Prompt: “Why does it sound like you’re saying goodbye?”
Author’s Note: I woke up and chose violence today.
--
Time was hard to grasp before this whole mess began, but it at least had some structure regardless of how ethereal it seemed. There was structure and a time and place and you just happened to be in the wrong place at the right time so it seemed when you also made a move to snatch up the Tesseract the second you saw Loki move in New York. That’s how you got into this mess and honestly there were many things you had regretted initially. For instance, why couldn’t you have minded your own business?
Well, if you had you wouldn’t have had the opportunity to meet Loki, and at the moment? That felt worth more than anything. It hadn’t started that way -- the two of you were practically at each other’s throats and when you weren’t bickering between each other you were being confused by the politics of the TVA and time in general.
In a wild turn of events you became an unpaid intern all over again. You supposed it was better than dying or “being pruned”. You still were confused as ever by the lingo and even though you had tried your best to pay attention to the onboarding process, but frankly you were still wrapping your head around the prospect of the TVA in general. How had no one even considered this being a possibility? Where did these people come from? It seemed that it just...was? But if that was the case, why was there an onboarding process?
Miss Minutes was terrifying -- she was just so...eerie and popped up randomly and honestly you just wanted a nap. Or to wake up from this bizarre dream.
The worst part was the notion of running into other variants, namely the fact that a variant that had been targeting members of the TVA happened to be a Loki-variant.
“Wonderful,” you retorted, interrupting Mobius with disdain, “There’s another one of him.”
The aforementioned god was sitting across a table from you and you weren’t entirely sure how he was taking the whole thing. According to him, the tesseract was useless here. A paper weight. Another beyond weird thing that the TVA brought.
“We should team up,” a voice interrupted your spacing out and it took you a moment to realize that the voice belonged to Loki. And he was talking to you.
You blinked a few times incredulously, “You have been nothing but cruel to me since we met. Why would I ever help you?” Honestly, the audacity of men.
“I am sorry about that, by the way,” he answered, “I was going through something.”
You couldn’t help the laugh you let out, covering your mouth immediately to try to mute the sound and avoid any more attention. “Aw, that makes it all better.”
There was no reason to hide your sarcasm, and he knew that. You could tell from the way he blanched for a moment before resuming his composure, obviously trying to turn on some godly charm or something onto you, “I was. I truly am sorry.”
“Loki, you stole the Tesseract, tried to take over the world and brought a bunch of crazy alien things into New York City,” you listed, counting off the things on your fingers, “And now because you went after the stupid Tesseract again, with a room full of Avengers I might add, I cannot return to my life which wasn’t that impressive, but at this moment? I kind of miss it. So, no, I don’t accept your apology.” He was silent after that and you went back to your mind palace spiraling about the logistics of what was happening to you.
It was not a great day for you. Week? Hour? Time was weird. It was even more weird when you were suddenly having to do research into the Loki-variant-assassin. Going through files and files of different instances in time was tedious. It was interesting in that some of the things had already happened, were going to happen, and were happening in places you had never even heard of. It was during this that you and Loki had begun to work more collaboratively.
In fact, the moment you guys had made the connection that it was apocalypses? You taught the god of mischief the importance of a high five. Or rather, never leaving someone hanging because you chased him down, yelling at him until he returned the high five before you even allowed him to present your findings to Mobius. The bond continued when you both were treated like unhinged criminals or starved, ravenous animals by pretty much everyone other than Mobius who was...friendly as ever.
You did not have a lot of options in terms of trust. While Mobius seemed genuine, there was no way you could possibly know. The issue was that the only thing that was any level of normal in your eyes was Loki which was...laughable, but he was from your timeline. The two of you were in this together sort of because at this point you wanted to go home and it seemed he did too after the whole semantics of this whole thing. Or maybe he wanted to take over the TVA. Regardless, it gave you some hope that he might be kind and put you into your timeline where you belong.
The feelings came out of nowhere. In fact, you hadn’t even realized it happened until there was a chance for you both to chase after the Loki-variant (or Sylvie as you would learn later) and before Loki went through the portal, he reached a hand out for you, Mobius yelling and you found your feet moving on their own accord, turning to mouth ‘Sorry’ to Mobius before grabbing Loki’s hand and rushing through the portal.
Sylvie was interesting and endearing and was someone you instantly found yourself drawn to. You felt sympathetic to her story, and maybe that was dangerous. Dangerous, but gave you another sliver of hope despite the fact things were bleak. Very bleak. Being on Lamentis-1 about to explode and everyone die bleak. Despite this, the two of you sat and chatted in your booth at the bar while Loki got absolutely hammered and even began to softly serenade you in what you assumed was Asgardian (this was after he sung to the whole room) and you found yourself pulling him back down to the chairs and pulling him into a hug while you laughed.
“Loki, I have no idea what you’re saying,” you giggled, pulling away from him, “But I think you’ve had enough.”
“Darling, I think I’m just getting started,” he answered with the smoothness of butter on a hot pancake. You couldn’t help the burning of your ears and the rest of the blush that began to dance across your features. Sylvie coughed. Moment interrupted (Thankfully? You don’t know). Back to the business of the world ending and no way out. Maybe that’s what let all of you decide to unload tales of the past. Yours was boring and...uneventful comparatively which led you to remain relatively quiet as both Loki and Sylvie talked.
Hearing all of Sylvie’s plight and what brought her to that moment had both you and Loki feeling empathetic. You felt anger that this whole this was allowed and deemed ‘okay’ by the TVA. An entity that really had no checks and balances as far as you could see. You pretended to ignore Sylvie and Loki bonding. You felt your stomach tighten. Envy was ugly and green really was never your color.
But that triggered the TVA rolling up and taking the three of you back. You weren’t sure what you were expecting. You weren’t expecting yourself to start fighting. Your restraints, the situation, the fact you were separated from Sylvie and more importantly Loki. You were utterly alone in your cell, screaming for them to let you out. The person interrogating you entered, tried asking you questions that you just couldn’t hear. Your head was swimming and it was almost as if you were hearing things like you were underwater. Fight or flight and apparently your entire being chose to fight.
Per someone’s orders you were moved, you lit up the moment you saw Loki and soon you were joined by Sylvie. Your restraints were removed and your eyes began watering as you rushed to Loki’s side, grabbing his hand as he gave yours a reassuring squeeze, moving so that he was shielding you from the front. The next thing you knew and before you had a moment to process, Mobius was pruned in front of you and Loki moved to shield you further.
Surprisingly, you were not entirely useless in the fight that ensued, but couldn’t help but feel entirely out of your element. The closest you had ever been to being in a fight in the past was when you were five and some girl stole your crayons and had the nerve to try to eat them.
Your adrenaline was pumping when you turned to Loki a feeling like being shocked by a plug while also being burned by a pan that had been on the stove. You were confused, Loki was yelling something. You couldn’t hear. You reach for him, desperate to calm him down or maybe it was because you subconsciously knew what was happening and you were terrified. The hot, electric feeling spread across your body before what felt like you were dropped in ice cold water and suddenly...your eyes blinked awake. You weren’t at the TVA.
Instead, you found yourself on the run (you hated yourself for missing out on all that gym time because your cardio could use some work) from a cloud that ate things. You would learn that you were in The Void, the evil vacuum of the cloud was called Alioth, and that there were even more Loki variants. One was an alligator. He was your favorite.
Your Loki also turned up and you practically threw yourself into his arms in relief, “I thought I lost you, you idiot.”
“I could say the same to you, pet,” he responded, murmuring into the crook of your shoulder. Reunions had to be cut short after you introduced the other variants, (“And this Loki is an alligator! How cool is that! He’s my favorite of all of you, no offense.”) and now you were seeking shelter to hide from Alioth and...well survive you supposed.
President Loki and the other Lokis were...a lot. In fact, there were so many Lokis that you were beginning to get a tension headache trying to keep up with everything that was going on. Some of them seemed to recognize you, including President Loki that informed you that you were late and with the wrong people (“No? I don’t even know who you are?” “You will.”)
Reuniting with Sylvie and Mobius brought even more relief. Sylvie seemed to think she could enchant the Alioth. You protested quite a bit before she was able to convince you otherwise. There was a way out. You had a chance to go back to the TVA and sort things with Mobius. Maybe go back to where you belong. Maybe stay. You weren’t sure, but it seemed Loki, your-Loki was hesitating.
Mobius was opening the portal behind you to the TVA. You stood with your hand firmly within Loki’s, fingers interlaced as you bid Sylvie a small, quiet ‘good luck, you’ve got this’. You and Loki were right by the portal, a sliver from stepping in before Loki stops, pulling you so that you two were facing each other, your back to the portal.
“What’s wrong?” you ask concerned.
“I’m staying,” Loki affirms, “To help Sylvie, to...do this.”
“Okay,” you lament. You were staying too. You tried to move to leave the portal Loki gave Mobius a heartfelt hug, which ended up being a group hug since Loki wouldn’t let go of you. In fact, as soon as Mobius was released from the hug, you were engulfed into Loki’s arms where you practically melted. The hug ended far too soon, but Loki didn’t release you, holding your face in his hands as he pressed his forehead to yours. It made your heart warm and peace washed over you.
“Loki…” you sigh, feeling an entire lifetime of emotions flooding your system, “I…”
“Shh,” he cuts you off, “I know. I feel the same...but I can’t bear to hear it.”
“Why does it sound like you’re saying goodbye?” You inquire, voice cracking. You felt frozen in place as panic began to bubble up under your skin.
“Because you’re not staying with me,” he murmurs weakly, pressing a soft kiss to your forehead, “I love you, Y/N. Remember that, please.”
Before you could respond, you were shoved by a great force. You couldn’t even react as your grip was easily broken, your sense of balance knocked out from under you. Mobius had already stepped through the portal...surely it wasn’t still up? You landed on the ground, having been knocked off your feet, but you were no longer in the void.
You felt your heart shattering. You couldn’t even cry. He was gone.
Is never boring as everyone tries to guess. They think Steve is an “old man” and, while he may have been born in a long-gone era, Steve has adjusted to the modern world with surprising ease
Does he still prefer to take you to dance halls or to the cinema? Absolutely. Is he against going putt-putt or to an arcade? No way! He thinks those things are really rad too and enjoys them just as much
He is old fashioned in the way that he tries to watch out for you at all times, puts your needs ahead of his own, and generally makes you his number one priority.
As such, you can get away with a lot with him. So long as you keep a semi-serious tone, Steve is more than ready to do whatever it is you need. Once he finds out that you’re playing around, expect a half-exasperated, half-amused Steve.
Don’t try to work out with him please. He thinks he can be helpful and help you get better endurance/muscles/etc but he’s a bit of an...overachiever. Run an extra mile...or five. Let’s do a few more push ups...thirty push ups later.
Steve is an actual sweetheart though and only wants the best for you
He can be an absolute tease. You think he’s just a cute naive guy but don’t let him fool you. Once he’s comfortable with you, you’ll be smacked on the ass (not in public), tickled, and just playfully harassed
If you smack him back on his butt he will be both embarrassed and amused and then it’s a free for all
He’s still a bit cautious when it comes to taking you to bed however. Steve’s old fashioned values really come into play here and he’s hesitant to take you to bed to quickly
If you take charge of the dating and sleeping situation, Steve will be putty in your hands
as the title says, this is a soulmate story for Thor, where your first words to your soulmate manifest themselves as tattoos
One day, you’d learn not to visit New York. Your first time to the city, there ended up being an alien invasion and you’d been through months of therapy since. You get up the courage to visit the City again and now an extremist group was attempting to claim buildings and overtake the Avengers.
In the way of selfish human beings, the evacuation had been anything but calm and you’d been jostled and knocked aside, landing on your leg and hearing a faint crack. Between the panic and noise, no one noticed you still on the floor and eventually you were left alone. Of course.
You make it down two flights of stairs -why’d you need to go to this department so bad anyway?- before you can’t hold yourself up anymore. You situated yourself enough so that the pain in your leg was only a dull throb and kept trying to use your phone to reach an emergency line, to no avail. You’re not entirely sure how long you’d been laying there, alternately yelling for help and accepting your doom, when a not-so distant explosion rocks the building. Despite your attempt at calming yourself, you could feel true terror boiling up.
That feeling was only amplified when you hear a window in a level above shatter and a loud thud as something - or someone?- lands.Even higher beyond that, you hear more noise, more mechanical. You hear only one set of footsteps bounding down the stairs. You’re not sure what to expect - someone coming to kill you? A terrorist trying to escape? The man that emerges is not anything you’d expected. Thor, of the Avengers, his face slightly pulling in concern.
“You are not meant to be here.” He says. As if you’d decided to just hang out.
“Tell me something I don’t know.” You hiss back at him, flinching as another explosion shakes the building. Any other time you’d be intimidated by the large, handsome man but right now was certainly not the time for you to be fussed at.You could hear fighting above. A slow, wide grin appears on his face.
“I believe I may be your soulmate.” Thor says. You glance at him again, mouth half open to snap at him again, brain slowly processing his former words. He approaches you slowly, giving you a once-over. “You’re injured?”
“Y-yeah, my leg.” You answer, still bewildered. “How did you even know I was down here?”
“Friday said there was another heat signature down here, we wanted to make certain all civilians were safe.” Thor answers, kneeling down and testing your hurt leg. You make a slight choking noise when he brushes against your knee and Thor frowns. “Were you left here?”
“Ah, well, there was a stampede basically and I can’t really get down the stairs.” You reply. Thor’s face is a flurry of anger and calculation, before he reaches up, activating his earpiece.
“Yes, I found them. No, just one, they’re-” Thor pauses, glancing at you and a grin breaking out across his face. “They’re my heart’s chosen.” You can almost hear the response from your position on the floor, your face aflame even as Thor winces at the noise in his ear.
He says something else into the earpiece but you don't catch it over the sound of rumbling and fighting from above. Thor catches your scared expression and kneels back to your side.
“Would you permit me to pick you up, my lamb?” He asks and you manage to nod before he sweeps you up, holding you effortlessly against him. Even with the careful way he’s holding you, your leg pulses in pain and you find the breath knocked out of you. You wince, flinching into his chest and Thor frowns, making sure to hold you as if you were porcelain.
Flying through the air would probably have been more exhilarating if you hadn’t been injured and fearful for your life, during a bad guy invasion.
“Here.” Thor says as he lands. You manage to pry your eyes open and are astonished to find yourself on the ledge of the Avengers Tower. “Friday has alerted a physician to your injuries, they’re waiting to look at you.”
“Is it even safe here?” You ask. Thor carries you through the door where, indeed, a young professional-looking woman is waiting. He gives you a considering glance as he sets you down on the couch, the woman immediately stepping up to take a look at you.
“There is nowhere safer, I can assure you.” Thor pauses, then grins. “Well, besides next to me, my lamb, but it seems I'm required to save New York once again.”
magic!reader x loki, not quite canon compliant, also on my ao3
“Have you enjoyed learning from the strange doctor?” You control your urge to grin wide as you turn to face Loki. You were taking a break in the compound’s library, which was barely ever occupied beyond yourself.
“It’s Doctor Strange.” You correct, shaking your head and rolling your eyes at him, but you can’t hide your smile.
“That’s what I said.” Loki said.
“I’ve actually been training with Wanda, thank you very much. Stephen’s technique was a little too...intellectual for me. Theory learning and such.”
“No wonder you left his teaching, your magic is inane and hardly helped through books.” Loki paused. “Midgardian books, anyway. I’m sure even his Sanctum does not have half the amount of material as my own library.”
“I can’t tell if you’re bragging or still trying to be mean about Stephen.” Loki simply grinned, giving an elegant shrug. You roll your eyes. “Welcome back, Loki.”
“I’m not back for long. Thor wanted to check in on something quickly and then we’re headed back. I was hoping you’d return with us.” Loki explained. You simply blinked at him for a long moment before realizing your mouth was hanging open.
“Wait, wait, me? Going to Asgard?” With you?” You sputter.
“And my brother, but yes, you’ve gotten the gist of it. You need a good teacher if you are to master your magic.”
“Oh, no way. I would stick out like a sore thumb in Asgard. A very ugly, very sore thumb.” You argue. A frown crosses Loki’s face.
“You should know, you’re quite a pretty thumb. Far and away prettier than most. Asgard can hardly prepare itself for you.” Loki retorts. You frown and squint your eyes at him.
“I still can’t tell if that’s a compliment or not.”
*
You had not been practicing your magic very long. Nor had you known Loki, Thor, and the other Avengers very long. You had met them only a few months ago, when a Hydra unit hit your hometown, looking for mutants to use in an army. All they found was you: you who had only had your abilities awoken during the scuffle with Hydra. After they were defeated, the Avengers offered you a place at their compound. They knew plenty of magic users who could help teach you or, if you had preferred, they had connections to Professor Xavier. You had declined that offer, preferring to learn from Loki.
Loki himself had not been with the Avengers long. After the death of his mother and his own revelation of sorts, he’d given up on conquest. He still longed for the throne, but now he planned to simply outlive Thor. Which, really, he thought wouldn’t take long, considering how many foolish things Thor gets himself involved with. His presence in the Avengers Compound made him an easy teacher to access.
This set up nicely for the two of you to become quick friends. Both on the outside of the circle, looking in and feeling out of place. Loki was better at hiding it, of course, and to an extent he did prefer to stay out of the spotlight. At least, when it came to the Avengers.
Now, you stood between the two brothers at the Bifrost, having just passed through the nauseating space tunnel thing that Thor uses to travel. Asgard loomed before you, beautiful and decadent and otherworldly. Which it was, you supposed. That and incredibly overwhelming.
“Welcome to our home.” Thor said.
“I’ve already alerted King Odin of your arrival.” You turn and spot a man who could only be Heimdall. You can’t help but appreciate his form even as the thought of Odin terrified you.
“Thank you, Heimdall.” Thor introduced the two of you officially before the two of you and Loki approached the main palace.
“What if your father doesn’t like me?” It bursts from your mouth before you can stop it and you reach out and grab onto Loki’s arm. “What if he sends me back to Earth?”
“Then he’ll only prove his own foolishness.” Loki waved away your concern easily. He took the hand on his arm and placed it in the crook of his elbow, so he was now leading you as you walked. The three of you are met at the door by a guard, joined by others as you walked, and by the time you reached the throne hall, you all had an entourage of nearly a dozen men. Someone on the other side of the door announced your presence and the door began to open. You hastily try to pull your hand from Loki’s arm, though he held tight and sent you a frowning glance.You tugged again but couldn’t budge from him.
“My sons!” Odin greeted from the throne. He was just as intimidating as you’d expected and if not for your hand still being in Loki’s grasp, you’re sure you would’ve either fainted or ran back out the door. “And our honored guest! Welcome to Asgard, milady.”
“Oh, ah, th-thank you!” You squeak out, then whisper to Thor, “Do I bow? Curtsy?”
“You may do either, if you feel the need but I do not require anyone to do so, particularly guests who may be unaware of traditions.” Odin eased your worry. He and the boys spoke for a moment before his attention turned back to you. “Now, as I understand, you are learning magic from my son. I’m curious to see where your abilities lie now, before his teaching.”
“Ah, yes, Your Majesty.” You glance at Loki and Thor with wide eyes before facing King Odin fully. You take a deep breath and raise your hands. One thing you’d learned while training with Dr. Strange and Wanda was that your powers came from feelings, not thoughts. As such, your magic tended to be temperamental. This time however, you channeled your nervousness into a solid energy and opened your eyes to see orbs of pale yellow light floating through the chamber.
“It’s not much.” You admit, lowering your hands. The orbs hang for a few moments before they start to fade, one by one. One falls to the floor and changes shape into that of a cat, which nudges Loki’s leg before disappearing. “But I’m learning.”
“I expect my son will do a good job teaching you, I am curious to see your abilities develop. Now, I allow you all to retire and clean up, for there will be a festive dinner tonight to celebrate your arrival home.” You’re all escorted from the throne room and then led to your chambers. The boys obviously knew where their own rooms were but neither seemed sure where you were meant to go. That question was answered by one of the guards stationed outside Thor’s room.
“One of the spare rooms connecting to Prince Loki’s chambers has been fitted out as a guest’s chambers. King Odin assumed she’d want to be near those she knew.” You sighed with relief even as your heart skipped a beat. You hadn’t expected to be staying so close to Loki.
“Good, good! I will meet the two of you before dinner.” Thor grinned at you and Loki before entering his room. The guards continued to escort you and Loki down the hallway.
“Where’s your room?” You ask. You feel Loki’s arm tense and realize you’ve left your hand in the crook of his elbow.
“Just another hallway or so down. Impatient to get into my private chambers?” Loki smirked and you rolled your eyes in response.
“I believe I remember someone promising me that the baths here are fantastic. I didn’t know if I should take one before dinner.” You said. You’re led down a set of stairs to another floor. Loki takes a deep, steadying breath before continuing on down the stairs. The lights seemed to be more abrasive down here, the air cooler. The guards finally stop at a door and gesture you towards it.
“Well, here we are. Home, sweet home.” Loki finally lets your hand drop free and he strolls into the room. After a moment of silence and looking at the guards, you finally follow him through. The first room is simply an antechamber and had three doors leading out. One was still closed, one leading further into a living room style chamber and the last seemed to be a bathroom of sorts. There were no windows in any of the rooms that you could see. The colors were all muted and it felt even chillier in here than in the hallway. You followed Loki into the living room.
“Why is it so…” You trailed off, not wanting to offend Loki if this was how he had meant his rooms to be.
“Bland? Oppressive?” Loki offered.
“I was going to say cold.” You mumble.
“Yes, that too.” Loki lets out a long sigh. “They don’t trust me in the royal corridor. They want me somewhere easy to watch, so they can keep an eye on me. They trust me only enough to go out with Thor. When he is gone, this is where I remain.”
“That’s...sad.” You said. Loki turned to you with a mild glare.
“I do not want your pity.” He snapped. You shake your head.
“No pity, Loki, it’s just sympathy.” You look around the room. Loki had obviously lived here a while: books littered every shelf and flat surface, a few pieces of clothing were tossed over furniture. But it still felt stifling, like there wasn’t quite room to breath. “They’re still keeping you locked up.”
“At least I’m no longer in the prison even further below, locked in a cage among those mongrels.” Loki all but snarls.
“It doesn’t matter how pretty it is, Loki, a cage is still a cage.” You regard the room again while Loki regards you. He walks over to you, looking contemplative.
“You’re the only one who sees this the way I do. My father tells me he loves me, yet there’s chains on the door at night.” Loki muses.
“Really?” You ask in disbelief.
“No, of course not, simple chains would not stop me.” Loki gives you a sly grin and you just give him a deadpan stare. “But, thank you for the...sympathy. Now, go on to your room. Make sure you look decent. If you get bored, you know where to find me.”
*
Dinner was not as wild an affair as you’d feared it would be. Thor explained that feasts were more festive, but a simple welcome home ‘fancy dinner’ was not enough of a cause for the Asgardians to go crazy. Not since Thor and Loki now returned home regularly, anyway. You were quiet all through dinner, mostly due to nerves and the fear that you’d open your mouth and call Odin out for how he still locked Loki away like a bird.
Dinner and the next few days melted away quickly. During morning hours, Loki trained you to use your powers. Afternoons were spent exploring Asgard, meeting people, and warrior training. You didn’t participate in the warrior training. That was specifically for Loki and Thor, occasionally with Sif, the Warriors Three, and/or Brunnhilde. Mostly you read through these sessions, enjoying the outdoors but staying far removed from the scuffles.
“She’s not looking, you can stop trying to show off.” Brunnhilde said, clipping Loki on the shoulder as they were sparring.
“I beg your pardon?” Loki asked. Brunnhilde rolled her eyes and easily ducked the strike of his dagger. There was a reason Loki preferred magic to actual combat.
“You’ve been showing off, hoping she’s watching. We’re not dumb.” She glances over to Thor and Volstagg, who were tangled in some strange wrestling. “I’m not dumb.” She replied. She disarmed him easily and then knocked him onto his ass. Without thinking, he glanced at you, though you were too absorbed in the book you held and didn’t see him looking so foolish. Loki sighed in relief and then started when Brunnhilde snorted.
“You brothers and your Midgardians.” She strut off over to Sif and Loki had to help himself up out of the dirt.
*
“See, you’re not terrible at this.” Loki said.
“Thanks.” You reply sarcastically, concentrating on the pale yellow shield you’d managed to form around yourself. “That sounds an awful lot like you mean I’m not good at it.”
“I didn’t say that.” Loki grins. You roll your eyes and the magic shield drops. You lower your hands and throw yourself onto the nearby couch. It was easiest for you both to train in Loki’s chambers than to go to any other space where you’d have a handful of guards watching your and Loki’s everymove.
“Can I be done? For a little while?” You grumble. Magic was hard. Magic was tiring. And spending so much time with Loki was making you worry that your heart was going to give out.
“We’ve barely begun.” Loki replies, though he joins you on the couch.
“We can just chill for a while. You’ve been training me and then training with Thor, you must be exhausted.” You say. He simply hums in reply, waving his hand and making a book appear. You grin to yourself, before settling more comfortably into the couch. Every once in a while, Loki would read a passage of the book aloud to you, if he thought it funny or clever or interesting.
The next thing you knew, you were blinking awake slowly. You panicked a moment as someone touched you before realizing it was just someone playing with your hair. It took another moment to realize who it must have been. You were draped across Loki, your head in his lap while he kept reading, his free hand running through your hair. You close your eyes to savor the moment. Loki chuckles lowly to himself and you take a breath to steel yourself.
“What’s funny?” You mumble. Loki’s hand immediately disappears from your hair.
“Just the author being an incompetent fool.” Loki answers. You finally sit up, rubbing your eyes, while Loki gives you a mildly amused look. “Did you enjoy your nap?”
“I didn’t mean to fall asleep.” You whine, blushing. Loki sets his book to the side and shifts slightly to face you more.
“Someone came by while you slept. My father is preparing a feast to celebrate the beginning of Jul. As an honored guest of his sons, you are required to go.” Loki’s face formed into an unhappy frown. “As a son, I am required to go.”
“So...like the welcoming feast but worse?” You ask. Loki rises, returning his book to the shelf but answering you as he goes.
“The dinner you attended on your first night was not even a true feast. This feast will last for hours, go late into the evening, requires dancing, and almost certainly will end with my brother being so drunk he does something ridiculous.”
“Oh. Wait! What am I supposed to wear?” You ask. When you’d arrived, you’d been brought a variety of garments to choose from. You preferred pants and a top over the dresses that were offered to you, though they were pretty. Simple Asgardian clothing was still fancier than anything you’d ever owned back on Earth. Even still, everything you had at your disposal was not suited for a fancy gathering.
“Clothing, probably.” Loki’s grin turned mischievous. “Or nothing, if you’d prefer, though I would suggest keeping to the chambers if you decide to run around nude.” You throw the pillow from the couch at him, which he easily waves away with a chuckle.
“You would like that, wouldn’t you? You ass.” You scoff at him, trying to hide the blush rising. You rise from the couch, checking the clock on the wall. You’d barely learned to read the Asgardian script but you could tell it was time for lunch. Your attention was dragged back to Loki as he approached you.
“Is that such a problem, if I would enjoy it?” Loki asked lowly, reaching up and tucking some hair back behind your ear. You really were blushing now, hardly able to keep eye contact with him.
“Loki-” You were cut off as a bang! came from the door.
“Brother! Y/N!” Thor called from beyond the door. You rushed away from Loki, feeling suddenly very out of breath and very disappointed. You opened the door to reveal a grinning Thor. “Volstagg and his family has invited us for lunch, if you liked to join.”
“That sounds nice.” You say without thinking. You both look towards Loki who has an unreadable expression on his face.
“I’ll stay and eat here, I’d rather not deal with the miniature Volstaggs running around.” Loki comments. You deflated a bit but Thor looked even more disappointed. So you held your tongue, still agreeing to go with Thor, and waved goodbye to Loki, promising to see him later.
***
The next few weeks were spent as the last few, except now most attendees of Odin were running around in a buzz, setting up for the Jul feast. You and Loki had both seemingly decided not to acknowledge whatever it was that was happening before Thor had interrupted you both. Loki had assured you that he’d take care of your attire for the feast, so you had nothing to worry about other than learning Asgardian dances so as not to make a fool of yourself.
More often than not, it was Sif or Brunnhilde who took the time to teach you. Loki and Thor were getting pulled into meetings and off-world visitations with Odin, leaving you to the girls and Warriors Three. You didn’t mind it so much. Brunnhilde was certainly becoming a fast friend and who couldn’t like Volstagg? The others were still in the acquaintance category, though that was changing too.
The morning of the feast, you woke early (though there were no windows with which to really tell the time). You were a ball of nerves and as the day went on, they simply got worse. Loki was nowhere to be found in his chambers or the common areas you two shared. The guard outside the door (only one, since Loki wasn’t present) assures you he’d return to fetch you for the feast and that lunch would be brought to you. So you spent the majority of the afternoon into evening by yourself, fretting and pacing around, while occasionally trying to concentrate on practicing your magic.
You’re startled in the early evening when the main door flies open, Loki sweeping into a room with an armful of boxes.
“I’ve got your dress here, we’d better dress quickly, as my father is an impatient man and it will do us better to arrive fashionably on time rather than late.” Loki said this as he handed you a box. “I’d much rather wait and make a dramatic entrance, but alas.”
“Thanks,” You mumble, taking the box from him. It was quite heavy.
“I’ll have your shoes set out here whenever you’re done.” Loki’s voice followed you to your room. You shut the door softly behind you and then dumped the box on the bed, carefully pulling out the dress from within. The green fabric was a heavy velvet type, but soft and you hoped it wouldn’t be too warm. It wasn’t until you’d stripped and pulled the dress on that you’d realized the type of neckline it had.
“Loki!” You screech, all but stomping out of your room and into the common room. You hands held up the very low neckline and covered the expanse of chest and cleavage it left exposed. Loki’s door was slightly ajar and he poked his head around to look at you. A slow grin worked its way across his face. “I can’t wear this!”
“Obviously you can. Give me a moment to fully dress.” Loki disappeared back behind his door, though you could swear you heard him chuckling slightly.
You went back to the mirror in your room and examined yourself in the dress. The heavy velvet helped the dress lay in a flattering way across your body, down to the floor, though the long slit in the front made you nervous to walk. The bardot neckline would’ve been nice had it been an inch or so higher, but currently it showed off a little too much of your chest for you to be comfortable, especially considering the v-shaped notch in the front that showed off a hint of the skin between your breasts. The off-the-shoulder sleeves were just a thick band of the same velvet and surprisingly didn’t restrict your movement too much.
“Alright, what was the issue?” Loki called. You slowly trudged to the shared room, moving your arms back up to cover your chest. And you stilled in the doorway. Loki has always cleaned up nicely but you’d never seen him go all out in a suit and tie. It was a very modern, very Earth style outfit, all black except for the silky green shirt beneath the jacket (a green that nearly matched the color of your dress, you noted absentmindedly). He had smoothed his hair back so it lay across his shoulders but out of his face. As you looked him up and down, he did the same to you. “You’ve not even put on the shoes.”
Loki picked up a box near the couch before approaching you, opening it to reveal dainty and strappy golden heels. When you didn’t make a move to take them, he rolled his eyes with a slight smile on his face.
“You’re meant to put them on.” Loki said.
“I-I can’t bend over to put them on.” You said distractedly, eyes still lingering on his lean form. He huffed but tugged on your arm, leading you to the couch.
“Sit.” You did. You kept your arms covering your chest but almost dropped them in surprise when Loki knelt, slipping the shoes on your feet quickly and with ease. “There, now, up.” You stood shakily, though the heels proved to be sturdier than they appeared.
“I can’t wear this to the feast, Loki.” You repeated. Loki shook his head.
“And why not? I chose this style especially for you, picked out the fabric and everything.” Loki...was he pouting? “There’s no time for a new one to be made.”
“I didn’t need a special made dress. I would’ve stood out badly enough in a regular Asgardian dress. This is....too much. For me.” You almost reach out to him but at the last minute remember what your hands are covering. The small movement catches Loki’s gaze and he frowns again, nearly unnoticeable but there. He reaches out slowly, taking both of your wrists in his hands.
His eyes seek yours, anticipating you to stop him, but you don’t. You can’t bring yourself to do so. If there’s anyone is this realm you trust, it’s Loki.He pulls your hands away from your chest, bringing them down between the two of you. His eyes sweep across your figure and you can’t stop the heat rising to your face, your ears.
“Just a moment, dear.” Loki disappears into his room for just a moment before emerging again, something cradled in his hands. He pockets it before pulling your hair up and away from your neck , though if he makes it stay with pins or magic, you aren’t sure. Then from his pocket he pulls out the necklace he’d fetched from his room. It’s all dainty gold chain, except for the large emerald colored jewel hanging in the center.
You shiver as his hands go around your neck, fastening the necklace. It sits heavily along your chest, the many loops of chains almost tickling your skin. The stone sits nicely just above the middle of your breasts, a large shimmering stone that complemented the dress nicely. When Loki didn’t remove his hands, you finally gain the courage to look up at him. His gaze lingers a moment longer on your chest before meeting your gaze. He almost looks tinged rosy himself but he offers a soft smile and steps back.
“There. Perfection in mortal form.” Loki smiles at his work and, yes, it is a beautiful outfit, but you are still distracted with the amount of skin you’re exposing. “Any more unnecessary complaints?”
“No.” You mumble. Loki was not going to let you change, you’d finally accepted that. “Loki, are you really wearing an Earth suit? To an Asgardian feast?”
“I thought it looked quite fetching, and judging by your staring earlier, I would assume you did as well.” You shot him an unamused and slightly blushing look. “Besides, I am one of the royals Princes, and Gods know Thor never looks the part.” You snort at that, shaking your head.
“They’re gonna stare, so much.” You whine. Loki smiles.
“That’s what I’m counting on.”
***
“You look ready to die.” Brunnhilde says as she sidles up to you. You nearly jump out of your skin, your drink sloshing almost out of the glass.
“No one is talking to me, no one has asked me to dance.” You hiss at her. You’d watched as the evening wore on and many people had approached the other women for dances. Loki and Thor had been swept into the political meet-and-greets so you’d been sitting mostly alone, save for the few times Brunnhilde or Sif had stopped to check on you. “I shouldn’t be here.”
“Well, you can blame Loki for no one trying to dance with you, you know.” Brunnhilde said. At your confused look she sighed and pointed at your necklace. It glimmered even in the dim room and seemed to swirl with magic. “That necklace is like a land claim. He’s using it to warn other men to stay away from you.”
“What?” You reach up to handle the stone, which was warm to the touch. You frown at the idea of Loki’s possessiveness and try to unhook it from your neck. Your fingers scramble against the back of the necklace but find no purchase: there was no way to remove it.
“To be fair,” Brunnhilde continues, sipping her drink, “You do look incredible in that dress. I can’t blame him for wanting to keep you to himself.” You clumsily excuse yourself from her company, heading straight for an empty balcony. You needed the fresh air, to breath. You stood out there for who knows how long before you sensed a presence behind you.
“Are you out here hiding?” Loki asked, joining you at the railing. You turn to him with a furrowed brow.
“No, not that it matters. No one in there would speak with me anyway.” You say and a confused look crosses his face, before you jab your finger towards the necklace around your neck. The confused look fades into almost a sheepish look but that too quickly disappears.
“I suppose Brunnhilde told you what it implies? I saw the two of you speaking.”
“Yes, she did tell me. Unlike you.” You cross your arms. The movement causes Loki to glance down and his eyes linger on your gilded chest. Realizing this, you quickly uncross your arms. You poke him in the chest. “Quit, just- Stop staring!”
“My apologies, it can be hard to look away from an image so tantalizing.” Loki curls his hand around the one you’d used to poke him. He didn’t let it go, simply held on to it, connecting the two of you.
“Stop teasing me.” You huff.
“How am I teasing? I am stating the truth.” He says it simply.
“Loki,” You start but nearly choke on the feeling of your heart in your throat. Why is it that Loki, that liking Loki, can make you so nervous?
“Yes, ástin mín?” You pause, taken aback by the use of the Asgardian language.
“What? What does that mean?” You ask. Loki sighs, not out of impatience or annoyance but as if to steel himself.
“I recognize I have perhaps been unfair to you, Y/N.” Loki says, his thumb lightly rubbing the one of yours that he is holding. “I had you wear the necklace for myself, not for you. I reasoned that it would protect you from untoward advances, thought it didn’t cross my mind you might would have wanted the attention.”
“I’m-what? No, no, I wouldn’t have wanted to deal with other people in there.” You shake your head. “I just felt like no one wanted to have anything to do with me because I’m an outsider.”
“I’m sorry that I am the cause of you feeling such a way. Might you forgive me?” Loki asks. You smile but smile meekly up at him.
“Only if you tell me what you called me a minute ago.” You say. Loki stills.
“Ask of me anything else and I’ll oblige.” Loki says. He keeps his eyes down, away from you. He tries to pull his hand from you but you hold on tighter to him.
“Nothing you could say could make me leave, Loki.” You say, sounding confident despite your nerves. “You could call me an old hag and I’d still...You’d still be my favorite person.”
“You would still?” Curse Loki and his unwavering attentiveness. You shake your head, unable to say the words. Loki’s expression lifts, a slight smile curling across his features. He takes one step towards you, then another, until there is barely any space between you.
“If you would stop me,” Loki says, his voice almost a whisper as he leans closer to you, “Do so now, before I cannot stop myself.” You say nothing.
The kiss is soft at first, a tentative touch. Loki was waiting for you to stop him, you realize. To refuse him. You reach up with your free hand and grasp his lapel lightly. It’s a light touch but it's enough for him to feel and understand. He drops the hand of yours he had been holding so he could bring both of his hands to your face, cradling your face between his hands as he pulls away just slightly from you.
The look on Loki’s face is an extraordinary one. All of his armor had fallen away and you were finally seeing him as he wanted to be. He was unguarded and looking at you as if you were the only source of warmth he’d found in decades.
“Ástin mín. It means my love.” You can’t help but stare at Loki at those words, heart pounding in your chest. Even as your heart stutters, you tug on his jacket, tugging him back to you.
This kiss is more heated, less slow. Loki’s hands still curl around your face, sliding into your hair and pulling you ever closer. You loop your arms around his neck, thankful for the heels that boost your height just enough to do so without stretching terribly far. The kiss is needy, as Loki pulls you impossibly close to him.
“Excuse me, sire.” The two of you part at the words, Loki barely tilting his head to look towards the guard.
“What is it?” Loki asks, bitingly. He hands dropped from your face to your hips, still holding you near him.
“Your father says that your presence is being missed.” The guard speaks uneasily, obviously unnerved by Loki’s glare.
“My father can wait. Now, leave us.” Loki orders. The guard does not hesitate to scramble back inside. Loki looks back to you, with an amused look on his face. “Do you even see what you’re doing?”
“What?” You look around and see magic orbs of yellow floating around the two of you, swirls of the same magic wrapping around the two of you. “Oh, my god.”
“Feeling-based magic is a bit of a giveaway, is it not?” Loki teases softly and you bury your head into his chest, groaning in embarrassment. He laughs lightly, a laugh you’ve so rarely heard. “I cannot complain, I suppose. It is gratifying to see the reaction I cause within you.”
“You are going to be so insufferable.” You mumble into his chest. You sense the smile on his face and end up smiling yourself when you feel him plant a quick kiss to the top of your head.
“I suppose we’d better head back to the feast, before my father sends Thor after us. That’s not a conversation I feel particularly up to. And if we’re lucky, we’ll sneak away early.”
Working in Stark Industries was about as thrilling as you’d expect; that is to say, not at all. For everyone not directly connected to Tony Stark, Pepper, or Happy, working at Stark Industries was like any other business. Boring paperwork, boring offices, boring people.
You’d worked your way up from an entry position to one of the higher positions after a few years of boring work. Most of your colleagues at this level were men: most women who applied to Stark Industries only hoped to catch a glimpse of Tony Stark and their work output reflected that. The few other women in your office were more like you: working to work, not to see your hot boss. Well, one woman worked there mostly in a hope to spend time with Pepper, who was the most present executive in your office. In fact, you’d had lunch with Pepper on multiple occasions. In the years you’d been working, you couldn’t remember Tony ever showing up.
“Y/N! Can I borrow you a minute?” Speak of the devil, and she shall appear. You immediately drop what you’re working on and head towards Pepper. She gives you a friendly smile and leads you to the elevator.
“Good morning, Ms. Potts.” You greet her. She rolls her eyes in a playful manner.
“How many times do I have to tell you to call me Pepper?” You shrug and she shakes her head. “Anyway, I have a job for you.”
“Okay? Why does that sound so ominous?” You ask, narrowing your eyes at her. The elevator finally dings and the two of you step inside, Pepper pushing the button to take you two to one of the highest levels of Avengers Tower.
“Tony has at least three meetings this morning and I have to be in DC by noon. I don’t have time to harass him into getting ready, which is where I’m hoping you’ll step in.” Pepper explains.
“You want me...to harass my boss?” You say slowly. She laughs.
“Precisely.” She looks towards you, serious now. “You’ve worked here long enough to prove that you’re capable and, personally, I like you. There’s no one else I can really turn to now, especially with Happy out of town.”
“He won’t listen to me.” You point out. “I know I don’t know him well, but he really won’t listen to me. He hardly listens to you.”
“I know, I really do. But I’m out of options. Please, Y/N?” Pepper pleads. The elevator dings and the doors slide open to reveal a floor far fancier than your office level. You sigh.
“Fine, Pepper, but you owe me.” She immediately shoves a folder into your hand and smiles. “Perfect. Thank you so much!” She disappears as the elevator door closes and you’re left alone in the entryway. You peak into the folder and see a schedule that looked way too full. You sigh.
“She didn’t even tell me which way to go.” You grumble to yourself.
“Tony is down the left hallway in one of the conference rooms. I’ll guide you, if you like.” A voice echoed from nowhere but you know enough to recognize Tony’s AI assistant, Friday. You thank her and make your way towards the conference room.
“Tony, an employee is here to speak with you.” You hear Friday announce in the room ahead. Tony mumbled something unintelligible from your distance and you groan to yourself.
Today was going to be a long day.
You knock on the door frame to announce your presence. Tony gives you a fake smile, enough to make your blood boil a bit. You didn’t ask for this.
“Did you forget how to tie your tie?” You ask him, gesturing to where his half done tie. Tony blinked, glanced down as if surprised that it wasn’t done, then looks back to you, still speechless. You sigh and walk over, knocking his hands away and doing his tie up for him. “Pepper said I’d have to make sure you got to the meetings, not that I’d have to help you get dressed.”
“You could always help me undress, if the tie is too complicated.” Tony replies, a confident grin across his face. Your hands still on the tied tie and the words along the back of your neck warm from more than just your annoyance earlier. Tony raises a wrist, pulling down the suit and shirt sleeves to reveal your words on his skin.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” You groan.
“You’re the reason I wait so late to tie my ties.” Tony admits, reaching out greedily to grab at your hips, eager to have you here in front of him.
“You’re the reason I keep my hair long, can you imagine what people have thought because of what you’ve said to me?” You say back to him, smacking away his hands. “People thought I’d be a stripper or something. I mean, there's nothing wrong with sex work but its not something you tell a six year old.”
“In retrospect, not the best way to greet my soul mate.” Tony acknowledges. He manages to look sheepish while still grinning like the cat who caught the mouse.
“I did learn a lot of ways to tie a tie, just in case.” You mumble an admittance, earning a grin from Tony.
“So, lunch?” He asks. You point dutifully towards the folder.
“You have three meetings and a phone conference.” You recite. Tony pouts.
***
“I cannot believe you two.” Pepper says. She’d walk into Tony’s living room the next day to find the two of you arguing over some small and funny thing, Tony’s arm around your shoulders. You at least, managed to look mildly ashamed. Tony just beamed at her.
“You sent my soul mate straight to me, Peps. I owe you a vacation.” He says happily.
“You owe me more than that.” Pepper says, pinching the bridge of her nose.
“He did make it to most of his meetings yesterday.” You pipe up. It was hard to fight Tony when he got into a stubborn mood, even with your soul mate status. He just turned it back on you, convincing you that as newly affirmed soul mates, you both should be spending time getting to know each other.
“Better than nothing.” Tony adds. If glares could kill, you were sure Tony would’ve died a thousand times over by now.“Why isn’t Y/N in her office?” Pepper asks, giving up on reprimanding Tony.
“This is her new office.” Tony grins, gesturing towards himself. You and Pepper both give him a deadpan stare.
“I quit.” You say, starting to stand.
“Aw, no, come back!” Tony grabs you around the waist, pulling you down onto his lap and pressing a kiss to the back of your neck, where his words lay.
“You know you could never leave me.”
“Cocky, aren’t you?” You roll your eyes. His arms tighten around you, hugging you to him.
