pairing: Loki x gn!reader - established relationship
type: ficlet (1.6 K)
idea: gifted by an ask, which inspired me immediately (prompts are closed)
warnings: reader is feeling down, romantickly fluff
Enjoy lovelies & happy Halloween
It is one of these more quiet halloween evenings. Still, you were pacing home, a large pumpkin under one arm and a bag of groceries under the other.
When you entered your apartment, you could feel the warm, gentle breeze of the heating. Loki’s voice, humming to a song from the kitchen-radio, welcomed you. A heavy sigh left your lungs, you felt the wooden door in your back, as well as relieved to be home.
„Darling? Is everything alright?“, Loki looked around the corner, a kitchen towel hanging over his shoulder. You looked up from your spot on the floor, nodded and shook your head right afterwards. In the mere seconds of your arrival, your legs have given in, seeking a comforting pose. Bend in-front of your chest, chin resting on the knees, some little snack packages tumbled out of the bag next to you. The rather huge pumpkin, a little odd in shape, was haunting you since you bought it, last minute.
Loki walked closer, a concerned look on his face: „What is it? Did something happen at the store?“, you shook your head.
„At work?“, another silent ‚no‘ from you, followed by: „My sibling“
„Are they hurt?“
„No, they are done already“
„Done… with what?“
„Family tradition“, you sighed.
His eyebrows went up: „Which one? Your family has so many“
A little grumpy rumbling left your lips: „Don’t tease!“
„Oh, dear… I cannot help it. It is so easy to tease you. And pleasant.“
„Pffft…“
„Tell me. What tradition have they fulfilled already?“ The tip of your index finger pointed sharply at the orange vegetable, sitting side by side with you on the floor.
„I do not understand, I’m afraid“
You sighed, moving the back of your head against the door, with closed eyes. „We carve those. It’s a human thing for halloween“
„Ah…?“
„We always did that together. But since they moved for their new job across the country? We had to agree to do it on our own, sharing a photo or a video call later… with the spooky fellas.“
„So, it is still early enough to start, isn't it?“
You didn’t answer. „Love?“
„I don’t feel well. I don’t feel creative at all and look“, you hand him your phone with the fancy pumpkin and your sibling, smiling widely. „They are so talented. And I miss them…“
Loki hummed, giving your shoulder a gentle squeeze and left, to put away the groceries. He returned to carry the heavy veggie to the kitchen counter, you could hear his low, velvety voice from the other room. Still, you couldn’t open your eyes or get off the tiles. It was one of those days, when you survived the every-day outside but returned home, drained from it. Sometimes, the overwhelming feeling of the world-weariness, the constant understaffed work and the heart-ache from missing your sibling dearly, got you here. On the floor of your apartment. Sighing and without strength left in your limbs.
„Love?“ „Hmm?“, you hummed, eyes still closed.
„There is someone who likes to talk to you“. You opened your eyes, brows sceptic above them. Your sibling was smiling and waving from Loki’s phone-screen at you. Your gaze wandered between them and your favorite Asgardian, astonished.
A couple of minutes later, you sat down on one of your bar stools, a steaming cup of tea next to the pumpkin in-front of you: „How? What?“
„I was instructed to remove the inner mush of this“, Loki gestured toward the pumpkin.
„You did that with your bare hands?!“, You asked in disbelief.
„Of course not. What ever do I have my seidr for?!“
A giggle escaped your lips: „Of course. Your magic is handy, indeed.“
Loki kissed your cheek, whispering: „You carve, I cook“
While Loki, during his time on Midgard, found his liking not only in the human sitting opposite of him now, but in cooking as well. A pumpkin soup was soon simmering on the stove, while you? „You haven’t even started?“
Your eyes, wide and a little sad still, looked over the enormous vegetable: „No…“
“Love?”
„Loki, no“
„It’s just a pumpkin. Just… use your little carving knife and… do it“
„Don’t mock me. And dohon’t make me laugh either. Pumpkin carving is a serious human business.“
„Oh, I am already well aware of that. Having your sibling telling me every important thing about it. And I didn’t mock you.“ He caught a sceptic look again.
„I didn’t… oh, I know the perfect motivation for you to start immediately.“
„What might that be?“
„If you don’t start the carving right away“, the raven-haired man walked around the isle.
„Yes?“
„I’ll do the thing“, he whispered against your ear.
„The thing?! The… oh, no. No, no, no. You wouldn’t“
„Certainly, I would“
„Dohon’t you dahare, Loki!! I have a weapon“
„And I could let the little dagger disappear with my seidr. Your choice, start or…“
„Wait, wait, wait…“, you already giggled, feeling his elegant fingers over yours, grabbing the knife carefully, while you were pressed against his body. Loki, standing behind you, his other arm laid around your waist, chuckled: „Oh, my sweet midgardian angel, are you ready to start this tradition of yours?“
„Noho, Lohoki… pleahease… Nahaha-Ha!“, you squeaked, feeling his knowing fingertips prodding gentle yet teasingly at your waist.
„Let us lift your spirits a little, love“
Your giggles fell from your lips, softly. „I have the feeling this“, his fingers ran spider-like up your waist and over your ribs: „this might do the trick“
„Ehehehey!“
With the left hand, you got hold of his wrist, more seeking support instead of a proper try to stop him. You could feel the vibration of his own amusement, your back was pressed against his torso. The back of your head fell against his chest, looking up at your partner, while his smile was caressing your laughing features. His fingertips were seeking the well known nerve-spots under your skin, which made you giggle. His smile was soft yet mischievous, while admiring you.
„You are adorable“, he chuckled. You felt his wandering fingertips, heading to your upper ribs and further. Since the two of you got a couple, your extraterrestrial boyfriend always found a way to lighten your mood. His wit was one option. Reading to you another. Teasing you like this was a shared favorite, knowing there would be a clear stop, if one party asked of it. Nothing of this was necessary right now. You were in need of the free-spirited laughter, the gentle hug, the soft teasing of your most vulnerable spots to simply be.
His right index finger poked underneath your arm, suddenly. While his left arm was still trapping you softly, his fingertips of that hand were spidering over your upper ribs. Your carving tool? Gone. Somewhere else entirely. Your mind couldn’t follow that thought, it followed his movements at every second.
His breath caressed your neck, feather-light, before you knew, you were doomed: „Nohahaa…“, you squeaked. His lips attacked the side of your neck with raspberries, teasing your sensitive skin, alongside his fingertips haunting your weak spots at the very same time.
„Ehenough, plehease…“, you shrieked and Loki stopped. You could feel his grin still against your neck, his lips were kissing your skin gentile. A couple of giggles erupted from you, in the moment of recovery: „Youhu are suhuch a menace.“
„Oh, I know. God of mischief. It is my duty to be a menace.“, he whispered, chuckling.
„How lucky for me, you’re my mehenace.“
„Indeed, lucky you.“
„Now, will you start this already?“, Loki pointed at the pumpkin, while you were eating the soup he made, side by side: „No“ „No?“, his eyebrows curled in disbelief: „Do you need another round of motivation, after dinner?“, he squeezed your hip a couple of times.
„Stohop tickling me.“, you laughed in shock and tried to fight off his teasing hand: „Ahand let me tell you, why I won’t start to carve.“
„Tell me, little human.“
„I won’t carve this pumpkin tonight.“, you swiftly moved out of his reach, not wanting to be poked again: „Wahait, let me explain!“
„I am all ears, love“, he whispered, poking you, when your upper body was within reach for him again. The door bell rang, making you jump from the stool excited. „Saved by the trick or treaters“, you cheered. You put some of the tiny snack bags into their baskets, complimenting their creative make-up, creepy costumes or both. Door closed. Another one rang.
When you finally returned, you giggled: „We will do it togehether.“
„I beg you pardon?“
„The carving.“
„Not a chance.“
„Pleaaaaaase?“
„Absolutely not.“
„PLEAAAAAASE“
„Now youhou are a menace.“
„Good thing you are unable to withstand my wishes“, you winked and your knowing smile morphed into a remarkable pout. He rolled his eyes, grinning: „Alright, alright. I yield.“ You giggled and hugged him, kissing his cheek: „this will be our new tradition“
„Having me do all the work, huh?“, he chuckled, caressing over your head.
„Oh, wait… no, not all the work! I bought it and brought it home. You scooped it and made the most delish soup“, you winked: „and set up the carving station“
„And now what?“
„Now, I’ll do the dishes and afterwards we carve it together.“
The two of you couldn’t decide, what should be carved into the autumnal veggie, at first. After a rather wild list of options, ranging from his silhouette with helmet and all (his idea) over to Thor’s hammer (your idea), the two of you decided on the classic pumpkin face.
„You have pumpkin mush in your hair, oh dear god of mischief.“, you giggled and removed it.
„I fear, that is part of this tradition, is it not?“, he grabbed a little piece of it from your cheek as well. You looked up at him, his gaze meeting yours, softly: „Thank you.“
„For removing this piece of pumpkin?“
„Yes, and more. Thank you for doing this, for taking care of me tonight - being the sweet, gentle menace, I love.“ „Always“
prompt: imagine the love of your life whispering to you. imagine their voice talking to you softly, as the lights go out, and you feel them lean closer to you, as the two of you sit in the dark, and they speak oh so quietly... the whisper of whispers.
~*~*~*~
whispers in the dark
~*~*~*~
fandom: mcu
pairings: loki laufeyson x gn!avenger!reader
genre: mostly fluff. some slight angst if you’re looking hard enough
warnings: stormy weather, power outages, darkness, visual impairment, cuss words, reader is wearing socks, one (1!) jumpscare, reader falls down some steps, there might be a murderer, bruises, mentions of indoor fire, being left out, mentions of insects (butterflies), unintentional gaslighting.
word count: 2.3k words
summary: y/n is wandering through the avengers tower during a power outage when they bump into the ever-shy loki laufeyson
~*~*~*~
a storm never frightened you.
thunder and lightning and sheets of pounding rain against the windows only made you feel cozy and excited. you never saw any reason to be afraid. you loved the beautiful feeling of a storm in manhattan.
you weren’t afraid of the dark, either. the darkness was, of course, always a shock when it came unforetold, such as when the power went out like this, but such things never lasted for very long in the avenger’s tower, and there was never anything to fear in it.
you welcomed the blackness, letting it envelope you in a deep embrace, and waited patiently for the warm kitchen lights to return. you stood against the counter for a minute, then two, then three, still waiting. nothing stirred.
the refrigerator had gone silent, and the blue light from the timer on the stove had long vanished. only the ticking of a battery powered clock on some far wall told you that time hadn’t stopped with the power.
you moved away from the counter, coming to the conclusion that the power was out for good, and would be out for good for a long while yet. usually, tony would have had the tower up and running again by this point, but he must have fallen asleep somewhere on top of a wrench and his latest project. either that, or he was stuck in an elevator.
you remembered that there was a flashlight in your room. your cell phone had been left in there, too. both devices would be very helpful right about now.
“ah, fuck me,” you muttered, sliding one socked foot in front of you like a blind man’s stick, more curses tumbling from your mouth when you stubbed your little toe on the door frame.
you managed to make it into the hallway and around the corner. you were currently on one of the top floors of the main tower. your quarters were somewhere in the middle of the building, with the others’.
you beelined to the closest elevator before recalling that they couldn't possibly work without power. “shit!” you groaned, before turning around and carefully shuffling to the stairwell. at least while you were on the stairs, you could make progress much faster, as anyone could predict where the next steps on a flight of stairs were going to be, with or without the gift of sight. you couldn't do such a thing wandering through any given room, no matter how long you had lived there.
“natasha would be having no such problems right now,” you said to yourself, trying to fill the darkness around you with your words. “i bet she could run through all the rooms in the tower blindfolded.”
a squeak escaped your lips as your left foot plunged out into nothingness - it was the first step downstairs.
you fumbled for the wall to lean upon (tony had maliciously designed the all stairwells and catwalks in the avenger’s tower without rails,) and as soon as you had found purchase, you began your descent.
“one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten! one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, twenty!...” you counted in tens and kept score on your fingers as you made your way down. each floor was spaced about twenty steps apart, and you had about thirty-five flights to go.
“fuck you, stark, and your terrible housing plans.”
you stopped for breath when you had made it six hundred steps. you had passed too many promising landings that weren’t yours, and now estimated that you had about five flights left to go. that was, of course, depending greatly on the fact that you hadn’t accidentally run down the wrong flight of stairs when the staircase occasionally branched off.
you were tired of this bullshit. your legs and back cramped in protest.
you wondered what was happening to the rest of the avengers right now. it was close to midnight. most would probably be asleep by now, although you were sure that none of the team had a proper sleep schedule. surely, some would still be awake, grappling by themselves with their own problems in the blackout.
your breath had caught up, but for a long while, you sat on the steps. you had lost track of whether you were sitting on step number five hundred ninety-nine, or six hundred exactly. it occurred to you now that if you called out, you might get an answer.
you cupped your hands to your mouth and took a deep breath, but someone else beat you to the call.
“HELLOOOOOOO???”
you shrieked in absolute terror, scrambling off your arse and subconsequently falling down several steps. you had definitely lost count now, and there was definitely someone standing right next to you on the stairs. you continued to scream, long and loud, and in the darkness, there was an unfamiliar voice that was crying out as well.
“what?! is someone here?” the voice called.
“WHO’S THERE?!” you screamed. in your panic, you didn’t recognize who the voice might belong to.
“calm down, stop screaming!”
you stopped short and held your breath, trying to keep as quiet as possible. you realised that this could be a murderer, intruding the tower while the power was out. clever of them - no alarms would be tripped.
“hello?” the other person called again.
you inhaled ever-so-softly through your nose. you didn’t dare get up, no matter how your butt and knees were bruised and in pain. you did not want to give away your position to a potential murderer.
“y/n!!”
you squeezed your eyes shut - not that that did any good - and covered your mouth with your hand. how did the intruder know your name?
“where are you, y/n, will you answer me if you’re not dead.” the voice grew impatient. it was loud, had a rich tone, and was very commanding, as if the owner was used to getting their own way. it sighed, exasperated. “it’s me, loki. now where did you go?”
“loki?!” you exclaimed. you righted yourself so that you were sitting upright on the stair. you had landed on the stairs on an angle when you tripped.
you were surprised that you hadn’t recognized his voice. the first day that the mischief maker had arrived at the avengers, several months ago, the two of you had instantly clicked, and had made good friends with each other.
perhaps you hadn’t recognized loki’s voice due to the fact that he always spoke in a quiet undertone. hearing him yell was a change.
“y/n!” loki’s voice echoed through the stairwell. If you didn’t know any better, you could have sworn he sounded relieved. “keep talking so i can find you. are you alright?”
“i’m alright,” you responded. “i hit my ass and my legs on the stairs when i fell down, but i think i’ll survive. pity i can’t see my own hand in front of my face, otherwise i wouldn’t have fallen.”
“you’ve fallen?” loki asked. he stepped down the last few steps to meet you and accidentally kicked you in the back. you yelped in pain. “i just kicked something,” loki gasped, “is that you?”
“owww… yes, that’s me,” you grunted, rubbing your back now as well as your knee. Out of all the fashion choices, loki had to be wearing some kind of shoes with hard, pointed toes. “thank you ever so much for nothing, loki. i fell down the stairs because you scared me, shouting right next to my ear and all that.”
“oopsie.” loki said. you could practically hear him shrug it off.
next thing you knew, loki’s fumbling hand met the top of your head, then your shoulder as he sat down beside you on the step. you sighed.
“why are you all the way up here, loki?” you inquired, leaning on his arm.
loki paused and lifted his broad shoulders past his ears. “i came to try and find you, y/n.”
“me?” you placed a mocking hand over your heart. Inside, you were genuinely surprised, but it was in your nature to be sarcastic and teasing before anything else. “what makes me so special, for the great loki himself to come seek me out?”
“oh, don’t let your silly little head get all puffed up,” loki protested. he lowered his voice, letting it slip back towards his usual quiet purr. “the rest of the avengers are all downstairs, in the sitting room with the best view of the bay.”
you knew the room he was talking about.
“did they all just happen to be there at the same time when the power went out?”
“why, of course, my dear,” you rolled your eyes at the endearing nickname. “they were just about to send a summons to you over the PA when the darkness overcame us.”
“oh.” you mumbled. “i bet they had lit the central fireplace and were roasting marshmallows, all comfortable and cozy enjoying the show that this storm is putting on for us, hm?”
as if in response to its mention, a spike of lightning shot across the sky, branching spectacularly out across the sky. rolls of thunder followed almost instantly, shaking the tower.
“yes, indeed, that was exactly what they were doing.” loki confirmed.
“awww, and they didn’t invite you or i?” you pouted.
loki shook his head, not that you could see the gesture. “no, i was there all along. they simply didn’t pay me any mind, and couldn’t be bothered to try and find you after the lights went out.”
you stopped short, a bit shaken. “couldn’t... be bothered?” what was that supposed to mean?
“have you ever even seen this monstrous tower? it’s a big place, y/n. for all we knew you could be in any of the sections, on any of the hundred-or-so floors. and we are all very certain that you can handle yourself.”
your voice wilted a little and you curled into yourself just a little bit more. “in the dark?”
you were finally admitting to yourself that while you loved a good storm, you preferred to spend it in the company of others, laughing and sharing warmth.
loki turned his head to look in your direction. “what, is the great y/n l/n scared of the dark?”
“no. more lonely than scared.”
the two of you both paused, sitting in silence, side by side.
loki cleared his throat awkwardly before slinging his arm around you in some kind of side hug. you gave a tiny squeak.
“i know that feeling very well,” loki said quietly.
“yeah?” you whispered back.
“oh yeah. i was constantly left out as a child, and as an adolescent, and as a grown up. I never managed to make friends, unlike my peers. loneliness was my best friend.”
“that makes two of us.” you mumbled. you had made yourself a name and earned worldwide respect, and the avengers as a family, yet when you were younger - heck, even now - you always had a sense of being all alone.
you slipped your arms around loki’s waist.
“thanks for coming to find me, loki.” you said softly. “it means a lot.”
“of course, y/n,” loki pressed his face into your hair. “i’ll always come find you when the lights go out. anyway, i had a hunch that you would want the highest view of this storm, that's how i knew you’d be up here.”
you buried your face in the crook of his arm, wondering if he had always been this gentle with you. you liked the way it made you feel, like there were a million itty bitty butterflies crawling around under every point loki was holding or touching you.
it was loki who finally broke the silence, asking if you were too hurt to walk down the rest of the stairs to go meet the other avengers. you replied with a no, but you would probably want ice in the near future.
loki stood up, and carefully helped you to your feet, holding your hand. he didn’t let go, and kept a firm - yet gentle - grip on your hand, taking the lead down the stairs and through passages until you emerged into the soft glow of a fire-lit room, filled with cozy laughter and all your friends.
loki gracefully lifted your significantly smaller hand in his broad one to his face and left a little kiss on your wrist before retreating to the rim of the fireplace and resuming his place on the couch. you watched him for a minute before emerging into the light. it truly was a marvel to you that no one else seemed to notice him the way you did.
“y/n! you found us!” steve greeted you with vigor. “come help yourself to the treats.”
“glad you could make it, hon,” natasha said, passing you a tray heaped with round chocolates and marshmallows. she gave you an affectionate shove.
“aw, thanks. i’m very glad i could make it, too.” you said, bumping hips with her. “for a while back there i thought i was completely abandoned.”
“we’d never abandon you, dear heart,” thor chortled.
you simply grinned and scooted in between him and loki on the couch. you handed the latter a marshmallow, and he looked over at you, cocking his head to one side. a ghost of a smile graced his thin lips.
loki leaned down and put his head right next to yours so he could whisper in your ear.
“gaslighting backstabbers, the lot of them. say the word and i’ll kill them all.”
“for me? oh, fuck off. keep this kind of attitude up towards me and i might start to think you’re in love with me.” you snickered. “listen, lokes, i’m happy even if only you care about me.”
loki drew an X over his heart. “cross my heart - or whatever the tradition is - i promise to never abandon you, y/n. you’re my best friend. i do love you.” he whispered, his temple knocking against yours.
you smiled into the dark, the fire casting a comforting light over your faces.
you relaxed back into the cushions, head resting on loki’s arm cast over your shoulders, to enjoy the rest of the night in your favourite company.
only stormy weather could elicit this kind of beautiful feeling, and you wished to never leave it.
Pairings: Loki X Y/N. There's one indication Y/N is female but whatever.
Genre: Y/N is acting angsty, Loki is going for fluff. You decide.
Warnings: Christmas, invasion of space, one swear word.
Word Count: 284. it could be part of something bigger, for now it’s just a little thang ;)
~*~*~*~
“Well, would you look at that...” Loki said, glancing up at the door frame and grinning.
“Why, you little fox!” Y/N hissed, fighting to keep a neutral face.
“We’re standing in a doorway!” he crowed.
“Um, yeah, I know—”
“Under some strange green leaves with red berries! What a merry, festive sight, don’t you think?”
“Loki, stop, please,”
“I think it’s called mistletoe... Wouldn’t you agree?”
“Oh, fuck off! And stop giving me that look.”
“What look?” Now playing his innocent card.
Y/N huffed. “The one... on your face... right now...”
“But Y/N, this is my usual expression. What’s wrong with it all of a sudden?” Loki batted his eyes and continued to stare Y/N down. Y/N’s eyes went wide and blank and looked pointedly in the opposite direction, a little hesitant and unsure about the feeling swelling up her stomach. Loki’s hands went to his hips. “What’s wrong with my expression?”
“Nothing’s wrong with it necessarily, it’s just that you’re giving me... that expression.”
“And that upsets you?”
“You could say something like that,” Y/N mumbled.
“Oh, come along, it’s Christmas! What happened to the Christmas spirit, huh?”
“It skipped out on me,” Y/N said, before making a break to get out from under Loki’s arm.
Y/N didn’t get very far before a hand grabbed the tacky sweater she was reluctantly wearing, and an arm slipped around her waist.
Loki pulled Y/N back, hearts thundering and vibrating through both their bodies as he held Y/N to him.
His face was, as they said, dangerously close as he spoke into her one ear, “It’d be tragic if we had to break a Christmas tradition.”
“no place like home.” you say as you enter the house and take off your scarf and snow-dusted coat. december has begun.
“no place like home,” you mutter as you leave your boots to melt ice water carelessly on the hardwood. you ascend the stairs and stop to catch your breath at the top.
“no place like home.” you say through gritted teeth. it’s been a very long day, and you just need a little corner to unwind in. you stomp your foot and look both ways down the hallway. one hand clutches the top of the stair railing.
“no...” you shake your head. “why am i upstairs?”
you sigh and the corners of your mouth droop.
where’s loki? usually he’s ready to greet you at the door.
you blink, fingertips tingling and face on fire from adjusting to the warmth inside.
“HEY!” you yell, vying for your partner’s attention, wherever he might be.
your voice doesn’t echo. the house feels empty. there are too many lights on.
why would loki leave so many lights on? you would think that after several years of living together, he would have formed the habit of turning off lights without further prompting.
“no place like home.” you whisper to yourself, fighting ugly emotions. it’s been stressful today. you just want to be hugged and kissed and coddled. you turn down the hall and shuffle to the end, rubbing your feet through the carpet indignantly.
“hello?”
you stop.
“love?”
it’s loki.
you spin around. he’s there, at the other end of the halfway, drowsy-eyed, wrapped up in the blanket that belongs on the couch.
“hi,” he says, moving to greet you. “i was resting. i didn’t hear you come in, i’m sorry.”
“it’s okay.” you say softly.
loki’s dark hair is tousled. he stood directly in front of you and cocked his head to the side.
you gaze up into his eyes. a gentle forest green, welcoming you home.
loki opens his arms. you step in and he envelopes you in the blanket, pressing you to his beating heart, his distant scent of amber and cypress drawing you even closer.
