Part of the 500 Follower Celebration
See my full list of works here!
Requested by: @rmoonstoner
Summary: After the events of Endgame, Carol Danvers gave you a device to send a signal to virtually any and every known receiver in the galaxy. After three years of silence, the device finally beeped with a response.
Pairing: Loki x Reader
Word Count: 3k
Warnings: mentions of Thanos; mentions of major character deaths; grief; angst; derogatory use of the word 'whore'
Beep beep beep
Your spine immediately straightened at the foreign sound echoing around your otherwise silent apartment. You knew every single alarm from every device and appliance in this apartment, and that was definitely something new.
And there was only one device in here that had alarms you'd never heard.
Beep beep beep
Immediately you rushed to the case that housed the intergalactic-caliber paging device that Carol had given you after the final battle with Thanos, the very same one where you wielded a modified version of Loki's scepter that synthesized the powers of the mind stone. Enough to give you an advantage. Enough to make sure you held your own despite being a simple human among the admittedly more formidable allies that surrounded you.
Enough that you had the mad titan on his knees when you and Wanda tag teamed the son of a bitch for ripping out your hearts and crushing them. In your case literally.
Carol said that you could use the device to send out a signal to any receiver in the entire galaxy. She also said that if you were right, and the one you were looking for was truly out there, then you should send out something that only the two of you would know. So you sent out something you two would often say when the other got too lost in their thoughts: Come back to me.
And now that very same device was beeping for the first time in three years.
With shaking hands you opened the case, gently grasping the device and lifting it out, hope once again blooming in your heart that perhaps your days would no longer be lonely. For the first time since Thor pulled you aside after the Battle in Wakanda to inform you of your lover's fate, your future felt full of promise.
That optimism was quickly extinguished once you read the message that the device received. It wasn't the words that you were expecting, not by a long shot.
Found you. You will pay for what you and your friends did to our Master. Jotun's whore.
A chill ran down your spine, quickly spreading throughout your entire body, all the way to your fingertips. You quickly set down the device back in its case, rushing to your phone to reach out to someone you knew was likely the most capable one to help you in defending yourself against your incoming adversaries.
"Y/N?" he answered after two rings. "What's wrong? Are you alright?"
"Strange. I think I'm in trouble."
It didn't even take thirty seconds before a portal opened in the middle of your living room, and in walked Stephen Strange and Wong, looking ready to battle whoever they may encounter inside the apartment.
"There's no one here," you explained. "Not yet, anyway." You motioned toward your couch. "Why don't you two sit down and I'll explain what I've been up to the last three years that got me into this mess."
When you'd finished telling them about the device and the signal you sent out, Stephen spoke first. "Y/N, I know this will be hard to hear, but Loki's dead. He's been dead for eight years now. If he really was out there, don't you think he would've answered your page already?"
You sighed. "I know. It's probably stupid to even keep the damn thing here, basically giving those cultists of Thanos a homing beacon to latch on to. A big intergalactic red neon sign saying 'she's here!'"
"But how do you know that these are followers of the mad titan?" Wong inquired.
You took a deep breath before you spoke. "When we fought Thanos three years ago, the henchmen that I was able to put down…They all called me 'the whore of Jotunheim's King'. The less wordy ones called me 'Jotun's whore'. So while I can't be completely sure, because who knows these space alien folk might be the type to share hot goss around the galaxy and somehow that became my galactic nickname? But I can make a pretty good inference that these are followers of Thanos that somehow got overlooked by Stark's Snap."
"Y/N you have to get rid of the device. You're leading them straight to you," Strange instructed, a look of concern evident on his face.
"I can't, Stephen."
"Why not?!"
"Because if I do, that means it's over!" you snapped, tears brimming in your eyes as you said the words. "If I get rid of it, it means that I'm letting him go. I bury any hope in my heart that he's somewhere out there, and maybe it's just taking longer for my message to be received. I get rid of the device, it means that I've accepted that the rest of my life will be desolate and cold. I can't accept that, and you of all people should understand."
Strange put his head in his hand, rubbing his brows in visible frustration, but ultimately relenting. "You're right. I'm sorry. But that device is still going to lead them right to you. I can think of one possible spell that could deflect their perception of you and the device, but it's beyond either of our powers. All I can do is maybe do a spell that could give you some enhanced abilities that could help you defend yourself. Basically as if you're getting my powers. On a loan."
"That's…that's really generous of you, but I'm curious. Aren't you two supposed to be like some of the most powerful individuals this side of the universe or something?"
"Yes, that is true. But to perform the spell that Strange mentioned? This might be beyond our powers, Y/N. You will need to consult with the Sorcerer Supreme."
Wong's response had you taken aback. "But I thought that…one of you was the Sorcerer Supreme?" you asked, pointing your finger at them.
"Not anymore. About a year ago, I woke up and the augmented powers I received from being declared Sorcerer Supreme were gone. There's a new one, and whoever it is, they're not in any of the sanctums around the world. They're not in Kamar Taj, either. They're going through great lengths to stay hidden, keep their identity a secret," Strange explained. "Now, I can't tell you who it is. I'm sorry. It's beyond me. But I can at least tell you where you can start looking."
You nodded eagerly, ready to find whoever this was, and get their help beating the asses of whoever was coming for you. For giving you hope even for a sliver of a moment that maybe the love of your life could still be out there, trying to find a way back home. "I'm ready. I'll go anywhere."
"New Asgard."
Well…at least you'd be able to check in on an old friend while you were looking for this new Sorcerer Supreme. "Alright…" You looked between the two sorcerers. "Any chance you could conjure me up a portal there?"
You watched as a fond smile graced Stephen's face. "Of course. Just one more thing. Gimme your arm." You held out your arm and he clasped one hand over it, chanting a quick spell. When he released you, there was a rune marking your skin. "In case you need to defend yourself. But remember. It's just a loan."
"Lady Y/N!" Thor boomed from the New Asgard Hall that now served as his kind of 'throne room'. It was a far cry from the gilded glamour of the realm of Asgard, the home he and the rest of the citizens here had lost from invoking Ragnarok in the hopes of thwarting his bloodthirsty war freak of a sister, but you could feel the community among them.
"Hey, Thunder," you greeted as he rushed over to you, wrapping you in a warm embrace. "Place looks great." When he pulled away, you put a firm hand on his shoulder, tears brimming in your eyes as you said, "I'm sorry about Jane. I should've called, I should've been there for you."
"No, my friend. You have no such obligations to me. And I was destined to face it alone—"
"Don't say that," you croaked. "Nobody should have to face that alone. You were there for me when—" Your words caught in your mouth, refusing to be uttered. "You were there for me eight years ago. I should have been here for you. Reached out. I'm sorry."
He placed his hand over yours, giving it a quick squeeze. "I would never dare hold that against you, Lady Y/N. Nor would I dare wish to have you here and witness another losing the one they love most across the Nine Realms. You are my friend, that is true. But I am also yours. And truly all I feel is a somber relief and contentment, knowing that even now…even after all this time, my brother has someone who still loves him as fiercely as you do."
"That's…kind of why I'm here…" He furrowed his eyebrows at you. "Thor, I'm in deep shit."
"What troubles you, my friend? I can assure you what ever it may be, you will not be facing this alone." He led you over to a couch where you could sit and explain your current predicament.
And so you explained to him. About the device and about how you refused to give up hope that maybe somewhere in the vast universe, Loki was still out there. Trying to find his way back home. That you were simply giving him a pin in the map, so he didn't have to do so unguided. When you finished you could see that the blond Asgardian was on the brink of tears again before he pulled you into another embrace.
"I care not that you were unable to marry. In my heart, you are my sister. You are my family." The tears fell from your eyes at his words. "So Strange is certain that this new Sorcerer Supreme is somewhere within New Asgard?"
"He said this was the last place that he and Wong could sense their power. I just want to spend a few days, take a look around, see if I could find them. Or at least my next clue on where to look. If it's alright with you."
"It is more than alright. New Asgard would be more than happy to host you. Assist you in whatever it is you may need. We can start with your lodging." He walked over to his desk and opened the top drawer, a sentimental look crossing his features as he took out a set of keys from inside. "Come, Sister. Let me show you to your home, at least for the next few days."
You stood from the couch, confusion rife on your face as you eyed him. "Did you know that I was coming? I mean…you have a place ready, so…did you just have that lying around, or…?"
A rueful smile pulled at the corner of his mouth. "In truth, Lady Y/N, perhaps I was hoping that my brother was still alive, too. Trying to find his way home. That house had been allocated for you and Loki to build a home together if ever the fates were kind and brought him back to us."
You could feel your heart cracking again at Thor's words. At the knowledge that he'd been holding on just as much as you were. Sure, he didn't endanger anyone in the process from sending out an intergalactic pin on the map that how had some alien fanatics on their way to merrily destroy you and everyone you loved. No, nothing that reckless, thankfully.
He simply gave you a place to call home on the off chance that Loki did find his way back.
The two of you walked to a house not too far from Thor's place, making a tender smile break out on your face at the realization that in his optimistic vision he had in his head, he wanted to keep you as close to him as possible. The smile broke out into an amused grin as you tried to imagine the initial protest from his brother as he realized the proximity between your places.
"You would have made it such a beautiful home, Sister," the god of thunder said as he opened the door to the two-story cottage-style home, the alarm on his face evidence when he saw how, despite the sunlight on the outside, the house had been shrouded in darkness. A quick look around showed you both that there were no curtains installed; after all, nobody should be living in this house, according to what the god told you.
He was about to walk in when you held out your hand to stop him. "Let me." You showed him the rune on your arm. "I have some powers. Courtesy of Strange. On loan. But it lets me sense if there are other wielders of magic around. I just gotta figure out how Stephen does this…" You tapped your wrists together twice and pulled back an arm as if you were wielding two shields, astonished when your arms lit aglow with celestial looking shields made of pure light energy.
"That…is cool," the blond god commented, pointing at your light shields. "Do you sense anything?"
You concentrated on the presence that you initially felt when the door opened; it felt as if they were making a considerable effort to deflect anyone's attention if ever they were to come across this house. Their power. "It's faint," you answered him. "Like they're trying to muddle their presence to us somehow, make us divert our attention elsewhere." You took a breath, deciding to attempt communicating with whoever was hiding out in this house. Your house. "Hello?" you called out into the deceptively empty and quiet space.
There was no answer.
"We mean you no harm," you said loudly into the emptiness. "Perhaps…if we tell you our names, you'll come out? See that we are people of our word. We're not here to hurt you. We're friends."
There was a slight bristle in the presence, a single brush against your shoulder. As if the person inside the house was trying to communicate with you.
"Okay…my—my name is Y/N. I'm…well, I'm nothing special, really. But I work with some really extraordinary people and we collectively save the world from threats, within this planet and beyond. Mad tyrants, aliens--" Your voice choked as you said the final word, "Titans." You felt Thor's hand grasp your shoulder in support as you said it. "I-I'm here with one of those extraordinary people right now. Thor. Son of Odin. God of Thunder. King of New Asgard—"
"Actually, Sister, I'm no longer King. I bequeathed that title to Val," he corrected your introduction to the unknown presence.
"O-Oh. Okay. So he's not King of New Asgard anymore, apparently, but he is still the God of Thunder. That's pretty cool," you rambled, causing him to chuckle beside you. "Anyway, all this to say, we're not here to hurt you. And I promise. If you show yourself? We'll do what we can to help you. I understand having to hide for either your own safety or for the safety of others, I do. But this house you're using for sanctuary…it's mine. Well, kind of. It's a long story. But the important part is, I swear to you, if you come out, we won't leave you to fend for yourself. We'll help you. As best we can."
You felt another brush across your body, this time almost feeling like a person wrapping their arms around you in a tentative embrace. And then a door opened by the dining area…to where you presumed would have been a study, if you'd actually had the chance to turn this into your home with Loki.
Shields still up, you cautiously made your way toward the now open room, Thor following close behind as he summoned Stormbreaker by his side, the battle axe quietly sliding into the home and following the god's steps. When you got close enough, you saw that the threshold to the room was aglow with green magic. A familiar green magic.
"Thor, why does this glow look like Loki's magic?" you asked, voice shaking.
"There could exist other wielders of magic that possess a level of power similar to my brother," he answered softly. "But those would be very few and far in between. If they exist at all."
As you both cautiously entered the small room, you were greeted by a space glowing with the same green energy as its threshold. You spotted a shadowed figure at the end, floating midair and radiating such a powerful aura there was no doubt in your mind that you'd found the new Sorcerer Supreme.
There was a condition to the powers you loaned from Strange. They would fade as soon as you were definitively safe from immediate danger; you then found it peculiar that the shields you had up had not yet faltered in their vibrance despite being in the presence of the very individual you'd gone to New Asgard to seek their aid.
The sorcerer set themself on their feet, standing to their full height, shoulders squared, and taking on a silhouette that you were all too familiar with.
Heart lodged in your throat, you called out softly towards them. "Loki?"
The silence was deafening as your question hung in the air, waiting for the silhouette to respond. But then they did. Hedid. The answer to the signal you sent out into the galaxy that brought you here in the first place. Come back to me.
"There you are, my darling."
Your shields dropped.
A/N: Aaaaah I've finally started on requests! Just a quick heads up that I will be working on requests alongside 'relinquish the crown' and 'man of the month', so the going will be slow, but it will be going 👍 And also yes you read the title right. "pt1". There will be a Part 2, and our reunited lovebirds will have a lot to talk about 🥲
Summary: Tony tells the team that they're making a "Men of the Avengers" calendar, and you're the photographer. Will that be enough to convince the 11 men you've chosen to come on board?
Pairing: Loki x Reader (eventually)
Word Count: 3.6k
Warnings: light cussing [let me know if i missed anything!]
Things to be aware of: mutual pining; idiots in love; there's a non-Avenger "guest star" in this chapter (it'll make sense when you get to that part)
"There's no way you'll get them to agree to this," you grumbled. It was way too early in the morning for Stark to have pulled you aside with his "genius idea" for a charitable fundraising activity that'd be a collaborative effort among multiple members of the team.
The activity? A calendar of the men of the Avengers. Tony thought it was genius since it turned the stereotype on its head that the people who bought calendars were leery guys who bought them for the pictures of scantily clad women, or aged women who only bought specifically the plain and bland red & white calendars you could find in the bookstores.
"Well that's why I recruited you for this project, Tweety. You'll convince them," he replied with a cheeky wink, which you only had the mental energy at the moment to respond to with a furrow of your eyebrows and a head tilt that could make him confuse you with a puppy. "It's no secret that half the guys on this team have the hots for you; you can get them to do anything."
"We all know it's true, Scopes," Sam joked from beside you. "And even if we can't get these guys to all agree, we have buffers. We got my man Vishawn—"
"For the endth time, Sam, that's not how you say his name," Wanda quipped as she entered the main conference room, hand in hand with her partner.
"Yeah, Sam, I should know. Our rooms are next to each other and she screams it for at least two and a half hours every damn night––" You cut off your own words with a giggle as Wanda lightly smacked you upside the head.
"There's also Parker. Or Steven."
"No no," you protested. "Not Steven. We want him we'd need every one of them to be on board. The entire system. At all times. One of them changes their mind that's it, all their shots get benched."
"That's an excellent point, Tweety. And that's exactly why I picked you for this. You see the details, the nuances, as well as the big picture. Let's wait for everyone to get in here and we can really get started."
You eyed the list of names you, Tony, and Sam had brainstormed. At least half of them had a high chance of saying no: Banner, Rogers, Barnes, Rhodey, and Barton all struck you as hesitant to pose for something this ridiculous. And then of course there was Loki. He would definitely say "no".
Throughout the next fifteen minutes, the conference room filled up with everyone on the team, Natasha sitting beside you and using your shoulder as a pillow and grumbling something about how if she didn't get at least a few more seconds of sleep she'd strangle Tony with her bare hands. Wanda tried to bribe Sam into vacating the seat he seat he currently occupied beside you to no avail, and you were currently having trouble looking straight ahead because leaning against the wall right across from you was Loki.
Tony stood up from the head of the table. "I know that some of you are wondering why I called in a meeting this early." There were a few grumbled agreements all throughout the room. "I had a meeting with PR and they told me that even though the charity galas we hold here in the tower are great and raise a shit ton of money, we're going to need to create something that's a little less…exclusive."
"Tony it's way too damn early for me to get your euphemisms," Rhodey grumbled.
"He means something that's accessible by people who aren't the rich and famous," you offered, earning a thumbs up from Stark.
"This is why we love you, Scopes. Thank you." He gave you a little pat on the head. "So what's this 'more accessible' idea of yours, Stank?"
"A Men of the Avengers calendar," the billionaire announced. "This is the list of the guys that Sam, Tweety, and I have brainstormed before the meeting started. And before you all say no, give us a chance to convince you."
The idea of posing for something so trivial and fleeting didn't appeal to Loki, making him want to refuse the entire ordeal right this moment and retreat back to his chambers. However, Stark's mention of you being even partially responsible for the spearheading of this endeavor gave him pause. Perhaps he could stay a little longer, allow you all the attempt to convince him to not refuse.
Though if he were being honest with himself, his agreement was dependent on how involved you would be in the creation of this. How much time of yours he could monopolize if he were to agree with this. Perhaps know more about you, see if you were open to the idea of entering a courtship with him.
Stark motioned to you as if he expected you to start speaking, to be the one to convince the room to agree to this keeper of dates. You cleared your throat, clearing your cup of the remainder of your coffee and then began to address everyone in the room. "It's no secret that some of you have some enormous fanbases." You craned your head to address the other men in the room. "Shaun, Bucky, Cap, Strange, Lang, Wilson--"
"Lil ole me??" Wilson feigned humility and did a few exaggerated movements that made you giggle, making the god stew in his own skin. He wanted to be able to elicit a reaction that carefree from you. And yet somehow all he could ever manage to do was make you stare at the floor, refusing to even look upon him.
"Yes, Sam, you have a fanbase, too," you said rolling your eyes at him. "And then there's Thor's which is…hoof yours kinda gives me a bit of pause there, buddy," you chuckled. "And don't get me started on Loki's."
"Mine?"
You look up at him, his breath catching as your eyes locked with his. Norns, what he would give to be able to wake in the morning and look into your eyes. To see how the morning light would set your features aglow.
"Yeah. Mischief, you have an army. An apocalyptic society," you told him with a smirk. "Some might even say a cult, worshipping something about a…mango? Honestly, Loki, I think you might have the biggest."
"That's what she said," the newcomer from San Francisco, Shaun, commented and had the whole room chuckling, except for you. Loki exchanged a look with his brother, the joke clearly flying above both of their heads.
"What who said?" another newcomer from the same city, Scott Lang, asked as he walked into the room.
"Tweety said that Reindeer Games has 'the biggest'," Stark answered, making Lang glance down at the raven-haired god's crotch.
"Fucking dammit that's not what I meant!" you exclaimed, the frustration rife on your resplendent face.
"That might not be what you meant, Y/N," Lang started. "But that doesn't mean that it isn't true."
He watched as you buried your head in your arms, groaning the same words as Romanoff rubbed circles on your back. "Can we all just move on, please?" you mumbled. "I wanna go back to sleep. Desperately." Everyone ceased their chortles and you raised your head again, the calmness jarring him. "Thank you. So…big fanbases, right? Big fanbases equals…big potential market."
"But what would this be? We'd be in our suits?" Barton queried your way. "Seems to me like no one would buy that if they can just get those pictures off the internet."
"Cupid here has a point," Wilson assented. "There's this guy who made a calendar a few years back. Called it Tasteful Nudes. What if we could do what he did? Who could resist all this--" He started posing next to you, flexing his biceps and once again making you chuckle. "Multiplied by a dozen? We'd be selling them by the millions."
"I like where you're going with this, Sam, I do. But before we even start looking into this…would you all be comfortable with that?" There were some protestations murmured throughout the room. "That's fine. Just tell me how far you're comfortable with and we can find a way to make that work. Still make it…y'know…kinda sexy."
"Why would we be informing you of our levels of comfort, Lady Y/N?" his brother asked, showing clear curiosity as he glanced your way.
"Because I'd be the photographer. Stark doesn't trust this to be leaked if we hired someone outside of this circle. I have some experience in amateur photography from back in college--"
"Plus she's got the hands of a sniper and she's the least likely to jump on…most of your dicks," Stark cut her off, his choice of words making a few of the men in the room straighten their backs. Most? So whoever you'd set your sights on was already in this room? Whoever he heard you speaking of when you confided in your friends that you'd caught feelings for another was among the members of the team?
"Anyway," you stressed. "Because of the nature of the photos, assuming we'd really be toeing the line of these…tasteful nudes? And also because of Stark's and my concerns for your collective privacy, yes, I will be the photographer. So I need to know what level of nudity y'all would be comfortable with and I need you to agree to even pose for this--"
You were cut off by the collective agreement of most of the names on the list, some of them expressing that they were uncomfortable with taking off articles of their clothing but they trusted you enough. Others looking more than ready to be even some degree of naked in the same space as you.
He, on the other hand, was wiling to be completely naked around you if that was what you wished. And he was more than ready for the opportunity to spend time in a quiet room with you. And only you.
"That was surprisingly easy," you commented. "So we have everyone on board except…Mischief." Loki's attention snapped back to the present moment, and out of vivid tantalizing fantasies of you and him being without clothes. On a bed. His bed.
"Yes, darling?" He mentally stabbed himself calling you such a name in the presence of others. He only meant to call you that in the rare occasion you two would converse alone, never wishing for the rest of the team to have something to hold against him, let alone something as deeply personal to him as his affections toward you.
"A-Are you on board? F-for the calendar?" you stammered, the pit settling in his stomach once more because for some unknown reason, he'd made you uncomfortable. Again. Like he always did.
"Yes." This endeavor seemed important to you, and despite the jokes made at your expense, he was able to infer that his involvement would have the potential to contribute greatly to the success of your project. Truthfully, he cared not to do this for Stark or for the public image of the team. Or his fanbase, as you called it, and their enjoyment over the photos that would result from this.
He was going to do this for you.
There were many things that went by unnoticed by Thor when it came to his brother, for truly the god of mischief was an enigma to him. Almost impossible to read. The exception, however, was reading how he behaved when it came to you. It was no secret to him that Loki harbored feelings for you, potentially deep feelings that had him wonder if perhaps his brother's happiness was somehow hinged upon yours.
So seeing him agree so quickly to something that he knew Loki would otherwise view as too trivial for his attention made the god of thunder realize that he was going to do this in the hopes of being able to spend some time with you. And he made a decision right then and there that when his appointment with you came, he would do everything in his power to make you see how great of a man his brother would be for you.
"A catch", as how your people would call it.
"Okay so, this guy who made that calendar, do you know his name, Wilson?" you asked the falcon man seated next to you. He shook his head and you shrugged, typing away on your computer. "Let's see…tasteful nudes calendar, two thousand and--Got him. His name's Mark Edward Fischbach, runs a pretty successful YouTube channel named 'Markiplier'…? Holy shit…this guy's not nearly 34 million people subscribed to him."
"How much did he end up selling?" Stark asked you. You typed away for a few more moments and you had your answer.
"Over half a million dollars. He sold over thirty-seven thousand calendars. We could meet these numbers--Actually fuck that, we could beat these numbers no problem. Let's go see what his looked like--Holy hell goddamn." Thor noted that his brother's jaw had tensed once you uttered those last few words. "This guy's ripped! He could probably go up against Clint and--well he'd still lose but he'd probably be able to get a punch or two in before he went down. Kinda cute, too…"
"You think you can stop gawking at his nakedness for ten seconds to see if you can get some contact info, Y/N?" Wilson asked you in a teasing manner. "Maybe we could consult him? I mean he's done this before so maybe--"
"Say less. On it." You typed a bit more and suddenly there was a ringing tone that echoed off the room.
"Hello?" a deep voice answered. Nearly as deep as his own, Thor noticed. "Who is this and how did you get this number?" You turned to Wanda's direction, mouthing Oh my fuck his voice?! and started fanning yourself with your hand.
"Mr Fischbach? This is Agent Y/N Y/L/N of SHIELD. I work with the Avengers. We came across your erm…Tasteful Nudes Calendar? And we'd--"
"Ha. Right. You're Y/N Y/L/N? Scopes? Sure, and I'm fucking Iron Man. Nice try, whoever you are, you even got to hack my phone but if you expect me to believe--"
"Okay you want proof, pretty boy?" You started typing on your computer again. "Here's your proof." In a moment a man's face was projected onto your screen, showing that you were in what the Midgardians termed a…Face Call? Time Face? "Here's your proof. Believe me now?"
"Oh holy fuck, you really are Scopes. I'm so sorry, Miss Y/L/N, sarcasm's my default setting and god DAMMIT you’re pretty—"
You giggled, the sound making Loki's jaw visibly tense even more. "Thanks," you chuckled. "Uhm…So anyways, we came across your calendar from a few years back and we're trying to create something kind of similar to it, so we were wondering if we could consult you on things like logistics, operations…suppliers. Those kinds of things. Since, you know, you've done this before?"
"Absolutely!" the plier man sounded very excited to be speaking with you. "Anything for my favorite Avenger." His words made your friends give you a look, wiggling their eyebrows at you. "Hold on…you guys are gonna do Tasteful Nudes?"
"That's right."
"Are you modeling?"
"Uhh…no," you chuckled. "I'm the photographer. It's…just the guys. And it's not 'Tasteful Nudes' it's more of 'whatever you're comfortable with and I'll find a way to make it sexy'."
"Damn," he muttered. "I mean with you as a photographer, I kinda wanna make another one. If you're available to shoot?"
Thor noticed that your smile had shown amusement, so much so that your dimple had began to show. "Sadly this will most likely be a one time thing, and not something I'm actually offering up as a side hustle. I really did just reach out for like…pointers? Starting with…well, how'd you get started? Tools? Procurement? Things like that?"
"Well a pointer I can give you for the actual shoot is to have music on hand." You began to scribble down notes on a piece of flimsy Midgardian parchment, the kind that his brother wouldn't approve of. "For the comfort of the model…models? Kind of get them relaxed, in the zone. Though I doubt you'll need to do much work since having such a beautiful photographer in front of them."
He could see his brother seething. Had this been one of those cartoon shows on the television, he could imagine his skin glowing red and steam coming out from his ears. He twirled Mjolnir in his hand once, the sound drawing your attention to him and he gave you a signal as if to say "look around the room, little one", which you did, and returned to your conversation after a single nod.
"That's--really sweet of you. But in the spirit of full transparency, I do have to tell you that at the moment I'm in a conference room with the rest of the team and you're currently on speaker, so I'm gonna have to advise you, in the interest of your own health and safety, you might wanna dial down the whole charming…flirty energy." You leaned closer to your computer. "Some of them look about ready to strike you to the high heavens. Some of them even could."
"Shit. When you say everyone you mean--"
"Everyone," you confirmed.
"Fuck. That's my bad. I'm sorry, Loki."
The look you gave the man on your screen could only be described with one word: perplexed. As for his brother? A smirk had formed on his face. The rest of the room, however, looked as confused as you were. In truth, Thor was taken aback at the plier man's apology. To him it was obvious, his brother's affections towards you. He didn't realize that to others outside of the team, it could also be quite evident.
"Anyway," you started once more. "After music?"
"Right. Well there's location. You'd need a vast space for you to have multiple setups, since I'm going to assume you're not gonna green screen anything?" You nodded. "And then someone to edit the pictures for fine tuning, airbrushing--"
"I can assure you we're not gonna need to fine tune or airbrush anyone's abs," you chuckled, causing him to let out a bellowing laugh as well. "As for space…Tony, do we have any empty floors in the tower that we could set up a studio in?"
"There should be some. Take your pick, Tweety."
"Sweet. Let's figure out what the sets will be later." You turned back to the man on your screen. "Anything else?"
"Lighting. Soft boxes, overhead lights, fairy lights, anything you can get your hands on that you think would help? Get them. You'll never know what you need. And then of course, a good camera." You finished scribbling down this pointers on your flimsy parchment. "After that it's really all up to your creativity. And of course the printing. I'd be happy to give you the contact details of my suppliers and the company I hired to print the calendars if it would help you."
"That…that actually would, thank you." You scribbled some more as he gave you more people to contact for this project of Stark's. "Alright I think uhm…that's all that we have to consult you on. Do you have like a Venmo or Paypal that we could--you know, send compensation to?"
"Nah, don't worry about it." He had this almost wistful look in his eyes as he gazed upon what Thor could only assume was your visage on his screen. "Like I said, anything for my favorite Avenger."
"Okay…but if I have to hack you ever again I insist on paying you somehow. Thank you for your time, Mr Fischbach."
"Please, call me Mark. And if you ever hack me again, you can make it up to me when I go to New York and we could--"
Thor chose that moment to clear his throat audibly in a way that sounded like "high heavens".
"Fuck. Shit. I forgot about the flirting thing. Sorry, Y/N--I mean, Scopes. It was really nice meeting you."
"Yeah, you too. Thanks for all your help, we really appreciate it."
Before the plier man ended your call, he said, "And I'm sorry again, Loki." Then he disappeared from your screen and you looked straight at Loki, the smirk suddenly gone from his face.
"Why did he keep apologizing to you?"
"Truthfully, darling, I know not. You must admit, it's amusing, though," he answered you.
"It's confusing is what it is," you countered, shaking your head, and picking up your small stack of flimsy parchments, aligning them to make them seem more ordered. Thor briefly wondered what happened to the leather-bound journal made from Asgardian parchment that he knew Loki had gifted you on your last birthday. Perhaps he would ask you upon your appointment together.
"Do we have everything we need, Tweety?" Stark asked you. "Models, location, information…"
"Yup. All we need now is the setups, the camera, and the props. Gimme a budget."
"Go nuts."
"Sweet. So I'll get everything set up, we can plan who goes where, I'm assuming that we're putting you on January, Tony?" Stark nodded to answer you. "And we can put Steve in July…for obvious reasons."
"I pledge allegiance," Wilson began.
"To the flag," Lang continued.
"Of the United States of America's Ass," you joined in as the two other men finished the line, leaving most of the team chuckling at your antics.
"We can figure out the rest tomorrow, I guess," you announced as you stood up, closing your computer. "Let's go make a calendar."
A/N: It's here!! Welcome to "man of the month"! I'm so excited to be creating and sharing this series with you all alongside @mochie85, and starting from part 2, getting to share all the amazing calendar pages we've created for this story as well! The linked masterlist will give you all a rundown of the chapters as well as whose blog to expect it from, so I strongly recommend following both of us so that you miss absolutely nothing 😉😉
Summary: You wake up 14 hours after your Melatonin-aided much needed sleep and face the aftermath of your confession to Loki. A confession you believed was a dream.
Pairing: Loki x Reader (friends to lovers)
Word Count: 2.6k
Warnings: implied smut, Loki being hot (not sure if this needs to be a warning but it's there), mild angst (?) [let me know if i missed anything!]
The first thing you noticed when you woke up was that it was dark outside. You'd slept the day away. Maybe even more. But you felt rested, fully energized, ready to go back to your office and face the behemoth that was the security system of the Ten Rings.
Just as you were about to stand up and head back to said office, you vaguely remembered Tony's words about not wanting to see you in your office for the next seven days. That was when you noticed the next thing. This wasn't your home. You didn't even remember leaving the tower. But you did remember bits and pieces of a conversation between Loki and Natasha arguing about whose room you would sleep in.
"FRIDAY?" you called out into the dark empty space.
"Yes, Miss Y/L/N?" the AI answered.
"Could you tell me what day it is, how long I've been asleep, and then turn the lights on at 50%?"
"Certainly, Miss Y/L/N. It's Friday, the 16th, and you were asleep for fourteen hours. Turning on lights at 50% brightness." As light slowly filled the room, you took note of your surroundings. The neatly organized shelves, the helmets hung on the walls, the emerald green bedspread that was an almost exact match to the clothes you were wearing.
You groaned. "I'm in Loki's room?"
"Indeed you are, Miss Y/L/N. And I've been instructed by Mister Laufeyson to tell you to meet him at the kitchen when you wake. Will that be all?"
"Yes, FRIDAY, that will be all. Thank you." You took a look around the room, trying to remember anything more than fleeting moments of the last two hours before you fell asleep, to no avail. So you decided instead to follow FRIDAY's words and make your way down to the kitchen to meet Loki.
Once you reached the bottom of the stairs, you noticed that the tower was strangely quiet for a Friday night. "Lo?" you called out into the quiet space, your voice echoing from the walls.
"In here, darling," you heard him call out. When you walked into the kitchen, you had to catch yourself at the sight of him wearing only a pair of green silk pajama bottoms, a match to the sheets upstairs. You willed your eyes not to roam, not to appreciate his literal godly form, to keep them trained on his face. Big mistake, because once he turned around and his eyes met yours, a devilish smirk crossed his features and his eyes roamed your form. "You are quite the beguiling sight in my colors, dear Y/N. I may have to tell Romanoff she's not getting those clothes back."
"You plan on keeping them for yourself?" you quipped, trying your best not to let his gaze affect you. But then he set the plate in his hand down and made his way over to you, crowding your space.
"You have your wits about you again. That's good," he said in a low almost whisper. "You should tell her you're keeping this for yourself." His tone was almost authoritative, as if he wasn't giving you room to protest. You suddenly get flashbacks of him declaring that you would stay with him while you slept in that same tone. Except this time there was a softness to his words, like he was trying to wrap you in them, in his presence.
It's like he's seducing me, you thought to yourself. But there's no way; you're being delusional, Y/N. Of course you were. He didn't see you that way. He never would.
You struggled to compose yourself. "I thought you had a thing against people wearing your colors."
You felt your heartbeat at your fingertips as you watched him raise his hand and slid his finger under and along the strap of your camisole. "Perhaps under the correct circumstances, I would be willing to share." And then he looked at you through his lashes and you could've sworn your heart stopped beating altogether.
The way you saw it, there were two options. Keep the flirty banter going and see how far he'd take it, or stop it where it stood and play it off like a joke between friends. You didn't trust yourself not to get hurt with the first choice. "Pssh," you chuckled. "You know for a second there, Lo, I could've sworn you were flirting." And you gently nudged his hand away and sat down on a stool by the kitchen island. "Where is everybody, by the way?"
"They went out to one of Stark's many clubs to intoxicate themselves on inferior ale and gyrate all over strangers they will cease to remember by morning. Maximoff left that out for you and told me to make sure you ate it once you woke up."
"Why didn't you go with them?"
"Nothing in that image fit my rendition of an enjoyable time, darling. And there are far more important things to attend to."
"Such as?"
"Ensuring that someone I care for is taken care of after she endangered herself the way she did this week." There was no mischief in his eyes as he said the words, as he stared into yours, like he was trying to see into your soul. "Y/N, swear to me you'll never be that reckless again. When you nearly fell earlier…" He seemed to fight back his sentiment.
You placed your hand over his. "I promise," you said softly. "I just forgot--"
"You cannot afford to forget these things, Y/N." His voice sounded almost desperate. Then he took a deep breath. "I don't want to live in a world bereft of you a day sooner than I absolutely have to. I do not wish to even contemplate that world, do you understand?" You had no words, no witty comebacks, no jokes, nothing. All you could do was nod as he held on to your free hand, returning your nod as he raised your joint hands to his lips and pressed a kiss to your knuckles. He then let go and motioned to the plate of pasta in front of you. "Eat, darling."
You did your best to focus the next several minutes solely on finishing your plate, rather than allowing your mind to wander in the direction of the smoldering shirtless god standing by the counter pretending to leaf through a book, when in reality he was watching your every movement.
Once you were finally done he ceased his charade and walked over to place himself behind your seat. You visibly stilled as you felt him reach from behind you to slide your plate over to the side, and then proceeding to lean over and rest his chin on your shoulder.
"What’s up?" You did your best to sound casual. He wasn’t ever like this with you. Whatever this was. So to have him behaving like this now? It was jarring, that was for sure.
"Did you know you talked in your sleep, dear Y/N?" Your breathing hitched as you both felt and heard his words, what with him having his lips so dangerously close to your ear. The effects he and that absolutely sinful voice of his had on you felt like they were magnified. Tenfold.
You took a deep, slow breath, trying to find your footing, finally taking notice of how he’d placed his hands on the marble top, effectively trapping you between him and the kitchen counter. You let out a half-hearted chuckle. "Nice try, Lo. I know I don't." You made a motion as if to step off your seat, but his next motions kept you right where you were, as you watched his his forearms flex ever so slightly and he stepped even closer to you and you felt his chest pressing against your upper back. It was clear the message he was trying to send across to you. Don't move an inch.
"That may be so," he started speaking again. He let go of the island and proceeded to sweep your hair over your shoulder with one hand and wrapped his other arm loosely around your waist. "But you say the most interesting things when you're under the influence of that medication, in the moments before you succumbed to its full effects."
Your blood ran cold as you got flashbacks of the most wonderful dream. You were laying in bed, in Loki's arms, as he asked you if you were his. And you told him you were and that you were defenseless against his perfection, that you fell in love with him. Such a damn shame you don't feel the same way.
"That wasn't a dream," you whispered, barely even able to breathe properly as you felt his nose tracing along the length of your exposed neck. "You know." You were doing your best to choke back the sob that threatened to escape you.
"I do."
"I'm sorry." Your voice was barely audible. Any louder and you were sure to be a sobbing mess in his arms.
"What ever for, darling?" His words came out so softly, so lovingly, with just a hint of longing. But surely you were imagining it. Right? "You've done nothing wrong."
"I don't know," you whispered, on the verge of hysterics. "I just feel like I should be apologizing for something." And then another flashback. A dream – no, a memory – of you pressing your lips to his neck right before everything went black. Your breath hitched. "I'm sorry I kissed you."
"Don't be, my precious girl," he crooned. "I quite enjoyed it. The feel of your soft, luscious lips on my skin. It was as if the universe stopped; I wanted it to. I wanted that fleeting moment to go on for eternity." What? "The only thing I did not enjoy was you succumbing to slumber before I could return the favor." Oh, you were sure you stopped breathing now. Was he really saying what you think he was saying? "No matter. You're awake now."
You went near frigid in his hold as you felt him press his lips softly to your skin, and he let out an audible exhale that felt as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. If you thought he would stop at one, you were adorably naive.
He proceeded to press kiss after kiss to your skin, each getting less chaste, more frantic. You began to question if you were still dreaming, but feeling the edges of the stool you gripped so tightly in your hands digging into your palms told you you most definitely were not. This was real. This was all real.
"Relax, darling," he whispered into your skin before pressing an open-mouthed kiss to your neck. You could've sworn your heart stopped beating the moment you felt his tongue flick against your skin. His hold on you tightened so slightly as he moved his lips to your jaw. "You have nothing to fear. You've done nothing wrong, my little mortal." His lips moved closer to yours, stopping at the corner of your mouth and pressing a kiss there. "All you've done is the impossible."
"Which is?" you breathed out, surprised there was any air in your lungs at all after receiving this kind of attention from him. You never thought he would; you often forbid yourself to even dream it. You wouldn't dare, because even in your dreams where you were undoubtedly the best version of yourself, even there you never saw yourself worthy of him.
"I won't tell you until you relax, dear Y/N," he teased, his lips moving against your skin, so tantalizingly close to your lips. "Let go of the breath you're holding and lean in to me."
"I'll fall."
"You won't. I'm here. You're safe with me. You always have been." That did you in and finally you slowly felt yourself loosening your grip on your seat, exhaling and doing exactly what he asked, leaning against him. "Good girl," he murmured, pressing another kiss to the corner of your mouth, gently tilting your head back to rest on his shoulder. "All you've done is love me. As I've loved you."
Before you could respond, he captured your lips with his in a kiss that was heated but held such restraint, as if he was still testing the waters with you. Your heart felt like it was soaring as you started to wrap your head around what was happening, as if a fire was ignited in you that warmed your entire body.
When he pulled away from you, you immediately felt the loss, craving his kiss once more. If you'd thought you were intoxicated by being in his presence before, you were downright drunk on it now. Addicted, even. "Oh, my love. My darling Y/N. It seems one taste of you and I've become insatiable." The feeling's mutual, you thought to yourself, unable to form words. There was that word again. Love. He turned you around in your seat so that you were facing him. "Look at me." You tilted your head up to look into his steel blue eyes, your breath hitching as you saw all the emotions swimming in them. "I want you to say it. Say the words that made me whole. I want to gaze upon your ethereal perfection as you say it. Please, Y/N."
You took a breath, and the words spilled out of you, as if you couldn't say them fast enough. "I love you, Loki Laufeyson."
You watched as the brightest smile lit up his face before he leaned in to kiss you again. "I love you, Y/N Y/L/N." He lifted you into his arms and you wrapped your legs around him, as if by instinct. Like you were meant to do this. Made for it, even. "The only damned shame is that we failed to tell each other sooner. I could have had you so much sooner."
He began to walk you back up the stairs when the elevator doors dinged and opened to reveal Tony and the rest of the team coming back. He took one look at the two of you and blurted out, "I don't even wanna know. I'll see you the week after next, Y/N."
"Keep the clothes, Y/N," Natasha hollered. "Suits you better anyway."
You couldn't be bothered to respond, not like you could anyway. Your lips were otherwise occupied. So you gave a half-hearted thumbs up and waved goodbye at the team watching what was transpiring from the common area.
"Well it's about goddamn time," you heard Wilson boom from the doors. "So who had money on tonight?"
"I did," you heard Wanda answer him. "I told you all to never bet against me, but none of you listened. And now I'm rich. Should I silence Loki's room?" You didn't hear the response. You didn't care.
You faintly heard a door closing before you felt your back hit the silken sheets of his bed. "I must remember to thank Stark for giving you a week away from your duties," he murmured as he pressed kisses to your jaw and neck. "We have an abundance of lost time to make up for, my love."
"Everyone knows exactly what's happening right now," you gasped out, your filter going completely out the window once again.
He pressed a kiss above your heart before looking up at you through his lashes. "Does that bother you? That they know?"
A devious smirk graced your lips as you coyly shook your head. "Not really, no."
A/N: Does this still count as fluff? I don't know anymore lol
dededos
jbbartram-illu
dailybridgerton
origamiaround
areudirty
vaporwave
