Burning Love
Word Count: 5032 Warnings: Eventual Smut. Sex Pollen (I know, I’m not proud of it either.) Some descriptions of dead folks. Jealous Loki. Jotunn-esque Loki. Characters: Loki x Reader
“Yield.” Loki demanded as his knife rested against the thin flesh of her throat. He smirked as his gaze traveled from her throat down to where her chest was heaving from the intensity of their sparring.
“You first.” She replied, tapping her knife against the inside of Loki’s thigh, just over an artery.
Loki pulled his gaze from the exposed skin above her collar and looked down the length of their bodies to where her knife was resting and then tilted his head slightly.
“Clever.” He mused. “Very clever.” His fingers twisted in her hair and pulled her head back further, baring more of her neck to his knife. “But I would cut your throat before you’d ever have a chance to cut my femoral artery.” He grinned down at her and added, “So again…Yield.”
“You should pay more attention.” She replied, pressing the tip of her other knife into the soft flesh in dip of Loki’s hip just enough to make its presence known. “That’s an aorta. You’d be dead in less than seven seconds between the two, Loki.” She added. “So, again…you first.”
Loki inhaled sharply as the tip of the knife brushed against the sensitive skin over his aorta. The combined sensation of the cold metal on his skin and the vision of him pinning Y/N to his body stirred something in Loki and he released her before dropping his knife and raising his hands in surrender.
“I yield.” He acquiesced. “You win this time, Y/N.”
“Ha!” Came a thunderous laugh from the other side of the training facility. “She has bested you, brother!”
“Thor!” Y/N squealed, sheathing her knives and bolting across the mats towards him. She jumped as soon as she reached him and Thor caught her and supported her weight as she wrapped her legs around his middle and her arms around his neck in a full body hug. “I thought you weren’t coming back until tomorrow night!?”
“It is the third Thursday of the month.” He replied, as if that explained anything. “It is movie night.”
Y/N squealed as Thor spun her onto his back and grabbed her calves before giving her a piggy back out of the gym.
Loki looked away, partly in disgust though mostly in jealousy. He was used to his brother getting everything he wanted for himself. First their father’s love, then the throne, and now…you. Loki would have said goodbye, but he didn’t want to interrupt the obviously long awaited homecoming between his brother and Y/N. He watched them leave and departed the gym shortly after, heading towards his room.
He considered not joining the rest of the team for the monthly movie night, but eventually decided against it. His place on the team was still very much in flux and the undercurrent of tension between himself and some of the members was one suspicious activity away from explosive conflict. Loki flopped onto the end of the couch furthest from the others and offered a tight smile, which was returned before they returned to their previous conversation.
“Scooch over, Rudolph.” Y/N joked before sitting down close enough to Loki that their hips touched. “Unless you want your brother in your lap.”
“If I had to choose, it would not be him.” Loki responded dryly before sliding to the end of the couch as his brother crashed down on the other side of Y/N and dropped a bowl of extra buttery popcorn in her lap. She doesn’t evenlike that kind. Loki thought to himself as he rolled his eyes and tried to turn his attention to the movie and away from his oaf of a brother who had draped his arm over Y/N’s shoulder and was gently rubbing his thumb across her arm.
“Excited for the mission tomorrow?” Y/N asked halfway through the movie, leaning over so Loki could hear her whisper.
“Hmm?” Loki asked, turning away from the screen to look at Y/N. He flushed lightly when he realized how close her face was to his own. “Ah, I’m not on the mission for tomorrow?” He replied, his words equidistant a question and a statement.
“Oh, I guess they didn’t tell you yet.” Y/N whispered again. “Steve needs Bucky on a different mission, so you’re stuck with me and Bruce.” She offered him a small smile and then added, “It’s just a quick intel sweep. In and out. One day, max.”
“What are we whispering about?” Thor asked, leaning his full weight on Y/N as he tried to insert himself in the conversation. His action forced Y/N’s upper body into Loki’s lap, eliciting a groan from the smaller man.
“Ugh.” Y/N groaned, shoving against Thor with a laugh. “We’re talking about the mission tomorrow. Now get. Off. Of. Me.”
Thor laughed and pulled himself off of Y/N and pulling her into his side. Loki watched as Y/N rested her head on his brother’s chest and settled back in to watch the movie. Normally, the casual affection expressed between Thor and Y/N was simply irritating to Loki. Lately, however, he found himself getting more and more upset by it. Jealousy was not a foreign emotion to Loki, but he had never felt it quite like this before. He had never had the desire to have the attention of a singular person as deeply as he desired to have Y/N’s. He wasn’t sure quite why he craved her specifically or why his desire had recently gotten stronger, but Loki was sure that he couldn’t sit there and pretend to watch the movie anymore. Without making any excuses or saying goodnight, he left the common area and disappeared to his bedroom.
Loki didn’t remember falling asleep the night before, but he was awoken by the sound of someone knocking adamantly on his door.
“Go away or I will skin you alive!” He shouted with a sleep heavy voice.
“I’ll take my chances!” Y/N called back as the electronic lock beeped and she entered his room. “Come on, Rip Van Winkle, it’s mission time.”
Loki looked up from the small mountain of pillows on his bed and shook his head.
“No.”
“What do you mean, No?”
“I’m not going.”
“Honestly, mood. But also, you have to.”
“I am a God. I don’t have to do anything I don’t want to.”
“Loki Laufeyson, get up before I drag you out of that bed.”
“You wouldn’t dare.” Loki challenged with a small grin. He barely had time to register the acceptance of his challenge before the covers were suddenly whipped off his bed, leaving him completely exposed. A laugh bubbled up from his chest and filled his room at the sound of Y/N’s surprised squeal and the sight of her slamming her eyes shut and turning her back.
“Damn it, Loki. You could’ve warned me!” She said with an embarrassed tone to her voice. Loki sat up and stretched before using his magic to put his clothes on.
“I thought you were going to drag me out of bed.” He teased, grabbing his boots from under his bedside table.
“You’re not funny.” Y/N shot back. “I will absolutely drag you out of that bed and make you go on the mission in your birthday suit.” She huffed and turned back around to face him. Loki noticed a small twinge of something that looked like disappointment cross her face and he grinned wickedly.
“Yes, I’m dressed now.” He pointed out. “Sorry to disappoint.” He stood and closed the gap between himself and Y/N and reached out to push her hair behind her shoulder. “But if you’d like another look, I’d be happy to oblige.” His voice dropped an octave and he sensed the uptick in her heartbeat as well as the soft gasp that left her lips at the contact between his fingertips and her clavicle. Loki looked down at the woman with playful confusion, unsure if she was really reacting to him the way he thought, or if he was just imagining it.
Y/N cleared her throat and took a step back before fixing her usual confidence on her face.
“I’m good. Let’s go.” She said, hitching her thumb towards the door. “Bruce is waiting in the Quinjet.”
“Of course he is.”
Loki spent the five hour trip in the Quinjet trying his absolute hardest not to either upset Bruce or lose his mind at the close quarter’s he found himself in.
“You know, we didn’t need to fly. I could have just gotten us there already.” He pointed out from his spot in the back of the jet.
“Full offense, Loki, but I don’t trust you or your magic.” Bruce replied as he brought the jet around and landed it gently on a strip of tarmac. “Besides, we need to establish an uplink between our system and whatever is left here.”
Loki watched as Bruce turned to Y/N and asked her something, which she appeared to brush off as she slung her light tactical harness over her hips and clipped it into place.
“You ready, Houdini?” Y/N asked with a grin as she opened the bay door of the jet and stepped out onto the hot asphalt. The difference in pressure pulled the hot air into the jet and sent Y/N’s scent directly into Loki’s face, causing the God to shift uncomfortably as his blood rushed from his head.
“Let’s just get this over with.” Loki shot back, gritting his teeth and stepping out of the jet. The door closed behind them and Loki surveyed the land before them.
“The scans say the building is empty. Well, empty of people anyhow.” Y/N explained as she began to cross towards the planted field that separated the tarmac from the abandoned base. “We’re picking up electrical readings, so hopefully there’s something in there that can give us an idea of why a team of twenty scientists and well trained soldiers suddenly and mysteriously abandoned the base.”
“Remind me why I’m here again?” Loki scoffed, stopping at the edge of the field and watching Y/N cross through the plants.
“Because I needed backup and I trust you.” Y/N replied, turning to shoot Loki an expectant look. “Now come on.”
“I’m waiting on you.” He replied, calling to her from the other side of the field as he used his magic to skip actually walking through the strange plants. He caught the sound of Y/N’s laughter and saw her shake her head before she began to jog towards him. She slugged him in the shoulder playfully before they finished the trek to the abandoned building and then went inside.
It took less than ten minutes to figure out why no one had ever been seen evacuating the building. There, sprawled out amongst rotting food and dusty furniture, lay the corpses of five people; their flesh seemingly melted from their bones.
“Oh god.” Y/N coughed, pulling her shirt up and over her nose in an attempt to mask the foul odor. “What happened to these people?”
“There’s been no fire, but they look as though they were burnt.” Loki pointed out, pulling his knives from the dimensional space where he stored them. Something deep within him was screaming that they were in danger and that they should leave immediately. “We should not be here.”
“Come on.” Y/N replied, pulling his wrist gently as she continued deeper into the building. “Let’s get the link established and get out.”
Loki nodded and followed her as they continued on towards the mainframe, passing more burnt corpses along the way. There were no signs of how these people had died, just their flesh melted from their bones. It made Loki uneasy and he very nearly called the mission off and transported himself and Y/N out of the cursed building; but they reached the mainframe before he had a chance.
“Please, do hurry.” Loki insisted as he watched the door for any signs of danger. Y/N immediately got in contact with Bruce and the two of them began to work on setting up the link.
They were nearly done when Y/N suddenly began to fan herself with one hand. She pulled down the zipper of her bodysuit and groaned.
“Loki…” She called, now gasping for air. “I don’t feel so good.” She turned to face Loki and he saw her forehead beading with sweat moments before she slid out of the chair and collapsed to the floor unconsious.
“Y/N!” Loki exclaimed, diving to the floor to check her. His hand slid over her head and he pulled back in shock at the intense heat that radiated from her skin. Bruce could be heard over the comms, demanding for either of them to answer him. Loki snatched the receiver out of Y/N’s ear and fitted it into his own.
“Bruce, I-I don’t know what’s happened.” He spoke, pulling Y/N’s head into his lap. “Y/N just collapsed. She’s burning up. We’ve got to get her back home.”
“I agree.” Bruce stated, “But you need to finish that uplink first.”
“Damn the link, you giant asparagus! Y/N is ill!” Loki shouted, not caring if he upset Bruce anymore.
“And I need the uplink in case it’s something in the building, Loki!” Bruce snapped back.
Loki growled in annoyance before removing his cape, balling it up, and gently moving Y/N’s head off of his lap to rest on it.
“Tell me what to do then!”
Loki and Bruce quickly got the link established and Loki gathered Y/N up in his arms gently before using his magic to transport the both of them back to the ship. Bruce was already waiting with all the cold packs from the first aid kit. He cracked them and both he and Loki packed them against Y/N’s major arteries.
“We don’t have enough to last five hours, but we’ve got to try.” Bruce mentioned before taking his seat and getting the jet back in the air.
Two hours into the return trip home and there were no more ice packs remaining. Loki watched as Y/N’s temperature crept higher and higher, noted by the insistent beeping of the machine tracking her vitals. He could hear Bruce explaining the situation over the comms and the sounds of the other teammates as they tried to figure out how to get everyone home safely. Loki looked down at Y/N and wiped the beading sweat off of her cheek with his hand. A shudder ran through her body and the vitals showed a momentary downtick in her temperature before it resumed its growth.
“Curious.” Loki muttered to himself, looking down at his own hand. It wasn’t until he really looked that he realized that his skin had taken on a bluish tint. Loki pulled his sleeve up and realized that the tint continued up his arm, disappearing under the cloth. He lifted the hem of his shirt and still more blue-tinted skin appeared. “Of course.” He said, exasperated with himself as he stripped himself of his shirt and began to remove Y/N’s extra layers.
“What the hell are you doing?” Bruce’s voice demanded from the front of the jet as Loki stripped Y/N down to the thin undershirt she wore under her tactical gear. “Why are you blue?!”
“I’m keeping her alive until you get us home.” Loki replied, scooping Y/N off the floor of the jet and cradling her in his lap against his cold chest. “Just focus on flying!”
Bruce looked ready to argue, but the machine tracking Y/N’s vitals began to register a steadily decreasing temperature. His mouth snapped closed and his attention returned to the task of flying the plane.
“Just hang on, Y/N.” Loki mumbled, pressing his lips to her temple. “Just hang on.”
Two and a half of the remaining three hours passed with Y/N’s temperature steadily lowering before Loki felt her stir in his arms. Her eyes cracked open and he immediately noticed that the pupils had overtaken the color that he so enjoyed looking at.
“You feel so good.” She murmured, tipping her head back to simultaneously rest on Loki’s shoulder and bare her throat. “I’m burning up.”
“I know.” Loki replied, pressing his cool cheek to her warm one and trying to fight the urge to nip at the soft flesh she was offering. “You were exposed to something in the building.”
“It’s so hot.” She whined, not listening to a word he said. “I’m going to burn up like the others.” Loki’s pupils widened as Y/N grabbed his hand and slid it under her shirt to rest over her heart. His fingers molded over the rounded flesh of her breast and he felt the nipple harden into a peak instantly, pressing firmly into his palm. “Can you feel it, Loki?” Y/N mewled pitifully. “I’m going to burn to death.”
“I’m not going to let that happen.” He told her in a strained voice as he fought to control himself. “We’re going to get you back to the compound and Stark will fix you.”
“I can’t last that long.” Y/N whimpered, pressing herself closer to Loki and causing friction in his pants. “I need you to fix me, Loki.” She whispered, pressing her feverish lips to the place just below his ear. “You can fix me, right?” Her hand dropped from his wrist and slid between their bodies before palming at Loki’s clothed cock. “I saw what you’ve got. I pretended not to, but…I saw.” Her voice filled with lust and her body began to warm again. “I bet you can fix me right up, can’t you?”
Loki growled deep in his chest and, with great self-restraint on his part, he pulled his hand from under Y/N’s shirt and then removed her hand from between his thighs.
“You just had to go into the field.” He scolded, realizing what Y/N had been exposed to. “Don’t worry, you will be back to my brother soon enough. He can fix you.”
“No,” Y/N whined, turning on Loki’s lap to face him. “He can’t fix me.” She shook her head adamantly. “He can’t give me what I need.”
“If his track record with maidens is anything to go by, I assure you he can.”
“You don’t understand.” Y/N argued, shaking her head again. She tucked her face into Loki’s neck and licked a stripe across the cool flesh, causing him to shudder. “I need you, Loki.”
Loki’s fingers gripped Y/N’s hips and he pulled her down flush into his lap. The warmth from between her thighs radiated through both of their pants as Y/N began to grind on Loki’s lap. His cock strained painfully in his trousers and his lip disappeared between his teeth as he struggled to keep himself from taking Y/N right there on the floor of the jet.
“You’re so fucking warm.” He murmured against her skin, burying his face in her shoulder to disguise his grunts.
“I’m warmer inside.” She teased, grabbing his hand and leading it to the top of her pants. “Go ahead and see.”
Before Loki could accept the invitation, Bruce was landing the plane and the medical team was there separating the two of them and taking them to the Quarantine wing.
“It’s been hours and we can’t bring her temperature down.” Tony explained. “The cradle isn’t going to last much longer and putting her on ice won’t work.” He turned to Loki, who was once again dressed, but was still turning blue and continued, “Between Y/N burning from the inside, and you turning into a Smurf, I think it’s safe to say the both of you were exposed to something.”
“I wasn’t exposed to anything.” Loki replied, rolling his eyes.
“I don’t know if you’ve notice, but you’re doing a solid impression of a blueberry, Reindeer Games.”
“I am well aware.” He shot back with a glare. “This happens on occasion.”
“And how often is on occasion?” Tony demanded.
“There is no need to worry. Once every year, Loki experiences his birthright.” Thor supplied as he strode into the medical facility, unaware of the serious situation that Y/N was in. “It is mating season for the Frost Giants!”
“Mating seas- you know what? I don’t have time to make a joke about that right now.” Tony said, shaking his head. “Thor, when you initially scouted the facility did you notice anything weird?”
“Weird? No. Nothing weird.” He replied. “Unless you count the fields.”
“What’s weird about the fields?” Tony asked, his jaw clenching in annoyance.
“Oh they are full of Libidine plants.” Thor said as though that explained anything. “It’s quite rare to see so many in one place and even more rare to see them on Midguard.”
“Libidine Plants?” Bruce interrupted. “But libidine means lust in Latin. Why would a plant be called…”
“Yes.” Thor confirmed the unspoken question. “Their pollen is a potent aphrodisiac. That is why I volunteered Loki to go with Y/N. So he could magic them past the fields. She would burn alive from her own body heat if she were exposed to the pollen.”
“She was.” Loki interrupted.
“I’m sorry, what?” Thor demanded, rounding on his brother. “You allowed her to be exposed to concentrated libidine?! How foolish are you, brother? Where is she?!”
As if on cue, the quarantine wing filled with the sound of Y/N pained scream and her pleas for someone to help her. Thor was down the hall in a matter of seconds with Loki on his heels.
“Thor, wait.” Loki said, trying to reach his brother before he opened the door. He was a second too slow and Thor threw open the door to Y/N’s room before immediately shutting his eyes and turning his back on the nearly naked woman. “I tried to warn you.” Loki pointed out.
“How long has she been like this?” Thor demanded.
“Eight hours, maybe nine.” Tony cut in, having finally caught up to the brothers.
“You have to help her.” Loki told his brother. “You know what has to be done. She’s not going to last much longer. She will spiral into madness if you don’t help her.”
“I cannot help her.” Thor confessed, looking at his brother in distress.
“You would let her die?!” Loki pressed. “You spend all your time fucking her already, but now, when she actually needs you…you won’t do it?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. We don’t do that.”
“Save your lies, brother.” Loki hissed. “I have watched you with envy for months. I know you are lovers.”
“We are not lovers.” Thor insisted. “She is a comrade. Her heart belongs to another.”
Loki was about to call Thor out on his bullshit again when Y/N suddenly threw herself at him.
“I knew you would come back.” She moaned, as her hands slid up Loki’s chest. “I need you to fix me, Loki.” Her fingers fumbled with the buttons of his shirt as she danced from one foot to the other, burning with need. “Please, please, please, please…” She begged, abandoning the buttons and sliding her hands up either side of Loki’s face. “Please, Loki.” She murmured before pressing her lips to his.
Loki felt something surge in his chest and his fingers found purchase on the backs of Y/Ns thighs before he lifted her off her feet and wrapped her legs around his middle. He barely acknowledged the departure of the others as he allowed himself to fall into the rapture that was Y/N’s lips on his own. Loki’s arm swept across a nearby table, sending glass and paper crashing to the floor. He lay Y/N on the now bare surface, thus freeing his hands to pull at the remaining clothing on her body. The clothing fell away like wet tissue paper under his icy strength, leaving Y/N bared entirely for Loki’s consumption. A strained sound came from Loki’s throat and then his hands and lips were roving hungrily her body, drawing the most lascivious and beautiful sounds from her as he explored. He slid his hand between her open thighs and traced two fingers through her sopping folds, spreading the flesh there.
“By the Gods,” He breathed in amazement. “You’ve been suffering longer than I thought.” His fingers swirled around the sensitive bud at the peak of her heat and a hungry grin graced Loki’s lips as he witnessed the way Y/N began to come undone.
“Please, Loki.” Y/N mewled, bucking her hips against his hand, desperate for more friction. “I need…”
“What do you need, Y/N?” Loki pressed. “Tell me.”
“I need more. I’m burning.” She gasped, moving one of her hands to her own slickness to try and get more friction.
Loki pinned her errant hand to the table by the wrist and slid the fingers of his other hand deep into her in a fluid series of motions. Y/N cried out and gripped Loki’s forearm with her free hand as he began to pump his fingers into her. Loki’s hunger grew as he watched Y/N squirm on the table and felt her clench around his fingers. Just when he thought her cries couldn’t be any closer together, Loki curled his fingers up and pressed them into the sensitive place within Y/N. Her back arched and she called out his name, her walls clenching around his fingers as she rode out her orgasm.
Loki pulled his fingers from within Y/N and cast his eyes over to the screen that still displayed her vitals. Her body registered a large drop in temperature and Loki smirked.
“We can do better than that.” He growled before pulling his straining cock free from his pants and discarding the garments somewhere else in the room. He gripped his base and swiped his tip through the intense warmth of Y/N’s core before pushing forward and sheathing himself completely inside her. Loki attached his lips to Y/N’s and swallowed the gasp that his intrusion had summoned. He stilled inside her for the briefest moment, trying to allow her to adjust.
“Fuck me…” Y/N whispered against his lips. “I’ve been waiting forever.”
Her words spurred Loki on and his fingers grabbed her hips in a bruising grip before he began to piston his hips in and out of her. The table screeched in protest as their fucking caused it to scoot across the tiled floor. Y/N’s screams of bliss filled the room as Loki slammed into her over and over again. He lost himself in her warmth and the feeling of her wrapped tightly around him. He lost count of the number of times her fingers or her teeth dug into his skin and her cunt clenched around his cock. Their escapades moved from the table, to the wall, to the bed, and finally to the floor when the bed gave out. Loki littered Y/N’s flesh with hickies and bites, each more fervent and needy than the last. He felt his pleasure coil tightly in his belly and he bent down to kiss Y/N once again, but then felt her lips moving against his own in a whisper of words.
“What’s that, darling?” He asked between thrusts. Loki felt Y/N’s hands twist into his hair and she brought his ear to her lips before repeating herself.
“I love you.”
The coil in Loki snapped and his vision whited out as he spilled himself deep inside Y/N with a groan. Loki collapsed to the side of Y/N and drew her into his embrace as they both fought to catch their breath. Loki’s eyes searched the room for the screen with Y/N’s vitals on it, finally finding it overturned on the floor about five feet from their naked forms.
“We were successful.” Loki noted, pointing to the numbers that indicated Y/N’s temperature had fallen to a normal level.
“Mmm.” She hummed beside him. “You can say that again.” Her fingers crept across Loki’s chest and he turned his gaze to meet her own. He had never seen the look she held in anyone’s eyes before. Not directed at him, anyhow. There was something deep and consuming in her gaze that set Loki’s heart racing again. He opened his mouth to ask the question nagging at him, but changed his mind when he felt Y/N shiver against him.
“Are you cold now?” Loki asked. When she nodded, he simply waved his hand and they were suddenly in his darkened room buried in the mountain of pillows and thick blankets on his bed. “Is that better?”
“I can see why you don’t want to leave your bed in the morning.” Y/N replied, pulling the blankets up higher on them both and curling further into Loki’s embrace. “These are the softest sheets I’ve ever felt.” A yawn escaped her and she covered her mouth until it passed. “Sorry…so sleepy.” She hummed softly.
“No apology necessary, love.” Loki replied, feeling sleep tugging at his own mind. Before he let himself fall into a blissful slumber next to the woman he cherished beyond all others, he had to rid his mind of the continually nagging question.
“Y/N…”
“Mmm?” She hummed in response.
“Did you mean it?”
“About your sheets?” She asked sleepily. “Absolutely. These are the softest sheets I’ve ever felt.” There was a joking air to her words, but they still didn’t hit Loki right.
“No.” Loki sighed, his previous elation taking a stumble. “Never mind…” He felt Y/N shift and turned to see her staring at him with her chin propped up on her palm.
“Loki,” She said softly, reaching out to push his hair back off his face. “Yes, I mean it. I love you.”
Loki felt her lips brush his own and his heart swelled again at the soft contact. He cupped her jaw and deepened the kiss, licking along her bottom lip until she parted her lips and allowed him to delve deeper into her mouth. Their tongues explored each other’s mouths for another minute or two before breaking away in a series of smaller kisses. Y/N settled back into Loki’s embrace and he carded his fingers through her hair as she began to drift to sleep.
“I love you too.” Loki whispered when he thought she’d fallen asleep finally.
“I know.” Came her response before they both slipped into a heavy and much needed rest.