#it is entirely possible that Thor will get some eye raises upon saying he and Loki are twin brothers

[roostersmustache]

Songs of Silence, Two

Pairing: Loki x Original Female Character

Author's Note: Here's part two! Finally! Lemme know what you think!

Synopsis: Ingrid finally starts to accept that she doesn't want to marry Thor, and the thought process nearly drives her mad. Its even worse because she can't communicate with him, and whoever took her voice from her is still out there.

or:

Ingrid still can't speak but Loki sure can get into her head.

Warnings: None of this is accurate, Swearing, adult themes, angst, possible MCU spoilers, possible Loki spoilers.

Word Count: 4.8k

Masterlist

SOS Masterlist

Ingrid had been on edge all day long. 

She had plans to accompany Thor to his mandatory training today, and normally, she enjoyed watching the prince’s spar with each other. But today, the air between her, Thor, and Loki was thick. Ingrid had no desire to look at Thor after he had thrown insults her way the day prior, and she couldn’t look at Loki because her face would get hot. 

But that didn’t stop him from being inside of her head. 

The prince had successfully, for the second day in a row, weaseled his way into Ingrid’s mind. Sometimes she didn’t know he was there until she started thinking about the conversation they had had in their minds yesterday, and he’d pop back in to add some of his own commentary. It was driving her insane, and of course he knew that, but no matter how many times she telepathically told him to stop, he’d just throw a wink at her. 

When Thor came to collect her, he knocked on her door. She opened it, revealing Thor in the front, and Loki behind him. Her eyes quickly met Thor’s and then darted over to Loki, who on eye contact, gave her a smile that had her shuffling nervously where she was standing. She had decided at the last minute that going to the training would be too much with Loki there, so she hadn’t put her dressing gown on. She needed a break from his voice in her head. 

“Darling,” Thor started, quizzically looking at her state of dress. “Why are you not dressed?” 

She huffed, not knowing how to reply without her voice, and just shook her head at her fiance. 

“What do you mean, dear?” Thor asked. “I don’t understand.” 

God she wished Thor was the one that could communicate telepathically with her, and not his cunning, sexy, and up-to-no-good brother. She just sighed at the prince and shook her head again. 

Thor looked back to Loki, who had leaned up against the wall, looking at something other than the couple trying to communicate. Thor tapped his brother's arm, and Loki coolly averted his gaze back to Thor, raising an eyebrow at him. 

“You’re good at magic, brother, have you any idea what my bride seems to be trying to say?” 

Ingrid’s eyes went wide, and she desperately wished she could tell Thor she didn’t need Loki’s help talking to him, but she couldn’t. She turned her gaze to Loki and narrowed her eyes at him. A warning. 

“Just tell him I don’t want to go,”  She said to him. 

Loki smirked back at her, turning now to face her. She felt small under his sharp gaze, and she wished for nothing more than to just close her door and curl up under her sheets. 

“But why don’t you want to go?”  He asked, a teasing lilt to his voice. 

“I don’t feel well,”  She said back, her glare deepening. 

She hoped he couldn’t see any of the images playing inside of her mind, the image of him kissing her forehead the night before had been a constant reply in her mind. Shamefully she was disappointed he hadn’t actually kissed her. When she thought about that upon waking up this morning she had slapped her wrist. Crushing on Loki was one thing but cheating on Thor with his mischievous brother would be seen as an act of treason. 

“That it would,” he said, confirming that he had just heard that entire thought she had. “But wouldn’t it be such fun to sneak around?” 

“Loki,” She warned, he gave her a smooth smile. “Just tell Thor I’m not going.” 

“But that would be entertaining, darling,” he drawled. “Reading your every thought while sparring against my brother. Him completely oblivious to the fact that his bride wants me instead.”

She let out a puff of air at his words, heat rising to her cheeks. She couldn’t deny it, and she didn’t want to deny it either. But Ingrid was scared. She had been by Thor’s side her entire life, and while she had always had a stronger draw to Loki, Thor was safe. Loki was off limits. Yet that seemed to excite her more. She couldn’t deny that the prince elicited a fire within her she had never felt before, and the pure fact that he felt the same way as she did only ignited the flame. 

She heard him laugh in her head. 

“Get out of my head, Loki,” she said, having a hard time forming the words in her brain with her muddled thoughts. “And just tell him I don’t want to go.” 

“You’re no fun,” he teased. 

Ingrid watched with battered breaths as Loki turned to his brother who had been suspiciously eyeing them both during their telepathic conversation. Ingrid knew Loki wouldn’t reveal the true nature of their conversation, but she also knew that he was the God of Mischief. She just hoped he’d tell the truth rather than twist it. 

“She doesn’t wish to go, brother,” Loki said, leaning back up against the wall and giving Thor a feigned sad glace. 

“What?” Thor asked, giving Ingrid a confused look. “Darling, the people are expecting you to make an appearance there today.”

“She doesn’t feel well,” Loki confirmed, his gaze back on nothing. 

“Are you alright?” Thor asked, his confusion melting into concern. “Do I need to send a healer?” 

She shook her head at him and crossed her arms over her chest. She was happy to see him believe her, and she was surprised Loki had told the truth and not caused anything further. For that she was grateful. 

“I could stay and keep an eye on her, brother. I have a vast knowledge of medicine, she’d be in good hands.” 

Or not. 

“No,” Ingrid said to him. 

“But the people probably want to see both of  their princes, I think we should just send a healer.”

“I’m the only one who can communicate with her, and besides, they don’t care to see me. This training is for the people to see how well their king performs on the battlefield, as if they don’t already know,” Loki said, lightly bumping his brother's arm. 

“He’s right,” Thor said, looking at Ingrid. Her eyes pleaded with him. “I want to make sure you’re alright, and despite his title, I trust my brother with you. It would bring me much comfort to have him here with you.”

Ingrid just sighed in response, her shoulders deflating. Loki was stressing her out, and the last thing she needed was to be alone with him for god knows how long. Their training usually lasted a couple of hours, so she was nervous about being in such close proximity with the god for a while. She couldn’t stop the part of her that was excited, though, because that part of her was very much there. She was scared to give into him, but god did she want to. She had spent years dreaming about those lips of his and what they felt like, the way his Asgardian leather hugged his form, and the smooth silk of his voice in her ear. 

“Don’t worry, princess,” Loki started, waltzing past her and into her bedroom. “You're in good hands.” 

“Come get me if she gets worse,” Thor said to Loki. Before he headed out, he leaned down and cupped Ingrid’s cheeks, looking into her eyes. “We’ll get your voice back, my love. In the meantime, feel better and don’t hesitate to hit my brother if he bothers you.” 

Thor said goodbye to her by reaching down and kissing her firmly on her lips. He squeezed her hand and nodded at Loki as he left, leaving Ingrid standing in her doorway, frozen in her spot. She was tempted to turn around and go into her room with the door wide open, but she couldn’t stand to leave her door open. She didn’t like everyone looking into her room when they passed by. 

Quietly, she turned and walked back into her bedroom, softly closing the door behind her. She noticed Loki lounging on her bed out of her peripheral and she internally debated on where to place herself. She still wanted to curl up into her sheets, but with Loki on her bed, that option was out the window. But she also didn’t know where else to sit. She settled on standing in the corner, facing him, with her arms tightly folded in front of her. 

“You look upset,” Loki said, breaking the silence between the two. 

Ingrid cast him a glare, trying her best to seem irritated by his presence. But she couldn’t be irritated. She was really fighting with herself on what to do. A very large part of her wanted to crawl over to him and pounce on him. But she couldn’t do that, so she decided to stay firmly in the corner. 

“Why did you insist on being here?” She asked him.

“Because I like to watch you squirm, baby. It’s thrilling,” he shrugged, his eyes gleaming with trouble. 

His words sent a chill straight down her spine, and she had to shift in her spot to hold her composure. Baby was a pet name she adored. Thor never called her that. But there are lots of things that Ingrid has no experience in. Being called ‘baby' was one of those things. She had never been with anyone outside of Thor, but the stories she overheard from the palace were stories that made her face heat up. She wanted that excitement, and Thor couldn’t give her that. 

Growing up, people had kept a watchful eye on Ingrid. She was beautiful, astoundingly so, but everyone knew she was to marry Thor. She was never allowed to flirt with anyone else, or get involved with anyone else, and that was made evidently clear anytime Odin caught her looking at someone else for too long. But Thor was able to get with anyone in the nine realms that he wanted to get with. She would often go to fetch her prince only to be met with unpleasant noises emerging from his bedroom, evident that another woman was there.  

Once the two of them became old enough to start taking their betrothal seriously, Thor stopped seeing random women. Instead, he focused all of his attention onto Ingrid, and he ended up falling in love with her. Ingrid had never fallen in love with Thor. He just wasn’t a match for her. But she tried so hard to fall for him. She would kiss him, she would cuddle with him, she would have sex with him, yet none of those things quenched the desire in her heart. And now, with their wedding fresh on the horizon, it all seemed to hit her at once that she couldn’t marry Thor. She just didn’t know how to get out of that situation. 

“What thoughts you have in that mind of yours, darling,” Loki said, standing from her bed and walking towards her.  “You should just tell my brother he’s not what a beautiful lady such as yourself needs. You need someone that excites you, someone that keeps you on your toes. Isn’t that right?” 

Loki was now standing directly in front of her, and her breathing had become shallow. She struggled to maintain eye contact with him, and this alone had the god smirking above her, a hand coming down to rest on her waist and tug her to him. She gasped. 

“I asked you a question, Ingrid,” Loki drawled, his hand that wasn’t on her hip coming up to trace over her cheek. 

“What are you doing?” She asked. She felt completely breathless. 

“I’m asking you a question,” he replied, seeming unfazed by their position. 

“This is wrong,” she panicked, her head whipping around to make sure no one could see them, even though her door was completely shut. 

She felt Loki pinch her chin, tugging her to look at him again. 

“But it's what we both want,” he said, dragging his thumb over her lip. He could feel the air leave her lungs. “A princess as pretty as you deserves to get what she wants.” 

Ingrid could’ve melted at his words, and if it wasn’t for his hand tightly around her waist, she thinks she would have. She shouldn't let herself get lost in his ways so easily, but she couldn't help it. Not when his eyes were glimmering down at her and his hands were tightly clasped around her.

"Am I wrong?" He asked, letting her go, watching her stumble to catch her balance. "Do you not want this?" He smirked at her, awaiting for her confirmation.

Ingrid's eyes pleaded with him, the loss of his touch affecting her more than it should. Being held by him had been a sensation she hadn't known she'd needed, but here, now, without his touch she felt a longing she had never felt before.

She sauntered back up to him, his hands clasped behind his back, and she gently placed her hands on his shoulders. She was nervous, the God intimidated her. And she knew what he was capable of, she knew he loved a power trip. She'd heard of his reputation plenty of times before from palace staff. She knew he was good in bed.

She lightly shook his shoulders, tenderly sliding her hands down his arms. Her breath caught when he removed his hands from behind his back and moved them to her arms, pushing her backwards. The two held eye contact with each other as he walked her backwards, a gasp emitting from her when her back met the wall. He slid her arms up above her head, holding her there while he leaned into her.

"You're sure you don't want this, love?" He asked, his breath fanning her lips.

"I'm scared," she said, her mind racing.

"Of what?" He asked. "Of Thor being upset? He doesn't satisfy you, darling. He can have any maiden in the nine realms. Sure, he might be heartbroken, but he'll be alright."

"But what if we get executed?"

"We won't, Ingrid," he soothed. "We keep it secret for a bit, then we go to Thor, and then Thor goes to Odin. Thor is the key to getting you out of marriage."

"He would never agree to that," Ingrid said, her eyes sorrowful.

Loki sighed in frustration. "I want you, Ingrid. I want to give you the things that you deserve. The things you crave. My brother cannot give you that. Even if a secret, will you please allow me that?"

Ingrid huffed out a cry at his admission. She wanted him too. But Thor would be so angry if he found out, and Odin would probably have her and Loki executed. But Loki was the God of Mischief. If anyone could lie and keep a secret, it would be him.

"Okay," she said.

At her approval, Loki sealed their lips together. Their first kiss was soft and short, a test of the waters. Loki pulled back and eyed her, asking for permission to keep going. He let her arms go, and they quickly found their way into his hair, nodding at him as she pulled him closer. His hands found her waist again, and he pulled her taught against him.

Their lips danced together; a hungry, sinful, passionate dance. Teeth clashed together, lips were wet with hunger, and they moaned into each others mouths as they explored. Loki had coaxed her mouth open, allowing his tongue to explore, and she moaned out to him, pulling harder at his hair.

Loki was the first person other than Thor that Ingrid had kissed. The feeling she got from Loki's menstruations was electric. She had never felt so euphoric from a kiss, and the more they kept going, the more she wanted. She was engulfed in him; his mouth on hers, his hands on her waist, pulling her close, and his hair between her fingers. She was on fire, and she never wanted to stop.

Loki spun her around and started walking her backwards, her legs hitting her bed before she fell backwards. She scooted up the bed, resting on her elbows, as Loki climbed over her, leaning down to connect their lips once more. He leaned her back to where she was flush against the mattress, resting his body weight atop hers.

Her hands found his shoulders, and she hiked a leg up to rest at his hip, his knee falling between her thighs. His hand that wasn't holding his weight above her dropped down to her hip, pulling her into him. He moved his mouth down, nipping behind her ear, which had her gasping out. His lips continued their sinful movements.

The two had unintentionally started moving against each other, their breaths coming out as desperate gasps, not nearly coming up for enough air. Ingrid was completely lost in their kiss, her mind going blank. She couldn’t think of anything logical, her mind muddled with thoughts of Loki on top of her. She didn’t know how long they had been kissing, it could’ve been hours, it could’ve been mere minutes. But she knew she never wanted to stop. Something about their kissing felt so right, like everything made sense. Her heart felt a sense of fullness she hadn’t ever felt before. 

“Loki,” she said. But his mind seemed too occupied to understand she was trying to communicate with him. “Loki,” she said again, this time more urgently. 

“Hm?” He hummed, not stopping his movements but flicking his eyes up to hers. 

“We have to stop,” she replied. 

It’s not that Ingrid wanted to stop, she just knew that if she didn’t stop kissing him, they’d go further than they needed to. And as strong as her feelings for the God were, she knew she wasn’t ready to give him herself fully yet. It was all happening so fast. 

“Do you want to stop?” He asked, pulling back to look at her. 

She just shook her head at him. 

“Then why do we have to stop?” He asked, smirking down at her. 

“Because we’re getting worked up,” she said, her eyes blown out, still evidently turned on. 

“And why is that so bad, darling?” He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “We’re just kissing.”

“It’s not enough,” she said. It was the truth, she needed more. She needed him more than she had ever needed anyone. But she knew things between the two of them needed to be slow, careful. 

“Not enough?” He chuckled, his eyes dark. “What can I do for you then, Ingrid?” He asked, running his hand up her back and back down to her leg that was resting on his hip. 

“Nothing yet,” she said, placing her hands on his shoulders. “We have to go slow.” 

"If slow is what the lady wants," Loki started, slowly moving off of her. "Then slow is what she will get."

"It's just all happening so fast," she said.

"Then we'll go slow and be careful, darling. Can't have us getting caught," he said, kissing her firmly once more before standing and retreating from the bed. He crossed the room and sat on the loveseat across the room. Ingrid watched a green flash appear in his hand, and when it was gone, she saw the book he had clutched in his palm.

Ingrid was left on the bed, her mind jumbled, as the God sat across the room reading. Her lips still tingled and her body burned where his hands had been. She was scared, scared of being around Loki because all she wanted to do was kiss him. And scared of herself because she didn't know if she had the self control to keep her desires at bay.

~~

Ingrid was awoken by the sound of Thor entering her bedroom. Shortly after her and Loki's "bonding" time, she had fallen asleep while Loki sat in her chair and read his book. She wasn't sure how long she had been asleep, but she felt rested.

Thor walked in, sweat gleaming on his forehead and a smile on his face. He surveyed the room, looking to Ingrid on the bed who was slowly stirring, and then to Loki who had set his book down to look at his brother.

"How is she?" Thor asked, looking to Loki and then back to Ingrid.

"She's alright," Loki replied. "She fell asleep not long after you left. How was sparring?"

"It was great," Thor boasted, puffing his chest and smiling. "I beat all of my opponents."

"As expected," Loki replied.

Ingrid sat up on her elbows and wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. Thor walked over to her and sat on her bed, his hand finding her cheek.

"How are you feeling, darling?" He asked her, his thumb stroking her cheek.

Ingrid just nodded at him and gave him a small smile.

"I hate you can't speak, I miss your voice," Thor said, giving her a frown.

She gave him a small smile back and shrugged her shoulders. Not speaking was irritating her, she could only communicate with Loki, and he was driving her mad in an intoxicating way. After they had kissed, she had laid back on her bed and fell asleep with the feeling of his lips still lingering. It was the most astounding kiss she had ever had, and she'd be lying if she said she didn't crave it more.

Thor leaned into her and kissed her, and the action made her nauseous. She felt dirty, like she was committing the ultimate act of betrayal. Thor loved her, and she was kissing his brother behind his back. She didn't want to kiss Thor, she didn't want to touch him. All she wanted was sitting across her room, his thighs spread across her chair as he thumbed at a book in his large hands.

Loki felt her gaze on him as soon as she looked to him, and he looked up at her though the pages of his book. His gaze intense, his eyes staring at her with a knowing look.

She gulped.

She turned her gaze back to Thor and sighed, sitting up and moving off of her bed. She needed away from both of them. She didn't want to be near Thor because she couldn't give him what he wanted to give her.

It was clear why she didn't want to be around his brother.

As soon as she stood, however, she stumbled, her vision going black as she experienced something she never had before. She saw something, a cottage in a dark forest, the setting at night, rainy and dreary. Inside the cottage, was a woman tied to a beam, a look of fear stricken across her face.

"Tell me where she is," Her voice said.

Her voice.

Ingrid's.

But Ingrid never said that. Whoever had her voice had spoken those words, and they were also in the cabin. They looked down at the tied up woman, a dark cloak concealing them. The woman pleaded with them.

"I don't know where she is!" The woman cried.

"You do," the cloaked figure said. "And I will make you tell me."

The figure then started singing a spell, an incantation to get someone to tell the truth. It was a spell Ingrid was familiar with, but one she vowed to never use because of its malicious origins. She could make people do many things with her voice, but she vowed to never use her voice for evil.

"Jeg søker å høre din endeløse tunge Lyv ikke for meg Fortell meg historier om sannhet og fornuft Eller bli et objekt for forræderi

Gi meg din sannhet nå Ingen flere løgner, det lover du Blod skal utgytes for svik Dette er ord jeg ikke vil gjenta"

(I seek to hear your endless tongue Lie to me none Tell me stories of truth and reason Or become an object of treason

Yield your truth unto me now No more lies, this you vow Blood to be shed upon deceit These are words I will not repeat)

As soon as the figure finished reciting the spell, the woman screamed out in pain. If the spell was recited and there was no truth to be told, the victim would die. If there was a truth to be told, it would be spilled from their lips immediately, and death would follow. It was an evil truth spell, and for Ingrid to hear it recited to someone with her own voice was sickening.

The woman continued to cry in pain as a flash of magic ate her from the inside out, turning her into nothing but ash. The fear in her eyes would haunt Ingrid forever.

Ingrid just watched an innocent woman die by her own voice.

As soon as the vision ended, she collapsed onto the floor in a heap of tears, unable to catch her breath. Immediately, both brothers were by her side, trying to console her and figure out what just happened.

She frantically looked to Loki, and she grabbed his hand, placing it on her forehead. He first gave her a quizzical look, but then he understood. For once she wanted him to see into her mind.

She felt a warm tingle on her forehead that she assumed was his seidr, and as soon as she felt it, she closed her eyes. She saw the woman in the cabin again, begging for her life, and the cloaked figure in the corner. She heard the spell in her voice, and watched again as the woman died because she had no secrets to spill. Rewatching the vision made fresh tears fall from her eyes.

Once the vision was over, Loki pulled away with a similar solemn expression on his face. Thor looked between the pair with confusion and concern, trying to pull Ingrid's gaze back to him. But she was too focused on Loki. He had just seen everything she saw, and she wanted to know what he thought. She wanted his comfort because he was the only one who knew exactly what she saw.

"That is not your fault, Ingrid," he said, looking at her with such intensity she almost didn't hear what he said.

She just cried in response, overwhelmed by it all.

"What did you see, brother?" Thor asked, pulling Ingrid to his chest.

"She had a vision," Loki started, standing from where he was crouched on the ground. "Whoever took her voice is using it for evil. They took her voice to try and locate someone, and killed a woman when they didn't get their desired response."

Thor looked to Ingrid in shock, and hugged her closer to him, kissing her forehead. After a few seconds of settling in Thor's embrace, Ingrid pushed herself up to her feet as well, brushing off her dress and letting out a huff. Thor followed behind her, the three of them standing together, a feeling of unease shared among them.

Ingrid knew getting her voice back was an urgent matter, but now she felt like if she didn't get it back immediately, the world would crumble onto her. Ingrid swore herself to be a Goddess of goodness, and seeing and hearing her voice used for such evil made bile rise in her throat.

"Ingrid," Loki started, her eyes quickly snapping to his. "We must show Frigga. She can help form a plan."

"I agree," Thor said, walking beside Ingrid and placing a gentle hand on her back. "Mother is very wise with these things."

Ingrid nodded at him, and walked over to her vanity to brush out her hair. She heard the two brothers talking behind her, undoubtedly Thor making sure she wasn't acting weird before he left. Thor had no idea what Ingrid and Loki had seen, so he didn't quite understand what was going on.

"We'll get your voice back, baby."

Ingrid stopped brushing her hair and sat up straight, chills racing down her spine. She'd never get used to Loki just popping into her head. It was a sensation that gave her a thrill and made her heart leap. After she got a taste of what it's like to kiss him, the desire to be his bride instead of Thor's was agonizing. She wished she could kiss him whenever and wherever she pleased like she does with Thor. But those kisses to Loki would mean so much more.

And maybe, maybe, she'd fight for him more than she initially thought.

~~

A/N: That's it for part two! Let me know what you think! Likes, comments, and reblogs, especially reblogs, are greatly appreciated!

TAGLIST (Let me know if you'd like to be added!):

@adharanotfound , @skylarisaturtle

[worstloki]

I need answers

[immersed-in-mischief]

To Have & To Hold (Loki x OFC) Chapter 21

Series Masterlist

TRIGGER WARNING: Mention of domestic violence

Chapter 21

Raised voices out in the hall roused Thor from his sleep. Upon opening the door, he found Loki arguing with the guard posted outside.

“What do you mean I am not allowed entry into my wife’s chambers? Brother, what is the meaning of this?”

Thor stepped outside and closed the door behind him before dismissing the guard for a short break. Once they were alone again, he addressed the agitated god standing in front of him.

“Loki, in Jessica’s current state, Mother thought it best that you give your wife some space.”

The confusion on Loki’s face quickly morphed into worry.

“Thor, what in the nine realms do you mean give my wife space? Wait… did you just say in her current state? Did something happen to her?”

In his panic, he pushed past Thor and into the room. Jessica’s side of the bed was now surrounded by various monitors with cords attached to her exposed stomach. Loki’s eyes darted over to the side he had been occupying and was now met with a gated barricade which he assumed was for the safety of his daughter that was asleep where he just slept the previous night. Thor now came and stood next to him as they watched the two of them sleep.

“Jessica had a panic attack and they had to sedate her in order to lower her heart rate back down. The stress on her body had brought on contractions but the healers said they are becoming less frequent again the longer she sleeps… What did you do Brother?”

At the question, Loki’s attention darted over to him.

“Did you just ask me if I did this to her Thor? How dare you think I could possibly have done something to her.”

As he took a step towards the bed, he was met with a strong hand on his shoulder. Thor now turned away from the bed to face him. Loki watched the way his brother’s entire stance changed. The guard at the door. Jessica was being protected from him and Thor was here to stop him from getting too close.

“Loki, many people saw you storming away from Jessica’s chambers after they heard you shouting. It’s best if you tell me what took place just before that.”

The fight. Of course.

“Yes, I was upset when I saw her last, but you know I would never hurt Jessica.”

Loki watched as his brother glanced over his shoulder towards his family before he grabbed him by the arm and forcefully dragged him towards the bathroom. Once inside he pushed him towards the tub in the middle of the room.

“Brother, does that look like someone who was upsetwith their wife?”

The corner of the basin was now marred on both sides with broken tiles. One side contained a long crack down into the bottom of the tub. The damaged was located exactly where his wife had been seated in the bath earlier that evening. Loki’s breath quickened.

“Thor…are you telling me I did that?”

The image of Jessica’s face flashed back through his thoughts. Now that his mind wasn’t clouded in anger, he could clearly see the look in her eyes in that moment.

Fear.

Loki fell to his knees and was unable to pull his eyes away from the cracked and shattered tiles where he had placed his hands as he screamed at the mother of his children. Had his hands been on her instead of the bath in that moment…

He couldn’t even finish the thought without nearly being sick.

Thor sat down on the floor next to him with his back against the bath to face Loki.

“Brother, I did this to her. I caused this. She was so terrified that the healers were forced to sedate her in order to save our children. You must know that I would rather die than cause her harm.”

He reached out and rested his hand on Loki’s knee.

“Of course, Loki. I’m sure in her heart, Jessica knows this as well. I spoke with Mother, and I know you two have been having difficulties lately. Maybe it really is best that you take some time apart. At least until the babies are born.”

He could only nod in agreement. There were no words he could say in that moment. After a while longer, Thor helped him stand and let him say his goodbyes to his wife and daughter. Loki’s heart was a reflection of the destruction he had caused. He couldn’t help but feel like his brother watched his every movement as he approached Jessica’s bedside. With a shaky hand, he carefully touched the skin on either side of the monitors on her bump. Loki needed to know that he hadn’t harmed the lives inside of her. He let out a sigh of relief as both babies reacted to his touch. Saying goodbye to Jessica nearly broke him. Although her features looked peaceful as she slept, he knew her heart was full of pain he had personally inflicted. Loki tucked her hair behind her ear and out of her face before placing a gentle kiss on her cheek. He knew Thor said she had been sedated but he still didn’t want to risk disturbing her slumber. The words he shared with her were barely a whisper.

“Please forgive me, my love.”

He made his way around to the other side of the bed that would now belong to their daughter. Part of him didn’t mind it though. Loki no longer felt worthy of sharing Jessica’s bed. It seemed fitting that it was now a makeshift crib for Madison. He gently smoothed his baby’s curls and ran the back of his fingers softly across her little nose and chubby cheeks as if he wanted to commit them to memory. Loki breathed in her scent before softly kissing the top of her head. It was impossible to keep his voice from cracking as he spoke.

“Daddy loves you so very much little one.”

He stood next to Thor at the end of the bed as they watched them both sleep peacefully a little while longer.

“I need you to take care of them for me, Brother. Promise me you will keep my family safe.”

His hand squeezed Loki’s shoulder before pulling in for a hug.

“Always, little brother. No harm with come to them. I swear it.”

As he reached the door, he looked back one last time as he built up the courage to open it. The guard was now back at his post. Now that he knew he was in fact a threat to this family, it felt impossible to raise his eyes from the floor as he slowly made his way passed them and down the corridor to his own rooms. Somehow, he ended up outside his mother’s chambers instead. Even though it was late, Frigga immediately opened the door for him. Loki appreciated the protective spell she threw up to soundproof the room when he could no longer hold it back anymore. No one else in the palace needed to hear her son’s screams that violently tore through his body as he sobbed in her arms.

TH&TH:

@howdidurhammergrowchris @thedistractedagglomeration @hayden429 @ihavebeenfallingfor30min @ravenclawmarvel

@lady--lynn

@lokissidepeice

@queenofshinigamis

@emcsquared314

@lokis-little-love

@ladymischief11

@trickster-maiden

All posts:

@youlightmeupfinn @salempoe @lokiprompts @dryyoursaltyoceantears @tgaylorxoxo @queenofallhobos @deanaddicted2 @vampire7595 @lokiswildheartcantbebroken

@pakalanalei

@joyful-enchantress @asgardianprincess1050 @donttouchmylaevateinn @dangertoozmanykids101 @morganmofresh @mad4marvelloki @huntress-artemiss @sititran

@mochie85 @themorningsunshine @mm2305

@sophiaedits @christineblood @meyocoko

@naturalavenger

@sleutherclaw

@muchadowriting

@fangirl1399

@howdidurhammergrowchris

@last-saturday-night

@apine7

@kiliskywalker666

[starshipsofstarlord]

A Stark Contrast | Bucky Barnes

Summary; living in the shadow of Tony, your brother, always was the way, and you accepted it. That was until he expected you to sign the accords, that was one thing that you couldn’t do.

Warnings; Angst, mentions of death, mentions of being controlled, funeral, mourning, anger

The form, bound in a weighty book laid on the table, making the room fill with utmost tension. Tony was hellbent on signing the thing, and handing away any freedom that all of you had.

No matter how long you had supported him, this was not one subject that you could agree with him on. Whilst you understood his perspective, it would only end up with you in a hamster wheel, running around and following the orders of executives.

They wanted less destruction. To put boundaries around their country’s heroes, and limit them to the lengths they could go to in order to save lives.

That was also wrong, the entire ordeal had you bent backwards with a conflict of interests. On one hand, it would be ordinary to sign for such a cause, whether you trusted their backgrounds or not, simply because your elder sibling had.

There was nobody that you trusted more than Tony, he had half raised you after your parents were killed, you felt indebted to him. But being an avenger, on a team where your personal opinion had been valued, it opened your eyes to a whole range of possibilities.

Whilst you were loyal to Tony, you had also became in tune with your own gut. It grumbled at the prospect of giving in to a contract, which decided what you were permitted to do. It was like a child’s parent permission slip, but on a much grander scale.

“People died!” He reminded the lot of you again, which inclined you to look down. There was blood on all of your hands, and he was making it as red as it could possibly be seen. “At least y/n agrees with me.” He reprimanded Steve, whom was still far on the fence regarding the entire ordeal.

Once he said that, all eyes had shifted towards you. Nat had already basically given in to your brother’s convictions, and Steve suspected that you would do the same. You were always one step behind Tony, you were far too loyal to your sibling for your own good.

“I have yet to make up my mind.” You spoke, standing, no longer wishing to be in the room where there was far too much tension. How you wished Banner and Thor were here, they would make an equal divide. The God of Thunder would not scribble his signature upon the paper, you thought to yourself, if he knew their reasons and affects.

However, your words were taken as an assumption that you would join your sibling in providing a peaceful surrender. It is what he and the public would assume of you, and to be truthful, you were tired of sticking to the stereotypes that were made of you.

“I’m surprised that you came.” Steve spoke, as you opened the boot of your car, and revealed the shield that he was so often adorned with, as well as Sam’s wings. He, like most others, had suspected that you would join your brother in his guilt ridden cause, however, thinking for yourself gave you a sense of freedom.

“Don’t be so quick to prevail into what everyone else thinks of me.” You smirked at the captain, your eyes drifting over to the other super soldier, whom had temporarily been imprisoned by the government.

But he had escaped, and if luck was not often a Stark trait, Tony would have died. You had watched from the cameras, but you could boil no bad blood in between the pair of you, Barnes was not in his right mind. He was controlled, and put into a incomprehensible mode of himself. That was, unless, he had managed to kill Tony.

Then you would have changed your own deciding mind, and stuck to what the eldest Stark believed in. “I won’t, ever again.” Sam smiled, picking up redwing from the composed pile, and kissing the machine.

“Bucky.” You reiterated his name, the one that he had chosen to correct the unknown and deceiving man on. The nod you earnt was brief, but it gave you a sense of hope that whirled in your middle. 

It was clear that he was an attractive man, and alike his righteous friend, he was frozen through time to be in this current moment. As Sam and Steve began to get their things together, you walked over to the historical stranger, a smile upon your face. “I’m y/n Stark, I don’t believe we have had the fortune of meeting before.”

“You sure do speak like a Stark.” He softly spoke, a matching smile on his brawn face. “And you seem to have other things in common, like that necklace.” At his words, you looked down at it, a hint of anguish within your gaze.

“It belonged to my mother.” It was nice to reminisce about her for a moment, you knew that she would have made her own decisions too. In some retrospect, you were following in her footsteps.

A feeling grew in the back of Bucky’s throat, but he said nothing. If he were to spill, or reveal his dark secret, it would mean nothing more than the loss of a powerful asset, they could not afford that right now.

“Do you ever think about what would have happened if you got to return home?” It had been a stressful day, fighting your friends, and your last living family member. Bucky turned at your words, you had saved him from being killed, he felt indebted.

“Probably do what every other soldier did; find a woman to marry and have kids. But that’s far out of the picture in this modern age.” Steve was flying the aircraft as you and Bucky spoke in the back. It gave the two of you a moment alone, and you were truly knowing as though you knew the soldier.

He was a good man, misinterpreted by the deeds that he was controlled to do. No one chose to have pity on Barnes, they instead viewed him as a country danger, and wanted to lock him up in a cage, which was how he had come so far in the first place.

“I wouldn’t say that.” For a moment, you looked into his deep blue eyes, feeling as though he were freezing you with them. He didn’t want to look away, but you were inclined to, for you could feel the contrasts of hot and cold heat working its way up your neck, and onto your face. “There’s definitely a woman that would want all that and more with you.”

If things were simpler, you would be convinced that you could share such an intimate bond with him, but alas, everything had to be complicated. And if things could work out, they surely couldn’t last.

“We’re here.” Steve informed the both of you, as he slid out of his front seat, and you prepared to finish this for once and for all.

“How could you?!” You couldn’t defend him as Tony blasted him away, Bucky had played you, and done so well. He and Steve knew of the blood on his hands, and yet they hadn’t thought once to inform you of the one true treachery regrading you.

Bucky had killed your mother, from the intake of information alone, you felt sick. Physically sick. But you choked it down, and as Steve unsurely came towards you, you ran at him, angered by his lies.

From the start, the patriot of America, someone you had considered a friend had deceived you. You had helped him, stood with him, fought your friends for him, and not to mention Tony, and he had known all along.

“Y/n-”

“Save your apologies Rogers.” You stared him down, as he had Bucky held up by one arm, seeing as Barnes had lost one of his own again. “And you, you’re right, there’s no perfect picture, you’re nothing but a monster.”

“Listen.” Steve commanded, but you couldn’t. He was no longer considered your captain, he was a sick liar who had helped to break you. This was the last time that you made your own decisions. Tony was always right.

“You don’t deserve that shield, my father made that. It’s government property-” swiftly he dropped said item, an exhausted and tiresome expression upon Steve’s helmet wearing face.

As soon as they trudged by, you instantly went to Tony, checking his wounds. “You were right brother, I should have listened to you.”

“Your dad loved cheeseburgers too.” You laughed lightly to Morgan, blinking back the tears. It was Tony’s funeral, there were so many people here, even Fury, but there was someone else, who was walking towards you. “Why don’t you go and ask Happy, I have some business that I have to tend to quickly.”

“Okay auntie y/n.” She ran off. She was so innocent, she didn’t deserve to be going to her father’s funeral at five years old, it was truly cruel. But that was just the way the world worked, and Tony was a hero.

“Hi.” Bucky spoke, adorned in all black, same as you. It had been a long time since you had seen him, not since he was being carried away by Steve. You hadn’t fought in Wakanda, instead you had ended up on Titan with your brother, and you would have surely died without him.

“Hey Barnes.” You greeted him with a forced smile, but nevertheless allowed him to step closer.

“I’m sorry for your loss.” He said, the guilt still burning behind his eyes. It seemed that his time in Wakanda had changed him, for the better.

“Which one?” You quipped back, instantaneously. 

“All of them.” He gulped, he was going to give you one truth before you found out after. It was his attempt at redemption, and a sorrowful one at that. “Steve’s returning the stones later.”

“I know.” You responded, the captain had already informed you about that part of his plan.

“And he’s not coming back.”

“Anthony Howard and Steven Nathan Barnes, the two of you better get back here this instant!” Your voice hollered through the house, as well as the duo’s endless giggles.

The front door opened, no other than Bucky walking through. He was quick to recognise the flash of motherly anger upon your face, and quickly dropped his serene smile.

“What have they done?” Bucky asked, watching as you crossed your arms in an unimpressed manner.

“Why don’t you ask your sons?” Your husband sighed, but despite that, he was a happy man. He had returned from a war, and found a lovely wife, of which he had two troublesome boys with. For the first time in a long time, y/n Stark and Bucky Barnes were happy.

[gl0rious-purpose]

Slushies (Loki x Reader)

Summary: Every now and then, you and Loki would go and hang out with each other. This time you two got slushies at the park. However, your true intentions are exposed when Thor sees that yours and Loki's tongues are purple.

Word Count: 2103 Words

Warnings: Nothing, but fluffy kissing.

Author's Note: I tried to add as much details as I could before I edited this one shot. Apologies if it's not as good as the others. Please enjoy.

Tossing your empty slushee cup into a bin nearby in the common room, you slowly trudged to the couch. You picked up the pace in fear of collapsing on the floor. As you flopped onto the couch face first, a very heavy chuckle sounded out by you. Startled, but really not caring, you peeked one eye up from the couch cushions to see Thor laughing at you. Not sure whether to feel offended or confused, you sat up and just started at him with a questioning look – at least that's what you hoped it was. The God of Thunder cackled harder at your facial expression, proving your attempt had miserably failed.

"Thor, why on Earth are you laughing at me?" You challenged the god, eyes narrowing as you sat yourself to look at the god fully. You sat back and watched Thor try to regain control over himself before he bursted into another fit of laughter. Just as the next fit started, Bruce walked in and handed you water. He quizzically looked over to Thor then back to you. You shrugged your shoulders as you took a big gulp of water. Feeling the cool refreshment trickle down your throat, you gave yourself a satisfied smile before taking another gulp. This time, you felt it trickle down your windpipe before it hit your throat. The sudden liquid mixing with your oxygen sent you into a coughing fit, glass of water falling out of your hand on to the floor. The glass somehow shattered on the floor as water spilled everywhere. This happened to drag Thor out of his laughing spell, his face flashing with concern as he quickly got up and rushed next to you. Faint footsteps from upstairs indicated Loki was coming down from his room to see what the commotion was about. Oh gods... Don't let him see me like this. You pleaded the Norns, but to no avail. He had entered the room just as you went into another coughing fit, the forced air burning your throat. Bruce gently bent your sitting body over your knees and rubbed your back in hopes of calming you down. Slowly, you felt the sudden pressure dissipate as light coughs erupted from you here and there.

Bruce and Thor gently pushed you back up as Loki just stood in front of you all, clearly confused. His eyes trickled down to the floor that was saturated with tap water and glass shards. His eyes widened as he looked up – scanning you first before scanning the other two for injures. He'd never admit it, but Loki cared for everyone's safety. Despite the past.

"Y/N, can you open up so I can observe your throat real quick?" Bruce asked warily, eyeing your face for a reaction as he took out a small pen light. You simply cracked open your jaw and turned your face towards him as he shined the light slightly above himself. He looked around for a hot minute before turning the light off and raising his hand to your jaw, pushing on it lightly to indicate you could close your mouth. As you did, his eyebrows furrowed. Thor and Loki caught this as you simply just stared at him, waiting for the diagnosis.

"It looks like it's all fine. Water must've accidentally got caught in your windpipe." Bruce paused, face contorting into a confused expression. "However, I'm not entirely sure why your tongue is purple. I don't think it was from a reaction from the water..." Bruce's voice trailed off as he looked down, gears turning. Thor sat back, glancing at Loki. It would've appeared that the God of Mischief had froze, which would be ironic for his case in general. Thor peered at him, slightly confused. Loki's silver tongue shot out to wet his lips as he waited there, trying to not show any signs of distress. A glimmer of purple caught Thor's eyes and he jumped up, pointing at Thor. Startled by the reaction, everyone looked at him, anxious about what was about to happen.

"Banner, his tongue is purple too!" Thor exclaimed, still not understanding what was going on. Bruce looked over at Loki, pondering his next words carefully.

"Did you two hang out today?" You peered into each other's eyes for reassurance before nodding slowly. 

"Alright, what did you guys do? Did you drink some type of purple dye?" This time, only you shook your head, implying that wasn't what you did.

"No, we drank slushies." You stared, innocence gleaming in your eyes. Bruce looked at you, expected more. Before you could elaborate, he cut you off with another inquiry.

"Wait, purple..slushies? I wasn't aware that they even made grape slushies." He questioned you, eyes darting over to Thor who had moved to sit back down, still eyeing his brother. The corners of your mouth turned up into a small grin, turning your face towards Bruce.

"No, silly! I had a blue slushee." Bruce blinked slowly at your response.

"And I had the red slushee." Loki jumped in, not realizing that he might've set you both up for failure. Banner's eyes glanced over at him before letting them drop as he took in the information.

"That doesn't make any sense." Thor exclaimed. Apparently they didn't teach color theory on Asgard. Bruce shot him a look as he put two and two together.

"Oh my god..." His voice dripping with realization, his eyes widened as he glanced over at you then at Loki and back to you. Thor was just sitting there watching the interaction, slowly understanding that blue and red make purple when combined. Thor stood up walking to the window, turning around to face you guys as he got ready to ask a question. Bruce moved to a seat across the room just in case something happened and Loki had sat down next to you, avoiding the glass on the floor.

"Y/N." Thor's stern voice made you look at him, his thick eyebrows furrowed at the situation.

"Y/N, what did you and my brother do today?"

"We went to the park." You answered, making your voice sound as confident as possible. If you believed in your answer as much as you said it, maybe they would believe it.

"And what did you do at the park?" Thor's eyebrows relaxed for a second before they raised, eyes looking right through you and your responses. You swallowed harshly before you decided to carry out the tale you had spun. It was only half-truths. Until now.

"We drank our slushies. Duh." Your matter-of-fact tone kind of felt forced, making Thor feel dubious about your answers.

"And then what did you do?" Faltering, your mouth opened and closed, not knowing how to respond. Beside you, Loki's mouth opened up and closed again like a fish gasping for air. Realizing you probably couldn't say 'Well, we tried each other's slushies' due to the fact your tongues were dark purple – which would mean you did drink a lot of each other's drink – you looked over to Loki as the other two stared at you.

"Do you think that's why our tongues are purple?" You whispered to him, not realizing the others could hear what you had said. Loki's head snapped towards yours, trying to shush you with a look.

"Shut up." Loki coughed, looking up at his brother and shooting him a cheshire grin. Rolling your eyes, you scoffed at him.

"I told you not to use tongue." The man next to you groaned, throwing his head against the back of the cough. Thor fake gagged at the image of you and Loki kissing, his tongue down your throat. Bruce just looked at you in horror. He didn't think that you of all people would kiss Loki, but you did. Thor walked off to get a towel and broom to clean up the mess infront of the couch, drawing Bruce out of his gaze on the both of you. He got up and followed Thor, leaving the two of you alone. With the two Avengers gone, the tension rose significantly. Loki groaned as he rubbed his hand against his face, before sitting back up and looking at you blankly.

"Oops?" You look at him sheepishly, not knowing what to say. He eyed you for a long time, not saying anything. The silence tricked your brain into thinking he was mad about what had happened and you looked away, taking in a shakey breath. Well, I blew it. You beat yourself up internally, turning your head away and closed your eyes. Cold fingers caught your jaw gently, turning your head back towards you. Your eyes fluttered open, centimeters away from Loki's face. Feeling your breathing hitch, you focused on his eyes, fearing for what was going to follow suit. He took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. The air slowly blew over your face. It felt cool and smelled minty. How odd for a frost giant to emulate a breath mint. You chuckled at the thought, drawing a smile to the god's face.

"You're lucky I'm over the moon for you." Loki breathed, hand reaching further up and cupping your face. One of your brows raised, questioning his response. As an awkward silence fell upon you, you pressed your forehead to his, gazing deep into his eyes. I could admire him forever. You mentally noted, eyes slowly skimming his face. Loki's heart seem to pick up pace as you got closer, heart nearly pounding out of his chest. With how close you were to him, he pleaded the Norns to not let you feel what you were doing to him. At least, not right now. A god doesn't plead. Loki briskly thought as his pleas grew louder and louder at the back of his mind. But for you? He would beg for eternity. Watching deep in thought, you opened your mouth to inquire further, but he swiftly inclined his face more into your own, capturing your lips with his own. Melting into the kiss, you turned your body towards him, allowing him more access. 

His other hand reached around your waist and pulled to closer to him, trying to get you as close as possible to him. Hand pressed firmly against the small of your back, he hungrily reached out and took your kiss-swollen bottom lip in between his teeth, biting down lightly before letting it drop back into is rightful place. As he did so, you let out an airy moan – one that was audible enough for the two of you to hear – muffled by Loki's lips. With your mouth open, Loki took advantage of the moment and slipped his tongue into your mouth, invading your own tongue's space. His smooth tongue plunged into your mouth, slithering around like an eel maneuvering through the ocean floor. The action blocked out all of your senses, overpowering them all as Loki's tongue sought an unreachable terminus near your uvula. You focused more on relaxing and allowing his tongue to thoroughly explore your mouth; it swirled around, it pulsated, and made contortive sweeps of your mouth’s vault: you certain that at least once it turned upside down. His chest was pressed against yours, feeling it slow it's heaving pace. The god recognized that you were probably in need of a deep breath, or at least moment to comprehend what had just happened. 

As he slowly broke away from you, longing to imitate what had just happened, a very, throaty gag sounded by the door frame, makingboth of your eyes shoot open and darting towards the location. Thor gagged more as he walked away, muttering 'nope' several times as he abandoned Bruce who just looked at the two people on the couch, mouth gaping at what he had witness. Loki gave a sheepish smile as he laughed lightly, pressing his forehead to the side of your face, nuzzling is has laughter started to bubble out of you. Trying to give an apologetic look to the now leaving Bruce, you wrapped your arms around Loki's shaking form, clinging onto him like he would disappear.

"I can say without a doubt," you started, pausing to make sure you had Loki's attention. His head brushed against you like a sly cat looking for attention. "That was definitely better than what happened at the park." Tightening your grip around Loki, you pulled him closer. He hummed in response, agreeing that it was definitely better. Even though this was the first time a slushee had ratted out what you two do when alone, it was certainly worth what happened after.

And it sure as Hel wasn't going to be the last time it happened.

You can also read this fic here <3

[a-edgar-allan-hoe]

The Last Chthonian

Bucky x Reader, Sam x Reader, Zemo x Reader

Part 5

A/N: Hello lovelies! This one will feature a special guest! This is probably a stupid idea and I’ll probably regret it in the morning but oh well.

Summary: Imagine being Hekate, the Greek goddess of magic and witchcraft, the night and the moon, doorways and crossroads, creatures of the night, and ghosts and necromancy. You stumbled upon Earth many centuries ago and since then have resided on the foreign planet. During the recent years you created an alias for yourself to hide your true identity, and after the war against Thanos you chose to live out your days in the Scottish countryside, until a certain trio appear at your doorstep one day.

Warnings: language

It was quiet when you had finished your story, too quiet. You had stared at your hands the whole time you explained everything, a part of you afraid to look at their faces, as if they would look at you different, less human. You left out the details because of limited time, occasionally stopping to discretely wipe away the tears that threatened to spill. Sam had sat next to you through the whole thing with his hand on your back as he rubbed circles. And though Sam had known about your past, he didn’t know about the recent events involving Ares and Thanos. He was heartbroken to hear you had lost everyone and everything you held dear, and wished you didn’t had to suffer through it all on your own. Finally gaining the courage to lift your head, you stared at the expressions of the men around you. Bucky and Zemo were still in shock, their brains trying to process the words that came out of your mouth, while Sam had the expression of sorrow.

“You guys are welcome to ask me questions....if you have any.” You brought up, rubbing your hands together.

“So basically...you’re a Greek god.” Bucky leaned back on your couch, his brows knitted together. “So Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hercules, Medusa, and all those stories, they’re real?”

“Pretty much. Some stories may be a bit distorted and inaccurate, but yes. They were all real. They were my family and friends, they were my people.”

“Wait so how old are you?” Bucky inquired this time, curious to know your age.

“Gods, I’d say around 23,000.”

“Wait, 23,000?” Bucky raised his brows as him and Zemo both looked at you in utter disbelief. They were astonished to say the least and dare say, even eager to hear your stories about the things you have seen in your lifetime.

“How?”

“Time works differently for us.”

“What about your daughter?” You heard Zemo speak for the first time today, making you look at him. “How old is she?”

“About 6 months. I had her after Thanos was defeated.”

“6 months? But how? Who’s her father?”

“Bucky, that was way out of line.” Sam shook his head at him, giving him a glare.

Bucky went pale as he realized what he had said just now, trying to apologize but you shrugged it off with a motion of your hand.

“No it’s fine Sam, he has every right to ask. It’s alright Bucky, I get that you’re only trying to understand everything. You see, there was no father, which explains why she’s 6 months old in the first place. To be honest, after Thanos was defeated, I was in a really bad state, I had lost so many people, I had lost my entire planet and my family. And after Nat being gone I just, I didn’t know what to do anymore. But I remembered, my brother Hephaestus gave me one last favor in his dying breath. The chance to create. So I sculpted her out of clay, in the image of my dear older sister Athena and brought her to life. I was only able to do it once. She was my only chance and she means the whole world to me.”

“So you sculpted her out of clay?”

“Yes.”

“And brought her to life?”

“Yes.”

There was more silence as they tried to take in the fact that you had sculpted a child, your own daughter Athena from clay using your own hands, and bringing her to life afterwards. It was almost beyond comprehension.

“And here I thought Thor was the only mythology one.” Bucky shook his head.

“Well, now that you know the truth, I think it’s time we get ready.” You stood up from the sofa.

“We?” Same eyed you. “What do you mean we?”

“I’m coming with you.”

“The hell you are.” Sam stood up next to you with his arms crossed. “I’m sorry y/n but you are NOT coming with us. It’s dangerous.”

“Sam, when have you known me to back away from danger?”

“......Never, because you’re stubborn and stupid.”

“Quite the contrary actually, stubborn yes, stupid no. You know I can’t let you go there on your own.”

“We’re grown men y/n. I’m pretty sure we can handle ourselves.”

“Need I remind you what happened the last time I was absent? Look Sam, I’m not going to stand by while you guys get hurt and possibly risk your lives. I on the other hand, can handle much worse and have handled much worse, I’m practically bulletproof.”

“Bulletproof or not.” Sam interrupted. “You have a daughter.”

“You don’t think I know that? I’ve already taken the extra precautions Sam.”

“What extra precautions?”

“I put a protective spell not only on her but on my home and land as well. No one is coming in without my permission, they’ll just get fried or blasted away or something like that if they touch the barrier. Trust me, I’m not going to let anything happen to her Sam. And besides, I’m going to hire a babysitter.”

Sam stared at you, chewing the inside of his cheek as he contemplated the option. “You’d still follow us even if I were to say no huh.”

“Yup. Or I could do a mind spell. It’s your choice. But you know I’d rather do this the easy way.”

Sam let out a sigh, shaking his head. “Well since you’re not going to budge anytime soon-“

“Great. I’ll go pack my bags.”

“Wait just a minute. Just because you get to tag along doesn’t mean you get to ignore the rules....” Sam trailed off as you hurried up the stairs.

You heard him mutter something along the lines of how you’ll probably end up turning everyone into toads by the end of the day, as you went into your room to pack some of your things. You had thrown on an old band shirt of yours and a pair of jeans, lacing up your docs before grabbing a jacket. You went into Athena’s room and saw that she had just awakened, sitting on her bed and staring at you with confusion as she saw the bag in your hand.

“Hey koukouvágia.” You set the bag down and kneeled down next to her.

“Where are you going mommy?”

“Mommy has some important work to do with Uncle Sam and Bucky.” You held her hands in yours as you gave them a light squeeze.

“Are you going to kick bad guy butts?”

“Something like that.” You chuckled as you brushed her hair from her face.

“When are you coming back?”

You sighed, looking to the floor before looking up at her again. “I don’t know yet sweetie. But I promise I won’t be long. I’ll be back before you know it. I’m going to have Auntie Maze take care of you while I’m gone.”

“Auntie Maze?” Her eyes lit up.

“Yes. I know you two are best friends.”

“Yay!” She giggled before hugging you, her arms wrapped your neck. “Good luck mommy.”

“Thanks sweetie.”

The whole time Sam had stood by Athena’s door, watching you two say goodbye.

“Uncle Sam!” Athena squealed once she saw him, running up to hug his leg.

“Hey kiddo. I promise I’ll take care of your mother and bring her back.”

“I know.” She looked up at him with a big grin before going over to hug you again. “Bye mommy.”

“I’ll see you soon koukouvágia. I love you so much.” You hugged her close to you, pressing your lips at the side of her head before holding her out in front of you. “You remember to behave yourself okay.”

“I will mommy.”

“And gods forbid, if anything happens or if you feel scared, all you have to do is call for me in here.” You pressed your index and middle finger against her temple, implying the telepathic connection you had. “And I will be there in the blink of an eye.”

“I know you will mommy.” She smiled before hugging you again. “You’re always there for me.”

You held back your tears as you kissed her forehead, holding her delicately as if you were afraid you’d come back and she would be gone just like the rest of your family and people. And all that would be left is her room and a memory, a reminder of her existence.

Athena had walked downstairs with you, saying goodbye to everyone as she hugged their legs, trying to put on a brave face which only broke your heart. But you knew she was stronger and smarter than she looked. After your final farewell to your daughter and your cat, you locked up your home. Sam, Bucky, and Zemo followed you as you led them out of your invisible barrier. Before you reached the edge you turned back, seeing your daughter wave at you from the window with Maleficent in her arms. You smiled, praying it wouldn’t be the last time you saw her as you blew her a kiss before stepping out of your barrier as it rippled around you. Once you were all outside the barrier you turned back again, but this time your home was no longer visible and all that could be seen was empty land. It terrified you to see your plot of land this way, but you knew it was still there, just behind your invisible barrier, and you knew your daughter would still be waiting for you.

“If you guys don’t mind.” You announced as you turned to the three men. “I need to stop by a place real quick and pick up Athena’s babysitter.”

“Is that who Auntie Maze is?” Sam asked you.

“Yeah.”

“Okay, let’s go then.” Sam started to head towards his car but you stopped him.

“Ummm she’s not here Sam.” You pursed your lips, scared to tell him where you were actually planning on going.

“Okay, is she in the next town?”

“No. I meant she’s not here, as in this planet this dimension not here.”

“Wait what?” Bucky turned to you as Zemo looked at you with confusion written on his face. Are you implying what they think you were implying?

“I need to go to another dimension.” You explained further, turning around before they would ask any more questions. Closing your eyes, you stretched your arm out and twirled your wrist in a circular motion. The men watched in confusion, wondering what you were doing.

A strong gust of wind suddenly pushed through, and in the center of your focus a small black circular object was forming, growing bigger and bigger until people could walk through it. A violet glow illuminated your features. You opened your eyes back up, your eyes glowing the same color of the mesmerizing violet vortex before you. The portal sparked and flickered to life, crackling like electricity.

“Follow me.” You turned to the men before stepping into the portal and vanishing into it.

“Y/n!” Sam stared at where you were just stood, swallowing the lump in his throat as he was unsure whether he should just follow you.

Bucky straightened up, chills running down his spine as the men stared at the unknown territory in front of them, they didn’t have a clue on what would be waiting for them on the other side.

They stepped back as they saw your head poke out of the black center of the portal, a stern expression sat on your face. “Well you guys coming or not? I haven’t got all day. If you don’t hurry up this portal will close and you don’t want to be caught halfway in it.” You popped back in and the men stared at each other, Zemo was the first to walk in before the others followed.

When they stepped through, day was replaced with night and the portal closed behind them while they found you standing up front.

“About time.” You teased, “I thought I might have to go back and pick up a limb you left behind.”

“Not funny.” Sam glared at you.

As the men looked around at their surroundings they found themselves to be in what looked like to be...Los Angeles?

“This is LA.” Sam gave you a disappointed look.

“No. This is different.” Zemo observed as Sam and Bucky looked at him.

“What do you mean different?” Bucky asked, not sure if Zemo was playing games.

“Well I’m pretty sure that building up ahead does not exist in our Los Angeles.” Zemo pointed to the tall white building that was lit up against the night sky.

You nodded your head at Zemo’s observation before heading towards the building and towards the nightclub entrance that had a lit up sign that said Lux. Bucky, Sam, and Zemo glanced at each other as they saw you cut the long line of people waiting by the entrance.

“What the hell? Is y/n a mob boss now?” Bucky uttered as he saw you whisper something to the security at the door before taking off your jacket slightly, pulling up your shirt sleeve to show him something on your arm. The security nodded his head, allowing you to go in. You turned to Sam, Bucky, and Zemo and waved them over.

“What the hell is going on y/n?” Sam muttered to himself as they followed you in.

The fancy dark interior of the place was lit up with dim lights and crowded with drunk men and scantily clad women dancing to the loud beat of the music. You stuck out from the rest with your Pink Floyd shirt, your jeans, and your corduroy jacket and doc martens as you searched the crowd for a particular someone.

“Y/n what the hell are we doing here? This isn’t exactly your crowd!” Sam leaned over, raising his voice against the music so you could hear him.

“I know!” You replied as your eyes finally found the person you were looking for. You headed towards the lit up bar, cursing under your breath as you weaved through the sweaty grinding bodies and the couples heavily making out in public. You felt your anxiety creep up on you and you wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. After having to escape your way out of what felt like the hedge maze from The Shining, you finally approached the bar, walking up to the tall dark haired man near the counter wearing an expensive suit. You could smell his strong, almost obnoxious cologne from where you were standing. You straightened up and cleared your throat, eyeing the back of the man’s head.

“Hello Lucifer.”

Tag List: @Little-baby-vixen @girl-obsessed-with-things @aerynchromie @sunshinepower17 @viviace @kakimakiloh @thebivirgin @gambitsqueen @spookycereal-s @lulu-yuming @mochminnie @gabitanaka47 @s00nhi @vanteguccir @tomhollandsslilslut @dracoxxyoflam @suchababie @uhhhcrypticbastard

[how-evergreen]

The Matchmaker(s)

Summary: You compliment Natasha in front of the team, making her blush. The Avengers, upon figuring out that the two of you have feelings for each other, immediately start plotting to get you together. Nonsense ensues.

A/N: dude i love fics of the team being like a little family! theyre always so cute so i definitely had a lot of fun writing this one :) thanks for requesting @mxxnmocha, hope i did the trope justice!

Warnings: Brief mention of alcohol, minor (mostly teasing) arguments, a little bit of self doubt, and a lot of fluff.

"No, that is total BS!" Tony shouted, whiskey sloshing inside his glass as he gestured angrily. "No way Cap is the strongest Avenger – who even said that?"

"Some kid on Twitter." Wanda shrugged. "It's become quite the debate."

"Well, I'm afraid it's for naught. We all know I am –"

"If you even try to finish that sentence, Thor, I swear to god –"

"But it is true! I am a god, you are not, Stark."

"I can still beat the shit out of you!"

You rolled your eyes. It seemed like the team had this argument every single week. This time it was started by, surprise surprise, Tony.

"...several dozen suits that can kill you in five seconds max. And that's on autopilot, too," Tony was saying, "so if you even try –"

"Hey, there's no need for threats," Steve interjected. "Come on, Stark, just –"

"Hey." Tony pointed at Steve. "Shut up. This is your fault."

You sighed, leaning back in your chair as you watched the scene play out. Next to you, Natasha looked just as irritated as you were.

"They're ridiculous," she said quietly as Clint got involved in the argument. 

"Yeah, they act like the most obvious answer isn't right in front of them," you said, turning your head and grinning at her curious expression. Shooting her a wink, you stood up to get everyone's attention. "HEY! DUMMIES!"

The room fell silent, all heads turning to face you. 

"Thank you," you sighed. "None of you are the most powerful Avenger. The answer is clearly Romanoff here. She's literally kicked every single one of your sorry asses in training."

A cacophony of shouts and groans filled the room as you sat back down. Natasha raised her eyebrows at you, face tinged a pale pink. 

"Strongest Avenger?"

"No use in denying it," you said easily. "We've all seen you fight."

Natasha's face got darker now, cheeks an undeniable red.

"–bullshit and you know it! I am obviously – IS ROMANOFF BLUSHING?"

You and Natasha both directed your attention back to Tony, who was gaping, open-mouthed, back at you. 

"She is!" Wanda squealed, pointing at Natasha.

"I didn't know she could do that," Clint whispered, frowning. 

"Okay, enough." Natasha stood up, glaring at everyone. The entire team fell silent, looking up at her. Her eyes darted from person to person, before she sighed irritably and turned on her heel, leaving the room. 

Immediately, the attention turned to you.

"What was that?" Steve looked at you curiously. "Natasha never blushes."

"It was weird," Rhodey agreed.

"I don't think I've ever been so uneasy," Bruce said quietly. He was one of the few members of the team who hadn't inserted himself into the fight.

"She likes you," Wanda said matter-of-factly. "It's the only explanation."

"What?" You felt your face heat. "She does not!"

"She does too!" Tony, who had been temporarily rendered speechless, seemed to have regained his voice. "The Black Widow does not blush."

"It's true that Miss Romanoff is not particularly inclined to physical displays of embarrassment," Vision agreed.

You rolled your eyes, trying to ignore your pounding heart. Sure, you'd practically been in love with Natasha since you, Wanda, Sam, Rhodey, and Vision joined the team nearly a year before, and sure, you two would occasionally flirt in the casual way that friends did, but there was no way she actually had feelings for you.

Right?

"Oh my god, you like her too!" Sam shouted, pointing at you. You groaned and stood, flipping everyone off and heading for your bedroom without a word.

•••

It was foolish to hope the team would forget about the events of the fateful conversation. 

It started with Tony volunteering to train with Steve the very next morning. That struck you as strange; neither of the men were particularly fond of each other, even on a good day. To your surprise, Steve didn't protest, only leading Tony to a mat in the far side of the gym.

A quick survey around the room quickly showed that Wanda and Vision were also paired up, as were Thor and Rhodey, and Clint and Sam. This left only you and... Natasha.

"Dicks," you muttered, immediately catching onto the plan as Natasha walked into the gym. She scanned the room as you had moments before, eyes finally lighting on you. She grinned, setting down her water bottle and making her way over to you.

"I guess it's you and me then," she said, stretching her arms above her head.

Act normal.

"Guess so," you agreed, leading the way to an open area of the gym to stretch. "Should be fun."

After the training debacle, your team had spent a full week getting you and Natasha alone as much as possible. You'd be the only two at breakfast most days, and Wanda would volunteer the pair of you to cook dinner. You ended up training together more often than not, and they had even gone as far as to ditch the team movie night so the two of you would be alone together.

It was exhausting, and painfully obvious. 

The whole fiasco came to a head one night, exactly a week after the argument that had started it off. 

You were in your room, having hidden away all day to avoid the embarrassment of the team blatantly trying to get you and Natasha together. If you let this go on much longer, you were terrified that you'd lose her friendship altogether. No, it was better to pretend you felt nothing for her.

Of course, the best-laid plans...

You laughed along to the goofy TV show you were watching to keep your mind off of Natasha. It wasn't doing too poorly, really. You were almost feeling good when the knock came; three soft raps on your door in quick succession. You knew it anywhere.

"Come in," you said, resigned to your fate. You paused the show as the door opened, letting Natasha enter your room. 

"Can we talk?" she asked quietly, pausing in the doorway.

"We probably should," you agreed, climbing out of your bed.

"Roof?"

"Roof."

The elevator ride up to the top of the compound was silent. The roof was the Avengers’ unofficial place to go when you needed a minute away from everyone and everything, and generally, time up there went uninterrupted unless there was a team-wide meeting or a mission.

When the elevator doors opened with a pleasant ding, the two of you stepped into the cool early evening air. Wordlessly, you both crossed the roof, sitting at the edge and looking out over the forest surrounding the compound.

"I'm sure you know what I want to say," Natasha said quietly. 

"Yeah." You frowned out at the trees. "It's okay, you don't have to say it, I can back off."

"Wait, what?"

You risked a glance at Natasha, who was staring at you, confused.

"'What,' what?"

"Back off? I was –" Natasha cleared her throat. "I was gonna say that the team was totally fucking with us because they found out I have feelings for you."

"Wait, what?" It was your turn to stare at her. "I thought they were doing it because of my feelings for you."

"I – oh. We both... huh."

The two of you stared at each other for maybe three seconds, before bursting into laughter. 

"What a pair we make, huh?" you said through your laughter.

"Oh, definitely," Natasha agreed.

It was maybe a minute more before you fell silent again, watching Natasha. As the sun began to set, the rays hit her face just right, practically making her glow. With a surge of confidence, you moved an inch closer to her.

"Can I kiss you?" you asked quietly. 

"Please," Natasha whispered back. And that was all you needed to hear.

Leaning forward, you slowly connected your lips, one hand coming up to gently cup her cheek as the other stayed on the floor, holding you up. 

The kiss was short; you broke apart after only a few moments, faces still so close together you could count the golden flecks in her green eyes.

"Are you sure?" you breathed out, terrified of breaking the spell. In lieu of an answer, Natasha leaned forward, placing both of her hands on your face and pulling you in for another kiss. 

"Hey, is anyone up here? Captain Pissy-Pants wants to have a meeting about – OH MY GOD!"

Natasha groaned as you pulled apart, letting go of each other to look at Tony, who was grinning victoriously.

"YES!" he shouted, running towards the elevator. "JARVIS! TELL EVERYONE THE PLAN WORKED! WE DID IT! THEY KISSED!"

You and Natasha glanced at each other, bursting out into laughter again. 

"We should go get this over with," you muttered, forcing yourself to stand up. You held a hand out for Natasha, who took it, allowing you to pull her to her feet.

"Clint's gonna be so mad he wasn't the first to find out," she said as you walked towards the elevator together.

"Oh, definitely."

[sserpente]

Pastel Blue (Chapter 6)

A/N: I hate how I have barely had any time to write lately! In all honesty, moving to a different country is quite  the challenge! 😂 I hope you enjoy the new chapter, I can’t wait to dive back into writing excessively, haha! ♥

Jess breathed out, watching how the warm air turned into fog. It was way too chilly down here. She had asked Mobius to install some radiators months ago but he wouldn’t listen. Loki on the other hand seemed to have no problem with the cold at all. He strutted next to her like he owned the place, with his head held high and a dark expression on his face.

M had a point. Despite the collar, it was a risk bringing Loki to a party of all things. But then again… she would be sure to laugh if he jumbled up the celebrations. Dave deserved it, kind of. Frankly, he could be a dick sometimes.

Loki smirked to himself. Her dress was green, with thin shoulder straps and a heart-shaped neckline. He offered her his arm when they stepped into the cafeteria, bathing in the mistrustful looks the whole of TVA eyed them with.

Mobius was stood at the buffet table, holding a glass filled with vodka and a green olive swimming in it in one hand while the other was buried in his pocket. The tawdry music, the chatting and the constant clattering of plates and cutlery made it nearly impossible for him to make out what the senior manager was saying now.

Warily, Loki glared him down. He was either oblivious to his excellent hearing, stupid enough to discuss such clandestine matters in the hallway or… or he meant for him to eavesdrop. Loki held on to the thought. He trusted him to feed him pathetic bits and pieces of information to keep him on his toes, to throw him small bones like a starved dog.

What if he was cleverer than he assumed he was? If he had incited Jess to spend time with him, make him believe she was on his side when she secretly ran off every day to tell Mobius about his behaviour like a child in day-care? If he used her to keep him on a leash in this godforsaken place? Loki gnashed his teeth.

“Look what the cat dragged in.” He mocked when he spotted him. The Trickster narrowed his eyes at him. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Jess rolling hers. Either way, he would not allow them to manipulate him and instead turn the tables. He was the master of mischief, after all.

“Enjoy yourself while you still can, Loki.” Dave added. “There’s a high chance you’ll kick the bucket next week.”

Jess rolled her eyes once more—or perhaps she was still rolling them, Loki was unsure. His eyes darted over to Mobius again, noticing with both dismay and an odd feeling of satisfaction making itself comfortable in his guts how the senior manager studied their interlinked arms.

A thin smile formed on his lips. Oh yes. Whatever your play is, I will turn it against you and I will burn this entire place to the ground until all you have left is a pile of ash and Jess—lovely and delicate Jess—will help me do so whether she is willing or not.

“Suck it up, Dave.” Jess barked. “Do you drink coke?” She continued sweetly then, directed at Loki.

“I beg your pardon?” He leaned forward slightly—close enough for her nostrils to be filled with his scent like she was some goddamn predator sensing its prey. If anything, Loki would be the predator in this scenario. She was but a lamb compared to him—a lamb who could kick his shin but a lamb nonetheless.

“Coke. Black fizzy drink, very sweet, spiked with Whiskey—not normally but definitely tonight.” She cleared her throat and winked at him and, much to his own surprise, his heart skipped a beat upon the flirty gesture. Perhaps this was the very reason he let her grab his arm and drag him away from both Mobius and Dave to plunder the bar.

“Don’t let her get drunk!” He heard Mobius call after him. Loki frowned.

Whoever was playing bartender tonight and doing a terribly slow job with that, Jess paid them no attention. Unceremoniously, she leaned over the counter, grabbing two glasses and a bottle of Whiskey. Granted, Loki knew nothing of Midgardian drinks and how there were properly mixed, he had a feeling, however, that more than half of the glass filled with Whiskey was not the proper way to mix a delightful alcoholic refreshment.

At least, so he had to admit, the view was a rather delectable one, with her backside wiggling around right before his eyes. He suppressed a dark chuckle.

Once she had tapped the faucet pouring a dark brown liquid to mix with the Whiskey and handed him one, she grinned, heaving herself up onto the counter completely and resting her feet on the barstool.

“Skål!” She announced, winking once more. Loki took a sip to conceal how thickly he had to swallow. As expected, the coke-Whiskey-mixture tasted horrible. His face distorted, making Jess laugh.

“There’s no Asgardian ale in this place, I’m afraid. Do you dance? You’re the God of Mischief, you must be dancing.”

Loki raised his eyebrows in response. “Is that all you will do at this so-called party? Drink and dance and then drink some more?”

Jess shrugged. “Never let anyone tell you that alcohol is not the solution. I’ve had some amazing nights forgetting my own name. So?” She downed her drink, slamming the empty glass on the counter so forcefully he feared it would break under the impact. “Do you dance?”

The music, whatever it was, was too slow for Jess’ taste. She’d much rather listen to some techno hits, and some Hip Hop and Dubstep hits to move her body to. It almost felt a little like space. A place to lose herself in, utterly and wholly, a place making her stronger rather than taking her energy away from her.

But Dave had always had a very uninspiring music taste and, given it was his anniversary, the music was unlikely to change anytime soon. Loki’s lips parted when she took his glass from his hand and downed it too. Neither of them expected the jolt of electricity rippling through them when she took his hand and entangled her fingers with his to pull him towards the middle of the cafeteria where Minutemen of all departments, scientists and even some of the security were moving to the music.

“That’s an interesting development after all, don’t you think?” Loki heard Dave say. Jess swirled them both around, her blue eyes closed in an attempt to dream herself into a reality where she could go out with her friends and lose her mind in a dimly lit nightclub surrounded and desired by both men and women alike. She would drink until she had forgotten about her parents and until she had lost her grasp on reality to enter space and be free and independent. Jess did not allow herself to dream often these days, for when she did… the urge to escape this place once more and turn her back on Mobius rose to an extent it brought her physical pain to resist.

“Well, he is charismatic. That doesn’t mean anything, does it? Jess has a weakness for bad boys and Loki is pretty much the definition of that.”

“Please. Thor’s little brother, how strong could he possibly be without his beloved sceptre?” Dave snorted.

“I wouldn’t underestimate him, especially not this variant. I wouldn’t have brought him here if I didn’t think he’d be of use. He’s smart. He doesn’t trust us.” Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mobius shrug. “We have a good reason not to trust him either. Not yet, at least. I’ve studied his entire life, remember?”

“You are not seriously thinking about removing that collar at some point, are you?”

Loki growled, lest he could not decide whether it was because of how good his palm felt against the small of Jess’ back or the way Dave and Mobius kept talking about him behind his back.

“Now I thought you said he couldn’t possibly be that strong without the sceptre?” Dave replied nothing to that. He did not need to. Mobius had made it clear enough that he was the figure of authority here. There was no way, however, he was going to be able to concentrate on this devilish bureaucrat and his ridiculous attempts to manipulate him as long as Jess’ body was rubbing against his in the most wicked ways. This woman, human or not, knew exactly what she was doing, regardless of the alcohol already clouding her system.

He smirked when another song ended and there was a moment of silence in his heart upon the lack of a loud bass reverberating in his chest. Jess opened her eyes in an almost luscious manner and took his hand once more to pour herself another drink.

He liked the way she took charge. Apart from Sif, she was so unlike all the Asgardian women he had known during his time in the realm he grew up in. Jess was neither offering him her devotion nor was she withholding her affection. His heart jumped upon remembering how she had hugged him in the bathroom. Peculiar.

While she emptied another repulsive coke-and-whiskey-mixture, his eyes caught another buffet table positioned at the other end of the room—one he had not seen upon first entering this absurd get-together.

“What is this?” Jess spun around.

“What is what?”

“This.” He pointed at the table. The cooks had outdone themselves with the number of bowls full of fruit neatly chopped up—the highlight, however, was the massive chocolate fountain bubbling away peacefully and luring every passer-by into tasting it.

“Have you never seen a chocolate fountain before?”

Loki frowned, making Jess chuckle. Heavens, if he keeps doing that, his face might stay like that, she thought.

“Come on, I’ll show you.” Once within reach of the buffet table, she treated herself to a strawberry that she stabbed with one of the provided plastic toothpicks and coated it with chocolate. She grinned when Loki’s smirk returned and copied her with the sole difference of picking a grape instead.

“How does this thing operate?”

“Well, I’m not an engineer but as far as I’m concerned, you pour molten chocolate into the fountain, which is electric, and the pump inside will make sure to keep it flowing. Apparently, Asgard is not as advanced as I thought it was. Chocolate fountains are extremely important for one’s emotional wellbeing, you know.” Jess downed the Whiskey glass she had taken with her. “And so is alcohol. Are you gonna stay here all evening now?”

“I just might.” Loki winked.

“Suit yourself.” She announced, holding up her empty glass. “I’m getting another drink.”

The God of Mischief rolled his eyes and snatched her upper arm, holding it tightly enough for to gasp—and not in a terrified or intimidated way, so he noticed. But either way, he was not going to let her poison herself.

“You’ve had enough, don’t you think?” He snarled, snatching the glass from her.

“Excuse me? Give that back.”

“No. I said you’ve had enough.”

“I’m supposed to supervise you, not the other way around! Now give that back.”

Loki scoffed. “You’ll do a marvellous job with that, all drunk and out of your mind.”

Heavens, not again. Jess gasped for air—a desperate sound swallowed by the loud music and the bass vibrating in her chest. Loki caught it nonetheless. There it was, this figurative magnet, this invisible rope tying him to her like a bloody lap dog.

It was genuine concern purling in his stomach, he did know this much. Regardless of Mobius’ half-hearted request, Loki certainly did not want Jess to get drunk and damage her liver beyond repair. Mortals were fragile as was and yet here they were, stuffing themselves with ridiculous amounts of sugar and fat, spending all day watching silly TV shows and pouring alcohol down their throats like it was water from Mimir’s fountain itself.

“I dare you…” He murmured, his composure on the edge of a steep cliff threatening to overwhelm him, rip all control from him. Jess leaned back some more, a feeble attempt to escape his advances that she did not wish to refuse altogether. “I dare you.” He repeated, jumping in at the deep end if anything to quench the curiosity and feel what his body and, for Heaven’s sake, even his mind had been longing for. What had he to lose? “Kiss me. I know you have been thinking about it.”

He pulled her close again and this time, he was certain to have heard a whimper. Loki’s cock stirred, even more so when she turned her head away and his nose brushed against her cheek.

“Is it Mobius?” He purred. Jess struggled to form a proper sentence in response or even breathe evenly. Eventually, she nodded. “I believe… I believe we have both had enough of this party, have we not?”

Jess bit her lower lip and glanced behind herself. M was engrossed in a conversation with Ravonna Renslayer, the badass time judge she never interacted with much. Well… she certainly was none of her concern now.

“Quick,” she breathed out, “before they notice us leaving.”

 ~*~

You are a grown woman. Loki is a handsome man. It’s obvious the chemistry between you is right. You’re sexually attracted to him and he just confirmed that the feeling is mutual. This is not your first one-night stand. It might not be your last. God, I hope it’s not my last. That man is literally not from this world.

“What are you doing?” Jess snapped herself out of her thoughts when Loki stopped in front of one of the control rooms. The walls were made entirely of glass, revealing a bored security officer staring at about a dozen computer screens in utter darkness. “He’ll see us!”

Loki narrowed his eyes and huffed when he found what he was looking for—the camera monitoring Jess’ unit. Ah… this was indeed perfect. Just like he had suspected. He could see the sofa and the unmade sheets on top of it, and the coffee table with countless peanut bags on it. But even without his powers, nobody would see him sneak along the wall and into Jess’ bedroom.

“Loki?”

“There is a dead angle in your unit.”

“So?” He winked again, making her lower regions clench. When he simply kept on walking, she rushed after him like a cat knowing it was about to be fed.

~*~

A/N: Muhahaha. In case anyone is interested what song Loki and Jess danced to, you can find it right here!

[kyber-crystal]

An Accidental Confession

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader

Words: ~3.1k

Summary: In which you decided to a record a message explaining your feelings for Steve in case you didn't make it out of your mission alive. You don’t have any intention of it actually being heard by him, but you have no other choice to face your fear when it’s accidentally broadcasted across the entire compound.

Warnings: none, this is pure fluff haha with hints of a cocky steve hehe.

A/N: Some dialogue credits go to Descendants of the Sun! (yes, this is a oneshot of a scene from it, bc I love that drama with my whole heart) 

Tags: Dedicating this to @sylvie-writes​ because she’s an absolute SWEETHEART. I LOVE YOU BB. go follow her!

"Hey, Y/N, check this out!"

You glanced up from where you were furiously typing away at the computer to see Peter with a wide grin on his face. "Hm?"

"Look what I found! Mr. Stark's old speaker set!" The teenager went around to behind the table and rolled out the speaker in front of you. "It was a bit souped up, but all it really needed was some TLC and here it is, good as new!"

"Found this old thing while he was cleaning up," Tony explained, "you wanna hook your phone up and give it a go?"

"Uh...sure, why not," you shrugged, standing up and pushing your seat in, making your way over to the two of them. You took your phone out of your pocket and plugged it in.

"Check, one, two," Peter spoke into the small microphone. "Check one, two, three. Hey! It's working!"

You couldn't help but grin at his enthusiasm. "How old is this thing, anyway?"

"Older than me, that's for sure. Now play something!"

"Alright, alright. Let's see..." you scrolled through your playlists until you found the one you wanted, pressing 'play' and putting it on shuffle. "There."

"Fly Me To The Moon! May played it for me all the time when I was little," Peter exclaimed. "She always insisted I educate myself on older music. Now I'm glad she did."

Bucky and Sam stopped screaming at each other as they battled it out in Mario Kart, quieting down and humming to the beat as they held their controllers tightly. Wanda smiled to herself as she stirred the pot of soup on the stove, Bruce on the verge of falling asleep as he sipped his coffee at the kitchen island and read a news article on his phone. The energy within the compound seemed to lighten significantly as Frank Sinatra's soothing voice echoed off the walls.

You went out to the patio to relax, crossing your arms and closing your eyes as the sounds of chirping crickets and music mixed together in one soothing melody, the moonlight reflecting over the water. For a brief moment in time, you were at peace - and you relished in the temporary feeling of serenity. The 'city that never slept' was sleepy, for once. It wasn't all that late, but you were already beginning to succumb to fatigue's temptations.

But then, the song came to an end and switched off to something else.

"Hey, Steve. I hope this message never finds you because if it does...it means I'm most likely dead-" your all-too familiar voice came over the phone, thick with tears as you struggled to contain your sobs. "God, what am I even doing here? I have a gunshot wound that most likely pierced a vital organ so I'm just gonna bleed out here alone- why am I even doing this? I don't even know how much longer it'll be before you arrive with the evac team...so I just want to apologize in advance for not coming back to you like I promised. If I'd known I'd die in a foreign country, I would've lived a more carefree life instead of constantly worrying, like you always told me to just relax sometimes, I'm so, so sorry-"

Your eyes widened in realization and you rushed across the facility as fast as you could possibly go to the labs.

"Leaving words like this before dying is so uncultured- please, Steve...are you on your way? Please tell me you're on your way. If I'm really dying here I don't wanna die alone. Please hurry...I don't think I can last until you get here. Even so, you'll be the first to find me if I die, that is, if my corpse isn't dragged away or some shit like that - God, this hurts- I almost forgot how much it hurt to get shot...damn...I really underestimated the power of a bullet, huh?

Steve's bandaged fists fell to his sides, the punching bag swinging back and forth so wildly that it would've knocked him over if it weren't for his muscular figure. His brow furrowed in concern and he felt a small ache his chest upon hearing your voice crack - you never cried, and even if you did, which was extremely rare, you were good at hiding it from others.

But then a small smile tugged at the corners of his lips - you did ramble sometimes, and he found it rather adorable. It was, in fact, one of the main reasons why he admired you so much.

"FRIDAY? Where's the source of this audio?"

"It's playing from Mr. Stark's speaker in the lab, Captain," the AI responded.

"Thank you."

He unwrapped the tape from around his hands and exited the training facility, going into a light jog as he headed up to the lounge.

"If I knew that I'd die like this, then I would've told you my true feelings. That I'm in love with you and I really wished you'd kissed me when we were watching that movie together- it was Die Hard, wasn't it? I really wished you'd done something. We were sitting so close, and...I couldn't stop thinking about it. I was tempted to just run my hands through your hair and kiss you. And I almost did. I'm so in love with you, hopelessly in love with you...and if there's anything that scares me more than dying alone, it's probably thinking of a way to tell you, and the fear of being rejected by my best friend, my partner in crime-"

A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips. You were in love with him? He felt his heartbeat pick up speed at the thought. He always held that small bit of hope in his heart that you'd feel the same way.

Just as Steve arrived at the labs, you came bursting through the doors with a look of sheer panic in your eyes, your face drained of all color. You quickly unplugged your phone from the speaker as he watched on in amusement.

"Want some, Mr. Stark?" Peter offered through a mouthful of popcorn, holding the bag out to his mentor. "Seems like we're in for a treat here."

"Where'd you get these, kid?" Tony questioned as he reached over and popped several kernels into his mouth. "Mm. Caramel, a classic."

"I always keep some with me. Never know when drama will break out."

Steve laughed and shook his head as you quickly turned around on your heel and sprinted out of the room. It was so unlike you to act like this - normally you were rather guarded and stoic. To see you as anything but was not only amusing, but adorable in his eyes - it was one of the many things he loved about you, in fact.

"Music...really changes a lot of things," Peter cleared his throat awkwardly.

The super-soldier cracked a smile. "I seem to be in the center of that change."

He said a few quick goodbyes went to find you, as Peter and Tony continued enjoying their popcorn together.

"Oh my god, I'm so stupid, oh my god, why did I even record that damn message," you muttered, finding yourself going back outside again. You needed to clear your head and get away from Steve. The secondhand embarrassment you just knew was waiting for you was almost too much to even think about - what would he think of you now? What would everyone else think of you?

Steve had beaten you to it and was already out there, leaning against the glass railing  with his arms crossed over his chest, wearing an amused expression on his face.

"Oh my god! You scared me!" your voice heightened to a shriek. "What the hell, Rogers? How are you here? Why are you here?"

"I know you like the back of my hand, sweetheart," he chuckled lightly. "You always come out here whenever you're restless or stressed out. Figured you'd try to flee as soon as you heard," he gestured back inside, "all that."

"That was none of your business!" you squeaked. "It was a private message, not meant for you to actually hear! It wasn't for you!"

"Well, you did announce it, publicly," he defended himself, pushing himself away from the railing and raising his hands in surrender. "And it sounded like it was for me. You said my name."

"It wasn't for you!"

"Then why'd you say Steve?"

"It's a different Steve?"

"A different Steve with a stealth suit, Quinjet, and evac team?"

"Y-yeah! B-but it's really funny. Why are you listening to other people's recordings?'

"Like I said, doll," your face flushed at the nickname, "it was broadcasted publicly. I didn't listen, I heard."

"Because you heard it, you carelessly hear it all the way through?"

He smirked. "You know, you're really cute when you're upset." He smirked, taking several steps towards you. You instinctively stepped back. "But why are you running away? When you were about to die you wanted to confess." With each step he took, you took another backwards. "But since you lived, you changed your mind?"

"Confess? That wasn't a confession. That wasn't me."

"This cell phone is yours," he held up your hand that tightly gripped your phone.

"This isn't a phone- Y/N, what the hell are you saying? Stop talking," you cursed yourself under your breath.

"It's an honor knowing I'm in your will," he said kindly.

"If you know then that's enough," you exhaled, stepping around him to leave. Steve stopped you by placing a hand out in front, before moving it to grip your wrist. You felt your skin heat up rapidly under his touch.

You gasped. "Look! Thor set the toaster on fire!"

"I'm not fooled, sweetheart."

You moved to try and leave again, but he only tightened his grip. "Whether or not it was a confession, I'm going to listen to it, so let's not run away, shall we?"

You were silent for several moments before responding, swallowing hard. "Okay. I got it. I'll answer you so let go of me and let's talk. Really."

"Really, right?"

He obeyed, releasing his hand from your wrist. You quickly moved around him and ran back inside. Steve just laughed to himself, shaking his head in disbelief.

"She finally did it," Sam nodded in approval as he and Bucky finished their Rainbow Road deathmatch. "Good game, man."

"Yeah, good game," they shook hands, "but if I'm being honest...I didn't expect things to go down like that. If anything, Steve seems like he'd be the first to confess. The way they're dancing around each other like oblivious monkeys...damn."

"Couldn't have described it better."

...

You flopped onto your bed, panting heavily as you stared up at the ceiling. Your heart was beating so fast that you felt like passing out. Maybe I'll just die like this and I won't ever have to confess for real, you thought. That sounds much better than death by blood loss from a gunshot wound.

"Hey, darling."

You sat up and let out a short scream as you saw Steve leaning against your doorframe, that damn smirk still on his face. "What the hell? You can't just ambush me like that! How long have you been standing there for?"

"Long enough," he chuckled, sliding his hands in his pockets and stepping inside. This time, you were too lazy to push him away, and just allowed him to sit down next to you at the edge of your bed. Steve propped his hand on his chin as he gazed at you, smiling.

You sighed and let your head fall into your hands. "This is all your fault."

"My fault?" Steve tilted his head in confusion. "How is this my fault?"

"Becau- never mind. I'm busy. I gotta go check up on the new lab I'm working on with Bruce."

You stood up abruptly, but he reached out and grabbed your wrist again. "I'm going to go to the labs, too. He asked me to help with a few things. I think you just found yourself an escort."

"I can go by myself, Rogers. I'm an adult," you gave him a pointed look.

"Ouch. That stung," he pretended to look hurt. "Last name calling? I thought we agreed on sappy pet names. And besides, you know what happened last time you went somewhere alone. You got shot."

"Whatever."

"Hold on," he tugged you back so that you had to sit down again. "Why do you keep running away from me? You confess your feelings in your will and then you run."

"It wasn't my will."

"You said you were scared to die alone."

"It wasn't me. Where is your bout of confidence even coming from?"

"I'm not asking how you feel about me at the moment. Don't feel bad that I found out how you feel about me. Because I'm in love with you too, and nothing can change the fact that I like you even more now."

You swallowed hard.

He smiled again. "And you look beautiful today, doll."

"Stop with the pet names," you mumbled. You couldn't stop the tremor in your tone as you spoke

"Hey hey hey, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" Steve brought a hand up to your face, lightly skimming the tip of his thumb across your cheekbone to wipe away the tears that had fallen. "Hey. Tell me what's wrong, darling."

As soon as that last word left his lips, you lost it. A broken sob escaped from your mouth before you broke down, and he felt guilt settle in the pit of his stomach. Sure, he was lightly teasing you - but he didn't intend for his jabs to hurt you in any way. That was the last thing he wanted to do - to see you cry. He hated seeing you cry.

"Oh, God, I'm so sorry," he whispered, carefully wrapping his arms around you and pulling you to him, rubbing circles onto your back. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have taken the teasing so far. I'm so sorry, Y/N-"

It took nearly twenty minutes for your sniffles to die down and another ten for your crying to stop completely, but he patiently held you until you did. And when it finally stopped, it still took you several moments before you could bring yourself to meet his eyes.

"I look like a mess," you muttered, quickly ducking your head down to wipe at your nose. "I'm sorry you had to see me like this-"

"You look lovely, regardless," Steve murmured, kissing your forehead. "You'll always look beautiful in my eyes."

"You're such a sap," you mumbled, closing your eyes. "I hate you."

"You know you love me, Y/N."

"No I don't."

"That message told me otherwise. You sounded like you were pretty in love, judging by the desperate tone in your voice-"

"Shut up!"

"Make me," he challenged, a smirk appearing on his face.

You huffed and stood up, crossing your arms. "You're a pain in the ass, you know that, Rogers?"

"Watch your language-"

"Make me."

"Using my own words against me, are you?" Steve raised a brow as he stood up as well, walking towards you. You kept walking backwards until you felt your back hit the wall and internally panicked when you realized there was nowhere else to go.

"Shit," you whispered. "I'm not escaping this one, am I?"

"Not a chance," he chuckled wistfully. You felt your heart do somersaults and your stomach twist itself into knots as he met your eyes, a softened look to them that you'd never seen before - what was it? Just a few minutes earlier you'd find yourself squirming beneath his intense gaze but for some reason, you stayed put.

When his lips pressed against yours, you felt a crackle of electricity across your skin and the world fell away. It seemed as if time stopped and held its breath as it watched the two of you, his arm curving around your waist as his free hand rested at the back of your neck, pulling you flush against him. Though you were taken aback by the sudden gesture and terrified you wasted no time in reacting, sinking deeper into the kiss. You could feel him smile against your lips and fireworks exploded inside your chest - if there was a way to describe pure magic, this would definitely be it. And he felt it too - and he swore to himself that he'd never felt a bigger rush of adrenaline before until now.

You looked absolutely stunning to him in that moment as you pulled apart - with your half-closed eyes, reddened cheeks, and swollen lips - his doing, no doubt. Your gaze slipped down to his equally swollen lips and you felt your face flush at the sight. Steve was quick to catch what you were doing and pulled you back in for more.

This time, it wasn't as innocent and quick. It was more needy, passionate - months, no, years of pent-up frustration he didn't even know he had seeping into it. Years of not being able to tell you finally being poured out into one grand gesture - years of finally getting closure because he now knew the girl he'd loved for as long as he could remember felt the same way.

"Oh my fucking shit."

The two of you were practically gasping for air as you broke apart a second time to see a smug-looking Sam.

"You just- I didn't interrupted something between y'all, did I?" Sam cocked a brow. "Looked like you were this close to-"

"No," you exhaled, "we weren't."

"I'm a GENIUS for fixing that speaker! If I hadn't done so you guys never would've gotten together!" Peter squealed as he appeared by the Falcon's side. "I believe a thank you is in order!"

"I hope my timing isn't bad, but I have to ask," Steve cleared his throat and looked you straight in the eye. "that was a confession, right? And you didn't do it just because you felt compelled to. Be honest with me."

You let out a sigh of defeat. "Yeah...it was."

He broke into a gorgeous, million-dollar grin that made you weak at the knees. He leaned down, lips ghosting over yours as if he was going to kiss you again - but pulled back, much to your disappointment.

"I guess I'm the victor of this battle, huh," he whispered before releasing his hold on you and walking out, leaving you to stand there utterly shell-shocked and speechless as Peter and Sam began teasing you.

[roostersmustache]

Songs of Silence, Two (SNEAK PEEK)

Pairing: Loki x Original Female Character

Author's Note: This is just the sneak peek! The full part comes out tomorrow, 04/09/2024, at 12:00pm EST!

Synopsis: Ingrid finally starts to accept that she doesn't want to marry Thor, and the thought process nearly drives her mad. Its even worse because she can't communicate with him, and whoever took her voice from her is still out there.

or:

Ingrid still can't speak but Loki sure can get into her head.

Warnings: None of this is accurate, Swearing, adult themes, angst, possible MCU spoilers, possible Loki spoilers.

Masterlist

SOS Masterlist

Ingrid had been on edge all day long. 

She had plans to accompany Thor to his mandatory training today, and normally, she enjoyed watching the prince’s spar with each other. But today, the air between her, Thor, and Loki was thick. Ingrid had no desire to look at Thor after he had thrown insults her way the day prior, and she couldn’t look at Loki because her face would get hot. 

But that didn’t stop him from being inside of her head. 

The prince had successfully, for the second day in a row, weaseled his way into Ingrid’s mind. Sometimes she didn’t know he was there until she started thinking about the conversation they had had in their minds yesterday, and he’d pop back in to add some of his own commentary. It was driving her insane, and of course he knew that, but no matter how many times she telepathically told him to stop, he’d just throw a wink at her. 

When Thor came to collect her, he knocked on her door. She opened it, revealing Thor in the front, and Loki behind him. Her eyes quickly met Thor’s and then darted over to Loki, who on eye contact, gave her a smile that had her shuffling nervously where she was standing. She had decided at the last minute that going to the training would be too much with Loki there, so she hadn’t put her dressing gown on. She needed a break from his voice in her head. 

“Darling,” Thor started, quizzically looking at her state of dress. “Why are you not dressed?” 

She huffed, not knowing how to reply without her voice, and just shook her head at her fiance. 

“What do you mean, dear?” Thor asked. “I don’t understand.” 

God she wished Thor was the one that could communicate telepathically with her, and not his cunning, sexy, and up-to-no-good brother. She just sighed at the prince and shook her head again. 

Thor looked back to Loki, who had leaned up against the wall, looking at something other than the couple trying to communicate. Thor tapped his brother's arm, and Loki coolly averted his gaze back to Thor, raising an eyebrow at him. 

“You’re good at magic, brother, have you any idea what my bride seems to be trying to say?” 

Ingrid’s eyes went wide, and she desperately wished she could tell Thor she didn’t need Loki’s help talking to him, but she couldn’t. She turned her gaze to Loki and narrowed her eyes at him. A warning. 

“Just tell him I don’t want to go,”  She said to him. 

Loki smirked back at her, turning now to face her. She felt small under his sharp gaze, and she wished for nothing more than to just close her door and curl up under her sheets. 

“But why don’t you want to go?”  He asked, a teasing lilt to his voice. 

“I don’t feel well,”  She said back, her glare deepening. 

She hoped he couldn’t see any of the images playing inside of her mind, the image of him kissing her forehead the night before had been a constant reply in her mind. Shamefully she was disappointed he hadn’t actually kissed her. When she thought about that upon waking up this morning she had slapped her wrist. Crushing on Loki was one thing but cheating on Thor with his mischievous brother would be seen as an act of treason. 

“That it would,” he said, confirming that he had just heard that entire thought she had. “But wouldn’t it be such fun to sneak around?” 

“Loki,” She warned, he gave her a smooth smile. “Just tell Thor I’m not going.” 

“But that would be entertaining, darling,” he drawled. “Reading your every thought while sparring against my brother. Him completely oblivious to the fact that his bride wants me instead.”

She let out a puff of air at his words, heat rising to her cheeks. She couldn’t deny it, and she didn’t want to deny it either. But Ingrid was scared. She had been by Thor’s side her entire life, and while she had always had a stronger draw to Loki, Thor was safe. Loki was off limits. Yet that seemed to excite her more. She couldn’t deny that the prince elicited a fire within her she had never felt before, and the pure fact that he felt the same way as she did only ignited the flame. 

She heard him laugh in her head. 

“Get out of my head, Loki,” she said, having a hard time forming the words in her brain with her muddled thoughts. “And just tell him I don’t want to go.” 

“You’re no fun,” he teased. 

Ingrid watched with battered breaths as Loki turned to his brother who had been suspiciously eyeing them both during their telepathic conversation. Ingrid knew Loki wouldn’t reveal the true nature of their conversation, but she also knew that he was the God of Mischief. She just hoped he’d tell the truth rather than twist it. 

“She doesn’t wish to go, brother,” Loki said, leaning back up against the wall and giving Thor a feigned sad glace. 

“What?” Thor asked, giving Ingrid a confused look. “Darling, the people are expecting you to make an appearance there today.”

“She doesn’t feel well,” Loki confirmed, his gaze back on nothing. 

“Are you alright?” Thor asked, his confusion melting into concern. “Do I need to send a healer?” 

She shook her head at him and crossed her arms over her chest. She was happy to see him believe her, and she was surprised Loki had told the truth and not caused anything further. For that she was grateful. 

“I could stay and keep an eye on her, brother. I have a vast knowledge of medicine, she’d be in good hands.” 

Or not. 

“No,” Ingrid said to him. 

“But the people probably want to see both of  their princes, I think we should just send a healer.”

“I’m the only one who can communicate with her, and besides, they don’t care to see me. This training is for the people to see how well their king performs on the battlefield, as if they don’t already know,” Loki said, lightly bumping his brother's arm. 

“He’s right,” Thor said, looking at Ingrid. Her eyes pleaded with him. “I want to make sure you’re alright, and despite his title, I trust my brother with you. It would bring me much comfort to have him here with you.”

Ingrid just sighed in response, her shoulders deflating. Loki was stressing her out, and the last thing she needed was to be alone with him for god knows how long. Their training usually lasted a couple of hours, so she was nervous about being in such close proximity with the god for a while. She couldn’t stop the part of her that was excited, though, because that part of her was very much there. She was scared to give into him, but god did she want to. She had spent years dreaming about those lips of his and what they felt like, the way his Asgardian leather hugged his form, and the smooth silk of his voice in her ear. 

“Don’t worry, princess,” Loki started, waltzing past her and into her bedroom. “You're in good hands.” 

“Come get me if she gets worse,” Thor said to Loki. Before he headed out, he leaned down and cupped Ingrid’s cheeks, looking into her eyes. “We’ll get your voice back, my love. In the meantime, feel better and don’t hesitate to hit my brother if he bothers you.” 

Thor said goodbye to her by reaching down and kissing her firmly on her lips. He squeezed her hand and nodded at Loki as he left, leaving Ingrid standing in her doorway, frozen in her spot. She was tempted to turn around and go into her room with the door wide open, but she couldn’t stand to leave her door open. She didn’t like everyone looking into her room when they passed by. 

Quietly, she turned and walked back into her bedroom, softly closing the door behind her. She noticed Loki lounging on her bed out of her peripheral and she internally debated on where to place herself. She still wanted to curl up into her sheets, but with Loki on her bed, that option was out the window.

~~

SONGS OF SILENCE TWO, TOMORROW 04/09/2024, 12:00PM EST!

TAGLIST (Let me know if you'd like to be added!):

@adharanotfound , @skylarisaturtle

[wrenhyperfixates]

Of All the Places

Chapter 10

Pairing: Loki x reader Series Summary: Washing up in a small town in Oklahoma was definitely not part of Loki’s plan when he came to conquer Midgard. There is one good thing about it, though: No one recognizes him as the one who just wreaked havoc in New York. So, Loki plans to recover from the battle and move on with his life. The only problem? He’s not sure he can leave you. Chapter Summary: The time has come for Loki to tell you how he feels, and he insist on doing it right. Now he just has to hope that you feel the same way he does. Chapter Warnings: zip, zilch, zero A/N: This was a really fun chapter to write, and I’m so excited to share it. Want to tell me what you thought of it or what you think will happen next? I’d love to hear it! Updates every Friday. Happy reading, all :) 

Tag List: @lucywrites02 @frostedgiant @lunarmoon8​ @twhiddlestonsstuff​ @marvelousdaydreams​ @parkastoria​ @lokistan​ @thelokiimaginechroniclesficrecs​

✥ Start at Beginning ✥ | ← Previous Chapter | Next Chapter →

Disclaimer: Gif not mine

His promise to John was one Loki intended to keep. He’d gotten hardly any sleep these past few nights, trying to think of the perfect way to tell you how he truly feels. And, he had to confess, he already missed your warm mortal body snuggling up against him while slept, and waking up to your arms wrapped around him, safe and content. Well, that was all terribly off topic, and Loki refocused on the task at hand, which, in addition to figuring out his dilemma, was not burning breakfast.

The atmosphere in the kitchen was very awkward right now. Papa had stepped out for a minute, so it was just Loki and Mama. They hadn’t spoken since the confrontation in the barn, and he wasn’t sure if it was because she still hated him or felt bad about what she said. He sighed, knowing if he were to ever be with you, it would certainly hurt your relationship with your mother more. It pained his heart to think that you’d never get to meet his mother. That he’d never get to see her again, either. The thought gave him all the confidence he needed to do what he knew he must.

“I am sorry,” he said.

“What?” she said, utterly surprised. Then more hostilely, she added, “What did you do.”

“I have, perhaps, not been as polite to you as I should have, and for that I am sorry. But I need you to know that I mean it when I say I would never do anything to hurt this family. I could not live with myself if I did.”

“You know what James always said?” Mama asked after a moment of silence, her voice breaking and tears welling in her eyes. “He said everyone deserved a second chance. That we’re all just trying to do the best we can, and we shouldn’t judge anyone too harshly. I’m thankful every day that he wasn’t as cynical as I am. So I’m sorry too, for not giving you a chance.”

Loki fetched her a tissue to dry her her eyes. He never had been very good at dealing with emotions and was unsure of what the correct procedure here was. In the end, he just bowed his head and gave her a moment to compose herself.

“I know what you’ve been planning, and though you didn’t quite ask for it,” she began once her tears were dry, “you have my blessing. I really do want my babies to be happy, it’s just so hard to let go.”

“I understand,” he said. “And thank you. My sole mission in life shall be to make them happy.”

Mama gave a sad little smile, almost like she did not believe him. Or perhaps she was just upset for herself at having to move on. Either way, he was grateful they’d come to an understanding. Hopefully a lasting one this time.

“Loki, one more thing,” she said.

“Yes?”

“Your waffles are burning.”

He quickly saved the batch before they were ruined completely. Thankfully, Papa came back to help him soon. Though they were a great deal harder than pancakes, they still came out pretty well, making Loki’s chest swell with pride that he was assimilating so well. He smiled to himself, thinking how this could be the rest of his life with you. Maybe the two of you could even get your own plot of land one day, right near this one. This whole mentality of thinking optimistically was much easier than constantly preparing for the worst, Loki decided.

“Morning, Loki. Did you make those?” you asked, spying the plate of waffles. “They smell great.”

“Thank you,” he blushed. “Would you like to taste one?”

You nodded, and he impaled a small piece on a fork. He held it to your lips, and you ate it, the interaction making his heart stutter.

“It’s delicious! You’re quite the chef, if you ask me,” you complimented him, grabbing the whipped cream and syrup to put on the table.

“Again, thank you, my darling. I’m sure it’s nothing special, though.”

“Sounds to me like you should try it, too,” you said, mimicking his actions from before and feeding him. Needless to say, his cheeks went bright red. “See? Delicious.”

“Morning guys,” John said, walking in. “Congratulations, Loki. I’m glad you finally did it.”

Loki started motioning for him to shut up, immediately understanding that John thought your behavior was due to him telling you how he felt. Alas, that was just how the two of you behaved with each other. Though, perhaps it was good, and he should see it as a sign that you reciprocated his feelings.

“Finally did what?” you asked, completely perplexed.

“Oh, uh, just making waffles. Big step up the breakfast ladder,” John said, giving Loki a subtle thumbs up.

“Indeed! That’s it,” Loki heaped onto the cover up. “In fact, we should eat them before they get cold.”

He shepherded both of you to the table where the rest of the family joined you. He could tell you were all being genuine when you said how much you enjoyed the food. Lies were his specialty, after all, and he couldn’t spot a single one. Except his entire reason for being there, obviously. There was always that untruth hanging in the air, ruining what would otherwise be bringing him bliss.

“Sorry about this morning,” John said as they headed out into the fields later that day. “Hope I didn’t spoil anything.”

“No need to worry. It was a close one, but we covered it up just fine,” Loki replied. “In truth, I have not even found the right words to tell them. And believe me, I’ve been wracking my brain.”

“Well, maybe that’s the issue.”

“What is?”

“That you’re thinking so hard. Just speak from the heart.”

“Perhaps, but the scene must be set just right. I insist upon having that planned out, at least.”

“Fair enough. Don’t worry, we’ll think of something.”

They set about the usual chores, and Loki thought about the situation the whole time. It wasn’t until they were heading back in for the evening that inspiration struck. You were waiting for them on the porch, waving as they came in. Besides the fact that it was rather picturesque, it made him realize you'd had some important moments there. Like that day when you went to the creek, the first time he’d really felt close to you, it had started with you talking on the porch. When you’d almost kissed the day of the party, that was on the porch, too. Perhaps it was just the place to start the next phase of your relationship.

“John,” he whispered as you walked inside. “I believe I have the perfect idea.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“What do you think, little one? Is it perfect?”

“Hmm,” Matt said in reply, then adjusted a napkin ever so slightly. “There. Now it is!”

“Thank you. Everything must be just right for tonight.”

“And it will be,” Ana said, laying a comforting hand on Loki’s shoulder.

“She’s right,” John added, coming out of the house and placing a kiss on his wife’s cheek. “You planned it out all week.”

“I know, but these nerves will not settle.”

“Well, maybe it’s time to just go for it.”

“He’s right,” Ana encouraged. “Once you do it, there’ll be nothing left to worry about.”

“I suppose you are right. No time like the present.”

He shook himself out, feeling more nervous than he had in his whole life. Even with the encouragement of his friends, he wasn’t sure he could do this. Though, the fact that he even had friends did give him a boost of confidence. On the flip side of that, he was saddened by the fact he could not share this with his family. Because even after all this time, he still thought of them as that. Well, Thor and Frigga anyway; Odin, not so much.

“You can do this, Loki!” Matt cheered, hugging Loki’s legs.

He fondly smiled down at the boy and pat his head. “Thank you, little one.”

“And don’t forget, no one can resist a god,” John said with a wink after Ana and Matt were gone, then headed in himself.

Loki waited a minute before going in, too. As he traveled the halls to your room to invite you down, he recalled all the time he’d spent in the house. Before he came here and met all of you, he was convinced he was doomed. But now, he thought happiness was possible again. He’d been so broken, but you’d healed him with your gentle touches and kind words.

This world around him, he owed all to you. You’d showed him a way to live he’d never even considered before, extended the offer of a place in your home to him. He deeply wished he could do the same for you, raise you to the level of the gods in Asgard. He wanted to show you the gleaming, golden city, give you a tour of the place where he grew up. It was pointless, though, for he knew it could never be.

“Darling,” he said, knocking on your door. You opened it up, and he tried to calm his wild heart. “Do you suppose you could meet me on the porch in, say, ten minutes?”

“Oh! Yeah, sure. What for?”

“You will see,” he smiled before going back down to check over everything one final time.

After giving everything a once over, Loki conjured a bouquet of your favorite flowers on a whim. It felt almost strange to use his powers after keeping them hidden so long. It came back to him rather easily, even so. He hoped that one day he would be able to show you all the tricks he could do. To amaze you with magic out of your wildest dreams. If tonight went well, he was certain he would.

“Loki. I’m here. I-” you paused, taking in the set up on the porch. “What is all this?”

He gulped, hoping he didn’t go overboard with the twinkle lights and lanterns. Your family had said that it wasn’t too much, but maybe they were wrong. For once, your face was unreadable. Although, maybe that was just because he was going through a million emotions of his own.

“It’s for you. I was hoping we could dine together this evening,” he told you, presenting the flowers, which you gratefully accepted.

“Of course we can. But, if you don’t mind my asking, why just the two of us?”

“To be perfectly clear, my darling, I like you. I like you as more than just a friend, and I want to be more than that. So, I suppose this is me asking you on a date.”

“Then, this is me accepting.”

You both stood there grinning like idiots for a minute before he cleared his mind. He pulled out a chair for you and then sat in his own. Papa had been enlisted to help Loki cook one of your favorite meals. You raved about how good it was, and Loki had never felt lighter. It was like he was floating on air. The dessert, too, you thoroughly enjoyed. Everything was going swimmingly, but Loki was still not satisfied with his confession when there was so much else he wanted to say to you.

“My darling,” he began, circling around to your side of the table. You got up, too, and invited him to sit on the porch swing. “I must admit, I do not think it sufficient that I have not completely expressed how I feel. You see, when I first came here, I was so lost. But then there was you, so kind, so accepting. You became my direction, the only place I want to be, regardless of where I was before all this. You’ve said before that you do not think your life would be complete with me in it. Well I have yet to tell you that I feel exactly the same way, but I do. More than I can even express.”

You whispered his name, and he yours in reply. It was both a question and an invitation, full of desire and longing as his hand cupped your cheek. He leaned in towards you. A part of him did not want to do this until after he’d shared the whole truth, something he’d originally planned on doing tonight. But right now, the overwhelming majority of thoughts in his head were urging him to follow through with this. The second before your lips were going to meet, the front door slammed open.

“I thought you two might like to come inside,” Mama said. “It’s going to rain, and it’s getting awful late.”

Whether the part about the rain was true or not, Loki did not know, but either way he did not appreciate the interruption. After all, sitting on the porch you did have protection from the elements. He thought she was okay with him dating you, but apparently not. It didn’t particularly matter though, since he wasn’t going to call her out on it.

“Thank you,” he said instead. “I guess we should be heading in then.”

You nodded and began the trek up to your rooms. How he wished you could have finished that moment on the porch, but it was too late now. You bid each other goodnight, and he cast a longing glance over his shoulder at you. Before his hand could touch the knob of his door, you spun him back around and placed a kiss to his lips. It was hasty and sloppy, but it was still perfect.

“Goodnight, Loki,” you whispered breathlessly and leaving him in a daze.

He flopped onto his bed and stared at the ceiling, quietly laughing to himself once he fully processed what had happened. Tonight had gone better than he ever could have imagined. Except for one thing. He realized he never told you the truth about who he was. His heart sank, thinking how he might ruin what he’d just gained if he did come clean now. But he knew he must. And soon. Because if there was one thing he’d truly meant, it was that he never wanted to hurt you. He could only hope that telling you wouldn’t do just that.

[clevercxs]

Believer - Sigefrid Thurgilson [Ch 2]

[MORE CHAPTERS]

Pairing: Sigefrid Thurgilson x female oc

Word Count: 6.8k

_______________________________________________

With dawn came an uneasy feeling of dread within the Saxon warrior. Her face, distorted with worry, belied her ethereal youthfulness. She seemed to have aged an entire decade in the day it took them to reach the fortress of Beamfleot.

Beads of cold sweat glistened upon her furrowed brows. Lady Blædswith found herself anxiously gnawing at the insides of her cheeks like some famished barn rodent - though it wasn’t out of hunger. She’d bitten her chapped lips until they were stained red like fresh blood upon newly fallen snow. Her fair skin was drained of all color except for the rosy hue beneath her windblown cheeks.

Dark rings had formed beneath her pale eyes causing her to look all the more ghostly. Once filled with such vigor and spirit, her irises were now dull; lifeless even, and heavy with exhaustion. Her body, bruised and broken from the trauma she’d endured, swayed achingly with the rhythm of Sigefrid’s steed beneath her. It was by the strength of Sigefrid’s arm alone that she managed to sit upright for the duration of their travels.

She was a lamb being led to the slaughter, or frankly something far worse for a woman to endure than death itself - the wrath of men.

Unlike a lamb, or cow for that matter, Lady Blædswith didn’t have the luxury of being blissfully unaware of what lied ahead.

For the first time in a long while she was completely and utterly defenseless. Above all else, she believed it to be the scariest, most unusual feeling she’d ever known.

And she hated every second of it.

A light mist began to fall from the sky awash with ominous shades of grey. The air was humid and smelled of a storm brewing in the near distance. Thick clouds of fog encompassed each horse and rider though they began to dissipate over time. An unmistakable roll of thunder rumbled through the damp earth causing the horses to feel uneasy once more.

Lady Blædswith firmly grasped handfuls of mane between her fingers and took as deep of a breath as her ribs would allow.

For the love of God, or gods, please don’t throw me off.

Barren trees shivered in the wind, their naked limbs often snapping beneath the weight of fleeing crows and squirrels alike. Eerie branches, gnarled and twisted, extended towards the band of Danes and their princess like the very hands of Skaði herself - the Pagan goddess of winter.

The shivering princess found herself retreating into the fur pelt draped over her shoulders for warmth. Sigefrid decided she’d suffered enough from the cold, though found himself growing fond of the way his grey fur looked beneath her dark, unruly curls.

Although Lady Blædswith was born and raised in Wessex, Sigefrid could see there was something different within her; something worth saving. He could sense a feral presence bound by chains that could never be tamed - not even by him.

Odin had dealt her a great hand, and she spat it back at him by defying all odds.

____________________ ➴  ____________________

The infamous fortress of Beamfleot was a rather grim sight to behold.

The surrounding field was brown with decay. Remnants of battles past lie scattered in the weeds; broken swords, cracked shields, dented helmets, and the occasional skull or two left inside said helmets.

Its cold, uninviting walls of aged wooden planks loomed high above the approaching Danes and stretched towards the gods. Stone watch towers encompassed by cages of sharpened wooden pikes protected archers keeping watch over the land; Sigefrid and Erik’s land.

Sigefrid led his fellow Danes along a narrow path and towards the main gates. “Lady Blædswith of Wessex. Welcome, to Beamfleot. Your new home... should you want it.” His dark eyes gleamed with mischief, the corners of his lips perking into a rather menacing smile.

Lady Blædswith shook her head with confusion. “I-I do not understand. I thought you intended to sell me for ransom? T-to my father?”

Sigefrid chuckled haughtily, “Oh, for a while I did.” He tightened his arm around her waist and pressed the entirety of her back against his firm chest causing her breath to hitch. “But then I grew to like your company.” She could feel every muscle in his core flex and constrict against her frame as he held her in place. Every part of her yearned to resist his warm touch yet she couldn’t bring herself to do so… and she couldn’t understand why.

“How could I join you?” Lady Blædswith scoffed and craned her neck to face the Dane whose arm encompassed her being. “I have experienced quite enough to know better.” She pressed the palm of her hand against her dried arrow wound as if recalling the incident all over again. “You must think me a fool!“ She twisted back around and purposely bumped her back into his chest.

“I do not-“ Sigefrid growled lowly.

“Then how can you possibly expect me to trust you so soon?”

Sigefrid’s nostrils flared and his lips pursed out of bitterness; his narrowed eyes seemed to burn with a newfound frustration despite the truth behind her words. “Very well.” He huffed. “Warriors join us by the day. With word of your... capture… there will be more; all waiting for war.”

“Against who?” She urged. “Mercia? Wessex? My father?” Both kingdoms, as far as she knew, had large armies of noble and courageous men… but the average Saxon warrior was no match for a Dane like Sigefrid Thurgilson. “Tell me.”

Sigefrid smiled wickedly from ear to ear and simply responded, “You have my thanks, Lady.”

As they grew nearer, a set of heavy gates were drawn open revealing the inside of Beamfleot. Lady Blædswith could hear Danes of all walks of life applauding their Lord’s fruitful return. Once through the gates and inside, Hæsten rode up beside them and nudged her boot with his own. She kicked him back, harder, causing him to curse beneath his breath.

With the sound of the gates closing behind her and locking in place, all hopes she had of escaping fell into a pit of despair; of defeat.

The two Danes proceeded to ride through the village, passing by mothers joyfully embracing their children and drunken men clinking horns of ale together.

“Lord.”

“Yes?” Sigefrid drew slowly out of exasperation. “Speak.”

“How does she feel? Warm?” Hæsten’s serpent tongue grazed over the bottom of his busted lip. His eyes dilated at the mere thought of his hands ravishing Lady Blædswith’s womanhood. He believed it to be what she deserved for not only being a Saxon, but publicly humiliating him and nearly taking his life in front of everyone.

“Rich, as she should.” Sigefrid leaned forward and firmly pressed his lips to the back of her hair, exchanging a sly grin with Hæsten before leaning back. “She is priceless.”

Lady Blædswith felt completely numb; frozen in time as the world around her faded to a blur. Danes began clawing at her legs once more and tugged at her clothes. No one knew of her identity thus far but some had their suspicions. It was clear she was of grave importance to their Lord, therefore she had a great value.

She remained stoic; her attention fixated on the large building up ahead with pits of seductive flames dancing in front of frostbitten Danes.

Hot tears streamed down her flushed cheeks yet she kept quiet; there was nothing she could say that would matter to anyone - assuming she could even get them to listen in the first place.

Lady Blædswith could feel each tear dripping from her chin and falling onto the dense fur around her neck, one she wished could shield her face from the dirty looks she received as Sigefrid paraded her around.

“I bring you King Alfred’s eldest daughter! I swear to the gods… that this prize will not be sold cheaply. There will be wealth and glory for every man here!” An uproar of cheering and laughter rang out from children of all ages, the elderly, returning warriors and even slaves who’d taken a break from their chores to gape in awe.

They hoped they would have an easier week ahead of them now that a new woman had been introduced, so they celebrated her capture without drawing too much attention to themselves.

Sigefrid marveled triumphantly at the celebration that had begun in his honor. He could hear his name being praised and chanted loud enough to be heard for miles, a sound he would never tire of.

After the crowd simmered down he was the first to dismount. His boots, upon doing so, struck the earth like the mighty hammer of Thor. He reached up and grabbed Lady Blædswith by her waist as best as he could without harming her with his hand-blade nor disrupting her broken ribs. It was a rather tedious task.

The Lord of Beamfleot decided it was worth the risk of impaling King Alfred’s daughter if it meant no other man would lie a hand on her.

By the hour he found himself increasingly selfish and greedy; hungry with lust and a burning desire of having a princess all to himself in the interim of negotiating a price for her release.

She carefully dismounted and found herself clinging to Sigefrid’s armor for support. The warmth of her hands seeped through his leather attire causing his breathing to hitch for a moment. His hand remained a constant upon her waist until she found her balance. They held each other’s gaze a moment too long before she cleared her throat. “I’m fine. You can let go, now.”

With a sigh, Sigefrid rolled his eyes and stepped back just in time for a friendlier face to arrive by his side. Whoever he was, he seemed to have missed the big announcement.

“Sigefrid? Who is this woman?”

“Erik!” Sigefrid clapped a hand to his brothers shoulder and brought him closer to see her. “This is King Alfred’s daughter.”

Erik’s lips formed an ‘o’ before he stepped even closer out of sheer curiosity.

When Lady Blædswith looked up she met a pair of gentle blue eyes underlined with kohl. He had a small, rounder face than Sigefrid decorated in thick scars and smudges of dirt. It seemed Erik had been kept rather busy in his brother’s absence. Below his button nose was a short, dirty-blonde beard bound by a single ring of silver. Similar to Sigefrid, his head was shaved at the sides and his hair was knotted into a short braid down his neck.

“How did you come across her?” Erik asked over his shoulder though quickly turned back when she answered for his brother.

“My men and I were ambushed on our way to Mercia. They were all slaughtered in cold blood and I was taken as a hostage.”

Erik’s brows furrowed as he gently caressed the side of her bruised cheek with the tops of his knuckles, retracting his hand after she winced in pain.

“She is unwell, brother. Who did this to her?”

Lady Blædswith looked around to see if anyone would try to stop her from confessing. When she looked to Sigefrid he averted his gaze and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Hæsten.” She croaked, “But Sigefrid stopped him before it was too late.” The mere mention of his name through her lips caused Sigefrid’s chest to constrict.

“Lady,” Erik took a step closer with his hands raised to show her he meant well, “I would like to see what Hæsten did to you.”

She scoffed. “You want me to undress, here, in front of everyone? In the cold?”

Erik nodded with a sigh, acknowledging the extent of his request.

“Are you mad?” She then turned to face Sigefrid. “Sigefrid you can’t let him-“

“I can, and I will. Take off your fur, Lady. Now. We want to see such a woman in all her beauty!” The eldest Thurgilson pressed firmly, asserting himself to the Saxon woman who so boldly spoke out against him.

Exhaling slowly, she allowed the fur to drape down her arms and pool at her wrists before falling to the ground. The back of her neck was scorching hot as hundreds of eyes watched her every move.

“I’d like that back.” The princess wore a long sleeved shirt beneath a leather vest tied in the back like a corset. Her chainmail armor had been torn to pieces and left in the clearing where she was ambushed.

“Now, your vest.” Sigefrid motioned with his blade.

Lady Blædswith slowly reached behind her to untie the laces of her vest but stopped halfway, wincing as pain coursed through her body. “Damn!” She hissed, “I can not.” Her hand tightly clutched her right shoulder as she cried out in pain. “I can not lift my arms high enough to do so.”

Erik’s brows furrowed with confusion. “Why is that?”

“Well,” She gulped dryly, “it would appear that I’ve been struck by a bloody arrow! So I will not be taking it off.”

“Then I will. Allow me to be of... assistance.” Hæsten cooed as he slithered past the Thurgilson brothers.

“No!” Sigefrid and Lady Blædswith shouted in unison, leaving Erik unable to determine who’d taken greater offense to Hæsten’s offer. It struck Erik that perhaps Lady Blædswith meant more to his brother than he’d let on.

“Leave us, Hæsten. Now.” Sigefrid dismissed.

Hæsten swore to himself once more and passed by Lady Blædswith, though stopped dead in his tracks after she grabbed his wrist. “You should have killed me when you had the chance.” She whispered by his ear. “One day I shall make you beg for mercy as I did. Only your Lord won’t be there to save you like he did with me.”

“Sigefrid needed you alive. He knew he couldn’t hump a corpse.” Hæsten sneered, only to be knocked off balance by her forehead slamming into his nose - causing it to break and ooze blood down his lips. Before he could raise his fist Erik grabbed him by the forearm and redirected the hostile Dane elsewhere. Hæsten brushed shoulders with the younger Thurgilson before searching for a slave to take his aggressions out on.

Lady Blædswith caught sight of Sigefrid with his bottom lip between his teeth, concealing a coy smirk of amusement as his chest shook with laughter. He ran a hand over his devilish beard before strolling towards her.

“You enjoyed that, didn’t you?”

The Dane shrugged. “Mmm….Maybe I did? Though Hæsten was right. I needed you alive.”

“So you could hump me, is that it?” She yanked him down to her eye level by the collar of his leather armor and narrowed her eyes. “You couldn’t handle me.” The princess hissed through gritted teeth and released him with a shove.

Sigefrid chuckled to himself after regaining his stance. “Oh? Is that right?” He’d caught onto the game she dared to play without realizing she’d awoken the beast within him. It was risky of her to challenge such a man of Sigefrid’s reputation, but she couldn’t help it. It was simply in her nature. After all, what had she to lose?

“It is. Besides, I would slit my own throat before bedding a Dane, especially you.”

Sigefrid laughed heartily, evoking Erik and the surrounding Danes to harmonize with him as they mocked the injured woman.

“I mean it. Lord or not, I don’t give a damn.”

“That is enough, Lady. Turn around.” She sighed and did as she was told, now facing Erik who passed her a subtle grin. Sigefrid began working the laces out of their knots until her vest fell open in his hands. Once it was discarded he tore the sleeve from her shirt to reveal the main source of her discomfort.

Sigefrid and Erik visibly cringed at the sight - and smell - of her wound seeing fresh air for the first time. She handled the pain better than Sigefrid expected she would, and by a long shot, her strong will to live had exceeded his expectations.

Lady Blædswith had the face of a beautiful Saxon woman... but the heart of a Dane.

“Sigefrid, if you value Hæsten’s life you will keep him away from me. I will not hesitate to defend myself against him. He still wishes me dead.”

Sigefrid narrowed his intimidating gaze into her eyes. He knew she was right; Hæsten, almost as much as himself, couldn’t keep away from the Saxon princess.

“I do not take orders from you, princess!” The dark haired Thurgilson growled. “You should be glad to still have your tongue.”

The sound of gravel crunching beneath the steady rhythm of boots caused them both to look up as Erik approached.

Heavier droplets of rain began to fall upon their heads as forbidding clouds lurked overhead causing some to retreat indoors for warmth.

“Enough, Sigefrid. We need to get her inside before she freezes to death.”

“Very well, Erik. She is coming with me.” Sigefrid roughly grasped onto the princess’s forearm.

“Wait!” Lady Blædswith shouted, tugging her arm free of Sigefrid’s calloused grip before pulling her torn shirt up and beneath her bra line for all to see. Dark, unpleasant blotches of purple and green had appeared overnight as the pain worsened. It looked - and felt - as if she had been kicked by a horse when both brothers knew the truth.

“You have broken ribs... Hæsten did this as well?” Erik frowned solemnly, receiving a nod from the princess as she covered herself up once more. Sigefrid took a rather possessive hold of her hand in his and squeezed it tightly to ensure she wouldn’t slip away.

“It will not happen again, Lady. You have my word.” The sincerity of Erik’s words was as refreshing as a cold drink on a hot summer day. However, she had to remind herself that he was no saint.

Erik Thurgilson was the lesser of two evils. Lady Blædswith couldn’t help but feel safer around him despite the fact that he was Sigefrid’s younger brother.

The princess mouthed a quiet thank you and passed the blonde Dane a frail smile before Sigefrid pulled her towards the Mead Hall.

“Sigefrid, you will not hurt her.” Erik demanded of his hot-headed brother whose mind was already made up. Lady Blædswith stumbled behind him in an attempt to keep up with his long stride to avoid being dragged through the mud.

“I will do as I please.” Sigefrid laughed with a smirk. Erik couldn’t help but shake his head in disapproval, now trailing behind to ensure no further harm came to King Alfred’s daughter.

“Try, and see what happens!” With a loud huff Lady Blædswith dug the heels of her boots into the dirt causing him to stop and face her. “Your hand won’t be the only thing missing from your body when I am through with you.” As their faces drew closer a single white cloud was formed from their sharp breaths intertwining. Suddenly she felt the pad of his thumb flicking over her bottom lip and resting upon her chin as he held her gaze.

“You have a sharp tongue, Lady.” Sigefrid snarled, his nose scrunching with vexation. She could feel the warmth of his breath upon her lips. “That will get you in trouble.”

“How fitting.” The princess muttered and swatted his hand away before he snatched it back it in his own. “That seems to be all I am good for lately.”

____________________ ➴  ____________________

A frigid breeze nipped away at her face and had crept beneath the tattered remains of her clothes, spreading across her skin as if she were trapped in the frozen realm of Nifelheim.

Her hands, tucked away in the cavities of her armpits, were painfully numb to the touch. Her pale lips had turned a bluish hue and her teeth chattered with the unsteady rhythm of her breathing. The nearest fire pit was just out of reach no matter how far she stretched her arm; it was close enough to tempt her like the Forbidden Fruit to Eve, yet remained unattainable despite her efforts.

Lady Blædswith fell heavy with exhaustion after frantically searching for a way out; a weak plank of wood, a loose nail… nothing. She had repeatedly thrown herself at the locked gate, crying out in frustration each time whilst doing more harm to herself than the filthy cage that confined her. Its rusty bars remained stationary yet they closed in on her all the same, and she couldn’t help but feel a sense of claustrophobia curdling within her.

A shroud of darkness had enveloped her broken wings, for Lady Blædswith was a flightless bird.

Occasionally she found peace by slipping into an unconscious state, only to be startled awake by ungodly booms of thunder or Danes clinking horns of ale along the metal bars. Even a brood of clucking chickens strutted past her, showing off their boundless freedom before Danish children chased them outside. Curious hounds sniffed around the princess from time to time, trying to determine whether or not she was to become their next meal, or perhaps just something to urinate on.

And by the smell of it, they chose the latter.

An overwhelming series of events had occurred in the mere day or so she’d been in the Thurgilson brothers’ possession. Evidently, the Saxon princess began to lose track of time.

How long had she been trapped here? For a few hours? Days? And how long had Sigefrid allowed his men to tease and taunt her whilst she lay curled in a ball, weeping as a small child would? Praying to her God who seemed to have turned a blind eye once and for all?

From beyond the shadowy gloom of the dimly lit hall came a tall silhouette carrying something. Lady Blædswith found herself scrambling to the furthest corner from the gate out of fear of her approacher’s intentions. When they stepped closer to the cage their face became visible beneath the chandelier hanging overhead, revealing it to be Erik Thurgilson with a fur pelt in his arms.

She had ill-heartedly anticipated it to be Hæsten returning for a helping of spiteful revenge.

“Are you ready to talk, Lady? I brought you something warm.” Erik gestured the fur towards her, receiving a frantic nod as she rose to her bare feet. Sigefrid had ushered everyone out of the hall and into the cold, barring the doors behind them. He then found himself drawn to her cage like a moth to candlelight, watching wearily as Erik retrieved a key from his pocket and opened the gate. He carefully set the fur down for Lady Blædswith before locking her in once more.

Collapsing to her knees with a gasping sigh of relief, the trembling princess wrapped the thick pelt over her body and curled into a ball, now teetering back and forth on her tailbone. Sigefrid and Erik pulled up a carved bench and made themselves comfortable for what they anticipated to take some time: interrogating the rogue daughter of King Alfred of Wessex.

“I shall t-tell you everything you wish to know,” She shivered, “b-but only if you release me from this wretched cage where I am to remain under your protection. I am not a damned chicken… This cage is rather small for a princess.” Lady Blædswith quirked a dark brow. She smirked ever so slightly and allowed her gaze to fall deep into Sigefrid’s lap, “I expected it to be… bigger.” She so crudely joked, catching both brothers by surprise at her sudden vulgarity.

Humor, of all things, seemed to keep her sane even through the worst of days.

Sigefrid’s eyes glimmered as he chuckled into the palm of his hand as he stroked the length of his sleek, raven beard.

“I like her.” Sigefrid cooed, turning to face his better half though his eyes remained glued to his Saxon prisoner.

“Perhaps too much.” Erik grinned teasingly, “Shall I leave, brother?”

Sigefrid shook his head and sighed. “No, stay.” He then directed his full attention to the princess. “I accept your terms, Lady. It is done.” He muttered, “You will be freed... And, you may be surprised how well such a cage would… suit your needs.” Sigefrid smirked devilishly at the witty Saxon, displaying teeth as sharp and frightening as knives. Her heart seemed to beat faster in a dizzying manner that her breathing could not keep up with.

How was he menacing yet alluring at the same time? How could she loathe such a man yet want nothing more than to be in his presence? To hear the low growl of his voice sent shivers down her spine in the most pleasant of ways. She craved the danger; the unpredictability of his Pagan nature. It was all so new and enticing to the Saxon woman whose recurring thoughts have been far from Holy. He was her enemy; her kidnapper. Sigefrid Thurgilson was a deviously charming Dane with an edge of mystery to his every whim. She believed if he had intended to do her harm, he would have done so already.

Her only dilemma was that she couldn’t bring herself to forgive him for Lunden… not now, anyways.

Sigefrid Thurgilson held the power to decide her fate; whether or not she lived or died — and how. He had chosen wisely thus far, and appeared to see Lady Blædswith in all her grandeur.

Erik Thurgilson spoke uncomfortably,, “I must be going-”

“No! Stay.” Lady Blædswith chirped. “I am ready to talk… But only to you, Erik. You have shown me a great kindness.” She directed at the blonde Thurgilson. “As for your brother… not so much. He is the reason I almost died at Hæsten’s hand.” She spat at him through the cage. “I will never forget that, Heathen.”

A loud stomp echoed throughout the hall as the floorboard beneath Sigefrid’s boot nearly cracked. “I am the reason you are still alive. Do not forget that.” Sigefrid leaned forward, pressing his elbow into his knees. He slowly unsheathed his hand-blade and sneered mockingly, “Christian.”

“Perhaps what my brother is trying to say is… we would greatly appreciate your... cooperation.” Erik grinned sheepishly as a low growl rumbled within his brother’s throat. “Where were you headed, Lady, with the king’s men? You said you were headed for Mercia when Sigefrid… found… you. Is this true?”

Lady Blædswith nodded with a troubled sigh. “Yes, it is true. I was headed North to visit my sister, Lady Æthelflæd. I traveled with my men; they were loyal to me, and to me only. And in return I led them to their deaths.” A light shudder rippled through her body as she fought the urge to dispel the meat they fed her earlier.

“To see the Queen of Mercia — yes. But why?” Sigefrid’s brows furrowed tightly together in uncertainty.

Lady Blædswith inhaled sharply. “I thought... we could be of use to each other. I sought her protection, and Mercia needs warriors with my skillset.” She feared she had already revealed too much, but there was no turning back now.

“You do not have King Alfred’s protection?” Erik frowned and rose to his feet, taking firm hold of a metal rod in each hand. He was unsure of what to make of her words.

Lady Blædswith chuckled and shook her head, wet strands of hair falling over her eyes, “No, no. Of course I do not. He is the one I sought protection from! For years I have drowned in my father’s politics but I have had enough!” She shouted angrily, causing both brothers to flinch ever so slightly. “I met suitor after suitor... they never stopped asking for my hand in marriage. Strange men; always foreign and often old enough to be my father…. or grandfather.” She could feel herself fighting back a sob brewing within her throat.

The Thurgilson brothers exchanged sour looks of disgust.

“I can not imagine what you have been through, Lady.” Erik soothed and leaned closer to her cage. “No father should force his daughter to wed, not even a King.”

Lady Blædswith smiled softly at Erik, though noticed the way Sigefrid had began glaring down at her. She felt almost obligated to explain herself, “I-I never loved any of my suitors — I couldn’t. I was always able to scare them away, and Alfred resented me for it. I humiliated him, time and time again, in front of numerous princes and lords… until one day he found a man most unafraid of my strong will…”

“What do you mean?” Sigefrid snapped resentfully. Erik could see a blazing pain of jealousy ignite within his brother. “Who is this man you speak of?”

“I am engaged to a Frenchman whose name I can hardly pronounce nor remember. He has…” She motioned to the top of her head, “...thinning, grey hair like a corpse! I have heard the servants’ whispers, and they say he is a cruel man. He hates women, especially women like me.” Lady Blædswith rose to her knees and crawled a few feet closer to the brothers, no longer apprehensive of their presence. “He remains in Wessex with my father but I doubt they will send scouts to find me. I may not be worth the trouble... But if they did, they will not succeed.”

“Your fiancé fears a woman so strong; so unafraid to will her own destiny.” Erik smiled and took a seat. “He sounds a cowardly prick. You deserve far better, Lady. A man who is your equal-”

“Silence your flattery, brother.” Sigefrid snapped with a harsh jab of his elbow into Erik’s arm. “Continue.”

She nodded and did as commanded,

“I told King Alfred of the rumors I heard but he did not believe me…. and God forbid I seek proof for myself - I knew better than that. The moment my own mother, Lady Aelswith, decided to support the marriage I knew there was no longer a life for me in Wessex. I no longer had allies; no loyal family left but in Mercia. One night, on a whim, I simply gathered my things and left with the few men I could gather…” She sighed heavily and allowed her shoulders to droop. “We later passed through Lunden and, well, you both know what happened next.”

The Mead Hall fell silent, only to be disturbed by the frantic pounding of fists upon the main doors and a voice asking for Lord Erik. “If you will excuse me,” He rose to his feet and slipped the key into his pocket instead of trusting it with Sigefrid; this did not go unnoticed by his brother nor the princess.

Although Lady Blædswith asked to be freed, and Sigefrid agreed to uphold her request, Erik knew she was safer behind bars where no Dane could harm her - not even Sigefrid or Hæsten.

Erik made his way through the doors and was virtually out of sight. Alone, in the wet darkness of the Mead hall sat a Saxon beauty and her beast.

“Why did you kill the man who shot me?” Lady Blædswith wasted no time in bluntly asking her most burning question. “You did not know who I was. I was but a Saxon woman, y-you’re enemy.” Crawling towards the gate, she rested the palms of her hands against a wooden plank.

“He acted on Hæsten’s orders, not mine nor Erik’s. It did not matter... whether or not I knew you were Alfred’s daughter.” Sigefrid looked up from his lap and appeared unusually calm; sympathetic, almost. “I have never seen a woman fight as you do, Lady Blædswith of Wessex. Not even a Danish shieldmaiden could compare. Sparing you... went against everything I stand for… everything!” He slammed his hand down on the bench beside him. “But you were worth saving.”

He then paused, glancing over his shoulder to ensure they were truly alone. “And I would do it again... without hesitation.” Sigefrid sighed in defeat, not wanting to accept the fact of the matter but it was true.

She was taken aback by his confession, unsure of what to say or do. Ever so carefully she reached above her head and took hold of metal bars, helping herself to her feet. The cage was barely tall enough for her to stand upright but she managed. “You still believe me to be worth saving even though I am in ruins?” She asked in disbelief and Sigefrid nodded.

She couldn’t help but smile. “Thank you for sparing my life, Lord. All day I have feared Beamfleot; you, Hæsten, Erik… and everyone else. But now I fear returning home, how foolish is that? Despite the unbearable conditions I have been kept in, here…. I would gladly choose it over the life my father has planned for me.”

With a grunt Sigefrid suddenly rose to his feet, turning away whilst repeatedly running a calloused hand over his face.

“You do not wish to sell me for ransom… do you?”

“I am… conflicted, Lady.” He turned around on the heels of his boots to face her, “As you are. I promised my men wealth and glory, but they do not see you are priceless.” Frustrated by the decision at hand, Sigefrid neared a long table set with platters of food and cups of ale, and with one big sweep of his arm sent dishes crashing to the floor with a loud yell. “Damnit!”

Now seething with sudden rage, Sigefrid abandoned the princess and strode towards the doors to find his brother, only to be stopped by her shouting, “Stop!”

As if compelled by the gods Sigefrid found himself immobilized a mere foot from the door. The princess sniffled beneath the pelt now draped over her head and wiped away tears from her cheeks. “Sigefrid you will not receive what you desire from King Alfred.” She confessed, knowingly signing her own death sentence.

She heard his loud boot steps approaching as he breathlessly snapped, “What? What do you mean, woman?”

“I mean you have the wrong daughter!” She sobbed, watching as the Dane before her grew increasingly hostile and agitated by her words. “I was never his favorite child, never! He cared for me once but my constant defiance has shamed him beyond repair. Why would a king pay a fortune for a disobedient princess whom he no longer loves? He does not value me as a skilled warrior like you do, I am simply a pawn. If and when he negotiates a price… you will not be satisfied with it.”

“Are you saying I should have killed you in the woods?”

“No! And I am grateful you did not. I thank… I thank the gods that you see some greater value in me than my own father, b-because at least I-I know I matter to someone.” The princess choked on her own tears and displayed her aching heart on her chest. “For better or for worse, I matter to you.”

“You speak often of my gods.” Sigefrid folded his arms over his chest and began walking in a circle around her cage. “Have you lost faith in your God?”

She squeezed her ocean eyes shut and nodded, fishing down the collar of her shirt for the wooden cross hung around her neck. She took it in her hand and yanked the necklace from her person. “He has ignored my prayers for longer than I can remember. He turned my own family against me… my own kingdom. I prayed to Him before I fought Hæsten… and I lost miserably.” She gently laid the broken necklace on the floor before spitting on it. “I could never bring myself to denounce Him, but I feel I may soon. Meeting you has been the ultimate test of my faith, Lord.”

Heaven lost an angel the day Princess Blædswith met Sigefrid Thurgilson.

When she opened her eyes she saw that Sigefrid had reclaimed his place on the bench, nursing his hand-blade, slowly working the buckles to relieve his discomfort.

“Who did that to you?”

Sigefrid glared up at her for daring to ask when he assumed she knew. “Your Lord, Uhtred.” Sigefrid groaned, struggling to free his stump from the gnarly contraption.

“I am… sorry he did that to you. I hope it brings you peace knowing I no longer serve Uhtred Ragnarsson.”

“Oh?” He disregarded the buckles on his hand and allowed it to rest upon his knee. “Who do you serve, Lady?”

She scoffed with a smile and leaned her back against the bars, “I serve myself, as hard as it may be to believe. All men who have tried before have failed. For a short while I was sworn to Uhtred of Bebbanburg. I fought by his side and loved every moment of it.”

“Why did you stop?”

“Well, it was not up to me. King Alfred welcomed the idea of his daughters learning to protect themselves. Growing up, Æthelflæd and I trained with the captain of my family’s guards, a man named Steapa. Unlike my sister who was married off to a pig’s ass named Æthelred-”

“-A pig’s ass!” Sigefrid shouted with amusement. “How fitting.”

“He is but a shit stain upon my boot as I have come to know. I fear no man, but he… he is no man.”

“Will you tell me about him?”

“I shall, another time.” She grinned and continued her story, “I pursued my skills in fighting, and once I was good enough Uhtred gladly took me under his wing despite my father’s wishes. Uhtred taught me that not all Danes are cruel and merciless. I am hoping that to be true of yourself and Erik. He seems a kind man.”

Sigefrid nodded in response to her compliment. “He is a good man. I would be lost without his head.”

“I have no doubt.” She teased with a mournful grin. “I wish I could say the same for my father - that he is a good man. It was not easy for Uhtred to let me go but he was ordered by King Alfred to do so. He took away everything I had; my freedom, my happiness. I lost not only my own blood, but Uhtred and his men. I was suddenly… alone.” She glanced at Sigefrid through eyes blurred with tears. “My sister is all I have left. God forbid she turns on me, too. I am not sure what I would do.”

“What are you prepared to do?” Sigefrid cocked his head to the side and attempted to decipher her words. “Are you prepared to kill your own sister? A queen?”

“Is that what you would like me to do?” She scoffed. “Would you kill Erik? Your brother? Surely not.” Lady Blædswith challenged, not able to help herself from feeling defensive over Lady Æthelflæd’s life. The entire hall fell silent except for the sound of rain falling in sheets upon the roof. Sigefrid shifted uneasily in his seat and allowed for his head to hang below his shoulders.

“I… would be lost without Erik.” He repeated quietly, craning his neck to nod at her before returning his undivided attention to the screwy buckles on his hand-blade.

Fascinated by Sigefrid’s troubling efforts the princess blurted, “May I see it? Your hand?”

Sigefrid’s face hardened with shame and distrust. “No.” He hissed and turned away from her like a stubborn child refusing his vegetable dinner. “You may not.”

She took a calming breath and knelt before the gate. “I can take it off and help soothe your pain-”

“Why would you want to help me, woman?” He continued to fumble with the buckles though frustration clouded his focus.

“Well… I’m sure Uhtred had his reasons but no man deserves that. Not a Dane, not even my father.” She rolled her eyes. “Well, maybe my father.”

Sigefrid paused with a grin, and looked up though his gaze refused to find the Saxon woman kneeling before him. “Not even a Dane holding you hostage?”

She gulped dryly and shook her head. “No, not even him.” Her eyes met his longing gaze and the world seemed to stop spinning; the heavy downpour even ceased to fall. “I will not hurt you, Sigefrid. I could not bring myself to.”

Sigefrid contemplated whether or not to expose to her his blessèd curse of an arm; his most loathsome insecurity that had only damned the eyes of his dearest brother. Would she see him as less of a man? Weak; vulnerable, even? The Lord of Chaos decided he was willing to let his guard down as she had done. Perhaps the gentle touch of a woman was all he needed. Though it may not ease his pain entirely, it would surely lift his spirits and remind him why he initially spared her life. He took great pleasure in her company, though not without dreading what was to come of her and his decisions left unmade. With a definitive nod he agreed,

“Very well.”

_______________________________________________

Author’s Note: This was more of a filler/informational chapter regarding *some* of Lady Blædswith’s background. I promise chapters 3+ will be more action packed. I hope this chapter was worth the wait! ;)

(FYI, reading all of Sigefrid’s lines in his voice makes it 10x better)

TAGS: @finantheagile​ @inforapound​ @cheapcakeripper​ @wildwren​ @metall-and-dust​ @onesaltyhunter​ @wessexcrown​ @destinysall​ @lauwrite1225​ @lumxnously​  Feel free to ask to be added to the tag list xx

[flowercrown-bucky]

The Secrets We Hide

Fandom: Marvel

Pairing: Loki x Reader

Warnings: Swearing

Summary: Loki has a secret. A big secret. When Thor needs his help finding Odin, his secret may be exposed.

Authors’ Note: My very favourite reader of my Loki series, Lavender Blue, asked for some more Thor, and whilst thinking about it I got a little carried away

Also Y/N has a last name in this that might make sense if you get to the end oop

If you’re waiting for the next part of Lavender Blue I fucking SUCK at writing smut someone help me-

"Where are we going, brother?" Thor looked curiously at Loki.

He'd been to Britain a handful of times in his life.

The very first had been sometime during what would later become colloquially know as the dark ages, in the early sixth century, he was inclined to believe. Earth, he had found, was wholly unremarkable, if England was anything to go by.

It was on this occasion that he had learned of his brother's magical talents, travelling on horseback through the countryside. He'd stumbled onto a (Remarkably small, he noticed) kingdom, ruled over by a gentleman by the name of Arthur. The real shock, however, had come to him upon entering the banquet hall in his host's castle, only to find his younger brother - who was, needless to say, not pleased to see him - sat next to his host. The lengths he'd gone to disguise himself were commendable, and the beard he'd magicked up was impressive, but there was no mistaking the mischievous twinkle in the eyes of Loki of Asgard.

However, the England Thor found himself in now was a far cry from the country of his memory. Winchester, he had been informed, was where the bifrost had brought them, but the cobbled streets he was walking on were about as unfamiliar to him as unicorn land.

Loki, however, definitely knew where he was. He had clearly been here many times before.

He'd replied to his brother's questioning with a disparaging look, continuing to walk on. All Thor knew about where they were going is that it had something to do with where Loki had placed their father three years ago. As for his personal theories? His mind was drawing a blank.

Eventually, Loki came to a stop in front of a single house within a terrace. A tall, unremarkable house, by all means, built with honey-coloured sandstone, the paint on the windows flaking with age, several panes baring the circular marks of a pontil. Three tall steps led to the front door, and the view of the living room through large window next to it allowing some insight as to the nature of its inhabitant.

Through the hazy glass, Thor could see a remarkably cluttered, disorganised room. A large leather armchair sat in the corner of the room, worn from use and decorated by a patchwork quilt. A similar rug lay on the wooden floor, a tapestry of fabric scraps. Opposite the TV was a grey cord sofa, upon which a number of odd and brightly coloured socks were strewn.

It was fairly safe to assume, Thor reckoned, that the inhabitant of this house - who was currently upstairs, based on the light coming through the window - was not his father.

So what the hell were they doing here?

Loki's three short raps of the knocker elicited a response from the house's inhabitant. They could hear them scurrying down the stairs and towards the door, and fumbling with the lock before opening it.

The woman on the other side was not what he was expecting.

The arrival of your visitors had come as somewhat of a shock to you, that much was apparent from your face. The second thing Thor noticed, was that you clearly knew Loki.

Your hair, slightly damp from the shower, was pulled up on top of your head, secured by a scrunchie, the deep green shade of which complimented your eyes. You were dressed simply in a pair of jeans and a red woollen jumper, your feet bare save for a silver ring around the second toe on your left foot and chipped nail polish on your toenails.

The third thing Thor noticed about you, was that you were very pretty.

"Father?" His voice came out as a squeak.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his brother laughing.

"Your father I most certainly am not." Your right eyebrow quirked bemusedly, crossing your arms. "But this is a surprise."

"Sorry, I must've forgotten to mention it." Loki grinned at you. "Can we come in?"

You stepped aside, beckoning the brothers through the door and into your home. You shot Loki a pointed look as he entered, prompting him to roll his eyes and, begrudgingly, remove his shoes and place them neatly by the door. In the interest of remaining polite, Thor followed suit.

"I take it this is not a social visit?" You asked, leading them into your kitchen.

The kitchen, Thor noticed, was nice. Homely. Small, but still, homely. The stone floor was cool under his socked feet, although his left being slightly warmer than the right led him to suspect your floor was central-heated, and the aga opposite him would probably heat the entire house. The beams supporting the ceiling were low enough that he'd hit his head twice, although he had noticed Loki had ducked, his posture automatically slouched so as to avoid collision.

Loki had clearly spent a lot of time in this house, in this kitchen.

You hopped up onto the counter, crossing your legs at the knee.

"Perceptive as ever, I see." Loki chuckled. "Although, my manners seem to have momentarily lost me. Y/N, this is my brother, Thor. Thor, this is Y/N Hudson. She's.... She's a friend of mine."

Thor did not miss the curious glance you shot at his brother.

"As delighted as I am to see you, Loki," You rolled your eyes. "What do you want?"

"It would seem that my dear brother has managed to lose our father." Thor glared at the dark haired man.

"I would dearly love to know how exactly one goes about losing one's father." Your lips quirked into an amused smile.

"And you're the only living being on this dull little planet who's capable of finding him." Loki ignored your attempt at riling him, catching your gaze.

"I don't understand." Thor furrowed his brow. "What are you, a witch? Do you have some sort of tracking abilities?"

"No, she's just very intelligent." Loki corrected. "Would you give Y/N and I a moment alone, brother mine?"

Thor nodded gruffly, watching you hop off the counter and walk out of the kitchen, into the room he'd first seen through the window.

He did not miss how his brother bit his lip as he looked you up and down.

Your front room was Loki's favourite place on Midgard.

It might even be his favourite place in the nine realms.

It had quickly become his bolt-hole, his safe place. It was the first place he'd ever been shown true kindness, where you'd brought him after you found him in a back alley, dying and alone. It was where you'd laid him on the sofa, where he'd been tucked under a blanket for the first time, where he'd drunk his first ever cup of midgardian tea. It was where you'd allowed him, a complete stranger, to rest and heal.

It was where he'd returned to pester this annoying, intriguing little human being, a process within which he discovered you were possibly less annoying and entirely more intriguing than he'd initially assumed.

He trailed his fingers across the back of your sofa absent mindedly, staring at the rings on your coffee table. You had a habit of leaving half-drunk, cold cups of coffee on this table - hence, the rings - something that irked him to no end.

The long hairs on the cushion caught his eye, and he wondered where the furry little beast might be hiding. Your cat, Kenneth, did not like Loki, a sentiment he wholeheartedly reciprocated. If you weren't so fond of it, he would more than happily fling the little monster into some unreachable pocket of a distant dimension.

His eyes reached where you'd perched on the arm of your armchair, one leg stretched out in front of you. He allowed his gaze to lazily climb the length of your body, taking all of you in.

Gods, did he love your legs.

"I've missed you, darling." He grinned up at you.

"I've not seen you for two weeks, Loki." Your voice was slow, deliberate. "And you come to me now, because you need me?"

He bit his lip, you had him there. He never was quite sure how to gauge your emotions, never sure how you’d react. Everything you did was carefully considered.

Even after all this time with you, you were still something of an enigma to him. It was one of the things that had initially drawn him to you, one of the things that he loved about you.

"On the contrary, my sweet." His voice had dropped, so much so that he was almost purring. "I always need you."

"Don't you try to charm me, silvertongue." You raised one finger in front of you, pointing it at him; a warning.

"Is it working?" He raised one eyebrow at you as he spoke.

"I'll let you know." You grumbled.

A soft chuckle left his lips, crossing the distance between you in two strides, dropping to his knees before your outstretched legs. He glanced up at you inquisitively, a massive grin stretching across his face at your nod of confirmation.

Gently, he lifted his hands up so his fingertips pressed at your stomach, at the little gap of skin between the bottom of your jumper and the waistband of your jeans. His fingers slid gently under your jumper, taking the woolen garment with it until his palms were flat against your stomach.

"Hey, little one." He cooed. "I can't believe how tiny you are. I can barely see you."

You laughed quietly, bringing your hand down to rest on top of his much larger one. He kissed the soft skin of your slightly swollen belly, and the intimacy of the small gesture made your heart swell with love and affection for both him and the child growing inside you.

"I wonder if they'll be blue." You mused, running your fingers through the ends of his hair.

"Why, in the name of all things unholy," He looked up from his ministrations. "Would it be blue?"

"Because, you're, well, you know..." You waved your hands expressively. "Nevermind. I had a scan a few days ago, do you want to see?"

You fished in your back pocket, pulling out a small folded piece of paper.

Desperation was not something Thor was used to.

However, in that moment, it was exactly what he as feeling.

He'd crossed his legs, he'd shifted his weight from leg to leg uncomfortably. But however hard he tried, he just could not shift the feeling. He needed to go to the toilet, and he needed to go to the toilet badly.

As the age-old saying went, when you gotta go, you gotta go.

He'd uncomfortably wandered towards where he'd seen you and his brother wander off to.

What he was not expecting to see, was Loki knelt between your legs.

His hands flew up to his face, shielding his view. He'd seen this before, and it scarred him for life.

What even had he seen? 

His brother, kneeling between the legs of a mortal woman. Your jeans, he noted, were entirely done up.

Loki was kissing your stomach, caressing it, a dark piece of paper clutched in his other hand.

"Your daddy loves you so, so much," His brother had whispered to your stomach. "But don't give your mummy too much grief, ok?"

Words escaped Thor.

This woman Loki had brought him to, was pregnant. With Loki's child.

He cleared his throat, startling both you and his brother. Loki scrambled to his feet, anxious about being caught in such an intimate moment with you.

"I needed the toilet." Thor's voice came out in a much higher pitch than his intention.

"On your left."  Loki's voice was barely a croak, his voice hoarse.

"I'm okay," His voice came out in a more nervous way than he was expecting. "Congratulations are in order, I think?"

"Yes." Loki's voice was gruff, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Thank you, brother."

"Thank you, Thor." You smiled warmly at the god.

"Anyway," Loki was evidently in a hurry to change the subject. "Do you know where the Allfather is?"

"He's in Norway. That's all I know. He's hidden himself well." You rubbed your chin thoughtfully. "But I do know a man who might be able to tell you more."

Loki's lips curled into a satisfied grin.

Thor's state of confusion remained long after they left your house. He was, as the mortals would say, totally gobsmacked.

Unable to provide the location of Odin, you'd handed Loki a neatly folded piece of paper. As far as Thor knew, his brother had not yet opened it.

Loki had kissed you passionately before he left, an uncharacteristic display of affection and one that made Thor deeply uncomfortable. He'd cleared his throat in a pitiful attempt to stifle a laugh, met only by his brother's middle finger in his face.

Rude.

He glanced at his brother as they walked. He'd not said a word since they’d left, but his hair was mussed from your fingers and his cheeks flushed from your embrace.

“I’m shocked.” He mused. “A woman - an attractive woman - likes you.”

“Harsh.” Loki frowned. “And she didn’t, at first. Like me, that is.”

“Smart woman.” He chuckled, eliciting a punch from the taller of the two.

In his many, many years of existence, he would never have guessed that Loki would be the first of the two of them to become a dad. He never would’ve even imagined his brother as a father in his wildest dreams.

In all honesty, he had never imagined a woman taking Loki as her lover.

He shuddered at the mental image. Yeugh.

“Congratulations, I guess.” A sudden fondness overwhelmed him. “Dad.”

“They are everything to me.” Loki’s voice was clear, concise in a way he had never before heard from his mischievous brother - he was, after all, the God of Lies. “I would gladly give my life to save theirs. I’d give yours, for that matter.”

“Your sentiment is touching.” He grunted. “Anyway, where are we even going, brother?”

He turned to his suit-clad little brother, watching him withdraw the piece of folded paper from his pocket. He unfolded it carefully, revealing your delicate, printed writing.

S. Holmes

221B, Baker Street, London.

[phantomchick]

List of wips - aka struggles

Call Me A Jason Todd fic I started two years ago and still go back to poke at longingly, will the second and final chapter ever be posted? Who can know for sure.

-

I tell myself that I don't need Anyone (But the truth is no one needs Me) Another Jason Todd fic I haven't completed, posted two years ago for whumptober, it was the only day of whumptober I participated in, intended to be full of Captain Atom and Jason Todd interacting during the fall out of Bludhaven getting chemo'd but he doesn't show up in the first chapter and have you ever tried to read Infinite Crisis? It's a fucking mess. With this wip I have a close to justifiable excuse in that I refuse to write without knowing the canon, and reading through all the canon that's relevant is A Task.

-

The Monster in The Man A Merlin fic floating around my drafts, currently at a good bit over 5k wherein Merlin gets POSSESSED by an old enchantment gone mad. Written because a Merlin fic I read ended on a horror style cliffhanger and I couldn't handle it so I charged my way through the first 2k of a sequel and I've been adding to it ever since. Angst with a hopefully happy ending, if I ever frikking finish it.

-

The Dragon Lord In the aftermath of his father's death after Merlin inherits his father's dragon lord abilities he notices some minor changes to his interactions with his friends, the thing is that Merlin is a dragon lord and unusually what he hoards is people, things might just turn out the better for it.

-

Maelstrom A Naruto time travel fix it fic that wouldn't leave me alone until I got the first chapter out, ironically it has left me entirely alone since I finished the first chapter and I have no idea if inspiration for it will ever return or when that will be.

-

You Don't Know Anything Long long ago in a land of asks and a time of legend @paradise-runway sent me a fic request for "one where the other Bat boys find out the circumstances of Jason's death and resurrection and their reaction?" it has been lingering in my drafts haunting me ever since, someday, someday I shall fulfill what has been promised.

-

Of Curses and Covenants A longfic exploring the magical underbelly of Gotham's history, focuses on the intertwined relationship of the Wayne Family and the Zatara Family brought about by how often Waynes through the generations have ended up being cursed. I have an index of all the curses ready, the problem with this one is the plot and the story.

-

Vicki Finds a Bat (temporary title) Vicki Vale stumbles upon a still alive young adult Jason Todd at a wafflehouse on the way back from snooping into Cobblepot's latest criminal schemes. Convincing the young man to go back home to his loving father might prove more of a challenge than she thinks however. (will have a happy ending if I ever fucking finish it, for now it looms in my drafts like an unhappy gargoyle)

-

Hug Deficit A fic about Jason being touch starved and his family fixing it, hurt/comfort all the way, post resurrection.

-

Stephanie Brown and The Mansion of Man Pain Robin Era Steph, she and Alfred have pumpkin spice lattes together, it's their thing because I say it is. Includes, Alfred raised 5 boys counting Bruce, he's not sure how to handle a little girl and Bruce trying to dad plus Steph trying her best. Would be a lot easier to write if I was any good at comedy.

-

Another Time, Another Place Some twenty years or so after their death, Martha and Thomas Wayne appear in the middle of Wayne Manor's ground floor parlour room, the major problem with this? Not only are Bruce and Dick away, Alfred's on holiday in England! Which is why Jason as the eldest has been unwillingly nominated by his younger siblings to deal with the situation at hand. Martha and Thomas in this are heavily inspired by @unpretty's amazing portrayals in her fics with them.

- Queen Blackfire and the Lazarus Lord An au with Soulmate identifying marks: Jason Todd was having an okay time as de-facto leader of The Outlaws, a band of misfits and rebels with hearts of gold (or at least silver) saving the world the best they could and filling in the gaps the more straightforward heroes tended to miss while they were at it. Then he found out he was soulmates with the Alien Warrior Queen bent on declaring war on planet Earth if the Justice League didn't find her soulmate for her. Things with his friend, team mate and potential future sister in law Kori just got super awkward and the only good thing he can find about this situation is how angry (and protective? But maybe he's just imagining that) Bruce seems over the whole thing.

Side note: Kommand'r freaked out during the years Jason was 'dead' and accidentally brought peace to a huge chunk of space and intergalactic society via building up her empire after throwing herself into work to escape the grief.

- To Grasp The Hand of a Fox Naruto and Kurama travel back in time to save the world but unfortunately they land in the same moment that Kurama's just been put under a genjutsu by Madara Uchiha, Naruto has to make his way to Konoha and wake Kurama up before the villagers seal him away inside Mito. Can he save his friend in time to save them all?

-

Those Winter Sundays Mcu fic. Snapshots of Tony working hard for the avengers and no one noticing. Civil War Team Iron Man.

- Salvation Rides a Solar Wind Iron Man fic in a Science fiction / Western style fic where Tony's presence is described through the eyes of the aliens he helps. Au where the war with Thanos goes very differently. The type of fic that needs like 5 multi chapter fics in a single series to truly shine, hence why I will likely never finish it.

-

And We Break Away Again Jason goes back to Talia after Damian is brought back from the dead by Bruce. It's not that he begrudges his little brother his resurrection, the opposite, but he can't ignore what Bruce did to him by taking him to the magdala valley and he can't ignore what Bruce doing for Damian what he didn't do for him, (do for Dick, do for any of them besides the blood related one) means. So he decides to go back to the only person who ever seemed to understand why he wanted to avenge himself in the first place, the only person who seemed to agree that he had a right to be angry that he'd died at all, the only person he can trust to hold him together while he feels like he's falling apart that won't judge him against the heroic mold while they're at it. Not sure if this will be a oneshot or a series but we're going good Talia with this one regardless, DC's been ruining her lately but through fanfic all things are possible so fuck them.

-

Fan The Flames In the aftermath of a magical fire taking hold of the Daily Planet in Metropolis, Superman is missing, can Batman and the rest of the Justice League find their friend as well as the identity of the evil arsonist before Lex Luther does it first?

-

In a Whisper (In a Wish) Ichigo Kurosaki protects people, it's not just who he is, it's what he is, down to the core of his very soul. The only problem is, that a few weeks ago he sacrificed half his soul to protect the world. It aches inside where he knows something important used to be. When everyone he cares for is avoiding him and he's starting to feel more like a shadow than a person, that aches at him too and he can't help but wish, quietly, privately, painfully, to himself if no one else that things were different, that he wasn't so broken or so alone. But if wishes were fishes they'd fill a whole sea (just be careful not to whisper them within the hearing range of the Hōgyoku).

-

An Honest Conversation (Is A Bitter Thing To Crave) Jason kidnaps Bruce but things don't go as Bruce expects. First of all the reason Jason was able to kidnap him was because Stephanie of all people was his insider, why would she support someone Batman knows she's only met once. And second of all the reason he's been abducted - So that Jason can drug them both with the same substance. And when Bruce asks what he's doing this for Jason only responds, "We don't trust each other enough to have a truthful conversation otherwise" and refuses to say anything more while they wait for it to kick in. What will be revealed by this forced honest encounter on both sides? -

carrying the world on thin shoulders Midoriya Izuku deserves better from literally all the adults in his life so this is part whump part hurt comfort part fix it fic that sprawls out from time to time but it's pretty bad tbh, at some point I'll probably make it neater and give it something resembling a coherent plot. Hopefully. -

Trust Issues HP fic. Harry gets dosed with a potion that's supposed to reinforce your strongest survival instinct, the person who drugged him might've intended to be helpful but said potion happened to be at extra strength and he was given what would be a normal fix for the regular version but for this one is twice the recommended amount. Great.. The biggest problem about all this - beyond his internationally wanted godfather Sirius endangering himself by hiding out in a cave near Hogsmeade against all rational advice, his best friend Ron hating him, everyone in school besides his other best friend Hermione also hating him or avoiding him and the entire Goblet of Fire problem - is that he can't bring himself to trust anyone enough to tell them what's wrong.

-

Truth is Treason in the Empire of Lies A post marvel avengers story, thor pov probably, made because I like to dive into a pool of thor & loki sibling feels sometimes: Starts off as Thor regales his new human shield brothers with the story of his banishment and return to Asgard ending with Loki falling into the Void and the Avengers have some questions, questions Thor had not thought of, remarks on things that Thor doesn’t know how to explain away.  After he goes to Loki’s cell and asks him some things he becomes more and more angry despite having no one he can punch > Gets drunk and criticises Sif and The Warriors Three after they try to calm him down > mention of Loki still being underage by Aesir standards during Thor 1 seeing as Thor was being crowned due to being of age in the movie > heavy inspiration drawn from queen regnant by peaceheather. “For while the Treason I detest, the Traitor I love still.” Currently just an outline.

-

Separation Split personality disorder Red Hood and Jason Todd, alternatively, Red Hood is a demon/parasite latched on to Jay. A lot of work necessary considering right now it’s currently just an idea inspired by a cool tumblr fanart.

-

A Trinity of Head Wounds The dcu trinity in the aftermath of a fight against some alien invaders (or something along those lines), whump, hurt/comfort, starts with them arguing, ends with them bleeding on each other in a friendship way, whole thing should take place in a single room on the watchtower and be a oneshot so it's gotta be a short and sweet one-two gut punch with the feelings which is difficuuult.

-

A Stark in The Stars an mcu fic, a really over complicated mcu fic, mostly because of Steve Roger's timeline fuckery, Tony's alive but he's not supposed to be, but so are a lot of people who were dead but aren't now you might say what with the snap and the blip. The thing is that Steve's timeline fuckery is making it so that everyone keeps getting confused between the two different timelines of events, obviously more confused the more that their characters were connected to the films/the events that were altered, the punchline of this particular fic though is that Tony's still alive and he's unaware of the timeline of events where he died. And as he's currently in space he's also unaware that everyone on Earth thinks he's dead (because why wouldn't they? he died in endgame after all). That makes this fic super tough to write because like ultimate unreliable narrator right here and not sure how to tie in the whole 'oh wait actually everyone on Earth thinks I'm dead because of the canon timelines' thing in or at what point of the story to do that at. The fuckery of it all gives me a headache. Plot is hard. Also all of that's basically background to the actual focus of most of the fic thus far which is Tony travelling around space in an Iron Man suit up until the point where it won't be background.

-

Magic Chained Merlin au. When you put magic restraining cuffs on Magic himself you don't just bind him you bind all magic the world over. It is therefore, infinitely lucky that Uther Pendragon never became aware of this fact.

-

A Child in The Cold bnha Midoriya deserves better also Recovery Girl and Aizawa have shit to answer for as far as I'm concerned.

-