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You were the newest addition to the Avengers, and, to be honest, it wasn’t all it was cut out to be. Sure, it was beyond amazing to meet people like Tony Stark and Steve Rogers, but after a while things settled into a routine of waking up unnecessarily early, training for a few hours, having breakfast, and then more training. Mornings like this made you question why on earth you had let Nick Fury convince you to join this exercise-filled hell.
But there were, of course, perks to being an Avenger. Avengers can get away with pretty much anything, just a flash of your ID and you get to the front of a line in a theme park, or you get accepted into a club immediately. And then there was the fact that Tony, the angel that he is, is literally rolling in money. But you weren’t in it for the money, and yeah, it was nice to be rich for once but you just wanted to feel accepted.
And accepted you were, as the rest of the team accepted you almost immediately. Some quicker than others, Thor and Tony being the first, as Thor, while being an utter sweetheart, didn’t have a lot of political views or judgement when it came to people. Tony was the one who helped Nick discover you, so it would have been rude not to accept you. Surprisingly, the black widow wasn’t the last one to warm up to you. You actually drew a laugh out of her when you beat Sam in your training. You weren’t technically supposed to use your powers when you trained, but this time, you couldn’t help it. ***You grunted in pain as Sam slammed you to the floor, flashing you with a toothy grin, practically radiating smugness.
“Come on Y/L/N, show us what you got!” Sam crowed to you, standing up and stretching nonchalantly. “Otherwise I’ll think you’re nothing more than a teleportation device.” You sigh, sweeping your hair out of your face, and groaned slightly as you got back on your feet, and you cracked your knuckles as you turned to face your opponent again.“Hit me again.” You said, moving into a fighting stance, and out of the corner of your eye you saw Natasha and Clint pause in their training to watch you and Sam fight. Sam’s grin turned into a smirk, as he raised his fists to match yours. “If you say so.” The two of you began to circle each other, steadily growing closer, until Sam eventually lunged at you, moving as though to punch you, fist flying towards your face - but suddenly you weren’t there anymore. As Sam’s fist was moving steadily towards your face, you closed your eyes, screwing up your face, and the next moment you were standing behind him, watching Sam stagger as he steadied himself in the space that you had previously stood. Before he could turn around, you had kicked him in the backs of his knees, and he fell forwards with a grunt. You jumped forwards, wrapping your legs around his neck, twisting your body, and dragging him along with you, until you had his face pressed into the floor of the training room. Silence echoed throughout the training room, Natasha and Clint not even pretending to train anymore, Clint with his mouth slightly open, and Natasha with the shadow of a grin on her face.“That’s against the rules!” Sam groaned, his voice slightly muffled, as his face was currently being squashed into the floor. For the first time that morning, a proper grin stretched across your face. You got off Sam, standing up, and holding out your hand, which he took, hauling himself to his feet.“Rules are made to be broken, bird-man.” You grinned at Sam, patting him on his shoulder, and turned towards the doors, swaying your hips as you went. “Try flying next time, it might improve your fighting techniques to be on the same inflated level of your ego.” As you opened the door, you heard a stifled giggle, and, looking back, you saw Natasha trying to keep her face straight, trying to keep her expression neutral. And considering it was a feminine giggle, and she was the only girl in there at the time, you had no doubt it was her. In reality, it was Steve who took the longest time warming up to you. You were never sure why, maybe it was the fact that nobody had even heard about you until a week before you became an Avenger. You had no idea what you’d done to piss him off, but you were slowly, surely making it into his good books. And that was only because you’d saved Peter Parker from falling off the balcony at one of Tony’s parties, by teleporting a few balconies below and jumping off to catch him, and teleporting back up to the other Avengers, and most of them were utterly horrified, but people like Clint and Sam had only just realised what happened.
But anyway, there was one last disadvantage. It just so happened that the very same day that Tony recruited you, Thor had a…rather unpleasant surprise awaiting you. “Y/N, this is Thor, but you probably already know who he is.” Tony introduced you to Thor, who beamed at you, and took your outstretched hand, and shook it enthusiastically, almost breaking your fingers in the process.“Lady Y/N! A pleasure to meet you!” Thor’s voice boomed around the corridor, and you had to force yourself not to wince at the incredible volume that never seemed to vary, no matter what occasion it was. Thor released the pressure on your fingers, and turned to Tony. “I’m glad I ran into you Stark, I have some…” Thor paused, pulling a face. “Unexpected news.” At Tony’s raised eyebrows, Thor’s eyes fell upon you uncertainly.“I’m not a snitch, Thor.” You said gently, smiling at him. “But if you want me to go, then I can go.” You turned to Tony. “Where’s my room?” But as Tony opened his mouth to answer, Thor jumped in, much to your surprise, and, by the looks of it, Tony’s as well. “Fifth floor, third room on the left.” Thor caught sight of your confused expression. “I ran into Miss Potts earlier, she told me to tell you if I saw you.” He smiled at you, and as you nodded, you noticed a twinkle in Thor’s eye that hadn’t been there a few minutes ago. You bade Thor and Tony goodbye, and you screwed up your face in concentration, and for the briefest moment, the floor disappeared from below your feet, and then, you were in the room that Thor had told you was yours. Except, it clearly wasn’t yours.
You blinked, a wave of slight panic washing over you, as you turned around, eyes trailing over the contents of the room. It was…pretty empty. Whoever lived here certainly hadn’t been here for very long. There were a few books on some bookshelves across the room, and there was a glass of water set on the table, and the room had a cool, green, undertone. Just as you were puzzling over who could possibly be staying here, as you had already met all the Avengers, and you knew that they were all currently on the top floor, a door to your right opened. You whipped around, and you froze, panic almost completely taking control of your body.
Standing in the doorway, with an open book in his hands, was Loki. He hadn’t noticed you were in his room yet, but every scenario seemed to be racing through your mind. You’d never come face-to-face with Loki before, as you were living in London at the time of the attack in New York, that had been lead by Loki himself. But you’d seen the destruction he had caused, seen the families that he had been torn apart, and you had seen all those aliens he had led onto the earth, destroying everything in their path.
You took a step back, and you almost died right there on the spot as your footsteps echoed throughout the room, and Loki’s head shot up so fast, it made you jump, and let out a slight squeak of terror. He stared at you, surprise written plainly across his face, eyes trailing over you warily.“Who, in all nine realms, are you, and what the hell are you doing in my room?” His voice started you out of whatever trance you had been placed in. Loki looked…well, there was no other way to put it…hot. You opened your mouth, trying to speak, but words failed you. By now, the surprise had faded from Loki’s face, and it was replaced with annoyance. “I’ll ask again, why are you in my room?” Loki’s voice had raised slightly, and you swallowed heavily as he put his book down, and started to walk towards you, eyes returning to their usual, cold state. As your heart began to quicken, you took a few more steps back, until you hit something behind you, the door to the room. You twisted the handle, and it swung open, and you nearly fell through it in your desire to get out of the room, and you closed your eyes, and then you were back upstairs, surrounded by the other Avengers.“THOR!” You yelled indignantly, regaining your balance, and turning to look furiously at the god who was sitting on a sofa infront of you, a box of poptarts in his hand. “Why the hell, did you tell me to go to your brother’s room?!” Your voice increased in volume, and everyone’s heads snapped towards Thor, who had the grace to look slightly sheepish.“I assumed it would be funny!” He said earnestly, but then frowned. “He didn’t attack you did he?” He blinked innocently at you, and you felt your anger and fear deflate slightly. “No, he didn’t, but he might’ve done if I’d stayed any longer.” You sighed, and ran a hand through your hair. “Can someone just tell me where my room is now?” You pleaded, turning to Pepper, who was standing by the door. She smiled at you, and gestured for you to follow her, leading you to your actual room. ***A few weeks passed, and you were really starting to get the hang of the whole ‘saving the world technique’. You hadn’t technically been on a proper mission yet, as there were apparently many more things to learn before you reached that stage.
A few weeks had passed, since you had seen Loki. This was probably the least important thing to be thinking about, but you couldn’t shake the thought of him out of your mind. You just didn’t see him anywhere. He wasn’t in the training room, ever. He never showed up for meals, although you supposed he had dinner in his room. It was like he didn’t exist. At least, that was what you thought until one day when you entered the training room, to find it completely empty for once. It was a nice change, so you went over to Tony’s electronic training machine, where it produced holograms for you to dodge and teleport around.
You had only been training for about ten minutes, when you heard the training room door open. You glanced over your shoulder quickly, to see who had entered, and you had to do a double take, and then you nearly tripped over. Loki had entered, a different book in his hands this time. He didn’t say anything, he simply sat down, and opened his book, beginning to read. When it was obvious you weren’t training anymore, he looked up. “I don’t bite, you know.” He said smoothly, eyes raking over your body. “Not unless you want me to.” He said, a smirk flashing across his pale face, eyes gleaming. You scowled slightly, rolling your eyes.“You and your sexual comments don’t phase me.” You said curtly, tossing your hair over your shoulder, and starting up the simulation again. It was silent for a few minutes, and you felt Loki’s stare burning into you as you teleported around the small field that Tony had provided. After five minutes of silence, and the tension was growing so much that you were starting to get annoyed, you paused. “What do you want, Loki?” You sighed, turning to look at him.“So, you’ve heard of me?” He grinned at you, crossing one leg over the other, eyes boring into you.“Of course I’ve heard of you.” You rolled your eyes, turning back to your training. “You strike fear into anyone when your name is mentioned after what happened in New York, how can I not know who you are?” Your gaze flickered to his face briefly, catching the annoyed look that came over him. “So, what do you want?”“Can’t a man simply enjoy a bit of quiet and freedom?” He asked in a tone of fake innocence that didn’t fool you for a second. You raised your eyebrows at him, and he blinked
lazily at you. “So you come here?” You asked sceptically. “Where there’s obviously someone in here, which is not causing you quiet because she’s training?” You suddenly appeared infront of him, hands on your hips, panting slightly from your training.“Well, it does make for a nice view.” He raised his eyes to meet yours, and annoyance flared up inside you. “If you’re going to sit in here, you might as well train, because you look stupid if you sit and watch people. You want to read, go to a library or something.” You looked at him once more before you turned away, and walked towards the exit.“Why don’t I train with you then?” Loki practically purred, walking after you, catching up with you, and stood infront of the door, blocking your way. You raised your eyebrows, feeling like you might punch yourself if you stayed here any longer.“No.” You said simply, before smiling serenely at him, and disappearing from his sight, and re-appearing in your room. You ran your hands through your hair, tugging on it slightly in frustration. Why does someone like…like him have to be so damn attractive? You thought to yourself, as you made your way to your bathroom, and turned the shower on, waiting for the water to heat up.
But, that wouldn’t be the last you saw of Loki. You see, he seemed to have memorised the times that you would go training, and join you in the training room, nearly each time with a different book in his hands, although you knew he wasn’t actually reading, because every time you looked over, he had his eyes on you. After what must have been the seventh time you had walked into the training room to find him already day, your curiosity got the better of you. “Okay, seriously Loki, what do you want?” You sighed, standing in the middle of the training room, and you watched apprehensively as he put his book down slowly. He grinned at you, but it was a rather predatorial grin. “I told you, I want some peace and quiet-” he began, but you cut across him.“Cut the crap Loki.” You said shortly. “If you’re coming here to perv on me, it’s not funny anymore.” You paused, and tilted your head. “But if you’re here to train, then..” You closed your eyes, wondering what the hell you were getting into. “Then I’ll train with you. But if you make any moves, I’ll set Thor on you.” You stated, and you watched Loki for his reaction. At first, his face was emotionless, but then he stood up, and you watched in slight astonishment as his normal asgardian attire faded away, and he was dressed in suitable training clothes. Your eyes trailed over his body, feeling your face grow slightly warm, but you shook it off. “Like what you see?” Your eyes snapped up to Loki’s face, and you jumped slightly as you realised he’d moved forward slightly. You narrowed your eyes, and you dropped into a fighting stance, indicating Loki should be the same. “Just hit me with whatever you have, your majesty.” You sneered, and you saw Loki’s eyes fill with slight anger at your words, and you grinned at him, and made the first lunge. He dodged, blowing your action easily, and brought his fist up from his waist, making to hit you, but at the last second, you materialised behind him, and he spun around to meet you, barely losing his footing. He was clearly underestimated in his fighting skills, you thought to yourself, as Loki pushed his hair out of his face, and he looked appraisingly at you.“Interesting…” He murmured, before he made another lunge for you, and as you tried to dodge him, his fist grazed against your side, and that was when the fighting began. To you, it felt like each of you was trying to release as much anger as you could through your fighting, and if you were totally honest, it was kinda hot. You both ducked, dodged and swiped at each other simultaneously, until the two of you seemed to be moving in sync. Aim, duck, kick, dodge, and repeat, and it went on for nearly twenty minutes, before Loki switched a move, feinting, as though to hit you, when his foot swung out of nowhere, and you fell flat on your back, winded, but just as the familiar smugness was creeping over Loki’s face, you kicked out, and swiped his feet from under him.
This probably wasn’t a good move, because you didn’t roll out of the way in time, and Loki came crashing down ontop of you. You let out an ‘oof’ as his full bodyweight landed on you, nearly crushing you. As Loki raised himself off you, muttering furiously under his breath, he caught your eye, and the sight you were greeted with made your face grow even warmer, if that was physically possible. He looked...oddly glorious. The light from above was shining directly onto the back of his head, so the outline of his body seemed to glow mysteriously. His face was inches from you, and his breath was hot, and it was mingling with yours, and you were both seemingly sharing the same oxygen, and the world around you both began to blur. A jolt of emotion went through your stomach, and you let out a shaky breath, words and feelings flashing through your mind, until it all jumbled into one. He still hadn’t moved, and you were still looking into each other’s eyes, and it was all too much, and -
You could hear footsteps coming near the training room. Your body seemed to flood with cold blood, and before you could possibly think about what you were doing, you had grabbed Loki’s arm, which was surprisingly muscly, and then you were outside his room. You scooted out from underneath him, and he stood up briskly, his face once more void of emotion. You stood up, and Loki turned away from you, opening the door to his room, and he was about to close it, and once again you did something without thinking. You reached out, and put your foot in the small gap between the door and the doorframe of Loki’s room. He stopped, and raised one eyebrow at you.“Well?” He said impatiently, and opened the door a bit more. “I have things to do, mortal, try not to waste my time.” He looked almost bored, and you blinked, surprised, and…hurt. “I-I just wanted to say that, um,” You searched for the right words, not looking at him. “You..fight good.” You winced at your own words, wanting to smack yourself because you sounded stupid and flustered, like a thirteen year old teenager going through puberty. Loki simply stared at you, not changing his expression. “And, I’d like to prove that I can fight better than you.” You said, your confidence coming back, and you put a hand on your hip. “I’ll be waiting for you then.” You examined your nails, and before Loki could retort, you had disappeared, and once again, appearing into your bedroom, for the second time after seeing Loki.
You couldn't wait to see his face when you said, ‘I told you so’ after you proved how well you could fight.
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When you entered the training room the next day, you weren’t surprised to find it empty. You hadn’t expected Loki to be there, he wasn’t the reliable sort. Not that you were relying on him, you told yourself as you pulled on some boxing gloves, and began the new training schedule that Steve had slipped under the door of your room this morning. You had much more important things to do than worry about romance. You took a swing at the punching bag, missed, and the bag swung back at you, hitting you square in the chest and knocking you off your feet.
You groaned, gingerly getting back onto your feet, cursing your clumsiness. You pulled the bag back into it’s starting position, when you caught sight of something lying under a bench on the side of the training room. You frowned, steadying the punching bag, and moved closer to the bench. You crouched down, and stretched out your hand, grasping the object. You pulled it out, to find what must have been Loki’s book that he was ‘reading’ yesterday. “Found that when I came in for training yesterday.” Your head whipped around, to see Steve leaning against the doorframe. “It was lying on the bench, open, so I put it out of sight.” He pushed himself off the wall, and walked towards you, as you straightened up, and you avoided his eyes. “Didn’t want you to be asked…awkward questions.” He stopped infront of you, folding his arms. “Thank you.” You said quietly, clutching the book in your hands tightly. Steve nodded, and as he was about to turn away, you asked him something else. “Why do you hate me?” You spoke, a bit louder, fidgeting with the book. Steve paused, and looked back at you, with a slight frown on his face. “I don’t hate you.” He turned around fully. “I’m…finding it hard to trust people at the moment.” You snorted slightly, finally meeting his gaze. “After what happened to S.H.I.E.L.D? Yeah, no kidding.” You sighed. “But don’t you think it was scarier for me?” At his puzzled look, you pressed on. “I mean, I get inducted by the ex-leader of shield, just when I thought nobody could ever find me again.” You said tightly. “I suddenly get thrown into a world of superheroes and magical gods, and technology I haven’t had a chance of experiencing before. And then, when everyone else seems to trust me, one of the most iconic idols in the world can’t find it in himself to trust me.” You suddenly found that your irritation towards the lack of cooperation from Steve was pouring out. “So what, if you find it hard to trust me? You have to suck it up Cap, because you’re an Avenger, and we’re all a team. Everyone else seems to have accepted me here, so why can’t you?” You ended your little speech with your voice raised, and shaking slightly. “I haven’t had a family in years, and now I think I might have found one. But it can’t be a family without you.” You finished rather lamely. Steve had remained dead silent throughout your mini explosion, and now you found his eyes filled, not with mistrust, but something close to respect. “You know, you remind me of someone I used to know, back in the day.” Steve said, a small smile etched onto his face. “Oh yeah?” You raised an eyebrow. “Who?” You asked, straightening up slightly.Steve’s smile grew slightly. “Me.” He answered simply, and at your surprised look, he shook his head. “Come on, I’ll train with you.” You grinned, and put Loki’s book on the floor, a few feet away from where Steve began to teach you some hand to hand combat. ***It was only after Steve bade you goodbye that you realised you still had Loki’s book. “You go on, I have to return this.” You gestured to the book as you picked it up. Steve nodded.
“Be careful Y/N. Loki isn’t a force to be messed with.” He said warningly, eyeing the book. “He won’t remain harmless forever. He smiled a tight smile, turned, and left. You sighed, doubt briefly flashing across your mind, but it had gone before you had even reached Loki’s door. You took a deep breath, and placed the book down on the floor outside his door. You knocked sharply, and as you heard footsteps, you materialised around the corner from Loki’s room, and peeked around the corner as you saw the door handle turn, then open.
Loki stepped out, into the corridor, and you felt your heart jolt in your chest. For once, he wasn’t dressed in royal garb, instead, he was dressed in jeans and a long sleeved shirt, and while it was different, it wasn’t unpleasant. And it suited him. Very much. He looked around quickly, to see who had knocked, before he caught sight of his book. He stooped, and picked it up, before turning it over in his hand. To your amazement, a small, genuine smile flashed across his face. “Y/N Y/L/N...you are an extraordinary being.” He said quietly, before he looked up in the direction you were hiding, and you quickly ducked behind the wall again, your heart beating wildly against your ribs. He thought you were extraordinary. This god, thought you, a mere mortal, were extraordinary. You heard the door to his room close with a snap, and once you checked that he was gone, you slid down the wall, until you were sitting on the floor. You sighed, putting your head in your hands, letting out a slight groan. “Ah! There you are Y/N!” You scrambled to your feet, and you saw Tony walking towards you from the bottom of the stairway that led to the floor you were not really supposed to be on. “What’re you-” You covered his mouth with your hand, gesturing rapidly for him to be quiet, and you both stood in silence, until you were sure Loki wasn’t going to come out of his room and discover you. After a few minutes, Tony pulled your hand away. “Why’d you shush me?” He whispered, before his eyes travelled over to Loki’s closed door. “Ahh.” He scrutinised you for a minute, before he sniggered slightly. “You know, out of all the people to have a thing for, I did not see it being our very own God of Mischief.” “There’s nothing going on between me and Loki.” You hissed at Tony, feeling your face go warm. “I don’t know anything about him, and he just radiates trouble.” You huffed, folding your arms over your chest. “And anyway, even if he wasn’t the most frustrating person I’ve ever met, he wouldn't be interested in a human, he’s a god for heaven’s sake.” You finished glumly, and Tony stared at you for a moment, before patting you on the back sympathetically.“Come on, I made you a suit, and I need you to check it out, because it took me an extremely long time to figure out how to make it so it wouldn't get damaged when you teleport.” He grinned and winked at you as he wrapped an arm around your shoulder, leading you back up the stairs to his lab.
If you had stayed for just a few moments more, you might have heard a familiar chuckle coming from a room not too far from where you and Tony had been having your conversation. Loki turned from where his ear was pressed against the door, and looked down at the book in his hands once more, and the smirk on his face faded into what resembled half a frown, half a scowl. What was a god like him, messing around with a midgardian for? ***You absolutely adored the suit Tony had made for you. It was made from a material that resembled Lycra, but was a bit more...armour-like. It still clung to your body, but there was padding hidden in it to protect you, and other small secrets Tony had shown you. It normally was a dark grey colour, but it shifted colours in the light to fit whatever neutral colour most fit the background you were standing infront of. It was almost like a disillusionment charm that was used in Harry Potter, you thought to yourself as you admired yourself in your bedroom mirror, turning this way and that, grinning at your reflection happily later that day.“It suits you.” You let out a shriek of surprise, turning on the spot, and losing your balance, nearly falling into your mirror, and you would’ve done, if something very solid hadn’t prevented you from falling. “How-what-?” You stammered, as you looked into the eyes of your saviour. Loki pulled you upright, his expression staying neutral, but a flicker of amusement was ever present in his eyes. You swallowed heavily, suddenly feeling very self-conscious in your suit. “How the hell did you get in my room?!” You shoved at his chest slightly. “Who let you in? I could’ve been naked for all you knew, you can’t just magic your way in, there is a door you know, maybe you should-”“I knew you weren’t naked Y/N, there’s no need to blow up on me.” Loki said calmly, eyes trailing over your suit appreciatively, and he smiled mischievously. “That assistant in the walls that Tony has told me if you were decent or not. I may enjoy causing trouble but I’m not about to walk in on a Lady in a compromising position.” He said, eyes sliding back up to your face, and he turned, walking over to your bed, and sitting down, leaning back on his hands. You shuffled uncertainly infront of him, fully aware that his eyes were fixated on you. “So...why did you come into my room unauthorised?” You raised an eyebrow as Loki chuckled under his breath. “You returned my book.” He said simply, tilting his head towards you. When you didn’t move, he indicated the space next to you on your bed. You slowly, hesitantly moved towards him, and you sank into your mattress, feeling your heart sink at his words. Had he heard you and Tony? “I don’t think I’ve ever said ‘thank you’ before, but I am...relatively pleased to have it back.” You blinked at him, before smiling shyly. “Well, I’ll take it as a thank you.” You ducked your head sheepishly. After a few moments of silence, you looked over at Loki, and, almost as though he could sense it, he glanced back at you. “Have you ever seen or read Harry Potter?” You suddenly asked, sitting up straighter, as Loki frowned slightly, looking puzzled. You grinned at him, before leaning down and reaching under your bed, pulling out a box. You placed it on the bed, and opened it, showing a set of DVD’s, and a pile of books. “I normally stand by the rule of reading them first, but I think I should show you the first movie.” Not bothering to wait for Loki’s response, you hopped up and turned on your TV, slotting the DVD in the player, and turned to Loki. “I’m...going to change, this suit is comfy but I have...comfier things. Feel free to make yourself comfortable.” You gestured to him as you pulled out a jumper and loose trousers from a draw, and stepped into your bathroom to change quickly.
Once you came out of the bathroom, you folded up your suit and placed it in an empty drawer, and looked up to see Loki removing his royal jacket, to reveal a loose shirt underneath, and had somehow changed his…rather tight leather trousers into something that resembled sweatpants. He turned at the sound of you closing the drawer, and his eyes slid to your jumper, which had slid off your shoulder to reveal your collarbone, and the expanse of your neck. You cleared your throat awkwardly, and you climbed onto your bed, leaning back against the headboard. You patted the space next to you, and now it was Loki’s turn to move awkwardly across your room to settle onto the bed next to you. “Before we start, take this back to your room after, it’s the first book, but it contains more detail than the film does.” You explained, and handed him your copy of ‘The Philosophers Stone’. “If the book is better, why are we watching the-” Loki began, but you hushed him as the Warner Brothers logo appeared on the screen.“I’m not sitting here for a few hours waiting for you to finish the book.” You whispered, and you made yourself more comfortable as the film started. Loki was silent and unmoving for a minute or two, and then reluctantly leaned back into the pillows as you had. You smiled to yourself as every so often you sneaked glances at Loki, always to find him entranced by the film, and you even heard him chuckle when Harry first encountered Hagrid. So, you turned back to the TV, letting yourself fall into a world that you were so familiar with. ***When the movie had finished, Loki turned to you, but instead of seeing your eager expression as he had expected, he blinked, because you had fallen asleep. He felt a smile creep across his face, and for once, he made no attempt to hide it. He examined the remote control for a moment, then turned the TV off. He picked up the book you gave him, and made his way out of your room, and as he closed your door, he had to admit to himself, that this ‘Harry Potter’ movie was unexpectedly good. Not that he’d ever tell you that.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
You woke up the next morning dazed and confused. You looked at the clock next to your bed and you groaned internally. 6:30am. It must be illegal to wake up this early, you thought to yourself as you rolled out of bed, wrapping yourself in your duvet and lying on your floor, resembling a human burrito. You lay there for a minute or two, then gasped and sat bolt upright. Or as upright as you could sit, as you were now wrapped tightly in your duvet. You wriggled out of the duvet, and looked though the box that held your precious Harry Potter collection. Sure enough, your copy of ‘The Philosopher’s Stone’ was missing, and you smiled to yourself, because you knew exactly where it had gone.After mentally giving yourself a pep talk to get yourself out of bed and up to the conference room, you finally sat down in a chair with all the other Avengers. Well, everyone but Tony, as he had a knack for making a dramatic entrance when it came to meetings. Minutes went by, Clint muttering about how ‘he didn’t have enough caffeine in his body for this’ and Steve had just stood up to go and fetch Tony from wherever he was, when the door burst open, and Tony strode through with a cup of coffee in his hands. “No need to panic everyone, I’m here, I’m still alive!” He beamed around the room, choosing to ignore the ‘unfortunately’ that came from Clint’s direction.“Now that everyone is finally here,” Steve looked pointedly at Tony as he sat down, resting his feet ontop of the table. “We have a new mission. J.A.R.V.I.S, if you may,” Steve stood back, and the screen behind Steve switched on, playing a series of videos. You sat up straighter in your chair, excitement bubbling up inside you.This might be my first ever mission! You thought, having to hide your grin of happiness and slight relief as you could finally prove yourself to the Avengers. You were snapped out of your stupor by Steve’s voice, and you blinked, seeing him staring at you. “Did you hear me?” Steve had a stern expression on his face, but his eyes were twinkling with amusement. You cleared your throat awkwardly, feeling your face burn as Steve grinned. “I was saying, that this will be your first mission, as you will be coming with us this time.” You couldn’t help it, your face split into a wide grin, and you sat back in your chair, satisfied with his statement. “Now, we need to move as soon as possible, so, you have ten minutes to get everything you need, suit up, and we’ll meet in Tony’s lab.” He nodded at everyone, and you stood up along with everyone else, and you made your way back to your room.You got changed, making sure you had everything you needed, grabbing a water bottle for the journey, and you were just about to leave your room when you paused, and turned around. You strode back to your bed, grabbing a book, and jogging back out of your room, closing the door. Before you teleported to Tony’s lab, you closed your eyes, and then you were infront of a familiar door. You breathed in, fidgeting and hesitating before you knocked on the door quickly. You glanced around the hallway, not particularly wanting to be seen near Loki’s room, because you just knew that Tony would never let you live it down. You were just about to leave the book on the floor, infront of Loki’s door when it opened, and there he stood.You swallowed, and your eyes slid over him, because he was currently shirtless, and considering his hair looked wet, you guessed he’d just got out of the shower.“Can I help you?” Loki asked you, and your cheeks went slightly pink as your eyes snapped back up to his face, and watched him as he leaned against the doorframe. “Uh...yes, erm, well, you see we’re about to go on a mission - my first mission if I might add,” You puffed out your chest proudly. “And I don’t know how long we’ll be, so I just wanted to give you this.” You held out the book to him, and after a short moment of hesitation, Loki took it, turning it over in his hands. “And...” You paused, “I wanted to just say goodbye.” Loki looked up from the cover of your book, simply blinking at you. “You know, in case for some reason you came looking for me, not that you would though.” You folded your arms over your chest, feeling awkward and embarrassed. Loki was silent for another moment, before he spoke. “Where are you going?” He asked quietly, eyes leaving yours, sliding back to the book in his hands. “Um…somewhere snowy.” You said lamely, wishing you had actually paid attention when Steve was telling you about where you were going. You smiled sheepishly as Loki rolled his eyes.“And what book is this?” He asked again, taking a small step closer to you, and running a hand through his hair, some of the water running down onto his shoulder, and then down his chest. Your eyes followed it, and you suddenly realised that while Loki was nowhere near as muscly as Thor was, he was definitely toned. And very nice to look at. It must be a sin to be that attractive. You thought to yourself, before Loki cleared his throat pointedly.“Oh! Oh, um, it’s the next book of the Harry Potter series, I didn’t know if you’d finished the first one, and it’s better to read the books before watching the movies if you wanted to watch the second one.” You spoke quickly, pulling out your phone and checking the time. “Well, I’m going to be late and I don’t want to hold the team up, so I’ll…see you around.” You smiled slightly, and when Loki nodded at you in a quiet consent, you turned away to find the others, when you felt Loki grab your hand. You looked at him in surprise, and the world seemed to move in slow motion, as Loki pulled your hand up to his lips, and pressed a kiss to the back of your hand. You felt your mouth go dry, and your entire body seemed to be on fire when he finally pulled away, and your arm swung back to your side.“Do try not to die, Y/N, it wouldn’t give people the best impression of what you can do, and it would be awfully dull around here without you.” He murmured, before gently closing his door as he stepped inside his room.“Y/N? Are you ready?” You heard Natasha’s voice come through the comm that Tony had given you, and you jumped. “Oh, yeah give me like two seconds.” You replied shakily, and, as you promised, two seconds later you had materialised infront of them all, and when Steve nodded at you all, which was a signal to follow him, you left your phone on Tony’s table along with everyone else’s. ***You know, the Avengers really weren’t given enough credit, you thought to yourself, as you hid behind a wall, while guns were being fired in every direction around you. Here you were, risking your life for the citizens of this good earth, and still there were people who complained about you all, said you were a danger to the world. True, but we aren’t as dangerous as the people we’re saving you from. You tried to catch your breath as you peeked around the corner, and, seeing the coast was somewhat clear, you materialised to Tony’s side. “So, what exactly are we achieving by dodging bullets apart from not dying?” You asked, ducking every now and then to avoid a stray bullet. “Well, Cap’s going after the main guy, and we’re just giving him enough time so that he can get the information he needs and maybe even get rid of the guy totally.” Tony held out his suit-covered hand, and fired, hitting someone who just shot at the both of you, knocking him off his feet.“You know, as much as I feel like I could die at any minute, I’m really glad I get to go on a mission with you guys.” You said cheerfully, picking up a gun off the floor, and once you checked that it was still loaded, you took careful aim at a corner in which you knew there were enemies waiting to fire, and you pulled the trigger, once, twice, three times, and then the bullets ran out, so you threw the gun away, but you knew you wouldn’t be needing it anymore so it didn’t matter.You heard Clint snort through the comms, and heard Tony laugh, his voice slightly distorted through his faceplate. You grinned, before you began teleporting throughout the room, gathering all the bodies in one spot, and rounding up the guns. “Okay guys, we’re free to go, I’ve got everything I need.” Steve’s voice crackled through the comms, and Natasha confirmed his response from another part of the Hydra base they had infiltrated.“Affirmative, nothing useful here, Clint and I have raided this entire section, nothing we can make of it.” She said, and Clint chimed in his agreement. You zoned out of their conversation as you look round a wall into a deserted corridor, and you were just about to turn away when something moved out of the corner of your eye. “Hey guys, I think there’s something down here, I’m gonna check it out.” You moved down the corridor slowly, looking about for the thing that moved. “Hello? Anyone here?” You asked, feeling a chill go up your spine, but you shook it off, deciding it was nothing. You were just turning around when you heard something rolling across the floor. You whipped around, looking down at the floor, and you felt your blood run cold with fear.“Grenade!” You shrieked, and, somehow forgetting you could teleport, started to run back up the hallway, before the world around you exploded, amidst the yells and screams from the other Avengers as you heard them running towards you. You felt yourself being launched through the air, giant pieces of flying rubble bashing against you, and you felt them slicing through your suit, scratching and tearing your skin as you slammed, dazed, into a wall, but you still had enough sense to curl up into a ball, and shield your head from further rubble.When what remained of the hallway around you stopped moving, you emerged from your human shell, and stood up gingerly, wincing. You looked down to see a large gash stretching across your arm, and several smaller cuts on your legs too, and there were probably a few on your face too. You were just getting to grips with what happened, when you heard multiple footsteps approaching you, and panicked voices.“Lady Y/N!” Thor’s worried voice boomed across the wrecked building. “Are you alright?” He asked, and Steve reached you first, and immediately began checking you over, grimacing at each of the gashes on you.“I’m fine,” You said, coughing from the clouds of dust that surrounded you. “A bit sore, but it’s nothing serious.” You paused, and grinned sheepishly at Clint’s exasperated look. “She’ll be fine, I can patch up some things on the Quinjet on the way back.” Natasha spoke up, circling around you, examining your injuries. “Come on then Y/N, we should definitely go now.” You gripped Steve’s arm as you used him to support you as you climbed over the rubble to get back to your ship. ***When you finally got back to Stark tower, you were immediately whisked away to Bruce’s lab, where he treated your injuries as best as he could, even having to stitch a few gashes up. He made you sit still while he wrapped parts of your body in bandages, and when he was satisfied, he sent you back to your room. You groaned in relief as you opened the door, and all you wanted to do was to flop onto your bed and sleep for about three days straight. But, before doing so, you had to get properly out of your suit. So, you had started to try and peel the suit off without moving any of the bandages that Bruce had fixed onto you, when someone knocked on your door. “Come in, the door’s open!” You called out hoarsely, turning around to greet your visitor as you struggled with your suit, trying not to rip your stitches. “I take it you mission was a success?” Your head shot up so fast that your neck cracked, and you flinched at the sound. Loki stepped into your room, a smirk on his face, but when you straightened up, giving up on your fruitless attempts to take off your suit, his smirk faded, his eyes filling with something akin to concern. “…What happened?” He asked, closing the door behind him. He crossed the room in a few strides, trying to act nonchalant, before he was stood infront of you.“Uh…grenade..?” You managed to get out, but it sounded more like a question. Loki made a small noise at the back of his throat, and he brought his hands up, gently touching your suit near the stitch on your left arm. “I could actually use your help to get out of my suit.” You tilted your head up to look at him, forcing your face to remain blush-free at the request.To your surprise, Loki didn’t make a smart comment or smirk at your request, he simply nodded curtly, and moved around behind you. He started to undo the zip at the side, and gently began to slide the suit off your shoulders hesitantly. Once he saw you were actually wearing a vest top under your suit, he moved more confidently, helping you pull your arms out of the sleeves. You smiled at him, before you cautiously held onto his shoulder as you stepped out of the suit, revealing that you were wearing leggings under your suit as well.“Thank you.” You said gently, turning to face him as you put the suit away. “How did you know I was back?” You asked, tilting your head to the side.
“Thor told me.” Loki said, and now that he had helped you out of your suit, he looked rather awkward with nothing else to do. “I uh…finished the book by the way.” He leaned against your drawers, his unblinking eyes fixated on you. “The first book?” You asked, raising an eyebrow, impressed.“No, the second one.” Loki smiled slightly, and reached down and picked up a bag by his feet that you hadn’t noticed before. He pulled out the two books and handed them to you. You took them, flicking through them briefly. “Time goes slowly when you’re alone.” Loki spoke quietly, and your eyes met his as you looked up from the books. “I’ve learnt that the hard way.” You stared at him for a moment, and then you turned, and you took something out of the DVD player, and put something else in, before turning the TV on. You then walked back to Loki, and you held his wrist, gently tugging at it until he moved, and then you led him over to the bed, and you made to climb onto it, but you almost cried out in pain as you tried to kneel ontop of your duvet.“Stop it, you’ll hurt yourself.” Loki murmured, and you looked up at him, eyes filled with pain, and the next thing he did nearly made you pass out from shock. He placed one hand on your back, and slid the other under your leg, swinging you up, and into his arms. You weren’t there for long, because he put you down on your bed with gentleness that you didn’t know he possessed. He walked around the other side of the bed, pausing to turn the main light off, and then getting onto your bed, and you realised that he wasn’t wearing shoes. He must’ve walked here in socks then, you thought, before shaking your head mentally. Why on earth were you noticing things like shoes? The second ‘Harry Potter’ film started playing, but something was different in the room’s atmosphere. This time Loki was way more visibly relaxed, and then there was the fact that he had sat closer to you than he had done before, so close that if you reached out your hand you could touch him easily. Neither of you spoke while the movie was playing, but at some point his left hand had moved closer to your side, and by the movie reached the halfway point, your hands were so close that if your fingers so much as twitched, you would be touching him. You tried to ignore the fact that you felt as though your heart had skipped a beat at this news, but you felt your breathing stutter, and out of the corner of your eye you saw Loki glance over at you, not as quick as a glance but not long enough to count as a stare. You felt exhausted, your limbs aching from slamming into a wall, and your stitches hurt and so did all the little cuts on your legs and face, but the thought of being near Loki seemed to take away some of the pain, as cheesy as that sounded. As you reached the part in the film where Harry and Ron discover Hermione was petrified, you heard Loki suck in his breath slightly, and you saw him shift against the headboard, and you thought for a minute, and then the inner voice in your head said, fuck it. You moved your hand ever so slightly, and as you predicted, you felt your hand brush against Loki’s. It felt like your hand burned as you touched him, and your breath hitched, and you heard Loki do the same, and then, before you knew it, his hand was moving too, so your fingers were just barely intertwined, but to you, it felt like everything. If your brain wasn’t racing with a confusing amount of emotions, you’d probably be wearing a shit-eating grin, but when you looked over at Loki, he was very obviously trying to hide a smile. You settled for that, and the two of you watched the rest of the film in silence, both your hearts racing, and your fingers stayed loosely locked together until long after the film had ended.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Drinking a load of coffee before going to bed probably wasn’t the best idea, you thought to yourself as you padded around Tony’s kitchen in your pyjamas. You wandered over to the counter, where Tony kept his various coffee machines and kettles Tony kept, and picked up a kettle, filling it with water from the tap. You hummed to yourself as you rummaged through cupboards to find some teabags. Tony had bought the same ones you used to use before coming to the tower at your request, and tea was just the thing to help you get to sleep. You set the kettle to boil, and looked around the kitchen as you waited for the water to boil.It had been a few weeks since the whole ‘holding hands’ incident with Loki, and you thought the two of you had grown closer, so close that you could happily call each other friends. Everyone else apart from Thor stayed as far away from Loki as possible, especially Clint. But even he grudgingly admitted that you had made an impact on Loki, because Thor was actually allowed in his room now, for many hours at a time.So, you could have called each other friends until quite recently actually. For the past few days nobody had heard anything from Loki, not even Thor. There was some sort of charm around Loki’s door that prevented you from entering Loki’s room, so teleportation was a no-go. F.R.I.D.A.Y. was also quiet on the matter of Loki, because he had apparently told her not to speak to anyone who inquired about him. You didn’t understand what you’d done wrong, and it had to be you who’d done something as you spent the most time with Loki. You were snapped out of your thoughts by the sound of the kettle switching off, and you absentmindedly made yourself a cup of tea, and, with a little more digging around you found a few packets of biscuits that were suitable for tea-dipping. You tucked the biscuits under your arm, and held your tea securely in the other, and made your way out of the kitchen. It wasn’t a wise idea to teleport with a hot drink, unless it had a lid over it, so you took the long way back up to your room.As you were currently on the fourth floor where the kitchen was situated, it wouldn’t take too long to get to your room as it was on the sixth floor. Tony would have made you take the lift, but you preferred to take a quieter route by walking.As you made it to the fifth floor, you were about to walk up another flight of stairs when you happened to glance in the direction of Loki’s door. He was awake, as there was a light shining under the door, and you frowned slightly, turning back. It’s late to be awake even for Loki, you wondered, as you moved a little closer to the door. You simply stared at the door for a minute, before looking down at the tea in your hand. If tea helps me get to sleep, no reason it won’t work for Loki, you thought, before tip-toeing towards the door. You placed the cup of tea down on the ground infront of Loki’s door, and then placed a packet of biscuits (actual biscuits not what American’s call biscuits which are scones most of the time) next to the tea. That was a feat in itself because the packaging containing biscuits is the loudest thing in the world.Keeping a packet of biscuits and deciding to go back to the kitchen to get more tea for yourself, you reached out and gently knocked a few times on the door, before hurriedly moving towards the staircase to watch. A few seconds went by, and then you heard Loki’s footsteps growing closer to his door. Once you saw the door handle turn, you teleported at the last second to your room, and stood in the silence for a moment, half-wishing you’d stayed, but you knew Loki would be less likely to accept the tea if you were at the door. Sighing, you put the biscuits down on your bed, and stretched, before once more making your way back down to the kitchen.***The next morning, the rest of the Avengers had gathered in the kitchen, not for a meeting, but because Steve had been cooking bacon, and the smell had caused everyone to drift to the kitchen, so poor Steve ended up cooking a lot more bacon than he had made to start with. As you were sat on a countertop, happily eating your bacon, the peaceful atmosphere was somewhat disturbed by the appearance of Thor as he opened the door with a bit too much vigour. “Where is Lady Y/N?” Thor boomed, and, looking around the room he saw you waving shyly in his direction. He smiled widely at you, and strode over to you. Even when you were sitting on a counter he towered over you. “What’s up Thor?” You asked, putting your plate aside as you looked up at him.“I have a small favour to ask of you, Y/N.” Thor said, and an unusually serious look appeared on his face. You sat up straighter, and gestured for him to continue. “As I’m sure you’re aware, my brother has confined himself to his room these past few days, with no word as to why he has done so.” You looked away guiltily, but then you asked; “So what do you want me to do about it?” You hopped off the counter, and folded your arms.“Well, he doesn’t listen to me when I try to talk to him, and because you were the one who brought us closer together, he might listen to you.” At your doubtful look, he raised his hands in slight surrender. “I know that we’ve tried to talk to him before, Y/N, and I know it hasn’t worked. But as annoying as Loki is, he’s my brother, and I’m not leaving him alone forever.”After a few seconds of debating internally, you nodded in agreement. “Okay. Okay, I’ll talk to him Thor, but if he hasn’t spoken to me so far, there’s no reason for him to talk to me now.” You sighed, rubbing a hand over your face. “Also I need to get dressed, so I’ll meet you on Loki’s floor.” Thor’s cloudy expression cleared at your words, and he flashed a brilliant smile your way, and as you passed him he clapped his hand down on your shoulder so hard you nearly crumpled under the force. Out of the corner of your eyes, you saw Clint choke on his coffee at the sight of you, and Natasha looked disdainfully at her friend as you teleported out of the kitchen.When you were changed, as promised, you met Thor outside Loki’s room, and you stood awkwardly for a moment, until Thor spoke up. “I don’t think you quite realise the impact you’ve had on my brother, Y/N.” You met Thor’s gaze, surprised. “You convinced him to open up to me, and he hasn’t wanted to talk to me in years. If anyone can make him open that door, it’s you.” “You have too much faith in me Thor.” You smiled sadly at him, slightly overwhelmed by the compliment he’d given you. “But I’ll give it my best shot!” Your smile brightened a bit.“Best shot?” Thor frowned slightly. “Please don’t shoot my brother Lady Y/N, I don’t want him dead.”You snorted slightly, shaking your head. “No Thor, it’s a figure of speech.” You giggled slightly at his reaction. “But seriously Thor, I’ll do my best with Loki. But you should probably go, as I don’t think he’d open the door if you were here too.”Thor nodded, and after wishing you good luck, he turned on his heel and headed back downstairs to the kitchen, where he’d probably beg Steve to make him some bacon. You turned back to face Loki’s door, took a deep breath, and knocked on Loki’s door. Seconds passed, then you heard a muffled voice call out: “Go away Thor, you oaf! I’m not letting you in, so get it through your thick skull that I want to be left alone.”“It’s not Thor, Loki.” You called gently, fidgeting with the hem of your shirt. There was an even longer silence this time, and when Loki didn’t reply, you spoke again. “Can you open the door, Loki? It’s weird talking to a door.” You kept your tone light, but it didn’t seem to have a great effect to Loki’s mood.“Why are you here? Haven’t I also told you that I want to be left alone?” Loki sounded angry, but underneath the anger he was obviously hurting. “Leave me be, mortal. I have no business with you.”You blinked, hurt washing over you at his cold tone. Why was he acting like this? Had the past weeks meant nothing to him? “No, Loki.” Your voice was stronger, more determined when you spoke. “You’ve been hidden away for too long, and it isn’t the same without you here.” You rested the palm of your hand against the door. “I miss you.” You said quietly.Following your words, there was more silence, and just when you were about to give up, the door clicked open, seemingly of its own accord. You expected to see Loki on the other side, having used magic to open the door, but you were greet by an empty entrance. You stepped inside the room, gently pushing the door open so the light from the hallway flooded in. It was dark inside Loki’s room, but he had a small lamp on by his bed, where you could see his silhouette as he sat, hunched over on the edge of the bed.“Loki?” You asked quietly, fumbling about in the dim light to find the light switch. Upon switching the light on, you turned it down so it wasn’t at the setting that would make you go blind, and you approached Loki’s bed. Halfway across the room, you stumbled slightly, and looking down you saw that Loki’s bedroom floor was covered in clothes and books that looked as though they had been thrown haphazardly onto the floor. That wasn’t like Loki at all, he was normally so neat, and never had a hair out of place, you noted as you took in your surroundings properly. “Are you okay?” You asked, as you gingerly made your way over to Loki. “What do you think, Y/N?” Loki said snappishly, turning his head so he was looking at you out of the corner of his eye.“Yeah, that was a stupid question.” You admitted, Loki making a small noise of agreement. Well at least he’s talking to me again, you sighed internally, finally coming to sit next to him. You shifted so that you weren’t sitting too close to him, as you knew he was a bit touchy about personal space. “But we need to talk, Loki.” You said seriously, and when you received no reply, you sighed. “You can’t avoid me forever.”Loki straightened up slightly, and turned so you could see half of his face in the lamplight. Your heart broke at the sight of him. His face was as closed off as ever, and it was impossible to make out any emotion if you simply glanced at him. His eyes, however, were a completely different story. They held such sadness, and anger and fear, so much so that it made you want to reach out and pull him into a hug and never let him go.“I…have decided to hide myself away from those who would be in danger if they got too close to me.” Loki admitted, sounding reluctant. “All my life, I’ve known I wasn’t like other people, Y/N. I have always been the outsider, always been unwanted. Even Odin didn’t want me, and he saved my life when I was a mere child.”You stared at Loki as his hidden emotions finally spilled out, and your eyes widened in slight surprise as he mentioned Odin. “He saved you?” You asked, frowning slightly. “I mean, uh,” You stammered as Loki turned to face you fully. “Thor told me you were adopted a while ago, but were you really in that much danger as a baby?” You asked, moving closer to Loki on the bed.Loki looked away at your words, and drew in a ragged breath. “Y/N I was born a monster. I always have been, and will be the monster that children believe is under their bed.”“Loki I’ve told you that you aren’t a monster, you know it isn’t true-” You began to protest, but you weren’t able to finish your sentence before Loki snapped.“Isn’t it? How would you know, Y/N? You’re mortal, you have no idea what I’ve had to live with, to suffer with all these years, while all my idiot brother had to deal with was how his hair looked, and what Lady he would woo next.” He spat, and he was suddenly on his feet, and for a moment, you could see why people could be so afraid of him. “You will never be safe around me! I already lost my mother because I was a fool, and I won’t lose any more people because of who I am!” His voice cracked on the last word, and a ringing silence followed. Loki rested his head in his hands, facing away from you, as you felt your heart racing with the sheer amount of hatred behind his words that Loki had for himself. When it was clear to you that Loki would not (or could not) face you, you stood up, and when you stood close enough to Loki, you reached out to rest your hand on one of his arms.“Loki, you are not a monster.” You said quietly. “I’ve known you for a couple of months, and you’re nothing like a monster.” When Loki made a noise that could have resembled a snort in happier times, you continued quickly. “You’ve shown me that you’re so much more than people think you are. You’re full of emotions, just like everyone else; I’ve seen you laugh, I’ve seen you get so mad at TV shows you’ve thrown food everywhere, and you’ve even spoken to Thor recently.” You received no reply to this, so you squeezed his arm gently. “But you’re right. I don’t understand who you choose to hide away from the rest of the world. So show me.” You pleaded, and at last he turned to face you fully, removing his hands from his face.Seeing Loki’s face, you automatically reached out to him, cautiously taking one of his hands in yours. He stared at you for what seemed like an age, until you felt the hand that was holding Loki’s grow cold. Puzzled, you looked down, and gasped. Loki’s hand was turning blue. The most beautiful blue you’d ever seen, and it washed over his pale skin, disappearing under his sleeve. Your eyes flickered back up to his face, in time to see that slowly turn blue as well, and his eyes turn a brilliant red, that contrasted with his usual eye colour. He was a frost giant. You’d only read about them in mythology books, but they were so, so real.Fascinated, you reached up with your free hand, and touched his face lightly, and you heard a sharp intake of breath, and Loki’s eyelids fluttered at your touch. “You look nothing like a monster, Loki.” You whispered, eyes trailing over his appearance. “You look…beautiful.” You flushed a bright red at the confession, and Loki’s expression turned to one of utter shock. The two of you stood still for a moment, before his skin started to fade back to its usual pale colour. Once Loki had returned to his normal appearance, you let go of his hand, (very reluctantly) and cleared your throat slightly.“I…um…” You wracked your brain frantically for something to break the silence, and your eyes fell upon the clothes on the floor. “I think…we should probably do something about your room.” You said distractedly, reaching down to pick up one of Loki’s discarded shirts. Standing back up, you met Loki’s eyes, and clutched his shirt nervously. “Just so that it’s tidier in here, because it’s easier to think in a clean room, and it might help you-” You trailed off at the expression on Loki’s face. “Or we could leave it, you know, whatever you want t-”Your sentence was cut off by Loki, as he closed the gap between you, kissing you so suddenly you forgot who you were for a minute. The kiss itself lasted for a few seconds, but you stood absolutely still when he pulled away. The two of you gazed at each other, before you both moved at the same time, like two different worlds colliding. One of Loki’s hands came up to cup your cheek, while the other slid to the small of your back, pressing you impossibly close to him, while you wrapped your arms around his neck, holding onto him as if you’d lose him if you let him go. The kiss was gentle, but filled with emotion that the two of you had been holding back for months. Months of tension and tiptoeing around each other were being released in this moment, and you never wanted it to end. But it did, and the moments after that were a blur. It was left unsaid that you loved each other, as it wasn’t needed. You did however, tell Loki to get in the shower or you wouldn’t kiss him ever again because he needed a shower. (And if you also wanted to see him shirtless and it collided with his shower you weren’t complaining.) But Loki apologised to Thor for shutting him out, although you had to step in when Thor hugged Loki so hard you thought Loki’s bones might break. Later on in life you would look back on the way you ‘confessed your love’ for each other and laugh at how stupid the two of you were, but for now you two were content with the way you were. But you did get to say ‘I told you so’ to Loki, and at his confused look, you grinned and said it was for all those times you told him he wasn’t a monster.So you did tell him 'I told you so', but not how you originally planned it to be said.