The Lighthouse (10/??)
Summary: The town is sleepy, the people are nice enough, but life gets turned upside-down when the God of Thunder literally falls out of the sky.
A/N: It feels to good to finally be back to this story. It’s been too long. that being said, here we are with chapter 10! Serious discussions and movement in the story lie ahead, so buckle up, lads. Hope you enjoy!
Page dividers by @carryonmyswansong
Pairing: ThorxReader
Word Count: 2.6k
Warnings: Harsh language
part 9
“I agree with (Y/N),” Thor says.
Loki scowls. “Of course you’d agree with her. You’re in love with her.”
“Hey, hey, hey,” I protest. “There’s been no talk of the ‘L’ word thus far in our relationship, don’t go putting words in his mouth!”
Thor glances up at me briefly but quickly focuses on his brother again. “I agree with her because she’s right. We stand a better chance of defeating him if we have support from the Avengers.”
“Thank you!” I cry. “At least someone in your family can see some kind of sense.”
“And you think it’s him?!” Loki hisses.
“I’m more inclined to think it’s him than you.” He scowls and I shake my head. “I mean, seriously. You, Thor, and I are no match for an intergalactic warlord!”
“She’s right, Loki,” Thor says. “You know this.”
“Fine,” Loki snaps. “Have it your way. Drag every single one of your little friends into this. Earth is doomed, regardless.”
“You don’t know that,” I say.
“I know what Thanos is capable of,” Loki says, his tone low and filled with dread. “I’ve been bent to his will and the instrument through which he exacted his first attack on your planet.”
"I'm not saying that working with the Avengers secures us the win. It just means that we'd have a fighting chance." Loki keeps his face carefully blank and I squint at him. “Unless you think that won’t be enough.”
“I know it won’t be enough,” he grinds out. “And I know this because there are three Infinity Stones on this planet, and Thanos won’t stop until he has all three of them.”
“Three?” Thor’s brow furrows. “I am only aware of two.”
“That’s because the last time you were on Earth there were only two.” He holds out his hand and a glowing blue cube materializes in his palm. “I possess the third.”
“And you couldn’t say something earlier?!” I hiss. “You’ve been talking us in circles when you had the answer up your sleeve the entire time.”
“You should’ve told us, brother,” Thor growls. “This isn’t the time for keeping secrets.”
“How am I to know?” Loki demands. “Your human has so much magic hidden inside of them, how can I assume that she has only the best intentions in mind?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I say.
“Don’t you?” Loki hisses. “You speak of performing spells that someone like you should have absolutely no access to as if you’re simply going for a stroll.”
“Wh-”
“Do you realize how much power is necessary to track something across the galaxy?” His eyes narrow and I try to shrink away from him. “There is something old and powerful within you that you’ve been tapping into. I’m surprised even Thor hasn’t noticed yet.”
“What on Earth are you talking about?” I glance between Loki and Thor, confused. "Thor?"
Thor shakes his head. "True, she's powerful, but I don't know what you're talking about, brother."
Loki scowls. “Of course you don’t. I don’t know why I even bother asking.”
“If you know so much, why don’t you fix everything then, huh?” I demand. “Because all you’ve been this morning is contrary and argumentative.”
“Clearly I’m not capable of solving this problem on my own, or even with my brother added to the equation.”
“Then what’s your grand plan?”
“Your power, in your untrained state, is volatile. But,” he says. “I could teach you.”
“You mean use me and my magic as you see fit,” I correct.
“No, I simply mean that I could better help you to hone your skills than Heimdall can from where he is,” Loki explains. “I am more than talented enough to bring out your full potential.”
“That doesn’t sound much better than what I just said you’d do.” I scowl. “Besides, we wouldn’t have to worry about taking down a galactic super tyrant as a band of three if we just call the fucking Avengers.”
“Oh please, you’ll need to know either way.”
“Maybe. But I’m sure as hell not learning from you, and I’m definitely not having this argument.”
I push myself up from the kitchen table and hurry up the stairs to shut myself in my office. I sit down in my chair, sigh, and put my head down on my desk.
“Childish,” I mumble.
A quiet thump against the door draws my attention away from wallowing in self pity. When the sound doesn’t come again, I get up to investigate.
Upon opening the door, I find Charles sitting outside, patiently waiting for me to let him in. I gesture for him to come inside and he meows before trotting through the door. He hops up onto my chair and then my desk, where he curls up on his blanket under the desk lamp. Only when he’s settled am I reminded that I hid in my office to distract myself with work.
I open my laptop and check my email.
Someone knocks softly and cracks open the door.
“I’m working,” I say.
“It’s been hours, (Y/N).” I glance up and Thor slips into the room. “I brought you something to eat.”
“Oh.” He holds out a plate with a sandwich and carrot sticks on it and I take it. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Thor scoops up Charles from the desk and takes a seat on the couch. I pick up a carrot and roll it between my thumb and index finger before taking a bite.
“I’m sorry about earlier,” I say. ”I was out of line, storming off like that. I should’ve stuck around.”
“Maybe, but there are times when Loki ignores the comfort of others in favor of pushing on with his own plans. But being the loudest person in the room doesn’t make him right.”
I nod. “I just don’t want to set things back because of a stupid argument. There are more important things to deal with right now than my anxiety over learning to control my magic.”
“I’d say you’ve got a fine grasp on your magic, for now. We wouldn’t be anywhere near where we are, had you not worked so diligently with Heimdall to find Loki.”
“Recklessly, is more like it,” Heimdall says. “Though I cannot argue with his logic. You’ve made incredible progress in your skill in the time that I’ve been teaching you.”
“But should I take Loki up on his offer?” I ask, my voice small. “I saw what happened when he restored your memories. I’m not sure my body could handle that.”
“I’m sure it would be different, were he to teach you and not forcibly put the knowledge into your mind, but…” Thor shakes his head. “That’s not a choice that I can make for you.”
“I know.” I pick at the sandwich. “I still think we should contact your team. Even if Loki’s right, and they aren’t enough, they’re bound to know more people that can help.”
“Then we’ll call them.”
“Really?”
“Of course.”
“What about Loki?”
“Loki doesn’t know everything, and I am well aware that I’ll never be able to convince him otherwise. But we don’t need to halt our progress simply because he disagrees with your plan.”
“Thing is, it’d be really nice if it weren’t just my plan.”
“It’s not. I have your back on this.”
I nod. “How do we contact them, though? It’s not like I can just google their phone number.”
“There’s no need.”
“Huh?”
“I memorized Stark’s number years ago.”
“You… memorized Tony Stark’s personal phone number?”
“I did. With the way he flits from one thing to another, he is not an easy man to keep track of. Most of the team either memorized his number or stuck to him like glue.”
I laugh. “I see.”
He smiles. “You should eat. We’ll call after.”
With my meal finished, Thor and I situate ourselves on the floor in the middle of my office. Charles climbs all over our laps and I have to push his face away from my phone several times.
“You’re sure this is the right number?”
“I’m certain.”
“Okay.” I dial the number, put the phone on speaker, and hold it away from me. “What if he doesn’t answer?”
“He will, (Y/N). It’s not as if it’s easy to find this number.”
“Okay.” I bite my thumb, unsure of what to do with myself. "What am I supposed to say?"
"Explain the situation. We know Thanos is close and that Banner is Earth-side." He tries to reassure me with a smile. "You can do this. I promise."
The phone suddenly stops ringing and my eyes snap to Thors. He nods once and I focus in on the phone.
“How did you get this number.” It’s not a question.
“Tony Stark, right?” I ask.
“If you know enough to ask, then you know you’ve got the right number. Now, how’d you find it?”
“Thor gave it to me.”
“Bullshit.”
“Considering he’s sitting directly across from me right now, I’m gonna say it’s really not.”
"Still don't believe you."
"Well, I could always hand the phone off…" I catch Thor shaking his head. "I'm getting a firm no from the big guy, so I'm gonna say he wants me to do most of the talking."
"Convenient."
“Yeah, extremely. Listen, you can hang up on me, but at least hear me out. I wouldn’t even think about calling you or anyone on your team if it weren’t a life or death situation.”
He sighs. “Fine. If I don’t like what I hear, I’m hanging up.”
“I can’t promise you’ll like it.”
“Just talk.”
I take a deep breath and start talking.
“A few months ago, Thor crash landed in the forest just outside of town. No memory of what happened to get him there or anything like that. I helped him find Loki, who restored his memory, we found out that Asgard was destroyed and then the ship they were on was attacked by a galactic tyrant named Thanos, who’s on his way to Earth as we speak.” I pause a moment to take a breath. “But you knew that last bit already.”
“How would you know?”
“Because Dr. Banner’s back on Earth.”
“... Yes he is. Crashed into some wizard's place on Bleeker Street.”
I frown and glance up at Thor. “Wizard?”
Thor leans forward. “Stark, you said a wizard on Bleeker Street?”
“That you, Hammer Time?‘
“Yes, it’s me. You said a wizard on Bleeker Street. Do you mean Doctor Strange?”
“Have you two met?”
“Yes, actually. Last time I was in New York.”
“Really wish you’d given us a call, pal.”
“I’ll keep that in mind next time, but right now we have bigger things to worry about.”
“Right, another alien invasion. What do they want this time?”
“The infinity stones,” Thor answers. “I’ve no clue how many he’s managed to gather as of now, but there are three on Earth as we speak.”
“Three?”
“One is with Strange, one with Vision, and the third is here, with Loki.”
“Thanos is coming here because we’ve got half of what he needs,” I interject. “If we can figure out a way to protect the stones here or use them against him, we’ll be better off in the long run.”
“And where do you play into this?” Stark asks.
“I just want to help. I can’t fight, but I can use magic. I’ll do whatever I can do make sure we win.”
“You really dig deep into that ‘we’ thing. We haven’t even met yet.”
“I trust her,” Thor says. “She’s powerful, and more than that, she’s reliable.”
“And what about Loki?”
“He’ll see reason, in the end.” Thor nods resolutely. “I’ll see to it that he does.”
“Good. I’ll fill the team in and send a Quin out to pick you three up. Be ready to leave early tomorrow.” He pauses. “Where exactly are you?”
“You’re the one with the fancy computers,” I say. “I’m sure you’re more than capable of tracing the call.”
Stark laughs. “You’re right. I started looking before I even picked up.”
“Wouldn’t expect anything less.”
“What’s your name, mystery girl?”
“(Y/N).”
“Alright, (Y/N). I look forward to meeting you.”
“You too.”
The line goes dead and I drop the phone to the carpet before scrubbing my hands over my face.
“That went much better than I expected it would,” Thor admits.
“I never wanna do that ever again.” I laugh a little hysterically. “I thought my heart was going to beat out of my chest.”
“I promise, he’s a kind man. He is, however…”
“A little paranoid?” Thor nods. “I can’t say I blame him.”
“Are you sure that you want to go with us?”
“Of course. I can’t let you guys cowboy around on your own, especially knowing your team’s past with Loki.”
“I only worry that you may not be safe.”
“I know, but I’ll be able to protect myself, to some extent, and I’m going to work on my magic so that I’ll be stronger before we have to fight. But, until then,” I push myself to my feet. “I need to apologize to your brother.”
“Oh?”
“Well, I figure I should be in good standing with someone before I ask them to teach me something.”
“You’re going to accept his offer?”
“I am. I have conditions, but we don’t have the luxury to wait for Heimdall now.” I cast my eyes upwards. “Absolutely no offense to you, we’re just pressed for time.”
“None taken. (Y/N). As it stands, I’m afraid we’ve most likely exhausted our resources.”
“Duly noted.” I reach out to Thor and he takes my hand. “Things’ll be fine. I promise.”
“I know.” He kisses my knuckles. “But that doesn’t mean that I fully trust Loki.”
“Don’t have to trust him to benefit from his knowledge.”
At that, Thor laughs. "I suppose you're right."
"Would you think of dinner ideas while I talk to him?”
Thor nods and gently pushes me towards the door before getting to his feet. Charles follows us out into the hall and takes off down the stairs. Thor finds Daisy when we reach the ground floor and takes her outside to play. I find Loki in the living room, reading a book on the couch. Charles has situated himself in the recliner across the room and is glaring at Loki, tail swishing.
“You should make an effort to tame your beasts,” Loki says, calmly turning the page in his book.
“Oh really, you’re worried about a little house cat?”
“He doesn’t like me.”
“I don’t like you much, either, so I can’t really blame him.”
He closes the book and sets it to the side. “What is it that you want?”
“I want to apologize for the way I acted earlier.”
“Why?”
“Because I was harsh and abrupt, and I figure it’s better to apologize before I ask you to teach me than after.”
“What made you change your mind?”
“The Avengers are sending a jet to pick us up tomorrow. All of us need to be ready for what’s coming, and Heimdall won’t be able to make it before Thanos does.”
He grins and leans forward on his knees, clearly enjoying this. “So what you’re saying is… you need my help.”
“Yes, that’s what I just said.”
He sighs and leans against the back of the couch, examining his nails. “It’s alright to admit you were wrong, you know.”
“I literally just did. I’m saying that I need your help to fully understand my magic.”
“Now,” he rises to his feet and quickly approaches me. “Was that so hard?”
I roll my eyes and walk off to the back door. “You’re ridiculous.”
Alright, so we’re headed directly towards a confrontation with Thanos. More than a little stressful to think about, if I’m being honest. Learning from Loki won’t be any treat either, I’m sure.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this chapter! How do you feel about Loki’s place with the reader and Thor? What do you think will happen next? Be sure to like, reblog, comment, and/or shoot me an ask and tell me all about it!
if you’d like to be tagged in future chapters, let me know!
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