Pairing: Loki x Male!Reader
Summary: Being Loki’s apprentice has its perks. Not really, it’s mostly just Loki using you as a scapegoat for his schemes, until one day when it all goes too far and you decided you’ve had enough.
Realization comes into play.
A/N: As promised, here is the first part of the Loki fanfic I was working on. This is male reader and everything I will write in the future will probably be for male readers only (sorry not sorry).
Please note that I am not a native English speaker. If you find errors (and likely will) please let me know so that I can correct them. I guess I should mention that this is my first fanfic ever. Be gentle. Enjoy!
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You closed your eyes as you leaned back against a stone pillar, enjoying the warmth of the remaining sun rays Taking a deep breath and slowly releasing it was your way of urging your tense shoulder muscles to relax. It was a lovely moment to enjoy after an equally lovely day and here you were feeling warm, full and overall content with life, happily basking in the warmth of the setting sun. You were sitting in your favorite spot, overlooking the palace’s gardens, surrounded by the subtle scent of flowers and freshly cut grass.
It was not a particularly eventful day, but you have spent the day doing your favorite things: reading, visiting your family, drawing and riding through the woods on your faithful steed. This was your day off after all, and you could do whatever you damn well pleased. It could not have gone any better though, you were overall happy with how everything turned out. Yet you couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease, as if something was about to happen or perhaps something was missing. Even so, you tried to brush it off, it was good to have a day for yourself without someone barking orders at you, throwing you murderous glances and asking you to fetch things every five minutes, like a dog. Your hand closed into a tight fist as your mind wandered, although briefly, to that one particular person who could ruin your day before they even opened their mouth to speak.
Said person was none other but the youngest prince of Asgard. The raven-haired godling, the master of mischief and chaos, the rude, arrogant, inconsiderate, lying little... alright you get the idea. It was Loki, brother of Thor, son of Odin and Frigga, master of the arcane arts, and an excruciating pain in your arse. Ever since you had become his apprentice, because for some reason he was allowed to have one, (something about finding those gifted in spell-craft) your days have become a constant running around like a headless chicken, obeying Loki’s every order just so you could prove yourself worthy of his time. And that was not even the worst part, no, the worst part was that he would often ask, well more like demand that you be part of his schemes and plans which would often backfire and that is when he used you as his scapegoat.
You were beyond frustrated with the situation and were actively looking for a way to get out of the arrangement, you could no longer stand him; barking orders here and there, asking you to fetch him his quill and parchment or Norns know what long forgotten book on the highest shelf in the library. You didn’t feel like an apprentice anymore, you felt like a servant at best and a slave at worst. He simply had no interest in teaching you advanced spells or found better use of you as a servant. As if he didn’t have enough. Still, he always told you how he found your company tolerable so you stuck around and tried to be understanding, hoping.. hoping he would find you worthy enough to spare some of his precious time to teach you.
All these tasks and requests passed onto you and you’ve never once said no. All in hopes that he will see your worth, skill and dedication. You knew there was no better mentor than him, you have seen him at work many times, he had no rival when it came to the arcane arts. You were eager to learn, to work your hardest to reach at least half of his level, but the teaching that you expected never came.
The sad part was that, you have always admired the young prince as you grew up, you were fascinated by his magical and combat abilities. In your eyes, he was the perfect prince, wielding both weapons and magic, making him the best battle mage Asgard has ever seen. And that was Loki. Of course, Loki was chaos, he was mischief, he was the lie smith of the realm, turning words, thoughts and heads wherever he went. No one trusted him, not anymore, and they all condemned him for the ill use of magic. Loki was under no circumstance evil though, but he was mischievous. You suppose he couldn’t help himself, knowing everything that he does, one would be wise to use that knowledge to their advantage. Loki was a scheming little shit and always the opportunist. What’s not to admire? Sadly, no one kept record of all the fun pranks Loki has pulled over the years, some plain cruel, some plain hilarious nor of his achievements or failures. No one kept a record but you, in a small journal that served as your own personal history book where you wrote down the most significant events in your life. It just happened that every fifth page or so, Loki would be mentioned. Loki and his jokes, Loki and his laugh, Loki and his achievements, Loki and his failures. Loki and his stupid smirk. The smirk that he gives you whenever he’s about to do something clever or mischievous. And you can’t help but picture those perfect lips on-- No.
But now, now you just wanted to erase all of that. It felt as if you were losing all the respect you had for the young prince. He did nothing but humiliate you, treat you like a dog and make you follow him everywhere, just to make you feel almost invisible as soon as he was engaging in a talk with someone else. He invited you to join him for feasts, having you sit by his side at all times, ignoring your very existence yet glaring at everyone who dared speak to you. You were tired of it, you were tired of feeling beneath him. Prince or not, nobody treated you this way, nobody should be allowed to treat anyone like this.
In the beginning it was innocent. A little joke here and there, small pranks pulled on his brother and friends, you were more than happy to be part of it, it was good fun. Lately, however, all these plans and schemes often included searching for valuable information, manipulating people and even stealing. You no longer wanted to be a part of it, and if it meant giving up on your dream to become a great mage under Loki’s tutelage, then so be it.
A sharp, stinging pain in your arm brought you back from the little daydream-turned-nightmare, quickly bringing your hand to your chest in a protective manner. But before you could see a possible wound, the black raven next to you flapped its wings a few times and took off. Had the raven just pecked you? It hurt, nothing was bleeding but it stung. You sat up quickly, rubbing the tender, reddening spot on your hand, eyebrows furrowed in anger as you glanced once more over the gardens and turned around to make your way home. Tomorrow would be another painfully slow day at Loki’s side. The thought of it made you dread the morrow, your walk home suddenly slowing down considerably.
“(Y/N)?” You stopped in your tracks, you knew that voice. You knew it so well you dreaded it at every corner. Your whole frame tensed as you straightened your back and turned around once more, putting on your best smile. “My prince.” You greeted stiffly.
“I have a request for you and I need it done immediately.” The prince asked, your eye almost twitching at the word request. “So sorry, my prince. So silly of me, but I was under the impression that this was to be my day off, to spend it however I pleased. I am sure that whatever it is, can wait until tomorrow.” You explained as politely as possible, your cheek muscles straining to keep up the smile. But you let it drop as soon as you’ve noticed the other open his mouth again.
“Well, I do not see you doing anything remotely interesting with your free time, feels like a waste, does it not?”. The prince answered calmly, your anger threatening to burst. “What would you have me do for you then?” You asked in an annoyed tone. Loki grinned. “I will handle it, it is your day off after all.” He said as he brushed past you and walked away, his green cloak flapping in the wind as he walked graciously, your gaze following him, burning a hole through the back of his head. “Loki? What is it that you wanted me to do?”. You asked once more, curiosity getting the better of you. “Enjoy your day off.” He spoke as kept walking, ignoring your question completely. You frowned and clenched your fists. You wanted nothing more than to punch that smug expression off his pretty face. Before you knew it, your feet were moving rapidly, stalking behind the god to catch up with him. By the time you were at his side, you noticed him smirking knowingly. “I knew you couldn’t resist. You cannot say no to me, can you (Y/N)? You never say no to me. Precious thing that you are.” He spoke softly, that blasted smirk never leaving his lips, but you knew better.
“It appears so, my prince. What can I do for you?”. “I need your help with something that will require a bit more subterfuge than usual, are you up for it?” He asked, and you took a deep breath, your anger simmering down. You hated it when he used that sweet voice of his, the voice of ‘I always get what I want’. “What would you have me do, my prince?” You addressed him by his title which caused a small spark to form into the other’s eyes as he heard it, unfortunately it went completely unnoticed by you.
You could never make eye contact with the other for long, Loki’s gaze was hypnotizing more often than not and made you feel trapped, almost spellbound. It was silly, of course, why would he use a spell to bind you to him and his will, at the end of the day you could do what you wanted, you could say no to him. In fact, you just did but changed your mind because for some reason you did not care to investigate further, he always managed to stir your curiosity. The raven-haired God grinned, lips stretching into a toothy grin. Oh yes, there was pure mischief in that smile.
“Follow me, we should speak of it in private, for all we know, the shrubbery could have ears”. He chuckled and began walking towards the palace at steady pace. You followed quietly in his steps, watching the other’s graceful form as it moved.
Head held high, back straight, confidence in his steps, he was of royal blood, there was no question there, but you could always tell that Loki always had at least an extra ounce of grace compared to his brother and the rest of the warriors. Loki always looked his best, he was always clean and smelling pleasantly, not a single hair out of place on his head. Clearly, he prized his own image and there was nothing wrong with that. Loki had many admirers just for that fact alone.
As you walked in his steps, your nose caught a whiff of something fresh and flowery. Speaking of nice scents, Loki never failed to make himself known by scent alone. You never could place the scent though, it was flowery and fresh but smelling like no flower known to you.
When you reached Loki’s chambers, he made a quick move to close the door but not before peeking outside to make sure no one was around, the guards patrolling the hallway would not stop at his door, thankfully. You found yourself in the familiar chambers where you were forced to spend quite a copious amount of time, being Loki’s dog, but in spite of that, you have never seen his actual bedroom or anything personal. This was just a medium sized chamber that served as a small study and living area full of bookshelves. There were piles of scrolls, books and half opened letters laying about on the small tea table and sofa.
No matter how much you tried to organize Loki’s study room and keep it tidy in the time he was not giving you anything to do, somehow those books always found themselves out of the shelves and back into places they did not belong. You did not question it, the servants who cleaned the room did not question it. You smiled as you saw Loki’s desk, always in pristine condition and never cluttered with anything unnecessary. The God was a mystery you.
You snapped out of your little inspection as the God cleared his throat and you turned around to face him, offering him a small smile. “You have been very loyal to me in the past years (Y/N). Here is what I need you to do for me. And do not interrupt me until I am finished speaking.” He put up two fingers in sign for the other to keep his mouth shut.
You sighed and took a seat on the brown settee next to you, crossing your legs and leaning back, ready to listen to the other.
“Thor’s recent stupid escapade to Jotunheim has made me question his ability to rule. You’ve seen it too, the recklessness, the childish behavior. It is not what should make the future king of Asgard. But more than that, it has made me question Odin’s true intentions with the frost giants. To be more specific, I saw something while on Jotunheim, something that needs further investigation. It is crucial for the safety of this Kingdom. I need answers, which I will likely not get from Odin or any of them for that matter. Do you know what lays underneath the palace? The vaults. Odin keeps all his artifacts and trophies there, I saw them briefly. We will get in there tonight. I will investigate what I need to, and we will get out, unseen. Questions? There better not be, since I was pretty clear.” You stared at the God, the gears in your head turning as you processed everything he was saying.
Yes, you knew about the nearly started war in Jotunheim, it happened very recently in fact. They said that prince Thor is awaiting punishment from the Allfather for his recklessness. Likely such an action will not earn him a swat on the hand. Loki was right in that aspect, Thor had been rather reckless and arrogant in his dealings with the frost giants, letting himself be goaded into a fight.
“When do we start?” You asked, your enthusiasm showing in your smile as you leaned forward as you expected the other to tell you a secret. You mentally beat yourself as you decided to go along with another one of his schemes, having a terrible feeling about how this might turn yet you could not help yourself, not when you saw that glint of mischief and amusement in his eyes. Loki approached you, reaching for a scroll next to the sofa, unrolling it before you so that you could see what looked to be a map of the palace’s underground. You followed his movements carefully, listening to every word he said attentively.
However, you found yourself unable to take your eyes off those thin lips moving as he explained the plan in detail, giving you instructions on what you have to do. You found your thoughts drifting as the lovely flowery scent hit your nostrils again, inhaling it deeply. Your thoughts deviated for a moment, imagining yourself caressing those perfectly chiseled cheekbones, running your hand over the smooth pale flesh just to feel its chill, gazing into those endless pools of green and finally, kissing those thin, sweet lips. The god was gorgeous, there was no denying that now. You’ve never been this close to him, you’ve never touched him except for a slight brush of fingers when handing him the requested items.
Each time, Loki felt cold to the touch, but you never questioned it. “(Y/N), are you listening? (Y/N). “. As you heard your name you snapped out of reverie, flushing slightly as you met the god’s annoyed glare. “I... I... yes Loki, I... could you please repeat? I am sorry.” The god sighed but did not comment on your sudden slip, deciding instead to explain once more. This time you did not lose focus and agreed with everything Loki has planned out.
“Will the spell work?” You asked curiously. “The thing about invisibility spells is that they do not technically make you invisible, they create an illusion for the rest of the eyes present, without you in it. It’s as simple as that. And yes, it will work, remember who you’re speaking to.” He answered firmly, leaning into your personal space as he snatched the scroll from your hands. “I expect you to have memorized that. I am not letting you carry possible evidence with you.” He added. “May I ask...” You started but was bluntly cut off by the God. “You may not, I do not have time for idle chatter, now move along. It is almost midnight.” You sighed and nodded.
You slowly exited the room, closing the door behind you as quietly as you could. Your steps were light and almost soundless as you made your way through the corridors and down the stairs towards the dungeons. You kept your breath steady and even, focusing on your each step, not wanting to clumsily stumble or bump into something, or someone. Your senses were on high alert and you felt on edge every time you approached a patrolled area. You passed a few guards on the way, but none seemed to pay much attention to you. They were used to seeing you wander aimlessly through the corridors at odd hours while carrying out Loki’s requests, nobody bothered to question you. Why should today be any different?
You decided to help Loki with this new plan of his, feeling a bit anxious at the thought of being included in one of his schemes again. You were well-aware that if this fails, it will be on you. However, you could not stop thinking about your earlier thoughts about the God. Where did that come from? You’ve been so fed up and frustrated with his behavior that the sudden change of heart in you made absolutely no sense. You weren’t sure if this was due to your own frustrations manifesting into something akin to desire or something else entirely. But you wanted to find out.