Summary: You and Loki are close friends and you think you had fallen in love with him, until one day a guest comes to the palace of Asgard.
[Set before the events of Thor]
A/N: Hope you enjoy this first chapter like I enjoyed writing it!
I had some ideas about how the end this fic, but then I thought that it could be fun hearing also some opinion, so tell me what do you expect from the next chapter(s) if you like ;)
It was early afternoon when you, as usual, could be found in the library of the castle with Loki, the both of you reading a book, well, he was reading, while you were leaning on his right shoulder, listening to his voice.
You had your eyes closed, when at some point you couldn’t hear Loki’s voice anymore, so you opened your eyes and turned your head to look at him.
“Why did you stop?” you asked him
“I have to go now” he smiled, closing the book softly and laying his right hand on your head as a silent request for you to move from his side so he could get up.
“Oh” disappointment was in your voice
“I’m sorry, royal duties” he got up as you fully laid on the couch you two were previously sitting on
You hummed and smiled at him “and what could these duties ever be?”
He smiled back “we have a guest from another realm and I have to be there with the royal family to welcome him”
“And do you really, really have to go?” you pouted a bit
“Don’t be silly” he giggled as he headed to the exit “see you tomorrow” he winked at you as he exited the library.
You sighed and looked at the ceiling as soon as Loki exited, you rubbed your closed eyelids before gazing at the door longingly.
The next day when you woke up you didn’t feel hungry, so, instead, after getting ready, you went outside to take a stroll at the local market.
Staying between the common people was like a breath of fresh air from your life at Odin’s court, sure you loved the people who lived there, but you always had to follow some etiquette, and sometimes this became suffocating. The only moments when you could relax, maybe, were when you were with Loki.
Loki. You sighed when your thoughts lead you to him, you were utterly fascinated by him since you were a child and were able to see him only at public events, he was incredibly skilled with magic for one of his age and you couldn’t deny that you had always been attracted by this trait of his.
So when you were able to talk to him you felt really lucky, you cherished that memory, when the two of you were still children. You found him in the forest near your house, the one where you usually went when you wanted to be alone, he was trying to hide from his brother who wanted to force him to train in the art of fighting, you had laughed at his disgusted expression and agreed to not say anything to anyone about him hiding there. You decided to keep him company, so the two of you started to talk about anything and everything, until the sun started to set and he claimed that he had to return to the castle before dinner, but not before promising that he would’ve been there also the day after.
And so the two of you kept meeting almost everyday in the woods, until one day you found him in your room, surprising you with his new learned teleporting trick. As soon as he learned how to disguise himself with his magic the two of you were also able to go around your village without anyone recognizing him.
You and Loki were in your teen age when he started to sneak you in the palace or teleporting you in any place you even mentioned you wanted to visit, your father eventually came to know about your friendship with the younger prince and was always supportive, also treating Loki as only one of your friends, never as a member of the royal family.
Finally you became of age and Loki was now able to recommend you as a member of the court, of course Frigga had helped to convince Odin to let a normal peasant join, having seen how her younger son cared about this matter.
And now here you were, missing your normal life sometimes, but enjoying the family you found at the palace as Odin and Frigga became attached to you like you were one of their children and Thor having adopted you like you were his sister.
After saying hello to your old friends and paying a visit to your father, you decided to head back to the castle.
“(Y/n)!” it was the voice of Thor, who was running towards you to engulf you in a hug, leaving his brother and what seemed to be another guy behind.
“We were worried about you” Loki said after having reached calmly the two of you with who you assumed was the guest he was talking about yesterday.
“Aw did you miss me?” you poked the blond god in the side
“Well, mostly it was Loki, I knew that you were probably in the village” Thor answered, crossing his arms over his chest and looking at his brother with a smirk.
“Uh… you didn’t show yourself at breakfast today and you were gone for all this morning and-“ you smirked at the raven haired prince, while he was trying to justify himself and interrupted him.
“You don’t need to explain anything” you laughed, hugging him, when you heard someone clear their throat
“It seems like we forgot to introduce you to our guest” Thor said apologetically
“There’s no problem” you and the unknown man said in unison and smiled at each other when you heard the other say the same thing.
“I’m (y/n)” you bowed politely
“I’m Olvir” the other man curtsied, while you took a moment to admire his beautiful features: hair blond, almost white, his eyes were of a deep bluish purple, contrasting his light skin, his frame was tall, slightly shorter than Loki’s one. You noticed, when he pulled his head up, the soft waves of his hair reaching his shoulders and bouncing slightly as he winked at you.
You kept staring in awe until Thor cleared his throat “Care to join us in a walk through the castle?”
“Yes” you answered immediately, whipping your head to face the older prince, missing the confused gaze Loki was giving you.
“So you’re a trickster too?” you asked to the man on your left, while you walked with your right arm intertwined with Loki’s one
“My magic can barely be called a ‘trick’” Olvir and the prince on your right answered together, the first with a shrug, the latter with an almost offended tone.
“Come on brother, you perfectly know (y/n) is right” Thor smirked from the other side of Olvir.
The four of you had a long walk and were now directed towards the dining hall to have lunch.
“If they call you a trickster there have to be a reason” you laughed
“Well, the reason is not that my magic can be compared to simple tricks” he almost spat the final part of the phrase
“Relax, we were just joking” you continued to laugh squeezing his arm
“You two are engaged, right?” Olvir smiled between you and Loki
Your mouth remained agape, unable to form a sentence. So, instead, the prince answered for you “no, we’re just friends”
“(Y/n) is more like one of the family” Thor said after his unusual long period of silence
“Oh, that’s good news” the albino whispered to himself
“I’m sorry, what did you say?” Loki smiled feigning politeness
“Oh nothing” he promptly smiled
“Come my friend, you don’t have to be shy around us” the blond boomed with his usual loud and cheery voice
The magician looked at you as you nodded smiling at him and he smiled back “yeah, I’m glad I’ve already found some friends” he was talking to Thor, but his eyes stayed on you and you felt Loki’s grip tighten around your arm, but decided to not give too much importance to it.
“What was that?” Loki asked at some point when the two of you were in the library, him reading a book and you still going through the shelves to choose a book
“What was what?” you asked, turning your head to look at Loki
“You know, before lunch, you and Olvir” he looked at you like you had to understand immediately after that explanation
“Yeah… umh, what about us?”
“You and him were all giggly and smiling and talking and-“
“I’m sorry but I can’t understand your point” you were now fully turned towards the prince, leaning on the shelves and your arms crossed with a confused expression on your face
“What do you mean?” Loki frowned and closed his book
“What do you mean” you stressed the word ‘you’ “of course I was smiling and talking, isn’t that the way to welcome a guest?”
“Yes, but it didn’t seem like that”
“And what did it seem, then?”
Loki opened his mouth to answer, when he was interrupted by the sound of the door being opened
“Hey Olvir” you smiled at him “did you need something?”
“Actually I just wanted to visit the library” he smiled politely at you
“You like reading too?” you asked in wonder
“I love reading” he smiled, this time more genuinely, until he giggled at your excited face
“Wonderful!” you exclaimed “ehy Loki, did you hear?” you smiled in his direction
Said man rolled his eyes and reopened his book “I did” he huffed, resuming his reading
You also rolled your eyes and reached the albino “don’t mind that grumpy god” you smiled as you heard another huff “come” you took Olvir’s hand in yours and proceeded to lead him through the library “I’ll show you my favourite books”
The raven haired god sighed, he wasn’t able to concentrate on his reading and you had vanished in the library with the family guest, so he decided to go away from there, where he still didn’t know, but preferred not to stay there a minute longer.
He sighed again as he thought about the looks Olvir was giving you. He was lucky you didn’t know he was a prince too, but to think about it, you were one to not care about these things at all, you were one of the first to befriend him for what he was as a person and not for his social status; still now, as you became part of Odin’s court, you kept visiting your old friend in the village. If you felt that someone was worth loving you loved them for what they were.
Loki was so lost thinking about you that he almost bumped into his mother
“Be careful, my son” she smiled down at Loki as he stopped him by the shoulders
“Sorry, mother” he nodded politely and moved to resume his walk
“Shouldn’t you be in the library with (y/n)?” Frigga’s voice stopped him in his track
“She already has the company of our guest” the prince didn’t even turn around
“Oh, I see” she smiled softly “do you wish some company in your lonely walking?”
Loki turned around and stayed silent for a bit, uncertain “please” he finally whispered
“And she totally forgot about me as they went away talking about books!” Loki ended his heated speech with his hands messing up his hair
“Loki, losing the temper is not like you” Frigga said, amused by his son behaviour “and, if you permit me, I think (y/n) is just being her usual self, trying to be nice with everyone”
Loki only grunted in response and turned his head on the other side
“How come every time we talk about (y/n) you become so sensitive?” the All-mother asked, even if she knew the answer
“I care about her” he answered in an obvious tone
“I-“ he started, then gulped, before continuing “I love her” he admitted, closing his eyes, feeling a weight being lifted from his shoulders “I love her and not in a friendly way, I love her with all my heart, I want her to be mine, I want her to be happy, I want her to proudly present me as his husband, I want to wake in the morning with her beside me and just being able to hug and kiss her and ask her to stay a little bit more before getting up and I want to call her mine” he finished in a whisper, before burying his face in his hands, while his elbows were on his knees.
The queen stroked Loki’s back in an affectionate way “Then why don’t you tell her? I’m sure she feels the same”
“How can you say it?” the prince’s voice came muffled by his hands
“I can see the way she acts around you”
“Like?” the man turned his head to look at his mother “Nicely? She acts like this with everyone, she is sweet and caring with every people she encounters, she literally has everyone falling to her feet”
“Mother, I’m not suitable for her, then why can’t I stand her being with another man?” he sighed
“That’s how love works, Loki” she smiled gently, stroking his head as he sighed again.
“Yes, you just have to wait until- oh, here he is! Hey Loki!” you waved at him as soon as you saw him entering the dining hall with his mother.
Loki looked at you, already sat at the table in your usual spot, with Olvir on your right. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the sight of you two together as he sat in front of you and next to Thor, at the head of the table sat Odin and Frigga went to sit on his right.
“We were talking about magic, you know, Olvir is a great wizard, I bet he is also one of the best in his realm” you said with an excited tone
“I wouldn’t expect any less from the soon to be king” Odin smiled at his guest
You turned to your right with wide eyes “You’re a prince? Why didn’t you tell me?” you said, every ‘un-regal’ action you did in front of him coming to your memory, you didn’t even follow the etiquette! “why didn’t anyone told me!” you buried your face in your hands in embarrassment
“Our guest doesn’t like being called by his title” Thor smiled at the mentioned man “but I thought that he had finally decided to tell you after all the time you spent together”
You lifted your face from your hands and looked at the albino who softly spoke “I’m sorry lady (y/n), but I didn’t want you treating me any different from the genuine nice way you were already treating me”
You blushed a bit at his words and started to stutter some excuses “N-no I should be the one to say sorry”
“No sense” Olvir started softly “never in my existence shall I permit a beautiful lady like yourself to apologize for a matter of little importance like this”
Your eyes widened and your blush grew more evident as you tried to avoid everyone’s gaze “I… thanks” you whispered with a shy smile as Loki rolled his eyes at all the scene.
The food was served and Loki spoke up “lady (y/n)” you jerked your head up from the plate “care to explain why were you waiting for me before?”
“Oh, right” you smiled, cleaning your mouth with the napkin “I thought that, since the both of you like magic and books, you and Olvir could become great friends”
Both the prince and the albino looked at each other immediately, surprised by your words “I think you’re right, my dear” Olvir began, looking at you sweetly “we just need to spend some time together”
You turned your head towards Loki, expecting him to say something as well “I… think you’re right” he cleared his throat “we can see each other tomorrow morning” the prince perfectly managed to hide his disgust with his usual warm voice.
“Great!” you smiled between the both of them.
At some point during the dinner you didn’t feel well, so you started poking Loki’s leg with your foot under the table, as soon as you caught his attention he turned to look at you “I’m not feeling really well” you whispered to him.
“You want me to accompany you to your chambers?” he whispered back and you nodded, he smiled reassuringly at you and got up, excusing himself as you followed, leaving the others to wonder what had happened.
“Lean on me” he said to you, you obeyed and he proceeded to lift you in his arms, one arm around your shoulders and the other under your knees.
“You don’t need to carry me like this” you whispered as you putted one of your arm around his neck and leaned your head on his chest, the other arm resting on your stomach.
“You look so horrible that it looks like you can’t even walk on your own feet” plus he loved having you in his arms
“You don’t talk like that to a lady, you know” you laughed weakly
“I’m sorry, my lady” he giggled as you closed your eyes to soak in his sweet voice, you loved when he called you ‘my lady’ and luckily he was sustaining you, or else your legs would’ve refused to keep you standing.
You arrived in front of your door as he putted you down to open it and helping you to lay on the bed.
“Thanks Loki, you can go now” you whispered weakly, you truly were grateful for his help, but you didn’t have the strength to say anything more.
“You look pale, my dear. Are you sure you want me to go away?” you looked at him smiling, his ‘my dear’ sure was different from Olvir’s one, it made your heart flutter one more time that night.
“I will be good by tomorrow”
“Ok then… I won’t insist any further” he smiled sadly at you, giving you a kiss on the forehead to heal you a bit with his magic. He had to do it subtly as you didn’t permit him to use his healing magic on you, because you knew that every time he used his magic to heal someone he would lose a bit of his strength.
“I know what you did” you eyed him suspiciously
“I don’t know what you’re talking about” the prince shrugged and left your room as you rolled your eyes playfully.
The next day you felt a lot better and Loki came to check on you. After making sure you didn’t need anything he left to meet with Olvir and you resumed your sleep.
The program was to meet the albino at the training fields. That was an isolated area so early in the morning and Loki did not have any idea why the albino wanted to meet right there, but he decided not to ask, maybe he just wanted to practice some magic with him.
“Prince Loki” an elegant voice came from behind him “you’re early”
“So are you” the raven haired man raised a brow “why did you want to meet right here?”
“Mh? Why?” the blond tilted his head
“Yes, with all the places where we could have meet-”
“Oh!” Olvir suddenly exclaimed in realization “to talk without anyone bothering us” he smiled, gesturing to a bench.
As the two sat down the Asgardian prince opened his mouth to talk, when the other soon interrupted him “I know you like (y/n)”
“Uh?” the green eyed man was shocked, how did he know? Why bring up that matter?
“Don’t try to pretend this isn’t true, I know this and I want to warn you” Loki raised his eyebrows as the other prince resumed his speech “I want her, she’s so caring, gentle and so naïve, I’ve never had a woman like that” he said with a dreamy expression.
“So you want her just to add her to the collection of women you bedded?” Loki felt anger building up inside him.
“Yeah, that’s pretty much it”
“You’re a fool if you think she will fall for it” Loki laughed bitterly
“We will see” Olvir shrugged and went to walk away, when Loki grabbed him by the collar and pushed him to the wall
“If you only dare to lay a finger on her I swear: you will suffer the greatest pain you could ever imagine, I will destroy you” he whispered menacingly, his face going from contracted by anger to confused as he heard the other man laugh
“It will be my pleasure to see your world coming down, then”
“Is this the reason why you revealed your intentions to me?” the Asgardian growled
“Of course!” the other laughed, freeing himself from the grip and walking inside, leaving Loki alone in the now empty field.