#because earlier he asked a question and ODIN IGNORED IT COMPLETELY

[worstloki]

To get you ranting again, explain how loki was abused by Odin please

bold of you to expect a rant

[wrenhyperfixates]

Loki Odinson’s Guide on How to Woo a Noble

Chapter 2: The Feeling of Friendship

Pairing: Loki x reader Summary: Now that Loki made a good first impression, you became fast friends. Determined to get a day out of the palace, you and Loki sneak into the nearby village for some fun. Warnings: fluff, fluff, and fluff (did I mention fluff?) A/N: Just more young Loki and his crush. There’s references to the first chapter in this, but I realized you could probably read it as a oneshot if you really wanted. Anyway, one more chapter to go in my first attempt at a miniseries. As always, my lovely readers, I hope you enjoy :) Chapter 1 | Chapter 3 | Epilogue

Disclaimer: Gif not mine

About a month after that night in the gardens, Loki once again found himself brooding in a tree. This time, however, it had nothing to do with you. Odin had left earlier that morning for a diplomatic mission to Alfheim, taking only one of his sons with him. Needless to say, it wasn’t Loki. The young god couldn’t fathom his father’s decision to bring Thor and not him when his brother was so reckless and brutish. Deep down, Loki knew it was because the Allfather was grooming his eldest to take the throne, but it wasn’t fair. Loki was still in the running to become king, but he’d never win if he wasn’t given the same opportunities as that oaf.

Loki sighed. He was aware of the fact that it wasn’t Thor’s fault he’d been left behind, but he still felt angry at his brother. After all, it was doubtful he spoke up on Loki’s behalf. With nothing else to do, Loki began to practice the latest spell his mother had taught him. Focusing on the energy in the air, he pictured what he wanted to happen. One deep breath later, he’d successfully produced a ball of light in his hand, a trick that would be useful the next time he was sneaking around in the servant passages. The next part was considerably harder to accomplish as it required much more control, but Loki was determined to feel like he was good at something. Slowly, he produced the desired effect, and the light began to pulse in his hands.

“Hey, Loki! Come down here!” you called, pulling him from his fixation on his spell and causing the light to fade away.

“Hello,” he replied, swinging off the branch he was seated on with impressive agility. “How did you know where to find me?”

“Simple. I just followed the pulsating ball of light. Not to mention you seem to have a thing for sitting in trees.”

You both laughed at that, and he felt a light blush color his cheeks. After the stargazing, Loki assumed that you’d be friendly to him when you passed each other in the halls of the palace, but was pleasantly surprised when it went beyond that. You’d begun to actively seek him out and, sure enough, had found him in a tree quite a few times. He wasn’t exactly sure when that habit started. He just knew that it was one of the best places to avoid people. Luckily, you happened to look up often. Or, perhaps, you were specifically searching for him among the twisted branches. Either way, the fact that you initiated conversations gave Loki the confidence to do the same. Soon, walks in the garden became a weekly occurrence. He was certain no one else knew yet, for if they did, it would surely be the subject of much gossip. Not to say that you were actually courting each other, though. It was merely friendship.

“Fair enough, I suppose. Where are you going?” he inquired, noticing the cloak you wore over suspiciously casual clothing.

“I think the better question is where are we going?”

“Ok, fine. You still haven’t answered the question, though,” he persisted as you started off down the path.

“Into town, obviously. Which reminds me, you’ll be needing this.”

You pulled out another cloak from a satchel that was hidden by the flowing cashmere fabric of your own. You were met with a hesitant look from Loki when you held it out to him.

“Are you sure about this? It seems ill-advised that we go out unaccompanied. Besides, that might clash with my outfit,” he mused, examining the cloak.

“Relax. We’ll be fine,” you reassured him. “Plus, the whole point is that we’ll look inconspicuous. No one will even notice what you’re wearing. Not to mention you look good in anything.”

You slapped a hand over your mouth once the words you’d just said registered in your mind. Though you hadn’t meant to say that last part out loud, it was exactly the push Loki needed to agree. Anyway, he never could resist a chance to stir up a little mischief. Walking side-by-side, the two of you made sure to stay quiet as to avoid detection from someone who could stop your plans. Eventually, you reached the wall surrounding the palace, but much to Loki’s confusion, not the part where the gate was.

“You are aware that there is no exit here, correct?” he inquired, though he was certain that you had some trick up your sleeve.

“Haha, very funny. This is where you come into play. Can you magic us out of here?”

Loki frowned for two reasons. For one, he wasn’t confident enough in his ability to get one person to the other side, let alone two. For another, what if that was the only reason you’d invited him to tag along? Not only would that mean you didn’t actually want his company, but he was also positive he’d let you down.

“If that is the only reason you have asked me to come along, I apologize, but I will have to disappoint you. Teleportation is not exactly my strong suit,” he admitted, eyes locked on the ground.

“Loki, gosh, I thought you knew. I seek you out because I like spending time with you. If you’re really not comfortable using your magic, that’s ok,” you consoled him as you stepped closer. “We can figure something else out. I do believe in you, though. All you have to do is get us to the other side of the wall, not into the village or anything like that.”

Loki bit his lip and stole a quick glance at you. He felt ashamed that he’d let his insecurities show to you, of all people. But, ignoring that for a minute, it felt good to hear you say you enjoyed his companionship. And you believed in him and his ability, which was another rare thing. Now, he had practiced teleportation before with some success. Well, that is, if you could count moving two inches as success. The wall before him was, what, nine maybe ten feet? Then he’d have to add an extra foot or two to ensure a safe landing. You were looking at him expectantly, already forming a plan in your mind in case you had to get past the guards.

“I can do it,” Loki decided, shaking out his doubts and squaring his shoulders.

“Perfect!” you squealed in delight. “Ok, let’s do this.”

“Just a couple of things if this is going to work. We need to stand as close to the wall as possible. And well, um, we are going to have to hold hands,” he added sheepishly.

“Oh! I-I mean, yeah. Of course. If that’s uh, a thing that has to happen then, sure. Yeah,” you rambled and looked away as you offered him your hand.

Once you interlocked fingers, Loki grinned at the familiar feeling. It took him right back to that perfect night that had led to this moment. Though he never knew why, Loki had always run on the cold side, so the warmth emanating from your palm was extremely welcome. He offered you a shy smile, which you returned with an encouraging one. He shut his eyes and furrowed his brows. You were careful not to make a noise, understanding the intense concentration he’d need to accomplish this task, something that he appreciated.

Loki started just as his mother had taught him, picturing the place he was trying to get to. He imagined the lush, green grass on the other side of the obstacle keeping you from your destination. Next, he focused on the distance he needed to travel. Once he had a clear image in his mind, the young god took a deep breath and prepared to complete his most impressive feat to date. That is, if he could actually accomplish it. A gentle feeling of wind passed by him, accompanied by the tingling sensation of his magic.

“Loki! You did it,” you cheered, pulling your hand away from his to throw a hug around his shoulders.

He slowly opened his eyes and embraced you, too. Now that he’d succeeded, he allowed himself to acknowledge the fact that, had he messed up, you could both be dead right now. Needless to say, the thought caused him to shake a little. That was soon replaced, though, when he realized that you were still hugging each other. You must have also noticed because you pulled away and nervously shifted your weight from side to side.

“We should probably get going now,” you said, starting to walk in the direction of the village.

Loki nodded and followed you with a dorky grin on his face. He was starting to be thankful that his father left him in Asgard. Unfortunately, remembering that did sour his mood, but he did his best to hide it. After all, he didn’t want to ruin his time with you. He’d almost entirely forgotten about it by the time you reached the houses on the edge of town. The two of you pulled up the hoods of your cloaks and joined the flow of people in the streets. That was when Loki realized he had no idea what exactly you planned on doing here.

“Well, what now?” he whispered to you, eyes shifting from side to side, expecting to be caught any second.

“Now, we shop! And don’t look so nervous, we’ll be fine.”

Eyes shining with excitement, you grabbed Loki by the wrist and pulled him into the busy marketplace. For once in his life, Loki decided to relax and enjoy himself. Besides, it’s not like anyone would be paying attention to him. As far as they knew, he was just another common kid running around. Granted, he might look a little more lost than anyone else milling in the streets. From the way you expertly navigated in the crowd, Loki could tell this was not the first time you’d been here. It wouldn’t surprise him if you also snuck out when your family spent time in your manor, which was even closer to the village than the palace was.

There were many potent perfumes and scented oils at the booths of the market square, filling the air with their heavenly aromas. They were starting to make Loki’s head feel a little foggy by the time you finally paused in front of a stall that sold candles, examining their wares. You were tapping your chin with the most adorable contemplative look on your face. The way the light was glimmering in your eyes completely transfixed Loki for a minute before he regained his senses and pointedly looked away before you could catch him staring. It was then that an item at the next booth over grabbed his attention.

“I will just be over there for a second,” he informed you, pointing at his destination.

“Ok, I’ll be done here in a minute. Don’t get lost without me,” you teased.

After squeezing through the mob of people that separated the two booths, Loki stopped and got the attention of the clerk.

“I would like that bracelet please, my good sir,” he said, gesturing to the one he wanted.

It was a thin gold band that, upon closer inspection, was designed as a snake with its tail in its mouth. A single emerald that served as the eye of the serpent was set in the medal. It was as if it was made for the sole purpose of Loki being able to present it to you. Unfortunately, the salesman did not share the same point of view.

“I’m sure you would, sonny, but how ’bout we find something more in your price range.”

He laughed then and gestured to the brightly colored, obviously cheap jewelry made of beads and string. Loki became indignant at the comment. Not only did this man think he’d be gormless enough to ask for something he couldn’t afford, but he also indicated that Loki had poor taste by suggesting he would like such an ostentatious accessory that was only fit for children and street performers. It took all his energy not to place a hex on him or reveal himself as a prince of Asgard. Instead, he quickly eyed the price tag and then emptied a pouch of gold coins that had enough money and then some.

“Believe me, it is, what was it you said? Oh yes, ‘in my price range.’”

Between the haughty, mocking tone of voice Loki used and the seemingly endless bag of riches, the clerk was left standing with his mouth agape. He eagerly inspected the coins, wanting them to be real but not quite believing it. Satisfied that he wasn’t being duped, and having no good reason to accuse Loki otherwise, the man handed over the bracelet in an ornate box.

“Will that be all, sir?” he asked, still not entirely trusting what just happened.

“Yes. Thank you,” Loki replied, pleased with the new respect in the man’s tone.

Spying you working your way through the throng, he went to meet you halfway. Based on your empty hands, it seemed that you’d decided not to purchase anything after all. On account of how noisy your surroundings were, Loki decided to wait until you’d made your way out of the market to present his gift to you.

“So, what did you get?” you questioned once it was quiet enough.

“Well, it is for you, actually.”

Loki opened the box and showed you the trinket. Now that he’d done it, there was no taking it back, but he suddenly became very self-conscious. Was it even appropriate for him to get you a gift if you were not courting? He was sure that his tutors would disapprove, but it was just hindsight now, and there was simply nothing he could do. The worst part, though, was that you’d yet to say anything. Rather, you were just standing there with a surprised look decorating your features.

“Of course you do not have to accept it if you do not like it,” Loki added somewhat dejectedly. “Or for any other reason, either.”

“Loki,” you breathed out in a soft voice. “It’s beautiful. Thank you so much.”

The sincerity in your eyes chased away any lingering doubt he still had. Carefully, he picked up the bracelet and slid it onto your outstretched wrist. It was a perfect fit, and Loki’s skin tingled with magnetic energy from where it brushed yours. For a minute, neither of you said anything and instead just got lost in the other’s eyes. And then you were interrupted by a growl from your stomach.

“I, um, I guess I’m hungry. You?” you stammered, sheepishly fidgeting.

“Absolutely famished,” he replied, hoping to alleviate some of your embarrassment. “Well, I suppose we should be heading back to the palace then.”

“Are you kidding me? The best food is right here in town! Come on, I’ll show you.”

With that, you were once again bobbing and weaving through the crowds. Finally, you came to a cart emitting a delicious scent. After a short wait on line, you ordered some laufabrauð and urrädla for you and Loki to share. The crispy, fried dough treats were light and delightful on the tongue. Loki hummed in joy at the pleasurable taste.

“See, what did I tell you?”

“Well, it is delicious, I’ll give you that. But better than what is served at the palace? I think you are crazy,” he said with a friendly laugh.

“Maybe. But you like crazy, don’t you, God of Mischief?” you teased right back.

Loki once again found himself blushing. He hoped you did not know too well just how right you were. At least, when it was applied to you. The clever remark Loki was preparing died on his tongue as he noticed a pair of royal guards approaching where you stood. You looked over your shoulder, following his gaze, and saw them, too.

“It’s probably fine,” you said. “They’re just walking in this general direction, right?”

“Perhaps,” he responded, though something about their urgent gait did not sit right with him.

The Einherjar were doing their best to avoid looking at the pair of young nobles but kept glancing at you to make sure you hadn’t bolted. Unfortunately for them, you both noticed, and with a small nod to each other, you took off, trying to lose them in the crowds. Though Loki had received training for battle, even his nimble feet couldn’t keep up with yours,  experienced in traveling the busy streets. When you noticed he was falling behind, you seized his hand without thinking about it. Sadly, it did more harm than good because Loki couldn’t focus on his footing when your fingers were interlocked with his.

Finally, you found a stack of boxes to hide behind. You dove down, pulling Loki behind you. Thinking you’d lost the guards, you both dared to peek out to make sure. After identifying their retreating forms, you and Loki descended into a fit of giggles. Unfortunately, you were too busy laughing to notice the figure approaching you.

“What are you two doing away from the palace? Running around unsupervised, no less.”

Your chuckles came to an abrupt stop. Looking up, you saw Heimdall standing over you, arms crossed and eyebrows raised. Loki was pretty sure that was a rhetorical question, and that he’d be in deep trouble even if it wasn’t. You shot him a concerned look to which he responded with a shrug of his shoulders.

“Oh, wow. You’re right. This isn’t the palace,” you ventured, playing dumb. “Did you notice, Loki?”

“I had absolutely no idea! How confounding, don’t you agree?”

You nodded along, saying, “Indeed. Well, I suppose we should be heading back, now. Thank you, Heimdall, for alerting us.”

You and Loki started heading back in the direction of the palace, though neither of you actually had the intention of returning yet. You’d already started quietly giggling between yourselves, but it was cut off by a loud, exasperated sigh from the all-seeing god.

“It is no problem at all. Since we are all returning to the palace, we can walk together.”

You and Loki had no choice but to agree, and so you sullenly started your walk back, for real this time. The young prince was beginning to be annoyed by having his time with you cut short. It happened far too often, in his opinion. When he risked a glance at you, though, you were smiling.

“Don’t look so upset,” you whispered, elbowing him in the side. “I still had a good time.”

“Me too. And,” he whispered back, lowering his voice even further, “I rather think that we will have to do this again.”

You nodded, eyes lighting up in excitement. It made Loki’s heart flutter in his chest. The whispering continued all the way back to the palace. Once you’d reentered the gates, Lupus came running up to you.

“Hi boy!” you greeted the wolf pup, bending down to pet him. “Did you miss me?”

Loki bent down to pat your pet on the head, which was met with a lick on his face. He sputtered as Lupus’s tongue caught him right on the mouth, earning a laugh from you. It was then that your mother’s maid came rushing up to you.

“There you are!” she exclaimed. “Your parents are looking for you. Come along now, best not to keep them waiting.”

She grabbed you by the arm to whisk you away, and you helplessly waved goodbye to Loki, Lupus running behind you. He waved back and stared wistfully off into the direction of your abrupt exit. The light caught the golden bracelet hugging your wrist, and he couldn’t help but break out into a huge grin.  Heimdall, who was not about to let Loki off the hook so easily after his little escapade, cleared his throat, bringing the young god back to reality.

“Alright, fine. I apologize,” Loki conceded, though it was quite hard for him. Then a bit more nervously, he added, “You will not tell my father, will you?”

“You know I am required to report any significant events to your father,” he said. “Though, since this is only a minor infraction, I am willing to turn a blind eye, as it were.”  

“Thank you,” Loki said as Heimdall turned to leave. He made a mental note to work on ways to avoid Heimdall’s all-seeing gaze in the future. “I truly appreciate it.”

“You are welcome, my prince. Oh, and one more thing,” he said, turning back around, “they really do enjoy your company.”

He bid a stunned Loki goodbye and was on his way once more. Naturally, you’d expressed that you liked spending time with Loki, but he never could fully rid himself of doubt. Heimdall was certainly telling the truth, though, instilling Loki with a newfound confidence. He swaggered into the palace, completely certain that when he told you how he felt, whenever that may be, you would feel the same way, too.

[hela-avenger]

poison & wine- crossed wires

Author: hela-avenger

Word Count: 2339

Summary: Prince Loki of Asgard is in need of a date to take back home. That’s where you come in with a task of your own to make the whole trip with an insufferable prince worth it. Too bad that things don’t always go as planned and you end up giving more than you can take. Fake-Dating AU.

A/N: I don’t know why I’m adding salt to the wound, but I couldn’t help myself. This is the beginning of the end everyone! Just a few more updates left for me to write! 

poison & wine masterlist

Loki needs a moment alone. 

He needs peace. He needs silence. 

What he doesn’t need is your handmaidens squealing in front of him in pure glee. Nor did he need you looking up at him in pure shock waiting for an explanation he didn’t have for you.

So he leaves.  

And you’re quick to chase after him. 

Loki can hear your soft steps enter his bedroom and in that split moment he comes up with a solution to it all. 

“Loki?” 

You call out his name again and he’s forced to grab the bag from his closet and walk out to meet you. 

“What are you doing?” 

“Packing,” he answers quickly as he sets your bag on his bed. “You must leave.” 

The words are stiff in his mouth but this was the only escape he could offer to you at the moment. In his selfishness, he had dragged you into an engagement, a future union of marriage with him. And though it was never a part of his plan, Loki could not get the idea out of his mind now. 

Of you, dressed and regaled in Asgardian royal fashion, walking down the aisle to him. To devote yourself to Asgard and most importantly to him and he would have the utmost honor to devote himself to you alone. The future King of Asgard on his knees for you.  

If only he was still selfish enough to think of himself first, he would make that dream into a reality, but you didn’t deserve that. You deserved more which was why you had to make an escape now rather than later. 

Loki attempts to reenter the closet to grab your belongings but you block him from entering. 

“What’s going on with you?” you ask him. “You’re giving up so easily.” 

The way you looked up at him immediately broke the mask he was wearing. Your eyes were laced with concern and worry, but not because of the current situation you were in, but because of him. 

“What am I to do?” Loki can’t help himself but exclaim. “Odin has won. I will happily admit defeat. I will confess to everything. I… I should have never dragged you into this in the first place. Courting is quite simple but a royal engagement, a wedding…” 

He has to stop himself from continuing. 

After a royal marriage, it was standard to attempt to have an heir and the thought of you with his child was certainly a far fetched but beautiful dream. 

Just a dream though. Nothing that could ever be real. 

Loki tries to move past you but you won’t allow him. You shove him back as gently and gracefully as one is able to do. Your hand is warm and strong against his chest. That fire that attracted him from the instance he was met with it was back. Burning bright and steady in your eyes as you faced him now. 

“I’m not leaving,” you state. “I’m not going to run away.” 

“Do you not understand what would occur if we stayed?!” Loki exclaims. 

“I understand well enough!” you exclaim in return. “This is a very unique situation but how is my departure going to help? Running away will reflect poorly on you and me. We just need some time to think of a solution so just… just stop.”

Loki lets out a sigh at your response. He had been so consumed as to what he was feeling that he had overlooked the toll it was taking on you. You were as panicked as he was, perhaps even more so. 

“I… so how is this possible?” you ask him. “How are we suddenly engaged? Why are we just finding out about this now?” 

Loki has to refrain from growling at the thought of Odin. This was another one of his tests. The ultimate test. One made to force him to yield which Loki was more than willing to do for the sake of saving you.

“It’s the Allfather,” Loki mutters, unable to hide his annoyance. “Odin can do whatever he pleases and when you agreed to a courtship with me, you agreed to a potential union in marriage. Odin has merely made the final arrangement which I never expected of him. He’s been fighting this courtship this whole time. I have no idea what could have possibly changed his mind.” 

You turn away from him and he knows the severity of the situation was finally settling on you. You were pulling yourself away from him trying to ease his heartbreak without even knowing it. 

How was he meant to tell you now that he was in love with you? Without making it seem that he had cornered you into an engagement behind your back?

“For whatever reason it may be, he’s certainly caught us off guard,” you whisper. “So we need to find a solution and quickly.”

“You can’t actually be considering going through with the engagement?” Loki asks as you turn back to face him. 

“I mean… what do you suggest we do?” you ask him. “Break it off on the day of our engagement? That won’t go well!” 

“Neither is us getting married, Y/N!” 

Lok instantly regrets raising his voice at you. He can see the pain so clearly on your face at his automatic response. 

“I uh… I didn’t realize how awful it would be for you to lower yourself to marry the half-breed,” you grit out at him. “A prince marrying a half-mortal! Oh, how the royals will surely talk. I’m sure you were hoping for an exotic princess or high-class lady, not some…” 

It pained him that this was what you could possibly think of him. 

You were wrong. Completely wrong. 

“Some what?” Loki interrupts trying to calm your sudden ire. “A strong, stubborn, free-willed demi-god whose beauty I can’t even begin to put into words?” 

Your anger is suddenly gone replaced by a shocked silence as you took in his honest words. Loki was amused and he couldn’t help but smile at you. A smile reserved only for you, not that you knew that. 

“I should be so lucky to have you be my wife,” he whispers as he stands in front of you. 

He can’t help himself now. The mask to protect his own emotions from showing is useless against you. Especially when you look up at him with pure unfiltered trust and a hint of admiration too. Loki wonders if you could potentially love him in return. That after all this time together, you had fallen for him too. 

“You have to promise me, you won’t fall in love with me.” 

Your voice rings so clearly in his mind that he’s shocked that such a memory would return so vividly to remind him of a rule you had made him agree to. It was as if you knew how easily people could fall under your spell and he had been a fool for having fallen for it too. 

And why would you love him? Why would you choose him?

You open your mouth to speak but Loki is quick to prevent your rejection. He clears his throat and looks away. 

“Of course, you deserve someone better than I,” Loki continues. “Someone who can love you in the manner that you deserved to be loved.” 

Someone who isn’t too afraid to admit what he feels. Someone who wouldn’t make up excuses to prevent himself from doing so. 

“You deserve that too, Loki,” you respond. “Someone to love you unconditionally.” 

He can’t help himself. He laughs bitterly at your hopeful outlook in life. 

“What’s so funny?” 

“I...Well I,” Loki turns back to face you with a sad smile on his lips. He clears his throat, unable to meet your eyes and settling to watch your wringing hands. “As a royal prince, I had settled some time ago that I would marry someone for a higher standing in court. The idea of a marriage based on love was never in the cards for me.” 

“You deserve to love and be loved, Loki,” you tell him and before he knows it, you’re holding him in your embrace. 

You feel warm against his chest as you stand on the tip of your toes to reach his shoulders. He melts into your arms unable to resist settling his face into the crook of your neck. He breathes you in and has to restrain himself from pressing a kiss on your soft skin. 

This felt right. 

The way your bodies somehow manage to fit one another like lost puzzle pieces reunited once more. 

By the Norns, he loves you. 

The emotion scares him beyond everything he’s ever suffered through. Just the mere thought of losing you took him back to a dark place he vowed he would never return to. 

But you weren’t his to have. 

You, as he had, vowed to not fall for each other in the duration of your fake courtship. You, unlike him, had a lover waiting for your return. 

Like he said earlier, you deserved better than him. 

“That soldier of yours is one lucky man,” Loki whispers. “To love and be loved by you.” 

You tense under his hold and he wonders if you knew about how he felt about you and If he even stood a chance. 

“I’m sorry.” 

That answers his question, but he overlooks his own heartbreak at the thought of your own happiness. You deserved it. After everything you’ve been through, you more than earned your happy ending. 

It just wasn’t meant to be with him. 

“Bucky Barnes,” he mutters bitterly as he removes himself from your hold. “The Winter Soldier...” 

He turns away from you knowing full well that his heartbreak would be so clear on his face. He didn’t want you to have to deal with his emotions on top of everything else.

“...A lucky man, indeed, to have the chance of showering you with the love and affection you so deserve. If only it could have been me...” 

You don’t seem to have heard him as you mutter your waiting Midgardian lover’s name in fondness. 

“Bucky…” 

Loki closes his eyes and tries to ignore the blooming pain that was spreading across his chest. 

“I won’t judge you if you wish to leave,” Loki states as he forces himself to look at you. He steels his emotions away under his mask again hoping you would let him be this time. That you won’t ask him to reveal what he’s hiding. “I can deal with the engagement aftermath here. You don’t have to stay. You can return to your lover and forget all that’s happened here.” 

You are quick to shake your head and Loki catches it. You don’t hide under a mask like he was. He could see a storm of emotions in your eyes. Loki just didn’t know what they could possibly mean. 

“I want to help you, Loki,” you whisper to him. “All I want to do is help. Don’t make me leave.”

Loki takes in the conflicted features that ran across your face. The wrinkles on your forehead, the firm press of your lips… You were mesmerizing to watch as you thought through a solution. 

“Look, Loki,” you call out his name. “You kept your side of the deal, it’s time for me to keep mine.” 

“Y/N, you can’t actually be considering…” 

“And what if I am?” you interrupt him. “It’s just an engagement, Loki.” 

“Which will eventually lead to a marriage,” he reminds you.

“I know,” you answer. “But what if we just remain engaged? At least, until your coronation.” 

“That can be centuries from now.” 

“Lucky for you, I’ve got a couple of those left.” 

“But Y/N… this is too much for me to ask of you.” 

“You don’t have to ask,” you tell him. “I want to do this for you.” 

“But why?” Loki asks. 

Why would you do this for him? What kind of kindness in your heart would offer this kind of loyalty to him from you?

“Because one of us should get what they want,” you answer. Your hand comes to caress his cheek and he can’t help himself but warmly lean into your palm. “And you deserve to be king, Loki.” 

He sighs into your palm craving to press a kiss there but quickly refrains as he turns away from it. He thinks over what you’ve said. The selfish side of him wanting to agree to it knowing it would keep you at his side for just a bit longer. But he couldn’t let himself be drawn to that, you deserve better from him. 

“There’s a risk,” he comments. “A risk in which Odin will request that we marry before handing over the crown.” 

“A risk we will have to take,” you state and Loki scowls at the simple negligence in your part. You’re quick to notice as you come to your own defense, “It’s better than the alternative, Loki. If we remain engaged, not only will Odin have to deliver on his word, but you won’t need to… I mean you won’t need to court someone for the sake of it. You can… you can take your time and fall in love with someone. If we remain engaged, we can have more time.”

More time. 

More time with you.

Perhaps a chance to have you fall for him for a change. 

He’s silent again. Thinking over if such a chance is even possible. 

You’re watching him again and Loki can feel your hopeful eyes on him once more, begging him to just agree. 

“Fine, alright,” Loki concedes. “Let’s remain engaged for now.”

Loki takes a deep breath and starts to organize his thoughts and emotions. 

Perhaps, centuries from now, you could be his to have and love. He would just have to let you go for now, allow you to chase your happiness with a mortal, before he could have a chance with you himself. 

“We do need more time. More time to resolve this permanently.”

poison & wine tag: @damalseer @just-the-hiddles @jessiejunebug @nonsensicalobsessions @smollest-soybean @assassinoftheworld @readerbandit @doyoufeelikeayounggod @strangemcuvlogs @ha-tep @i-dont-know-eiither @gene-king @day-dreaming-fox @bn-studies @is-it-madness @devilbat @victor-criss-bish @skinny-macncheese @musicconversedance @baby-bunnyxn @fandoms-allovertheplace @marvelloonie @jinxjinxednova @queenmuahaha @accio-boys @eternalqueensworld @umlvk @roger-the-reindeer @punkrockhufflefluff @your-local-abyss @horsesandwolvesaremyanimals​ @rogerrhqpsody @imsad420@pandacookieowo @justnerdystuffs @hanoi15​ @oneprolificqueen​ @nikki-who-likes-coffee​ @fandomrelative​ @nikki419ninja​ @onedollarduck​ @help-i-need-a-social-life​ @ephemeraljade​ @catsladen @amwolowicz​ @captainmarvelnerd​ @thegirlbeyondtheuniverse​

Loki Tag: @unicorniorosacomefrutillas @thesilentbluesparrow @oddly-drawn-muse @josiehosiedaninja @hp-hogwartsexpress @sadwaywardkid @wolf-lover74 @sizzlingbarbarianglitter @sigyn-njorddottir @aoirohi​ @defunctcherrybomb​

All Works Tag: @jmb959 @astudyoftimeywimeystuff @hellocookiecutter @steve-rogers-personal-hell @buckybarnesyard @not-zari-tak @strangersstranger @thefridgeismybestie​ @moonlightprime​

[modernpace]

Loki x Reader Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Thor led you to a lavish banquet hall. A long wooden table sat at the center of the room and was filled with men and women. They were talking and laughing, telling stories of their adventures. The two of you stopped as he scanned the room. His eyes landed on a beautiful woman standing off to the side. He guides you over to her and bows his head.

"Mother."

She smiled brightly and held her hand out to him. Her golden locks were pinned up, like a halo made of hair. Her gown was a dandelion yellow, with a sheer mesh-like neckline decorated with a mosaic of gems.

You quickly snap out of it and curtsy with your fist over your heart and your head bowed.

"This must be your friend," she said patting his arm.

"Y/n L/n, your majesty," you responded. Thank god Thor briefed you about introductions on your way here...who know what would happen if you were rude to the Queen.

She gently lay a hand on your arm, "Come, let me have a look at you, dear." You stand and look up, but avoid looking at her directly. I must look like an idiot. "The dress looks lovely on you. Compliments you well." She smiled kindly at you. You saw so much of Thor in her face: kind eyes, big smile.

You beamed at her, "I can't thank you enough, your majesty, for allowing me to come to Asgard. It's a beauty like no others."

Nodding she responded, "And as far as my husband is concerned, I'm the one who offered you this opportunity after my son confided in me." She winked at you, and without question, you nodded in agreement. She turned to Thor and laid a hand on his bicep and gave him a sympathetic smile.

They shared a knowing look before she excused herself, "I hope you enjoy the banquet, my dear. Tomorrow we'll discuss your training." Without another word, she left the banquet hall.

"Shall we?"

"Wait." He looked back at you. "What did she mean?"

He nodded, "She's probably going to bring Loki some books. I don't know why she entertains him. He--"

"No," you interrupted, "you know what I mean."

"My father..." you nodded for him to continue. "He doesn't believe Midgardians should be on Asgard."

Your mouth dropped slightly and you muttered, "Well that would've been great to know beforehand"

He gave you an apologetic look and began walking toward a different door. You followed closely behind him. He led you to a throne room. High pillars line the hall on both sides. On the opposite end you entered from, there were no walls, just a beautiful view of Asgard and its city. Standing under an archway, Odin stood and studied his kingdom.

"Father." Odin didn't flinch, or turn or even acknowledge your presence. He just stared out at Asgard. "I present Lady Y/n." You bow with your fist against your heart.

"Have you settled in nicely?" He inquired.

"Um," you instantly got your shit together, forgetting your nerves. "Yes, All-Father. Thank you for you opening your home to me, and allowing me the opportunity to hone my abilities, sir."

Your eyes remained at his feet and he chuckled. "Very well." He turned to his son and with a stern voice advised him, "During her stay on Asgard, she will be your responsibility. You are to ensure her safety, as well as maintain she stay out of trouble."

"Yes, of course, father," Thor responded with certainty.

"My dear," you daringly look up at him and he motions you to stand, "My wife tells me you possess the ability of illusions."

You cursed to yourself. Is it rude to correct the King? "That's definitely one way to put it. I hope to discover the full extent of my abilities so I can help people back home."

He gives a cautious smile, "I hope you remember that with great power, comes great responsibility. Any power can be used for good--or even bad for that matter. Carry that with you during your training." You hummed in understanding and he gestured for you two to head back to the banquet hall. "You may go, enjoy the banquet."

You both thanked him and made your way back to everyone.

"Definitely more intimidating than you said," you joked.

****

Thor had introduced you to his close friends: the Warriors Three, and Lady Sif. Volstagg was loud and hearty, Hogun was serious and silent, and Fandral was extremely polite and a little... flirtatious? Sif was bubbly but serious...definitely more bubbly when drinking.

They had welcomed you, asked you if you had any stories--which you didn't because you never actually went on a legitimate assignment. They still seemed warm and open to you. You were grateful for that.

Volstagg was telling a story about when he had come to Earth a few years back--when Thor had been cast out of Asgard. From Thor's hearty laugh and Sif's questionable smile, you could tell he was a very creative story-teller.

You weren't able to keep up with their high tolerance. And you thought Thor was an experienced drinker. Having all five of them guzzle down their ale, while you're not even done with your second mug. It didn't help that Asgardian alcohol was much more...intense.

Thor somehow lost track of your whereabouts while he and Volstagg were having a drinking contest. You found yourself stumbling into the dungeons, with a newfound sense of confidence. You wanted to confront Loki and his idiot face about his idiot remarks from earlier. You stumbled from cell to cell, forgetting where Loki was.

"You're not Loki," you moved to the next cell, "Ne-neither 're y-you." You looked around confused, the room spun a bit."Wherethehell isthat little--Oh!" You grinned like an idiot as you approached his cell.

He had an amused look on his face and mumbled, "This should be good."

You pointed your finger and narrowed your eyes, "You."

"Yes?"

"You...you..." you forgot what you were going to say. You tried to study his face but he kept swaying. Why was he swaying?

"Not very lady-like for you to be wandering the halls drunk as an idiot on your first night in Asgard."

"W-willyoushutup," You growled as you leaned against the stone beam next to his cell. "You oweme an an ap-apopology." You tried to look fierce and angry...but this was an embarrassing sight. Your hair was frizzy, your dress was disheveled, your eyes were drooping.

He stifled a laugh, never had he thought a mortal would look so funny...stupid, yes, pathetic, yes, but funny? This was a first.

You continued your drunken rant.

"I camehere t-t-to help Muscles. Cuzthat's what friends arefor," you whined and stomped your foot. Your knees felt week and your body was tired but you ignored them. "Imgonna be 'ere for-for, well Idunno how long but" you burped, "I made a promise. And I nev-never break 'em."

You looked directly into his emerald eyes. "Never," you emphasized.

He raised an eyebrow, "Is that so?"

"Shuddup." You looked him over and huffed, "You're such a-an emo."

"What the bloody hell does that mean?" You waved your hand in dismissal.

"A-and a dra-drama queen." You giggle to yourself, imagining Loki like a 1950's actress, prim and dramatic...and so demanding. (I promise this isn't a dig at any actresses, just tryna emphasize Loki is a drama queen).

"You're quite pathetic," he said in a matter-of-fact one. You glared at him. Being done with your conversation you began to regain your balance. You wanted to leave him with one last gift before the night ended.

A malicious grin formed on your face.

Loki raised an eyebrow cautiously. You clumsily rubbed your hands together as your thought of your sweet revenge. He was completely dumbfounded by your strange actions, not knowing what was in store for him. You opened your eyes and giggled devilishly.

"I hope you and your new roommate get acquainted." A low growl from behind startled him. He slowly turned around and he paled when he saw a wolf twice his size standing opposite him. "I would hate to see you turned to dog-chow." Contentedly you turned around and happily stumbled a bit.

"Wait!"

You stopped.

"Wait, you can't kill me. You won't kill me."

You glanced back, "Oh?"

The wolf inched closer, snarling at him.

"Wait wait wait wait."

He pleaded with you. How...out of character for the big bad wolf I heard about, you thought. You chuckled as the wolf growled and pounced. He flinched and turned his body away from it, waiting to be torn to shreds. But it never came.

You burst out laughing and lost your balance. You landed on the stone floor, gasping for air.

Loki looked at you with pure outrage. The wolf stood outside the cell now, circling you protectively.

"You deceived me."

You finally caught your breath. "Oh god, that was good." You finally felt a little more stable and stood up, "Didn't think the God of Mischief would fall for something like that.”

"You'll regret that you mewling quim," he growled like your wolf. You could practically see his aura around him: rageful, vengeful, out-of-his-mind angry. But you shrugged it off. Sweet sweet psychological torture.

"Doubtful. Totally worth it," you quipped shaking your head with a proud smile.

You waved your hand and the wolf dispersed into the air. "Gooooodniiiiight," you sang as you left Loki's cell.

___________

A/N: Hi Everyone! I just finished this chapter at 4 AM!!!!!!!!I clearly don't get enough sleep lmao.I'm gonna work on chapter 5 tomorrow; my plan is to publish it tm but expect it for Monday evening.I hope you enjoy this chapter! Goodnight! (or Goodmorning lol). PLEASE LEAVE FEEDBACK

-Izzy

[realityhelixcreates]

Lasabrjotr Chapter 72: Ring Road

Chapters: 72/?

Fandom: Thor (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe

Rating: T

Relationships: Loki x Reader

Characters: Loki (Marvel), Thor (Marvel)

Additional Tags: Post-Endgame: Best Possible Ending (Canon-Divergent),

Summary:  A funeral for a giant.

You woke up to the gentle alarm sounded by Loki's magic. You were warm, and comfortable, and...mildly sore, but not too bad.

Oh, right.

Loki was curled protectively around you, snuggled up so close, he was like a second blanket. The sun had not risen yet, but that didn't mean much at this time of year. The sun was rising later and later, setting earlier and earlier. Winter was close.

You rolled over in his arms to face him, but he was already awake, gazing adoringly at you.

“You're still here.” He murmured.

“Of course. Did you think I wouldn't be?”

“I'd hoped you would.”

“Hey. Hey.” You cupped his cheek. “I'm not going anywhere, okay?”

He helped you dress, sensual and loving touch smoothing the wrinkles in your clothes, then shared a light breakfast with you. He'd had you start sitting under a special lamp once the days had started shortening; this was common for humans in Iceland, he said. To maintain health. So you had a portable one you could take with you most places-to lessons with Saga, to his rooms, even to the council rooms and throne room, so you could have simulated sunlight wherever you went.

“It makes you radiant.” He said.

“I wonder what people here did before these were invented?”

“Suffered, probably.”

You ate, bathed in light.

“Loki...”

“You have questions. I anticipated this. I do not know why I am so small compared to other Jotun, but I do know that I was born this way. I was not expected to survive, and so I was left to die in a special place, as part of a Jotun ritual.”

“That...sounds awful.”

“It is their way. In a way, Odin taking me with him was a final insult to their very culture. But it allowed me to survive.”

“Why can I touch you like this, but not like that?”

“This isn't an illusion. I am more than just an illusionist, I am a shapeshifter. You can touch me in this form, because it's real. When I am in Asgardian shape, I truly am Asgardian.”

He held out his milky hand, and you caressed his palm.

“Everybody else knows, don't they?” You asked.

Loki nodded. “Once I found out, I knew everyone else would eventually. I wanted to control the method of the revelation, so I...well I wrote a play.”

“A play? You can write too? Is there anything you can't do?”

Loki flushed. “A few things.” He admitted bashfully.

“I want to see it!”

“Not yet! I mean, we don't have facilities, or actors. We don't have the time. But someday, yes.” He seemed nervous. Maybe he was embarrassed about it. He never said it was a good play, after all.

“Loki, if you're Asgardian when you shapeshift into one, then why worry about being a Frost Giant to begin with? You can be anything, and it's real.” You asked.

“Humans are highly mutable.” Loki explained. “Your cultures move and change quickly. Even those whose identity goes back thousands of years will find that not all of their customs are exactly the same as they were. It's kind of admirable, actually.

But Asgard moves much more slowly. The war between the Frost Giants and Asgard is over, except that it isn't. It's barely been a single generation since then. Thor was born in the middle of that war; I was born at the end. It is within recent memory. I was raised around people who had fought, people who had lost loved ones. I was raised on the residual hate. It became a part of me.

Maybe that would be all I was grappling with, if I had known from the start. Maybe I would have had time to come to terms, to grow a thicker skin. But the centuries of lies on top of that; the man who raised me watching that prejudice grow in me and not bothering to do anything about it, as if he thought a lie could ever last forever with me around.”

“But it did, didn't it? Almost forever. Did you ever question?”

“Yes and no. I knew something was wrong, but I dismissed it. Ignored it. I didn't want to look into it.”

“The only person who can lie to you is you, huh?”

“Oh, stop being so insightful, will you?” Loki scowled.

“Sorry, can't. It's my job.”

                                                                        ******

Two days later, you were on the road again.

This was a funeral procession. You, Loki, and Thor, as well as ten einherjar and six masons, two cooks, and the Asgardian equivalent of a priest.

And, of course, the giant.

He had been tightly and carefully wrapped, almost like a huge mummy, to keep his head in place, and make him safe for transport and handling. He had been placed in a wooden cart, which would act also as his coffin. He had been veiled, and most of his possessions placed in the cart with him, along with what the Asgardians considered peace offerings. Honor, even towards an enemy, was a matter of common practice. After all, if one sent an opponent to Valhalla, it wouldn't do to leave them angry with one upon one's own entry.

And so a helmet had been placed with him, and a nice blanket, a pickax, a basket of wheat, and a pan flute. You had left him a book, but you wondered if that was any good as a gift. After all, a thousand years ago, your language hadn't existed in the form you knew. Saga had shown you what Old English looked like, and you hadn't even recognized it. It had made you feel strange and small.

Was it an appropriate gift? A book he couldn't understand? Or was it the thought that counted?

“We don't really do grave goods where I'm from.” You'd told Loki. “I don't really know what to give.”

“What do you value?” He'd asked. “If it means something to you, it should be fine.”

And so it had to be a book. Old stories of Americana-Mark Twain, and Maya Angelou, and Edgar Allen Poe. Little chunks of your culture over time, and from different perspectives. You hoped if he could read it in that big black hole in the sky, that he found some enjoyment from it.

You, however, were finding very little enjoyment on this trip. Not only was it violently cold, but the wind was a cruel whip that lashed at you until Loki draped his heavy cloak over your head, creating a tent. That kept the wind out, but also completely blocked your vision, forcing you to let him guide Acorn, instead of you.

Though Acorn was a sturdy and stalwart little thing, born and bred on the frigid Icelandic landscape, she was distressed by the Frost Giant in his cart. To keep her calm, Loki moved the two of you forward, closer to him, but that just increased your frustration.

You wanted to be close to Loki, and he clearly wanted to be too, but there was no time, no opportunity. You were frozen out on the road, and this was a funeral procession. There was propriety to observe.

From under Loki's cloak, you could not see any of the beautiful landscape around you, and while you were enveloped in his comforting scent, the cloak also blocked out what little sun the island got at that time of year. For the entire four day trip, you saw little light, other than the evening cooking fires when the procession set up camp.

Then, with the tents set up as a windbreak, and dinner cooking over the fire, you were able to look up as the crystal clear sky, scattered with diamonds and flowing ribbons of color.

You'd never seen the auroras before this, but you could see how people became enchanted by their otherworldly aura.

“It's like the Bifrost, isn't it?” You said to Loki, who was staring up into the night just like you were. He was tucked up close to the fire with you, stealing the only moments of intimacy the two of you could find. “Is that what they saw, way back when? A way to reach the gods? How many ways did people interpret this, if they didn't know the science behind it?”

“Knowing the science doesn't necessarily remove the magic, now does it?” Loki said. “We know how lightning and thunder works. We know what causes it. We know that men should not be able to command it, and yet...”

“Is it magic?” You asked, staring at the swirling colors.

“Perhaps.” Loki said. “Of a kind.”

There wasn't even any privacy to be had in the tents; they were large group affairs, meant to house several people each, with little dividers hanging between them. The best you could get was wriggling your hand under the divider to hold Loki's, but the cold permeated just enough that you couldn't do it for long. You eventually had to hunker down into your thick, fluffy sleeping bag until only your nose and mouth were exposed to the open air.

You dressed yourself in the mornings in very heavy, but much less elaborate clothing than usual. Loki had insisted that you wear some of your armor on the trip, your breastplate and helmet, just in case there were any opportunistic enemies out in the countryside.

“When you are writhing in my arms,” He had whispered into your ear. “I don't want it to be from pain.”

On Acorn's back, under Loki's cloak, you tried to come up with an appropriate blessing for the dead giant.

What could you say? You still felt some kind of responsibility. You hadn't tried to deescalate the situation. You hadn't tried to talk to the giant. Hadn't tried to calm him down, or warn him. Just threatened him, antagonized him, distracted him.

But the kids...He had already killed several people, injured Kolla right in front of you, and was threatening the children...

What would you have done, if you knew nothing about Frost Giants? If Asgardian prejudice had not been taught to you?

Screamed a lot and gotten squished probably.

Would it be insulting to the giant's spirit to beg forgiveness or show remorse? To consider his death a terrible accident that could have been averted? Would a warrior want words like that?

The funeral procession had traveled back to Akureyri to get onto the Ring Road, a highway that circled the entire island in a single, unbroken stretch of asphalt. It was much easier to navigate than cross country would have been, but went a little out of the way as well, taking you along the northern part of the island, when your destination was in the east.

It seemed they had drawn a lot of attention as well. There weren't many tourists at this time of year, only the most hardcore of explorers, but the Icelanders themselves used the road regularly. Every now and then you peeked out from under Loki's cloak to see an ever-changing entourage of people; on horses, in small cars or buses, all waving and calling out, either questions or encouragement, you weren't familiar enough with Icelandic to tell.

Loki and Thor took it well, chatting with people who were brave and careful enough to approach. Some of them expressed what you thought was probably fear or shock at the dead giant, but more reacted with curiosity.

That was the general reaction Icelanders had to Asgardians. Iceland was a Christian country, but not quite in the way that America was. The vast majority of Icelanders that you saw showed no hostility toward Asgard, even though they represented a major religious crisis. It was very different from the fractious contention Asgard generated back home. You definitely preferred this.

How long, you began to wonder, until you weren't American anymore? Was it possible, as an adult, to absorb enough culture from another land, that it made you something other than what you'd grown up as? Or would you always be a foreigner; exotic, but accepted?

The long road split off towards the eastern interior of the island, before reaching Rekjavik, leading you even further away from civilization, and into the wilderness. But Okjokull was a depressing reminder that civilization had reached out into the wilderness, and touched even the most remote of places.

Okjokull, or rather, just Ok now, had once been a glacier, covering an extinct shield volcano. Now, the volcano and the glacier were both extinct. Under Loki's cloak, you had studied on your phone, looking up pictures of the glacier back in the nineteen-eighties, when it covered the whole area. But now, the horses hooves ground the gravel of the exposed landscape; a barren area, with only a few scattered chunks of ice, here and there. Over the course of one human lifetime, the whole thing had disappeared.

It disturbed you. Icelanders certainly believed in climate change. They'd seen this happen. They'd held a funeral. And here you were for another one.

The masons fell into building, directing the einherjar. After getting permission from the government, Thor estimated it would take no more than a day and a half of hard work to build a decent barrow for the giant, whose decaying body might-might-help to rebuild the glacier.

If not, his presence here might become just another tourist destination, another relic of the islands past.

You watched them dig out a large hole, deep enough to roll the cart into, and cover it halfway. Then they began packing in the larger stones, building a large mound that would hold up under it's own weight. Next came a low wall, surrounding the entire grave at a distance of about ten feet, to indicate that this was no natural formation, and lastly, a bronze plaque, set into a large stone at the front of the fence, declaring what this was, and urging caution when approaching.

Thor had been correct; the entire thing was finished before nightfall on the second day. The entire entourage gathered as the priest said a simple farewell to the giant, and everyone present murmured their own blessings before releasing a glowing, golden orb of magic into the sky.

“If we meet in another life, I hope to learn your name.” You had said, while beside you, you had heard Loki mumble: “Rest. We will take care of them.”

Snow had begun to fall; fluffy white flakes sticking to everything. You wondered if it would get high enough to bury the barrow, as you were hustled off to sit on Acorn's warm back, wrapped up in Loki's cloak once more. Everyone packed up in a huge hurry: Thor told you that the procession needed to get back to the Ring Road quickly, before the smaller, country roads that led to Ok were snowed over. The Asgardians feared that if they got snowed in, you would be in danger of freezing, but the Ring Road was kept clear.

Once back on the open road, you peeked out from under the thick tent of Loki's fine cloak and gazed out over the wide countryside. Far in the distance, to the west, you could just barely see a dome of faint light that must have been Reykjavik. Loki had said he would take you there on the tour of the island he promised you this spring. But for now, this was as close as you would get.

It amazed you to think that you could traverse an entire country by horse so easily. Your old home just went on and on and on, forever and ever. It seemed no matter how many miles you traveled, there was always another mile of Iowa to go. Here, there was a single road that went all the way around. The country was self contained, surrounded on all sides by powerful and mysterious oceans.

A small flush of terror washed over you once again, at re-realizing how isolated and far away from everything familiar you really were. Floating in the frigid North Atlantic on a giant volcano, in the care of aliens. Participating in the funeral of a giant. Riding home on a horse, to hopefully fall right into bed with your divine, royal boyfriend.

Who even were you now?

[neverending-space]

Get away (Draco Malfoy x reader)

Part 1

Description: What happens when a certain blonde rich kid has to spend the summer with you and your muggle family? It can’t be that bad... right?

A/N: The story is set in 2019 and you and Draco are about to go into 4th year. Sorry for the shit writing.

Warnings: None

Part 2

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

You sat on your couch watching Brooklyn 99, waiting for your dad to get home from the airport. You see, earlier that month, your parents had told you that they were bringing a sort of “foreign exchange student” into the house for the summer. Apparently he also went to Hogwarts, so he would spend summer with you and your family then both of you would go to London and get whisked off to school. Great. You desperately hope that it wasn’t Crabbe or Goyle (or Cedric Diggory, a soon to be 7th year Hufflepuff who you fancied a little bit). They had not told you who it was, only that he was a he, for fear of you “throwing yourself off a bridge from anxiety”, to be fair, you probably would’ve done that, in fact, you wanted to do that right now! Despite being muggles (except you of course), your family was quite rich and well respected in the Wizarding community. You sang the intro song loudly to distract yourself from your thoughts, until you heard the car pull in. Bloody amazing. Great. Can’t wait. You thought, hurriedly putting away your IPad. There was a knocking on the door and (S/n) came sprinting towards the entrance room. The screeching of “Daddy!” rang in the air as you unsuccessfully tried to make your hair stop being annoying. As soon as your guest entered the house, your blood ran cold. “(Y/n)! I’m sure you know Draco!” Your dad smiled at you. Luckily, you were a good actor. Putting on the most realistic smile you could muster, you helped the pale, tall, annoyingly handsome asshole to your room (which you two were sharing). “This is fucking great. Wow. So excited. I get to spend the rest of my miserable summer with you.” You muttered, closing your door. “Nice room (L/n), like Sherlock then.” He sneered. “Oh no, I hate the show. Benedict Cumberbatch is the worst. That’s why I have all this shit.” You gesture towards all the posters and other memorabilia dedicated to the show in your room, tone full of sarcasm. “I knew your parents were muggles, but this place is… hateful!” He shuttered, looking around once more. “Mhm, I’m sure my parents would love to hear that! You will be a nice boy won’t you?” You patted his shoulder and he gave a low growl. Fuck. That’s actually really hot. You scrunch your face up in disgust at your own thoughts, and continued talking. “Now. We need some ground rules- don’t roll your eyes, you know it’s true- Okay. I don’t want my parents to know that you're a complete asshole, and I’m sure you don’t either. So while we’re around my family- we are friends.” Draco hesitantly muttered “Agreed” under his breath as you wrote on your whiteboard (which previously had had the word LAUGH on it): Rule 1: Friends when muggles are around. You raised your eyebrows in question and gestured towards the board. “Don’t bring up my parents. I don’t want to think about them.” You nodded and wrote that down. Rule 2: No Malfoy talk. Without hesitating, you also add: No-no words: Mudblood, any other slurs towards muggles, swearing (sorry) “Anything else?” You asked, looking at him. Melodramatically rolling his eyes, he shakes his head. “Good.”

After silently unpacking his stuff, your mum called you for dinner. “This is delicious (M/n)! Thank you both so much for having me here!” Wow! You thought. Draco is so good at kissing ass! Who knew! Both your parents smiled kindly and accepted his thanks. After an awkward dinner, you pulled Draco into your room and sat him on the couch. “We are going to watch all of the Marvel movies in chronological order and you are not going to complain.” You stood in front of him, hands on your hips. “Merlin’s beard! This is going to be torture!” He complained, pulling at his hair. You loaded up Captain America: First Avenger and sat down next to him. Halfway through Captain Marvel, your dad came into the room with two bowls of ice cream. “Thanks Dad!” You said, and Draco muttered his thanks as well.

“WHAT?!” Draco yelled. He had taken a liking to Loki and was raging about Odin. You chuckled lightly and Draco shot you another one of his famous glares. Your cat (who happened to be named Loki) sat down on Draco’s lap. “Aw, he likes you!” Draco rolled his eyes in annoyance which you returned with a cheeky smile.

Things continued like this throughout the following weeks. You two would pretend to be buds while around other people but when you were alone, you would either watch a movie or some tv show (Draco always insisted on either Marvel or Lucifer) ignore each other completely, or he would make fun of you and the stuff you liked. This all changed when your family was invited to go visit a friend who owned a private lake. You weren’t very fond of swimming, but the promise of a paddle board all to yourself was very enticing. The thought of being Draco-less in the middle of a lake calmed your mind.

You were laying on top of your paddle board when suddenly something pulled you in. As soon as you got to the surface you heard laughter. “Draco what the fuck dude! I thought I’d be safe!” He momentarily paused because you had never called him ‘Draco’ without anyone around. But started up again as you clambered onto the board. “You’re never safe (L/n)! Mwahahaha!” He leaned his arms on your board and looked at you with a shit eating grin. You rolled your eyes at the child beside you. Without asking, he hoisted himself up and sat next to you. This gave you a momentary chance to see his toned body in full glory. You hated that you were physically attracted to Draco, you really did, but it’s not like you chose to! The only people you told were Hermione and Luna, luckily they both understood. “You know, you’re not so bad when you’re quiet.” You looked up at Draco, who was looking at you with mischief in his eyes. Was it just your imagination, or was he leaning closer? You could feel your cheeks burning up, by the huge smirk on his face, it was obvious he noticed as well. Your brain was in overdrive, you couldn’t think, and the next thing you know, Draco is back in the water. He breaks into hysterics. “Y-your face! Merlin (L/n)! Ha!! It’s so red! You’re such an idiot!!” Great… You think.

[luthien-t]

Resurfaced Memories. Chapter Three.

Loki x Female Reader

summary: Loki is still trying to have one conversation with you, when you finally agree to it, will it resolve all the past years or will you two have to start again?

A/N: This one is a lil dry, not much happening here

1.3+K Words

Linda stepped inside the shop, watching you frustratingly work with a costumer, a forced smile on your face. She waited for the costumer to leave before walking to you.

“I’m guessing he didn’t take your number?” She said with an amusing you tone, earning a groan from you.

“Linda, don’t.” You gave her your back and started making a cup of tea for yourself, you needed something to calm you down. Linda rolled her eyes, “He’s obviously interested in you, or knows something you don’t?” She hinted, you turn your head towards her. “I have never seen this man in my life, I’m not invested in the Almighty Avengers, and I am definitely not going to give a man my number simply because he thinks I am his wife?! What is wrong with you?” You ask, a chuckle escaping your lips in the end of your question. All of this made no sense to you, it was like you were back to 1945,  everything was confusing you all over again, your were questioning everything all over again. All you have to focus on right now is work. 

“He said I don’t remember? He even asked me how long I’ve been on earth?” Your face had a bewildered expression as you poured your tea in your cup. 

“What if he is right? Look, all I’m saying is, give this man a chance, I mean Thor said he will be bringing Loki next Thursday again, so you are bound to see him. Plus, maybe he just thinks you’re her, same beauty and all.” It came out so casually, like to her it wasn’t such a big deal. You two have seen and been in much weirder situations than this. But her question kept repeating in your head. What if he is right? 

You shook your head, taking a sip from your cup before turning back to Linda. “Even if he is right, I can’t just abandon this place because I am the ‘goddess of victory’ I can’t just leave you, and for a man?” You snort at the end. The past years you’ve been so caught up with your situation that you just pushed every person from your life -excluding Linda- and ever since you assumed you were injected with the same serum Linda was, you just didn’t want to go through the struggle and pain of watching your loved ones die before you. 

Loki stormed out of the elevator, walking fast around the Tower. 

He was unsure of what to do next, who would he tell? Who would believe him? Everyone in Asgard told him to carry on, to court another and to not mourn. He knows only Thor was going to believe him, even trust him in this. He has no option but to go search for Thor for help.

“Where is my brother?” He asked as he walked in the kitchen, almost everyone was there, eating. 

“He got back like 10 minutes ago” Wanda said casually. Almost as if on queue, Thor walked in the kitchen, a wide smile on his face. “Loki! How was your day?” 

“I found her.” Loki looked at his brother with pleading eyes, he can’t bring himself to say the next words so he is hoping his brother would just understand.

“Oh? The woman of your dreams?” Tony jokingly added and Thor laughed, his eyes switching between Tony and Loki, waiting for another funny comment from Loki, his smile dropping and his laugh slowly dying when he notices his brothers face is still as serious. “Wait- You are serious?” He asked, Loki only nodded lightly, his eyes never leaving his brother. 

Thor smiled wide this time. “Brother, This is great news! Where is she?” He asked eagerly.

“She uh, she doesn’t remember me.” Loki mumbled and his brother looked around at the others, trying to understand if there is a joke he missed. 

“Loki? Are you certain?”

“Of course I am! She doesn’t recognise me.” Loki sat next to Wanda and she frowned. “Maybe I can help remind her?” She suggested, nudging Loki with her elbows slightly and Bucky shook his head quickly at her. 

“Loki,” Thor started, a soft sigh escaping his lips. “We can come back next wee-“

“No, I’ve already wasted enough time.” Loki interrupted and got up, pointing at Thor. “You. Are coming with me” 

“Where?”

“To your ridiculous flower shop” He said and almost sprinted out of the tower, Thor shortly after him. “So? Flowers? That is your plan?” Thor rambled about how this all made no sense to him, Loki on the other hand was busy thinking about you, that look on your face when he called you, the way you reacted to his -almost- touch. Thor had a point, this wasn’t making any sense, maybe if he brought Thor with him then you would believe two over one? He wasn’t sure what the outcome is going to be, but he was sure that he has to act fast before Odin calls for them to be back on Asgard.

Linda headed home before you, meaning tonight was your turn to lock up the place. Grabbing your phone and keys, you head out of the shop. Locking the door behind you when you hear foots steps behind you, you ignore it knowing that it is probably just strangers passing by.

“Lady Sigyn!” A voice beamed not far behind you, shutting your eyes you freeze in your place, sighing quietly and choosing to walk away from this situation as soon as possible, you’ve had enough of this. 

Loki groaned, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose because of his brothers stupid reaction. “Y/n, please wait.” You stop walking and turn to him. 

“Haven’t you had enough?” You yelled at him from your spot before Loki slowly walked towards you, Thors smile slowly fading when he finally understood what his brother meant earlier back in the Tower. 

“I just don’t understand” Loki said with baffled laugh coming out between his words. 

“Just leave me alone” You hold onto your bag, pulling it closer before turning your back and started walking away again. The small interaction with him back in that coffee shop was getting bigger than it should have, you didn’t sign up for this.

“Lady..” Thor started before Loki mumbled your name back to him, his large steps bringing him closer to you, standing in front of you to stop you from walking in further. “Lady y/n, please forgive my brother, he simply doesn’t know how to act around a beautiful lady.” Thor continued, Lokis eyes widening, regretting even telling his brother about this, this isn’t going the way he hoped. “But please, if you would allow it, give my brother a chance, he’s only mistaken you for someone he used to know.” You look up at him, your brows furrowing, Lindas words popping in your head, aligning with Thors.

You take a quick glance back at Loki, a frown appeared on his face as he stood still in his spot, you look back up at Thor and nod lightly. You must’ve had a change of heart, or maybe you just wanted to give Loki -a complete stranger to you- a chance. “Fine. But I am only doing this because Linda likes you” You point a finger up at Thor and he lets out a nervous chuckle before clasping his hands together, “That settles it, are you busy right now?” a relieved sigh escapes Lokis lips and suddenly he is thankful for his brothers intrusion. “Tomorrow, 9AM, the flower shop.” You turn your entire body to Loki and he nods quickly, his hands behind his back. “One chance.” You say before taking a step back and walking away from them. 

“One chance is all I need” He mumbles before his brother came back to him. “Beautiful lady?” Loki snarked at his brother, earning a laugh from him. 

“How else would we look less hostile?” Thor rested his hand on Lokis shoulder as they walked back to the tower. 

“Thank you, Thor.” And with that Thor smiled and pulled his brother a bit closer to him

Taglist:  @jessiejunebug , @hellethil , 

[the-devil-herself]

Never Enough - Chapter 2

CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: Chapter 2 DESCRIPTION: Certain mates of Jotuns receive soulmate marks on their bodies. What happens when Loki’s mark is found on a girl with immense power? RATING: M NOTES/WARNINGS: Also available on AO3! The link is here as requested.  Please give me some feedback if you can, I love the inspiration it gives me. Also let me know if you want to be tagged! I’m going to post the first 22 chapters of this story over the next few days, and, hopefully, I will find my muse to write more.

TAGGED: @kneel-before-queen-loki

Present Day

Bang! Bang!

I let out a frustrated groan. I knew who it was. "I'll be out in a minute!" I yelled back. The banging only stopped for a minute before it began again.

Tony had been trying to get me out of my room all morning. He started this obnoxious banging since 5 am, and there was no way in hell I was actually waking up that early. The only thing I was told was that there was a "family meeting" happening soon. A lot of the Avengers would be back from missions so we needed to be prepared to start as soon as they returned. They still hadn't shown up, but I could tell they would be here soon.

Bang! Bang! Bang!!

Tony's knocks were getting louder. I quickly put on a pair of pants and opened the door to a very agitated billionaire. "What the hell Tony?" I exclaimed, walking right past him. I checked the clock in the kitchen and saw it was 7 am. "Tony," I groaned as I started making myself breakfast, "it is a weekend, and I had perfectly relaxing plans for sleeping all morning. What is so damn important?"

Tony crossed his arms over his chest and simply stood there. He maintained an annoyed and frustrated glare at me as I pulled out the bowls and spoons. I finally stopped what I was doing and stared back, but he wasn't moving. I threw my arms up. "Alright!" I gave up. "What is it?"

"Thank you for finally crawling out of your cave to join us, Dana," he snarked back. I ignored him, though, and focused on my cereal.

However, when I turned around and looked at the living room behind the kitchen counter, I saw why he was so pissed. All the Avengers were sitting on the couches, looking straight at me. I couldn't tell if they had been waiting for a while, but I prayed it wasn't long. Thor was seated by himself in one of Tony's comfortable chairs, grinning at me like always. No one else looked amused.

"Dana! We've been waiting for you," Thor greeted me. He was oblivious to the annoyance of the other members at my tardiness and came up to me for a huge hug. I held him tight, having missed him for all these years.

"What are you doing here?" I inquired incredulously.

Thor laughed and walked me over to the couches where the rest of the team sat. Everyone seemed to relax a bit more at seeing my reunion with Thor. "I'm here to see old friends, of course!"

I didn't believe him. "But I haven't seen you since..," I drifted off, knowing mentions of that day were probably still too raw for him,"..since New York."

Thor's eyes clouded for a moment. Regret, pain, mourning, and anger all passed through his face in a matter of seconds, but I still saw it. He caught himself and returned to his usual friendly smile. He responded, "It indeed has been way too long, but now it seems there are things we need to discuss. All of us."

I turned to the others, but they too seemed confused about what he was talking about. All except Tony. He just continued looking pissed, and I had a reason to suspect it wasn't just because of my stubborn behavior earlier. He refused to sit down, choosing to stand by the couch were Natasha and Steve sat quietly. He had been uncharacteristically silent during the whole interaction as well, which was always a cause for concern.

Bruce was the first to break the silence. "Thor, what's going on here?" he asked the question on all our minds.

Thor sighed and smiled at me one more time before beginning. "My... brother," he started, causing everyone to tense up, "has spent years in Asgardian prison."

"Where he belongs," Clint piped up. He was sitting on the floor at Nat's feet, exhausted from having just returned from a mission.

I shot Clint a glance warning him to be nice. Yes, Loki destroyed half of the city, but Thor still cared for him deeply.

Truth be told, I wasn't around when the battle was fought. I was tucked up with my family in a completely different state. We watched it all happen on TV like most others did, staying up all through the night to make sure the enemies were defeated. However, I did experience something weird then. Days before the battle, my secret mark began to burn again. Gradually, but enough to gain my attention. Then, when I saw Loki on the TV, my wrist began to burn again like it had in New Mexico. I had to excuse myself and place my arm in cold water for half an hour before it faded.

My mark hasn't burned like that since.

Thor gulped, dragging our attention back to him. "Yes, I understand, but it seems my mother has pleaded with the Allfather for these past years to give Loki a chance to... rehabilitate." Multiple scoffs were given from around the room. "Odin has agreed."

"You can't be serious?" Steve demanded. "He killed hundreds, destroyed half the city, and brought about an alien invasion that we're still cleaning up after!"

"Steve," Thor said quietly. "I know. But I cannot defy an order from Odin." Steve backed down. It had been clear since we met him that Thor's father was a king that was not to be disobeyed. With Thor's former banishing, we knew he meant business. "And he is also my brother. He got sucked in to evils beyond our understanding, but I can get him back. I can bring him back again."

"How exactly do you plan on doing that?" Nat questioned.

All eyes were on Thor.

He couldn't look at us back. Instead he gazed at the carpet. "Thor?" I pushed. "Where is Loki?"

Thor eyes turned soft when they found mine again. I could see that same sadness in him that I saw seven years ago. His life was completely different to what he had planned, and his family was torn apart. Finding out your parents lied to you about your brother's heritage for your whole life along with realizing that same brother wanted to kill you was probably taxing.

"It has been requested that he is sent here."

That's when the screaming started. Clint started shouting about how Loki should be dead for his crimes. Steve and Tony argued about whether this was even a plausible idea. Nat tried to calm Bruce down before he had an anxiety attack. Thor stayed silent.

As did I. I continued to sit there and look at Thor. He looked so resigned. His eyes were shut, not wanting to witness the scene before him. The stress had taken a toll on him, and he had no support left. I grabbed his hand and held it between mine, but he didn't move.

"He's a murderer!"

"He'll be dead the minute he steps foot on Earth anyways..."

"... Fury would never agree..."

The fights weren't stopping.

"Tony," I spoke firmly. Everyone stopped to peer at me. "Tony, we have to help Thor."

No response.

"Guys, we can't leave this for Thor to handle alone. The Avengers have a responsibility to protect this world, and maybe, giving Loki a chance to redeem himself is a way of protection. I mean look at what he did in New York. It took six of you to defeat him! He's powerful, he's clever, he has allies and enemies across the galaxy. We don't really want another attack coming from him, do we?"

Thor finally cracked a smile again, silently thanking me by holding my hand a bit tighter. He had needed help all these years, but he never asked. He was always helping us, but now it was time to help him.

Tony considered what I had said for a moment. Although, Clint did not budge. "Dana, you don't know this guy. He's pure evil. I killed friends because of him!"

I released Thor's hand and stood up from my seat. "Do not dare to assume I don't know this man," I snarled, "because you would be wrong. I have met him- in New Mexico. And I saw it all. He's a powerful being, and, guys, we need him as our ally now more than ever. We've been experiencing increases in alien attacks and supernatural occurrences ever since. We could use a magic-wielder like Loki on our team."

Clint and Nat still thought it was all nonsense, but it appeared that I had gotten through to Tony and Steve. Bruce was still cautious.

"She's right," Steve spoke up. "We need more help. Each day new alien tech is invented, and people are now getting access to advanced weapons that we can't outgun."

The whole team silently agreed with what he was saying, but Clint still looked furious. It was expected though, since Clint was the only team member to have been made to kill other agents by Loki's scepter. He had moved on and recovered, but we all knew how hard it was for him to even think about that day and what he did.

"Clint, my dear friend," Thor uttered. "Would you believe me if I said that you were not the only victim of manipulation that day?"

This was news to us. Clint's eyes softened a bit, but his muscles were still tense.

Thor continued, "Loki has admitted to us that he was not in control that day... that a mad Titan had tortured and exploited him for about a year before New York. The monster, Thanos, found him when he fell from the Bifrost."

I sat back down next to Thor, processing all this new information. Everybody was taught that Loki was a bad guy and nothing more, but now... this changes everything. He was being used.

Before anyone could respond, Thor muttered, "I've seen the scars.... He tells the truth."

Scars. I could only imagine what kind of physical and mental pain Loki must have been through to have been convinced to invade Earth. Especially when Loki was no mortal man, but a god who had been raised to endure massive amounts of pain.

"It's decided then," Steve said, getting a supportive nod from Tony. "He may come here."

"But!" Tony interrupted. "He gets one chance, Big Guy. He does something, says something, even thinks of something that harms or jeopardizes others, he is gone."

I could see Thor let out a big sigh of relief. A big portion of his tension and stress rolled off his body now that he finally had help in supporting his brother. No one else looked very happy about it, but we could all see it was what needed to be done. And that was that.

Loki was coming.

[jeichanhaka]

The Robbed That Smiles

Chapter Two

“Is this really necessary?”

Loki watched quietly as the professed female version of himself grimaced at the seidr suppressing cuffs around her wrists before turning her sea-green gaze to the Avenger closest to her. Since being captured by him and Strange, the woman had been brought to the closest Avengers building - a holding facility owned and designed by Stark to deal with possible hostiles - where she’d received a welcome filled with an unsurprising degree of suspicion. Her claim to be him from a parallel universe, along with the fact that she attempted theft of a highly dangerous, potentially powerful artifact didn’t exactly ingratiate herself with the heroes.

Nor with Loki, who had to deal with his brother and Stark threatening to lock him up since the two had initially thought the city wide illusion was one of his pranks. (Akin to the one he’d pulled on Banner the previous week.) It didn’t help that when his female doppelganger dispelled her illusion, she’d also dispelled his earlier fix to the Statue of Liberty. Thus making the idea he was behind the mess more plausible in the minds of the Midgardians and their government.

“Yes, it is. Especially if you are who you claim.” Stark replied, pressing some buttons on the array of computers in front of him. The displays depicted, as far as Loki could tell from the glimpses he stole, an analysis of pulse, respiration, brain activity and other vitals of the woman thief. Essentially it was a Midgardian ‘lie-detecting’ program, and Loki nearly rolled his eyes at the hubris that any version of himself would be flummoxed by such primitive technology. Not even Asgardian-level lie-detectors worked on him.

“I am who I claim to be. Lokki, master of mischief.” The female sat back in the interrogation seat, exuding an air of indifference and boredom. Combined with her physical similarities to Loki - longish black hair pulled behind her back, fair complexion and defined cheekbones; piercing eyes that shifted between green and blue - left little doubt that she was connected to the mischief god. Whether she was another universe’s version of Loki or a Jotunn relative of his trying to trick them remained to be seen. “Whether you believe me or not…is moot.”

“Really? Why is that?” Natasha asked, sitting on a chair in front of Lokki. The two women stared at each other, the former with a mirthless smirk and the latter with a frown although there was a glimmer of amusement in the mischief goddess’ eyes that Loki suspected only he noticed. At the very least, Natasha said nothing about it. “Because you think we’ll let you go? Or because you’re lying and just don’t want to admit it kills you that we know it?”

An abrupt laugh was Lokki’s answer, the amusement in her eyes spreading to the rest of her face. Its effect was two-fold - making the mischief goddess lose all calculated indifference and causing Natasha to scowl.

“You find that funny?” The assassin-turned-Avenger leaned in closer to Lokki, cold anger in her eyes. Like the other Avengers, she’d been close enough to the City of New York to witness the illusion of it being destroyed, and it put her in a less than tolerant mood. Despite it having been dispelled quickly, she was, as were the other Avengers, completely gobsmacked by how suddenly it happened. It drove home how unprepared they were.

“No.” Said Lokki, a smile still on her face, although more subdued as was the glimmer in her eyes. Natasha’s scowl deepened, scrutinizing the other, though the next one to speak was Banner who was glaring at Lokki.

“I suppose this is all a joke to you, same as the illusion of the city being destroyed.” Banner growled, thinking about the prank Loki had played on him a week prior. The mischief god had created a similar illusion, albeit on a smaller scale, and then proceeded in trying to convince the scientist that the ‘green guy’ had done it. That prank had nearly driven Banner to first run away in remorse and then to almost kill the god when Loki revealed it was an illusion.

“No.” Lokki tensed hearing the scientist, having been unaware of his presence as he’d only recently entered the room and had wordlessly sat to the side. From his vantage point, Loki smirked at his doppelganger’s reaction to Banner, privately relishing that the female version of himself had a similar wariness of the ‘green guy.’ His amusement stemming from bruised pride for falling for the city-wide illusion. It morphed into intrigued as Loki realized it wasn’t fear of Banner that Lokki’s eyes reflected. It was something else.

“Really?”

“I...I did not mean any harm by it. I only wanted to secure a means home.”

“A means home? How would casting an illusion of mass destruction and stealing a book get you home?” The scientist asked and stepped in front of the thief, while Natasha wordlessly backed off having realized, as had Stark and Loki, that Lokki was more responsive to Banner. Unlike the mischief god, the Avengers both assumed it was fear induced.

Loki stepped closer to the interrogation, his gaze locked on his doppelganger and the emotion in her sea-green eyes. It was fear, but wasn’t fear of the scientist. The female version of himself seemed wholly unafraid of any of them - even when Stark threatened to imprison her in a volcano while she was being brought to the facility. (Lokki had flippantly boasted at being able to escape easily and had even tried. Strange, in response, had dropped her into another dimension, letting her fall endlessly until they arrived at the holding facility.)

“Well?” Banner crossed his arms, watching the professed goddess of mischief carefully, his vocal tone angry.

It was at that moment Loki saw it, the hurt in the other’s eyes. Lasting for only a fraction of a second, he nonetheless saw it. And from that he quickly realized the emotion he read in his doppelganger’s eyes. With Natasha it’d been nostalgia. With Banner, worry and then hurt, as though his anger being directed at her was unexpected. Like it cut into her.

“Are you….” Loki approached until he was just feet away from the interrogation, his brain lit by curiosity and arrogance. “The Avengers exist in your universe too, don’t they?”

“Loki, what are you....”

“...or they did.” Loki amended upon reading the look Lokki gave him at his interjection. Despondence. His own eyes gleamed in a mix of amazement and bewilderment, and he ignored the others protests at his interruption. “What happened to them?”

“Lok…” Stark started to reprimand the mischief maker, only to stop abruptly, his gaze drawn towards the computer readouts of Lokki’s vitals. What had been mostly even-keel throughout the questioning had shifted drastically at the mischief god’s inquiry. His eyes widened, and he looked at their captive.

Her fair cheeks were much paler, and her eyes colder and more piercing, with a hint of blood-red in the sea-hued irises. And the look on her face - it was fury. Fury and pain, and more fury. All of which was directed at Loki.

‘Damn.’ Stark muttered under his breath, feeling his heart thumping in his chest and his palms run cold as his body’s natural fight or flight response kicked in.‘Note to self. Do not piss off the lady frost giant.’

Lokki seethed, standing up and glaring at her male counterpart. Her milky skin shifted into azure with raised markings, though a few shades lighter than his own Jotunn form, noted Loki. He also noticed how the seidr cuffs around the other’s wrists slowly iced over, the material cracking under the frigid temperature of Jotunn skin.

“...fuck.” Gasped Stark, as something started beeping from his computerized vitals scanner. Something that caused him to shout a warning at Natasha and Banner while typing something into the computer.

Loki didn’t even have to peek at the computer screen to realize what had alarmed the Midgardian. He felt it. The cold. And in that moment he remembered something Odin had mentioned in one of his tales of the Jotunn-Asgard war.

-“Frost giants can reach body temperatures cold enough to freeze an enemy through on contact. The females can reach even colder temperatures. Enough to freeze a star, some legends say.”-

“...those cuffs were designed to withstand extremely low temperatures. Right?” Natasha asked Stark, while she backed away, not wanting but preparing for a fight. As did Banner. Seconds later a force-field hummed to life in a circle around Lokki, having been initiated by Stark when he first noticed the dangerously low temperatures around the Jotunn thief.

“Not this low.” Stark replied, the seidr cuffs in question visually cracking as he spoke, all but ready to shatter within seconds. That wasn’t what was worrisome - after dealing with Loki and his antics for the past few years they knew how to deal with his abilities. Including those from his frost giant heritage. Thus combating a doppelganger of the mischief god wouldn’t be too difficult.

Unless her frost giant body temperature got much lower or if the effect it was having on the air temperature around her spread beyond the force-field. None of their fighting skills and such would matter if they were frozen solid before reaching her.

“All right.” Stark glanced at the vitals display, exhaling in relief when the temperature read started stabilizing. It still fell but at a much slower rate, assumingly reaching their captive’s lowest sustainable temperature. “Now, if you’d....”

“Calm down?” Lokki muttered and approached the boundary edge of the force-field, stopping just short of touching it. There she stood regally with her head tilted to the side and her Jotunn body on full display. Not a stitch of clothing, real or seidr formed, covered her icy blue skin while the shattered remains of the seidr suppressing cuffs lay at her feet. A mischievous smirk tugging at her otherwise inexpressive lips, the goddess leered at the Avengers. “I am calm. Are you?”

“Uh….” Stark glanced over the Jotunn female, merely raising an eyebrow at the nude alien, while Banner turned away and Natasha rolled her eyes. Across the room, Loki gawked at his doppelganger, speechless and feeling strangely violated. “Sorry, but I left my adventurous youth behind years ago and am now in a committed relationshi....” Quipped Stark, before falling silent as Lokki transformed back into her Asgardian form, still without a shred of clothing. His eyes uninhibitedly roamed over her body, a habit from his philandering days.

The mischievous goddess smiled at the Midgardian, pulling back her onyx-black hair and adjusting her stance to allow an unfettered view of...everything. Her sea-hued eyes laughed silently as the overhead lights obliterated any obscuring shadows, allowing Stark full view of her fair-complexioned, smooth skinned Asgardian-form. “Like what you see?”

“What the bloody fucking hell?!?!” Loki reacted first, attempting to cast his own seidr spell to clothe his doppelganger, but failing as the force-field prevented any magics from passing through it. He then proceeded to cast an illusion spell in front of the force-field, darkening the view of anything below his female self’s shoulders. For extra precaution, he expanded it the full circumference of the force-field cage.

“Aw…” Lokki glanced at the illusionary barrier and audibly pouted, though her expression simply showed amusement. Similar to that given by Loki whenever he was caught in the midst of a pulling prank. “You’re no fun.”

“Fun…?” The mischief god, mouth agape, stared at his female doppelganger, unsure how to respond. Or even what disturbed him more - that it was a female version of himself standing unabashedly naked and flirting with the Avengers or that said female version seemed to view her solicitous behavior as he did his pranks.

“Now that that’s remedied,” Natasha stepped forward, muttering a ‘thanks’ to Loki while scowling at the goddess. “Let’s get back to interrogating this…”

“Hm?” Lokki narrowed her eyes at the red haired woman, daring the former assassin to finish her sentence. The two women glared coldly at each other, both observing the other, quietly judging and gauging what to say or not.

“...explain how you had a replacement statue already ready.” The room door suddenly slid open and through it stepped Thor talking to Strange, with Rogers closely behind. The trio had been sent to deal with smoothing out the illusion scare with the city government as well as figuring out a more permanent fix for the Loki-statue fiasco.

“That is unimportant.” Strange countered. “We should focus on what this new Lokki’s arrival means and if she has anything to do with the Infin….” He abruptly fell silent as his gaze shifted from Thor towards the others already in the room. Glancing over the force-field around Lokki and the seidr illusion obscuring the view of everything below the Jotunn’s shoulders, Strange frowned, his brow knit in curiosity. He hardly had to glance at Stark or the others to deduce what had happened.

“We’ll get to that, but why did you already….” Thor said, oblivious to the surgeon-turned-sorcerer’s shift in focus. At least until he glanced a second time at the scene greeting them. He’d done so when he’d first entered, but it was so quick his brain hardly registered what he saw. Once he did, he gaped, eyes widened, his eyes shifting between the cage and his fellow Avengers. “What in the…”

“...world?” Standing beside the Asgardian, Rogers quickly averted his gaze from the force-field cage once he realized the female Lokki was sans clothing. Embarrassed even with the seidr screen blocking out all but the thief’s head, shoulders, and feet. “Why is she….”

Strange ignored Rogers and Thor, instead walking further into the room, barely fazed by the situation. As he approached, he noted the broken seidr cuffs on the floor by Lokki’s feet and cocked an eyebrow. “Seems your interrogation isn’t going as smoothly as you boasted it would.” The sorcerer said, addressing Stark and referencing a claim the smug inventor had made earlier.

“On the contrary.” Stark shook his head, denying Strange’s observation. “Things went so smoothly that I offered Miss Frosty here a break to get more comfortable. The lady decided to go Au Naturel.”

“Really?” Strange asked, not for a moment believing the smug man. Natasha and Banner both rolled their eyes at Stark’s claim, while both Lokis gave a similar sardonic leer at the genius inventor. “What have you learned then? Aside from…” The sorcerer glanced at the broken seidr cuffs and then the vitals display, eyes narrowing at the temperature read. “...our friend being able to reach much lower temperatures than….” He glanced again at the cage, focusing on the flooring. Seconds later he grumbled and shook his head.

“Stra….”

“...Than these floors were made to endure.” Strange continued, the next second teleporting away before his fellow Avengers could react or question what he meant. As though in answer to their unspoken inquiries, Lokki vanished - or rather the seidr formed illusion she’d cast of herself after her male-counterpart cast his censoring screen around the cage. So too did the floor, at least the part covering the person-wide hole that Lokki had shattered open using her frost magic.

“What the….”

“Did she actually…?”

“Yep.” Stark replied, his pride bruised by falling for the female Jotunn’s sleight of hand despite being prepared - after all he’d dealt with their universe’s Loki’s antics constantly for the past handful of years and thus uncovered much of the mischief god’s repertoire.

“We should go after her. Hopefully she didn’t get far.” Said Thor to his fellow Avengers, before addressing Loki, who just stared at the empty cage. “I’m surprised you didn’t catch onto her, brother.”

Loki didn’t respond immediately, and instead just watched the cage, his expression shifting from bewildered to fascinated to amused. His brother’s footsteps approaching him pulled him from his silent retrospection. “She...is good. Do you know how precisely she had to cast her spell after mine for me not to notice?”

Thor shook his head, while Stark muttered some off-the-cuff comment about Loki’s fascination with his female doppelganger. The mischief god bristled.

“You’re the one who couldn’t stop looking at her! Not to mention your flirting….” Loki cringed, remembering.

“She flirted. I just played along.”

“You…”

“What…?” Thor started to ask but stopped, not wanting to delve into what had occurred or why the female-doppelganger of his brother was naked. He especially didn’t want to hear anything about...well, that sort of thing. Especially not about someone who, if she was telling the truth, was essentially his sister, albeit adopted and from another universe. “Let’s just go find Lo...sister Lokki, before she causes trouble or casts another city wide illusion.”

“You know, calling them both ‘Loki’ will probably be confusing in the long run.” Banner interrupted, cutting off Stark who seemed about to make a quip about Thor calling the female Jotunn ‘sister Lokki.’ “We should probably find a solution after we find her though.”

“After.” Thor agreed, while Stark shrugged and stalked off to scan the city for any possible sightings of the female Jotunn. “Brother, let’s….”

“I’m going to stay here.” Loki said, stepping towards the computer screens that had depicted his doppelganger’s vitals. The moment her illusion spell dropped inside the force-field, the computer screen too had changed, as though it had also been magicked by Lokki. Something the frost giantess probably did the second after she broke through the floor. “It’s better if you’re only looking for one of me.” The mischief god explained after sensing Banner and Stark glaring at him.

“Fine.” Stark muttered, while Banner indicated he was also staying behind - partly to watch Loki, but mostly because he likely was unnecessary. Although Lokki was an unevaluated threat, she hadn’t caused any actual damage (aside from a few bookshelves), thus the ‘green guy’ wasn’t likely needed. “Banner, you know what to do if he tries anything.”

Rolling his eyes at the Midgardian, Loki slid onto a chair and picked up what the Midgardians called an e-reader from a nearby table. (After figuring out that a decent book could entertain the mischief god away from pranks, at least for a while, the Avengers had gotten an e-reader for Loki as a Christmas gift one year.) Leaning back in the chair, Loki scrolled through the selection of books available on the e-reader, seemingly uninterested in his brother or the Midgardians.

The moment everyone but Banner left the room, Loki glanced up from the tablet. His lips twitched, pulling into a grin he attempted to subdue, lest the scientist caught on. His gaze swiftly returned to the e-reader screen when he heard Banner move. He remained reading for a while, until he noticed Banner heading toward another computer - the same one Stark had started up to scan the city for Lokki.

Once Banner wasn’t facing him, Loki pressed a few keys on the computer closest to him. The same one Stark had used to boot-up the force-field. He, however, now powered it down.

Banner immediately noticed and stood up. “Loki, what the hell are you up to?”

“Clever. She is clever.” Loki muttered, ignoring Banner and instead approached the space where the force-field was. He heard Banner repeat his question, voice a bit more irritated, but aside from tensing slightly, he ignored it again. Seconds later, Loki smirked and cast his seidr over the area closest to the broken floor, having caught sight of something.

“I’m warning you, Loki. What…”

“...the fuck!” Growled Loki’s female doppelganger, having suddenly reappeared on the floor beside the broken seidr cuffs. A heavy scowl marred her face as she glowered at the mischief god. “You son of a….”

“Hey!” Loki scowled at his doppelganger.

“...bastard.” Lokki finished, pushing herself to her feet; her form fully clothed thanks to Loki’s spell. One that she decided not to try and dispel. “Ruining a perfectly good escape. Tchk. Clever bastard.”

“What the hell is going on?!?” Banner exclaimed, eyes darting from one Loki to the other.

“Simple. Selfie here didn’t escape through the hole. She transformed herself into a tiny arthropod and hid in the remains of the seidr cuffs.” Loki explained, crossing his arms and looking smugly at his doppelganger. “Pretty clever. Except you shouldn’t have transformed into a Silver-Hair Basilisk, noticed you right away.”

“Basilisk?” Muttered Banner, wondering if he heard the mischief god right.

“It’s a type of spider. Native to Asgard and Jotunheim. Its venom is able to petrify insects and small mammals.” Lokki replied before her male counterpart, her own arms crossed and jaw pulled taut. “They have been known to make it to other realms, brought along by inattentive travelers of the Bifrost.”

Loki shook his head. “Not to Midgard. Not since the Jotunn Invasion and not in this climate - too close to the ocean.”

Opening her mouth to refute her male-counterpart, Lokki clammed up and grimaced, realizing her mistake. The Silver Hair spider quickly died if exposed to salt water or salty air. New York City was much too close to the ocean for the arthropod to survive, thus her choice to transform into one was as obvious as strapping a neon sign to herself.

“Yeah, yeah. You got me. Now what?” Lokki muttered, frowning. “Going to call back the calvary? Show off your clever deduction and capture and all that?”

Loki thought a moment, before shrugging and shaking his head. “No. Let’s let them look around some. It’ll simply make it more hilarious when they return.” He turned towards Banner. “Unless Jolly Green Giant here wants to tattletale?”

Banner glowered at Loki, ready to call Stark and the others simply to annoy the mischief god. His determination faltered when he glanced at the female Lokki and saw her pouting at him. Her sea-hued eyes wide and oblique, her bottom lip protruding in an over-the-top frown, Lokki seemed both comical and childlike, and so different than the sarcastic mischief god.

“Please? Just for a little while. Pwetty pwease?” Lokki purred, gazing up at Banner, having lain back down on the floor when she started to beseech the scientist.

“What the flying fuck?!” Loki gawked at his doppelganger, unsure whether he was more uncomfortable seeing this display or seeing his female double flirting with Stark. Banner, to his credit, just rolled his eyes and facepalmed, taking Lokki’s pouting no more seriously than Stark had her flirting.

Noticing this, Lokki sat up straight and stopped pouting. Sighing, she shrugged. “I’ll answer some questions for you, if you want. Or, I guess I could just go back to flirting with Tony. Hm, that might be fun...You can go call him back now.”

“No. Please. No.” Loki, wide-eyed, shook his head. A similar expression was on Banner’s face.

“All right.” Banner replied, muttering to himself before addressing Lokki. “So long as you answer a few questions, and do so truthfully, I’ll give you an hour before I call the others back.”

“Deal. Where to start?” Lokki asked, sitting down on the closest chair, which was the same one she’d been seated on earlier. Before she got furious and shifted into her Jotunn form. She made sure though, to move the chair just outside the force-field’s boundary.

“For starters, are….”

“Why did you get mad when I asked about the Avengers of your universe?” Loki interrupted, scrutinizing his doppelganger, whose severe reaction to his questions earlier had made him cautious but hadn’t quelled his curiosity. He peered at her, not afraid but readying one of his knives out of sight as a precaution.

If the female Jotunn was him from another universe, just female rather than male, he understood how she would fight. And though she may have fiercer frost magic than him as a consequence of her sex, he hadn’t failed to notice how thoroughly she avoided actual combat, instead focusing solely on illusion magic.

“Loki.” Banner warned the mischief god, his tone enough to get Loki to flinch on reflex before glaring back.

“What?” Snapped Loki, a sneer on his face that was more a mask than an actual reflection of enjoyment. “You’re curious yourself. You can’t say you’re not, not after witnessing Selfie’s reaction earlier. It was over-the-top, even for…” The bite of a knife at his throat quieted the mischief god, and he peered into a pair of eyes identical to his own. His lips twitched, his own knife pressed against his doppelganger’s abdomen.

“Oi. Come on you two.” Muttered Banner, reaching for his cell phone. His patience running thin, too thin to care about getting answers out of the female Jotunn before anyone else.

Lokki blanched, feeling Loki’s blade against her stomach - it was obvious she had expected her male doppelganger to copy her ‘knife against the throat’ move. Not go for the ‘less lethal’ abdomen shot. She stared into her double’s face, reading it as clearly as her own. The two of them remained quiet for a moment, communicating wordlessly.

“I said….” Banner growled, midway to dialing up Stark. His brow knit when the female Jotunn backed down first, removing her knife against Loki’s neck. It disappeared in a puff of smoke. The scientist’s eyes narrowed, perplexed, even more so when Lokki returned to her chair without much fuss. “...what?”

For his part, Loki sighed and stared at his doppelganger with a look on his face that for one of the rarest moments in his life, seemed contrite. Uncomfortable with himself. He kept his knife clasped in his hand though, now safely at his side. After a few heavy moments of silence, the mischief god opened his mouth to speak. “Look, I didn’t….”

“You want to know that badly?” Lokki spat, avoiding eye contact with both Banner and Loki, her arms folded defensively across her abdomen. “...they died. All of them. Along with most of Midgard and the rest of the Nine realms. Most of the whole fucking universe.” Her piercing, furious eyes glared up at Loki, while she reflexively shielded her abdomen, wary of the knife her doppelganger held. “Thanks to those fucking Infinity Stones.”

[ofhoneyandrosepetals]

Spooky Little Stories - Halloween special series (Tale III - Hvitserk)

Pairing: Modern!Hvitserk x OFC

Description: in this Halloween special series you’ll follow five tales, which one of them with a different Ragnarsson and a different pairing! A group of five friends travel to Kattegat in the last week of October to see if what people tell of that little town is true…

Every week a new chapter!

Warnings: swearings.

Word count: 3,246

A/N: due to Tumblr’s links problems, I’m not going to put here the link for my masterlist and my ask, but you all can keep up with the link for my masterlist in my bio!

The last thing I wanted to do was going to the camp, but Jule had a point: we couldn’t leave our friends behind, we couldn’t abandon them. We had to warn them, but the whole thing was this huge absurd - how could we make them believe us?

Me and Jule agreed that the first person we should focus our attention was Sam - because of Bjorn.

“Of course we have no evidence of what we think, and maybe we’re just nuts, but just in case…” Jule opened her backpack, taking a long and thick necklace from there.

“What does that mean? What is that?” I asked her.

“Silver,” I laughed. Jule gave me a sidelook.

“What? Do you- do you really think that this is a thing? For real?”

“Like I said: just in case.”

“And what do you expect to do with it? Melt the silver and make a bullet?”

“It wouldn’t be a bad idea - you see, in the It book…”

“I know, I know - I’ve read it too, Jule.”

“That was a long summer,” she said in an explaining tone, like if I would judge her by the fact that she read a long horror book that, I gotta say, wasn’t very much her style. “But I can’t make it, so maybe…” She was opening the necklace, handling it like if it was a chain.

“Jule, this is just a necklace - if you think that you can tie him…”

“Maybe if I use it to choke him…” She said, seeming to be completely inside her own head.

“Oh god,” I sighed. “I get that this necklace looks very strong, but I don’t think it can take Bjorn out.”

“Maybe just the good amount of time,” she looked at me, as if looking for support.

“I think we should just leave, Jule. Halloween is coming in five days, we can’t stay here.”

“I know,” Jule put the necklace around her neck and got up, kicking her backpack under the bed. “Let’s go for a walk,” she suggested with a smile on her face.

*

Arm by arm, I was walking through the trees with Jule, both of us quiet, thinking about all the strangeness of this trip.

I was thinking about Ubbe and his behavior, the way he talked with us about his brothers. I was thinking about the tale.

The tale, and Odin, and Fenrir, and the Ragnarssons.

Ubbe seemed so different than Bjorn… Bjorn was so confident that it was annoying, while Ubbe was chill. They had the same vibe, I thought, that savage, predator thing, but even like that, Ubbe still seemed chill.

If he was a werewolf, I wasn’t sure he would be defined as the bad one.

Maybe, if Ubbe is indeed a werewolf, he’s the good one. He seemed nice, controlled - and, when that word came to my mind, I remembered how his hands were shaking of anger, how his skin was red and then, all of a sudden, he was calm, simply by June’s touch.

It’s in his nature to be angry, a little voice said in the back of my head. But he controlled it, beautifully, I said back to the little voice.

“What are you thinking about?” Jule asked.

“Ubbe.”

“Me too. He looks like a good guy, doesn’t he?” I nodded. “Maybe he is. Maybe he can help us,” I stopped.

“No, Jule. We can’t put this man against his own blood.”

“Why not? He doesn’t seem to like his brothers, anyway - they don’t seem to get along; in fact, the impression I had it was that they’re a mess!”

“Do not interfere with blood, Jule.”

“I think he’s a hunter,” she said, completely plain. I choked.

“Excuse me?”

“I think he’s a hunter. Yes!” She said when I shook my head in disbelief. “Look what he said! That his brothers won’t help, that they do whatever they want and that is all just a mess! And his younger brother! Do you remember? He said that he helps Ubbe with all that stuff, but Ubbe would pretty much rather know what and how he’s doing instead of only getting results… I think Ubbe is trying to take his brothers down but he can’t accomplish it because they’re out of control, and his younger brother, doing whatever he wants without Ubbe knowing, even though that it helps him, it’s not much a help.”

“Jule, you’re tripping,” I said as I turned over to go back to the cabins. “All of this madness is just… too much for you.”

“It’s too much for you too,” Jule said, following me. “We need to find his other brothers.”

“No, we don’t.”

In the distance I heard Kimmy’s voice, calling for us.

“Hey, are you back already? Where did you go?”

“We’re just back from downtown.”

“Oh, speaking of which,” Kimmy was breathing hard, like if she was running. “Bjorn said that there’s a party, like a fair or a festival, in downtown tonight. We’re going,” I didn’t said a thing and Jule kept quiet too. “You’re two going, right? Because this was supposed to be a fun trip and we’re supposed to be together, but you two sneaked out to downtown to do whatever you did and… and I just wanted to travel with you guys,” I could feel in the air how Kimmy was upset with that.

“I’m so sorry, Kimmy,” Jule started to say

“It’s too much for me being here, I’m sorry. I didn’t want to go deep in the woods where Bjorn took you guys, so I kinda grabbed Jule with me so I could take a breath for a moment.”

“But we’re all here - together. If you talked to us, we all could be together, and it would be so much better for you, wouldn’t it be? All of your friends with you?” I could see that Kimmy meant it.

“I… I just thought that Bjorn was more interesting than my traumas,” Kimmy laughed without joy.

“No man is more interesting than my friend,” she grabbed my hand. “It makes me sad that you didn’t reach out to us because of that, but I’m here now. Do you want to go to the party?” When she saw doubt in my face, she added. “It will be in downtown,” she said, emphasizing that it won’t be in the woods.

“I don’t wanna be alone,” I confessed.

“You won’t be!” Jule grabbed my other hand. “And I bet that Halston won’t leave you.”

“But what about Sam?” Jule understood 100% what I meant, and she looked at Kimmy.

“I have no idea what’s going on with her. I get that sometimes women are all over men, but this… this is different. She looks like a servant, like a puppy. I don’t like that,” Kimmy said and I exchanged looks with Jule.

I had no knowledge on werewolves, but that looked pretty much like the result of that gone scar that was on Sam’s back.

“I’ll go the fair,” I said, sounding decided. Kimmy gave me a big smile and Jule gave an eye support. We need to find Ubbe, I read in her lips, and I nodded slightly.

*

I had to give that folk what to say, because I had no idea where they were hiding the whole day - the festival was crowded.

You could barely walk without bumping into someone’s shoulder - when you had space where to walk.

The music was loud and the smell of food being cooked in fire was taking place.

I wasn’t giving a shit about what Kimmy was going to think, and at that point I wasn’t feeling like hiding anything from her.

“We need to find Ubbe!” I said out loud, trying to be heard over the music. Jule nodded and started looking around.

“Who?” Kimmy shouted back.

“Ubbe! We met him earlier today, he’s Bjorn’s brother!” I answered. I knew Kimmy, and I thought that she would straighten herself, interested in a guy that she had never seen before, but I think that whatever was going on with Sam, it made her more serious about it.

“Do you think he can help?” I nodded positively to Kimmy’s question. Okay, I read her lips.

“We should walk around, see if we can spot him. Maybe he’s near the bar,” Jule suggested. I was in the middle, holding hands with Jule and Kimmy so we wouldn’t separate.

From afar, a guy was staring at us. I looked at him and immediately got shivers all over my body. The spider tingle, I thought. He ignored me and his eyes went straight to Kimmy. I looked at her.

It was no surprise that she was looking back at him, amazed - not because she was Kimmy, but because, nowadays, I was taking for serious my spider senses. Whoever that guy was, I’m sure he was one of Ubbe’s brothers. I squeezed Jule’s hand and pointed with my head to the new guy - she looked at him.

“He was the guy who Ubbe threw that towel at the bar,” Jule whispered in my ear or, well, screamed in my ear.

“How do you know that? I didn’t see that guy!” I answered.

“I have a good eye. I don’t have a good feeling about this, we need to keep Kimmy away from him,” I nodded.

“Kimmy, let’s go,” I said to her and pushed her. I could hear her saying what, starting to ask something.

“There!” Jule pointed forward, near the bar. At the tip of my toes I could see Ubbe’s head, his blonde hair glowing with the night light. He was over his bar’s door, drinking from what looked like a horn. Jule pushed me and I took Kimmy with me.

“Girls!” Ubbe complimented when we got close. “I didn’t expect to see you here. How ya doing? Who’s your friend?” He looked at Kimmy, genuinely curious.

“That’s Kimmy, she came with us,” Jule said.

“Pleasure to meet you, Kimmy. I’m Ubbe.”

“Hi,” she said, sounding dizzy. Ubbe frowned.

His frown meant something, and I looked at Jule. She was studying him, as he was studying Kimmy. It was obvious that he knew what was up with her.

“Was she with you all the time?” He asked.

“Yeah.”

“Good. Keep it that way. It’s not safe here,” Ubbe said and opened the door, signing for us to get in. Jule entered without a second guess. I guided Kimmy inside and Ubbe entered before me, looking outside before closing the door.

The lights were dim and the music was muffled. It was warm inside. Ubbe guided Kimmy to one of the toolbars and lift her face by the chin so she would look up at him, avaliating her eyes.

“You guys think I’m crazy?” Ubbe asked, looking over at me and Jule.

“You would think we’re crazier than you, then,” Jule said, and that said it all. Ubbe understood us and we understood him. A silent understanding. He nodded only once before he started to talk.

“I think your friend made eye contact with one of my brothers. I mean, it’s not that our eye contact is dangerous - only when we want to.”

“Are you saying she’s under some kind of spell?” I asked.

“I wouldn’t put it in those words, but…” He tilted his head. “In lack of words, yes. She’s enchanted. We need to keep her inside until this fades away - with all that people, maybe she’ll be lucky and it will come back to normal soon enough.”

“And what is it?” Jule asked. “The… this magic thing.”

“We’re predators,” Ubbe said and went inside the bar. “So we have powers,” he came back with a wet towel. He pressured it against Kimmy’s forehead. She seemed somewhat catatonic. “I still don’t know which of my brothers it was, but this was a way to keep her in his tracker - among all those people, he wants to find her. It’ll keep her close to him, like a magnet.”

“It was the one from today earlier,” Jule said. “He left through the back door. I recognized the hair.”

“Hvitserk,” Ubbe said his name and shook his head. “He was a good guy, good-intentioned. After our father’s death we broke apart and Hvitserk just… I think he just lost himself. He didn’t get along with my other brothers, but he did start acting by himself. This town is just a mess. I’m sorry you got involved in all this shit.”

“I’ll take care from here,” Jule grabbed the towel from Ubbe’s hand, touching his skin. If I was Jule I wouldn’t trust Ubbe to make eye contact with him, but it was clear that he wasn’t a bad guy. He was one of the good werewolves. Maybe he was a hunter, indeed. Just like Jule said.

“I haven’t seen Sam after we met with Kimmy,” I pointed to Jule. “Or Halston,” I bit my lip, clearly worried with my oldest friend.

“Sam is the girl that Bjorn has?” Ubbe asked. I hated how he put it - has -, but he was right. If what Kimmy said was right, then Bjorn had Sam. I nodded.

“I don’t want to frighten you girls, but Bjorn’s dangerous. He’s the oldest, so he’s stronger than all of us. The first born is always the stronger.”

“And what does it say about the younger?” Jule asked.

“Usually that they’re the brains. They would combine their strength with their intelligence, but… my younger brother have some conditions. Maybe that’s why he’s so absent and doesn’t let me know what he’s doing. We would be so much stronger together,” Ubbe closed his eyes and clenched his jaw.

“Those errands that you run,” I started.

“They’re really errands, in part. We do have a lot of business to take care,” Ubbe recomposed himself. “Like I said, after my father’s death, my brothers just went in an euphoria state. They lost control. They fight for territory and Kattegat has never seen so much death before. It’s a sad, terrible thing. I try to stop them, but I can’t. It’s way too much for me, alone. I’m not strong enough,” Ubbe was staring his hands, feeling probably incapable. 

Then, someone screamed outside.

And that scream led to complete mess.

Outside, everyone was screaming and running, trying to get away from whatever that caused the panic.

“What’s going on?” I heard Kimmy asking, slowly.

“This is an ambush,” Ubbe said.

I was looking through the window, trying to spot Sam or Halston, until I recognized her. Halston’s hair was something that I could never miss, and there she was, hoping up on someone’s bike and leaving.

“What the fuck?! Is that Halston? Halston! Oh my god what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck?!” I panicked. My best friend, in the middle of that mess, in a town full of werewolves, taking off with a guy on a bike? This was bad news. “Does any of your brothers ride a bike?” I asked Ubbe in a urge.

“All of us,” he answered simply, looking for something.

“That’s great.”

“Are you sure it was Halston?” Jule asked. I nodded.

“One hundred percent.”

“Halston?” Kimmy asked. “Halston… Bjorn got her a date tonight.”

Slowly, processing her words, I turned around. Ubbe stopped looking for whatever he was looking.

“Can you elaborate more of that, please?” I asked carefully.

“Bjorn… We were talking about music, and everyone knows the huge crush that Halston has on musicians… Bjorn has a brother that plays the guitar…”

“That’s great!” Ubbe slammed the bar.

“That son of a b-”

But, before I could even finish my sentence, something stormed inside the bar. Broken glass took place in the air and I covered my face, trying to get under one of the tables.

“Jule?” I called for her over all that messy sound. People outside were still running and screaming.

“Ubbe!” Called a hoarse voice, decided. “You have something of mine,” that voice made me reach my alarming state. It scared the shit out of me. It wasn’t a human voice - I mean, it was clear that belonged to a man, but not a man on complete human form. That voice belonged to a man who was somewhere into his wolf form.

Under the table I had no view of what was happening, and I hate to admit that I was too scared to take a peak, so I just stayed there.

“Is that just you or are you all involved?” Ubbe asked.

“Why do you care, brother? You’re too weak. Without Ivar, you can’t do shit,” the man laughed. “Gods, not even with Ivar you can do shit. Ivar’s a broken man.”

“Hvitserk, cut that shit out.”

“It’s true! Look, brother, I don’t want to fight - all I want is my belonging.”

“The girl isn’t yours,” Ubbe said firmly.

“Oh, isn’t she? Watch me.”

I don’t know what happened because I wasn’t looking, but I heard the sound of something being cut and Kimmy scream. After her, Jule screamed too, and only then I left the place I was hiding, because I couldn’t bare hear my friends screaming - I had to do something.

Ubbe was fighting with Hvitserk, breaking glasses and beer bottles. I went to Kimmy - Jule was so afraid that she couldn’t move from the corner where she was.

“Don’t touch her!” I heard Ubbe screaming. I stopped, my hands raising in the air in front of me.

“Why?”

“Do not touch the blood!” It was all Ubbe gave me. I looked over them, and Hvitserk gave me a pointy smile that was so terrifying that I had no control over the tears that came out.

And it was there, with me standing halfway to Kimmy that a big and dark wolf stormed in, growling to Ubbe and Hvitserk. Both brothers looked over the animal, but only Hvitserk seemed a bit scared. The wolf attacked Hvitserk, throwing him away through the window, at the alley.

Once Ubbe was free he came to me and Kimmy.

“Don’t touch her, Ella. The blood that comes out from a werewolf wound has properties. Only the Gods know what can do to a human…”

“I know,” I answered, connecting the dots in a second. “When I saw you the first time I felt something, I knew… you were somewhat related to Bjorn. I felt the same with Hvitserk when I saw him out there…”

“When he enchanted Kimmy?”

“Yeah. I already knew he was one of you.”

“I need to take care of her and make sure she will be very distant from Hvitserk.”

“Who was that?” Jule asked, coming slowly closer to us.

“What do you mean?” Ubbe asked, clearly trying to dodge the subject.

“The werewolf, Ubbe. Who was that?”

“That’s not important, not now,” Ubbe shook his head. He lift Kimmy on his arms. “You two, please go upstairs. It’s safe there. I’ll prepare the room for Kimmy where we can take care of her and you can rest. Just, please… don’t make questions now. I’ll answer all of it tomorrow, but first we need to focus.”

We agreed to those terms and went upstairs, but I couldn’t stop thinking about Halston getting away with a werewolf, and if that would be the last image I had of her.

Taglist:  @mblaqgi @akamaiden @dangerousvikings @oddsnendsfanfics @deepdarkred @irishhiggins @tinypuppysoul @kingbouji3 @i-war-s-boner @capitanostella @loothbrok @noaor @thehuntress26 @sassymcgonagal1651 @hoodirwin5 @attorneyl @collecting-stories @certainobservationwasteland @dreams-in-different-colours @3x5gurl @readsalot73 @action-adventure-and-cheesecake @titty-teetee @cutiedaij @austenkingmylady @ivarthesweetheart @golden-pickaxe @lokis-sunflower-anna @bill-istvan @cynthianokamaria @slut4hazeleyes @chinduda @hallowed-heathen @cherryblossombaby69 @paintballkid711 @bisexual-dane @fuckthatfeeling @youbloodymadgenius @huffelpuffers

[mimixis]

Towards the sun - Part 1: Towards the sun

Paring: Ivar x OC

Word Count: 3092

Summary: Pia just wanted to go to work, but oh well, shit happens.

AN: Hello there! I’m kind of new to posting on Tumblr and there may occur some errors on my part, but please, bear with me. :)

I’m not native English speaker, I’m still learning so if you catch some mistakes, feel free to let me know. :)

“Fuck!” she swore for the fourth time.

Pia took a deep breath in and then exhaled, wanting to calm down. She has gone through this forest many times on her way to work regularly, but now she felt like she was in a completely different dimension. There was no path she always used, she didn't pass the house of the gamekeeper, and she couldn't see the tall chimneys of the factory behind the crowns of the trees.

She cursed again, more annoyed than alarmed. She pulled out her phone to call her boss to inform him she would be late but it refused to obey. There was no signal. She sat on the ground and leaned against a tree. Pia wasn't a person who panicked quickly and without a reason, but this situation seemed too stressful.

First of all, she had no idea where she was. Unquestionably, it was not the forest, that separated her house from the main road, and the passage to the city. Secondly, her phone didn't work. She had no way of contacting anyone to ask for help. Thirdly, it was dusk and Pia didn't feel safe.

She trembled. She didn't know whether it was because of cold or out of fear. She started humming to get hold of herself. When her heart beat more calmly, and she was sure of her voice, she sang.

“Turn your face towards the sun. Let the shadows fall behind you. Don't look back, just carry on. And the shadows will never find you,”

She took a breath to keep sing, but when she heard a rustle in the bushes, she stood up immediately. She opened her mouth to question who it was, but she didn't fancy being a stereotypical dumb blonde girl from horror movies. She took off her backpack, clenched her fingers on it, and pressed her back against the tree, hoping to blend into it. But nothing like that happened, and the noises became clearer.

When a figure crawled out of the bushes, Pia nearly screamed. Her eyes were wide open in horror and shock. The boy stopped moving and looked at her. However, she wasn't looking at his face, but at his legs. She didn't see blood, but he could be injured. His unusual clothes also caught her attention.

“Are you in need of help?” she asked weakly. The boy raised his eyebrow. “Your legs...”

“I'm a cripple.”

"It seems to me, that 'a person with a disability' would be a more proper term," she said, watching him crawl toward her. She wanted to step back, but she hit the tree behind her.

“You don't have to be afraid, sváss snót*,”

Pia didn't know how to react. Not only to his unknown words but also to his behaviour. She moved away a few steps to give him room to lean against the tree. Though, before she could pull back completely and run away, the boy grabbed her ankle. Her brown eyes met his blue ones. She lost her footing for a moment, but somehow she regained her balance.

"Sit next to me," he demanded.

Pia sat down when his fingers disappeared from her ankle. Her heart was beating fast, her body was shaking, she broke out in a cold sweat. She felt like crying. She got lost in the woods, she didn't have a phone signal and a strangely dressed psychopath would kill her. She leaned against the same tree as he, put her backpack between her legs and began to rummage through it, feeling his eyes on her. She took out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter.

“Would you mind terribly if I had a smo...” she started out of habit, but quickly stopped. If she was about to die, she had the right to the last wish.

She pulled her scarf down. She put a cigarette between her lips, lit it and immediately relaxed. For a few seconds, she even forgot that someone was sitting next to her. She looked at him and her lips parted. She was looking at him earlier, but now that her mind was not overwhelmed by fear, she could see how gorgeous he was. Thick, raven-black hair, piercing eyes and sharp features. For a moment she wanted to touch him. She directed her hand with the cigarette in his direction, offering him some instead.

The boy had been fascinated by what she was doing, but now he seemed unsure. Pia understood that despite her suggestions, he didn't know what to do.

“You take a cigarette between your fingers. Then you put it in your mouth, you drag on it, so that the smoke reaches your lungs,” She showed all the steps in turn, and then released the smoke, creating circles. ”Then you exhale.”

She gave him the cigarette again and this time he accepted it. Pia hid her face in the scarf and watched how the stranger tried to do everything as she said. He inhaled and then coughed. Pia laughed, ignoring his furious look. The boy threw the cigarette away, ignoring her 'hey!' and grabbed her shoulder tightly.

Pia paled. These few minutes of relaxation were a mistake. She shouldn't have left her guard down. The boy took off her hat with his free hand and then unwrapped the scarf. Pia tried to break free, but it didn't work. His grip was too strong. When he finished, he looked at her and she saw her reflection in his eyes.

Tousled hair, glazed eyes, red cheeks and nose. Her lips were gently parted, ready to scream.

"You are different from everyone I know," he said. His voice quiet, the accent very hearable. He put his dirty fingers on her neck, ideally placing them on the pulsing vein. “You don't behave like people from England, and yet you speak their language. You don't dress like them or like my people. Who are you?"

“What do you mean?” she asked confusedly. “Who are your people? Where am I? Who are you?”

"Answer my questions first," he growled, his face dangerously close to hers.

“I'm Pia Petersen, I was born in Great Britain, I'm twenty-two years old and I'm studying acting.”

“Where is Great Britain? And what acting is?”

Pia stared at him blankly for a long moment. She didn't know whether to take it seriously or as a joke. She blinked several times. She changed her position so now she sat in front of him, not beside him.

“No, no, no! Now is my turn! Where am I? And who are you?”

“I'm Ivar, and you will come with me.”

;:;

Pia followed Ivar for three reasons.

The first, quite obvious one, she didn't know this forest and had no idea where to go. Secondly, she preferred to look at him than to have him to look at her. Thanks to that, she felt a little safer. The third reason why she didn't run away the first moment he looked away was, she had no idea where she was and she really needed help.

Pia didn't ask questions as they walked, but she listened intently to what Ivar has been saying to himself in his mother tongue. It was very similar to Icelandic, her mother's native language. She knew only basic words. As a child, she was not interested in acquiring another language, and she had to start learning it when she moved to Iceland with her mother five months ago.

Ivar spoke mostly about that his brothers would not believe him, that Floki would be astonished. She had no idea, who his brothers and Floki were or what was fascinating about her, but she calmed down. The boy's slow movements had put her in a trance, which she had only wrested out from when Ivar turned to her.

“Answering your previous question, we are in Kattegat. Only a few people know your speech. None of my brothers has that skill, so don't be surprised when they do not answer your questions.”

Pia nodded, listening to him with one ear and letting out with other. All her attention was absorbed by the bustling town. The merchants were shouting all at once, women were looking at the fabric to buy. The crowd was so huge, and Pia was afraid she would get lost among them. There was also another problem.

“Ivar, right?” she asked, wanting to be sure she was pronouncing his name correctly. He looked at her. “I don't want to be rude, but... How are you going to get us through this? Will you be like Moses for whom the sea parted?”

“Who is Moses? And how did he do it?”

“It's a story for a different time,” she replied after a moment, shocked. “But in short, it's a character from the Bible.”

“Are you a Christian?” he snarled, grabbing her ankle hard.

Pia groaned, feeling his fingers leaving bruises on her skin. She tried to escape, but the boy jerked harder and she stopped moving.

“And why does it matter?”

"Are you?"

“No!” she answered truthfully. However, she had the impression that if she were, she would have to lie for her own good.

Ivar stared at her for a few seconds, his eyes glistening dangerously. A smile crept over his lips and he threw a satisfied 'good' in her way. They turned to the right and Pia guessed that it was for them to be able to walk smoothly. She wrapped the scarf around her tightly, when the wind blew harder.

She saw that people who were passing them send her questioning looks, but she tried to ignore that. Even when they entered building full of people, that was staring at her, she tried to act with dignity and didn't hide in her too large jacket.

Ivar stopped and slid on the bench near the table. He talked to people resting there, leaving her alone. She stood in front of them and pretended that everything was perfectly all right and that she didn't feel awkward and uncomfortable at all.

She eavesdropped once again. This time not only on the boy but on his conversations with other men. The situation was more difficult now because alcohol made their speech less understandable. She understood, however, that they were talking about England, Odin and revenge. She didn't comprehend what exactly because she only knew that three words. She craved to take the cigarettes out of her backpack, but she was embarrassed to make any move. She didn't feel confident enough and the boy's behaviour wasn't helping.

"Don't be shy, come closer," Ivar said, beckoning her with a wave of his hand.

Under normal circumstances, she would mumble, she was not a dog, but in this unfamiliar environment, she preferred to fulfil his simple desires. She came up to him without even looking at his friends. He extended his hand, pulled off her hat in one movement and with the other her scarf. He put them on the table and Pia wanted to ask him to give her things back for two reasons. Firstly, she had nowhere to hide her face. Secondly, they were made by her grandmother and she for sure didn't want anyone to spill anything on them.

She gave up quickly because someone distracted her. A hand appeared on her hip and Pia without thinking, knocked it down. She moved closer to Ivar and caught his tunic with her thumb and index finger like a child holding its mother's skirt when they were afraid. Her behaviour was amusing, even to the person, that touched her. Ivar was pleased like the cat that got the cream.

"Hvitserk just wanted to say hello," he laughed and then spoke again. “It's Ubbe, Bjorn and Sigurd. Hvitserk, you've got to know. They are my brothers.”

Pia smiled crookedly and put her hand forward to greet them, but they stared at her blankly. She withdrew, feeling blush on her face and cleavage.

“You don't shake hands to say hello, do you?” she asked embarrassed. Ivar looked at her with amusement, nodding. “Please, let them know it's nice to meet them.”

He did it, and they lifted the goblets up and then drank from them. Ivar shifted to the side and patted the seat between him and Ubbe. Pia sat down and instantly clam up, not wanting to touch any of them. She put her hands on her knees, not knowing what to do with them. She felt someone put her hair behind her ear. This move was so delicate and unexpected that Pia jumped up, bumping into Ubbe.

Her large eyes were focused on the boy's face and his raised hand. She quickly returned to her position, seeing that hurt passed through his face. It sounded strange in her mind, but she didn't want him to feel rejected. She might have been afraid of him at the very beginning, but now she didn't have a reason to be. He brought her to the village, she wasn't lost any more, and she hoped that he would help her. Sure, he was a bit bizarre, but everyone here seemed to be.

"I'm sorry, I didn't expect you to..." she began, but seeing that her apologize meant nothing, she made her hair go back to its previous position and smiled shyly. “Try again, this time I will react correctly.”

Ivar's jaw was clenched and his eyes shone wildly. And though he looked intimidating, Pia was not afraid. She turned her head towards him and waited for his move. Finally, after a time that seemed like an eternity, Ivar once again tuck her hair behind her ear. This time his fingers touched her skin. He caressed her forehead, her cheek, and stopped at her neck. Pia shivered.

"So..." she started the conversation, trying to get rid of the well-known feeling in her lower abdomen. The names of his brothers, as well as his name, seemed familiar to her and she only wanted to determine her preposterous assumptions. “I know you certainly have questions, but let me ask you one first?”

"If you promise to answer mine," he said, ignoring his brothers, who wanted him to translate something.

“Of course,” This assurance seemed enough for him. She took a deep breath. ”Is your father Ragnar Lothbrok? Are your brothers Bjorn Ironside and Sigurd Snake-in-the-eye? Are you Ivar the Boneless?”

“The answer is 'yes', to all your questions,” he whispered as if he was revealing his innermost secret, but there was a mocking smile on his lips. ”It's my turn now. Who are you and where is Great Britain?”

Pia heard him ask her a question, but the shock didn't let her do anything. So she looked at him with her mouth wide open and wondered how all this was possible. There was no doubt that what was happening was real, but how?

Ivar awoke her from her thoughts. He pinched her cheek firmly as if she was an unruly child.

“Great Britain doesn't exist yet. And as I said before, I'm Pia Petersen, I'm twenty-two years old and I'm studying acting.”

“How can you come from a place that doesn't exist?” His fingers disappeared from her neck, and he was caressing her hair. The boy's voice perfectly expressed his feelings. Apparently, in his eyes, she was quite simple-minded. “And explain what acting is, please.”

"The simplest answer to almost all your questions would be... And please, don't think I'm mad," she stammered stressed out, moving closer to him. She put her hands on his and squeezed. “As you probably have noticed, I don't fit here, and that's because I'm not from here. Please, believe me, I really do not lie... I'm from the future.”

Ivar looked at her for a long time. Then he looked at their joined hands, how their knees were touching. Then he looked back at her face. She knew how she had looked. Hair stuck to her face from sweat, her eyes wandering and her breathing shallow. Despite the fact that she felt like a woman who had just fled from the asylum, Ivar's lips rose up and now he looked like a lunatic one.

He leaned to the left to look at his brothers. He spoke to them very quickly and Pia didn't understand a word. The brothers looked at her, then at Ivar. Disbelief and awe on their face. Bjorn laid something on the table and told Ivar something about the map. Ivar focused again on her.

“What did you tell them? Did you tell them I have lost my mind?”

“Do not be ridiculous, heimskur.** I told them the truth. Gods sent you to show they are supporting us," he paused, seeing that his words were not reaching her. “Now be a darling and read this map.”

Pia didn't ask unnecessary questions. She preferred not to know what he meant and why his gods would do it. That's why she looked at the map. And yet she had some question.

“So what do you want to know?”

“Everything you know.”

"I've never been good at geography so it will not be much," she murmured and studied the map. “Well, it's a map of Europe. One of the seven continents. We're part of it, England is part of it.”

Bjorn pointed to the unsigned part of the map, and Ivar translated his question.

"It's Spain," she answered and waited for another question.

Bjorn turned the map over and put something on it, that was supposed to be used for drawing. Ivar explained to her that his brother wanted her to draw a map of the world she knows. Pia looked at Bjorn with a raised eyebrow. He only urged her with a wave of his hand. She lifted the backpack from the ground and took out a notebook and a pen. She laid it on her knees and drew a map of the world with awkward movements. It was not perfect, but it was best she could do. Bjorn wanted to continue asking questions, but Ivar didn't let him.

“It's time to go to the ritual.”

“Ritual? What ritual?” she asked, terrified.

“Oh, do not worry. You will not be sacrificed. Gods have only now given you to me, haven't they? Now come on, I do not want to be late.”

Pia took her hat and scarf, but before leaving, she grabbed goblet from Sigurd's hand and drank its contents.

"I needed it," she said, looking at his startled expression.

Sigurd didn't know her language, but he understood what she wanted to say.

_____________________

(Part 2)

*sváss snót - sweet lady **heimskur – silly Pia sings Rihanna song 'Towards the sun'.

[canyousevmyheavydirtysoul]

Bodyguard II: Familial Ties (Part II - Chapter 8) (Brendon Urie x Reader)

Thor sat in a chair with his hands cuffed behind him, staring forward blankly. At the other end of the holding cell, Agent Coulson.

And you.

“It’s not easy to do what you did,” Coulson said after a moment. “You made us all look like a bunch of mall cops. That’s hurtful.”

The agent received no response from the angsty god, just lingering silence as Thor maintained a perfectly blank expression. He saw it pointless – to try and converse with others. In his mind, he had failed, in every sense of the word; he was unworthy.

Even the presence of you was not enough to shake him from his depressive trance, despite his desire to connect with you; he saw no point in trying, because he felt as if he had failed you, too.

“The men you so easily subdued are highly-trained professionals, and in my experience, it takes someone who’s received similar training to do what you did to them,” Coulson continued taking a few small steps forward, “Would you like to tell me where you received your training?”

Thor sat silently.

Coulson, desperate for some kind of answer from the god, pressed on. “Pakistan? Chechnya? Afghanistan?” A pause. “Then again, you strike me more as the soldier of fortune type. What was it, South Africa?”

Still no answer. With unwavering determination, Coulson leaned in close to Thor and spoke quietly.

“Certain groups pay well for a good mercenary. Especially Hydra.” He waited for a reply but yet again, didn’t get one. “Who are you?”

The agent knew full well who the man in front of him was. There was no doubt about it. His closeness to The Director allowed him access to top-level information, such as the existence of Asgard. His question to Thor was merely a means to find out the god’s intentions.

After a long moment, Thor stopped staring blankly at the concrete wall, and shifted his gaze to you. You locked eye contact with him and the disappointment in his eyes was unmistakable, and so intense that you were forced to look away.

Then, with a slight shake of his head, Thor spoke for the first time since being placed in the holding cell.

“Just a man.”

You breathed out shakily, catching Coulson’s eye for a second before the agent regained distance from the god and started for the door. Just before he exited the room, he tossed one last bit of information at your cousin.

“One way or another, we will find out what we want to know. We’re good at that.”

Coulson left the room and after another brief glance at you, Thor lowered his head. You stood still, wanting to say something but having no idea what to say. You couldn’t exactly comfort him and tell him that everything was going to be okay, because truthfully, you had absolutely no clue what exactly was transpiring.  

Before you could pull yourself together and formulate a proper sentence to say to him, a smooth voice emanated from the corner of the room, startling you back into complete silence.

“I thought he’d never leave.”

Thor looked up immediately, seemingly as shocked as you by the sudden appearance of a third person in the room.

“Loki?” he asked in disbelief, staring wide-eyed at his brother, who was clad in 21st century attire, much like himself. “What are you doing here?”

“I had to see you.” You caught Loki’s eye, then, and he looked you up and down with a small smirk. “Skadi,” he spoke, slowly and clearly, acknowledging you for the first time.

You cleared your throat and folded your arms over your chest protectively. “(Y/N),” you corrected.

The God of Mischief’s eyebrows raised in surprise, as his lips pursed slightly. He didn’t get the chance to offer a response, since his brother – who it appeared had found his spirit again – exclaimed loudly.

“What’s happened? Tell me!” Thor hollered, straining against the chair holding him down. “Is it Jotunheim? Let me explain to father-“

“Father is dead.”

Thor stared at him, stunned. “What?” he whispered, feeling as if he had just been made the butt of a twisted joke.

“Your banishment, the threat of a new war…” Loki explained, “it was too much for him to bear.”

The implications of Loki’s words dawned on Thor – he was responsible for his father’s fate. Him. It was all his fault.

Noticing his brother’s current state of self-loathing, Loki spoke up again. “You mustn’t blame yourself. I know that you loved him. I tried to tell him so, but he wouldn’t listen.” Loki held his tongue for a brief moment, and then continued. “It was cruel to put the hammer within your reach, knowing you could never lift it.”

Thor once again stared ahead, falling deeper into the abyss of self-despair, as his brother sighed softly.

“The burden of the throne has fallen to me now.”

The God of Thunder whipped his head around, looking at Loki hopefully. With Odin gone, that meant Thor’s banishment could be lifted. “Can I come home?” he asked.

Loki shook his head. “The truce with Jotunheim is conditional upon your exile.”

“But couldn’t we find a way to-“

“Mother has forbidden your return,” Loki shut his brother down with those five awful words, and Thor nodded, lowering his head in defeat. “This is goodbye, brother. I’m so sorry.”

“No, I’m sorry,” Thor muttered. “Loki… thank you for coming here.”

“Nothing could have stopped me.”

You stood at the other end of the room all the while, observing the brothers and listening intently to their conversation. Something about it all bothered you, but you couldn’t place your finger on what exactly it was.

It came to you a second later, however, when Loki glanced over at you and you caught a glint of mischievousness in his eyes. It was so subtle and quick that it almost escaped your notice, but if there was one thing that spending time around Brendon taught you to do, it was to pick up on all subtleties surrounding physical cues.

Loki observed you for a moment more, as if analysing you. It put you off, but before you could call him out on it, Coulson entered the room; he took no notice of Loki.

“Farewell, brother,” the raven-haired god spoke, looking from his brother to you. He spoke to you, then – barely a whisper, just loud enough for you to catch. “I hope to see you again, Skadi. Soon.”

“Goodbye,” Thor greeted, much to the confusion of Coulson, who looked at the god in perplexity.

You and Thor watched as Loki disappeared.

“Goodbye? I just got back.” Brushing it off, the agent stepped forward. “Now. Where did we leave off?”

The door opened, this time revealing Agent Sitwell, who entered the room and requested a sidebar with Coulson. Straining your ears, you managed to overhear what was being said.

“Sir… he’s got a visitor.”

With a sigh, Coulson looked to Thor, then to you, and with a short nod, turned to leave yet again.

When it was only you and Thor left in the cell, you pushed yourself off of the wall you’d been leaning against all this time. Crossing your arms over your chest just as you did earlier, you cocked an eyebrow and made a show of looking around the room.

“That it? We alone now? You not expecting any other Norse deities to come down for a visit?” you queried, sarcasm dripping from your tongue.

“I’m afraid I wouldn’t know,” he stated simply, matching your attitude. “And are you expecting anymore of your fellow ‘agents’ to barge in through the door?”

“This is our facility; not yours,” you countered quickly, “Every move we make is warranted.”

Thor chuckled quietly. “Is stealing the work of another warranted, too?” he retorted; you knew that he was referring to the raid of Jane’s lab, “Or is that simply something you chose to do in your spare time?”

“Why are you here, Thor?” you ignored his backhanded jab, instead getting right to the point. “You’ve never deemed it necessary to come down to Earth before; why the sudden visit?”

Thor went silent for a moment, memories of him being cast out flooding his head. “I was banished by Odin. Were you not present during my conversation with my brother?” he sassed.

“Oh, I heard it,” you nodded, biting on your bottom lip before shrugging, “But I’m not sure if I believe it.”

Thor scoffed. “You believe my trip here to be of my own willingness? What business would I have on Midgard?”

“You tell me.”

Narrowing his eyes a miniscule amount, Thor’s lips parted as he looked at you. Your body language was standoffish, and it immediately resonated that you did not trust him.

“You think me to be a threat?” he questioned. “That I have come to wage war on this realm? With its people?”

You held up both hands and pursed your lips. “Your words, not mine. All I’m saying is that Asgard has never shown any interest in Earth before, so why now?”

A small spark of anger was ignited within the god, manifesting itself in a frown and a clenched jaw. “Be mindful of your accusations. Asgard wishes not to wage any kind of war, especially not with Midgard.”

“So, why, Thor? Why here? Out of all of the realms, why would Odin banish you here?”

That was the question Thor had been asking himself ever since he woke up in this realm, and now, as he looked at you, realisation finally dawned on him. With a newly enlightened expression, Thor held your gaze intensely.

“Because of you.”

Slowly, your forehead began to crease, and you scoffed softly. “What-“

Doctor Erik Selvig burst through the door, followed closely by a S.H.I.E.L.D agent, and rushed over to Thor.

“Donny, Donny, Donny!” he exclaimed in exasperation. “There you are!”

Thor looked up, unsure of what the hell was going on, as the agent untied his restraints. Selvig pulled the god to his feet, enveloping him in a warm hug.

“It’s going to be alright, my friend,” he assured, “Come on, I’m taking you home.”

Turning, he led the bewildered Thor out of the door. The god turned his head, surveying the room for sight of you, but you had disappeared.

You appeared a minute later in the control room, stomping your way towards Coulson with a panicked look. Gesturing wildly to the door, you demanded answers.

“What the hell was that? You're gonna let him walk? I wasn’t finished-”

“Director’s orders,” he stated simply, forcing you to shut up. “But don’t worry, we’ll keep a close eye on him.”

You watched as the agent walked out, heading for the main entrance to the base. A few minutes later, you did the same.

“So will I.”

 ✧ ✧ ✧

 A few hours later. Jane’s lab.

Walking out from the shadows, you treaded towards the small building, paying careful attention not to make too much noise as you walked over the gravel.

When you were close enough, you called out to Thor. “You two look cute together,” you remarked softly.

Thor startled a bit, having not expected your arrival, and swiftly glanced down at Jane, who was nuzzled into his chest, sound asleep.

“I don’t suppose you came all the way out here to inform me of that fact,” he responded, keeping his voice as low as he could as he gently untangled himself from Jane.

Nervously chewing on your lip, you shook your head and shoved your hands into the pockets of your jacket. “No. Can we talk? Or… ya know, finish our talk?”

“Depends. Will you be making any more false accusations?”

Sighing, you dug your heels into the gravelly ground. “Yeah. Sorry about that. In my defence, though,” you paused and pointed to yourself, “major trust issues.”

Thor hummed softly before leaping down from the roof, landing on his feet not too far from you. He walked forward until you were only a few steps away from each other.

“And you’ve now come here and decided to trust me because…”

“Last year, when I activated my powers, I-,” you breathed, closing your eyes for a brief moment, “I saw my dad. He told me something, then – something that I’d forgotten about, until now.”

“What did he say?”

“You have people out there who care about you. You have family. And you will learn just as well from them as you would from me,” you quoted your father. Judging from the look on Thor’s face when you’d finished, the words held meaning to him, too.

“And considering you told me that I’m the reason you’re here…” you continued, referring to the god’s earlier words, “I’m guessing that this was kinda meant to happen.”

“Yes,” Thor agreed with a slow nod, “I believe so.”

There was an awkward silence that followed, as the two of you stood under the moonlight, thinking over everything that had happened over the last little while.

You were the first one to break it.

“I’m scared.”

Your admission caught Thor off guard, and he looked at you in bewilderment. “I would never hurt you-“

“No,” you cut him off, shaking your head to indicate that that was not what you had meant, “I’m scared of my powers. What I can do with them. I’m scared that I’ll lose control; that I’ll hurt people. I have hurt people,” your voice dropped to barely a whisper during the last sentence. “There was an accident a couple weeks back – I destroyed the entire coastline of a city… all because I lost control. And I’ve gotten better since then, I have, but there’s still a part of me that’s afraid that it’ll happen again, and worse. I hate feeling like that.”

“It’s tough,” Thor said, “And I cannot imagine what it must be like to be the only one down here with abilities like you and I. On Asgard it's simpler; there’s no such fear that would plague you.” The god drew in a deep breath and reached out to squeeze your shoulder in reassurance. “While I cannot make your fear go away, I can teach you how to better manage your abilities… and I do believe that that’s the reason I’m here.”

You smiled at him thankfully, but then scoffed when you realised that time was not on your side. “And how long would that take?”

“Mm.” Thoughtfully, Thor glanced up at the sky, asking you a question. “How many hours until sunrise?”

Pulling your phone out of your pocket, you pressed the home button to bring up the clock. “Just under five. Why?”

“All we need is three.”

You couldn't help but laugh at that. “Three? You’re giving me much more credit than I deserve, cousin. I’m a mess. Pretty sure it’s gonna take a hell of a lot longer than three hours to get me in check.”

“You’ve such little faith in me?” he cocked his head and smiled teasingly.

“No,” you scoffed, “I’ve such little faith in myself.”

“Do not,” he said, gesturing for you to follow him as he led the way into the dessert. “After all – you are a goddess.”

_______________________________

Thank you for reading x

 Taglist:

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 Note: Yeah, I was gonna write the training scene for this, but nah.

[lordavanti]

Ivar The Boneless x Hvitserk Ragnarsson x Sister!Reader Part I

Written for: @milbethmorillo Summary: After Ubbe left it’s time to bring those Saxons down. And you surly do, capturing their Bishop which turns out to quite some different conversations. Being the twin sister of Ivar ... isn’t always that easy. Words: 2456

Taglist: @sweetvengeancee @missbrightlyred @burningsunshin3 @itharley @inthenameofodin @float-autumn-leave @supervalcsi @zombie-zayde @decaffeinatedeaglefart @nothingbuthappydays @dani-si @ivarbarnes @kolvanismirk @mysticsthinking @ultravioletsky7 @odins-missing-eye @laketaj24 @ceridwenofwales @tiredofthisgeneration @mcuimxgine @manuugxlvis @fuckyeahalexhoghandersen @happys-crazy-queen22 @akamaiden @lisinfleur @sugakookiexx @dangerousvikings @natmors @actuallyivar @ally22042000 @neverlands-little-lost-girl @onjacks-blog @fandomscompilation @dina-m16 @burntmythroatskullingmytea @lol-haha-joke @kawennote09

You smiled, looking up to the trembling sound of feet above you as those Christians invaded York like they just won a battle. The sound of the bells echoing through the streets as a whole Heathen army swirled just underneath the ground. You walked before Ivar and your brother to one of the exit points of these tunnels. You looked over your shoulder to both your brothers, Ivar was smiling, eager to get up there as Hvitserk was chuckling in the dark. These Christians needed a reminder, again. Every time Ivar had something up his sleeve and every time they walked into the trap. What a god they had for not showing them the path to insight and safety. Ivar nodded and you turned back around to the men who pushed ladders against the exit, climbing up as you followed right after them. The panic breaking loose, the shout Ivar released, you grabbed for your dagger throwing it right to one of those Christian soldiers. Until your eyes fell on Aethelwulf and the smile died away. You shoulder still wasn’t properly healed and he was the cause of that. So there was nothing more you wanted then to kill him or one of his sons. Yet, nothing else but calmness radiated on your face. They pulled your twin brother up and you looked over to him, he just nodded, throwing himself in his battle as you and Hvitserk jumped screaming into your own. Every life you took on your way to Aethelwulf you laughed, your breathing picking up as you grunted into the power in which your slayed them down. Hvitserk walked beside you, pushing you screaming against the shoulder before the both of you fought side by side on, facing Aethelwulf as he appeared. Hvitserk was the first to face him while you merciless defend him from other attackers around. But it didn’t took long for your eye fell on one of his sons and you smiled devious, fighting your way through them until you faced Alfred. You pulled an axe out of your belt in your other hand as the doubt struck down his face when he parried your first blow with his shield. But you were faster, easily using both your weapons despite the pain in your shoulder. Alfred didn’t had the experience you had but aside that he was better protected then you were. You got him down against the wall when a man kicked you away, protecting him as you fell down in the mud, grunting while looking up to the soldiers starting to defend their precious king an princes. You pushed up, slitting somebodies stomach open as you walking into the labyrinth of streets.

Finding the courtyard it was completely still. Ivar stood high up, Vikings circling around that one warrior, Headmund. You stroke the blood away from your eyes as you walked closer. ‘Y/n, give him your horse!’ Ivar commanded. Headmund  turned his head, looking at you … a female fighter. They didn’t had that, they only had male warriors so his eyes locked on the blood over your face, the weapons in your hand. You didn’t nod, they just brought the horse as you looked how Headmund sunk on his knees. You looked up to your brother who was watching him with such an intensity. Your horse was brought to him and he kissed his sword, looking how you brother laughed about it you couldn’t ignore your own smile. You looked intensely towards Headmund as he bow for Ivar before getting on your horse. You looked up to your brother as he slightly nodded to you. Headmund turned the horse around ,giving you a look before he nodded to Ivar and the battle started all over again. You started fighting, ducking underneath a sword before you killed the man easily. You turned around, facing your own horse and Headmund. One of your men grabbed him right from that horse, throwing him on the ground. He hurried up but you kicked away his sword before he even has the means to attack you. His chest is heavy as you raised your sword and pressed it against his chest, smiling as two others grabbed him around his arms. ‘Where is your God now?’ You asked, looking up to the sky as if you were looking for a God before looking aside to your brother who studied his sword. ‘HEATHEN!’ Headmund yelled. You smiled, looking aside  to Ivar who started chuckling. ‘Christian.’ He hissed between his lips and you knew by this, another battle was won. It started storming outside as you walked into the church looking to Hvitserk as he was inspecting his own body. ‘Let me.’ You suggested as he tried on cleaning out a wound on his lower back. You took the cloth over from him and turned your attention to his back. ‘Where is Ivar?’ Hvitserk asked, looking over his shoulder to you. He clenched his teeth as you started cleaning out that wound, showing not to much compassion while doing it. ‘He is probably with that bishop.’ ‘Headmund?’ Hvitserk asked sharp. You smiled on the brewing anger under his tone. Headmund did this to Ubbe, made the cut on his face, made him sail away after Ubbe faced Ivar. She wasn’t surprised that Hvitserk wanted something. ‘Something would eventually tear us apart.’ You said softly, pulling back from the small wound before looking over his shoulder into his eyes. ‘It was a matter of time.’ You followed. ‘I know Ivar was right, in all of it. Those Christians did more to us, to Ragnar then the other way around. Ubbe didn’t see that for that he is a fool.’ Hvitserk said, slightly angry. You narrowed your eyes a little, feeling that certain temper, temper you didn’t saw with Hvitserk before, not against his brother anyway. You petted on his shoulder that he was good to go, throwing the cloth into a bucket with slightly blooded water. ‘Let’s go seem him.’ You suggested. ‘Who?’ Hvitserk asked while pulling his shirt back on. ‘Headmund.’ You smiled devious. Hvitserk looked at you, nodding before grabbing his belt with weapons. You turned around, walking out where it was storming, clouds dark and angry, thunder and lighting fighting the sky. You both walked over to where some Vikings shield a door. They let you both in without questioning. To your surprise Ivar wasn’t there, but the Christian was. He laid on the floor, shivering and you slowly walked over to him, crouching down when the thunder strikes again. ‘You hear that Christian?’ You asked with a slight smile. Headmund turned his face, covered in blood and mud, exhausted he looked up to you and your smile became a little wider. You pointed up to the sky. ‘That is Thor, smashing his hammer, basking in our victory.’ You explained the sharp lighting shifting through the sky, the thunder rolling over the clouds. You face lightened and Headmund just looked while your eyes trailed down to the cross around his neck. ‘Is that the only thing your God does, hanging around your neck.’ You reached out and he grabbed your wrist, making you grunt lightly on the tight grip. ‘He is here now and watching.’ Headmund said hoarse. You lowered your head, closing in on his. ‘Looking to how you lay here? Chained? Defeated?’ You asked with a soft chuckle. ‘What is he saying Bishop? He telling you to give up?’ You challenged him. Headmund clenched his teeth, letting go from your wrist and you straightened up a little in your body. ‘The work of God is never done for that I will never give up.’ He warned you. You slowly stood up, turning around to Hvitserk who leaned against the wall with a soft smile. The thunder growled again and you lifted your arms. ‘Neither is our work done.’ You said, bowing as he did earlier on the battlefield before walking out, both you and Hvitserk laughing about his Christian ways. You were looking into that small crisping fire when one of Ivar his men came to tell the Christians left their camp and retreated. You didn’t shift your look as Ivar started talking about taking them down. To your surprise Hvitserk had other things to say. Ivar shifted his legs and you slowly looked up from the fire when he started talking about killing Ubbe and Lagertha before Björn returned. ‘You are making more and more sense my brother.’ Ivar nodded in approval. You looked back in the fire, ignoring both of them as you set your own goals. ‘Sister.’ Ivar said, you didn’t reacted and he called you with your name. Your eyes traveled up to where he sat. ‘What is it that you want?’ ‘You know what I want.’ You reacted. He chuckled leaning back. ‘Aethelwulf. You let your vengeance cloud your mind.’ He said, like you were a little girl that needed teaching. You looked down in your cup, shaking your head before smiling. ‘Don’t talk to me about clouded minds.’ You reacted back, pointing out his clouded mind when he killed Sigurd. His whole body tensed and you gave him a challenging look. ‘Why you want him dead so badly? Hmmm? Because he stabbed you? You are not dead Y/n, you were wounded, nothing more.’ His tone had something mocking and from all people he knew, he knew so well to not use that on you. ‘Ecbert gave a land away that wasn’t ours in the first place, if it wasn’t for you we would have taken it and a lot of our people would have died in their peaceful sleep. Now I want them to burn.’ ‘And burn they will sister,’ Ivar said, pulling his legs from the stones to lean forward. ‘But Hvitserk is right, what are we without a home to return to. Hmm?’ He lowered his head a little, catching your gaze. You looked at him a he shook his head, seeing the stubbornness in your eyes. ‘I promise you we will return here and you can kill Aethelwulf for all he did. But first we have to take back what is ours.’ He went on with a persistent voice. ‘You gonna kill Ubbe?’ You asked, looking over to Hvitserk. ‘You can do that?’ You pointed with your cup to him. ‘He is our brother.’ ‘And he betrayed us sister.’ Ivar snapped. You brought the cup to your lips and drank it empty before standing up. ‘Fine, we go home, we take back what is ours but I’m not killing my brother. One is enough.’ You said with a warning look before walking away, hearing the frustrated growl of Ivar as he called after you. You were still a young woman, you would have more emotions and sense then all of them together. That made you valuable but intensely stubborn. Now you made your point you could sleep in peace, desiring to go home again just as much as you desired to drive a sword into Aethelwulf his heart. Headmund was all tied up when you stepped through the darkness, listening to the conversation going between him and Ivar. Your brother got attached in a way, was it curiosity? Desire to know more? Or was it just a game? You slowly walked, looking how Headmund said to Ivar how your Gods were the work of the devil. When Ivar asked what was evil you slowly walked from behind the pillar and Headmund immediately looked up to you, his eyes fixed as he answered. ‘Slaughter of the innocent.’ He answered. ‘You slaughter when it suites you.’ ‘He who chooses to be heathen is not innocent.’ He snapped. Ivar smiled before looking over to you. You didn’t talked to him after the discussion of last night, he knew he didn’t had to. Still his eyes were a little doubtful for yours were way to calm. Headmund slowly looked back to you and Ivar chuckled. ‘What do you see when you look at her Headmund?’ He asked, following the Bishop his look to you. Headmund looked, for a very long time. ‘Tranquility.’ ‘What else?’ ‘Dedication, loyalty.’ He followed, snapping himself out of his gaze as you slowly looked over to your brother. He was looking at you with a soft smile. ‘The grounds of a good warrior, she is the best, maybe even better then me.’ Ivar explained, looking to the ground before he looked back aside to Headmund. ‘You aren’t all that different, aren’t you calm, dedicated and loyal?’ He asked a little amused. You looed back to Headmund who just rolled his shoulders and refused on answering. ‘Do you know who I am?’ ‘I do, you are Ivar, son of Ragnar Lothbrok and many there are who fear you.’ He said calm. ‘But not you.’ ‘No,’ he reacted, looking aside to Ivar. ‘I fear no man. No matter how wicked.’ He followed, certain of his piece. Ivar smiled, looking over to you as he nodded slowly. ‘But you fear her?’ He asked quietly. Headmund looked over to you, something in his eyes shifted for a small moment as Ivar started laughing. ‘Because she is a woman, a warrior like you never saw before. She may hide in the shadow of all my stories but yes Bishop,’ Ivar whispered, pulling himself over to where you stood. ‘you should fear her.’ ‘Y/n, daughter of Ragnar Lothbrok, twin sister of Ivar the Boneless.’ Ivar paused when Headmund say that and you softly smiled. ‘All those whispers, those tales about the sons of Ragnar avenging the dead of their father. You are afraid because you didn’t hear about her, isn’t it? Because she is as calm, as dedicated and loyal as you are to your God,’ Ivar pointed up. ‘I will give you the change to find out how afraid you should be, to make your own story about that one daughter of Ragnar Lothbrok.’ Ivar said, looking up to you as he chuckled. ‘You are coming on a journey with us.’ You announced, knowing Ivar his thoughts in just one look. Headmund looked away from Ivar to you, eyes flickering.  Ivar started crawling and you turned around, pausing before looking over your shoulder again. ‘I hope your God protects you against the women to, that he protects you over the sea in the land of many gods.’ You said, nodding before following your brother out. He was right all along, Hvitserk was, you needed to go back to Kattegat. You needed to lay aside all your desires to reclaim your home. With one look down to Ivar, eyes locked in a split second you knew each other’s thoughts. The identical small grin came on both of your lips as you walked outside. ‘Let’s go home.’ You whispered.

[sserpente]

A/N: Okay, you guys. I just can’t wait any longer, I’m so excited to share this fanfiction (and the cover on Ao3) with you all. I am so hyped! May I introduce? In a heartbeat.

Synopsis: Showing up on time for an important job interview is all you worry about when you rush through the streets of New York City on a sunny day, not expecting at all to bump into Thor, God of Thunder and his mischievous brother Loki. Before you know it, you get dragged right into a gruesome battle between two foreign realms and the atrocious menace of Ragnarök, confronted with breath-taking magic, terrifyingly hazardous threats and a fierce warrior who claims to be a Valkyrie. And as if this wasn’t enough already, you find yourself headfirst falling in love with the God of Mischief who, much to your disppointment, already seemed to have set his eyes on someone else, leaving you struggling with rejection, jealousy, heartache and more antagonising pain than your human heart could ever cope with.

Pairing: Loki x Reader Rating: M Chapter: 1/? Warnings: SPOILERS FOR THOR RAGNAROK, violence and blood, mentions of slavery, death, self-harm, depression, panic attacks, jealousy, grief, heartache, smut, Dom!Loki. (More warnings might be added throughout the story)

Read it on AO3!

Find all chapters on my masterlist!

                                      Það er aldrei of seint fyrir ást.                                          It's never too late for love.

“We are going to be late!” You ranted, stomping your foot when Susan started to flirt with the questionably young taxi driver that had brought you here. New York City was crazy, especially if you were in a hurry. Note to self—leave at least two hours earlier next time. This job interview would determine what direction your hopefully successful future would take, so you were definitely not having your friends ruin this one opportunity for you… even if you had to act all bitchy and bossy.

“Please, (Y/N), calm your tits, we’re gonna be on time. We still have…” —Karen looked at her fancy watch— “…twenty minutes.”

“So I can call you?”

“Anytime,” Susan bat her long eyelashes at the taxi driver before waving him goodbye like a spoiled princess, making you roll your eyes in plain annoyance.

“Why did I even bother bringing you two?” You asked, rather yourself than your friends when they giggled. They decided to answer you anyway.

“Because you love us? The building is only three blocks away, don’t worry.” Susan appeased. Her long black hair was falling over her shoulders like a wave of shimmering pitch when she loosened her tight ponytail. A sigh escaped her lips.

“Let’s go then.” You mumbled, seeking to distract yourself with your surroundings as you wandered along the busy pavement. This city was insane. Luxurious and important, it screamed career and success like a euphoric fury. How you would adapt to living here if you actually got that job today, you were unsure of. As for now, you were staying with Susan and her younger sister Karen, who had generously offered you a place to crash.

You were grateful, really—but sometimes, the siblings were a pain in the arse. Susan was right though. You still loved them and you three had experienced amazing things together already. You were best friends for life.

“Excuse me? Can you help me?” No. You could not. Being a tourist yourself, you would be of no help to anyone and besides, you were way too focused on your upcoming job interview. Two more blocks and your future would, if you got lucky, change for the better forever.

You flinched when Karen let out a scream, turning around in an instant to kick whoever had scared or attacked her right in the balls. The self-defence class, which you attended thrice a week, had been training you for situations like that. It made you feel safe when you were walking on the streets on your own, especially when it was dark out already. The slow progress you made with your personal trainer was paying off and making you vigilant, when you found her jumping up and down like a gummy ball and fangirling as if to react to spotting One Direction on the street, however, you frowned.

“OMG!” Susan spelled out, her jaw dropping. Her eyes were fixed on the long-haired blonde, who had addressed you. A tall and broad man dressed in battered clothes that reminded you of a homeless person. It was his face that made you realise your friends’ excitement though.

“You are Thor! OMG! You are Thor! You are the Thor! I love you! May we take a selfie with you? Please?”

The Thunderer smiled cordially and despite his confusion (welcome to the club, mate), he nodded. You didn’t care about the Norse God at all. Crushing on superheroes was Susan’s thing. You were fine dating normal men.

“Of course,” You doubted Thor knew what a selfie was in the first place but it was the least of your problems right now. Standing a few steps away, you scratched the back of your hand like you always did when you were nervous.

“Guys, we’re going to be late, for Fuck’s sake, please hurry!”

There was another person waiting. Clothed in a plain black suit that looked like it had been tailored for him, he dug his hands into the pockets of his pants. He appeared to be as irritated as you were, however, when you looked up to study his face, your heart skipped a beat.

This… was Loki. This was the very man who had tried to take over the world and caused mayhem all over New York City a couple of years ago. The man who had killed hundreds of innocent people and fought against the Avengers! His raven hair framed his flawless features, his stinging blue eyes boring right into yours. It seemed like with a single glance, he learned all of your darkest secrets and deepest desires.

You blinked, frantically, and looked away quickly when you noticed you were staring each other down, though you could still feel his scrutinising gaze on you when you brought your attention back to your friends who were now snapping crazy pictures with the God of Thunder.

You would never make it in time if they kept dawdling. Susan and Karen were both busy ignoring Loki completely as they talked to Thor, although Karen shot him one disgusted peek when she spotted him standing next to him.

“How can we help you, Thor?” Susan smiled and for just a brief moment you feared she would faint from pure delight.

Ten minutes.

“I am looking for a man.”

“Ha, I could swear most men are looking for a woman.” You muttered to yourself, scratching the back of your hand even fiercer.

“(Y/N)!” Susan admonished embarrassed. A careless shrug was all she received in return.

“Well, can you be a little more specific?” You continued. “Half of the population of New York is male.”

“(Y/N)!” Susan repeated. You shrugged once more all the while sudden curiosity hit you. What was he doing here in New York City and much more importantly, why had he brought Loki? For all you knew from watching the news, the God of Mischief had been called back to Asgard where he would have had to face justice and a proper punishment for his actions. Your curiosity was directed at him, fascination washing through your veins like a gushing wave of hot water. He just stood there, watching you, with a barely visible smirk playing on his thin lips.

Thor took a deep breath. You could tell he was irritated by your scornful remarks, clenching his fist repeatedly to assumingly keep calm, the other hand fumbling around with the ridiculous umbrella he was carrying despite the sunshine. Something was bothering him when he scowled, this much was obvious. But as were you—you had approximately five minutes left to show up for your job interview. Thor was a self-proclaimed superhero. Surely, he could take care of his problems himself and on top of it, deal with a few cocky insults.

“We are looking for my father,” he tried again, speaking slowly as if he was scolding an immature and young child who had stolen biscuits from the kitchen before supper. “Odin. He disappeared.” Following his dark words, he glared at his brother angrily from the corner of his eye. So he had something to do with it. You were not surprised he was, you had read the articles in the newspapers where they had described him as a mischievous, evil and witty cockroach from outer space.

“What does he look like?” Susan tossed in eagerly, playing with a strand of her black hair.

“He has… grey hair, a beard… he is one-eyed and wearing an eye patch and—“

“Thor…” It was the first time you heard him speak. Instantly, you turned your head to face Loki. His smooth voice was seducing, alluring and enchanting and nothing like what you imagined what a man who tried to conquer and subjugate the planet would sound like. You wished he would say more. You wanted to see how well-chosen and witty words left those thin lips.

No wonder he had succeeded in making a crowd kneel before him in fear… or had it been awe in the end? Loki wasn’t what SHIELD had let the world know he was. He didn’t seem like the monster they had described him as at all… was this the fatal mistake they had made back then?

Better stay away from him, you thought to yourself, withdrawing your gaze to stare longingly at the busy street in front of you. You were only a few blocks away now. Maybe you should just leave and let your friends deal with the strange Asgardian brothers.

Sighing, you moved to step away when you realised the reason for Loki’s unnerving comment. The mist crept up right behind you. Black, green and silver, it spread on the busy pavement, scaring passengers away and alarming a few pigeons. Wind was blowing where there appeared a black and gaping portal, promising dread, fear and death. Your blood ran cold. What was this sorcery?

Susan and Karen were frozen in place. Not daring to move, their eyes widened. They barely noticed Thor striding forward to shield them from the unidentified threat in the heart of New York City. Loki stood idly by, his lips slightly parted. Concern was present on his face, along with the undeniable expression of thinking hard. A plan was forming in his mind already.

Out of the green fog stepped a woman. Long and black hair framed her pale face, her stinging blue eyes even more intense with the black eye shadow she was wearing. In fact, she was abusing it but still, it suited her eerie appearance.

Smiling cruelly, she moved towards you.

“Who are you? Identify yourself!” Thor demanded, his right fist bringing up the umbrella. A weird sound erupted from it when he did and you understood with a start it was his famous hammer Mjölnir. This attire had merely been a disguise, hence Loki’s black suit.

“Me?” The woman replied, shrugging. “I am Hela. I am the Goddess of Death. And I am your queen.” She shrugged once more, her wicked grin widening. “Kneel.”

“I beg your pardon?” Loki narrowed his eyes, leaning forward ever so slightly.

She was another power-hungry sociopath then. Narcissistic and self-driven, with an inexplicable desire to rule a people. You needed to get away. Now.

“I don’t think so.”

What happened next was too fast for your mind to comprehend. Thor threw his hammer at Hela, a swift movement of his umbrella which had turned back to its original form within the blinking of an eye—and a lightning bolt swallowing him whole for the fraction of a second but instead of it colliding with her body, all covered in black leather, she… she caught it.

Hela sighed—she sounded almost disappointed. “Very well,”

An explosion erupted, knocking you to the ground. Simultaneously, you were pushed aside by someone and something hit your head—whether it was a body part or a piece of debris you did not know, for the only thing you could hear was the staggered screams of passengers and the high-pitched ringing in your ears. There was a sticky liquid running down your forehead and staining your cheeks. It was burning in your right eye, you could hardly see anything. Blood? Were you bleeding?

“(Y/N)…” It was Susan who croaked your name. She was lying on the ground, it was her foot that had connected with your head when you fell and when you looked up to meet her terrified gaze, you saw fear and anguish glistening in them.

A piece of metal was buried deep inside her chest, reddening her revealing outfit. There wasn’t much you knew about anatomy but with the blade being plunged into her body this close to her heart, you knew she would not survive even if an ambulance brought her to the hospital this instant.

Hela had killed her. Her absurd wrath had snuffed an innocent, one of your best friends.

“Susan… Susan, open your eyes, look at me! We’re gonna get you help!” You cried, biting back your tears.

Anger, fear and panic flooded your veins, paralysing every last limb of yours. Frozen and dumbfounded, you lay there, struggling to get up and breathing heavily all the while the goddess of death kept attacking Thor and Loki.

Thor was powerless without his hammer. He was surprised and confused and even Loki seemed startled. He flipped his daggers gracefully before flinging them at Hela so smoothly you could barely see it but even he would, on the long term, be defenceless against the ruthless goddess.

You attempted to get up and run, save yourself and Karen for as long as it was still possible. Was it? You doubted it. Momentarily, your important job interview was forgotten. If you died today… would the last thing you felt be worry about showing up on time?

It was then you heard an ear-piercing hiss. Out of thin air, orange sparks extended on the pavement. They created a circle through which suddenly, you spotted the head of a man. Dark hair and a neatly trimmed beard framed his face, a red cloak complementing the colour of it.

“Get in there! Quick!” He spoke, urging you on to… step through the portal? You could barely believe such a thing existed when Thor frowned and jumped inside without hesitation, quickly followed by Loki but then again… Hela had stepped out of a cloud made of green and black fog.

“Karen! Karen!” You bestowed frantically. She had realised now that Susan was dead too. She was kneeling next to her on the ground, her watering eyes empty and lost. She was bleeding too but at least, so you figured, she would be able to heal.

“Karen!”

“We don’t have time! Leave her, you can’t help her!” The head of the strange man shouted severely as it appeared once more. A foreign hand wrapped around your upper arm, pulling you inside the orange portal.

With a start, the streets of New York City, Karen’s kneeling form and Susan’s dead body were gone.

A/N: Let me know what you think! I’m already working on the next chapter, I’m so hyped!

[lunarfox22]

Bloodied and Broken - Part 4

Pairing: Loki x OFC (of color)

Warning: Violence, language, blood, mentions of suicidal thoughts, angst, fluff

Words: 2407

AO3: Bloodied and Broken by lunar_fox22

FFN: Bloodied and Broken by lunarfox22

Summary:  Loki has fallen from the Bifrost, a disgraced prince. He meets Angela Lawrence, a SHIELD agent who helps him, but can he let go of his scorn? Or will he betray the only person who is on his side?

A/N:  I'm moving these over to my new writing works tumblr. Please forgive any confusion!

Part 3 - Part 5

Masterlist

Whispers filled the air around him as Loki found himself back on Asgard. Odin walking in front of his younger self and a younger Thor, telling them they were made to be king. The scene soon morphed to the day it all went wrong. The day that Jotun had grabbed him and instead of getting frost burn, he too turned a sapphire blue. He watched as he confronted Odin. Screamed at his so-called father, begged him to tell him why he had taken Loki from Jotunheim.

“You are my son,” Odin had said.

“Lied to,” the whispers sneered. Yes, he was lied to. It was no wonder he was named the God of Lies. That was all he knew.

Then Thor went and ruined it all by destroying the Bifrost. And the moment he beseeched his father while dangling on the edge, he was rejected.

“Betrayed,” they told him.

He had let go, intent on dying. But here he was. Alive, and enraged.

“Don’t you want your revenge?”

It was one voice now instead of many talking over one another. The voice riverbed when it spoke and had a grainy tone to it.

Loki turned to face the voice. As he moved, the scenery around him disintegrated, and was replaced by a desolate, rocky, grey planet. The voice belonged to a blue, humanoid creature he did not know. The creature watched him , their large hands laced together in front of it. It was dressed in a blue cloak, with light grey chest armor covering it.

“Well, Asgardian? Do you?”

Loki laced his arms behind his back and leveled the creature with a critical eye. Even though he did want his revenge, he wasn’t about to accept any kind of help. When Asgard needed negotiating done, Loki had been the one sent to do it. He knew the art of a deal, and he wanted to always come out on top. He needed to know who exactly he was dealing with.

“Who are you?” Loki pressed coolly.

The creature began to circle him, “Who I am matters little, Asgardian. It is my master you should be concerned with.”

Loki didn’t move, instead he continued to watch. It felt much like he was being circled by a hawk. But Loki was a snake, and knew when to strike, and when to wait. “And your master is?” he questioned.

“Thanos. The Titan.” He came to stand directly before Loki.

The Mad Titan, more like. The entire galaxy had tales of him. Thanos’ army was large, and Thanos himself was exceedingly powerful. Thanos would destroy planets at his leisure, for what reason Loki never heard of. Thanos was spoken more of a cautionary tale, only in the most hushed voices.

Why would he want Loki? And why had he sent his subordinate to him? “What is your offer?” Loki asked.

“You will have your revenge. You can have your deepest desire, a throne. In return, my master would like information.”

The scene around him began to fade and Loki realized he was waking up in the real world. He needed to hurry this along.

“Information on what?”

“The Tesseract. It is rumored to be on that wretched planet that you have found yourself on. In the hands of something known as SHIELD. Confirm this, and we will give you the tools that can help you…” The voice began to fade, and Loki woke up.

His eyes snapped open, and he surged up from the bed into a sitting position. That had felt too real. His physical body still felt the soreness from the fall, but his mind was far more aware.

The Tesseract, huh? The Mad Titan wanted an infinity stone. And if Loki could tell him where it was, Loki would have access to what was no doubt very powerful tools. If Loki wanted to take over Asgard, he would have to be able to stand up to the mighty Thor, the Allfather and his army. That would be no easy feat, and he would need to even the playing field quite a bit. And this might be the way to do it.

But finding the blasted stone would prove to be difficult. A shield? What in Allfathers name was he supposed to do with that information? It could mean anything.

This was something he could ponder later. He hadn’t even accepted the deal yet. He awakened before he could, and who knows when they would get back to him. Right now, he needed to get his full strength back. He needed food, and then he would see if the invisibility spell he casted as he was falling still held up. He had casted it so Heimdall or anyone on  the throne of Asgard wouldn’t be able to see him, and he wanted to keep that up. Because when he did get his revenge, he wanted the element of surprise on his side.

Still sitting in the bed, he took in his surroundings once more. The room was the same as it had been before. He couldn’t hear a thing. Angela must not be here, or asleep. He looked towards the windows and saw it was nearly dusk outside.

His feet touched the cold, wooden floor, and he left the room that he had spent all night and day in. Stepping out of the room, he was in a small hallway which led to a small kitchen with a small dining table, and a small living quarter. To his right, was another door similar to his. ‘That must be her room,’ he thought. To his left was a bathroom. It was tiny from what he could see, consisting of a toilet, bath, and a small sink.

Making his way forwards, he noticed another door right between the living quarters and the kitchen. It was a dark wood and he figured that must be the way out. He turned his gaze to the cozy living quarters. It had a light blue couch, a light-colored coffee table, a plasma screen, a cream-colored reclining chair, and a tall bookshelf.

Intrigued, Loki made his way to the bookshelf to see what all she had on it. It is mostly books, with odd décor scattered here and there. There’s a picture on the middle shelf that catches his attention. Angela was there, her arm around an older woman with darker skin than her. The similarities between them could clearly be seen; perhaps this was her mother? The darker-skinned woman had her arm around a pale, older man. That man had his arm around the shoulders of a boy that looked similar to Angela. This must be her family.

Loki sat the picture back in place and began to peruse her books. She had quite a collection, and he could tell that these books were well used. One shelf in particular caught his attention. She kept books of myths. A book on Egyptian myths, Greek myths, Chinese, Japanese, and Norse.

Ah. So that was how she knew who he was.

He takes the large book out of the shelf, and begins to flip through the pages. A scowl forms on his face as he comes across descriptions of the Allfather and Thor.

The front door to the house opens as he is reading through the book. Angela comes through carrying plastic bags of groceries. She shuts the door with her foot before she greets him.

“Oh hey!” She goes to set the groceries on one of the few kitchen counters, and walks back into the room. She takes off the jacket that she had been wearing and places it on coat rack next to the door.

Loki gives her a small smile and holds up the Norse mythology book, “Now I see where you learned of me.”

Angela chuckled . ‘Yeah, that, and the fact that you are the very reason I got stationed out here,’ she thought, but decided not to say. Instead, she decided to go along with his idea. She raised her hands in mocking surrender, “You caught me. I like mythology.”

It wasn’t a lie. She figured being the God of Lies that he knew a lie when he heard it. But, it wasn’t the complete truth. It would do for now.

And it seemed that it worked because his grin grew larger and he chuckled at her small attempt at a joke. “Is it a myth if I am standing right here?”

Her face scrunched in concentration before a small smile appeared on her lips, “I guess not.” She shrugged, then started back to the small kitchen to put away what groceries there were. “I guess I should move that book to my non-fiction shelf.” she joked.

Loki put the book back on the shelf where he had found it. “I wouldn’t say that. Most of these tales are lies.”

“Says the God of Lies,” she quipped.

The smile dropped from his face as he remembered his thoughts earlier. Of how lies were all he was ever given. He didn’t reply back to her as he focused his attention on the picture of her family. What would she know? Her family seemed to be perfect.

Angela could almost feel the shift in the room. She turned and looked at Loki and saw the distant look in his eyes. They were just joking, what had happened? For the life of her she couldn’t understand what exactly she said, but it was better to change the subject.

“How do you feel?” She asked him in a very cautious manner while putting away what little groceries she had bought. What you feed a god, she didn’t know. But she hoped he liked chicken alfredo because that was what for dinner tonight.

Her voice had snapped him out of his thoughts, and he turned to face her. “I’m fine. I believe most of the healing is done. I’m just rather sore for now.”

“That’s good,” she looked back at him, and remembered something. “Oh, your shirt should be done by now.”

She finished up, and headed to a door that was across from the bathroom that he missed. She opened it, and in it were two machines. She opened one and pulled out his shirt. He watched as she came over to him with it and handed it over to him.

Loki took it from her. In all honesty, he had forgotten that he was only in his pants and that the only thing covering his chest were the bandages she had put on. He slid the shirt over his head, his muscles protested the movement, but he tried his best to ignore it.

“Thank you,” He said as he smooth the fabric down and righted the shirt.

She nodded, “No problem!” Then she made her way back to the kitchen to start dinner, “Are you hungry?”

He made to follow her, but something caught his eye: her jacket that was on the rack. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. Black, long-sleeved, but there was a logo on the back. It was an eagle, with the words ‘Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement Logistics Division’ circling around it.

“Loki?”

Her voice came from the kitchen, and she was giving him a questioning gaze.

“Um,” he couldn’t quite put his finger on why this had caught his attention. Had he seen this before? “Yes, I’m actually famished.”

“Cool, I’ll start dinner then. I hope you like pasta.”

His gaze lingered on the jacket, before he went and sat at the dinner table to wait for her. He tried to rack his brain for that image when he decided to let it be. It occurred to him that he should probably be getting to know this woman. It appeared he would be on Midgard for longer than he thought, and he needed a place to stay for now. She was the only Midgardian he knew, and he needed her for now until he got his footing.

“Lady Angela?” He called her.

He heard her snort before turning her attention back to him, “Yeah?”

“I would like to thank you once again and apologize for my behavior when we first met. I was uncouth, and rude when you were nothing but kind to me. My mother would be appalled by my behavior.”

Angela just waved him off, “It’s fine. You were hurt, and I wasn’t taking no for an answer, now was I? But you’re welcome, Loki. And you can stay as long as you need.”

“I wouldn’t be intruding?” He hedged. Not that he truly cared if he was or not, but he had to make her feel at ease.

“No not at all. I’m the only one here. I just have the extra room for when my mom comes to visit, which is rare. It might be nice to have some actual company besides the people I work with.”

“And what is your job?” he asked. In all honesty, this Angela seemed boring to him. She was very forthcoming, and kind. In his experience those types of people didn’t mix well with his mischief. But he would make nice.

At the question, Angela hesitated. She put the pasta in the water and then turned so she was facing him. “It’s a bit difficult to explain actually. Basically, I work for an organization that protects the world.”

Loki sat back in the chair, and eyed her. What, he wondered, did she have to hide? Perhaps she wasn’t as forthcoming as she seemed. After all, he was a stranger. She did have some common sense.

Then he remembered the jacket, and the logo. “Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement Logistics Division?” he questioned.

There was a slight tilt of her head, and a raise of her eyebrow, “And how did you know that?”

He simply pointed over to her jacket.

Okay, so maybe she wasn’t as careful as she should have been. No use in denying it now. “Yeah that’s where I work, but that’s a mouthful. We all just call it SHIELD.”

‘Oh,’ Loki thought. ‘This day keeps getting better and better.’

Of course Thanos’ minion didn’t mean an actual shield, that he knew, but now he knew exactly what shield he was speaking of. An organization that ‘protects the world’ she said? It would make sense that if the Tesseract was in fact on Midgard they would have it.

Angela Lawrence just got a whole lot more interesting to Loki.

[margarethelstone]

It’s way too early for that

So, here’s another Hiccstrid story I’ve managed to create. Rather sweet and teasing, canon based.

I’d like to dedicate this story to @wilderwestqueen, as a little thank-you for her sharing her incredible talent with us :)

fanfiction.net

She was roused by the sun and the screeching of Terrible Terrors singing from the rooftop.

The female Viking extended her arms behind her head, stretching leisurely, exactly like she would do on any other day. She rubbed her sleepy eyes; although there was nothing she wanted less than to leave the comfortable bed, which itself seemed to be persuading her to stay in for a little bit longer, she knew she couldn't succumb to those imaginary whispers.

No matter how much she desired to avoid the meeting she’d promised to conduct, she wasn’t going to let her laziness win over her natural sense of duty. Astrid Hofferson would not be late.

Astrid Haddock wouldn’t either.

She turned her head, expecting to see her sleeping husband, peacefully breathing through his parted lips. To her surprise, it appeared the man wasn't there at all. She frowned, dissatisfied. Hiccup never got up first.

Only then did she noticed the soft pressure put on her own belly. She raised her eyebrows and smiled piteously as her mind had been lightened by a few potential explanations of that state. As gently as she could, she lifted the edge of the blanket that was covering her and she peeked under it.

Of course, her intuition was right; arrayed in the most unnatural position, the young Chief of Berk was lying by her side, with his head rested exactly at the level of her stomach. Initially, she was sure he was asleep – it wouldn’t be the first time when, after the night spent on tossing in his sheets under the influence of the old nightmares, Hiccup would find solace in her presence, embracing her petite silhouette, and snuggling onto it. Besides, the way in which he was lying made it impossible to see his face, only showing the thick locks on the back of his head; and those weren’t easy to spot either, as their covering was still separating him from the daylight.

Astrid understood her mistake almost immediately. As soon as she raised the blanket, her husband’s steady breathing stopped, expectantly. It returned to its normal pace right away, sounding exactly the same as before – but the blonde woman knew, that it was nothing more than a window dressing. Her smile widened, and her eyebrows went even higher.

“What on Thor’s name are you doing?”

She was responded by silence, slightly disturbed by the regular inhaling of the accompanying Viking. She rolled her eyes, and very slowly, she slipped her fingers in his hair.

“I’m sorry, Babe, but you’re a terrible liar.” She threw in, jokingly, playing with the tangled strands. “Stop playing dumb and answer my question.”

He mumbled something under his breath, making sure Astrid wouldn’t understand the meaning. She snorted.

“Alright, this is it. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, your wife demands your attention, and she orders you to turn that oversized head of yours towards her. Now.”

The Chief groaned miserably, but he obeyed. Leaning on his elbows, he managed to turn his face in her direction – and to lay it on her waist again.

“Hiccup, that’s not what I meant.”

“Shhh.” He interrupted. “I’m listening.”

“You’re what…?” Astrid pulled the blanket a few inches higher, staring at the man in disbelief.

“Listening. Stop talking, you’re distracting me.”

“I'm distracting...” she stammered incrediously. “Now you’ve got to be kidding me. What can you be listening to down there?”

“Quiet. I felt a kick, I’m waiting for another one.”

Astrid’s astonishment reached the top after she’d realised what her beloved was actually doing. She blinked repeatedly, not knowing how to respond – only to burst into loud, sonorous laugh in the very next moment. The cloak which she had loosed, heavily fell down on her husband’s face.

“You mutton head, it’s way too early for that.” She remarked, unable to hold the giggling. “You must’ve been dreaming.”

“I know what I felt.” The offended answer came from below the thick material, effectively muffled by it.

“Or you felt what you wanted to feel. Instead of being stubborn again, you’d better get out from below that blanket and lie in a normal position. I know it may be shocking, but I’d prefer to have you next to me.”

Hiccup relaxed notably, undoubtedly content of her declaration. Astrid felt a gentle kiss pressed against her waist. She shook her head, amused.

“But I am next to you. To both of you.”

His voice was a lot softer now; there was a kind of languor in it, the feature that had appeared in his tone more and more often recently, independently from the news she’d shared with him just a day earlier. The warrior couldn’t deny that she liked being addressed in this manner – and she certainly wouldn’t say that his words had made no impression on her. However, as much as she loved his dorky-romantic answers, she wasn’t at all intending to undergo their charm.

Without much thinking, she grabbed the blanket’s edge once more and threw it off with a sudden move. Hiccup’s reaction was exactly what she hoped it to be.

“Arghh!” The Chief exclaimed, thrusting his face into her shirt. “Why is it always violence with you?”

“Nothing else seems to work.”

“But it’s cold! And the sun is blinding me!”

“Oh, you poor little thing.” She teased and sighed. “Do we really have to go through the same scenario every single morning?”

“All would be well, if you didn’t get up so awfully early.”

“All would be well, if you didn’t go to sleep so awfully late. Stop the sulking and come here. I want to see you properly at last.”

Hiccup murmured and reluctantly, he got up to his knees. In the same way as his wife had done before, he rubbed his closed eyes and then raised his eyelids, immediately fixing his gaze on the woman lying by his side. He smiled weakly.

Astrid gave him a dreadfully sceptical glare.

“Have you slept at all tonight?” She asked, carefully examining the bags under his eyes.

“Thank you, my love, you’re looking great, too.” Answered the Viking, laughing. “I didn’t get a wink. Did you really think I would?”

And, ignoring another of the girl’s snorts, he shifted towards the bedhead; then, he plunged on his back, as near to Astrid, as possible. He reached out his arm, inviting her to move even closer. She picked up his offer without hesitation, resting her cheek on his chest and covering them with the blanket she’d pulled away a moment earlier. Finally, everything was just how it should always be.

“I definitely prefer sharing the bed with you in this way.” She murmured, quietly.

“Does it really make a difference?”

“Let’s just say I got used to the thought that our heads are more or less at the same level.”

“Well, that would be a great argument, unless I weren’t taller than you.”

“I said more or less.”

“Still, that’s not very convincing.”

“Tough luck.”

“Oh, and by the way, my head isn’t oversized, thank you very much.”

“Your hair is, so it works out the same.”

“Ha, ha. Still doing that one?” Using his free arm, he tickled her mildly, joyfully noticing that his wife’s reaction for the gesture was as intense, as every other time. She found his hand at once and squeezed her thin, yet strong fingers on it. She frowned.

“Stop it. You know how I hate that.” She opposed, and wriggled her neck in a way that allowed her to look at him. “You really haven’t slept? Not even for a while?”

“No. But what is one night compared to everything we’ve been doing so far? It wasn’t the first, and certainly won’t be the last one. There’s nothing to worry about.”

“I thought you were happy.”

“For Odin’s sake, Astrid, of course I’m happy. But have you ever heard that people have problems sleeping, because they’re too excited for something? Because they’re too happy to fall asleep? I spent the whole night imagining things, not able to focus on anything that wouldn’t be connected to you… to us. All of us. It’s impossible to just doze off in a situation like this. Plus-” He chuckled nervously. “I won’t lie, no matter how I love that ‘parenting idea’, I’m pretty much terrified.”

“You too?” Astrid smiled feebly.

“Absolutely. I guess I’ll need the help of all the known and unknown gods out there if don’t want to fail completely. But, for now… I’d rather focus on the more pleasant part.” He bent his head and kissed her hair. “The truth is, it has only been a night and I’m already unable to imagine our life changed to what it was before.”

“I’m glad you think so. And... it’s good to know I’m not the only one who’s afraid.”

Not giving Hiccup a chance to respond, she tightened her grasp on him, burying her forehead in his neck. She groaned when she remembered their talk would have to end – and how soon it would be.

“I don’t want to go there.” She mumbled wearily. “I don’t want that meeting. I’m good where I am.”

“Hey, did I just hear Astrid Hofferson trying to shirk from her duties?”

“You heard Astrid Haddock putting a morning with you above the endless skirmishes with the Council, who will – as always – find hundreds of reasons to decline my ideas, never mind how good they are. But you’re right, I shouldn’t be doing that. Thanks for reminding me of my priorities.”

As she had said that, she got up and smoothly turned to the edge of the massive furniture, ready to leave it at the same moment. Having this done, though, she felt the strong arms enfolding her from behind, making it impossible to follow her plan. Leaning backwards, she met resistance in the shape of Hiccup’s torso.

“It doesn’t mean you’re supposed to jump off the bed like that.” The man stated firmly. “It’s still terribly early, the sun has just risen.”

“Exactly. That means I have no more than half an hour left before everyone shows up in the Hall. I’m rather short of time, if you think about it.”

“Are you kidding me? Who would be meeting the Council at such an hour?”

“Let me guess… I would?” She turned her head and pecked him on the cheek. “That’s what I usually do.”

“You’re insane. It’s like assassinating your own common sense.”

“Well, it’s all your fault. I simply assumed you’d be sleeping at this time and I’d be free to sneak out, noticed by no one. Seriously, it’s impossible to get up when we’re both awake.”

“I wonder why.” He whispered right in her ear, just to kiss it at a following moment, not loosening his embrace a bit. He kissed her cheek, her jaw, her neck. Astrid winced, feeling the itchiness on the delicate skin, but she didn’t protest. However, as soon as Hiccup’s mouth touched her chin, clearly aiming for her own lips, she moved away gently.

“I really must go. I can’t hope the Council will excuse my lateness if I give them such a poor explanation.”

“I’m sure they’ll be understanding. I’ll order them to be.”

“It doesn’t work like this.” She sighed, leaning on him. Hiccup’s hands found their way to her waist again. She covered them with her own immediately, resting her fingers of his rough skin. “Oh, not again. The ‘dad mode’ needs to wait.”

“As if I could turn it off.  I’m sorry, M’lady, it means too much for me to put it aside just like that.”

The warrior rolled her eyes.

“Aha. Here we go.”

“What do you mean?”

“You care. Before I know it, you’ll make me promise that I won't lift, train or even fly Stormfly. Now for your information, I have my own mind, and that’s why I’m going to ignore all of your bans. Just so you know.”

Hiccup frowned, not fully understanding the girl’s accusation. He shook his head in negative and, most seriously, he answered. “I would never dare to do so. I mean, I will obviously worry about you, just as I have until now – the only difference being that I’ll worry about two people instead of one. But I can’t imagine imposing any kind of bans on you, mostly because you wouldn’t follow my orders anyway.” He added more casually. He remained silent for a while, giving her time to interpret the news, simultaneously resting his head on her shoulder. “I just don’t want you to run away already.”

She seemed surprised by his little speech. She’d been ready for a fight, a dispute, ready to defend her statement; convinced, that she’d be forced to take part in a serious discussion, she’d had more than one argument prepared on her side. Yet, she was met by the trustful understanding. Again, she dipped her hand in the Viking’s dark, thick hair, smiling a lot softer that she’d used to do.

“I… Thank you, Hiccup. But, either way, I need to go. And you must let me do it.”

“And there’s no chance you’d change your mind?”

“Look, we still have a village to look after. Please allow me to remind you who’s the Chief on this island – and who’s their General. This is our job, Babe.”

“I am no Chief. And you are no General,” he protested. “Not as long as we’re both in bed.”

Astrid’s eyes flickered when the solution of their problem crossed her mind. Since Hiccup’s clasp had loosed significantly, she slipped out of his embrace and jumped onto the floor, not bothering to give him the slightest warning. The thick woollen covering was hauled after her.

She laughed, seeing the dumbfounded stare of the young Leader, who was gazing at her with puzzlement. Her success was total.

“General Hofferson, ready to get the job done!” She called out pluckily, as proud of herself as she could ever be. “Gods bless the Island!”

Hiccup was capable of doing nothing but sending her a disbelieving glare, while Astrid kept smiling, waiting patiently for his further reaction. He slapped his hand against his forehead and slowly shifted it all the way down to his chin; he collapsed on his back.

“Good Thor, Astrid. I truly believed it to be a serious relationship.”

She giggled, approaching him and knelt on the bed’s edge. She bent over him, pressing a light kiss on his lips – and moved back on her former place at once.

“A serious relationship?” She asked rhetorically. “With the two of us involved? That thing wouldn't live a day.”