finish this chapter in a way that I was satisfied with. But I’m back. Don’t worry about it! Thanks for being patient!

Masterlist

"I do believe that I've never tried this type of food."

There was something that smelled awfully like fish but didn't look like it on a stick in your hand. It had been deep-fried, that was for sure.

"This is our typical street food, your majesty." Sigyn explained.

"Is it now?" You turned to Wanda who carried on her arms a basket of gifts for many of her friends, her boyfriend, and her brother. "Wanda, how much does it differ from the food of the streets of Europe?" You spoke referring to the territory that she was from.

"Well, our food is definitely more sophisticated. I would compare it more to the food of Southern America or Asia if I had to."

"You've traveled Midgard, m' lady?" Sigyn asked Wanda, her curiosity piqued.

"Yes, when I was younger we would get thrown around, me and my brother. Finally, we found a home in Northern America, where the capital is." She explained. "But I've seen most of our country!"

Sigyn was deeply invested. You could easily read it on her face. "Do you have a preference as to which place is better?"

Wanda seemed to think for a while... "Well, I am biased to say that the state of Europe is wonderful. After all, I spent most of my childhood in different provinces of the state, like Sokovia, Denmark, and Russia." She began, you rolled your eyes since you knew she was about to go off, "However, I must admit that the South is also quite lovely!"

"And what about the capital?" Sigyn asked, luckily, since it was sure that Wanda was about to go on about the South and they would be in town until sunset if that was the case.

She thought about it for a moment, hand on her chin thinking, wracking her brain for an answer.

"It is just a city. Nothing truly that magnificent."

Sigyn's eyes widened to a comical size, she then turned to look at you quickly, which made you burst into laughter.

"Do not worry my dear! Wanda has the tendency to speak her mind when she feels comfortable." You laughed, hand in your stomach because of Sigyn's bewildered expression.

"Oh.. Heh..." She chuckled and slowly relaxed. "Then, what do you think, your majesty? Do you agree?"

You let your laughter die down and answered with a teasing smile. "I do agree that compared to the luscious jungle of the south and the cold mountains of the north the capital is most underwhelming." You gently shoved Wanda's arm. "However, you sell us short Wanda! The capital is still a wonderful place! Especially during the season's festivals!"

You looked back down at your hand which held the snack you had bought for the afternoon and after taking a deep breath as you bit into it.

Yeah, definitely not ladylike.

However, the taste made up for your lack of manners. "This is fantastic! May I ask what this is?"

"Octopus your majesty."

"I've heard of it, but they only use it in some European provinces that are closer to Asgard." You spoke, the flavors of the meal still dancing in your tongue, making you take another undignified bite.

"Forgive me, I would have thought that you would have a large variety of supplies in the palace."

"Travel distances are too long. Uncooked food would spoil since we are in the center, we always encourage each state to instead give the food among the people. After all, as monarchs we are here to serve them, are we not?"

It was amazing to Sigyn how much you repeated that in the short time you had been together. Did you really believe that, or were you just trying to convince her? Corrupt monarchs were not something new for her. Could she believe the word of another one? Especially of the one who had been selected to separate her and her beloved?

"Princess, look!" Wand suddenly pointed towards a group of girls who were braiding ladies' hair with flowers in exchange for some coins.

"Ah! That looks lovely, shall we try?"

Sigyn looked unsure, but after pulling her along she had no other choice but to follow.

After a couple of minutes, her blonde hair had been braided with white and blue forget-me-not's. Wanda had a crown of Marigolds on top of her head. And the girls had made a crown of various flowers for you, including some very beautiful orchids. You completed your transaction and gave the girls a little extra, to which they squealed in joy and continued to call and attend customers.

The three of you continued your way downtown, the mood light from the darling experience. Your hearts felt light, and you spent the rest of the day running around and discovering the rest of the city.

"Oh my! I almost forgot something." Sigyn said while stopping in front of a small bakery. "Forgive me, your majesty, I must pick up an order here. Would you give me a minute?"

She knew that Kassian, the baker's son, would keep the bread for her family safe, but she really needed to take it back home. And for some reason, she felt like you wouldn't be rude about it.

"Of course! We'll wait out here!" You nodded with a bright smile while Sigyn rushed inside.

"She's very sweet," Wanda spoke as soon as Sigyn was out of earshot.

"Indeed. Quite the worker, and very attentive."

"Do you think it would be a good idea to bring her back to Midgard as part of the help?"

"As much as I'd like that, she must have family and friends here. I wouldn't want to impose anything on her, less on a warring country."

"Makes sense..."

"So, is Vision thinking about the next step?" You nudged her.

"Oh hush! We still haven't even told Pietro."

"I would have thought he knew!" You almost gasped, but it came out more like a laugh.

"Well, he doesn't. And until he does, I know Vis is too much of a gentleman to propose." She laughed, and in her eyes, you could see the wistfulness, the joy...

That feeling...

"Wanda?"

"Yes?"

"Do you mind if I ask you something?"

"Not at all..." She turned to pay full attention to you.

"How does it feel to be in love?"

Her smile dropped... She knew why you were asking. "Oh, my dear friend..." You felt her arms surround you in a hug. "I'm sorry..."

"It's fine. I ask because I wish to at least imagine... Now I know that I'll never truly be in love, so might as well get a picture of it, right?" You shrugged, trying to shake off the sadness that was in your voice.

"I suppose..." She paused, hesitantly, clearly at a loss for words. "Do you know when during a summer night we used to go out and dance with our friends? How our dresses would twirl and it seemed like there was nothing else in the world but our little group?"

"I remember... It felt like a high, a bliss. The warmth of the summer nights helped that effect..."

"I would think that being in love is similar... It is two people who when they are together nothing else matters. Because you two are so comfortable, and trust each other so much, that it seems like the world has frozen around you..." Her mind seemed to turn back to those years, an unspoken yearning palpable. "At least that's how I can best describe it..."

"Thank you, Wanda... That's a beautiful sentiment..."

The door of the small bakery opened and Sigyn came out carrying a basket with some loaves of bread. "Thank you, Kassian!"

"Wait, Lady Sigyn!" A young man handed her something and the blonde placed it on her basket and walked towards you and Wanda.

"Is that the baker?" You asked with curiosity.

"That is the baker's son. Kassian is a fine gentleman." She answered with her passive expression back on.

"Oh, he's fine alright. If you don't mind, what did he give you?" Wanda asked, teasing her.

"I actually don't know," Sigyn answered fetching the container that he had handed to her. She opened it and found pantries inside. Pastries she knew that she would never be able to afford on a weekly, maybe not even monthly basis.

"Oh my! So sweet!" You smiled at the tiny, but delicious-looking gift.

"Looks like you have an admirer Sigyn!" Wanda squealed playfully.

"Oh no! I already have my heart promised to... Someone else..." She said, her tone slightly embarrassed and hesitant.

"Alright Wanda, leave her alone." You nudged Wanda with a smirk after sensing Sigyn's discomfort. It was obviously a sensitive topic, so you respected her boundaries.

The golden rays of the sun began to lower, bathing everything with an orange glow.

"We should go ladies. Everyone will worry otherwise."

"Agreed." You nodded. "Let's make haste."

The three of you dashed through the crowded pathways all the way into the castle, and like it were providence, you found no one obstructing your way.

When you approached the back door to the kitchens, Sigyn stopped you.

"Yes, what is it dear?"

Although the last bit of your conversation had been sensitive, the look on her face at the moment was different from this morning, way more relaxed, a lot more carefree. "I just wanted to say... I understand why you're here. And I'd be glad to help you..."

"Really?" You wanted her to accept, you just didn't know if she would. "Thank you, dear. Do you already know what you want in return?"

"Not yet." She bit her lip, Sigyn's mind was going a mile minute without your knowledge. If her plan was going to work, she needed to still seem aloof about it. "But as soon as I can I will let you know."

"Remember, anything you ask for I will find a way and help you."

"Thank you..." she said, taking your hands on hers. "I really appreciate it."

The three of you sneaked into the palace, all acting like children who had gotten away with something. Which to be honest, you had.

The palace halls were surprisingly empty, which made sneaking back towards your room that much easier.

On the way, you found Astrid, the palace baker, whose face was relieved as soon as she caught sight of the three of you.

"Your majesty! You're back! And safely, thank heavens!" She whispered excitedly.

"You kept your mouth shut, right Astrid?" Sigyn asked, with a teasing smile.

"Of course! Well..." She nervously responded.

"Well?" Suddenly a pit began forming on Sigyn's stomach.

"I was beginning to get worried when the sun got so low... I was going to tell prince Loki, but..."

You and Sigyn both perked up at the mention of the man's name. And most worryingly, at the uncertainty of her tone.

"What is it Astrid, dear?" You asked softly, urging her to speak.

She took in a deep breath. "The court has been called to session. Apparently, Jotuns have been sighted near the junction border between Midgard and Alfheim."

It felt like your whole body had been frozen. The Jotuns had managed to sneak unsuspecting through the many provinces and border security? They were genetically taller than all of you were. The tallest man of Midgard only reached their shoulders! How were they able to sneak past undetected?!

"Do you think they'll allow me to be there?" The cogs of your mind were turning. With your brother coming soon, you couldn't spare his security while traveling.

"No. They will consider this an in-land security issue. They won't let a foreigner inside, not even if she is to be the king's daughter-in-law..." Sigyn replied, hand on her chin. Thoughts also swirled on her head, what could she do?

"I need to know what happens at that meeting." You said.

"Well, you could ask Prince Loki..." Sigyn began, "But if you are still unsure about his words being true-"

"I will trust what he says."

"However, just as an extra precaution. I could sneak in with a pretext and hear as much information as I can. After all, these meetings don't stop just because the staff is shuffling around." Sigyn insisted, taking advantage of the deal...

You gave it a moment, thinking in your head about the best course of action. If you asked Loki maybe he would tell you about it. But what if...

"Alright, do what you must, but do not take any unnecessary risks. Understood?"

"Yes, your majesty." She bowed and quickly strutted away towards the court hall.

"Let us go to your room, princess," Wanda suggested, unclasping the hood and taking it from you.

"I must take my leave too, your majesty. Forgive me." Astrid added, and you nodded your approval as she bowed and shuffled away.

The rest of your walk to your room was filled with tense silence. Your brain was working, and Wanda knew better than to disturb you with reassurance.

Your life had never been easy, and you were aware of that. The roughness of your hands was proof enough.

"Wanda?" You called as she helped you get out of your dress.

"Yes?"

"Do you think I...?" You wanted the words to come out naturally, but they had become stuck to your throat. Your insecurities, your fears, your past... All of it was like boiling water in a teapot. Boiling, hot, bubbling, looking for a way out... But finding none.

You knew that if you let it out too fast it would explode. And even if you trusted Wanda, breaking down in front of her wasn't top of your priorities list.

"Nothing... Nevermind."

TAG LIST (OPEN):

@chxrryycola - @midnightmystic - @deathkat657 - @thatonefangirl111

#loki of asgard #loki odinson #loki #loki fic #loki fanfic #loki x reader #loki x sigyn #steve rogers x reader #medieval!au #medieval au

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tonystarkbingo · 3 years

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TSB MIV Week 26 Roundup!

IT’S THE LAST ONE, Y’ALL! And there are so many amazing fills that came flooding in this past week! We’re in the process of getting badges made and sent, so please be patient with us.

We are taking the rest of the month off, but in May and June we will be doing month-long flash bingos! We’ll keep you posted about those, and in the meantime go give some love to these wonderful content creators!

Title: Double the Pleasure, Double the Fun Collaborator: Politzania Card Number: 4007 Link: AO3 Square Filled: Adopted: KINK: Threesome Ship: WinterIron Rating: Mature Major Tags: dimensional shenanigans, fluff, fade to black smut Summary: Thanks to some multiverse experimentation, Bucky now has two genius billionaire boyfriends (and their libidos) to deal with. Word Count: 717

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Title: A Good Date and a Bad Idea Collaborator: gottalovev Card Number: 4077 Link: AO3 Squares Filled: Chapter 1, R5 - Winteriron Chapter 2, A4 - Justin Hammer Ship: WinterIron Rating: Teen Major Tags: Attempted kidnapping Summary: Chapter 1: Tony is on what he hopes is a first date with Bucky. He didn't expect it to be so rudely interrupted. (Tony POV) Chapter 2: Justin has waited for his moment, and this is it. (Same events, Justin Hammer's POV) Word Count: 7918

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Title: Adjust The Pecking Order Collaborator: camichats Card Number: 4049 Link: AO3 Square Filled: R5 - AU: western Ship: Clint Barton/Laura Barton/Tony Stark Rating: Teen Major Tags: polyamory Summary: Tony knew that he wasn't the most adjusted man in the world, but there was something hot about a woman in a pretty floral dress confidently pointing a shotgun at him. There was nothing wrong liking a woman with a gun. The messed up part was where she was surely Laura, Clint's wife. He shouldn't be eyeing his friend's wife, no matter how sure her hands were on that gun. "You with the bank?" she asked. "No, ma'am," he said. Since his hands were already up by his head, he took his hat off, tipped it in her direction, then put it back on. "Name's Tony Stark. I believe your husband sent for me?" Word Count: 1211

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Title: Finals Collaborator: hereandnowwearealive Card Number: 4085 Link: Tumblr Square Filled: R4 - James Rhodes/War Machine Ship: Gen Rating: IronHusbands Major Tags: art Summary: An image of Tony and Rhodey studying for finals, long overdue for a break

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Title: Something like fate Collaborator: Gottalovev Card Number: 4077 Link: AO3 Square Filled: Adopted - Sent to a Different Dimension Ship: Stony Rating: Teen Major Tags: Universe hopping, getting together, CW fix-it but no discourse Summary: Tony and Steve go alternate-reality hopping by accident (Fine. It's Tony's fault: he touched something he shouldn't have in Reed Richard's lab). It's an eye opening experience. Word Count: 8411

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Title: DtP —> DtF - Chapter 1 Collaborator: Politzania Card Number: 4007 Link: AO3 Square Filled: A3 - free space Ship: WinterIron Rating: Explicit Major Tags: dimensional shenanigans, eventual smut, threesome, selfcest, oral sex, anal sex, Tony POV, First Person POV, Present Tense Summary: Thanks to a bit of dimensional travel, Tony takes the chance to find out if he really is as good a lover as his Bucky says (as well as get another Bucky’s opinion on the matter).. Word Count: 681

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Title: The Courtship of Death Collaborator: MagicaDraconia16 Card Number: 4019 Link: AO3 Square Filled: K2 - Tony Stark/Loki Ship: FrostIron Rating: Teen Major Tags: Crack treated seriously, AU canon divergence, courtship and rejection thereof, canonical character death, BAMF Hela Summary: ...goes a lot easier when you do some research first. Otherwise entitled: "Why Torturing, Brainwashing And Murdering The Father Of The Person You're Trying To Court Is A Bad Idea" (trade mark pending, by Tony Stark) Word Count: 2351

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Title: Things Develop (in the Darkroom) Collaborator: 27dragons Card Number: 4027 Link: AO3 Square Filled: R4 - Photoshoot Ship: WinterIron Rating: Teen Major Tags: AU: No powers, photoshoot, photographer!Bucky, lingerie, budoir photoshoot, oblivious!Bucky Summary: Bucky was happy to agree to a private photoshoot with his favorite client... at least, until he realized what kind of photoshoot Tony wanted. Word Count: 775

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Title: The Heartbreaker Collaborator: fightingforcreativity Card Number: 4004 Link: Tumblr Square Filled: R2 - Au: Hydra won Ship: none Rating: Teen Major Tags: AU: Hydra won, Hydra Iron Man, Angst, Mark 17 (Heartbreaker) Summary: Red Skulls voice resonated from everywhere, “Oh might I have the honour of introducing you to Hydra’s newest and strongest agent? Say hello to ‘Heartbreaker’. I’m sure you’ll find the name befitting.” And just like that, the Avengers came face to face with the one man they had hoped to free, wearing an armour they’ve never seen before. “Tony?”, Rhodey’s voice was broken, just as his heart and he could bet everything he had, the other’s weren’t faring better. “Been a while, Rhodes. Nice of seeing you all again, sadly you can’t stay for the party~” replied Tony, voice cold and devoid of emotion.

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Title: Family Date Night Collaborator: JehBeeEh Card Number: 4058 Link: AO3 Square Filled: A1 - Drive-In Ship: Stony, Superfamily Rating: Gen Major Tags: fluff Summary: Date night plans get changed at the last minute. Word Count: 714

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Title: The Supplicant Collaborator: 27dragons Card Number: 4027 Link: AO3 Square Filled: R1 - AU: Royalty Ship: WinterIron Rating: Teen Major Tags: AU: historical/fantasy, warlord Tony, tribute Bucky Summary: Bucky wondered, sometimes, if King Alexander had not intended Bucky to stand at the throne’s right hand as the kingdom’s general, or at its left hand as chief counselor, why the king had even bothered to sire another child after his first had proven hale and of sound mind. He rather suspected that the king, too, wondered that same thing. But as it turned out, there was a reason for the king to have sired a second child: to be given as tribute to the terrifying warlord threatening the entire kingdom. Word Count: 2966

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Title: They didn't cover this in the Academy - Chapter 1 Collaborator: camichats Card Number: 4049 Link: AO3 Square Filled: T2- “Damn it, Stark!” Ship: Gamora/Tony Rating: Teen Major Tags: Alternate Universe - Star Trek Fusion, marriage of convenience Summary: Tony might be a pain in his captain's ass, but he never goes out of his way to make problems for her. And really, how was he supposed to know that the engineer he spent all last night talking to was a princess? Gamora wants to get off planet, and Tony is willing to help. While heading back towards Federation space, they pick up a distress call from inside Romulan space. Word Count: 10,206

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Title: Anything for you Collaborator: Gottalovev Card Number: 4077 Link: AO3 Square Filled: S3 - Pining Ship: Steve Rogers/Natasha Stark (universe 3490) Rating: Explicit Major Tags: Getting together, porn with feelings Summary: Steve has one certainty: he has a crush of epic proportion on Natasha Stark, and it's becoming quite a problem. Word Count: 4083

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Title: The Futurist Collaborator: periwinklepromise Card Number: 4053 Link: AO3 Square Filled: T2 - Edwin Jarvis Ship: Tony & Edwin Jarvis Rating: Gen Major Tags: Implied Child Abuse, drabble Summary: Perhaps it is time to look to the future. Word Count: 100

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Title: untitled Collaborator: chel Card Number: 4011 Link: Tumblr Square Filled: Adopted - Wrong Number/Booty Call Ship: IronHusbands Rating: Gen Major Tags: None Summary: Moodboard-ish Word Count: N/A

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Title: Takin’ What They’re Givin’ (‘Cause I’m Workin’ for a Livin’) - Chapter 2 Collaborator: PoliZ Card Number: 4007 Link: AO3 Square Filled: K3 - Kink: Sex Compulsion Ship: Stucky Rating: Explicit Major Tags: Phone Sex, Identity Porn, Anal Fingering, Dildo Play Summary: Bucky's little camboy sidegig - where he plays 'Special Agent Jay' -- gets him attention from an unexpected quarter. Chapter 2: Bucky's one on one chat with BrooklynBorn heads in a very different direction than he expected; offering instruction and support as well as release. Can he keep his emotions in check? Word Count: 3912

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Title: Save My Soul, Spare My Heart Collaborator: summerpipedream Card Number: 4045 Link: AO3 Square Filled: A3 - Free Space Ship: Pre-Stuckony Rating: Teen Major Tags: Angels and Demons Summary: “Are you hurt?” “The jury’s still out on that. Who exactly are you and why the hell are you in my apartment?” An angel and a demon walk into Tony’s apartment. Supposedly, both of them were tasked to protect him. Whether Tony can survive their bickering is another question entirely. Word Count: 2242

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Title: The Perfect Solution Collaborator: Fighting_for_Creativity Card Number: 4004 Link: Tumblr Square Filled: T4 - Kink: Cuckolding Ship: IronHusbands, Rhodey/Carol Rating: Mature Major Tags: AceTony, bisexual Rhodey, friends with benefits, Carol knows what she wants, caring boyfriend Rhodey Summary: Tony never really enjoyed himself during the more intimate moments in bed. Naturally Rhodey had figured him out and after meeting Carol the perfect solution came to be. Word Count: 482

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Title: Time Loopy Doopy (Fake News already in 2009 Collaborator: Fighting_for_Creativity Card Number: 4004 Link: Tumblr Square Filled: S5 - Paparazzi Ship: (Hinted) WinterIron Rating: M Major Tags: timeline- what timeline?, Avengers, Kid bucky(?), fake news, time trouble Summary: Despite what the News tweet says, Tony and the Avengers all knew the truth and that was Tony trying to protect his current boyfriend’s kid self from the past. Now he just needed to find a way back into his own time with his own Avengers. Word Count: N/A

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Title: My Darling, you are my poetry Collaborator: Sagana Rojana Olt Card Number: 4046 Link: AO3 Square Filled: T4 - AU: Artist/Muse Ship: WinterIron Rating: Explicit Major Tags: NSFW art, nude modelling Summary: Bucky absolutely didn't plan to go to art classes, but his therapist insisted. So here he was creating nude art of the young Stark heir, while blushing furiously. Word Count: N/A

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Title: This light that I hold, speaks to you Collaborator: Sagana Rojana Olt Card Number: 4046 Link: Tumblr Square Filled: R1 - Kink: Candles Ship: WinterIron Rating: Mature Major Tags: Candles Summary: A quiet night spent together, playing with supersoldier senses. Word Count: N/A

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Title: The Wrong Dress Collaborator: cami-chats Card Number: 4049 Link: AO3 Square Filled: T1 - Kink: Interfemoral/Intercrural Ship: IronWidow Rating: Teen Major Tags: None Summary: Natasha's dress might not be good for events, but that doesn't mean she looks bad in it. Word Count: 933

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Title: They didn’t cover this in the Academy - Chapter 2 Collaborator: cami-chats Card Number: 4049 Link: AO3 Square Filled: T3 - Kink: Messy/Dirty Ship: Gamora/Tony Stark Rating: Teen Major Tags: Major Character Injury (not fatal) Summary: Lieutenant Commander Tony Stark of Eden and the continuing adventures of having a ship that’s falling apart around him. Word Count: 7385

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Title: Nighttime Shadows Collaborator: Khentkawes Card Number: 4091 Link: AO3 Square Filled: S3 - Pepper Potts/Rescue Ship: Pepperony Rating: Gen Major Tags: vague discussion of PTSD (very vague), emotional hurt/comfort, nightmares, angst and fluff, Tony Stark/Pepper Potts Summary: Tony’s nightmares never fully went away. But over the years, Pepper likes to think she’s gotten better at helping him cope with them. She doesn’t always have the right words to say, but she can at least be there for him. And usually, that’s enough. Word Count: 1555

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Title: Status: Iron Man dead/Tony Stark alive (it’s complicated) Collaborator: Khentkawes Card Number: 4091 Link: AO3 Square Filled: A3 - Free Ship: Pepperony Rating: Gen Major Tags: discussions of possible death/funerals, Endgame Fixit, funeral, fake funeral, Tony Stark/Pepper Potts, Canon divergence Summary: The Avengers ‘accidentally’ fake Tony Stark’s death. And Tony finds it hilarious. Word Count: 4749

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Title: Spin Me Out Collaborator: 27dragons Card Number: 4027 Link: AO3 Square Filled: K2 - AU: Sci-Fi/Futuristic Ship: WinterIron Rating: G Major Tags: AU: Sci-Fi, space opera Summary: Tony keeps his head down, working on the ships that come through the station, trading on the grey market, listening to the gossip, and quietly planning to reclaim the technology that was stolen from him years ago. His chance may finally have arrived, but is immediately complicated by Winter, an impossible fugitive from a galactic empire that controls its people with forbidden Old Tech. Word Count: 1391

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Title: Secret Identities and Super-dads Collaborator: Khentkawes Card Number: 4091 Link: AO3 Square Filled: A2 - Futurefic Ship: Pepperony Rating: Teen Major Tags: Minor violence, post-Avengers Endgame, not Avengers Endgame Compliant, BAMF Tony, BAMF Pepper, Rescue!Pepper, not-dead Tony Stark, Morgan Stark, family, attempted kidnapping Summary: When armed men attack an elementary school in New York, attempting to kidnap eight-year-old Morgan Stark, no one expects that “Roger the chauffeur” will be the one to take out the bad guys—with some backup from Morgan Stark herself and a very pissed off Pepper Potts. The public have believed Tony was dead for the past four years, and Tony never expected his big secret would get out like this. He didn’t mean to blow his cover as “Roger the chauffeur.” But when people try to mess with his family, they get what’s coming to them. Word Count: 6104

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Title: Celebration Collaborator: Ducky Card Number: 4013 Link: AO3 Square Filled: S1 - Victorious Ship: IronFalcon Rating: Gen Major Tags: Paintball, First Dates, Fluff Summary: After a victorious paintball exercise, Tony and Sam celebrate on their first date Word Count: 835

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Title: A Look Into the Mind Collaborator: Ducky Card Number: 4013 Link: AO3 Square Filled: S3 - Sent to a Different Dimension Ship: ThunderIron, one-sided Amora/Thor Rating: Teen Major Tags: Alternate Dimension Summary: Thor and Tony are sent to the Enchantress’s consciousness. Word Count: 323

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Title: The Stars May Not Accept Us Collaborator: PoliZ Card Number: 4007 Link: AO3 Square Filled: S1 - Hot Water Ship: WinterIron Rating: Teen Major Tags: Non-Powered AU, Space AU, amputee!Bucky, fade to black smut, Summary: People come and people go -- that’s the way a spaceport works. Especially one out on the edge of known space; some stay a few hours, some a few years, but everyone moves on eventually. Bucky knew that going in, but he fell hard anyways. Word Count: 2790

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Title: Visions, Not Reality Collaborator: JehBeeEh Card Number: 4058 Link: AO3 Square Filled: K2 - Nick Fury Ship: Stony Rating: Teen Major Tags: None Summary: Tony's conversation with Fury at Barton's Farm leaves him second guessing his relationship with Steve - which no one was supposed to know about. Word Count: 1915

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Title: What, Like It’s Hard Collaborator: JehBeeEh Card Number: 4058 Link: AO3 Square Filled: S1 - Movie Retelling Ship: Stony Rating: M Major Tags: Omegaverse, Asshole Ty Stone, Even more of an asshole Stane (in future chapters) Summary: Omega Tony Stark has it all, until his alpha boyfriend breaks his heart. In an effort to win him back, he follows the alpha of his dreams to Harvard Law School, where he discovers there might be more to being the first omega at the prestigious school. He also meets another alpha that might just make him forget the one he drove across the country for. Word Count: 1629

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Title: You Should Date My Boyfriend Collaborator: JehBeeEh Card Number: 4058 Link: AO3 Square Filled: Adopted - Sharon Carter/Agent 13 Ship: Stony, Sharon/Steve Rating: Teen Major Tags: None Summary: Sharon makes sure Tony knows her boyfriend might be interested in someone else. Word Count: 1090

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Title: Heart jewel Collaborator: Sagana Rojana Olt Card Number: 4046 Link: AO3 Square Filled: S3 - Sucker Bet Ship: None Rating: Gen Major Tags: Magical Jewels, Ravens Summary: Loosely based on the Cornelius Sigan episode of BBC Merlin. Word Count: 100

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Title: The Persistence of Memory Collaborator: Sagana Rojana Olt Card Number: 4046 Link: AO3 Square Filled: T3 - Art Format: Cubist/Surreal Ship: none, implied past Stony Rating: Gen Major Tags: Reincarnation, Grief Summary: Stephen Grant, art student and docent at the Smithsonian is doing the last of his rounds, when he meets a wealthy gentleman who looks very familiar. Word Count: 300

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Title: Would Robot Eyes Rust if They Cried? - Chapter 6 Collaborator: JacarandaBanyan Card Number: 4064 Link: AO3 Square Filled: A3 - Free Ship: Stuckony Rating: E Major Tags: Established Relationship, Sexual Content, Angst, Robot Bodies Summary: Steve tries again with Tony. It doesn't go a whole lot better. Word Count: 2376

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Title: What, Like It’s Hard? Collaborator: JehBeeEh Card Number: 4058 Link: AO3 Square Filled: S2 - Evil Exes S4 - First Kiss Ship: Stony Rating: M Major Tags: Omegaverse, Asshole Ty Stone, Even more of an asshole Stane (in future chapters) Summary: Omega Tony Stark has it all, until his alpha boyfriend breaks his heart. In an effort to win him back, he follows the alpha of his dreams to Harvard Law School, where he discovers there might be more to being the first omega at the prestigious school. He also meets another alpha that might just make him forget the one he drove across the country for. Word Count: 20,611

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Title: Short Drabbles - Chapter 5: Hand holding Collaborator: Card Number: 4046 Link: AO3 Square Filled: K1 - Holding hands Ship: WinterIron Rating: Gen Major Tags: summer heat Summary: Tony enjoys the metal arm keeping it's cool at all times. Word Count: 100

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Title: Daisies on Your Nightstand Collaborator: raslbecket Card Number: 4056 Link: AO3 Square Filled: T2 - showoff Ship: Stony Rating: Mature Major Tags: Rough sex, exhibitionism, choking Summary: Tony Stark's exhibitionist streak rears its head when he's in the middle of rearranging Steve Rogers' guts. Word Count: 1462

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Title: The Eye Of A Spy - Chapter 2: Interlude - How Everything Began Collaborator: Fighting_for_Creativity Card Number: 4004 Link: AO3 Square Filled: A3 - free space Ship: IronFury Rating: Mature Major Tags: IronFury, movie retelling, MIT Era, Mostly Fury Pov Summary: Fury gets his mission. Word Count: 869

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Title: A Fairytale, This Is Not - Chapter 2: All Pieces But No Solved Puzzle Collaborator: Fighting_for_Creativity Card Number: 4004 Link: AO3 Square Filled: K1 - shared trauma Ship: WinterIron, Merlin/Arthur, Merlin/Morgana, Merlin/Gwaine Rating: Mature Major Tags: Reincarnation, dreams, visions, canon typical violence, ok Howard, kidnapping, (HYDRA in later chapters), team as family, trauma Summary: Tony makes some friends, is being betrayed, and keeps dreaming of a man named Merlin, who apparently has magic and that fact isn't known to his friends until he tells the black-haired woman about it. Somehow everything works out ok for them all though. Word Count: 3584

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Title: Five Tuesdays and a Wednesday Collaborator: LBibliophile Card Number: 4090 Link: AO3 Square Filled: Adopted - Fortune Telling Ship: WinterIron Rating: Gen Major Tags: Time Loop, Groundhog Day, Coffee Addict Tony Stark, 5+1 Things Summary: Bucky is stuck in a Groundhog Day loop. He has many things to achieve, to make right, to try and end the loop - but top of his list is saving Tony from the dreadful fate of terrible morning coffee. Tony appreciates his efforts. Word Count: 2820

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Title: body getting tense (nothing like the others) Collaborator: starksnack Card Number: 4073 Link: AO3 Square Filled: K5 - Dressing Room Ship: Stony Rating: Explicit Major Tags: None Summary: Steve and Tony steal a quick moment in their dressing room before their next shoot. Word Count: 1000

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Title: Half of Love’s Duet Collaborator: ralsbecket Card Number: 4056 Link: AO3 Square Filled: T1 - Height Difference Ship: Stuckony Rating: Explicit Major Tags: Threesome, Age Difference, Art Summary: A glimpse of college student Tony and his married professors, Steve and Bucky. Word Count: N/A

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Title: Clint Gets A (New) Job Collaborator: celtic Card Number: 4035 Link: AO3 Square Filled : T1 - Occupational Hazard Ship: Tony Stark & Clint Barton & Bucky Barnes Rating: Gen Major Tags: Modern Day AU, No Superpowers, Mild Angst, Canon Character Death Summary: Stane Industries has taken over Trickshot Incorporated, which means Clint is out of a job. Until he meets a third player, the man who will build Stark Enterprises with what remains of his father’s legacy. Word Count: 4236

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Title: Girl’s Night Collaborator: celtic Card Number: 4035 Link: AO3 Square Filled: S2 - Darcy Lewis Ship: Pepperony Rating: Gen Major Tags: None Summary: Tony and Pepper need a babysitter for Morgan for date night. Word Count: 1635

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Title: Double, Double, Toil and Trouble, Evil Clones Are Such a Struggle - Chapter 2 Collaborator: Cinna Card Number: 4060 Link: AO3 Square Filled: A3 - Free Ship: Tony/Bucky/Winter Rating: Teen Major Tags: Selfcest (Bucky/Winter) Summary: When taking down a Hydra base, you should probably avoid touching anything weird-looking and potentially magical. (Or, Bucky and Winter both have the hots for Tony, and a newly-embodied Winter decides to finally do something about it.) Word Count: 2695

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Title: No Pets Allowed - Chapter 4 Collaborator: Cinna Card Number: 4060 Link: AO3 Square Filled: R4 - Team Bonding Ship: background Pepperony Rating: Gen Major Tags: Minor warning for non-graphic mention of off-screen animal death. Summary: Tony Stark is not a cat person. (this is a lie.) Word Count: 894

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Title: Trouble with a Capital T (And That Stands for “Tiny”) Collaborator: Cinna Card Number: 4060 Link: AO3 Square Filled: T2 - Precognition K5 - Deaged (Tony) Ship: background Pepperony Rating: Gen Major Tags: featuring Actual Good Dad Howard (not really a warning, but you should probably be aware or you might be confused ) Summary: Tony gets de-aged by magical fuckery, and five-year-old Tony and gets to meet his future self, in AI form. AI Tony thinks this is a hoot. Everyone else is less convinced. Word Count: 19082

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Title: Six Months Earlier - Chapter 7 Collaborator: Cinna Card Number: 4060 Link: AO3 Square Filled: S1 - Canon: Armoured Adventures Ship: None Rating: Gen Major Tags: Grief, Medical Trauma Summary: Tony recovers from the plane crash that damaged his heart and took his father from him, and struggles to come to terms with the aftermath. Word Count: 1044

#tonystarkbingomarkiv #tsbmiv #tsb miv weekly roundup #tsb miv week 26

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the-magic-lava-lamp · 4 years

Text

Ragnarok & Roll

Summary: Thor rolled his eyes. “Of course, I miss you.” He shook his head. “But this is our path. We’re both working really hard right now, chasing our science-y dreams.” He laughed, tongue slightly peeking out of his smile. “And while we’re on the subject...”

Bruce raised his brow.

“Maybe listen to the radio station while you’re working.”

Ships: ThorBruce (mentions of ValJane)

Word Count: 5,010

“Seeing three concerts a week, that’s what got me the gig.”

Peter Quill smirked in a way that might’ve come across as rude if he wasn’t simultaneously looking blissfully proud of himself.

Gamora glanced at the back of her boyfriend’s head as she passed by his conversation, headphones slung around her neck. To put his interviewee to wise would mean admitting that Peter only truly got the gig because he was just the best at pestering the project head. She restrained herself from sharing that story because Peter was far to fond of music, in a way she just couldn’t understand, and seemed to be taking this quite seriously.

“They saw my dedication to good music and made me the main DJ host.” Quill swirled his spinning chair and made a wide gesture to his equipment. “They haven’t regretted the decision since.” His hands cupped the back of his head as he made a care-free shrug.

The interviewee, Thor Odinson, looked amused as he smiled. “Not even that time you accidentally left while you were still on air?”

Quill chuckled. “Not so much...regretful. Maybe more...pleasantly surprised that I handled it so well?” He smirked but tilted his gaze in a way that looked incredibly flustered. Thor laughed with him, liking the back-and-forth. “Now, judging by the long hair and all-around...” Quill swirled his finger around his own face. “Hippie look that you’ll be down with our style here. Our ‘Awesome Mix’, if you will.”

Thor’s eyebrows drew together as another hearty round of laughter escaped him. “I am most pleased with your collective taste.” He gestured towards the two of them. “You and your crew seem to have a lot of fun on air.”

Thor continued smiling to himself as his eyes drifted around his college’s radio station studio. The room wasn’t particularly small but sort of tight with large posters on the bland walls. The desk was chunky on it’s own but the three large mic stands (which could swing out) didn’t help either.

Quill looked rather proud at that last sentiment, which Thor took as a good sign. “Yeah we are a fun bunch.” He looked positively joyous and would probably burst if he saw the way Gamora’s sincere smile took over her face. “Why should you be part of our team?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

—CUT—-

~*REC*~

The fuzziness focuses to the warm setting of the space between Thor’s chin and chest. He shook his head and thumped his hand on the side of the bulky camera. There was a few seconds of frizzling sounds before it seemed to beep awake. “Is it on?” His voice was soft and confused, growing even quieter as his head twirled back. He was attempting to glance at his friend behind him, who’s only part in the current shot was his fast-moving hands.

“Is the red light flickering?”

The shot wiggled again as he examined the camera and finally looked through the viewfinder. There was able a slightly foggy vision of their small apartment, he moved slightly and it zoomed right in on Bruce’s focused stare.

There was a small pile of what should be parts for their kitchen table in front of him but looking at the mess (and zooming in further)...it looked like junk. “Yes! We are officially recording.” Came Thor’s undeniably joyful voice.

Bruce peeked up from what looked to be a wooden leg and smiled, bashfully as he pushed his glasses up the slope of his nose.

The sun was in it’s sweetest spot, hanging just outside their window. The peace of domestic life came with it and bathed them each in bars of golden light that broke through the new blinds. The shot didn’t do it much justice, picking it up in a sort of light-fuzz.

Stubbornly but patiently Bruce went back to his directions. He threw open the pamphlet and clicked his tongue. The glossy pages easily flipped and flung from his fingers. He smacked a page down, gliding his finger down the spine and landing it on top of the black and white fuzzy photo of the completed piece of furniture. “I have no idea how to turn this-” Bruce waved the table leg around the pile of pieces “Into this.” He held out the photo to Thor & his trusty camera. “Do you honestly think it’s possible?”

“I don’t know. Let’s ask the audience.” Thor chuckled and turned the shot onto himself with the happiest smile.

-“So...Loki now or us in like ten years?” Bruce smirked and Thor burst into happy, hearty laughter. The true and genuine affection he so obviously felt from the mention of 10 years in the future was clear on his face.

“It was my idea first. Loki just gave me the camera.” He shared a observational glance with the equipment. “I want to log our memories, Banner.” He tore his eyes away to put his full attention on Bruce again. “Loki just wants to have footage of me embarrassing myself for future amusement.”

The shot spun around the room a few times before landing back on Bruce’s crouched position again. The man smiled in that way which suggested he understood the true intentions behind Loki’s gesture. Which...he did. They both did.

Thor and Loki’s relationship had grown much stronger over the last few years. After dealing with the rough passage of their younger years and struggles with their father, at some point they’d just decided turning on each-other was stupid.

For years, Loki felt inferior. Which stemmed from the fact that his codependent need to gain his fathers favor was never resolved. That much was obvious to Bruce and at some point, Loki finally explained that all to Thor, who felt awful for being so ignorant despite his own issues.

So Loki’s memories of growing up weren’t always warm & fuzzy. That’s why Bruce figured his amusement & support of ‘Home-movies’ being made now wasn’t just for the sake of trickery. Maybe that was just a bonus.

Bruce’s train of thought was seen in the shot but obviously couldn’t all be interrupted correctly just by viewfinder. “It is a nice idea.” Bruce wiggled his body to get comfortable on the hardwood floor. “Considering, I can put them on in the background when we’re away from each-other.” Bitterness was clear in that tone.

Thor’s voice hummed from behind the camera. As of late, both college students had become swept up in their course-work and spent long hours apart. Bruce was deep into his back-and-forth with biochemistry studies while Thor was in the midst of his astronomy/astrophysics major. It was a bit of a strain on both of them.

Most frustrating were the few hours Bruce spent down at the lab to study & experiment. Thor didn’t like the idea of his boyfriend rattling around the place by himself, bothered & stressed. Bruce didn’t exactly love it either but the isolation proved to help his focus.

The camera shot wiggled once more as Thor placed it on the cushion of the lounge chair next to him. An accidentally well-framed scene, with both men in the shot looking incredibly domestic. Bruce still fumbling with the table pieces while Thor glanced at the instructions for himself.

“The goal is to have it put together by your Birthday.” Bruce shot Thor a smile smile.

The red light kept flickering away, forgotten until the battery ran itself out, proved worth the extra long footage. Capturing Thor’s wild yet softly earnest grin as he reached out and grabbed for Bruce’s hand, who instinctively squeezed back.

—CUT—-

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“-Now, these are probably the worst hours to host. Like straight up boring.” Quill smiled as if that wasn’t an odd way to advertise the job. Thor decided he liked the weirdo. “But if I offered you the chance to be the regular Co-host DJ for the 1 to 5 am time-slot on Tuesday & Thursdays you’d say?” He waved his hand out with excitement.

“Yes.” Thor happily tipped his chin and reached out to shake hands on that deal.

Quill looked surprised but at the same time, beaming with appreciation. Gamora was peeking from over her shoulder as she reorganized some of the records that she was sure Peter would forget to do.

“Good deal, man!” Quill reached out and swung their grasp up-and-down a few times before leaning back in his chair. “Let’s break this interview for lunch and then we’ll let you have a feel for what the job while be like.”

: : : : : : : :

“I want to introduce you to the little crew which will accompany you during your shifts.” Quill ran around the hallway as if he owned the place which was a sure sign that he was appreciated by his peers. His grin was hearty and his walk was more like a happy bounce.

With a sharp turn, he was opening the studio door and slurping down the rest of his soda. The creaky thing swung open and a girl with wavy blonde hair stood up straight from where she’d been previously leaning.

“That’s Carol Danvers.” Quill pointed and flashed a little finger-gun to her. “She’s the other co-host.”

Carol shot Thor a tiny, corner grin and waved her hand. She was almost exactly how Thor pictured a college radio DJ would look like. The flannel tied at her waist and tightening her ‘Bob Seger’ concert t-shirt were the perfect attire for an unofficial uniform. “Excited for every insomniac in town to know our names?” She popped her knee out slightly and smirked.

Thor smiled softly and nodded his head. “Very.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Thor! I’m so tired that I might just pass out. This workload is slowly killing me. Good news though, you can save some time and just bury my body under the piles & piles of papers I have to do! ” Bruce started talking, or rambling really, before he even had the apartment door fully open that first Tuesday afternoon.

Thor frowned softly as he slouched forward. Both of his arms glided across the counter but the right hand was serving as a stand for his phone. Bruce almost thought his boyfriend had given up on the bulky camera to film their home-videos but before he could speak-

“I never knew you to be that dramatic, Bruce.”

Thor turned the phone around to reveal Loki, in the middle of his makeup routine with a tiny smirk on his face. Bruce registered him and chuckled while he started to put his things all over the small counter (table still in pieces on the floor).

“Should’ve seen me during my Freshman year of High-School, buddy. To this day, the most use I got out of a purchase was my .99 cent addition of Elton John’s ‘I Think I’m Going to Kill Myself’ to my music library.” Bruce pursed his lips in a joking manner but Thor wasn’t all that fond of thinking of Banner in that way. He reached his free hand under the table and gently pulled Bruce closer, who naturally leaned into it.

“Good look, by the way-” Bruce tipped his chin towards Loki on screen and cut himself off with a sip of Thor’s water. “Going somewhere special?”

Bruce and Loki hadn’t gotten off on the best foot, nor the worst foot really, when they were first acquainted. But it had been sort of awkward due to the evolving involvement in each others lives that Thor & Loki were experiencing.

The brothers were closer than ever these days which Bruce couldn’t be more grateful for. He wasn’t a therapist or anything but he knew just as soon as he & Thor started dating their Senior year of High School; The two of them desperately wanted to bond, even if they had a hard time showing it.

They had just started to feel more like close siblings when college came into the picture, which sent Thor to New York and Loki to California later.

Loki flashed an accidental genuine smile. “Thanks.” He mumbled, swiping at his eye. “And no. My roommate is insisting we go out and do something. You remember? I told you about her.”

Thor nodded. “Yes. You described her as the-...?” He trailed off, looking to Bruce with the cutest thinking face.

Bruce glanced over from cleaning his glasses. “The weird girl?” He chuckled. “Who you moved in with after a week of knowing her?”

“I thought you said she was closed off? You didn’t know if you got along.” Thor added.

Loki hummed, tapping a tiny brush against the sink. “Yeah well, I like her now.” He shrugged. “She thought she was a witch when she was a kid and she has Halloween sound effect records from the fifties. And I think she actively listens to them.” Loki pointed his thin brush.

“That’s how I pick my friends.” Bruce chuckled softly.

“Plus, her brother is also the complete opposite of her.” Loki smirked and picked up his phone to walk carefully through his apartment. “So we have that in common.” He lowered the shot and seemed to loose interest in looking at the screen. “Ok. I’m gonna hang-up soon.”

Thor chuckled. “Make sure you have your work done before you go out. One time I-”

Loki frowned. “Do you have to try and bond with me while Bruce is listening? It’s embarrassing.” He smirked, obviously uncomfortable.

Thor just smiled again. “Have fun.”

“Bye.” Loki put his phone down and hung-up.

Bruce wrapped his arm around his boyfriend and started rubbing small circles on his back. He set his glasses down on the counter and gently leaned closer to kiss Thor’s warm hair.

“I love you.” Thor mumbled gently and no matter how many times he’d heard it, Bruce still needed a second to breathe that in.

“I love you too.” He let his chin rest atop Thor’s head. “Sorry about my long nights at the lab.” He added miserably. “I won’t do it on your Birthday.”

Thor pulled away slightly and eased into their next touch; dragging his hand down Bruce’s arm and grabbing his hand which dangled between their bodies. He met his eye-line and couldn’t hold back an ounce of his adoration of Bruce from bleeding into his stare. “You don’t have to apologize.”

Bruce didn’t seem entirely too convinced.

“We’re gonna be in each others lives forever, Banner.” a shrug rolled off his shoulders as if it were just that simple. Life and the great beyond. “I think we can afford sacrificing a few days for the sake of your passion.” Thor raised their grasp and shook it lightly.

“My mother always said I was a...visionary child, determined too. I had big plans at eight years old.” Thor rolled his lips together. “I have been dreaming of our life together since I met you.” He looked away, sort of bashful. “We’re gonna be just fine.” Another shrug.

Bruce pursed his lips and might’ve blushed. “That was really cheesy.” He chuckled and admired the way Thor giggled. “But don’t you get lonely...dreaming about that all on your own while I’m up in the lab?”

Thor rolled his eyes. “Of course, I miss you.” He shook his head. “But this is our path. We’re both working really hard right now, chasing our science-y dreams.” He laughed, tongue slightly peeking out of his smile.

“And while we’re on the subject...”

Bruce raised his brow.

“Maybe listen to the radio station while you’re working.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

{ *Faded notes of Zeppelin’s classic; Immigrant Song, as it ends*}

: {*Steady static*}

: {*Loud Record Scratch*}

Carol playfully smacked her fist onto the table next to the co-host who’d suddenly faded off.

Thor picked his head up and finally reached over and lifted the record from the player. “Now, I know what you’re thinking.” He smirked as he lowered the microphone closest to him. “Oh no, who’s this guy and what has he done with Quill?” He chuckled warmly & waved his arms about to nobody.

The tiny buzzing of the neon sign outside the door (reading ‘RECORDING’) bounced in his ears.

“I’m sure the five people listening are thinking just that.” Carol fiddled with her mic, the blondes shared a quick smirky grin. “I’m Carol and that’s Thor-” Both DJ’s gestured as if people could see them, Thor even waved into the microphone. “We’ll be the hosts for all you nocturnal friends.”

“Ask me why I took this junk time-slot, Carol.” Thor bumped his new partner’s elbow.

“Why did you take this time-slot, Thor?” She happily obliged.

“I’ve been dating my boyfriend for nearly three years now.” Thor spoke with earnest ease that Carol couldn’t help but admire. “He’s incredibly hard-working and dedicated to his studies.” He pulled his mic even closer.

“But that means he’s off doing his research alone, in a lab into the early hours. I didn’t like for him to be so lonely.” He shook his head, rolling his lips together. “So, because I can’t just stay with him, I thought I could accompany him this way. It just so happened to align with his study days.”

“We love cute couples!” Carol spun around in her chair. “My girlfriend & I decided to race each-other on the way to the studio.” She slapped her hand over her heart and sighed affectionately. “I cheated and took a short-cut & she still beat me. Now she’s asleep in a spinny chair in the corner even though she bet me five dollars that she wouldn’t be too tired to listen the whole show.”

Thor glanced at Maria, still asleep with the pair of headphones on. He smiled.

“I love her so much.” Carol slid her hand off her chest and leaned her elbow on the table. “What song do you want to dedicate to your boyfriend, Thor?”

Thor paused in thought, hoping that Bruce was listening. He prepared the song to play with an eager yet nervous expression. “This is ‘You Got It’ by Roy Orbison...for Bruce.”

{ *Faded notes of Roy’s intro*}

: : : : : : : :

“I'm glad to give my love to you I know you feel the way I do.

Anything you want, you got it Anything you need, you got it Anything at all, you got it Baby...”

Bruce was alone yet still felt the need to hide his embarrassed grin behind the cupped palm of his hand.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bruce had patiently waited until the morning to say anything about the show, due to the fact that Thor was asleep when he came home & he was too dead tired to wake him.

When he woke up to find himself alone in bed, he figured Thor was allowing him to sleep in because he knew it to be his free day.

And though Bruce was still exhausted, he found the energy to roll out of bed and bound to the small kitchen area where his boyfriend was eating eggs & reading through a textbook.

Instead of initially speaking, Bruce darted past him and gently pushed Thor’s head as he went past him to grab a plate for himself. He could almost feel the heat of the man’s blush.

“Did you like the show?” Thor leaned so far back that his chin was pointing to the sky in order to watch Bruce go about his morning routine.

Another smile was hidden, behind a coffee mug this time, as Bruce sipping at the pre-made cup. He slowly glided over (Thor timing the speed in which he lifted his head accordingly) and started running his hands through Thor’s hair.

“You’re ridiculous, you know that?”

Thor took that as victory and hummed happily.

“But seriously...” Bruce paused. “I loved it. I love hearing your dumb voice when I’m about to explode from stress. Always calms me down.” He chuckled. “But you really don’t have to keep yourself up on those nights too.” He frowned but felt all bashful again when Thor shook his head.

“I love making you happy.” Thor shrugged and Bruce shook his head with a smile. “Can we go to that drive-in root-beer place that I’ve been dying to try for dinner?”

Bruce pursed his lips and glanced at their ‘table’ on the floor. “The one that’s across the street from the abandoned 7/11?” He asked, remembering the time he’d gotten his last Slurpee there with Valkyrie. She had gotten a roller hot-dog and dipped it into her slushie. And he’d nearly fought that worker for dropping the first dog on the floor and trying to shove it back on the tray before they noticed. That place was probably better off closed...

“Yeah. I want one of those Root-beer Floats.” Thor grinned.

“You don’t want to save the little trip for your Birthday? What’s your schedule like for today again?” Bruce ran his fingers out of the blonde and took a seat next to Thor on the couch.

“I have my experimental physics class with Heimdall and Jane at three.” He gestured to his textbook. “But that’s all for today.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

—CUT—-

~*REC*~

-”Oh, I got it! Bruce, look!” The camera shook and got a few glamorous shots of Thor’s bumbling legs as Bruce moved to look through the viewfinder.

“Now what?” Came a voice came from the right. The camera whirled around to get a well framed shot of Valkyrie leaning against a stop sign, holding a forgotten chip up to her mouth.

“This is Valkyrie as she was on this fine Saturday, folks.” Thor narrated, zooming in close on her face. Valkyrie scowled and reached over to playfully slap him, the camera shook and the shot fuzzed a little.

“Hey! That cost us a pretty penny.” Bruce chuckled and Thor smiled, giving the camera the finger to show he was ok.

“Charming, isn’t she?” Thor zoomed in once again while Valkyrie’s laughter got louder and louder. The camera turned and shook as Thor’s hand came into the shot. The sound of the pebbles crunching becoming the main sound.

The three of them continued walking down the sidewalk and into town to enjoy some of their free-time.

Valkyrie strolled slightly behind the boys, making the occasional face at the camera. “I thought the idea was to record family videos? Why are you so desperate to zoom in on me-?” She wrinkled her nose playfully as the sound of the zoom buzzed from the camera.

“You’re apart of our family!”

Both boys made offended sounds. The camera captured a cute shot of Bruce turning to bump her arm & Valkyrie bumping him back with authentic joy all while Thor was still trying to explain how important she was.

She skipped forward and leaned her elbow atop Bruce’s shoulder. “Your radio shows have been really entertaining by the way.” She glanced up at the taller man with amusement. “How’s someone get a song dedicated to her?” She teased.

Thor smirked. “She could try finally asking out Jane & maybe she’ll call in a dedication for her-” The camera lost it’s focus as Valkyrie tried to whack him again.

which inevitability turned into her chasing him down the sidewalk.

“Woo-hoo! Run Thor!” Bruce shouted from behind them.

As the chase ended officially, Thor whipped the camera around to get a good shot of Valkyrie but ended up tumbling on his ass. He was laughing so hard, he nearly dropped the camera.

Thor stretched his arm out, allowing Valkyrie to swipe the camera. She raised it, turning it to her own face, Bruce way in the background. “Future me, these two seem to think I’m in it for the long run so I hope you’re still being the glue that holds this group together.”

“Don’t flatter yourself! We all know that’s Heimdall!” Thor shouted from where he was laying in the grass.

She turned the camera to get a shot of Bruce now charging after them. Once he got close enough, she bent her knees slightly and took on the tiny man’s weight as he jumped on her back like he’d done it a million times.

With Bruce nervously on her back, she gently tossed the camera to Thor.

—CUT—-

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

{ *Faded notes of rock music*}

: : : : : :

“That was ‘Jukebox Hero’ by Foreigner. Lovingly dedicated to Maria Rambeau, who allowed me to perform that song to her during karaoke night. She’s most likely asleep right now but just know, I’m with you baby.” Carol giggled.

“If anyone happened to record that moment, please call the number to let me know-” Thor chuckled as Carol thumped her elbow into his side. “Anyway, keep on listening because here comes the start of our AC/DC Rock Block--” Thor prepared the music. “Requested by the great Tony Stark, who never sleeps.”

As ‘Shoot to Thrill’ faded in, both DJ’s peeled off their headphones and tended to their immediate cravings. Carol went to the tiny coffee machine to brew herself some energy & Thor went to the bathroom.

When he returned, he plopped back down in his soft chair and took the offered cup of coffee Carol made for him. He was enjoying the slight burn that came down his throat as he drank when three sharp and soft knocks came at the door.

Thor got up to let the person in & couldn't be happier with the new company. “Banner!” He grabbed his arm and closed the door behind them.

Bruce slipped in, books to his chest and a soft smile on his face. “Hey. I finished up what I was doing in the lab early so I just came to...see the magic.” He chuckled. “Hi, I’m Bruce.” He politely reached his hand out to shake.

Carol smiled back. “Carol. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

She watched as Thor kneeled down next to the chair Bruce sat in and started up a small-chat. It was endearingly close as the two men where startlingly in sync with their movements.

Bruce flattened his palm and rested his chin in the small dip of his hand. Thor casually threw an arm around his shoulder and warmed his back as he curled up on the velvety chair. The pile of books poked slightly into his stomach, reminding him that he should probably be sitting up straight. Though he made no move to do so. In fact, he snuggled down further and his eyes followed his boyfriend’s fingers as they played with the top notebook, flipping it open.

: : : : Bruce ended up falling asleep near the end of the show, glasses slowly slipping down his nose but never falling off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bruce Banner set up that lovely camera on the kitchen counter before he entered their bedroom...& hopped directly atop Thor. “Good Morning to you too, Banner!” The blonde rolled over and sat up against the headboard.

“I made pancakes.” Bruce hopped off the bed and held out his hand (as if Thor needed his help to get up).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~*REC*~

A sleepy looking Thor was the first to enter the shot, following Bruce out into the dark space of their living area. He was rubbing a curled fist into his eye & yawning when the lights suddenly turned on and--

“Surprise!”

The room was suddenly revealed to be filled with their closest friends and Thor nearly jumped clear out of the shot. Bruce looked on with a beaming smile. “Happy Birthday!” He picked up the camera and strolled over to poke his boyfriend’s side.

The screen fuzzed over as Thor lifted Bruce up with adoration & cleared it’s focus on a closeup of his beard. A few people whistled (Tony Stark’s was perhaps the loudest).

“Must you do that in public?”

The sudden (and close) voice of his brother nearly caused Thor to drop Bruce but he’d managed a safe landing. “Brother!”

Loki shrugged with a smile and Bruce tried to zoom in on the kind expression...

—CUT—-

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~*REC*~

"-Loki?….Loki?….Loki?!”

“What?!” Loki whipped his head around to look at Thor who was sheepishly sitting on the couch. Loki was leaning against the wall closest to the radio.

“Can you turn it up?”

He rolled his eyes and turned the radio up. It was clear that Jane had the camera, considering for some reason she was the only one with steady hands.

'Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now’ faded in and was met with mixed emotion. Quill wasted no time spinning Gamora and initiating the dancing. Carol & Maria wasted no time either, singing along every once in a while.

“Somebody dance with me! It’s an emergency!” Jane hopped up and handed the camera off to Loki. He whipped the camera around to view Valkyrie being poked over & over by Bruce. Jane grinned and reached out a hand, wiggling her fingers, waiting for the girl to go uncharacteristically shy and accept the offer. It didn’t take long.

The camera was handed off to Heimdall, as Loki had no interest in recording.

—CUT—-

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~*REC*~

The shot was grainy and fuzzy but clearly Heimdall didn’t care much. He continued to quietly film everyone. They were all in sitting around making conversation, Nat and Clint leaning on each other and occasionally whispering.

Bruce’s head was in Thor's lap as he was waving around and gesturing while he told some childhood story. Bruce’s legs were in Valkyrie’s lap, who was drumming on them while she listened intently on Thor's story.

Loki jumped in every once in a while to add more to Thor’s rambling & occasionally they’d bicker to everyone’s amusement.

—CUT—-

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~*REC*~

The radio was still going but a little softer. That was until the beginning of a song faded after another.

Thor began to happily (and a bit drunkenly) sing along to the Beatles...

“Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends Mm, I get high with a little help from my friends Mm, gonna try with a little help from my friends...”

It didn’t take much longer for all of the guests to be singing their hearts out and dragging each other into shot. They were all passionately singing the lyrics in no time. Falling on top of each other with the biggest smiles on their faces.

Thor spun Bruce under his arm and made a note to play the song on his next show with Carol.

—CUT—-

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~*REC*~

A shot of Thor, and everyone trying to squeeze in behind him on the living room floor.

the camera fades to black.

—CUT—-

#is this bad?#im actually really anxious about posting it #ahhhhh #idk #thorbruce #thor ragnorak #Thor Odinson #bruce banner #Carol Danvers #valkyrie #Maria Rambeau #jane foster #heimdall #valjane #valkyrie/jane #The Avengers #avengers endgame #my fanfiction

41 notes · View notes

iamnotoriginalphil · 4 years

Text

Lying is the Most Fun (Loki x f!Reader) - Part 3

Synopsis: Loki meets your sister and you have to deal with the bed situation.

Words: 1406

Warnings: none

AN: I went out and got my hair fixed after fucking it up. I didn’t realise how much it was affecting my mood until I fixed it. Anyway, if you wanted to be tagged in future chapters just let me know.

Your sister was staring at Loki. He had his arm around your shoulders, your body resting against his. You’d been sitting on the sofa, listening to your mother tell a story about Agatha from across the road when your sister had arrived with her fiancé. After initial introductions she had taken a seat across from Loki, staring at him with narrowed eyes and judgement in every line of her body. She’d never liked any of your previous boyfriends.

“So you met at work?” she asked.

“Where else am I going to meet anyone?” you replied.

She narrowed her eyes but didn’t respond. Loki tightened his arm around you, presumably flashing your sister one of his trademark winning smiles. You patted his knee in what you hoped came across as a comforting manner.

“And you haven’t been together long?” she asked.

“Long enough to know I’m the luckiest man in the world,” Loki replied as smooth as butter.

“Only a few months,” you supplied, ignoring his answer.

“Every single one of which has been absolute bliss.” His lips pressed to your temples again and you fought against a disgusted shiver.

“So how did it happen?” she asked.

“I’d been watching her for a while, so impressed with her work. I’ve never met anyone quite like her. And then one day she stepped in front of a bullet for me,” Loki said.

“All part of the job,” you muttered, ducking your head.

“Well, after that I asked her out for a drink. I figured, the woman who had saved my life must like me at least a little bit. And then one date turned into another and then another until I realised I couldn’t do without her. No one has dazzled me the way she has.”

You laughed uncomfortably. You patted his knee again, getting up.

“You want a refill?” You asked, looking down at his empty cup of tea.

“Thank you, love.”

You took the cup from his hand, your fingers brushing against his. He caught your hand, pressing a kiss to the palm of it. You flushed, drawing it back from him. You disappeared into the kitchen, knowing you were leaving him to the lions.

You stood at the stove, the kettle on top. You placed your hands on the counter, leaning forward and bowing your head. You let out a long breath, trying to get your thoughts under control. Your head was spinning. You should be better at this than that. You were a paid liar. This shouldn’t be so hard.

A pair of cold arms wrapped around your waist, a hard body pressing against your back. The scent of pine and snow and shadow told you it was Loki. You grabbed his wrists, ripping his arms from you. He tutted, wrapping them around you again.

“You don’t want your family seeing that little display, do you?”

“You disgust me,” you spat.

“You flatter me.”

He buried his face in your neck. His breath fanned over your skin, sending shivers down your spine. It was cool, cold in fact, and you wanted to get away from him. The kettle began to whistle.

“You should get that.” His lips brushed against your pulse point.

You grabbed the kettle, swinging it around, almost hitting Loki in the chest with it. He took it from your hand, standing still too close. You looked up, reminded how much taller he was. He was practically crowding you against the countertop. He tucked some hair behind your ear, his cool fingers lingering on your jaw. You looked into his blue eyes, finding it difficult to look away.

“Is everything okay in here with you kids?”

Loki spun away from you, pulling the mugs closer to him. You smiled at your father, patting Loki on the back as you passed by him.

“Everything is perfect,” you said.

“Are you sure, kiddo?” He kept his voice low.

“Yeah, daddy. Everything is fine.”

You slipped past him, back into the living room. You took your seat on the sofa again, ignoring the look your sister was giving you. Loki sat beside you, close enough to feel the coldness rolling off him. He handed you the mug of tea he’d made for you before wrapping his arm around your shoulders. You let him pull you against his body, resting your head on his shoulder. He pressed a quick kiss to the top of your head. You glanced up at him. He was smiling down at you.

You turned back to your tea, not wanting to keep looking at him. If you did you might do something stupid. Like slap him. You took a sip from the mug.

“Why didn’t you tell me about him?” your sister asked, “you’re terrible at keeping secrets from me.”

“I wanted to make sure it stuck,” you replied with a shrug.

“And you think it will?” she asked.

“It better,” Loki said.

You turned your eyes back to him. He was looking down at you, the hint of a predatory glint in his eyes. You scowled, pushing his arm from your shoulder. He laughed, leaning backwards. You shifted forward to keep any part of you from touching any part of him. You caught your sister’s eye. She raised her eyebrows at you. You shook your head, settling in your seat more comfortably.

Loki rested a hand at the nape of your neck, his fingers tangling in your hair. He gently tugged on it until you looked at him again. He pressed a chaste kiss to your cheek.

“Sorry, love,” he said.

“It’s okay. I know it’s just because you want this to work,” you repied, giving him a tight smile. He chuckled.

“It’s good to see our youngest daughter so happy,” your mother said.

“It’s better to see your eldest daughter getting married,” you shot back.

“Oh sweetie, I just meant that it’s been so long since you’ve seen anyone,” she said.

“I guess I’ve just been too busy with work.”

“Lucky for me,” Loki said.

Your mother gave him a dazzling smile. You rolled your eyes, chugging from the mug. The faster you finished it, the faster you could retire for the night and not deal with your family’s bullshit. Although, then you would be dealing with a whole different type of bullshit.

“I’m going to turn in,” you said.

You got off the sofa, taking your mug with you. You left it in the sink in the kitchen, knowing it would annoy your mother. You slipped into your room, closing the door and letting out a long breath. You grabbed your pajamas and your towel.

When you returned to your room it was to find Loki standing at the foot of the bed in nothing but sweat pants. Your mouth fell open.

“Hello love.”

“You better be getting ready to make a bed on the floor or else we’re going to have a problem,” you said.

“Why make a bed when there’s a perfectly good one already here?”

“We’ve already been over this,” you said, slamming the door shut, “if you insist on doing that then I will be removing a limb.”

“I’d like to see you try.”

Before you could give him an answer he had one of your arms pinned behind your back, his breath ghosting over the shell of your air. You gritted your teeth, turning your face to look at him. He was too close. You could count the colours in his eyes. He smirked.

“Although I can think of worse things than being pinned to a bed by you,” he murmured, his eyes straying to your lips.

“You wish,” you hissed.

“You have no idea what I wish for.”

He let you go. You got as far from him as you could, putting as much space between you as possible. He turned away from you, rummaging through his bag. He pulled a book out from amongst his clothes. You watched him settle in the only chair in the room, opening the book up.

“Do not worry, love. You can sleep easy.”

You watched him for a few moments but he didn’t move, didn’t even acknowledge your presence. You slipped into the bed. Loki raised his hand, snapping his fingers. All the lights in the room went out, a soft glow emanating from his palm. You closed your eyes, turning your back on the demigod.

You tried to ignore the sound of him breathing.

Tags: @sheridans-dynamos @tumultuous-love @juniperbab @internetgremlin @true-queen-of-mischief @sev7en @fleurs-en-ruines @lokilover2000-blog @hakuoyuki @el-eldritch @foreverbeingthunderbuddy @fuckthatfeeling @libellule2001 @thefallenbibliophilequote @smollest-soybean @jessiejunebug @cxstl-e @paulsonix @sadwaywardkid @alcoholic-muffin @eveybitch @subtlemalice

#Loki Laufeyson #loki imagine #loki x reader #loki x you #marvel #marvel imagine #lying is the most fun

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gingerwritess · 5 years

Note

All I can think is “ vending machine “ idk why?? Maybe you can do something with that??

lmao i don’t think many people like this pre-dating idiots kick i’m on but look i’m just proud of myself for actually managing to create a plot and i rly love this so oops have some more t e n s i o n

also i’ll answer asks asap so sorry it’s taking me a while!!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Thirteenth floor. Break room down hall H. Use code 1217. Now.

Who is this?

Your lover.

Right. Your lover, the not-yet-released psycho who’s pretending to be a doctor in the same facility where you work, and now apparently has a phone.

And your number.

Great.

We’re not dating, you type back. I’m busy.

I’m dying.

Good for you.

You grin to yourself—nice one.

A couple minutes pass with no response and you wonder if he’s actually dying…would that be the worst that could happen?

No. No, I don’t think that’d be too terrible.

But why would he ask you for help? I mean, it’s not like you’re friends—but then again, you’re the only one who knows who he really is…who else can he ask?

Fine. Be right there.

Turns out your fake doctor boyfriend already has a higher clearance than you. Your ID stops unlocking doors by the seventh floor, much to your chagrin, and you have to use the code Loki gave you to enter the psych/physiology floor.

Hall H turns out to be the furthest hallway from the elevators, so by the time you find it and start looking for the break room, you’re pretty sure he’ll already be dead. Since he was dying, after all.

You’re half expecting him to be lying in a puddle of his own blood, some other worker having discovered his real identity and not having as much self control as you did, but nope.

He’s still Robert Laing, reddish-blond and donning a lab coat that’s a little too short for him, staring at the vending machine in the corner.

“You came.” He doesn’t look up when you walk in, a dollar in one hand and two quarters in the other. “I’m shocked.”

“Of course you’re not dead,” you groan, turning right back around to walk out the door. “I gotta admit, by the fourth floor I was hoping—”

“I’ve given you every opportunity to kill me,” he snaps, making you stop in your tracks.

“You’re hard to kill. I shot the hell out of you that first time.”

He rolls his eyes. “Oh, please, your heart wasn’t in that.”

“Well, gee, I’ll be sure to mean it next time—”

“Next time?”

“I’m not very optimistic about our relationship, Doctor.” You cross your arms over your chest, scowling at him from the doorway. “Why’d you call me all the way up here? Just to rub it in my face that you have a higher clearance than me?”

“That was just an added bonus,” he sighs, turning back to the vending machine and waving his dollar at it. “I, erm…could use some assistance.”

Oh my god.

“You don’t know how a vending machine works??”

“I’m from another realm, stop laughing,” he hisses, and one of his quarters bounces off your forehead.

“HEY—”

“Just help me, woman. Please.”

“Well, since you said please…” you can’t help one more snort of laughter as you head over to him and take his money out of his hand. “Okay, what are you trying to buy?”

He points.

You try not to laugh.

“Okay, you have to punch in the code underneath it. B-4, see?”

“Here?” He points again.

“On the keypad, idiot.” You point to the keypad and watch him carefully enter the code. “Now you have to put in your money. Coins in here, bills in here. It’s a dollar fifty.”

“But I only have a dollar twenty-five—”

“Yeah, cause you threw one of your quarters at me, genius.” A big part of you wants to just tell him oh well, guess you can’t eat, but you fish around in your pocket for another quarter.

“Here.” You press it to his open palm, trying not to sound too annoyed. He’s just a big baby, you’re quickly discovering, death threats aside. “Found it on my way up, get your candy bar.”

There’s a beat of silence—shouldn’t have done that.

“…thank you.”

He sounds genuinely surprised.

“No problem. I mean, you are dying, after all.” You brush it away with a chuckle, smoothing out the corners of his dollar before trying to slip it in the machine.

“I didn’t know how to get you up here,” he admits, watching you closely. “Though nobody usually responds to my death announcements anymore.”

The machine spits his dollar back out and Loki huffs, trying to shove the bill back in the slot.

“Easy, Loki, stop it,” you laugh, taking the bill from him and trying to flatten it again. “Don’t force it in, just let it take it gently.”

You guide the dollar back in and this time it takes, whirring to life to retrieve Loki’s Snicker bar.

“That’s what she said,” you mumble to yourself as an afterthought, realising what you just said.

Loki coughs behind you.

“Sorry.” You turn around and give him a sheepish grin—he’s a little red in the face, but that might just be part of the facade. “Can’t help it.”

“That’s…quite alright,” he replies smoothly, taking the candy bar as you hand it to him. “Although…is that what she would say?”

“You disgust me.”

“And here we almost had a decent moment.”

“Almost,” you sigh, throwing up your hands in a helpless shrug. “I almost forgot you were Loki, to be completely honest.”

“Ouch. That seems unnecessary.”

“Dr. Laing isn’t completely unbearable,” you continue, holding up a finger to shush him. “So you can take…like, fifteen percent of the credit.”

He rolls his eyes again, ripping open his candy bar. “How gracious of you.”

“No need to thank me.”

You just stand there for a moment, arms crossed as he takes a tentative bite.

“Y’know, you seem more like a KitKat kind of guy.”

“I like chocolate,” he shrugs, “even more so when it comes with caramel.”

“Seriously?” You can’t help but grin—the more you talk to him, the less and less intimidating he becomes. There’s no way you’re letting this guy actually threaten you anymore.

“It used to be considered a delicacy meant only for the gods.” A flash of light fills the room and Loki’s back to Loki, gesturing at himself. “Back before your kind corrupted it.”

“Um, Loki, hate to burst your bubble, but humans invented Snickers.”

“Well, you’re not all terrible.”

Figuring you might as well take advantage of the opportunity, you flop down on one of the couches, staring at the god across from you.

…munching happily on a Snickers.

“Why are you doing this?”

He blinks and clears his throat, taking a couple steps closer. “What?”

“What are you getting out of this, all this pretending to be a doctor, getting hired here?”

“I have nothing better to do,” he answers carefully, studying your face with a quizzical gaze. “I certainly don’t want to be sitting in a cell talking through my emotions, so I might as well be putting my skills to use.”

“You’re actually taking patients??” You can only imagine what happens to them—Loki doesn’t come off as the kind of guy who’s taken his pledge to never harm. “What kind of doctor even are you?”

“To use your terminology, you’d consider me a neurosurgeon.” He sighs and lowers himself onto the couch across from you, still working on that candy bar. “Maybe in part a physician, as well.”

“Damn,” you whisper, undeniably a bit surprised. “That’s…a lot of work—for humans, I mean. Did you go to school for that?”

“I’ve studied my entire life. Never one particular subject, on Asgard w—they steer clear of limiting children’s knowledge to one specific field.”

“That’s pretty smart. Here, you’ve gotta pick one thing and just try to be good at that.”

“Identity can be terribly limiting,” he says quietly, picking at the candy wrapper. “If I identified myself as a ‘good’ neurosurgeon and only that, I don’t think I’d ever have discovered my aptitude for diplomacy, writing, mathematics, anything else.”

Diplomacy, neuroscience, math, writing, chocolate, caramel—this guy has layers, that’s for certain.

“So is this some kind of redemption plan?” You try for a smile, maybe feeling a little bit guilty for laughing before. “Gonna help a bunch of people to prove yourself and then make a big reveal to your brother?”

“That’s not a terrible idea.” He stands and stretches, crumpling his empty candy wrapper and tossing it into the trash bin. “Though I wouldn’t know what to do with myself if I were ever redeemed.”

“You need to meet a nice someone, maybe settle down for the next few centuries,” you laugh, following him out the door as he shifts back into Dr. Laing. “Have a few creepy, greasy-haired babies. Might be good for you.”

He laughs and holds the door for you to leave the room, heading away down the hallway as you wait for the elevator. “That’s the furthest from a future I’d ever want, darling.”

“I’m not your darling, dipshit.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

hope you enjoyed, please reblog and feel free to send me ideas!

~ masterlist link in my bio ~

loki tags: @bluediamond007 @himitoshi @drakesfiance @destiel1597 @dangertoozmanykids101 @archy3001 @jcalpha1 @yzssie @skullvieplu @forthesnakeofdragons @skulliebythesea @wegingerangelica @storiesfrommirkwood @agarwaeneth @adaliamalfoy @laurfangirl424 @paradisaicsam @fitzsimmons-is-forever @ladylokimischief @katelinwrites @tarynkauai @polaristrange @loavesofmeat @canadian-ravenpuff-multishipper @lou-makes-me-strong @holyn0vak @chocolatealmondmillk @swtnrholland @kenzieam @jessiejunebug @catticas @the-republic-and-face-of-texas @doralupin01 @whitewitchdown @atomiccharmer @falconfeather23435 @babygirlicecream @avengrcs @vethrvolnir2 @bookgirlunicorn @wabisabigrl @myhealingstar @khaleesi-marvel @ei77777 @spacecrumbs @scarlettghost13 @rocks-are-pretty-odd @confessionsofastrugglingteen @easilydistractedwriter @arttasticgreatnessoftheawesome77 @fluffyllamaswearinghats @milktearose @lcyouinhell @h0tshotholland @dontmesswithmemundane @southsidesarcasticwriter @helnik-s @lilith-akemi @fire-in-her-veinz @unlikelysamwinchesteronahunt @mischievousbellerina @kcd15 @mellowgirl01 @lokislilcaribbeanprincess @allthingzhiddleston @scorpionchild81 @lokixme @blue-automne @galaxycharmed @devilbat @kangaroobunny @end-up-well @planetariumx @sarcsep @mrfandomtastic @amaru163 @im-way-too-many-fandoms @caswinchester2000 @kybaeza @wester-than-west @vintagesunshinebitch @adefectivedetective @poetic-nikolai @moonduhsted @kerri-masson @iamverity @innaminitus @spnbarnes @narcissxblack @woohoney @anxiousamandapanda @padmeisgay @authordreaming13 @lokisironthrone @theunknowinglys @highfuncti0ningfangirl @epicfallenismine @stubby-toe-589331 @fandomnerdsarecool @retrofantasyland @arch-venus25 @forever-trapped-in-my-dreams @littleredstarfish @marshyrebelcloud @okie–loki @atterodominatus @stfxlou

#loki x reader #loki reader insert #loki slowburn #loki enemies to lovers #loki fake dating #loki imagine #pre-dating idiots

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judgmentofcorruption · 4 years

Text

Episode 6–The Sinking Story; Scene 1

Judgment of Corruption, pages 172-181

Yo, long time no see!

…Yes. It has been quite a long time.

Because over fourteen years have passed since then.

Gallerian was doing alright.

He had finally managed to reach the top.

This was the birth of USE Dark Star Bureau Director Gallerian Marlon.

At the same time as he was inaugurated into the position, he announced the formation of a new special organization within the bureau.

Given the antagonistic relationship that they’d had with the world police that was a concern before, and the people’s dissatisfaction with them—

This organization was created as a result of that.

Its name was “Police Neutrality”—meaning a neutral police force, in essence. It was a name loaded with cynicism towards the World Police. It went by “PN” for short.

The position of its leader was taken by a commissioned officer of the USE allied forces.

Shiro Netsuma…The white-haired woman who had once shot Gallerian, and delivered the killing blow to Loki. She had not retired from her role in the USE united army, and held her post there concurrently with her position as PN’s leader.

Only, Shiro had the weakness of being poor in normal communication. In order to combat this, Hel Jaakko was appointed her vice-commander, as someone who could be well-versed in the internal state of affairs within the Dark Star Bureau.

Part of the Yarera Zusco Conglomerate’s private army was dispatched to make up PN’s forces. They already had a strong relationship with Gallerian, and on top of that had no connection to the World Police at all.

Leading these forces was Feng Li. Having worked for a long time as Gusuma Yarera’s bodyguard, he was not one to be treated like a simple tiger. He was a fine human being, and had a great deal of respect among his unit as their commander.

The fact remained that the Freezis Conglomerate was a massively powerful trade organization, but its power had begun to weaken compared to how it had once been.

A war had started in the Republic of Maistia over liberation of its slaves—and thanks to that, the conglomerate had lost their footing in the continent.

One could argue that, now, the position of top organization in the Evillious region had shifted from the Freezises to the Yarera Zusco Conglomerate.

Contrary to the enrichment of Gallerian’s professional self, his private life wasn’t especially satisfactory for him.

He made sure that no one could tell from the surface, but his marriage with Mira had completely fallen apart. They hardly ever talked in the house anymore. They had added three more servants to their staff outside of Bruno, and Gallerian’s estate was fairly bustling, but with Gallerian and Mira there was always a cold atmosphere between them.

Gallerian devoted all of that affection to his one daughter, Michelle. It was a level of doting that exceeded words like “spoiling” and “over-fond parent”, to where even Bruno would be amazed at times.

At sixteen years old, Michelle had grown into a beautiful girl, with the same pretty green hair as her mother and the graceful features of her father.

There were times when one of Bruno’s fellow servants, Rennert, would idly grumble, “I shudder to think about what’ll happen when she gets a boyfriend.”

That was because Gallerian was liable to go half-mad no matter what kind of man it was.

Michelle herself always seemed to be worrying about the poor relationship between her parents, but she never let those feelings come forth publicly. For she knew that could be scandalous to her father as the director of the Dark Star Bureau. She was a kind, intelligent girl. And she was slated to enroll in Levin University that upcoming spring.

The doorbell rang through Gallerian’s home.

“Just a secooond,” replied Larisa, one of Gallerian’s servants.

But at that moment she was in the middle of roasting a Rollam bird in the oven, so she couldn’t leave to answer the door.

“Could someone get that for me! Katerina! …Wait, I think she’s out shopping. Rennert! Bruno!”

But she received no reply from the other two servants who should have been in the house.

“Good grief. Those men are as unthoughtful as always.”

Just as Larisa was growing more flummoxed, Michelle appeared, cheery as can be.

“I’ll go get the door for you, Larisa.”

“Miss Michelle! …No, it would be a disgrace for a servant to make the young woman of the house do such a thing. Just get Rennert or Bruno to—”

“They both seem busy--Rennert is trimming the grass in the back garden and Bruno is helping Papa with his work in the study—Don’t worry, you just focus on cooking the Rollam bird, ha ha.”

“Thank you kindly, young miss. Well then, with my apologies, I leave it to you.”

The doorbell rang again.

“Got it, I’m coming!”

Michelle lifted up the ends of her skirt and delightedly ran to the foyer.

When she opened the door, she saw a tall, thin man standing there next to a white-haired woman. Both of them were wearing USE army uniforms.

“Hey, Uncle Tony! And you have Miss Shiro with you.”

“My my, as precious as ever, little Michelle.”

Gallerian’s friend Tony Ausdin smiled as he greeted her.

Shiro Netsuma silently bobbed her head, a shy smile on her face.

“Is Gallerian in?”

“Papa’s with Bruno in the study right now…Papa! Uncle Tony and Miss Shiro are here!” Michelle yelled, racing further down the hall.

Tony gave a sarcastic laugh as he watched her go. “…She’s healthy, that one!” Then he glanced over at Shiro, standing beside him. “—You could stand to be a little bit more like that.”

“Um…Uh…Sorry.”

“…Well, whatever.”

The two of them stepped inside and headed for the study.

After managing to graduate without much trouble from university, Tony Ausdin enlisted into the USE allied forces as planned.

Though at first he had merely seemed a poor student, he had come to show more alert, active behavior, as though having awakened since gaining some experience in small-scale warfare.

He had offered up great military gains such as in the suppression war against the Asmodean guerillas and in the sixteenth search and destroy operation against the dead soldiers, and was soundly promoted through the ranks as a result of that—

Currently, he had somehow managed to achieve the rank of major general in the USE army.

“That you could achieve such distinction despite your youth…Frankly I could never have imagined it when we were students,” Gallerian said in honest praise of Tony.

“Hey now. Didn’t you say that I was a ‘future general’ and all that nonsense? Was that a lie?”

“Did I? …I must have been trying to spare your feelings back then or something.”

“Ha ha ha—Well, we’ve both moved up in the world, Mister Dark Star Bureau Director.”

Gallerian and Tony had seen each other frequently over the past few years.

There was the fact that they were childhood friends. But more than that--there was a great deal of meaning in a companionship between two people who stood at the core of two components so essential to the USE as law and military. The foundation of PN by Gallerian likely wouldn’t have been possible without Tony’s cooperation.

“By the by…What business do you have here today that Shiro would bring you along for?” Gallerian asked Tony, getting down to business.

“Ah, well there is an issue. We have a favor to ask of you. And given Shiro’s personality she’s not liable to get to the point.”

“…?”

“—It’s ‘Ma’. I…or rather, the USE allied forces, requires her aid now.”

“…”

Upon hearing that name Gallerian’s expression clouded, as well as Bruno’s beside him.

“Ma, huh…As I remember she was a collaborator of mine. Not just me, but for Bruno and Shiro here as well. But nowadays I have no idea where she is or what she’s doing. One day she just up and disappeared. Around the same time as Hanma Baldured went missing.”

Gallerian looked to Shiro. She shook her head, as though to say that she didn’t know either.

“Bruno…What about you? Do you know anything of her whereabouts?”

“No—It’s been fourteen years since she vanished. During that time I have not heard so much as a rumor of her. I don’t even know if she’s still alive…” Bruno replied somewhat uncomfortably.

He had not told Gallerian that he was the one to drive Ma away.

“Sigh…So even you don’t know…”

Tony’s shoulders drooped in disappointment.

“Tony. Why are the USE allied forces searching for Ma?”

“…It’s the ‘dead soldiers’.”

“You mean those corpses that have risen from their graves to attack people. That’s one of the more dangerous occurrences amidst all the changes in the world.”

“They’ve been carrying on their activity for a while now, and each time the army has suppressed them. …But they aren’t decreasing in number. After all is said and done, they were originally human corpses. And as long as humans aren’t immortal, as long as there’s still corpses being made, then the dead soldiers will continue to increase without end.”

Hearing that, Bruno’s brow furrowed.

“You can’t mean…you intend to get the secret of immortality from Ma?”

“If she knows such a secret I would certainly want to ask her, true. But that’s not it. Though they’re called dead soldiers, their battle potential is frankly not all that impressive. Their movements are sluggish, and it’s not all that difficult to fell them just by sustained attacks—Until now.”

“So then…you’re saying that’s no longer the case?”

“We now have ‘dead soldier mutants’. These creatures have begun to appear lately that have different powers from the rest. Some are excessively strong, some are fast like a monkey—Fortunately they are few in number at present, but whenever they show up on the battlefield our casualties go up immediately.”

“That—sounds dangerous.”

“The worst of the lot is a variety that we’ve come to call the ‘Worldeater’. We’ve only seen it once, on the eastern front, but according to reports its height is estimated to be over four meters tall…There are some people saying it was larger than that. At such a height, it’s doubtful that it was ever originally a human being. This one was able to drive back the entire battalion before it could be destroyed.”

“…This sounds like something out of a fairytale.” Gallerian leaned forward with great interest. “Then—how did you repel that one?”

“We didn’t. It returned to wherever it had come from on its own. Under the persuasion of another variety of mutant that’s appeared.”

“Persuasion? But I’d always heard the dead soldiers had no intelligence.”

“That’s right. But this one is different. Its body isn’t all that big, but this dead soldier—it can speak like a person. Among the top brass there’s murmurs that this may in fact be the leader of the dead soldiers…. At any rate, thanks to the existence of these mutants the USE allied forces are stuck in a hard fight. And so we want to borrow Lady Ma’s wisdom, given she distinguished herself during the witch trial reforms.”

Gallerian folded his arms and thought.

“Hmm…It’s true that Ma has a great deal of magical knowledge. But what would she know about dead soldiers?”

“There’s documents that claim that dead soldiers appeared in the Beelzenian Empire centuries ago, around the time of the Retasan Coup. Legends says that the woman named Gumillia who opposed them was actually a sorceress.”

“And so you think Ma could have that power too…I see. That’s a very vague prospect. There was a theory long ago that the dead soldiers were being controlled by magic, but that’s been definitively disproven nowadays—by none other than Ma herself.”

“Even so, there’s still a slight possibility. As we have no other options, we have to pursue that slim chance that it can be done.”

“…Whatever the case may be, you still don’t know where she…”

At that moment, someone knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

The person who entered then was one of the servants, Katerina.

“Ah, Katerina. Have you finished shopping?”

“I have—and at the entrance I met with our mail carrier. Though they weren’t the normal person who brings it over. They gave me a letter for you, Sir.”

Katerina held out a letter for him. Gallerian took it and cut the seal with a pair of scissors.

“This is…” After looking at the contents, Gallerian’s expression turned to one of mute amazement. “Speak of the devil—what excellent timing.”

The letter was from Ma.

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scarluxia · 3 years

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Let's talk about some Adventures I had in Phoenix, AZ in 2015. It came up in my FB Memories and even though I determined to let everything from last decade go, this one still rankles. I got "in trouble" with these people for being open about my experiences on my Facebook because, even though I hadn't mentioned names, they didn't like me "putting their business out there".

CW for ableism, depression, rejection sensitive dysphoria, and I'll try to put all that in the tags.

My partner, Loki (yes real name), and I had been urban camping in Portland, OR for about a month. It had gotten cold and rainy to the point where we couldn't safely stay living outdoors, and Loki's father (who didn't approve of me) had demanded he come back to California and live with Loki's uncle. He made it quite clear I was not welcome, so I ended up going to Arizona because I had a friend who was willing to put me up. She and I had known each other since 2008 and I figured I would be safe with her. At the time, Loki was much more easily influenced by what his family wanted, and we ended up having kind of a nasty set of conversations over whether he was abandoning me.

While in Portland, my wallet had been stolen so I had no ID or SS card. I had reported it stolen of course, but had received no response until I was leaving Arizona.

My friend in Arizona had two young sons, a husband, and a boyfriend. Now, I have some sensory issues that make it so I have a hard time being around children. High pitched noises hurt me to my bones, like, even now I have to leave the room if my son gets overly excited and starts shrieking.

I was sleeping on the couch in the living room, which was where the kids would go when they woke up and where the TVs and entertainment consoles were.

Anyway, they wanted me to contribute to the household and whatnot but I was severely depressed and I think I've provided all the context I can remember? If the rest of this doesn't make sense, please know that there was a part 1 but it came up in my Memories on a different day and i didn't think I would be rehashing it.

So I couldn't do work, couldn't do anything anyone had asked me to do to satisfaction because various things that did not, in fact, depend on me. Maybe I wasn't being enough of a ~team player~, I don't know. But anyway, I did my best with what I had. Sometimes, because of THE EXTREME FUCKING SENSORY ISSUES THAT COME WITH AUTISM, I would get overwhelmed by the kids screaming. Two little boys, barely school age, and their parents sat them in front of a TV and gave them controllers. That's it. They had toys in their room, sure, but they weren't getting outside. I suggested taking them out a couple times, but firstly, I didn't know the area and wasn't about to go out alone, and secondly, I can't split in half and I'm not in good shape, so even if I had known the area, I wouldn't have taken TWO small children outside to run around where they could run out of the designated area. I'm kind of anal that way, I guess. But Woman A (mum) and Man B ("uncle") never got off their arses to help me take them outside, and Man A was at work.

Oh, yes, parental interaction with the kids. Woman A loved her sons very much. But at their age (3 and 5), they both should have been toilet trained. They should have gotten at least two hours outside every day. They threw fits when they weren't allowed to play video games because, instead of games being a special treat that was earned with good behavior, they were toys carelessly tossed at the kids to keep them out of everyone's hair. Conversely, and bizarrely, reading to them WAS a special treat. The father woke up, played games, basically brushed off his kids, and went to work. Same when he got home for lunch, and he *ordered* us to have them in bed by the time he got home for good. The mum did somewhat interact with them, but mostly just wanted them out of her hair. I wasn't so nice because I'm not good with kids in general and also loud screeching HURTS, IT HURTS IT HURTS MAKE IT STOP. (Same with snoring, or any noise made when I want to sleep.) This isn't me being a ~diva~, it is an actual manifestation of a mental disability.

Woman A was of the opinion that "everyone who lives in a house with kids automatically becomes a coparent", maybe because she wasn't willing to actually parent her kids herself.

Note from the future: I still disagree with the idea that "anyone who lives in a house with kids is automatically a co-parent". Parent your own kids. I don't expect my dad to parent my son when we go visit him and he made it quite clear when I was pregnant that he would not take on a co-parenting role (because his wives 30-50 years ago had handled the babies and he doesn't really know how to calm them down beyond entertaining them)

She got a really bitchy look on her face whenever I (who have been around children, especially TROUBLED children, all my life) made any sort of suggestion. Well sorry, lady, but it's not like you're doing such a great job with them. Y'all act like you barely want anything to do with them. Like they're cute and little and fun to snuggle, but actually teaching them anything? Forget about it, just toss em a controller and hope they don't kill each other in the game or real life. Meanwhile, they have no outlet for their natural physical energy, no real outlet for their curiosity. They're going to grow up stupid and sedentary, with "no one paid attention to me during childhood except when it was convenient for THEM" to deal with. The older kid recently got on meds for a condition that, from what I observed, was likely much more nurture than nature. And what everyone ate, my God, those kids were the only non-overweight people in the house, and it's little wonder! I bought ACTUAL NUTRITIONAL food for everyone, and the adults look at me like I'm from some demon dimension. I made a light comment about how I'd never eaten anything like what they had growing up. You know, boxed potatoes, veggies out of a can, white bread, sugary peanut butter. And Woman A was like, "well YOU don't have kids."

Um, no, but my father did.

I have a kid now, am working part time at min. wage because my boss sees my performance as so-so (plus she's been forced to give me a raise every time the County of Where I Live raises the minimum), in a single-income household, on as much Family With Kids welfare as My County will allow, and I still wouldn't feed my kid that crap LOL

Spoiler alert: they made me use all my food stamps on their household and then kicked me out later that month so... When I bought food I bought HEALTHY food, like, I've been on food stamps my entire life... Also, WIC specifically pays for WHEAT bread, fruits & veggies, and they do let you get peanut butter without sugar so idk what was going on there with them.

My father was a SINGLE PARENT raising a daughter in America after 20 years of living in Europe and raising kids with his previous wives. Well, up until the divorces, anyway. I was the only kid he ever got to keep. He told me things about how the others had been raised compared to how I was raised, and I saw the outcomes of different parenting styles in my peers as well. My father was a very poor man whose trade had been outsourced and who struggled to support us for years. And yet, we never went hungry, and he never fed me boxed potatoes. Never fed me sugary peanut butter, white bread, or veggies out of a can.

Ok I understand canned veggies are better than no veggies, and not everyone can get fresh, but you CAN get frozen in AZ. I always had fresh or frozen growing up.

It wasn't because we were living in the lap of luxury. It's because...

HE FUCKING VALUED OUR HEALTH OVER CONVENIENT, CRAPPY, NUTRIENT-FREE FOOD!!!! This is not a difficult concept. He ALSO read to me every night, despite having what I now realise was a very grueling day at work just to put said healthy food on the table. I didn't get to watch TV or play computer games (edu-tainment, the only kind I was allowed) until after all my homework was done. I can't remember if I was a particularly active child, but I'm sure I had the OPTION!!!! TO GO OUT.

Meanwhile, when I was at various stages of my life, I met kids whose parents shunted them from guardian to guardian because they didn't want to deal with them, kids whose parents were kind and supportive but rubbish at enforcing discipline, kids whose parents were abusive in every kind of way, and kids whose parents did their best.

You know, I wasn't raised perfectly. My upbringing lacked social grace and included some toxic ideas about womanhood that I've only been learning to overcome recently in my adulthood. But DON'T FUCKING ACT LIKE I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT RAISING KIDS JUST BECAUSE I DON'T CURRENTLY HAVE ANY. I have my own life, the lives of my peers, and a wonderful online community of new parents raising children in kind and socially aware ways, to draw inspiration from. I can go to any one of them, and to my own parents, and ask "hey does X seem weird to you?" And they'll give me their honest opinion, which *is valuable*. I have even mapped out a general idea of how to get through some parts of my children's lives, and I'm not even planning to have kids for at least another few years. I mean, honestly, it used to be "I don't want kids ever", but dear gosh, if I can have any part of raising someone in a manner that defies procrastination culture, entitlement culture, and everything wrong with the way my husband and I were raised, maybe it wouldn't be a complete horror. If I can ensure that not all hope for the next generation is lost, hey.

Anyway, I've gone off topic...

I also had some issues with the men. Man B just didn't seem to like anything ever. I had no idea what Woman A saw in him. I remember one time he tried to tell me, a Christian, that I can't tell people what a "real Christian" is because it ~invalidates their identity~. Excuse me, no. It doesn't work that way. There are things that Christ taught, and anyone who blatantly goes against them IN THE NAME OF CHRISTIANITY, IS NOT A REAL CHRISTIAN. And yes, I realise this entire rant has been very judgey and technically I'm not supposed to do that either, but it's not like I'm saying they're going to Hell. Just that their kids are going to be sluggish and stupid, and I can't understand how these people have the gumption to try to lecture anyone else about life when they're not even TRYING to get their own lives together.

Yeah so they tried to lecture me about how I was "letting" Loki mistreat me and how I cared more about "socializing" with my estranged husband (I have separation anxiety) than helping around the house e_e They also implied I used depression as an excuse to be lazy.

Man B was supposedly "super employable." Well, okay, even though his "job hunt" seemed to consist more of sitting around playing video games, he was larger than my father (who is 6 ft tall with a protruding gut and weighs 240 lbs at last count) (My father and I are both 60 lbs above our ideal weights. But we're working on it!), and never seemed to get past the phone-screening process.

Now, Woman A told me that Man B was looking for work and that her family and some friends looked down on him for being a freeloader. Probably because she was anxious about me thinking the same. But here's the thing: I wouldn't have cared. Honestly. If you want to sit around playing games all day in your married girlfriend's apartment with her and her husband playing video games all day, go right ahead. If you want to bake three potatoes at a time and take them back to your room for a snack, hey, more power to you. But don't piss out the window and call it rain.

I don't care how employable you are, where you live, who you're living with, or what your lifestyle is like. It doesn't affect me in any way. But don't act like you're doing something you're not just to appease someone's judgmental family. That doesn't ever end well.

Now, see, I clearly have a problem with people who do that. I don't hide many aspects of myself, though I will refuse to answer a question if I feel it's none of someone's business or if they're just asking it to be a judgmental asshole. I refuse to compromise myself or my safe space to accommodate someone who can't make peace with who they are. Hell, you know me! You know my show!

Wait, this is Tumblr, so you might not know my show. It's a YouTube storyboard dedicated to processing and mocking some spiritual and psychological abuse I've undergone in my life. On Facebook, it was one of the things I was known for at the time because I was constantly posting clips and art, and trying to recruit voice actors.

I sell anyone out who I catch lying to me about anything! That's nothing new! And these people knew that about me. For SEVEN. FUCKING. YEARS.

So anyway. Woman A has a lot of great short term goals but no actual follow through because "I'm just not in the mood right now." No judgment there. I've totally been there. The only problem is when it gets ME in trouble.

"Let's walk the dog." "I'm not in the mood." Okay, then the dog doesn't get walked because I can't figure out my way around the place alone.

"Let's do the dishes." Woman A doesn't let me know when the washer stopped. Okay. Then the rest of the dishes don't get washed.

"Let's take the kids outside." "No I'm too tired." Okay, then they're going to be RUNNING AROUND THE APARTMENT SCREAMING WHICH MY EARS CANNOT FUCKING HANDLE so bye I'm just gonna borrow your room and isolate myself for a bit.

"Let's go to the gym!" "Maybe later." But later never comes.

Do you see where I'm going here? As for the men, they BOTH complain that they're "doing too much" around the house. Okay, probably fair for Man A, who works full time and deserves to come home to a clean house. But Man B. Wtf. You literally do nothing, except when you do, and when you do, we're meant to throw you a parade? That's not how adulthood works, or so I've heard.

Note: All three of these people are older than me. I was 24? at the time, fresh out of trade school, on my own for the first time in my life. (Maybe 2nd? I ran away when I was 17 but ended up with my grandparents so idk if that counts.) Woman A was 26 at the time and had been married since 2008, had experience with office work and parenthood, etc. Both men were older than her. I was a chronological adult with the life experience of a teenager, so I felt comfortable saying that.

So did I mention that I'm sleeping in the living room during this stay? And the adults don't go to bed until like 2 AM, which means, because of my disability, wherein I cannot sleep if there's any sort of non-ambient noise, *I* don't get to sleep until AFTER 2 AM. And the kids? They come in the living room screaming at 6 AM. Yep. Okay. Living on 4 hours of sleep, for the mathematically challenged. That and dealing with the emotional turmoil of being separated from my husband when I've got high separation anxiety in the first place. All my pain, everything, it's up to 11. and I'm supposed to contribute but there's not really anything that allows me to contribute.

So what do they do? They ambush me. Call a "family meeting" to tell me absolutely everything that's wrong with me, after WEEKS of telling me what a big help I am and how grateful they are to have me around. Tell me I'm letting my "social life" get in the way of me helping around the house. Hmm. Social life. You mean, VENTING IN MY SAFE SPACE (Facebook, no names named) AND TRYING TO MEND THINGS WITH MY HUSBAND??????????????? Okay. Well since you guys treat your woman like shit, you clearly don't understand or appreciate devotion to one's spouse. Seriously. Woman A told me she used to have extreme separation anxiety with Man A, and that he would brush off her emotions as irrelevant. Her solution was to make it a poly relationship and take a lover WHO TREATS HER THE EXACT SAME WAY. I'm serious. She got no emotional support from either of them. They basically just threw pills at her and trained her to lie down until her feelings went away.

And she had the gall to lecture me (24 at the time) about how Loki (19 at the time & from a pretty horrific family) treated me. LOL ok. Log. Splinter.

As she knew, I'm monogamous. I do have some opinions on polyamoury based on individuals I've gotten to know who are in those types of relationships, but those opinions are irrelevant to this series of rants. Except one, which is pertinent: if you're going to take another lover, they should provide something that your existing lover(s) don't. If you're suffering from low emotional support and you just find someone else who doesn't emotionally support you and who treats you like a child who can't be trusted??? What are you even DOING? Like, she told me NEITHER of her men trust her judgment. What the fuck is a relationship without trust? And don't even try "dick too bomb" as an excuse when you tell me you haven't gotten laid in months and your husband is using your condoms on Woman B.

They don't support you. They don't trust you. And yet YOU'RE telling ME that things with my husband won't get better unless I follow your lead and take another lover? HELL TO THE NO. My husband has his faults, but if I tell him Person X can be trusted, he believes me.

Except for his ex-girlfriend whom he tried to add to our relationship when he tried to be poly, months later. That went Badly.

Or maybe he just knows I'll deal with them myself, with my hot, hot temper, if they turn out not to be trustworthy. He also doesn't treat me LIKE A CHILD. And while I sometimes point at things and make small motions when I can't physically talk, or sometimes even use baby talk when I'm feeling cutesy, I DON'T POINT AT A PIECE OF PAPER AND GO "THE CARRRRRR!!!!" IN AN INCREASINGLY HIGHER PITCH BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW HOW TO SAY, "Honey, I think we missed the car payment this month. Can you double check while the agent has you on hold, please?"

Okay, being a dick about losing words due to stress was not my finest moment, but at the time, I was just so appalled by how they treated her and how she allowed them to treat me.

So basically these adults who are nowhere near having their lives together, and aren't even really trying, put me on blast for not having everything running perfectly when THEY expected it to.

Let's reiterate. I couldn't get a job because I had no ID or social security card. I was waiting for them to be returned to me. I couldn't walk the kids or the dog, go to the gym, or complete all the household chores because no one would guide me. I need that guidance because of various components of my disability, which I really hate admitting to because I'm super fucking prideful, but I figured hey, she's not neurotypical either. These people will understand.

Their response when I brought this up? "You're an adult. You should know better." Sure, okay. But you should know that a child ought to be potty trained before he turns 5, or even 3; that kids need to run around, are entitled to their parents' attention and consistent discipline, and need!!! healthy!!!! food!!!!

Oh, discipline! So, she would send Older Boy to his room over misbehaving. But rather than enforce time-out, she'd go, "oh, I think I'm being too haaaard on him," and just... Relinquish. He's not about to learn anything that way, ma'am.

They called me trying to reconnect with the person I love more than almost anyone on this earth "obsessing over your social life". Well again, you treat your woman like shit, so MAYBE my undying devotion to the person I love goes a LITTLE bit over your head.

They told me that the household should be my first priority. Except no, because I am an autonomous person and my FIRST PRIORITY is, was, and ever has been the love of my life, whomever that may be at the time. That is 70% of my personality. I'm pretty sure anyone who had ever met me can vouch for my extreme devotion, and this woman had known me for SEVEN. YEARS. I'm not going to throw away 70% of myself to do an impossible task that no one will help me with.

They told me a lot of things I wasn't doing right, and for those of you who also struggle with anxiety and depression, you know that being told for weeks that everything is okay and you're so great and so helpful, and then being told that you're rubbish at everything... You know that that is hurtful. Devastating, even. I wanted to kill myself. I said that. I said that and expressed my feelings about some other things, in my safe space, without naming any names.

And even though I was posting in my safe space, I was polite about it. I was as gentle and rational as possible. I wasn't calling anyone out. Not like I am now. I wasn't trying to lead a witch hunt. I was just overwhelmed and trying to express my feelings. Trying to get myself not to kill myself. I had to tell myself over and over again that it's not what Loki would want for me.

In the morning, they woke me up and kicked me out. Said it was rude for me to say I don't care about their household. I never, NEVER said that. I said "Loki is my first priority." Something along the lines of "that's just how I am and I shouldn't be vilified for it." That doesn't mean I DON'T CARE ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE. IT JUST MEANS THAT MY PRIORITIES WILL *NEVER* BE WHAT SOMEONE ELSE WANTS THEM TO BE. I AM A PERSON. I HAVE THE RIGHT TO DECIDE WHAT TO PRIORITISE, AND I HAVE THE RIGHT TO LOVE MY HUSBAND!!!

I MEAN, FOR FUCK'S SAKE. MY NAME IS *SIGYN*. WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU IGNORANT ASSHOLES EXPECT?! WHY THE HELL SHOULD YOU HAVE FELT THREATENED BY ME SAYING ANYTHING IF I DIDN'T NAME NAMES AND WAS ACTUALLY RATIONAL? IF YOU SAW THIS, *MAYBE* YOU WOULD HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE PISSY, BUT NOT THEN!

They kicked me out after having asked me to buy them all food. I had used up all my food stamps. Because I hadn't anticipated this at all. I hadn't known they would take such offence to my existence, to my ways. To the fact that I value the man I married more than I value... Whatever they wanted me to value, I guess.

Fun fact: I ended up in a women's shelter after this, and one woman told me to actually kill myself because she was tired of hearing me cry at night.

They said I hadn't made any effort to get my life on track. Because I can just snap my fingers and make my ID appear. Because I can just manifest the money for a replacement. They said all these things that left me almost unable to breathe, in retaliation for me posting that I was suicidal.

Later, Woman A told me that this had been a long time coming and that they were trying to make room for Woman B and Woman C, both of whom were willing to have sex with the men, which is something that I would not. I feel the first woman I met at the shelter was accurate when she said they basically kicked me out because I wouldn't sleep with them.

I also later found out that my ID and SS card had been returned to sender. The Portland PD called me and told me. So my father came to the conclusion that the people I had been staying with sabotaged me from the start. For a while, I didn't feel it, but last night I dreamed about it, and the dream made me angry. I didn't deserve to be treated that way. And I really had to get all this off my chest, so for those of you who didn't immediately whip out your tiny violins, thank you.

#ableism #depression #rejection sensitive dysphoria #sensory sensitivity #child neglect #child abuse #resource insecurity?#i forgot about the part where someone tried to mansplain Christian gatekeeping to me #emotional abuse #polyamory but make it toxic #suicidal ideation

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