inlove!loki x magicnoble!reader
Where the Wildflowers Grow
The palace gardens of Asgard stretched for acres beneath the golden cliffs, filled with flowering trees, winding stone paths, and streams that glittered in the afternoon sun.
Loki rarely came there for the flowers.
At least, that was what he told himself.
He sat beneath an old willow tree with a book open across his lap, pretending to read while a warm breeze stirred the pages. Across from him, seated barefoot in the grass, Jennie Aldwyn dipped her paintbrush into a small tin of water and tilted her head thoughtfully at the landscape before her.
A strand of brown hair slipped across her face.
Without looking up, she tucked it behind her ear.
Loki found himself smiling.
"Have you read a single page in the last ten minutes?"
Her voice was light and teasing.
"You've been on the same page since I sat down."
Loki glanced at the book.
To his annoyance, she was correct.
"I know you're a terrible liar."
The sound drifted through the garden like birdsong.
Loki looked away before she could notice he was staring.
Across the lawn, a familiar booming voice echoed between the trees.
Thor appeared a moment later, broad-shouldered and grinning, carrying an apple he had almost certainly stolen from the palace kitchens.
His eyes moved from Loki to Jennie.
A knowing smile spread across his face.
Loki immediately frowned.
Thor pointed dramatically between them.
"You spend more time together than married couples."
"We are not a married couple."
Thor took a large bite of the apple.
"Observe somewhere else."
Thor laughed so loudly several birds scattered from a nearby tree.
"You know," he continued, "Father asked where Loki was this morning."
Loki felt immediate dread.
"I said, 'Have you checked where Jennie is?'"
Jennie burst out laughing.
Thor pointed triumphantly.
"No, you don't," Jennie said.
The irritating thing was that she was right.
Thor eventually wandered off, still laughing to himself, leaving the two of them alone once more.
Silence settled comfortably between them.
That was the strange thing about Jennie.
Loki never felt the need to perform around her.
He didn't have to be clever.
Jennie set down her brush and stretched her legs into the grass.
She wasn't wearing shoes.
She rarely did when she could avoid it.
"You'll step on something."
"I've managed eighteen years without catastrophe."
She laughed and stood, brushing grass from her dress.
Loki eyed the grass suspiciously.
Before he could object, she grabbed his hand and pulled.
She was already laughing.
The sound echoed through the gardens as she dragged him away from the path and into the tall grass.
For a moment, Loki considered protesting.
Sunlight filtered through her wavy brown hair. Her green eyes sparkled with mischief, and she looked happier than anyone he had ever known.
The protest died before it reached his lips.
What neither of them noticed was the cluster of tiny white flowers blooming in the grass where Jennie's bare feet touched the earth.
Or perhaps Jennie noticed.
Perhaps she always noticed.
She simply never said anything.
The secret had lived inside her for years.
Ever since the first time flowers had bloomed in her hands when she cried.
The first time golden light had flickered beneath her fingertips.
The first time the forest had answered when she called.
She had never told anyone.
The thought of him looking at her differently terrified her more than the magic itself.
And hoped no one would ever discover the truth.
Unfortunately, Loki had always been far too observant for his own good.
Over the years he had noticed small things.
Flowers blooming a little faster when she was nearby.
Birds landing beside her without fear.
Branches bending toward her as if greeting an old friend.
Enough to make him wonder.
But never enough to make him ask.
Because if Jennie had a secret, she would tell him when she was ready.
Until then, he would wait.
The afternoon sunlight turned everything gold as they walked through the gardens together.
Neither of them noticed the palace servants smiling as they passed.
Or the guards exchanging knowing looks.
Or the noblewomen whispering behind their fans.
Asgard had already made up its mind.
The only two people who hadn't were the prince and the girl walking beside him.
Though, if Loki were being honest with himself, he was beginning to suspect his heart had made up its mind years ago.