#like yeah yeah Asgard is on it’s knees

[worstloki]

Odin giving his narrator speech about Asgard’s strength and the mighty realm eternal’s wins against jotunheim/svartalfheim etc. and then abrupt cut to Asgard being taken down by 2.5 guys (Kurse/Malekith) who kill the Queen and 1 guy taking down the King (Loki)

[anonymousewrites]

Portal to My Heart (Book 1.5) Chapter Eleven

Loki x Reader

Chapter Eleven: On Sakaar

Summary: Loki and (Y/N) work on getting the Grandmaster's trust.

            “Here is your room,” said the guard, opening the door to what was apparently a honeymoon suite.

            (Y/N) and Loki smiled as they stepped in and the door was shut behind them. A room of red and white stood before them with wide windows overlooking the city below. It looked nice enough. Two sets of clothes lay on the bed in front of them.

            “Oh my god, really?” (Y/N) groaned as she held up the outfit she was supposed to wear.

            Loki smothered a smirk. “Quite the dress.”

            “Shut it, my dear,” snapped (Y/N). “At least yours covers all of you.”

            “It is blue, though,” said Loki distastefully. He preferred green.

            “Better blue than so showy,” huffed (Y/N). And I just got to wear not formal clothes, too…

            “Unfortunately, Grandmaster expects us to behave, so we should change,” said Loki.

            “Yeah, yeah, I know. I don’t want to get fried,” said (Y/N). She nodded a door leading to an adjacent room. “I’m assuming that’s a bathroom. I’ll change in there.”

            Loki nodded, and (Y/N) went into the bathroom. Loki put on the Sakaarian outfit, sighing at the blue and purple scheme instead of having his preferred green.

            “Man, I’m not going to like it here,” said (Y/N) as she stepped out.

            Loki’s brain froze for a moment as he took in her appearance. Seeing it laid out on the bed didn’t do justice for how it ended up looking on (Y/N).

            The corseted top was a navy blue with gold overlay, and a golden skirt and sleeves hung over blue fabric. The gold under the bust has flower inlays, and chains fell over her neck from sleeve to sleeve. A slit up the side of the skirt highlighted her leg, and it fell to her knees. Gold wedge heels supported her as she stood with her hands on her hips.

            Loki was thanking Grandmaster for his choice since (Y/N) looked incredible. She was more divine and godly than Loki could ever be.

            “You look nice,” remarked (Y/N), looking at his simple but classy new outfit. “I like you in other colors.”

            “Thank you.” Loki liked his outfit much more knowing (Y/N) liked it. “And you look nice as well.”

            “Thanks.” She smiled and chuckled sheepishly. “You’d think that I’d be used to fancy outfits by now after being on Asgard so long, but I’m not.”

            “Well, this is slightly more daring than Asgardian dresses,” remarked Loki. He took (Y/N)’s hand and raised it to his lips, kissing the back. “But you look beautiful in either.”

            (Y/N) turned pink, and her heart fluttered at his praise. She stood straighter, somehow more comfortable knowing that Loki liked it. “Yeah, yeah,” she muttered in embarrassment. “Let’s get to this party.”

            Loki chuckled. “Indeed.”

l

            (Y/N) and Loki stepped out of the elevator into the Grandmaster’s party room. People were dancing and drinking abundantly already. (Y/N) stuck by Loki’s side as they walked to the bar to grab some drinks to blend in.

            “Hey! If it isn’t my two newest friends!” said Grandmaster. “Looking great, guys.”

            “And feeling great,” said (Y/N), plastering a smile on her face.

            “Thank you for the gifts,” said Loki.

            “Anything for you two,” said Grandmaster, winking. “I think we’re getting along, so, hey, want to make sure you’re happy.”

            “And we’re honored,” said Loki, kissing ass to gain trust.

            “Yes. We are,” said (Y/N).

            Grandmaster grinned. “Don’t have too much fun without me,” he said before mingling with other guests.

            (Y/N) and Loki drifted to the edge of the party.

            “So, we’re stuck here,” murmured (Y/N).

            “Yes,” said Loki.

            “How are we going to make the best of this?” said (Y/N).

            “First, we’re going to dance to seem like we’re having a good time,” said Loki.

            “Well, we could be, I just need a few more drinks,” said (Y/N) brightly, downing her drink.

            Loki chuckled and pulled (Y/N) onto the dancefloor, keeping her close as others dancing to the techno music. Loki wasn’t accustomed to this type of dancing, but luckily for the pair, (Y/N) had been clubbing on Earth, and this didn’t feel that different, so she just pulled Loki in and kept them close as they bounced and twirled to the music, letting the beat guide her.

            Under the cover of the music, (Y/N) spoke quietly. “I’m assuming we’re going to overthrow the Grandmaster?” she said, arching an eyebrow.

            “Of course, I just need to get into his good graces,” said Loki, twirling her closer. (Y/N) laughed and shook her head at his confidence. Swaying her to the music, he smirked at her. “You’ve become rather comfortable with revolution. I thought you didn’t approve of taking over other lands.”

            (Y/N) rolled her eyes. “Revolution is different from conquering, and I don’t like the Grandmaster. He has slaves; he has to go.”

            “Of course,” said Loki. He spun her. “So we’re agreed?”

            (Y/N) smirked at him and raised a hand where blue light gathered for a moment. “When the time is right." She frowned. "But then we find out if Asgard and Thor are alright."

            Loki nodded in agreement. “Yes. We’ll need his trust first.”

            “Good thing you’re not known as Silvertongue for nothing,” said (Y/N) teasingly.

            “I can assure you, they call me that for many reasons,” said Loki, leaning closer and pulling her closer.

            (Y/N) ignored the flutter in her stomach at the insinuation. “Well, then, you should have no trouble becoming friends with Grandmaster.”

            “Neither should you,” remarked Loki. “You can be diplomatic and persuasive when needed.”

            “Thanks,” said (Y/N) with a playful wink. “But I was thinking I’d be better suited to getting into the mainframe here and stealing passwords. Then we’d have resources.”

            “Excellent idea,” said Loki. He leaned into her ear while pulling her hips closer, keeping up the appearance of a couple as they danced and plotted. “We will stay here for a bit, and then we can inform Grandmaster that we’re going to slip out for some ‘fun’ and get some work done.”

            (Y/N) grinned and suppressed a shiver as he spoke into her ear. “Right.”

l

            “Hey, hey, hey, where’re you two going? The party’s still going!” said Grandmaster as (Y/N) and Loki made their way to the exit.

            (Y/N) giggled and put her hand on Loki’s chest, playing up her tipsiness as Loki held her close. “Oh, we know, but we just wanted to, you know, have some…personal time?” She grinned at Loki.

            Grandmaster grinned and wagged his finger at them. “Naughty, naughty.” He clapped Loki on the back. “Have fun, you two, and invite me some time!”

            Loki put on a smile as they left the room, and they both let out a breath of exhaustion as the elevator doors slid closed.

            “He’s going to be tiring,” sighed (Y/N).

            “Indeed,” said Loki. “But I prefer him flirting with us to him melting us.”

            “Can’t argue with that,” said (Y/N).

       ��    “So, can you really get us into the mainframe?” said Loki.

            “Yeah,” said (Y/N) with total confidence as the elevator doors opened and they stepped into the hallway leading to their room and others. “I hacked SHIELD. I can handle this place.”

            Loki believed her. She had never failed in anything before. “I’ll watch for guards.”

            “Thanks.” (Y/N) made her way to a computer set up between several rooms. She had seen a worker earlier using it to look up guests and information on who was staying there, so (Y/N) knew it was connected to the system.

            She turned on the computer and opened the panel beneath it to get to wiring. And then she set to work. (Y/N) grinned as she worked. It felt good to be hacking again. It had been way too long since she had the rush of breaking into all the files and data that people tried to keep hidden.

            “Wow, Grandmaster has a lot of stuff he isn’t using,” said (Y/N) as she went through the various ship files and access codes. She grinned. “Mine now.”

            “How far along are you?” said Loki.

            “Nearly done. I’m memorizing some of the codes so I can get into the system faster next time,” said (Y/N), scanning the lines of code popping up before her. “Got it—”

            Loki pulled her up and slammed the computer closed. Moving quickly, Loki pushed (Y/N) against the wall. He pulled one of her legs up around his hip, effortlessly holding her up as one hand held himself above her. (Y/N) instinctively held her hands on his chest in surprise at the action.

            “Loki, what—?!” gasped (Y/N), staring at him wide-eyed as her heart went a mile a minute.

            “Guards,” he murmured, leaning close to her.

            Sure enough, guards were rounding the corner, and they hurried quickly past (Y/N) and Loki as they spied the “intimate couple” and didn’t want to stick around for very long.

            (Y/N) and Loki remained frozen until a few moments passed with no one else appearing.

            “I think they’re gone,” said (Y/N), but she hadn’t moved, staring at how close Loki’s body was to hers.

            “Yes,” said Loki absently, his mind far too busy realizing his hand was supporting (Y/N)’s thigh and he had put them in quite the situation. He snapped out of it and let go, stepping back before his thoughts got away from him.

            “We should head to our room. You know, to, uh, keep up appearances,” said (Y/N) awkwardly.

            “Yes. That’s a good idea,” said Loki.

l

            Loki and (Y/N) stood in their pajamas and avoided each other’s gaze as reality set in. They had been too busy to pay it any mind earlier, but now they were noticing one extremely important fact about the room they were in.

            It had one bed.

            (Y/N) crossed her arms over her, thankfully, normal tank top and shorts pajamas. (She had worried Grandmaster would give her a nightgown or something, in which case she would have simply refused to change and found her Earth clothes). “One bed.”

            “Yes,” said Loki.

            Silence.

            “Well, I’m not sleeping on the floor,” said (Y/N).

            “Neither am I,” said Loki.

            “And we need to keep our cover,” said (Y/N).

            “Yes, we need to seem like a couple in a honeymoon suite,” said Loki.

            “So we’re agreed?” said (Y/N).

            “We both keep to our sides,” said Loki with a nod.

            “Fine,” said (Y/N).

            “Fine,” said Loki.

            Silently, they crossed to their sides of the bed and got in.

            Loki glanced at (Y/N) as she lay stiffly in bed. “Is this your first time in bed with a man?” He had no idea how to deal with the situation in any other way than teasing her.

            (Y/N) scoffed. “This isn’t that type of thing at all, and even if it was, I’ve shared my bed with men and women, this isn’t my first rodeo.”

            Loki found himself gritting his teeth at the idea of others with (Y/N). “Well, you can relax. I don’t have any dishonorable intentions.”

            “…I know.” (Y/N) turned over slightly to face him, and Loki leaned on his side. “Despite everything, I trust you.” She smiled.

            Loki blinked in surprise and felt his heart beat faster pleasantly. “Thank you.”

            (Y/N) closed her eyes and pushed her head farther into the pillow. “Yeah, you’re welcome.”

            Loki smiled and looked at (Y/N)’s peaceful expression. I could get used to this. He closed his eyes and listened to her calm breaths as he drifted off.

l

            (Y/N)’s eyes opened to find herself staring a pajama shirt. She looked up to see Loki’s face, eyes still closed. During the night, both had moved closer, their heads at the inner edges of their pillows as they lay together in the center of the bed. (Y/N)’s legs had twined with Loki’s, and his arms were around her.

            “Loki?” murmured (Y/N).

            Loki’s eyes didn’t open, and he didn’t wake up, but he hummed slightly at her voice and pulled her closer. (Y/N) couldn’t help a fond smile and closed her eyes again.

            Hey, she was on a strange planet with strange people and only the man she loved with her. (Y/N) wasn’t about to break the moment. She reached out and held Loki to her.

            She’d enjoy the peace while it lasted.

            And she didn’t notice Loki’s eyes open and the smile appear on his face as he held (Y/N).

Just a super cute Loki x MC chapter -Mouse

Taglist:

@alexpangender

@technikerin23

@kikster606

@neenieweenie

@h-l-vlovesvintage

[yelenabelovasbxtch]

Make-Up Sex

Dom!Valkyrie x Fem!reader

a/n: Hi everyone! I felt like I haven't written a really spicy story in a while so here's something fun and also new...if you saw one of my previous posts, I am now also taking Valkyrie requests! So...enjoy the first of I'm sure many to come. Also am I the only one who’s been literally THIRSTING so bad for her? I’m sure I’m not lmao but DAMN is she FINE😩😫

LMK IF YOU WANT TO BE ADDED TO MY VALKYRIE TAGLIST!

Summary: Story takes place in New Asgard (TLAT SPOILER FREE!) you and V get into a fight and I'd say it has a very happy ending.

Warnings: SMUT!, 18+ only, fingering, eating out, strap, a lot of filth.

Word Count: 2264 Words

Request: (Anon) dom!valkyrie x fem!reader with absolute filthy smut. Like they have a fight about something they don't even remember anymore and they make it up with aggressive sex.

“You’re fucking kidding me right V?” You snap at her after what seemed like hours of you two fighting over the same thing again and again.

“Love, seriously it is nothing. Jane only has eyes for Thor, it’s very obvious.”

“That’s not my point. You can’t just be blatantly flirting with her when we’re together.”

“Y/N, you need to stop being so anxious, there’s nothing to be worried about.”

“How am I supposed to believe that even for a minute if you can’t stop fucking looking at her? Yeah,” You scoff, “ I see your eyes wandering up and down her body every time she walks into the room. The stupid fucking smirk that comes across your face with it too.”

Valkyrie rolls her eyes at you as she pours out a generous glass of scotch for herself.

“Look, I’m not “eye fucking” anyone.” She says as her hands draw overly dramatic air quotes. “I’m just doing it to mess with Thor, the same way he did to me when the two of us started dating.”

A confused look crossed your face. “What’re you even talking about?”

“Really.” Valkyrie says with a smug look. 

You raise your eyebrows in her direction with a slight shoulder shrug. 

“All he did was hit on you when I first brought you home. It took me months to get him to stop, I’m just playing around now…getting my revenge.” She says with a cocky wink. 

You just roll your eyes and turn around heading for the door.

“Wait! Where you going?” She runs up behind you, grabbing your shoulder

“Fuck off V. I can’t do this right now.” “Y/N, love, it’s just for jokes.”

“Was it really a fucking joke when you told her how hot she looked today? As if I don’t realize how hot she looks, much better than I do every day. Was it really a joke when you talk to her about how you’d treat her better than Thor can? That shit hurts Val. I’m sorry but I can’t do this right now.”

“Shut up.”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me, shut up. Don’t ever tell me anyone is hotter than my girlfriend ever again.”

“You’re THE ONE WHO SAID IT.”

“I never EVER said she was hotter than you. I gave her a small compliment, besides that’s not the point nobody is fucking hotter than you. You are the most drop-dead GORGEOUS woman I’ve ever met and trust me I’ve travelled the nine realms, I should know.”

What she did had you enraged but all the words coming out of her mouth just made you fall that much more for her.

You could feel your heart pounding out of your chest as your eyes scan her face, not sure where they should land after hearing what she just said. As your gaze settles on her lips you push yourself into her, crashing your lips into hers in one swift motion. As your tongues fight for dominance, your knee is slowly grinding against her, making her squirm underneath you. You feel Valkyrie’s breath hitch as you smirk into your kiss. You feel her hands grab you, quickly turning both your bodies so you’re shoved against the wall as she looks down at you with a smile. Her one hand has a forceful grip around your neck, slowing down your breathing. 

“Awe look at you princess. You’re so cute when you think you’re the one in control.”

A small gulp pushes itself down your throat that she felt pass by her tight grip. Your eyes were locked on hers for a moment as you feared what was going to happen next. 

Valkyrie’s hand releases you as her mouth starts leaving a trail of kisses down your neck. Some of them were more bites than kisses, leaving dark purple marks all over you. 

“I’m gonna fucking ruin you gorgeous.” She growled into your ear. You felt your knees weaken at her words and a pathetic whine escapes your lips. 

Valkyrie takes a small bite of your lower lobe as she pulls away, looking at you again, admiring you and thinking of all the things she was about to do to you. 

Your eyes trail down to Val’s pants as a noticeable bulge catches your eye…she was packing.

Before your eyebrows had the chance to even raise, you felt her hand come under your chin and pull your face up to lock eyes with her. “Uh uh uh princess, not yet. Be patient my love, there are lots of things I want to do to you first.”

She knew how much it bothered you when she calls you princess and yet she will continue to do it just to ensure you were frustrated. 

Valkyrie’s hands trailed down your body, eventually hooking a finger into the waistband of your pants pulling you away from the wall and over to her thrown. 

“Strip.” She says as her eyes attempt to undress you before you got the chance.

“Sit.” She towered over you as you sat on her throne, vulnerable to anyone who could walk into the room at any moment. 

“You’ve been bad beautiful,” V says as her arms cross and one eyebrow raises at you. 

“How many times do we have to do this until you realize there’s no need to be jealous of anyone else?” Valkyrie gets down on her knees and starts leaving kisses along the outside of your thighs.

Feeling a little cocky you look at her and regretfully opened your mouth, “already on your knees for me your majesty?”

A head tilt followed by a low chuckle, V immediately gets up yanking you off the chair so quickly you nearly fell over. If it wasn’t for her pulling you back towards her and wrapping her other arm around your waist you would be laying on the floor. Your chests pressed up against one another, the cold of her armour touching your bare skin, sending shivers down your back. 

“What did you just say to me, darling?”

You knew better than to open your mouth again but was it ever fun to challenge Valkyrie’s dominance over you. You just knew that she would punish you for whatever you said or did if it was anything but obeying her every word. 

“Down.” She says putting her hand on your shoulder, pushing you down to your knees. Val’s hands were occupied with her belt buckle as you looked up at her with innocent eyes and concern for what was going to happen next. 

“How about, we put that pretty little mouth of yours to work so it doesn’t get you in any more trouble hmm?” She says with a smirk as her hand takes a fist full of your hair, slowly lowering your lips down onto her strap. Your breathing slows as you take in less air with her not letting go of you. “Look at me princess while you suck my cock.”

Your eyes dart up to her face as your lips start to go numb from the motion and friction against the silicone. Valkyrie continues to make your head bob up and down as her hand pulls your hair and uses it to push you further down on her cock. 

“Have you learned your lesson yet love?” She says loosening her grip on you and slowly caressing your cheek with your mouth still full of her dick. 

Maintaining the same eye contact, you slowly nod your head at her as a smirk comes across her face. 

“Come,” she says, offering her hand out to you to pull you off the ground. 

“Since you were such a good girl, taking all of daddy’s cock, you get to sit and enjoy me doing something for you now.” She says gesturing towards the throne again as you take your seat. 

Valkyrie spreads your legs and without wasting time allows her fingers to run up your folds which to nobody’s surprise were soaked. “Someone’s quite excited.” She says with a smirk. You were about to roll your eyes at her when the shudder of pleasure shot up your body at the feeling of one of her fingers entering you. Your mouth opened to let out a moan that didn’t want to come out as your head flew backwards, eyes closed as your body filled with pure ecstasy. 

“F-fuck V.” You groaned out as another one of her fingers entered into you. 

Val was slowly increasing the speed of her fingers as her tongue found its rightful place drawing circles on your clit causing you to squirm under her touch. Valkyrie can’t help but smile when she looks up at you, seeing how pretty you look with your eyes shut and head thrown back trying to swallow the moans she’s creating. 

With all the teasing and tension between the two of you, it makes sense how quickly you were ready to cum. Your hips started bucking up and down on her mouth. 

“V— I think I’m getting close.” 

You feel Valkyrie insert a third finger and her arm starts pumping in and out of you as fast as she can as her tongue draws figure eights on your clit. Your hips are bucking into the air as you cum all over her face, pushing her fingers deeper inside of you. 

Everytime she makes you cum she has the most devilish smile on her face. Once you came down from your high, you felt her lips on yours again. 

“Do you like how you taste princess?” She whispers into your kiss. 

Fuck you nearly melted right then and there. 

You nodded in response to her question as you pulled away from her face. 

“I’m not quite done with you yet, love.” She says, pulling away and offering her hand to help you up. As you stand, you almost topple over from how weak your legs felt post-orgasm. Valkyrie chuckles watching you struggle to stand. 

“Allow me.” She says as you wrap your arms around her neck and jump up to wrap your legs around her waist. She carried you over to the wall, backing you up against it as she slowly lowered you down onto her strap, giving you enough time to adjust. 

You let out a loud moan when her tip entered you as your pussy stretched to take her full length. Fuck was this hot. She has done many…many things to you before but holding you up, fucking you against a wall? That’s new. 

Valkyrie watched your face as you moaned in pleasure from her cock slowly going in and out of you. Your pussy soaked her cock as she continued to pound into you. Small whimpers falling from your lips only made her thrust into you faster. Her head would lean into the crevice of your neck, panting as she pounded you. 

You could feel yourself nearing the edge again just from her movement, your clit was pulsating, begging to be touched. 

“Val, I think I’m going to cum again.” You mumble. 

“Not yet princess.” She replies. 

A groan falls from your mouth at the sudden absence of her dick. Valkyrie lightly lets your legs fall to the ground and brings you over to the conference table, pushing on your upper back, forcing you to bend over it. She grabs one of your thighs, pulling it up so your knee is resting on the table top. You feel her lick a strip up and down your pussy followed by the tip of her cock slowly teasing your entrance. The small bit of attention your clit got for her mouth was almost enough to push you over the edge but you knew there would be consequences if you came after she told you not to. 

After a few seconds of your folds being teased, you feel her push into you, taking all 8 inches at once you let out a loud groan. Val held down your leg for leverage as she pounded your pussy, you could hear how wet you were with every thrust into you. 

“V— please. I am so close, I don’t know how much longer I can hold it for.” You say clenching yourself around her cock. You feel her bring a hand down onto your ass cheek as you wince in pain. 

No response as she continues to increase her pace at which she’s thrusting into you. 

Her thrusts are getting sloppy and breathing is shallow. “You ready to cum for me princess?” 

“Yes, daddy, please let me cum for you.”

“Cum for me, gorgeous.” 

Finally, you release all over her cock, as your hands try to grab onto the mahogany table she had you bent over. You screaming her name as her thrusts slow down and your legs stop shaking. 

Valkyrie slowly pulls her length out of you and before you had the energy to lift yourself up and turn around to look at her, she already had her pants up and her belt being done up. It didn’t even look like she just fucked the hell out of you but holy shit did you look ruined. She just looks at you with a smirk as you try to fix your hair and compose yourself as you scan the room for where your clothing ended up. 

“Did you learn your lesson princess?” She asks with a smirk. “Or will I have to teach it again later tonight?” 

Her cocky attitude always worked on you and only the gods knew you were ready to run your mouth again later once you could walk straight.

-- The End --

Some tags just for notis: @jeyramarie @flosbelova @bridgecitybrad @justthis-stuff @chloe7076 @ailenepuff @3xbyrn320 @thorya22 @ravenclawbitch426 @mellowladyangel @wandanatvoid @amcg0605-blog @kassies-take @yelenaswife1996 @wandanatchick @yelenaslyubov

[c0s-lettuce]

insurmountable - loki x reader

non-specific gender, loki s1e4 setting

a/n: had this in my drafts for a long time and finally decided just to get it done. anyway, can you tell i'm excited for season two? enjoy ;)

word count: 863

This sucks. There's no doubt about it. Loki knelt on the floor, head hung in defeat. A memory prison. He wondered which sadistic member of the TVA came up with this.

Loki couldn't spend much more time here, that he knew for sure. An honest confession to Sif only spared him the physical assault. The script didn't change. The same dagger was used each time.

"You deserve to be alone, and you always will be."

Footsteps approach again. Loki braces himself for another round, not even bothering to get back up.

But then something happens, something he would have never anticipated.

"Loki?" your voice sounds out from the entryway.

His head shoots up. Bleary eyes focus on you.

He's positioned in the middle of the courtyard. He's on his knees and frankly looks a mess.

As you approach him, you notice his face. It's almost unreadable; a mix of confusion, sadness and... relief?

"Are you alright?" You crouch down in front of him.

He grabs onto your shoulders as if checking you were real. You're slightly taken aback by the gesture.

"How are you here?" he asks, clearly shocked.

"Uh, I was just on my way back from my lesson with your mother," you say.

Of course. Early on Asgard, you had shown "magical potential", granting you lessons with the all-mother herself.

This was before everything. Before the kiss, before the heartbreak, before the death. You were still a fresh face around the palace.

You continue, "Then I heard Sif yelling, which usually means something bad. And you're on the floor, which is also not good."

Loki's thoughts are running a hundred miles an hour. He looks down and exhales deeply.

"I'm a terrible person," he tells you.

Surprised at his sudden confession, you ask, "What made you arrive at that conclusion?"

He looks up at you, "I cut Sif's hair. I thought it would be funny."

"Oh, I see," you say, "...Did you apologise?"

"I tried, though it didn't help much."

"Apologies can be worth a lot. Give her some time to cool down. Besides, your mother's probably got some spell to grow back hair, right?"

He looks away again.

"Maybe," he shrugs.

"Hey, it's okay, everyone does stupid stuff," you tell him, "All you can do now is work on making it better."

Loki looks back up at you; you're as beautiful as ever. He feels too ashamed to look at you for long. He exhales again, rubbing his eyes.

"You seem really tired," you say.

Loki lets out a dry laugh, "You have no idea."

You take hold of his hands and help him stand up.

"C'mon," you say, "It's late. We should both go to bed."

Though Loki wishes he could sleep, he can't leave. He tried about two or three memories ago. The courtyard loops back into itself. The TVA must be really proud of themselves.

"I just need a little more air," he tells you instead, "You go on ahead."

"Are you sure?" you ask.

"Yeah, I'll be alright," he assures you.

"Okay," you say, "See you tomorrow then."

"I'll count the minutes," he replies.

You smile before heading off.

Loki falters. They'll be minutes he won't have. You'll disappear across the courtyard, possibly forever. And Sif will return like clockwork with her fiery rage.

"Wait," he calls out before you've made it too far, "I need you to know something."

You turn back around, "What is it?"

I love you. That's what Loki wants to say. I'll love you until every star in the multiverse dies. But he can't. Not to you. Not now.

So instead, he tells you, "I know we haven't known each other for all that long. But I want you to know, you mean a lot to me."

You react surprised, but not negatively. And Loki feels relieved to see that.

"Oh, thanks. It's nice of you to say that," you smile.

You take a moment to look away and think of something else to say.

When you do, you look back and say, "I'm glad we're friends, Loki."

He smiles back. And the two of you stand there for a little while. It seems both of you have more to say, but words don't come to fruition.

He longs for every second, though every second hurts more and more. It's a pain he would endure if it meant just a little more time.

But he knows.

"Goodnight," you finally say.

He knows he has to let you go.

So he responds, "Goodnight, love."

The pet name slips out, of course, from years of habit. But he catches you smiling a little more after hearing it.

You were still you, even though this never happened. Even though you weren't really there.

Everything was so much easier during this time. But if only it were real. If only this was an opportunity to restart and fix all the mistakes ingrained in Loki's past.

But it's not. A bust in the system, perhaps. Or someone took pity. Or maybe divine intervention decided to gift this moment with you.

➸

Either way, it happened. So he takes his time watching you walk away. Insurmountable. Perfect.

You.

[theangrykimchi]

For River on twt who asked for #7 - to shut them up 🥰

✵✵✵

The sliding doors opened with a whirring sound, letting Loki enter the captain's quarters along with a billow of steam from the bathroom, light spilling onto the brown patterned carpet for a moment before the doors closed behind him again.

He was bone tired from the day's events, dragging his feet under him as he made his way to the soft bed where Thor was already sprawled upon. Loki yawned, big and loudly, hand rubbing a towel through his hair. Thor stretched luxuriously in all of his naked glory, equally exhausted with Loki.

Loki tripped.

“Fuck!” he exclaimed in surprise, trying to regain his balance.

Turning his head, Thor looked at him while Loki looked down to find a linen shirt tangled around his foot.

“Maybe you should start watching where you're going?” Thor murmured, yawning and turning to his side to look properly up at Loki who was bending down to retrieve the shirt .

“Maybe I wouldn't have to if you tidied after yourself.”

Thor laughed. “You're one to talk,” Thor said, making a waving motion to indicate all of Loki's stuff taking over every available surface.

Loki crossed his arms over his bare chest, standing before his brother's legs that were dangling from the bed. “You aren't back in Asgard where we had dozens of servants to chase after you and clean your messes,” Loki snapped, knocking his knee lightly into Thor's when he wouldn't look at him.

Sharing such a limited space after centuries of being used to each having their own sprawling chambers was hard and it had started getting to them after a few months of it, raising arguments between them that got more and more frequent.

Thor braced himself on his elbows, raised an eyebrow.

“You really want to get into it right now? When we're both this tired?”

“I don't know, Thor, I'd like it if I didn't endanger myself every time I walked in our bedroom.”

Thor laughed and grabbed Loki's hand, trying to pull him in the bed with him, but Loki wouldn't budge. Thor pulled with more force, making Loki drop inelegantly on top of him with an <i>oof</i>. Raising himself with his palms braced either side of Thor's head, Loki glared at him.

“Don't try to seduce me, fool, I'm ang–”

Thor shut him up with a kiss, his arms wrapping tightly around Loki's trim waist. Loki growled in frustration, ripping his mouth away.

“You extremely irritating, oafish bas–”

Thor surged after him, knocking their teeth together as he captured his mouth again. Loki's hand slapped on Thor's pectoral, trying to push him away. Their legs tangled, their bodies slotting together seamlessly as Thor rolled them over. Unwilling to give in, Loki turned his head on the side, but that only gave Thor easier access to all the sensitive areas of his neck, turning Loki into a moaning mess soon after.

“Fuck you,” Loki cursed, pulling at Thor's hair, pulling him closer to where Thor was mouthing on his tendon. “This won't change anything. You know I can let you fuck me and still be mad at you.”

“I'll clean up tomorrow,” Thor promised, his voice hot in Loki's ear, his hand tight on his lean thigh. “Will you give in now and forgive me for causing you to almost break your neck?”

Loki looked at him silently for a few moments, his expression furrowed into a scowl. Finally, he sighed and relaxed back into the rumbled covers.

“Fine. Yeah. Okay. Sex me up. Come–”

This time, when Thor cut him off with a kiss, Loki melted into it without resistance, holding on tightly to Thor's shoulders and chasing after his warm tongue.

The next day, Thor excused himself from his morning Kingly duties and made sure to clean up the entirety of their living space, even going as far as to tidy up Loki’s books, documents and scrolls into neat clutter piles. The soft kiss he received as a thank you when Loki entered their rooms late in the evening, was the best reward he could get.

✵✵✵

[sorcharavenlock]

42. A man of mystery.

I call Nea and Kitty the next day. As always, they are up for a new adventure!

Nea drives while Loki casts the spell Frigga taught him to divine the whereabouts of this magic quill.

After a few hours, we arrive in a strange little town called "Forgotten Hollow".

Nea parks the cars and Loki weaves his magic.

"Please let it not be in that creepy mansion over there," I say to Nea.

"It's in that creepy mansion over there!" Loki yells cheerfully over his shoulder.

"I should have brought Dean," Kitty grumbles. "This place is giving me the creeps."

"I kind of like it," Nea shrugs. "It's awesome in a spooky sort of way!"

It is early September, but snowflakes are already drifting down from the sky above. I shiver. This whole place is weird!

"Are you sure it's there?" I ask Loki.

"Do you not trust my magic?" He replies archly.

"Just cast the spell again please, just to make sure."

"Well, that answers that question," Nea grins.

Loki makes his way to the door.

"It's open," he says as he steps inside.

"Loki! You can't just walk into someone's home unannounced!" I follow him with a sigh.

"Why not? it gives us the element of surprise!"

The home owner sure seems surprised!

"Nea, isnt' that the guy we met in the club?" Kitty asks.

"What do you think you are doing just barging into my home?"

"My name is Loki, son of Odin, formerly prince of Asgard, god of Mischief." loki introduces himself politely.

"We are looking for a powerful atrifact and my scrying spell led me to your home."

"My name is Valentin," V says. "And whther you are a prince or a god doesnt' matter, you can't just come barging into my home!"

"My sincere apologies, we weren't certain what to expect," Loki apologises smoothly.

Valentin invites us to take a seat.

He seems rather taken with Nea.

"We are looking for Hela's Quill," Kitty explains. "Wwe are hoping we could borrow it so we can bring Loki back to life."

"Hela's Quill? I have it here, yes. It is not something I particularly care for, I have to admit. You are free to take it. Follow me."

We follow him down the stairs into the basement where we find an underground hedge maze.

"Well, this place just keeps getting weirder," Nea comments.

Valentin just smiles. "You should see the rest of the house. perhaps i'll show you around some other time."

"This is Hela's Quill. You are free to take it, but i'm afraid it won't do you any good."

"We have a capable author amongts us," Loki explains.

"That is not the problem. The problem is that the author has to write down the subject's life story before said subject dies. It wont' work posthumously, I'm afraid.

But feel free to take it. I'd rather be rid of it, if I am to be honest."

Loki takes the quill, not showing his dissapointment.

"Come, let's go," I say. "let's give Valentin and Nea a chance to talk!"

We walk out of the door just as Valentin sits himself down at his pie organ.

"See, he gets to have an organ," Loki grumbles.

"This is quite the place you've got here," Nea says.

"It belonged to my Father's family. They were strange people."

"And your mother?"

Valentin glaces at the door Loki just left through. "They are even stranger," he smiles.

"Yeah, that isn't mysterious at all," Nea mutters to herself. "You aren't going to tell me more about yourself, are you?"

"No, not right now," Valentin grins. "perhaps the next time."

"You said that the last time," Nea points out.

Valentin stands up and takes her hands into his.

"I promised you we'd meet again, and so we did."

"You couldn't possibly have known we'd walk into your house today," Nea points out.

"Couldn't I?"

"Well, I suppose I've seen a lot weirder stuff recently," Nea admits.

"Good. Because having me in your life means you'd better get use to the strange and unexplainable."

"Does that mean I'll see you more often?"

"Oh yes. I am certain we are destined to meet again," Valentin says with a smile that makes her go weak at the knees, not that Nea would ever admit to that!

"But you should go now, your friends are waiting for you."

"Farewell, my beautiful Nea. Until we meet again."

[hannibals-favourite-meal]

The Lost Princess Chapter 6

Jotun!Loki x plus size reader

When Jotunheim and Asgard are on the brink of war, only a marriage of convenience between the two worlds can unite them. The only problem is, Odin does not have a female heir, or does he?

Submit your own character!

Warnings: fluff, arranged marriage, angst, d/s dynamics, slow burn, Odin slamming, enhanced!reader, swearing, slightly unhealthy relationship, Loki is an emotionally stunted person, age gap (I wrote reader as being in her early twenties but can be read as any age), mention of dead parents

WC: 6.2k

Minors DNI

Chapter 6

The Ice Will Always Melt

The air smelt of ash, gray flecks floated down with the ever-falling snow. Y/N lay in the white powder, the expensive furs she had donned were soaked through but she made no move to get up.

“You need to get up, pet.” “No.” A sigh. “I wasn’t asking.” “And I’m not listening.” “Your rules still apply. I will not hesitate to put you over my knee if you continue to disobey me.” She lifted her head from the snow, her hair covered in it. “Yeah and that would actually involve touching me which you can’t seem to do.”

Loki growled, he stood over her, his huge stature casting a massive shadow. Her eyes flicked up to his red ones then back down to his crotch which was barely covered by the leather strip he always wore around his hips. “Are you done sulking?” She glared at him in response.

The ground shook as he plopped down next to her, sending a puff of snow onto her plump body. “You can’t do that forever.” “Thanks for your wisdom Master.” She hissed. “It wouldn’t kill you not to be such a fucking brat.” She just glared at him, wincing as she tried to turn away. “Try one more time and then I’ll bring you inside to change your dressings.”

“I am sorry I was not here to help you my love.” Loki cupped her cheeks, lightly kissing her forehead as he guided her back into the water, muttering in a language she didn’t understand. The water glowed as her damaged skin came into contact with it, immediately soothing the burn. “Stay here, I’ll be back.” She was shocked into silence, simply watching as her husband rushed out of the room, eyes filled with panic. 

He came back into the room with a pile of cloth but before she could identify what he was holding, he completely stripped down to join her. Y/N’s eyes went wide at the sight of his cock. She quickly averted her gaze but it was already burned into her mind. He was incredibly thick and long, well-endowed even for being a 12ft frost giant, his soft length was easily over 15 inches and thicker than her forearm. Silvery ridges, like the ones on his body, went down the entirety of his cock, leading to a slightly purple tip. 

The water settled around them as Loki kneeled in front of her, holding a glass jar full of ointment. “Wh-what are you doing?” “Just relax, pet. Let me take care of you.” Huge hands gently rubbed the oil into her skin. Bolts of pain still shot through her as he touched her but it was more dulled than before. “I know. I know how much it hurts but it’ll be over soon, just breathe.” She clutched the index finger on his left hand, squeezing every time he hit a particularly sore spot. “Why didn’t you tell me you had abilities?”

Y/N huffed. “I didn’t know. I had a nightmare and I burnt your bed.” “It’s our bed pet.” “Agree to disagree.” He chuckled, the sound was strangely comforting. She whimpered as he touched her sternum, calloused fingers gently massaging the skin between her breasts, careful not to touch the fatty tissue. “Are you almost done?” Her eyes were flicking to everywhere but his own, not able to look at him as he touched her more intimately than anyone else ever had. “Almost, you’ll just need to soak a bit longer for the medicine to work.” The prince sat on the stone bench beside her, pulling his small wife onto his lap and wrapping his arms around her so she was trapped in place. She froze, feeling his half-hard cock resting between her legs, his tip nestled between her pudgy thighs. “You need not worry pet. I will not take you tonight.”

Huge arms held her tighter, and even though she knew she shouldn’t, Y/N melted into his embrace, letting the tears fall again. “I’ll help you control it. You needn’t be scared.” She slept soundly in her husband’s arms that night, the burns soothed by the many bandages and his cold skin.

Loki guided her back to her feet and directed her towards the pile of wood he had gathered, much of it was already burnt to a crisp. “Can we just go back inside? I can’t do any more.” “You need to practice. Your abilities are obviously tied to your emotions so we need to figure out how to manage it.” “What’s all this ‘we’ talk, I’m the one that has flames coming out of them.”

“I’m really trying to be nice but if you want, we can go back to being Master and pet.” “Cause that worked so well last time.” The first time he had taken her out of the palace to practice her new found abilities, she had gotten too worked up, snapping at her husband which made him bend her over his knee in the snow. The pain and aggravation she felt had turned into an explosive outburst.

The flames she let out were so powerful that they melted the ice around her that had never been melted before and burned Loki quite badly. He had simply taken a deep breath and brought her back inside, stripping them both down to soak in the healing water. Her eyes had still burned with rage even as he delicately cleaned her skin before tending to his own wounds. He hadn't touched her since then.

Y/N huffed but extended her arms once more, her s/c skin being exposed to the elements but the cold had little effect on her anymore. Worthless. Disgusting. Ugly. The voices rang out in her head, the insults bouncing around her brain, getting more cruel and venomous each time they came forward.

She winced as the voices got stronger, heat racing through her veins, steam rolling off her. Red flames licked at her fingers, the glow surrounding her. Loki watched as her eyes become glassy, her pupils and irises disappearing under a sheen of white, leaving only a thin, almost translucent line under the white.

She looked regal, a goddess overwhelmed with fury, threatening to burn everything that opposed her. She was a queen in the making. But the tears that dripped down her plump cheeks were what really terrified the god. 

He knew emotions drove her powers, just as they did his own. Negative thoughts were powerful, good for short bursts but they weren’t sustainable. They ate away at one until there was only a husk left, driven forward by anger or sadness then nothing, only numbness remaining. Loki reached out to touch her but stopped as a sob ripped through her chest.

Her eyes shut and she collapsed into the snow, the red dissipating into the gray skies. He sighed. “Fuck.” He ran a hand through his raven hair, taking it out of the bun he had tied it up in. Squatting down, he scooped her into his arms, the heat from her body radiating even through the furs she wore. Huge hand cupped her face, brushing the remaining tears away. She looked so small in his arms, too small, too delicate, too innocent.

Servants scrambled out of his way, all too eager to avoid the prince’s legendary temper. Especially after the huge tantrum he had thrown a couple weeks before. His shouts almost shook the ground as he screamed at his father for speaking to his wife without permission. A storm had raged as Loki’s eyes almost glowed with fury. 

Laufey matched him word for word. “I never thought my own son would use his wife as a slave and would be so inadequate to not even get his wife pregnant even after all the fertility potions we have been putting in her tea.” It was a low blow but necessary. “You’ve been drugging her?!” “I’ve been ensuring that you’re following through on this deal.” He growled, looking down on his son, eyes blazing.

“She is my wife, I’ll do with her what I please.” “Exactly, she is your wife, not a concubine. You both have an obligation to birth a child. Do not treat her like a slave, she deserves your respect for even marrying such a spoilt brat.” Loki yelled in frustration, storming from the hall. He left Jotunheim, knowing that if he returned to his rooms, he would not be able to control himself and take his anger out on her. 

The prince laid his wife on their newly fixed bed, making sure she was in the direct center. Her breathing was even and slow, at least she was getting rest without the constant nightmares that seemed to invade her subconscious every night. With gentle movements, he stripped the many layers off her body, careful not to touch the still healing wounds.

And then with a practiced ease, he redressed the burned and wrapped her in one of his shirts, sliding her beneath the covers. Settling himself by the fire, he watched over her as she slept, ensuring that she got the rest she needed.

——————

“So, what, no training today.” Y/N slumped into the chair across from her husband, thick arms crossing over her heavy chest, her body finally gaining back the weight she had lost. Loki barely looked up at her, red eyes flicking up only briefly, noting her eyes still puffy from sleep, before returning to his book. “You’ve passed out every time we’ve tested your powers.”

“Maybe it’s because you’ve been overworking me.” She scoffed, picking at the plate of fruits she didn’t recognise. Anger curled in his chest at her blatant sass, hand twitching, tempted to put her over his knee but he wouldn’t risk it, not until he learnt the full scope of her abilities. “I have nearly been pushing your limits in an attempt to understand how these powers came about and how strong they are.” He answered bluntly.

“I’d blame the shit they injected into my system while I was being tortured.” She selected a grape-looking thing, the bright blue colour slightly throwing her off, but popped it into her mouth anyway. “You’re a demi-god, it is a given that you would be powerful but they would only emerge if you were put under great stress.” He could practically feel her eye-roll as she took another bite of fruit. 

Loki heaved out a sigh, his huge chest expanding with the intake of air. “Rule 2. Now.” “What exactly does that have to do with anything?” Long blue arm stretched over the table, strong fingers gripping her jaw tightly so her e/c eyes were forced up to his ruby ones. “Do not question me pet. Rule 2.” A shiver rolled up her spine at the pure dominance of his tone, a fire lighting in her belly before it quickly extinguished.

She couldn’t bear to maintain eye-contact with him, not when it was like he was staring into her soul, making her feel naked and vulnerable. “You are never allowed to lie to master.” She murmured, her voice quiet and docile, the rules burned into the front of her mind. He withdrew his hand, slowly. She knew the threat was still there, how easily he could break her with just a flick of his wrist.

“Correct. And that also means that you don’t omit the truth. I do this to keep you safe.” Y/N scoffed, Loki ignored her and continued, placing his book down on the table with a thump. “Your powers are motivated by emotion and that emotion is obviously damaging you. I may be a cruel man but I cannot ignore the fact that you cry whenever we train.” Her shoulders became hunched, folding in on herself. 

“So what do you want me to do?” She almost pleaded, ripping apart the small bits of fruit she put on the plate in front of her. “Be honest. That is all I ask. It is the one rule I want you to abide by until we understand the full extent of your abilities. Am I clear?” Y/N’s fingers withdrew from her plate and twisted around the delicate chain of her necklace, anxiously pulling on the thin links.

She gasped and flinched away when Loki placed a giant hand over the top of her own. His skin was cold against her own, the hard calluses on his fingers a stark contrast on her soft palms. He seemed concerned as he loomed over her, emotion shimmering in his eyes, a lock of his dark hair falling from his braid. “I will find a way to help you, but you must trust what I am doing and you must listen to me. I am far older and far more powerful than you. We will fix this.”

A breeze blew through the room, shocking her out of the slight daze she was in. Yanking herself from his grip, she moved to the center of the room. She was silent for a long while pacing on the intricately designed carpet, her bare feet sinking into the fibres, tramping them down. Loki watched as she walked with a surprising amount of grace. Each step was light as if trying to stay silent, her head held high, shoulders back. She almost looked like a real princess.

Could she really trust him? She doubted it but it wasn’t like there were any other options, she didn’t even know how to get off this stupid planet let alone who she could go to. Not Asgard, Odin would turn her away, it’s obvious he only saw her as a bargaining chip. She doubted anyone on Earth would help her after learning she married Loki of her own free will. And Laufey would return her back to Loki if she went to him. 

Maybe if she gained enough of his trust, she could get some more freedom. Maybe she could even convince him to let her see Thor. It was getting slightly depressing only seeing one other person’s face, only hearing her own voice or that of her husband’s for months now. Even having a little pet would be enough, she was sick of being alone.

The weight of what she knew she had to do rested heavily on her shoulders. Part of her wanted to wait out this wretched marriage, content to let Loki do what he pleased with her until her death or got bored of her. But a larger part wondered that, if she could master these powers, then she could escape this icy planet. 

“Ok.” Y/N sighed, turning to look up at her husband through her dark eyelashes. “I’ll do it. I’ll do whatever you wish for me.” “Very good. Now I think it best for you to finish your breakfast, then you may do what you wish for the rest of the day while I prepare your new training.” She resisted the urge to roll her eyes at his almost derogatory tone. Loki crossed his legs, giving her a quick glimpse of what was hidden under his black trousers, the outline of his cock clearly visible as he moved. “Doesn’t anyone own underwear on this planet?” She thought as she planted herself on the small bench at the end of his their bed.

“Well, go on then, do what you normally do when I’m not here.” He urged, his deep voice rumbling through the cavernous room. This time she did roll her eyes. “I am.” His red eyes narrowed at her, not fully trusting her word. “Really? I didn’t think you were that dull that you just sat and waited for me to come home.” Y/N scoffed, crossing her plump arms over her chest defensively.

“You left me alone here for over a week. I’ve already read all of your books, they were incredibly boring by the way. Would it kill you to get better books like Lord of the Rings or Jane Austin? Hell, I’d even take Fifty Shades of Grey at this point and that book sucks.” The god scoffed, leaning back in the massive recliner-like chair. “I do not think any Midgardian writer deserves to be placed in my library.”

Y/N pointed at the huge, well loved, leather covered book that stood proudly in the center of the main shelf of books. “That is the complete works of Shakespeare. Get me something good.” He just barely hid the smirk that coloured his features before Y/N’s e/c eyes turned their attention back to him. “You seem to be ungrateful for what I have provided.” He prodded.

“I’m just saying you don’t have any taste.” She muttered under her breath, he caught it but didn’t say anything, all too pleased to have a little brat on his hands instead of the lethargic girl he married. “I will procure you some knitting needles and yarn for now, I know how much you adore knitting. And I will think about getting you some books. But only if you are good.” Y/N froze, did she tell him that she liked to knit? She couldn’t remember if she had. 

She glanced at him suspiciously as he turned back to his book. “Make a list of works that you would like and I shall see what I can do. I can’t have my wife being bored now can I?” He asked rhetorically. “Right.” The woman murmured, keeping the huge man in her sights, studying him, trying to remember if he had ever asked about her interests. There’s no way he could’ve heard about it from Thor or Frigga, she had only met them briefly and their own interactions with Loki seemed strained to say the least.

He could be a mind reader but somehow she doubted that. If he was he totally would’ve heard her disparaging remarks she constantly made about him in her head. “If you cannot decide what to do, I will choose for you.” He scolded, she remained silent, still thinking. Loki sighed. “Go on pet, pull down that book.” He gestured to the large book of plays, spurring her forward. 

Sliding from the bench, which was more of a daybed to Y/N, she reached up and grabbed the massive volume, letting out a small puff of air as the heavy weight of it landed on her chest. She stumbled slightly and Loki’s hand just shot out in time to catch her before she fell, his palm resting over the small of her back, almost encompassing it. “Careful pet.” 

He plucked the book from her grip, laying it down on the table on top of the one he had previously been reading, before picking her up and carefully setting her down on his lap. She tried to squirm away but he held firm until she gave up, bottom lip jutting out in a very adorable pout. “That’s better. Now, read to me.”

“What?” “You heard me, read to me. Pick your favourite and read.” Y/N pondered for a moment, then laid the book down on the table in front of her, turning the pages until she found the beginning of Hamlet. She took a deep breath and began. “Francisco at his post. Enter to him Bernardo. Bernardo. Who's there? Francisco. Nay, answer me: stand, and unfold yourself.”

——————

“Please! Stop!” It was a desperate scream that had awoken the prince from slumber. Y/N was thrashing on the mattress beside him, her eyebrows scrunched in pain, sweat dripping down her forehead. She looked terrified. Moving quickly, Loki took her into his embrace, hissing at the steadily increasing temperature of her body. His long arms tucked her into his chest so her nose rested in the crook of his mighty collarbone. This position was becoming all too common now, the way he acted as a straight jacket for his thrashing wife when her anxiety and fear became too much.

Her nails dug into his forearms painfully, cutting his azure skin as her panic grew. The dark emerald sheets had been thrown off her side of the bed, the numerous pillows she tended to surround herself with, were scattered on the ground, the edges of one or two of them singed and still smoking. 

“C-can’t please!” Sobs echoed through her chest, holding tighter to her husband as she wailed, begging the assailant in her mind to stop hurting her. “Wake up my love. Wake up.” He pleaded into her hair, rocking their bodies gently as if trying to sooth a child. He had to cool her down or she would burn everything around them. 

He almost stumbled as he pulled her out of the bed, running into the bathing chamber, using magic to fill the tub with water so cold it was almost ice. By now it felt like he was holding a scalding kettle in his hands, a kettle that was still thrashing violently with a strength that almost rivaled his own. 

“Wake up for me, princess. You have to open those pretty eyes.” But she was deaf to his pleas so he did the one thing he could think of, he dropped her into the deep bath. 

As the water made contact with her skin, it began to boil, steam billowed over the floors, quickly rising to fill the room in a stifling fog. There was a terrifying few seconds when all was quiet before Y/N broke through the surface of the water gasping for air. Her eyes blazed white, wide with confusion. The hiss of the steam still growing from the emptying bath panicking her even further. “Loki?” She called out. 

“Yes yes I’m here pet, wait one moment.” The large window at the other end of the room was quickly thrown open with a flick of his wrist. Loki turned back to his wife, who had now pulled herself from the water and was standing at the edge of the basin, droplets of the clear liquid running down her skin, the white nightshirt she wore, completely see-through.

“Pet, you need to breathe.” He inched closer to her in an attempt to bring her back into his embrace.

“Don’t touch me!” The ground seemed to shake with the power of her scream. It was heartbreaking, the pure, unadulterated terror and hurt that laced her tone. His hand dropped back down to his side and he could only watch as her body trembled with fear, heat emanating from her like dark pavement during the summer, the air shimmering around her, poised to explode. “Just stay away!” She was lashing out like a cornered animal, eyes flicking around the room, searching for a way out.

Her gaze locked on the window he had thrown open. “Don’t do what you’re thinking about.” He growled, legs tensing in anticipation of making a run at her if she decided to make a break for it. But she didn’t run, she didn’t even move, she stood frozen, holding her elbows over her chest as some vain attempt to comfort herself, her breathing still ragged. The panic attack still coursing through her veins made him worry.

Carefully approaching, Loki got on his knees, holding a massive hand out to her, leaving just enough space that she could reach out and touch him but he could not reach her. “Can I touch you now? I promise not to hurt you, I just want to help you get some air, safely.” Y/N nodded, taking a tentative step towards him, wrapping her fist around his pointer finger but not touching him any further than that.

He resisted the urge to chuckle at the arguably cute behaviour of his wife, and instead, lead her to the grand window that overlooked the ice gardens below their rooms. “I’m going to help you onto the sill alright and then I’ll let go of you. I trust you not to make any bad decisions.” He took her silence as agreement because he then carefully lifted her to the wide piece of wood that outlined the window, careful to only touch the cloth of her shirt, which was quickly drying from the heat of her skin.

The sun was just dipping below the horizon, the pair of them having slept away most of the day after finishing Hamlet, giving one last burst of light before it disappeared under the growing storm clouds. Y/N settled herself on the far end, tightly holding to the side of the frame, her husband taking a seat on the other end. Her eyes faded back to her natural e/c colouring as her breathing got steadier.

Loki was silent beside her, focusing on the growing storm in the distance. “My mom always told me I was destined for great things. One day I would make a difference. I know I’ve never been that smart or that pretty, so I settled for helping others. If I could help someone like Tony’s life easier, then maybe, he could be the one to change things.” Y/N wrapped her arms around her legs, resting her head on her knees, wetting the fabric of her skirt with the fat tears rolling down her plump cheeks.

“I’ve failed her. What kind of difference have I made? I’m literally locked away in a castle by myself. I thought I was going to die in that warehouse and all I could think was that I had done nothing with my life. I hadn’t even been on a real date! And now, I’m stuck here with a man who I’ve been forced to marry. And I just feel so alone. And every time I close my eyes, I see those men, I hear everything they told me, I feel everything they did to me. I’m so tired.”

Y/N felt like she had been given no time to mourn. Her life had been flipped upside down in the span of a few weeks and she didn’t have any solid ground to stand on anymore, no one to trust, nothing to hold onto. She could feel the tell-tale burning in her fingertips, the pin prick feeling like her hand was falling asleep, the fire within her threatening to explode out. 

The dark clouds on the horizon were sparkling with white lightning, the wind was steadily picking up, whipping her tears away as they fell. “You know, I’ve never cried this much my whole life. Every time I think I’ve hit the bottom, that I can’t cry anymore, I do. And it hurts every time.” The god relaxed against the windowsill, letting one of his long longs dangle, his heel resting against the cold stone outside of the castle. He studied her profile, taking in the slope of her nose and cheeks, the way her lashes rested against her skin when she blinked. 

Her eyes were so much older than she appeared, horrors haunting those enchanting e/c’s. She was so tortured and confused, like a lost little kitten, staring out into a hurricane threatening to swallow her whole. Loki sighed, tearing his gaze from her and fixing his eyes on the darkening horizon. “I was raised alongside Thor for much of my life. I was always second best, always striving to be better than him but I never could.” 

Y/N’s plump body turned towards her husband, tucking herself further into his white shirt, which she had taken to wearing as a nightgown. He avoided her eyes as he continued. “Thor had been banished to Midgard for attacking Jotunheim. I was finally alone, finally I could have my chance but then, your father told me what I really was. He stole me from my home, kept me as some kind of trophy.”

The ozone smell of the impending snow invaded his senses, calming his racing heart. “I didn’t know who I was. I came home but I was outcast here too. How could I be prince of a people whom I had been raised to hate. So I left once more, trying to find my place in the universe.” His muscles went rigid and his fingers shook as he shut his eyes. “There was a being. He told me I was strong, valuable. He told me all the things I wanted to hear all my life. He lured me in, then as soon as I had pledged my loyalty to him, he-“ A chocked sound escaped his throat as he recalled what Thanos had done to him, the eons of pain he forced his body and mind to go through. He felt his own control slipping through his fingers, the horrors of his past becoming too much to bear alone. 

“One day you will see, I do this for you. I never wished to hurt you. This is all for the greater good of the universe. This is your glorious purpose.” Thousands of meat hooks were embedded in his skin, pulling him apart slowly as he was suspended above the giant. Screams bubbled up in his throat, but he refused to let them out, refusing to give him the satisfaction. “Once you are completely broken, that’s when you can be reborn.”

He’d never told anyone what happened to him, swore he would take it to his grave, never even spoken it to the wind in fear his words would carry to listening ears. But the way his small wife looked up at him with huge, understanding eyes, he couldn’t stop himself from telling her. “He inflicted pain on me that I could have never imagined. He broke down every defense I had until there was nothing left. Until he could remold me into the perfect puppet. I was trapped within my own mind, watching myself as I attack people, as I waged a war I wished to have no part of.” He barely leaned forward in order to take her small palm within his own, heating his cool skin, and for the first time, she didn’t shy away from his touch, but instead relaxed into it. 

“I do not know what you experienced at the hands of those men but what I do know is what it’s like to be tortured by your own mind, to think that you are worth nothing because others have told you as such. I may be an awful man and husband, but I would never, ever, make you feel like that. I promise.” A shiver rolled down Y/N’s spine. In this moment, he seemed so small, so unsure of himself, like a child who had lost his way. She clutched at his hand, nodding as the last of her tears faded into the night. “Out loud pet.” He ordered, but there was no malice behind his command, just a gentle urging, the tension easing in his chest.

He sounded almost playful, almost kind. “Yes master.” She snarked, unwittingly seeing how far she could push this new dynamic. A mischievous grin grew across his lips and he yanked her forward, her body falling into his chest, face getting tucked into his collarbone as she wrapped her arms around his torso, her legs coming to rest on the top of his thighs since he was too wide for her to straddle comfortably. “Oh you’ve decided to be a little brat huh?” She propped her chin against his cold skin and gazed up at him. “Of course not Master, I’m a good pet.” A huge hand cupped the side of her head, his thumb delicately grazing her hair.

“Yes you are. Now!” Sliding from the windowsill, the frost giant kept the princess safely tucked in his arms, as he stood to his full height, Y/N giving a cute little yelp as he did. “Enough with all of this disgusting crying and emotions. I will not have my wife be so sentimental when we could be dining on some very wonderful supper and entertaining ourselves while this dreadful storm passes.” Tucked tightly against his chest, Y/N breathed in his slightly woodsy scent, the oaky richness with a slightly spicy undertone, a cinnamon or nutmeg, and something so incredibly familiar and nostalgic, that clung to everything he touched.

With several long strides, they were back in the warmth of the royal chambers, a huge fire roaring behind a long dark wood table loaded with food and drinks. She noted most of the dishes were ones very similar to those she loved on Earth. Her toes and fingers burned with the sudden heat, but she welcomed it. 

One of the two large plush chairs covered in green felt was pulled out on its own and Loki placed her gently onto the seat, the cushion dipping under her plump ass, his hands lingering for a moment too long, like they usually did, but this time, Y/N didn’t mind. A relaxed smile crossed her face as her husband sat across from her, his body slumping, a huge weight having been lifted from his chest. 

“I don’t think you’re horrible.” “Hmm?” He hummed and glanced at her. She smiled kindly at him. “I think you’re a bit of an asshole but you have your moments.” Loki gasped dramatically, placing a hand over his heart. “Oh my word! Did the high and mighty Princess of Asgard give me, her humble husband, a compliment?” 

“Oh shut up. That’s the last nice thing I’m ever going to say to you.” She laughed, sipping on her tea, perfectly made. “If only I should be so lucky.” “Cheeky.” He just grinned at her lazily, watching how the firelight danced over her s/c skin.

——————

When Y/N awoke once more, she was alone. The other side of the bed was obviously slept in but not made up properly like Loki would usually do in the mornings. For the first time in forever, she felt well-rested. After their talk last night, she fell asleep soundly in her husband’s arms, no nightmares or evil thoughts infesting her mind.

She was surprised that she found herself missing him. It was probably some form of Stockholm Syndrome, she told herself. But in her heart, she knew that maybe one day, she could grow to love him, just like Frigga said. Turning over, she buried her nose into his soft pillow, clutching it tightly to her body, not willing to get out of bed yet.

Just as she was drifting off once more, the huge doors slammed open, startling her. Y/N sat up quickly, drawing the sheets up around her. Thor stood in the entryway.

To say the least, he looked like a mess. His hair was grown out and dirty, his armour dull and scratched, he didn’t even have his signature red cape on. His electric blue eyes locked onto her and she saw him sag with relief. “Come sister, we don’t have much time.” She barely blinked before he was in front of her, grabbing her left arm in a death grip. “Thor, what’s going on? Where’s Loki?”

He growled at the name, yanking her behind him. “He’s busy.” Was the only answer he gave. His head was on a swivel, constantly searching for any threats that may have followed him as they moved into the hall. With an almighty tug, Y/N ripped her arm away from him and stepped back. “You tell me what’s going on, right this instant.”

“We don’t have time for this!” He whisper yelled. “You tell me or I’m not coming with you.” She hissed back, standing firm. Thor had to admit, even dressed in a massively oversized shirt and eyes still puffy from sleep, she was intimidating and powerful. “Fine, fine.” He relented, pulling her to the side of the grand hallway. The taller man cupped her shoulders, breathing in deeply for a moment. 

“The war was a lie. All of this was a deal between Odin and Loki in order for you to marry him of your own free will.”

Y/N was frozen in place. “W-what?” Thor sighed, his hands cupping her biceps but she pulled away, stumbling back as if his touch brought her pain. “Say that again. Fucking tell me this was all for nothing. Tell me he lied to me. Tell me they all lied.” Her voice was devoid of emotion as a white film settled over her eyes, her body burning with anger and embarrassment. 

“Loki started the war so he could have you as some sort of revenge against Odin. This is what it was all about. He just wanted you. He barely even had Laufey’s support. His father only agreed because it meant that he would learn to rule Jotunheim and have a wife by his side since none of the other frost giants wanted to be his partner. The only way they would’ve accepted an outsider was if they married him by choice.”

There was a sudden ringing in her ears. She couldn’t hear anything else her brother said to her. “I-I” She couldn’t breathe. Her back slammed into the wall, hands covering the lower half of her face, panic truly setting in once more. “Sister? Are you alright? Talk to me.” But the deep baritone of his voice was a dull noise to her now. She could feel his touch but couldn’t consciously register it as the world crashed down around her.

“Take your hands off my wife.” And there was Loki, dressed in full battle gear at the other end of the hall, ready to kill.

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The Songbird of Asgard

Chapter 6: Fond

AO3 link OC Insert version Previous Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Word Count: 6.5k Warnings: None, other than it becoming clear that I hc Heimdall as demi okay byyyeeee

-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Blurb: Your next task is to accompany Heimdall to Svartalfheim to have the dwarves repair the relic recovered on your most recent search. You end up working, Heimdall ends up with an internal struggle until it hits him. --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Double posting because this ended up too long again. I'm actually not happy with how these next two chapters came out, buuuuuuutt it's been too long, so I'm moving on lol

Heimdall's legs carried him up the familiar hill, to the place he spent far too much time at now.

You weren't singing yet, your lyre was the only music coming from your spot. You caught sight of him and smiled warmly. He could feel how relieved you were that he chose to stop by after your last conversation, worried that you may have overstepped. Which you did, but Heimdall didn't feel the need to complain. 

You closed the notebook in your lap, taking your eyes away from him for just a moment. When they rose once more, you found Heimdall sitting next to you, instead of in his usual seat across the fire pit. You did your best to contain your surprise from him, and to ignore the spark of warmth his proximity brought. It was strange to you; so far Heimdall had avoided you for days after you said or did something that challenged his way of thinking. This was the only time he ever moved on without delay. A part of you hoped that maybe, just maybe, you were starting to ease the stubborn distrust and distaste that kept him at arm's length from everyone. Now if only you could curb that arrogance of his, but that was a completely different hurdle.

"Finished a bit late today, did you?" You asked, switching to a tune he liked. He never said which songs he liked, but you had learned which ones eased his stress after so many visits.

Heimdall scoffed, resting his elbows on his knees. "You can thank Baldur for that. The imbecile hurled himself off the wall to win a bet and I had to scrape his ragged 'corpse' off the ground."

You chuckled, "Yeah, that sounds like him." He had a reputation for doing reckless and insane things for the smallest reasons. It was sad, watching him do terrible things to himself just for the off chance that he would feel something. Whenever you breached the topic with him he shut down and refused to address it. He clearly didn't want to share his thoughts on the matter.

Your companion said nothing as the lyre strings filled the air with calming notes, lulling you both into your own little reverie that no one else could disturb. 

Heimdall was doing it again. He was accepting your company.

He didn't care, he decided.

Yes, that was his decision. He didn't sleep for a second the night before, after he dropped you off at home, pondering exactly what he was doing. Finding a "friend," devoting time to them for absolutely no reason other than he felt like it. It was so absurd, yet he kept doing it over and over again, and each time he did it became less absurd. He was coming around to the idea of…just spending time with you. 

Was that so bad?

His duties still came first, and that was something he would never forget. That idea was ultimately what convinced him that he should have no quarrel with his wanton choice to indulge himself in your presence. He was the watchman, first and foremost. His purpose was to serve Odin by protecting the realm that rose above all others. Even so, he had some time to himself, and what was the difference between spending it alone and spending it with someone who kept him on his toes? In the end, this was the most productive and enjoyable way to use his free moments.

He could do whatever he wanted, so long as his work came first.

His mind wandered, this time to his earlier emotions rather than his thoughts. A rare act for him. 

After you left him alone he paced around atop Gulltoppr for at least a couple hours. Regardless of how much he chastised himself for slipping, for letting himself fall prey to useless relationships that served him no purpose, he was still left with a lingering satisfaction. It was something he hadn't experienced before, at least not because of another person. He had similar feelings when he was reading, looking over Asgard’s plains from the wall, returning home after a day of hard and meaningful work. It wasn't quite the same, though. It was more potent, but just as comforting. 

What was that? 

"What are you doing?"

Heimdall's question was left unanswered. He returned to the present and glanced at you, keeping his eyes forward. "Does it look like I'm doing anything?"

"No, but you certainly are. The pensive look on your face tells me that." It was merely a fact, said with no taunting or mischief. You really had gotten to know him, hadn't you? Somehow he didn't mind.

"Just thinking," he replied.

"Thinking?" Your hand flies to your mouth in mock surprise. "That can't be, you never do that!" You had to hold in an impish cackle when he sat up straight just to send you his nastiest sneer. 

Heimdall boasted, "If I recall correctly there have been plenty of occasions where I've done more thinking than you."

"Not really, you just let the foresight think for you, and that's not the same."

His teeth clenched in annoyance. Odin had said similar things before, so he couldn't in good conscience refute that. "Do you have to be this insufferable?"

A giggle. "I'm just wondering if you might have learned something last night, hmm?"

He wasn't willing to admit that he did. Something that would be invaluable if it weren't so risky. At the sinking feeling in his stomach he found that he just would rather not tell you that your efforts were in vain. "Yes. That you’re the worst," he settled on.

"Oh, come on. You mean you weren't thinking that you should try that more often? To…see beyond your foresight?"

Again, a glare. This one incredulous.

"Okay, yeah. That was a terrible line, but my point still stands."

Heimdall rolled his eyes. You were still so adamant that his foresight was a hindrance. "My foresight sees plenty."

He felt the shift. Subtle, and hidden from the surface, but he picked up on it. Disappointment. You may have presented the subject as a jest but you were really hoping he saw value in "turning off" his foresight when it was overwhelming. "Aaaaaand you missed the point. Even though it was right there." Your hand gestured to the empty fire pit in front of you, plopping back into your lap sluggishly.

Before he could help it he felt the discomfort creeping into his chest. Gods, why did he react so strongly? It was so much that he dropped the confidence just long enough to be sincere for a moment. "I'll use it again if I need it," he replied softly. He hated how weak it sounded, but the flood of appreciation and the loss of your discontent overpowered it quickly.

You smiled, much more at ease. "Good. I'm glad it helped."

Said with care. Genuine, selfless concern for another, even after they hardly showed gratitude for it. It was still mind boggling how foreign it was. Not in a negative way, for once in his life. While that thought was in his mind he felt something else from you. Fondness. For him.

It made him speak without forethought. "Thank you."

Heimdall almost jumped at the choking stutter you spat out, looking like the wind had nearly blown you off the bench. "Excuse me?!"

Heimdall rolled his eyes and sighed, giving no indication that he was just as thrown off. "You can never again call me dramatic after that reaction."

You held back laughter while you babbled back, "I-I have never heard you say that before! I can't even tell if you're serious!"

"I never lie, you know that." Again, said without a thought behind it. Damn his impulsive tongue.

You looked down, smiling brightly to yourself. This was it, you thought. This was what it was all for. These little instances where there was no need for him to look at every detail with such a critical and condescending eye. All it took was kindness that he could never find. It almost felt like an honor to have torn down his barriers enough to make it so. "Wow, Heimdall. Now I'm really starting to think you like me."

He couldn't help but snicker. As foolish as the statement was, it made something stir in him. The same thing he'd been battling since last night.

It was something he'd had enough of for the time being. "So, you're trying to hide things from me now?" He questioned while pointing to your notebook, changing the subject before he could get lost in his head again.

You pursed your lips at the book. "No, I'm just not sure about this song."

"The piece you were playing? I haven't heard that one yet. Was it something you heard and you're not sure if you're good enough to recreate it?

"No, smartass. It's one I wrote."

Heimdall's brows raised. "Another?"

"Yes, I've written a bunch. This one is…" you trailed off, not sure how to describe it. "I don't know, it's just different."

He couldn't help the curiosity after that. "Then put it up to the ultimate test. Let me hear it. If I don't like it then you know it's terrible." Said like a haughty lord who was reluctantly listening to the gripes of peasants.

You scoffed at him. Nonetheless you complied, adjusting your grip on the lyre and bringing out the melody.

You were right, this one was different. Not as serene and quiet, but more mysterious. Something that would fit nicely with getting confused by one's own mind and wondering where their head was going. Even so, it was still a relaxing piece, just more…hypnotizing.

Your voice joined in. The lyrics were the jumbled mess of nonsense they usually were, but still added that extra level of beauty that no other had matched. He refused to say as much, but your knack for making every song you played into something magical was quite impressive, even to him.

The short excerpt stopped. "I don't know, it's not what I usually do. What do you think?"

Heimdall chuckled, so light that you almost missed it. The songs you always played never got old, and now you would have even more at your disposal? He was suddenly giddy, so pleased that you would keep him on the edge of his seat in the most calming way possible. You were truly a gifted musician. "Turning out to be quite the songbird, aren't you?" he mused. 

You saw the smile he wore, how soft it was paired with the admiration in his sparkling eyes. It left you incapable of maintaining eye contact. Your music helped him relax, that much you knew. It was seeing proof of just how much he enjoyed it that made you want to pick the lyre back up and sing again, just for him. You desperately needed to see this pleased grin more often. Your eyes returned to his as you muttered, "I like that a lot more than 'stray.'"

He agreed. A much more suitable title for you.

Bird's wings and a squawk sounded, breaking the content isolation. Huginn landed on the bench across the fire pit.

Heimdall shoved the moment aside. Duty called, and it was well established how much more important that was. "Back to work, then."

You stood with him, a bit disappointed that he moved on so quickly, but you couldn't blame him. Neither of you could keep Odin waiting. Holding your lyre and notebook up to the raven, you requested, "Huginn, do you mind helping me drop these off at home before I report to All-Father?"

The bird stared at you for a moment, almost like it was insulted that you asked. It cawed again in half-hearted agreement.

"I'll meet you there," you said to Heimdall.

"You certainly will."

He wasn't sure why he felt compelled to confirm it. Or say anything at all.

Heimdall waited in Odin's study until you made your entrance, stepping up to his desk while Huginn landed on his usual perch. Odin was still looking down at the papers on his desk, ignoring all others for a few more moments. You took a second to glance at Heimdall and gave him a smile, one that he returned eagerly.

An exasperated squawk rang through the study loud enough for Odin to acknowledge the raven. "What, Huginn?" He sighed, sounding every bit like an exhausted parent. Once the bird spoke again the All-Father looked between the two younger gods awaiting his orders, seeming suspicious. He then waved a dismissive hand at his pet. "Later." He didn’t elaborate on exactly what the bird was trying to say, moving on from its offended chirps without a second thought. 

"No spelunking or combat today, you two." He retrieved the cracked orb you found in Niflheim from a bookshelf behind him. "I've been experimenting with this piece here and it can definitely be fixed. All it'll take is some materials and bifrost." The old god opened one of the drawers in his desk, pulling out a pebble of silver metal and holding it out to you.

You took it, brow furrowed with bemusement. "It seems like ordinary metal. How is this going to repair it?"

"It's ordinary metal for now. But thanks to my investigating…" A wrinkled finger pressed down onto the ore in your palm, blue and pink light of bifrost seeping out from the point of contact. Both you and Heimdall could feel the magic being transferred from Odin and into the metal, remaining once his hand withdrew. For a moment you practically held a physical manifestation of bifrost between your fingers until the energy escaped and dissipated before your eyes.

"I discovered that certain ores can contain and blend with bifrost if handled correctly. It all depends on the metal, which I'm certain our friends in Svartalfheim will be able to figure out right away. You'll be going there, asking them for the appropriate material, and using bifrost to seal them together." He nodded to Heimdall, "Which you'll be doing as soon as they get what you need. I'd rather you take care of it there than take several trips back to Asgard until we find something that works."

Heimdall bowed with no hesitation. "An excellent plan, All-Father." 

You, however, returned the metal to Odin's desk with a frown. "With all due respect, All-Father, why do you need me to go? It sounds like Heimdall can take care of this himself."

For whatever reason Heimdall felt a mixture of pride at your recognition of his abilities and dejected that you were risking not going with him.

"A couple reasons. Main thing is insurance. If at any point you feel the binding magic within this sphere become unstable, stop the process immediately and return to me. And…" he glanced at Heimdall. "You're popular around here. The dwarves should be happy to help if you take the lead." An insinuation that Heimdall was feared in Svartalfheim. Based on the rebellion Sif had mentioned once, that made sense.

Odin wrapped the core of the artifact in cloth and handed it to you. "No dallying, we're too close to bringing this tool back from destruction to start now." 

Huginn enclosed you in the vortex of ravens. With Odin gone, you wasted no time. "Can I expect you to behave yourself while I do all the talking?"

Heimdall rolled his eyes. "Can I expect you to pay attention and not get swept up in the mundane sight of Nidavellir?"

A shrug. "Looks like we'll both be let down." You had learned how to handle Heimdall quite well. This may have been the first time you'd get to look around a new realm even if he was with you for it.

When the ravens parted, Huginn flew off to a high branch. Where exactly, you didn’t bother to follow. Your sight remained on the mountain in front of you, intricate patterns and scenes carefully carved into the surface. Paths leading to outcrops littered the mountainside, all skillfully crafted by the dwarves. Even with the bustling industry the tropical nature of the realm still made itself known, framing the mountain and every hut, workbench, and shop with lush green trees. It was such a far cry from the dust bowls and closely chaperoned gardens of Alfheim, or the flat greenery of Gladsheim that you had grown so accustomed to. The smell of burning coal burned your nose and the clunking of heavy machinery brought life to the air. The warm sunlight filtered through the winding leaves above the round square that you were dropped in the middle of, turning the light into a welcoming yellow-green. You spun around as you took in the sights. Everything was so new, even if a lot of it was artificial. 

Heimdall watched you with amusement as he strode towards the largest workstation at the edge of the square. "Don't get too distracted, now. We have work to do."

You were not dissuaded by him. "Oh, come on. This is probably the most pleasing sight we've gotten since we started looking for this relic."

A fair point, he said to himself while a dwarf in a white shirt and stained apron scurried to him. "L-Lord Heimdall! We've been expecting you," he greeted nervously, his brown cap almost sliding off his head when he bowed too quickly.

Your fascination with the environment had to be cut short. Heimdall had been there for a meager minute and he was already about to push his metaphorical weight around. You returned to his side just as Heimdall, while brushing stray ash from his tunic, drawled, "I am aware. Yet I don't see anything that we need. What is your excuse—"

You leaned down a bit to look at the dwarf that was only about two-thirds your height. "All-Father may not have been specific enough for you to supply us right away. Let me apologize for that by explaining what we need," you interrupted with an air of professionalism. The dwarf was blatantly confused by it, his eyes flicking between you and Heimdall like he only had seconds to memorize your appearances before you vanished. You weren't sure if he was more surprised that you had the bravery to interrupt Heimdall or that Heimdall let you interrupt him.  

The dwarf adjusted the thin monocle framing the bridge of his wide nose as if he needed to get a better look at you. "And you are, my lady?"

You gave him your name, then continued, "I promise I'm much more personable than my associate here." Your smile was sincere, though Heimdall was irked at the milquetoast insult directed at him. "And what is your name?"

"Oh…I am Halvar, the overseer of this establishment where we sort, distribute, and store the assets that All-Father requests." Despite the condescending sneer Heimdall was giving the dwarf, Halvar relaxed at the gentle sound of your voice. "It is a pleasure to meet you, my lady. What was it that you needed?"

You held out the blue sphere for Halvar to examine, keeping close enough to yourself to communicate that he did not have permission to handle it. "We are looking for an ore that can mend this relic without compromising its abilities. It needs to be capable of holding bifrost, which Heimdall will use to combine them."

Halvar stroked his chin in thought. "I see…that is quite an exotic order. Receptive to magic, soft enough to be malleable, has a low melting point…I have some ideas, but we may need to run some tests to narrow down our options."

Heimdall growled back, "You're the overseer, yet you do not even know which of your stock would work? Are you sure you're qualified for this?"

The dwarf shuddered at the implication that Odin would hear about his shortcomings. "N-no! I mean, I know enough about the ores we have, it-it's just—"

"Ignore him," You intervened again before looking over at Heimdall and muttering, "Heimdall, shut up." The god scoffed at you while you reassured Halvar that you had faith in his knowledge. Among the fear that made a home in Halvar's mind, Heimdall could feel a miniscule hint of shock. 

Halvar, much calmer with your comfort, said, "Well, we have plenty to see inside the storeroom. If you follow me I can escort you."

"If you wouldn't mind."

"Why, of course!" Halvar replied a bit too enthusiastically. "I'm happy to be of service, m'lady."

Heimdall almost sighed, seeing the same eagerness to follow your every whim that the servants in Asgard had, solely because you chose to spare them of the treatment befitting their status. As pathetic as ever. 

Halvar lead you towards the ginormous circular door into the mountain down the path from the square, moving fast enough that he wouldn't hear Heimdall lean over to you and whisper, "A few soft words and he's like a loyal dog," with an unimpressed glare boring into the dwarf's back.

"Oh really? It's almost like being nice to people makes them like you, huh? Maybe you should try it." He only replied with a mocking exclamation of shock, making you chuckle. The dwarven workers around you stared, wondering why the cruel Heimdall they feared so much had seemed to be fine with the sass.

You were stopped in front of the door that was well over ten times taller than Thor. Halvar signaled his crew to open the gate, the anxiety returning when he turned to Heimdall and said, "It will take just a moment to open."

He was right to hesitate. The statement was enough for Heimdall to complain about, which was unsurprising to you. "You knew we were coming. Why would you not have it open already? All you're doing is wasting our time."

Halvar had an explanation — the wildlife could get antsy in the area and it was not ideal to have them exploring around Odin's preferred merchandise — but you gave him no chance. "Honestly, Heimdall, I don't get why you're so upset about a door."

"It isn't the door, obviously!" He lectured. The dwarves nearby noticed the lack of anger and insults. "It's the principle of the matter."

You sarcastically parroted, "'It's the principle,' he says."

"Yes, the principle! All-Father gave them ample warning of our arrival and it is not a surprise that we wouldn't find what we need in one of the dilapidated, second-rate shops outside of Nidavellir. Saving the trouble of waiting would have been respectful of our time."

You weren't really listening to his rant, knowing his impatience was not justifiable. "It seems to me that your 'principles' are stupid."

Heimdall sighed in annoyance, not bothering to change your mind. When he looked away he caught a few dwarves staring at you in dismay. He shot them a warning glare, silently commanding them not to eavesdrop. They practically tripped over each other trying to leave his line of sight.

The gates finally opened and the rumbling cogs and bolts were silenced. Halvar waved you inside the torchlit tunnel into the mountain. It opened into a huge room with a hole dug out of the roof to let the sunlight into. The branching paths were so numerous that it was overwhelming, leaving you wondering how anyone could keep track of where everything went. Some tunnels held tracks for metal carts that were connected to the plentiful mines within the mountain, others went to rooms that held crates and barrels, tools and safety gear, and spare parts for maintenance. The view from the entrance was so vast that you couldn't see the other end, the darkness of the cave swallowing up anything that wasn't directly under the skylight. Your eyes ventured up to see stairs and ladders going into higher rooms, several stories of them. It was a wonder that the dwarves working there didn't get lost in all the caverns they had to traverse while manning the storeroom.

"This is incredible!" You exclaimed, twirling around to find every detail and tuck it away in your memory. "How is something this massive made in the first place?"

Halvar continued through the dark portion of the entrance and toward the sunlight, grinning at your enthusiasm. "Ah, that's quite a story, my lady. My forefathers were the founders of these caves, drawn here by the rich—"

"How interesting," Heimdall droned, reminding Halvar that this was not a tour.

Halvar shrunk away from him. "Oh, yes, of course, my lord."

You shot Heimdall an irritated glower, moving to lightly slap his shoulder. He dodged it, of course. "Pretend he isn't even here, Halvar. We don't need him yet."

Heimdall showed how appalling the statement was with his expression, prompting you to smirk while you followed Halvar towards the sunlight. From his right he could feel the confusion of other dwarves, locating the source. An entire group of them had stopped to gape at him, all wondering the same thing.

How did you get away with that?

Heimdal asked himself that, snarling at the dwarves to remind them that he did not suffer fools lightly. Worse yet was that he was more angry at them for doubting his prowess than he was at you for giving them a reason to. He wasn't mad at you at all, actually, despite the annoyance being your fault. Maybe if you were still in Asgard, alone and far from others, he wouldn't care. But this was business, and your friendship was nothing compared to his duty to Odin. Bringing whatever antics you used to kill time was not to be tolerated.

He ignored the feeling of other dwarves questioning him while he stalked over to you. He stopped short, the sight stunning him.

The skylight. You were beneath it now, having followed Halvar while he recounted the founding of the storeroom. The warm colored light landed gracefully on your hair, illuminating the strands and gracing them with a golden halo. Your eyes, ever brilliant, shined even brighter with the light illuminating your curious gaze. The smile you wore was full of life and joy, the manifestation of the gentle and kind soul underneath. He could have sworn you were glowing in this setting. 

You really are a beautiful woman.

Wait.

Heimdall shook his head and grit his teeth. No distractions, not while he was in the process of completing a very important task for the All-Father.

Halvar finished his tale and directed the two gods down a specific tunnel, with you gleefully following him. Heimdall caught up to you, intent on voicing his disdain for your casual behavior at such an inappropriate time. As soon as he was next to you and your eyes landed on him, all the frustration melted, and he couldn't control himself before he smirked at you lightheartedly. "Need I remind you that we are here on business?"

"Heimdall," you pleaded, slightly exasperated, "this may be the only time we don't have to traipse through snow or fight off ogres while we work. Don't you want to have at least a little fun?"

"Your 'fun' isn't welcome right now." He regretted the harsh tone as soon as he saw the hurt pass through you. "I much prefer keeping it elsewhere," he added quickly.

You paused, contemplating that statement, then nodded. "Alright, if you insist." You sounded too smug to him. Underneath that joking facade, he read something else. You were flattered, it seemed. Like you didn't mind that your friendly habits remained between you two.

He didn't feel the need to discourage it.

Heimdall intended to be stern and domineering, determined to criticize you whenever you were too friendly. It was just his thoughts that were a problem. They were so intrusive then, words and ideas popping into his head before he could regulate them. All of them had to do with you. Every single one.

He'd grown quiet as Halvar presented different metals to you and let you test magic on them, keeping his distance at times. He just looked at you, and it was when something made his gaze loiter for too long that the rogue thoughts would occur. When you were standing before a mine cart full of stones that glowed blue, he watched you, in awe of how the light danced across your features. Later on Halvar brought them to a forge to melt a piece of ore that you considered a worthy candidate. The heat rushed out of the furnace he opened, the hot air blowing back your tresses and making them flutter in the breeze. He watched every strand flit across your face. After that metal was deemed inappropriate for your purpose, Halvar guided you to a crate of a rare resource, freshly mined and still covered in soot. Heimdall tracked your fingers poking at the metals, staining your fingers with black dust. You wiped them off on your waist, and Heimdall's eyes were trapped in that spot, admiring your frame and the curve of your back until you walked away. 

He watched you go until Huginn cawed at him. The insolent bird had been staying closer than usual.

No matter how much he forced himself to focus and stay alert he kept drifting back to you, telling himself how gorgeous you were in the torchlight, or how sweet your voice was, or noticing how soft your skin looked, or how enticing your laughter was…

You had found a potential ore to use, one that passed all other tests and shouldn't interfere with the complex binding spell the relic created. All you needed was for Heimdall to see how it reacted to bifrost. "Heimdall," you called without taking your eyes away from the ore. "Can you test this out for me?"

Heimdall was too lost in thought, examining the gorgeous proportions of your profile.

"Heimdall?"

The second attempt shook him out of his mind. Your amused smirk was the first thing he registered. "Not even paying attention, are we?"

He didn't answer. He didn't want to, still wondering why he was so distracted.

The ore passed the bifrost test, and you deemed it would react well to the existing magic. He took the lump of ore in his hand, a rainbow glow emanating through his fingers. When he opened his hand the once black stone was a mass of swirling blues and pinks. Halvar was excited by the new idea, despite the fact that he knew Odin wouldn't give them any time to explore it. The dwarf bounced off to the forge to melt the ore and mend the crack in the relic.

"You've been quiet," you said once you were ignored by any surrounding dwarves. "Something on your mind?"

Heimdall shrugged, pretending that he didn't have the slightest clue what you were talking about. "I can't say any of this has managed to keep me entertained."

"Oh really? You seemed much more interested earlier, when you were whining."

"I do not whine."

"It sounded like whining to me."

Heimdall taunted back, "You have no right considering how much you whined when I wouldn't let you pet Gulltoppr after I dropped you off last night."

You harrumphed, "That's different. You were just being a jerk."

Heimdall laughed in triumph. The sound brought a wave of confusion through the bystanders. Every single dwarf within earshot was aghast that Heimdall showed not an ounce of viciousness or annoyance, and even looked content. He promptly reminded them who he was with a single scowl that sent them running.

Once again his mind went on a tangent fueled by you. His eyes went to your ear, where the gold cuff decorated the cartilage. He remembered the first time he saw it. He liked it, and considered taking it if he was given permission to kill you. This time he didn't consider having it for himself, or think about how it matched his picky taste in trinkets. All he could think was how nice it looked on you, how it brought out the highlighted strands among the hair around it.

His thoughts were interrupted by the gradual build up of anxiety coming from you, evident by your fingers fidgeting with your sleeves. "Is there any particular reason you're staring at me?"

"I'm not." Technically true, he was looking at your jewelry specifically, not your person.

You sighed. "I've mentioned this before, Heimdall. Your eyes glow. It's hard to miss."

Heimdall replied by rolling his eyes, using that to indicate that his denial stood strong. The nervous tension in you remained. 

"Are you angry with me?" Said in a whisper so that no one but him would hear.

Heimdall almost scoffed. "Have I ever had a problem with voicing my anger in the past?"

A shrug. "No…but you don't always have such an intense look on your face, which makes me think you're upset."

He had no idea how to explain himself while hiding the fact that he didn't really have a reason.

"If it's because I'm being too chummy in public, I can stop."

Stop? Stop doing the things you always did? Go back to that quiet, meek form of yourself that held back the flame he found so amusing? The idea itself felt like blasphemy. "Don't," he choked out, biting his cheek afterward. He still couldn't figure out how you managed to loosen his tongue.

A glimmer of hope peeked through the fear in you. "You aren't mad then?"

It was then it clicked. You weren't scared that he was angry. You were afraid that he was ashamed of your friendship. It made sense. He'd made it abundantly clear to everyone in the realms that the only part of him they'd see would only be his fiercest front, and no less. No one should forget his deadly skills, his lack of hesitation when it came to expressing his power. That was exactly why he chose to remain professional with you when he was called to action. Hearing that it made you think he was ashamed, though…He didn't like it. There were so many people he was ashamed of associating with. Thor, his sons, the mortal inhabitants in Gladsheim, the idiotic einherjar that were just barely smart enough to take orders, dwarves that he intimidated on Odin's behalf…but not you. You were the last person he would be ashamed of. The only person he could do more than tolerate, the reason this entire trip to Svartalfheim hadn't been a complete drag that drove him to the brink of unreasonable violence. If you thought he was ashamed, then there would only be one place — your little hideaway in Asgard — where you would continue to be yourself and show that fiery temperament of yours. 

The iron will to remain professional he had forged began to bend and crumple. "I'm not upset," he said after a few moments, struggling to sound as neutral as possible.

Even the indifferent sounding confirmation was enough, banishing the fear that you had crossed a line and broken his trust. "Really? Hmm…you definitely would have been if this was happening months ago."

The mischief he heard convinced him that abandoning his decision was worth it. There you were: the one that made things so much more lively. Why did he want to push you away again? Really, it was much more worthwhile to punish anyone who was foolish enough to think he was any less of a god when your friendship showed. Why punish himself for it?

His duties still came first, of course. But the opinions of anyone that wasn't Odin? Well, he never cared in the first place, and why would he start now?

He covered his rapid withdrawal with a confident smirk. "Well, we are still forced to tolerate each other. I've chosen to spare you my wrath for the time being."

You felt your stomach flip, knowing his words were more cryptic than they seemed. "To my understanding, you just said that you really have started to like me."

"The stupid language thing again," he mumbled under his breath. "You're wrong, actually, I despise you entirely."

You laughed, the wonderful sound like little bells. "Don't worry, I despise you too." Implying that you were speaking his "language," obviously. He chuckled at how ridiculous it sounded coming from you.

The conversation would sensibly end there, but Heimdall felt the urge to say a few more things — things he fought the urge to say. He wanted to emphasize that his declared hatred for you was sarcasm despite that you clearly knew it. He just hated the idea of you thinking there was even an ounce of truth to it, that his hatred for you hadn't long since passed and been replaced by…this. Whatever this was.

You snickered again, making him realize he had started gawking at you again, this time in plain view. "That reminds me. If you aren't angry, then what is it?"

He didn't know. He couldn't consider it either. The forge Halvar was working on grew brighter with rising flames. Their light highlighted your eyes and accentuated the forms of your face, all while warming your skin and adding color to the hair he was more and more tempted to reach out and touch.

All he could do was look at you. In that moment you were so, so breathtaking. It was the first time he'd ever been so entranced by someone. 

You're beautiful. He wanted to say. He fought it. So what? When did appearances ever matter? Why did he feel the need to say something so foolish and worthless?

Something inside him had the answer: it wasn't your appearance that made you beautiful.

He lost the battle. His mouth opened. The phrase was working its way through his tongue.

A hardy guffaw broke the scene. Halvar returned with the orb, hooting and hollering about his handiwork. "Lookie here! It's like it was never broken in the first place!" He held it out for you to see, much more inclined to show you rather than Heimdall. There was no exaggeration in his declaration, however. The sphere was as good as new, and there was no sign it was any less functional than before. If anything it felt more stable now that the magic was properly contained.

"That's amazing!" You cheered, asking how he managed such a feat on an object as delicate as that artifact.

Heimdall tuned out. There was one persistent thought in his mind, and it was taking all of his strength to drown it.

He established that he liked you the night before, and he accepted as much. Now it was starting to sink in.

He didn't like you. He was fond of you. Very fond of you. 

Huginn's black eyes never left him.

[secretswiftymarvelfan]

The Demigod From Asgard - Steve Rogers x Reader (Part 79)

Summary: The first day of preschool is an exciting and nervous day, for parents and kids

Word Count: 4k

Warnings: Angst! Grief Driven Alcoholism! Language!

Dividers by @firefly-graphics​

Series Masterlist / Masterlist

Chapter 79: First Day Nerves

2 years since the snap

Steve stopped for a moment as he rounded the corner to his street, hands on his knees as he caught his breath. Scout bounced excitedly in front of him willing him to keep on going, biting his lease and tugging it.

“I know bud, just give me a second” Steve panted wishing he had the same amount of energy as the pup.

Since moving into the new house Steve had only just managed to get back into the routine of going for a run. Roberta would look after JJ for an hour while Steve went out and had some time to himself. He didn’t go every day and his runs were nowhere near as long as they used to be. Mostly because he was older now, he didn’t have the same amount of energy he used to have, he also had responsibilities to attend to like JJ. But a part of it was that Steve didn’t like having too much time with his own thoughts, even with Scout with him if he stayed out too long he found his mind walking itself back towards the cliff’s edge.

Scout let out a loud bark and whine nudging Steve on with his snout making Steve chuckle “Okay, okay we’re going now then you’ll get a treat okay” Steve offers, Scout wagging his tail enthusiastically.

Steve started the gentle jog back down the street towards his house, Scout happily trotting beside him as they went. He had just walked up the stairs of the front porch when he heard something behind him. Glancing over his shoulder his eyebrows raised in surprise when he saw Thor standing at the bottom of the path.

Steve quickly let Scout into the house before shutting the door and making his way down the path towards Thor. As he approached he could see how much Thor had changed in the last year. His hair was longer, now almost reaching his shoulders, and his beard was also thicker but much more unkept than it ever had been before. Thor’s physique had also changed too, he wasn’t necessarily fat but he’d lost a lot of muscle definition and looked generally softer.

“Thor, I wasn’t expecting to see you” Steve greets holding out his hand.

“ah yes captain, I thought I’d swing by and see how little JJ is,” Thor says with a small chuckle.

“well he’s not so small anymore, he turned 3 a couple of months ago,” Steve tells him with a smile, Steve had invited Thor over but never heard anything in response.

“that is a fine age, I remember when Y/N-“ Thor starts before stopping himself, clearing his throat uncomfortably.

An awkward silence falls between the pair, Steve not really knowing what to say. Hating how neither of them could bring themselves to talk about you in each other’s presence.

“um, why don’t you come inside JJ is just with our neighbour Roberta,” Steve says breaking the silence and gesturing over his shoulder with his thumb.

“yes of course!” Thor says clapping his hands together walking past Steve and towards the house.

As Thor passed Steve the smell of alcohol wafted its way up Steve’s nostrils. He has to stop himself from scrunching up his nose in disgust, letting out a concerned sigh as he watched Thor walk up the path. He didn’t seem drunk at least but Steve would have to keep an eye out that’s for sure.

Steve jogged back up the path opening up the door for Thor, and gesturing for Thor to go on it “JJ there’s someone here to see you!” Steve called out getting JJ’s attention.

JJ stopped running around and playing with Scout turning to face Steve and Thor his face lighting up when he saw his uncle “Uncle Tor!” He shouted running over and hugging Thor’s legs tightly.

“hey kiddo, you’ve gotten so big!” Thor chuckled bending down to lift JJ up.

“I’m thwee” JJ says proudly holding up three fingers.

“yeah you are, growing up so quickly!” Thor nods his smile faltering slightly as he looked at JJ.

“dada says I a bwig boy,” JJ says looking over at Steve.

“practically a man already” Steve sighs gently, nodding his head “why don’t you hang out for a bit while I grab a shower” Steve suggests.

“fancy hanging out with you uncle thor?” Thor asks JJ who nods his head excitedly clapping his hands.

“yay! Uncle tor!” JJ squeals.

Steve nods in agreement before making his way over towards the kitchen, subtly gesturing for Roberta to follow him. They had barely walked into the kitchen when Roberta made her complaints known.

“Are you really gonna leave him alone with JJ” she whispers harshly “he reeks of booze”

“I know and I’m not, can you stay just to keep an eye on him while I just have a shower?” Steve asks her keeping his voice down.

“he shouldn’t even be allowed near JJ when he’s drunk” Roberta states shaking her head.

“I know, but it looks like he’s had a rough time, he lost her too and I can’t stop him from seeing the only connection he has to her now” Steve reasons gently.

Roberta sighs deeply and Steve can tell she still isn’t sold on the idea “Please Roberta, he needs some time with his nephew, I won’t be long I promise” Steve presses.

She sighs in resignation nodding her head “fine, but you have to tell him that he can’t be drunk in the future, it’ll only cause problems” Roberta states pointing at Steve.

“deal, thanks Roberta” he agrees before making his way up the stairs.

Steve quickly showered and got dressed before making his way back down the stairs. Walking into the living room he saw JJ and Thor sitting on the floor playing with toys, JJ doing most of the playing while Thor just watched. Steve glanced over at Roberta arching a brow in question, instead of answering she said goodbye to JJ before making her way over to Steve.

“he’s been fine but something’s up, you should probably talk to him,” Roberta tells him quietly.

Steve sighs nodding his head slightly as he looked over her shoulder at Thor “thanks Roberta, I’ll see you soon” Steve thanks her.

Once she was gone Steve made his way over to the couch sitting down to watch JJ and more importantly thor, hoping he could work out what was going on. Scout soon joined him hopping up onto the couch beside him and plopping himself down so his head rested on Steve’s lap.

As Steve watched he saw Thor becoming less and less jovial around JJ. Something Steve thought of as impossible considering how much light JJ brought into his own life. He could see Thor was trying but for whatever reason, it just didn’t seem to be working. Before Steve could say anything it all boiled over when Thor snapped at JJ’s response to a question he’d asked.

“Foolish child!” Thor snapped, JJ instantly flinching at his booming voice.

“Thor!” Steve shouted, the protective father in him instantly being triggered “there’s no need for that!”

Steve looked down at JJ to see his bottom lips quivering as he looked up at Steve, a scared and confused expression on his face. Steve instantly stood scooping JJ up into his arms and soothing him before he started bawling.

“Hey, hey it's okay, it's okay,” Steve says quietly and gently to JJ, rubbing his back as JJ buried his face in the crook of Steve’s neck.

Steve looked back over at Thor shaking his head at him disapprovingly “what was that about?” he whispered harshly, keeping his voice down so he didn’t startle JJ again.

“it’s wrong it’s all wrong!” Thor huffs pushing himself up, wobbling slightly as he found his feet.

Steve shook his head in confusion “what do you mean?” he questions.

“that” Thor states pointing at JJ “is no son of Y/N’s”

Steve instantly felt his temper flare, his jaw clenching as he glared back at Thor “how could you possibly say that?” he demands.

“he looks absolutely nothing like her! doesn’t act as she did either! He is the perfect copy of you! not her! there is nothing of her in him, only you!” Thor shouts getting more and more worked up.

JJ whimpers in Steve’s arms clutching onto his shirt tighter “keep your voice down you’re scaring him” Steve tells him firmly.

“I don’t care! He’s no nephew of mine!” Thor growls glaring daggers at JJ.

“Thor!” Steve exclaims in disbelief.

At that exact moment, Roberta burst through the front door, storming into the living room and standing in between Thor and Steve. Steve should have guessed she wouldn’t have gone far, listening into the conversation.

“I’m going to give you 5 seconds to get the hell out of this house before I whoop your ass” She threatens glaring up at Thor.

Thor baulks slightly as he looks down at Roberta “who are you to tell a god what to do?” he states once he recovered from his initial shock.

“the woman who’s gonna beat your ass if you don’t get your drunk, washed-up, ass outta this house!” Roberta tells him pointing to his chest harshly.

Thor glances over at Steve but Steve wasn’t giving him any help, not after he’d disrespected both you and JJ. While Steve deep down knew it was his grief causing Thor to act out, he couldn’t let his son get hurt in the process.

“Thor just go and don’t come back, I’m not letting you see JJ again until you sort yourself out” Steve states, hoping some tough love would snap him out of it.

“Fine! I don’t want to see either of you again anyway, not after you failed her” Thor says pointing over at Steve accusingly.

“Thor-“ Steve starts but Thor interrupts.

“No, you don’t get to say anything! You broke your promise! You swore you’d keep her safe and you failed! Liar!” Thor shouts before storming back out of the house, disappearing with a clap of thunder.

Steve took a shuddering breath as he looked down at JJ, holding him closer as he gently soothed him rocking him.

“It's okay, it's okay now, dada’s sorry for shouting” Steve whispered kissing the top of JJ’s head and blinking back his tears.

“you okay?” Roberta asked gently, putting a hand on Steve’s arm.

“yeah” Steve lies his voice breaking.

“hey it’s okay you didn’t fail her, you did everything you could to save her” Roberta reminds him gently, rubbing her hand up and down his arm.

“I know” Steve mutters sniffling back the tears “It’s just that…” he starts before taking a deep breath to compose himself and find the words he wanted “he’s not wrong, JJ looks nothing like her” he sighs.

“she’s still in him though, they’ll be parts of her that’ll shine through as he grows up” Roberta reassures him smiling gently over at JJ.

“I know… it's just that I’m glad he doesn’t look like her and I feel so guilty about that” Steve admits shaking his head.

“why?” Roberta asks tilting her head slightly.

“because I’m not sure if I could cope if every time I looked at him, I saw her” Steve explains “and I know in a few year's time I’ll probably think differently, and wish he did look more like her but right now I don’t”

“That's okay Steve, I’m sure any parent in your situation would feel the same way,” Roberta tells him “I know Frank found it hard seeing Mary grow up looking just like her mother but also loved seeing part of her in Mary, it’s a double-edged sword… but as JJ grows you’ll see more of Y/N in him I promise”

“Thanks Roberta” Steve sighed sniffling back his tears, he then looked down at JJ relieved to see him now settled.

JJ lifted his head from Steve’s shoulder, a small frown forming on his face when he saw Steve’s sad expression. He shifted himself in Steve’s arms his small hands moving to Steve’s cheeks wiping away his tears and pushing Steve’s lips up into a smile.

“it's otay dada,” JJ says and instantly Steve saw you in JJ’s behaviour and mannerism, always looking after others before yourself.

“yeah, it's okay,” Steve says smiling through the tears.

Steve was dreading September. He had been secretly hoping it would never come but soon enough it was the first week of September and JJ was heading off to his first day of preschool. Steve was thinking of waiting another year until he was 4 but Roberta, Nat and the preschool teachers had told him that now was the perfect time. If he waited another year it would be harder for JJ to integrate with all the other kids and he’d have less time to get ready for kindergarten.

So here he was standing on his front porch, Nat and Roberta stood beside him as JJ stood proudly in front of the front door. He smiled brightly as he held up the chalkboard Nat had brought that had ‘1st day of Preschool’ written on it, Scout sat next to him. Steve took a small step back as he let Nat take a photo, she was always much better at that than him, giving JJ a thumbs up as she took the photo.

“you excited?” Roberta asks quietly, nudging Steve in the side.

“Hm?” Steve hums glancing down at her.

“you excited to have a bit of your life back, you can do whatever you want now during the day and not have to worry about childcare” Roberta explains.

“huh? Oh yeah I guess, guess I could finally finish those guest rooms” Steve says thinking out loud.

“you should try and get out of the house Steve” Roberta pushes.

“yeah I guess” Steve sighs before glancing down at his watch noticing the time “Alright bean time to go otherwise we’ll be late,” Steve says walking back over to JJ.

“say bye-bye to scout, you’ll see him later when you’re finished with preschool,” Steve tells him nodding down to Scout.

“otay, buh-bye ‘out” JJ says giving Scout a tight hug, Scout’s tail wagging furiously at the attention.

“right in you go Scout, I’ll be back later for a run, don’t steal any socks while I’m gone,” Steve says ushering Scout back inside the house.

“c’mon bean, say goodbye to Auntie Nat and Roberta,” Steve says grabbing JJ’s tiny rucksack in one hand, and holding onto JJ’s hand with the other.

“Buh-bye!” JJ cheers waving at Nat and Roberta before they walk to the car.

Steve helps JJ into his car seat, strapping him in before gently shutting the door.

“see you later Steve, try not to cry” Nat smirks as Steve walks round to the driver's side door.

“thanks Romanoff” Steve deadpans rolling his eyes as he opens the car door and climbs into the car.

He starts up the car, rolling down the windows so JJ could wave to Nat and Roberta as Steve slowly backed the car off the drive and set off in the direction of the preschool.

Soon enough they pulled up outside of the preschool and Steve took JJ’s hand as they walked to the room he’d be in. JJ practically bounced with excitement as they approached. JJ’s teacher, Miss Hutchinson, waved at JJ when she saw them approaching.

“Hey there JJ! Are you excited for your first day of preschool?” She smiles bending down to be at eye level with JJ.

“yeah!” JJ beams nodding his head vigorously.

“That’s great! And how’s dad doing?” She asks Steve as she stands up, a warm smile on her face.

“he’s fine” Steve nods giving her a small and awkward smile in return.

“Good, now the latest pick up is 4 pm but if you need to come back earlier you are more than welcome to” She explains to Steve.

“4 pm should be fine, just let me know if he needs picking up earlier” Steve nods down to JJ.

“we will, now JJ are you gonna be a brave boy and say goodbye to dad?” Miss Hutchinson says to JJ.

JJ nods turning round to face Steve, hugging him tightly as Steve crouched down “be a good boy and I’ll see you later okay?” Steve tells him putting his hands on JJ’s shoulder.

“otay! Bye dada” JJ beams nodding his head.

“bye bean,” Steve says forcing a smile as he gives JJ one more hug before letting him head into the class.

Steve was expecting some form of kickback but JJ went in easily, clearly perfectly okay with the idea of Steve leaving him in a strange place. Steve hovered slightly just in case JJ suddenly changed his mind but he didn’t.

“you should probably go now if he sees you hanging around he might get worried,” Miss Hutchinson tells Steve gently.

Steve clears his throat nodding, tearing his eyes away from JJ “yes of course, just give me a call if there’s a problem”

“will do Mr Rogers, have a nice day and try not to worry too much” She smiles ushering Steve away.

The entire day Steve tried to keep himself occupied, he cleaned around the house until there was no more mess. He took Scout out for the longest run to date, even the energetic pup was exhausted when they got home. Steve ticked off everything on his to-do list but he still found himself constantly checking his phone to see if he’d missed a call or text asking to pick JJ up, but there was always nothing.

Steve just felt a bit lost.

His days used to be filled with chaos as he looked after JJ while trying to get stuff done around the house. But now the house was silent. The only noise was Scout’s snores as he snoozed post-run. He didn’t realise how just much of his day-to-day life revolved around JJ until JJ wasn’t there.

Steve tried to wait until 4 pm to pick JJ up but he couldn’t. Eventually caving and picking him up at 3 pm, at least it was only an hour early. The weird feeling Steve had all day melted away as soon as JJ came running out crashing into Steve’s open arms. Steve chuckled as he picked JJ up giving him a kiss on the cheek.

“hey, bean! Did you have a good day?” Steve smiles brushing some of JJ’s bright blonde hair off his forehead.

“yeah!” JJ nods excitedly.

“Good, now because you were such a good boy and super brave, how about we go out for a little treat?” Steve offers tilting his head slightly.

JJ gasps “I-scream?” he asks hopefully.

“yep ice cream, c’mon” Steve chuckled as he put JJ back down, taking his hand and leading him back to the car.

As the weeks went on Steve was hoping that he’d be able to form a routine for himself but he couldn’t. that weird feeling he felt whenever he was home alone only got worse and worse and it was getting harder and harder for Steve to not pick JJ up early.

“so are you finally gonna tell me what’s been bothering you the past couple of weeks?” Dr Raynor asks knowingly as she leans back in her chair.

“I’m fine,” Steve says shaking his head.

Dr Raynor raises a brow before going to reach for her notebook. Steve instantly puts his hand out to stop her.

“Okay, okay, fine there’s something, just don’t do the notebook thing” Steve sighs shaking his head.

“want to talk about it?” She asks resting her hand back in her lap.

“Maybe, I dunno… I don’t think there’s much to talk about?” Steve admits shrugging his shoulders.

“Well let’s see, shall we? What has happened the past couple of weeks?” Dr Raynor asks him.

“um okay… well JJ started Pre-school a couple of weeks back and ever since I’ve just had this weird feeling whenever he’s at school” Steve explains gesturing to his chest.

“What kind of feeling?” Dr Raynor asks tilting her head, brows furrowing slightly.

“I don’t know, I guess I just feel a bit lost like I’m looking around the house trying to find something to do but I either don’t have the energy or there isn’t anything to do because I’ve done it all” Steve explains shrugging his shoulders.

Dr Raynor nods her head slowly “and does this feeling go when you pick JJ up?” she asks knowingly.

“yeah” Steve sighs nodding his head.

A smile forms on Dr Raynor’s lips as she nods her head “that is a perfectly normal feeling for any parent whose kids have just started school” she tells him.

“Really?” Steve asks surprised.

“yes, I felt the same when I dropped my kids off on their first days” She smiles.

“how do you stop it?” Steve asks.

“Most parents go back to work,” Dr Raynor says shrugging her shoulders.

Steve shakes his head “I don’t need a job, I have enough money from Avenging” he tells her.

Dr Raynor arches a brow “you know not everyone has a job for money, some people get jobs because it provided them with a routine and a purpose” she tells him.

“I guess…” Steve sighs before shrugging his shoulders “I just don’t know what I would do”

“well you like art, and you’re pretty good at it and I know local community centres are always looking for new teachers so you could teach art there” She suggests.

“aren’t they usually evening classes?” Steve points out.

“typically but classes do run during the day too, especially in this post-snap world when people are trying move on and rebuild” Dr Raynor explains.

“Okay, I guess I’ll look into it” Steve sighs nodding his head.

Once his session was finished Steve kept to his word and stopped by the local community centre near his house to enquire about starting up an art class. The woman behind the desk was really helpful, showing Steve all the equipment they already had and finding slots in the timetable that worked for both the centre and Steve.

“that’s all sorted, it’ll take a couple of weeks to start getting sign-ups but I’m sure there’ll be plenty” she smiles passing Steve a couple of forms for him to fill out.

“hi um sorry to interrupt but I was wondering if there were any support groups here?” a man asks walking over nervously.

“of course, what kind of support are you after?” the woman asks looking down at her computer.

“um post snap support?” the man asks rubbing his hands together nervously as he glanced at Steve.

Steve sighed dropping his head and wishing he was able to do more or just something to help people, especially since he couldn’t stop the snap from happening in the first place.

“oh no we don’t sorry, have you tried other community centres?” she says shaking her head.

“yeah they’re all full or don’t have one either” the man explains.

“I’m sorry, if you give me your email I can let you know if we get one sorted?” The woman offers.

Suddenly a memory pops into Steve’s head, the one of Steve listening in to the support group Sam used to run in DC. The more steve thought about it the more he realised that maybe this could be the thing he could do to help.

“um,” Steve says clearing his throat as he spoke up “I um could possibly run a support group?” Steve suggests.

“Really?” the woman says surprised.

“um yeah, I know how important support groups are and if I can help people by running one then I want to help, especially since it’s kinda my fault” Steve admits looking down at the floor.

“That would be amazing thank you so much,” the man says gratefully taking Steve by surprise.

“Okay then, I’ll get you a couple more forms to fill out,” the woman says with a lopsided grin as she starts tapping at her computer.

Sharing is caring so please reblog if you enjoyed this and maybe even leave a comment to make my day!

Series Masterlist / Masterlist

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[the-broken-truth]

You've got to give Sif a proper part for the YAN GOW ask. Like maybe he goes to her after Thrud feeling a need to apologize for what happened to her sons and going from there? That'd be cool. Or maybe Thor introducing them.

Broken Truth: I can't believe I didn't give a detailed addition for Sif but the best time is now. Let the words weave together. If I get any more of these asks for more of [Name] of the Yan GOW Ask, I might have to give him an actual name. If you guys have any ideas for his name, let me know in the comments.

[Asgard]

The cyclone of ravens dispelled away & [Name] felt the light of the son on his face, causing him to move his hands from in front of his face and open his eyes; they widened at the sight before him. An amazing realm that looked like it was made for the Gods of the Nine Realms and it was, for he stood in Asgard. Odin called for Loki to follow him but Atreus asked what was going to happen to his younger brother and Odin ordered Thor to watch the 'Other One' as he called [Name], not seeing him as important enough to use his name, causing [Name] to look down at the ground with his fists clenched. [Name] relaxed when Thor placed a calming hand on [Name's] Shoulder, causing the younger god to look up at the red-haired male who smiled down at him.

"Don't worry about your brother, he's the All-Father's Guest but you are my Guest and I will make sure that no one will harm you. I know that you aren't like your father and brother; you have my respect for trying to save my sons." Thor said as he looked into [Name's] [Eye Color] eyes. [Name] nodded and looked around the place and the people walking around.

"So this is Asgard? It's more...simple than I thought it was going to be." [Name] said as he walked over to the edge of the cliff and looked around Asgard with examining eyes - taking in all of the sites.

"Yeah, we're not like the stories tell us to be." Thor walked over to [Name] again and placed his hand back on the boy's shoulder. "Follow me. I'll show you my home."

Thor led [Name] down the path until they reached a house, Thor walked in, and waiting for him was a lovely woman with long blonde hair and blue eyes, dressed in regal clothing of a blue dress. She looked at Thor and smiled at him before her eyes fell on [Name], causing him to gulp and shiver slightly in his skin.

"Thor, who is this?" The woman asked with her eyes still on the young man.

"Sif - this is [Name], the younger brother of Loki, the All-Father's Guest." Thor explained as he lightly shook [Name] by using the hand he had on the boy's shoulder.

"This is the Spawn and Brother of my son's killers and you brought him into our home?" Sif asked as her eyes turned to her husband.

"He didn't have anything to do with the death of our sons - in fact, he was the opposite: When Baldur was alive, Magni and Modi would travel with him and meet with [Name], and the 4 of them developed a friendship and when the boy and his father attacked out sons, this boy here tried to save Magni and Modi," Thor explained. [Name] looked at the ground, his heart beating faster when the thoughts of Magni and Modi's deaths flashed through his mind. He moved from Thor's grasp, causing both husband and wife to look at him: [Name] dropped to his knees hard before he bowed with his hands on the floor and his forehead to the ground, tears falling from his eyes.

"I'm sorry!" [Name] cried out, causing Sif to look at him wide-eyed, "I'm sorry I wasn't able to save Magni and Modi - I was too weak, too small, Modi knocked me out to keep me out of the fight and when I woke up, Magni was dead and Modi was gone. I wanted to save them, Lady Sif, I really did; they were my friends and I never wanted anything bad to happen to them. When Modi found us, I tried to get him to return home but he said he wouldn't leave without me, I was going to go with him but my father killed him before I could stop him I'm...sorry... I'm so sorry that I couldn't save your sons, Lady Sif!" Please, I beg for your forgiveness." [Name] panted with tears falling on down his face, he shivered as a cold feeling ran through his body.

"Lad..." Thor kneeled down to [Name] and placed his hand on the center of his back, "It wasn't your fault - you have nothing to feel sorry about."

"No, I do! I couldn't save them because I was too weak and Lady Sif and you had to be without your sons. I'm sorry..." [Name] repeated again.

"Stand up, Brother of Loki," Sif spoke. [Name] looked up at Sif, who held out a hand for him to take. [Name] reached out a shaking hand and grabbed Lady Sif's Hand, she gently pulled him to his feet and once he was at his full height, Sif pulled him into a tight hug, making him gasp and look wide-eyed. "You have done nothing wrong. You tried to save my sons, they saw a brother in you and I shall treat you as they would have. As far as I am concerned, you are a son of mine." She gently ran a hand through his hair.

[bellesque]

Midnight's Mischief

A Loki x Reader fic

AO3

Part 3

Word Count: 2265

A/N: all the things i want to say to preface can easily be summed up by saying: i'm rusty, please forgive me

***

“Steady now, princess.”

Easy for him to say—he’s managed to keep his posture perfectly pristine as the light around you dissipates and its last bright streaks glow behind your eyelids. You’re a little dizzy and disoriented—like you’ve just stepped off a rollercoaster and still can’t come to terms with the fact the ground is solid and unmoving. You straighten on shaky knees, and Prince Loki places a hand on the small of your back.

His lips quirk in amusement. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I think—for the most part, at least.”

Loki nods at you, then at the figure standing atop the golden platform that sits at the middle of the circular chamber you’ve somehow found yourself in. “Heimdall,” he greets.

“Prince Loki.”

Loki notices your puzzled expression. “He sees all,” he provides simply.

It doesn’t clarify things at all, but you nod once as if you understand. “Ah.”

“This is his observatory. We’ve traveled through the Bifrost.”

You look up at Loki, the only familiar presence in this strange, bright room. It feels like… you shouldn’t be here. You’re an outsider, a foreigner—he looks like you, but it’s clear, in this golden observatory, that he is from another world.

Literally.

“Your father is waiting,” Heimdall cuts through your spiraling thoughts. “You must not keep him.”

Loki exhales air from his nostrils, his chest heaving slowly, before he faces you with a small smile. “Right. Well. Off we go then, princess. Perhaps the Norns will hear your prayers if you ask that Odin’s in a good mood.”

“You brought her back?!”

The aged man with a single eye booms on the golden dais in front of you, causing you to startle and shrink behind Loki’s tall form. He, on the other hand, seems unperturbed.

“I couldn’t just leave her on Midgard,” he says. If he’s nervous, he doesn’t seem to show it.

“You should have.”

The man on the throne must be Odin.

You’re not very sure he’s fond of you.

Although it’s your first time meeting him, you mentally mark that you’re not too fond of him either.

You’d say something, bark out an acidic reply, but instinct tells you to hold your tongue. Only if you were being honest and paid close attention to the holes in Loki’s story, you’d be questioning his credibility. He told you Odin helped him find you—so why does it seem like he’s completely enraged by your presence?

Odin squeezes his eye shut. You imagine if he had two, to somehow lighten the weight of confusion and fear in your bloodstream.

It doesn’t help.

As if answering your silent question, he speaks after a measured exhale. “I helped you find her only to establish that you’ve made a mistake—a dire one at that—to keep you accountable.”

The comment stings. A mistake. But Odin goes on, not paying an ounce of attention to you, and furthers—

“She is a liability to you.”

“My responsibility,” Loki corrects swiftly.

“Asgard’s liability.”

Odin’s mouth flattens into a thin line. “You should have left her, Loki,” he repeats, barely controlling his tone.

You watch Loki’s head tip skyward from where you stand. “And if she’d died because of me?” he demands.

Something in you lurches at his words. Whatever danger Loki put you in, you didn’t expect your life to be on the line.

Oh, mercy. You haven’t even crossed off bungee jumping from your bucket list. Even that sounds tame in comparison to…

As if sensing your reaction to his words, Loki takes a step back to place a hand on your back. “I couldn’t let that happen,” he says in a softer tone.

Odin, however, hasn’t changed in mien. “Then it would have been a lesson for you. Not to dalliance on Midgard and put innocent people in harm’s way in favor of your recklessness!”

“It was a just a ring, by the gods!”

“It may be perceived as an act of war!” Odin roars.

The hall grows quiet. Even Loki is stunned.

Odin exhales again, clearly trying to regain composure. “Did you put it back?” he asks.

The prince doesn’t answer. Odin bangs a fist.

“Loki, did you put it back?”

He has the sense not to look up at his father. “Well, there’s a ring,” he mumbles vaguely.

Odin’s eyes narrow. You don’t completely understand how everything ties together—you, the ring, a possible war—and now is definitely not the time to ask.

“Is it with her?” He looks pointedly at you.

“What? No. Of course not.”

“Do not lie to me to protect—”

“I’m not lying!” Loki bristles as he steps forward and once again, shields you from his father’s wrath with his tall frame.

Odin regards you with a guarded eye. “The ring’s magic. It’s on her.”

Aaaand your mind stops. There’s magic on you? But you’ve felt fine all this time. Sure, you were a little disappointed when you didn’t hear from Loki, but you wouldn’t chalk that up to magic. It wasn’t like you were being mind-controlled or puppeteered by anything.

To your knowledge, at least.

You squash down any other thought before it forms.

“That, ah…” Loki coughs, lets out a single chuckle, as though to ease the tension. Odin’s eyebrow rises. Loki clears his throat.

“Might be because I may have kissed her.”

Your cheeks flame. Loki glances at you, offering you a charming albeit weak smile.

“That explains why it’s a very faint pulse,” Odin mutters. He seems unfazed by the knowledge that you and Loki shared a kiss. “A small relief.”

“Though still enough to track her, yes?”

Nothing in this conversation has made a lick of sense to you, but you’ve been trying to hang onto every word nonetheless… until that.

“I believe so.”

Tracked. It triggers something stored in the deeper recesses of your brain with the speed of a switch being flicked on. The notion that you’ve been tracked since the night of the costume ball makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end. Despite your best efforts not to show just how rattled you are, instinctively your hand rushes to fist the back of Loki’s tunic.

Your heartbeat pounds in your ears, making your head throb; at the same time, you feel yourself go lightheaded—then, cold and hot at the same time. It doesn’t make any sense.

It’s like you’re doused in ice cold water. The bite of reality is harsh.

None of this makes any sense—where you are, what’s happening, the implications of a possibly stolen ring that could possibly start a war with who-knows-where, and what you might possibly have to do with all of this. Panic starts to mount, building from your belly and spidering throughout your veins.

“—never mind the Midgardian girl—”

Breathe. You have to consciously remind yourself to breathe as it finally sinks in that you are somewhere else that isn’t Earth, there’s a possible war and oh shit that word alone pingpongs in your brain. Magic? Tracking? Possible death? All things that are apparently, very real.

“—you must return the ring to Vanaheim—”

Maybe this is some very bizarre dream. Maybe… maybe you fell asleep on the couch, thinking about Prince Loki, and somehow started lucid dreaming that he came into your apartment to whisk you away into a fantasy world. Yes—that seems like a rational, logical explanation.

You pinch yourself—and wince.

Your mind starts to reel while the pounding of your blood gets more intense.

Breathe, you take a shuddering breath, and close your eyes—

You don’t have the energy to stop yourself from crumpling to the floor behind Loki in this strange room.

My presence is strong, and the Norns know they must have been tracking you as well.

Though still enough to track her, yes?

It could have been perceived as an act of war!

They float in and out of your unconscious mind. Yes, a dream, that’s what this is—another one of those hyperactive REM cycles where your brain conjures up things your cognizant self could never think of on its own.

Coolness ripples over your skin as a woman gently commands, “Wake.”

Your eyes fly open, vision blurry as you adjust to the white and golden ceiling of…

Definitely not your apartment. Your heart sinks. Not a dream.

“There. All fine. Satisfied, Loki? You could have done it yourself, you know.”

“There’s much I’ve yet to learn from you, Mother, and observing you is most effective.”

There’s a smile in her voice. “You mustn’t lie to your own mother, dearest.” Fondness.

“But it’s true.”

“I taught you this simple spell when you were but a boy.”

“So it seems I’ve forgotten it in the long years I haven’t had the need to use it.”

“Hmm.” There’s amusement in her tone now.

A woman bent over you comes into focus, her motherly aura overpowering the other first impression that fights for a place in your mind. Regal—if not her posture, her bronzy gown and shiny jewels decorating the crown of her head are a dead giveaway.

“Welcome back to the waking world, princess,” Prince Loki grins, pushing off the wall he was leaning against to approach you. “Next time you decide to faint, please do so in front of me. That’s where my eyes are, you see, not the back of my head. I’ll be better equipped to catch you then.”

As you sit up, you note that Loki’s lost some of his serious air here—not that he was severely serious to begin with. Given the nature of the conversation before you blacked out—war, liabilities, kingdoms at stake probably—of course it would have been unwise for him to have the kind of playful, teasing glint his eyes currently assess you with.

“You’re in the infirmary,” the woman tells you, ignoring Loki like she’s used to his antics. “My name is Frigga.”

“My mother,” Loki supplies.

You nod once, slowly, your chin bowing for a cycle of breath. “I take it I’m still…” You raise your head, hesitating, not wanting to verbalize the end of your sentence.

“Still on Asgard?” The corners of Frigga’s mouth pull upward in quiet understanding.

Your heart manages to sink a second time. You nod.

“This is all real?”

“Which part of it, my dear?”

All of it. Being tracked. Magic. A world that isn’t Earth. You stare at Frigga, hoping she can comprehend what your eyes try to convey.

The compassion in her eyes says enough.

Would it be embarrassing to cry right now?

Oh, go right ahead. You’ve already fainted in front of Loki’s dad within 10 minutes of meeting him—well, sort of meeting—let’s cry in front of his mom and bring the record of embarrassing yourself in front of Loki’s parents down to 2 minutes.

“I’m sure this must all be very overwhelming, but time does happen to be of the essence in this certain situation,” Frigga says delicately.

“I did bring you here without even sparing you a moment to change out of your… er…” Loki puzzles over your outfit: a worn sweater and leggings.

“Pajamas.”

“Right.”

“And overwhelmed is definitely an understatement.” You bite your lip, fisting the linen sheet draped over your body. How is the ceiling so impossibly high? Why does the scenery outside the arched window across your bed look so familiar and yet so foreign? It’s green: plantation. You have that on Earth. If you tried hard enough, you could convince yourself that you’re still there.

But you aren’t.

“I’d like to go home,” you say, meeting Loki’s and Frigga’s eyes. But as soon as the words are out of your mouth, you remember why you’re here in the first place.

Loki looks at you, seriousness making a brief appearance once more. “Can’t have you going where you’re likely to be found. Like I told you on Midgard, you are safer here. Under my protection.”

Frigga hides her snort of laughter behind a fist. “Well, this surely is a first from you, my son.”

Loki turns to his mother with raised eyebrows. Frigga’s eyes twinkle with mirth; she stands and kisses his cheek, and then turns to you.

“Before you make your decision…” You fidget under her intense motherly gaze. “You should know the predicament you’re in. I trust my son to be forthcoming with you.” She looks pointedly at Loki.

“I’m anything but.”

“Forthcoming and honest, Loki.”

“Yes, mother.”

She turns on her heel, and it seems both you and Loki wait until the sound of her footsteps fade from earshot. With a wave of his hand and wisps of green shimmers, a chair materializes next to your bed. Your jaw drops.

Loki seems pleased with your reaction, settling into the tufted chair with a grin on his face.

“So, princess.” He sobers ever so slightly. “Shall I start with the good or the bad?”

“Uh.” You huff out a disbelieving, nervous chuckle. “Maybe let’s start with why I’m here before we touch on why there are good and bad things.”

A thoughtful look crosses Loki’s face. “Fair.”

“So?” You glance at the greenery outside the window, and when your eyes meet Loki’s, you notice that they bear a striking similarity. Vibrant, rich.

Loki is quiet for a moment. He doesn’t look away, but holds your gaze; it reminds you suddenly of the waltz you shared. It feels like forever ago.

“So,” Loki begins lightly, “there may or may not be a corpse involved.”

[anonymousewrites]

Portal to My Heart (Book 1.5) Chapter Three

Loki x Reader

Chapter Three: Beyond Asgard

Summary: A new threat arrives on Asgard.

            “You know, I can make a portal as big as my head now, so pretty soon I’ll be coming in there and giving you a good punch for all the insults you keep throwing at—” (Y/N) jolted as she spoke to Loki and grabbed onto the square pillar by his cell. Her vision swam, and she fell to her knees.

            Loki stepped to the edge of his cell, smirk falling. “Midgardian?”

            (Y/N) blinked as darkness closed around her vision. The veins around her eyes glowed blue as she jolted again. “God…Ow…” Her grip on the pillar tightened while she tried to stand back up and blink the energy away. “Not…again…”

            “Midgardian?”

            (Y/N) slumped to the ground.

            “(Y/N)?” Loki knelt on the other side of the energy barrier, gazing at (Y/N)’s prone body. “(Y/N)?” Nothing. “Guards! Guards!”

l

            (Y/N) was floating in darkness. In front of her was a woman with light red-brown hair in a dress and a human jacket. Red energy screeched and swarmed around her. Her eyes flew open as she absorbed the energy. Her eyes turned black with a slight glow of red. The screeching grew louder, and (Y/N)’s vision once again blurred.

l

            (Y/N)’s eyes opened to find herself on a bed. Several women in Asgardian nurse and doctor uniforms moved around the room, whispering to one another.

            “Where am I?” groaned (Y/N).

            “Oh, my,” said one nurse, coming to her side. “My Queen, she is awake.”

            Frigga appeared next to (Y/N) as the nurse helped her sit up. “You collapsed while making a visit to the dungeons.” She gazed at (Y/N) in worry. “Your magic seemed to be collected around your eyes. What happened?”

            “I think I had a vision or something,” said (Y/N), groaning and massaging her temple.

            “A vision? You didn’t mention you had such abilities,” said Frigga sharply.

            “I forgot. It only happened when I was tied to Loki’s magic, so I guess I figured it was just his,” said (Y/N).

            Frigga furrowed her brow. “Visions are dangerous. For your mind to sense magic from lightyears away…it can affect you deeply. What did you see?”

            “A woman surrounded by darkness, and she absorbed a strange red energy,” said (Y/N).

            Frigga straightened. “You saw Jane Foster and the Aether.”

            “Who and the what?” said (Y/N).

            “Come with me,” said Frigga, helping (Y/N) to her feet. “Whatever is happening, you must know as well if the Aether sensed you and connected to your mind.”

            “What is the Aether?” said (Y/N) urgently.

            “All will be explained,” said Frigga.

            She brought (Y/N) into a library where Odin, Thor, and a human woman stood.

            “My Queen, this is not the time to instruct your Midgardian,” said Odin.

            (Y/N) bit the inside of her cheek at being called Frigga’s Midgardian as if she was some sort of pet. She didn’t like Odin.

            “(Y/N) had a vision of Miss Foster with the Aether,” said Frigga. She looked at her husband significantly. “At the precise moment Heimdall lost Miss Foster from his vision.” Odin’s gaze darkened if at all possible.

            (Y/N) and Jane Foster glanced at each other. Clearly, this was a whole issue.

            “Then its power is indeed as formidable as I remember,” said Odin, turning and searching for a book.

            Jane glanced at (Y/N) as they watched him. “Are you…Weren’t you on the news after Loki’s defeat at New York?”

            (Y/N) considered. “Oh, yeah, I guess there were cameras outside when Pierce was being an asshole.”

            “Wait, you were with the Avengers?” said Jane.

            “It’s a long story,” said (Y/N).

            Odin finished the conversation as he placed a book on the table. “There are relics that pre-date the universe themselves. What lies within Jane Foster appears to be one of them, just as the relic that caused (Y/N) (L/N) to gain magic. The Nine Realms are not eternal. But before that dawn, dark forces, the Dark Elves, reigned absolute and unchallenged.” He turned the pages to a design of elves with dark eyes and white faces. One held a swirling black and red mass as the others bowed to it.

            “ ‘Born of eternal night, the Dark Elves come to steal away the light,’ ” said Thor, reading from the book. “I know these stories.”

            “Yes. I told you them as a child,” said Frigga.

            “Their leader Malekith made a weapon out of that darkness, and it was called the Aether,” said Odin. “While the other relics often appear as stones, the Aether is fluid and everchanging. It changes matter into dark matter. It seeks out host bodies, drawing strength from their life-force. Malekith sought to use the Aether’s power to return the universe to one of darkness. But, after eternities of bloodshed, my father Bor finally triumphed, ushering in a peace that lasted thousands of years.”

            “What happened?” asked (Y/N). There had to be a catch.

            “He killed them all,” said Odin.

            Ah. Great. (Y/N) liked Odin less and less the more she learned about him.

            “Are you certain?” said Thor. “The Aether was said to have been destroyed with them, and yet here it is.”

            “The Dark Elves are dead,” said Odin shortly.

            I’d bet anything they’re not, thought (Y/N).

            “Does your book happen to mention how to get it out of me?” said Jane.

            “No,” said Odin. “It does not.” He turned and left the room.

            “Helpful,” muttered (Y/N), ignoring that she was speaking in front of the entire Asgardian royal family (minus Loki).

l

            “Odin continues to bring me new friends,” said Loki sarcastically as he watched guards march more criminals into the dungeon. “How thoughtful.”

            “My apologies that your usual discussion partner isn’t here,” said Frigga, conjuring an illusion behind Loki. “But I did leave you books once more.”

            “Yes, because that is how I shall spend my eternity here,” said Loki, scoffing.

            “I’ve done everything in my power to make you comfortable, Loki,” said Frigga in exhaustion.

            “Have you?” Loki sneered. “Does Odin share your concern? Does Thor? It must be so inconvenient, them asking after me day and night.”

            “You know full well it was your actions that brought you here,” said Frigga sternly.

            “My actions?” Loki raised an eyebrow. “I was merely giving truth to the lie that I had been fed my entire life…that I was born to be a king.”

            “A king?” said Frigga. “A true king admits his faults. What of the lives you took on Midgard? What about how you permanently destroyed (Y/N)’s Midgardian life?”

            Loki clenched his jaw before speaking smoothly. “A mere handful compared to the number that Odin has taken himself.”

            “Your father—”

            “He’s not my father!” shouted Loki.

            Frigga stared at Loki for a moment. “Then am I not your mother?”

            Loki’s gaze softened, and he opened his mouth and closed it again before speaking. “You’re not.” The words were out, forced and short.

            Frigga chuckled mirthlessly. “You’re so perceptive about everyone but yourself.”

            Loki softened and reached out to her, shaking his head at his own words. His hand slid through Frigga’s illusion sadly, and he watched as the pale green light faded away.

            “(Y/N) is alright, Loki. You should know that,” said Frigga as she disappeared.

            Loki stared at the place where she had just stood. A part of him mourned her disappearance and his harsh words. She was his mother. She was. Another part of him relaxed as he heard that (Y/N) was alright. Whatever had happened to her hadn’t been serious.

            Loki turned away to face the wall. This entire thing was nonsense. He shouldn’t care for what Frigga did or said. She was just another member of his “family” leaving him on his own in this dungeon. And (Y/N) was just a Midgardian. He didn’t have a reason to have worried for her when she collapsed.

            No. No reason at all.

l

            A siren blared through the palace, and Jane jumped. (Y/N) tensed, Frigga’s eyes narrowed slightly, and Thor stepped out worriedly.

            “The prisons,” said Frigga.

            An escape? An attack? It could be anything, and (Y/N) bit the inside of her cheek.

            “Loki…” said Thor.

            “Go,” said Frigga. “I will look after these two.”

            Thor nodded, ran to a balcony, and jumped off the side. He caught Mjolnir midair and flew off.

            “Come with me,” said Frigga, sweeping into the palace.

            “Send a squadron to the weapons vault,” said Odin as he passed with a group of guards. “Defend it at all costs. Secure the dungeon.”

            “Odin,” said Frigga.

            “Frigga,” said Odin. “Go!” He ordered the guards off before addressing the group of women again. “It’s a skirmish. Nothing to fear.”

            “You’ve never been a very good liar,” said Frigga.

            “Take them to your chambers. I’ll come for you when it’s safe,” said Odin.

            “You take care,” said Frigga.

            Odin gazed at his wife fondly. “Despite all I have survived, my queen still worries for me.”

            “It’s only because I worry over you that you have survived,” said Frigga. She took (Y/N) and Jane gently by the arm. “Come.” She stole a dagger from a guard as they passed. “Listen to me now. I need you two to do everything I ask, no questions.”

            “Yes, ma’am,” said Jane.

            “No, I already have tons,” said (Y/N).

            “Well, we don’t have time,” said Frigga, although slightly amused by (Y/N).

            As they ran up the stairs to Frigga’s quarters, explosions sounded outside. The group paused at a window and looked out. Strange, knife-like ships were slicing through the city, coming straight for the palace.

            Frigga’s gaze darkened. “As soon as we arrive in my chambers, I want you to enter the closet and take the escape passage through there.” She threw open the door and ushered them in. With a wave of her hand, two illusions of (Y/N) and Jane appeared beside her. “I will stay here.”

            “What? No, we can’t leave you here,” said (Y/N).

            “You can, and you will.” Frigga looked at (Y/N). “Your abilities have grown, but we do not know if you can fight, and I won’t risk your life now. Listen to me, (Y/N), and go.”

            (Y/N) bit the inside of her cheek. “Fine. Please, be careful.”

            Frigga smiled. “Be safe.”

            (Y/N) and Jane cast her another worried look before running into the closet. (Y/N) pulled several dresses to the side and found a panel. She pushed it open and pushed Jane in first before sliding in behind her.

            “What’s going on?” said Jane worriedly.

            “I have my bet on Dark Elves being alive and coming for the Aether in you,” said (Y/N).

            “I thought Odin said they were dead,” said Jane.

            “I think even the King of Asgard can get it wrong sometimes,” said (Y/N).

            “No!” Thor’s scream pierced the air, echoing through the tunnel (Y/N) and Jane stood in, and they froze.

            “Frigga…” said (Y/N), eyes widening. She turned and ran back up the stairs.

            “(Y/N)!” Jane called after her and followed.

            They arrived back in Frigga’s room, and their eyes widened. Odin and Thor stood beside her, solemn and mournful. (Y/N) knew the truth at once. Frigga was gone.

            And (Y/N) hadn’t been able to do anything to protect her.

l

            (Y/N) stood beside Odin, Thor, and Jane as she watched the funeral. Frigga’s body was veiled and laid to rest on a ship filled with flowers. It carried her through the main river of Asgard and into the waters beyond.

            A lone archer lit his arrow in flames and fired. The blaze arced through the sky like a shooting star before lighting the funeral ship. A volley of flame-tipped arrows followed the first, dotting the sky with light and landed on the rest of the funeral ships follow Frigga, the brave men who had given their lives against the Dark Elves.

            The ships reached the edge of Asgard, and Odin struck the ground with his staff. The funeral procession flew out across the galaxies beyond Asgard, and amongst the flames, they turned to stardust, leaving nothing but scattered light behind in this world.

            (Y/N)’s heart ached at the peace and beauty of the moment as anger and chaos raged within. Blue sparks lit her fists. She swallowed and forced herself to remain calm. She wouldn’t disrupt Frigga’s funeral and memory. (Y/N) lifted her mourning lantern up into the air and let the pale orb float upwards, shining in the night among the rest of the glowing spheres. The entire city was silent as they watched the false stars decorate the night.

            Frigga returned to the stars from whence she came.

l

            Loki sat against the wall of his cell, keeping up the appearance of his wellness as he mourned his mother behind the illusion. Tears had long since dried on his cheeks, and he gripped his hair painfully.

            His mother was dead, and the last thing he had said to her was claiming she wasn’t his mother. But she was. She was. And now Loki would never get a chance to tell her.

            In front of him, a slight blue glow appeared. Loki lifted his eyes slightly, remaining against the wall despondently. The glow expanded into a small portal. A glowing sphere rolled through, and the portal disappeared.

            Loki’s eyes widened, and he reached out. A mourning lantern.

Taglist:

@technikerin23

@kikster606

@neenieweenie



[middleearthpixie]

Wanted Man ~ Chapter Twenty

Summary: A price on his head, Loki of Asgard finds himself stranded on Earth and in need of one woman's help in order to free himself from the bounty and try to reclaim what he sees as his rightful throne in Asgard.

McKenna Carlin just wanted to put a horrible day behind her. She had no idea that things would get worse before they get better…

Pairings:  Loki Laufeyson x ofc McKenna Carlin

Characters:McKenna, Loki, Thor, Shannon, Tony, Agent Phil Coulson

Warnings: None

Rating: T

Word Count: 3.1k

Tag List: @fizzyxcustard @court-jobi @guardianofrivendell @piggledy-higgledy @evenstaredits

If you’d like to be added (or removed) to the tag list, please just let me know!

Previous chapters can be found here! 

She landed hard on the soft sand, her knees buckling to send her sprawling facedown. Every part of her body hurt from the impact and she had no strength to do anything but just lay there for a few minutes, stunned, until little by little, she realized it was dark. A cool breeze blew in off the water, helping to clear her head and with a low groan, she rolled onto her back to stare up at the star-spattered night sky. 

For a moment, she wondered if she’d just fallen asleep on the beach and dreamed everything that happened. But that couldn't be right, either, because how else would she have gotten to the shore? It all had to have happened. 

And that meant…

No, don't think about that. 

She sat up slowly, wincing at the dull ache that crept along her spine to settle in her head. How long had she been in Asgard? She had no idea how much time had passed. She didn't even know what day it was. 

Waves crashed softly against the shore, the sound soothing as her head slowly cleared, and as she gazed out across the water’s sparkling surface, a heavy sigh rose to her lips. “You can’t sit here all night,” she muttered. “But…”

She twisted to peer over her shoulder at the Winchester. What if she had been gone long enough that her room had been let to someone else? Where would her things be in that case?

“Only one way to find out.”

With that, she pushed herself up to her feet, her knees threatening to go to sponge, but thankfully they held up, although walking across the shifting sand wasn't the easy thing just then. Still, she made her way back and up onto the Winchester’s back patio.

“Kenna?

She jumped at the unexpected sound of Shannon’s voice and turned to her left to see her rising from a chair at the far end of the patio, a look of utter relief on her face as she skirted the other tables to grab McKenna in a tight hug. “Oh, thank god you’re okay!”

“Wait, wait…” McKenna pulled free, painfully aware of the other diners around them, staring at them. “I need to sit down and I need a damn drink.”

“Yeah, yeah, come on.” Shannon grabbed her arm and pulled her around to her table, where McKenna sank into the other chair and rested her elbows on the table, her head in her hands, while Shannon flagged down the server.

“What can I get for you ladies?”

McKenna looked up, her mind still on the fuzzy side as she said, “Uhh… a Dark and Stormy, please.”

“You got it.” The server turned to Shannon. “And you?”

“I’m good, thanks.”

“I’ll be right back with your drink.”

McKenna nodded. “Thank you.”

Shannon waited for the server to leave, then said, “What happened? Where were you? Where’s your god?”

Her head pounding, McKenna rubbed her forehead as she replied, “What day is it, Shay?”

“It’s Sunday, Kenna. You’ve been gone a week.”

McKenna jerked up. “What?”

“Yeah, you’ve been gone a week. Where were you? And where is your god?" 

The image of Loki being dragged away in chains flashed through McKenna’s mind and she winced as her headache came roaring back. “He’s… he’s not coming, Shay. We… he… it’s a long story.”

“Well, S.H.I.E.L.D must’ve been expecting him as well, because that little guy? Coulson? He’s been staying in your room.”

McKenna winced. “Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh, shit… I’ve got to call Scott and hope I still have a job.”

“Don’t worry about it, Kenna. I talked to him a few days ago and told him you were sick. You’re good.”

“Thank you.” McKenna lay her hands flat against the table and as she did, the diamond on her hand glittered under the soft lights strung about the patio’s perimeter. 

Shannon’s eyes widened and she reached across the table to grab McKenna's hand. “Is that a diamond? Did you come back from space engaged?”

McKenna looked down at the ring again and her throat clenched as she nodded. “I—I did.” She blinked back the tears stinging her eyes. “Please… I—I don't really want to talk about it right now, if it’s all the same.”

“Yeah. Right. Okay.”

The server returned with her drink, which she downed and then said, “I’m sorry, Shay, but I just… I need to be alone right now. After I convince Agent Coulson to give me my room back.”

“I’ll go up with you.”

McKenna nodded, too tired to argue about it, and they went above. At her room, Shannon said, “You want to just bunk with me tonight?”

“No. No offense, but, I just really need some time alone, okay?”

“If you’re sure.”

“I am. Breakfast tomorrow?”

“You’re on.”

McKenna waited until Shannon’s door closed, then went to the room that had been hers and rapped lightly on the door.

“Miss Carlin,” Agent Coulson said as he opened the door. “I was beginning to get worried about you. Come in.”

“Loki isn’t with me.”

“Nor did I expect him to be.” He stepped aside and waved her in. She hesitated a moment, then stepped over the threshold, and he closed the door behind him. “Are you all right?”

“He didn't kidnap me, if that’s what you’re thinking.” She braced herself for the sight of the room, only to find that Loki’s belongings were nowhere to be found. Somehow, that stung more than she thought seeing them strewn about. 

“You should understand, I’m only concerned for you because I know Loki, have dealt with him before.”

“I know.” She met his dark eyes and nodded. “But, I’m going to go out on a limb and tell you that I’ve probably come to know him far better than you ever will and I was in no danger at all.”

He offered up a mild smile. “Is that so?”

“It is and as you can see, I’m alive and in one piece and if you don't mind, I’d like my room back. I appreciated your keeping it, but now… please?”

He didn't say anything at first, but just looked at her. She held his stare, ready to argue with him about it, but to her surprise, he bobbed his head. “Of course. Oh, and your cell.” He held up her phone, then set it down on the coffee table. 

As he walked over to her, he held out a business card. “If you need us for anything, please reach out.”

She took the card, but once he left and the door was closed behind him, she crumpled it up and threw it in the bathroom trash can, then went back out, where she stood and just stared at the neatly made bed. A heavy sigh worked its way up from the soles of her feet, and she had to look away, so she moved to the windows, overlooking the beach. All she could see was the moon’s silver path shining along the water’s surface. 

She had no idea how long she stood there, but finally, she had to make herself look for Loki’s clothes, which she found folded in the dresser drawers as if Coulson expected Loki to return for them at some point. 

Well, he wouldn’t. Not ever. 

The tears came then in full force. She sank onto the loveseat, face buried in her hands, and sobbed until her vision swam and her head ached. She half-expected to see him come out of the bathroom and tease her for all the crying she done today.

God, was it only a few hours ago they were lying on the golden beach, with only the sun covering them? Was it only a few hours ago she was finally able to tell him she loved him? Damn it, why hadn’t she said it sooner? She was such a coward sometimes. 

She’d known him just a little over a week and yet she missed him as if she’d never been without him and suddenly found herself so. It was almost ten days since she’d come out of her bathroom to see a strange man dressed in green and black leather and gold lying on the rug just inside her apartment door. And ten days ago, she just wanted him to leave.

Now she would have given anything to have him back.

She buried her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking, her muscles aching from the force of her crying. She cried until her head ached and she couldn’t breathe through her nose, and her eyes wanted to just fall out of their sockets, until there seemed to be no water left in her body. 

Then she fell asleep.

***

When she opened her eyes, it was morning and for a moment, she expected to feel the cool brush of Loki's lips against her neck, the comforting tightness of his arm about her waist.

But then reality sank in and she wanted to throw up. 

She rose to go into the bathroom. She started the shower, and then walked back to her duffel to retrieve fresh clothes. As she did, the diamond on her finger caught the sunlight and she paused to look down at it. Was she still engaged if she’d never see her fiancé again?

“Yes, because you will see him again,” she whispered. “You are going to get dressed and dig that stupid card out of the trash and go find Coulson and make him get Thor. And then—”

And then what? She was kidding herself. Neither Coulson nor Thor would help her. They both felt Loki was exactly where he deserved to be. But, would it hurt to try? Anything had to be better than just accepting Odin's decision as the end-all be-all. Anything had to be better than sitting and crying some more. 

But as she stood beneath the hot spray of the shower, her spirits sank. She so expected to feel Loki's arm about her, to feel his hand sweep her hair aside, to feel his lips on her neck again, just like before. But of course, none of that was going to happen, either. It was probably the shortest shower she’d ever taken.

Her hair still wet, she dug the crumpled card from the trash, quickly packed up everything, including the things she’d bought for Loki, and left the B&B room for the last time. She knocked on Shannon’s door. “I’m going,” she said. “I need to go and find Agent Coulson, and then I’m going home.”

“Are you all right, Kenna?” Shannon asked, leaning her head against the door. “You look like shit, no offense.”

“He asked me to marry him, Shay.” She held out her hand.

“Holy shi—look at that rock!” Shannon grabbed her by the tips of her fingers and practically pulled McKenna's hand to her nose. “Why can’t a god drop into my living room one of these days?” She clicked her tongue against her teeth and released McKenna's hand. “So if he proposed, why are you so—”

“Because Odin sentenced him to an eternity in Asgard's dungeons, Shay. That’s why. I’m here. He’s there. And I will never—” her voice broke and she cleared her throat to try again—“never see him again.”

“Oh, Kenna, I’m so sorry.” Shannon hugged her tight. “And let me guess, you think that little Coulson dude will help you break him out of Asgard jail?”

McKenna ignored the note of sarcasm in Shannon's voice. “I’m hoping he'll get Thor and he will help me.”

“Kenna… don’t get your hopes up.”

“I’m not. But I’m not ready to give up entirely, either.” She jingled her car keys in her hand. “I’ll give you a call, okay?”

“Do you want me to go with you?”

“No. I’ll be okay.” McKenna didn’t wait for her response, but turned and walked on down the hallway.

Her Honda was right where she’d left it, and the drive home was far quieter than the one coming down. Her parking space was empty and when she got upstairs, her door was as if nothing had ever happened to it.

She opened the door, smiling down at the cheerful rag rug that Loki had landed on. Nothing in her apartment had changed. There were still plastic shards on the hallway floor, where Loki had destroyed the smoke detector the morning he attempted to cook bacon for her.

She was just putting everything away when a knock came at the door. For a moment, her heart leaped. Loki? 

But it was Tony, Shannon's boyfriend, holding a small cat carrier with one very yowly cat inside. Cinder.

“I talked to Shay. She said you should be home by now.”

“Thank you, Tony.” She took the carried and let Cinder out, who twitched his tail as he stalked by her.

When she straightened up, it was to find Tony still looking at her oddly. “Are you all right, Kenna? You look like you’ve been crying.”

“I’m fine. Just a long few days.” She didn’t know what Shannon had told him about Loki, and she didn’t feel like discussing the situation anyway. Everything was still just so raw.

She’d stopped by the temporary S.H.I.E.L.D. office, only to be told that Agent Coulson was not available and while they would try to contact him and have him contact Thor, she shouldn’t expect them to be successful. After all, he had far more important things to worry about than his brother’s love life.

Tony hugged her. “Let us know if you need anything. Shay told me about the god. Sucks, Kenna. I’m real sorry.”

She patted his back and then pulled away from him. “Thank you.”

“So you call if you need anything.”

“I will.”

With that, Tony left and McKenna sank onto her sofa. Her apartment held so many memories now—Loki asleep on the sofa with Cinder curled on his stomach, the night he made it snow, how he carried her to bed that same night when the wine knocked her on her ass, his first experience with zippers.

She smiled sadly up at the ceiling as Cinder hopped up onto her lap and began grooming himself. “He’s not here, Cin,” she murmured, scratching him under his chin. “He’s in a cell very far away and I don’t think he’ll be back. Not in this lifetime, anyway.”

Cinder blinded amber eyes at her and meowed. “Nope. No Chitauri, either. It’s just you and me, baby.”

Another meow. It was almost as if the damn cat understood.

“I know. I want him back, too, Cin. He asked me to marry him. And now? Now this is what we’ve got. But we’ll be okay, right?”

Cinder curled up in her lap and closed his eyes. McKenna let her hand run absently from his head to his tail as she leaned her head back and closed her eyes.

She’d never felt more alone in her life.

***

The cell in Asgard's dungeon hadn’t changed at all and Loki hated it as much now as he did before. He lay on his narrow bed, a small silver cup in his hand. He tossed the cup into the air. Sometimes he caught it. Sometimes he didn’t. 

It hit him particularly hard in the forehead and with a swish of his hand, he sent it sailing across the cell. The silver bounced off the energy wall, sizzling as it hit the ground. 

Every time he closed his eyes, he saw McKenna as the guards dragged him off. She stood still as if in shock, her eyes wide and shimmering with tears. He would never forget the naked pain etched into her face. He would give anything to be able to wipe it from her forever.

“Loki.”

He sat up and turned to see Thor standing on the far side of the energy field, looking somber and grim. “What is it?”

“I have something for you.”

Loki's hopes rose. “A pardon from the Allfather?”

Thor shook his head. “Sorry, but no. It is a gift from Heimdall.” He was able to ease his hand through the shield, and in his palm, sat a small golden cube. “I will speak to Father again, but do not let your hopes rise.”

“Of course. Thank you.” Loki cradled the cube in his palm as if it were a small animal he was afraid he’d crush, and returned to his bed, where he stretched out once more.

The cube had a small notch on the bottom and when he wiggled his fingers, the cube opened. At first, he wasn’t certain what he looked at, but then, as it dawned on him, everything around him grew blurry as unexpected tears filled his eyes.

McKenna sat on her sofa, with Cinder on her lap, and gazed up at the ceiling. He could see her so perfectly, as if she sat within a few feet of him. Her hair streamed across the back of the sofa, and he could almost feel it when he reached down to brush his fingers over the image. 

“Midgardian,” he murmured, swiping at his right eye and then his left. As he watched, he wondered if he could project himself to Midgard. From Asgard to Jötunheim was the farthest he’d ever been able to project, but what if he would reach Midgard?

He set down the cube and practically sprinted to the energy wall. “Thor!”

His brother turned and made his way back. “What is it?”

“Thank you. Truly.”

“For what it’s worth, Loki, I think Father is wrong to keep you here and her there. I understand his reasons, but I think there is more spite behind his decision than wisdom.”

“Then perhaps you will help me out of here once more?”

Thor glanced down at Mjölnir. “I do not know if I can. He was not exactly thrilled with my helping you out of here the last time. I’d rather not find myself in there with you as a result.”

“Put yourself in my position. Imagine if you were told you could never see Jane Foster again. Would you just sit back and accept that, or would you do whatever you could to try to get to her?”

He tried to ignore the feeling of triumph as Thor frowned and said, “I suppose I would  move heaven and earth to get back to her.”

“So then, can you fault me for trying to do the same?” Loki stepped up to the edge of his cell, just beyond the energy field. “And you must know I am serious. Why else would I ask for your help again, unless it was because I was truly desperate?”

That brought a grin to Thor's face. “Why else, indeed.” He glanced first over one shoulder, and then the other, and stepped a little closer to the cell. “What did you have in mind?”

Loki smiled then. “What do you think?”

[theautisticcentre]

FOUND FAMILY

Found family! Heroes x Thorsdottir!Fem!Reader

Warnings: SPOILERS FOR GOD OF WAR: RAGNAROK, Fluff, Angst

Summary: During a fight between Thrud, Thor, and Sif, you sneak to Midgard to meet Kratos and his allies.

Notes: You are about Atreus' age.

----------------------------------------------

The change in temperature and environment hit your eyes as the teleportation spell finished. Your parents and your sister had been fighting again over Thrud's desire to become a Valkyrie. You loved them all as much as Odin loved knowledge, or as much as Heimdall loved Asgard, but it was times like this where they got on your nerves. Fortunately, unlike them, you had been studying heavily into magic, so during these fights, when you weren't dragged in, you'd use that magic to teleport to a different part of Asgard, or if it was a bad fight, to another realm entirely. You were always cautious, and never stayed in a realm for more than half an hour.

Today was a BAD fight, so bad that you couldn't even make it to a realm, and found yourself outside a house built into a tree. You could immediately guess who owned the house, though. Since the fights began, nearly everytime you snuck out, you ran into one of or either of the Huldra Brothers. As time passed, they basically became your uncles, though of course, you told none of it. They trusted you so much, they told you of the location of their new home in the realm between realms, which you, as usual, kept to yourself.

You were about to knock on the door when it was flung open.

"Well, lookie who the fuck it is!"

You chuckled and said, "Hello, uncle Brok," as you entered the house. "Sindri's out gatherin some slag. Come on, make yourself at home. Just don't get it too dirty, or Sin's gonna be up my scrote for an hour." You nodded, and sat down at the table. "So...Your family had a fight again?" You silently nodded, and Brok replied, "Well, can't make salad outta shit all the time." Just as he finished talking, Sindri arrived back, supplies in a bag.

"Sorry, I'm late back, I- Y/N?", said the germaphobic dwarf, as he placed the bag down. "Hey, uncle Sindri. My family...had a fight," you somberly said. "Oh, I'm so sorry. Here," Sindri replied, before giving you an apple he found. You smiled, and chowed down on the apple. "Say, your armour need repairs," asked Sindri, causing you to swallow the bits if apple in your mother and reply, "Actually, yeah. Had a spare with Thrud, and it got beat up good."

"Well, let's buffer it out, then," said the blue dwarf, as you brought your chestplate, knee pads and waistguard to their workshop, and allowed them to work.

"Who are you?"

You froze in terror, as you heard the door open. Your father had told the story to you all back in Asgard, so you knew instantly who that low, gruff voice belonged to. You slowly turned to see the one who gave your father that scar on his stomach.

Kratos.

"I-I'm Y/N T-Thorsdottir- I didn't come with malicious intent, sir, I just wanted to visit, sir," you stuttered out, terror filling your heart. "Hrnn...," was all Kratos replied, before he made his way to the study to think. You slowly back away in fear, and didn't notice a boy about your age walk in soon after. "Uh...who're you," he asked, before you more calmly replied, "Uh, I'm Y/N T-Thorsdottir," and offered your hand to shake.

"Kid, keep stuttering like that, I'll think you're a stutterbox in disguise," said Brok, easing your tension. "Why are you here," asked Kratos from the study, to which you immediately replied, "Oh, uh...my family had a bad fight, so I wanted to get away for a while." You then sat down on a nearby chair, before the boy asked, "Uh...OK. I'm Atreus. I can guess Brok and Sindri know you?" You simply nodded. "Alright, so...mind explaining how that began?"

You looked up...and started talking.

After half an hour of explaining, Kratos asked a question.

"Then why not leave?"

You...had never considered that before. In Asgard, you felt mostly miserable, either from another fight you either overheard or were in, Heimdall taunting you, Odin putting you up for something, some boy flirting with you, or some other reason. But in any other realm...there was a sense of ease. Of peacefulness. Especially when you met Brok and/or Sindri. And they helped you learn magic that was forbidden in Asgard.

"I...But abandon my family? Abandon my home?"

"Well, we could always whip up a room for you here. And...I can tell by your face that you'd like it," said Sindri. You looked down to the spell sheet you had on you...

And ripped off the one allowing you to return to Asgard.

"...OK. I'll stay."

THE END.

[torxnn]

1. Where were they born? What is the story behind their birth, if any?

7. What is their fondest memory? Their worst?

Your Muse’s Backstory

1. Where were they born? What is the story behind their birth, if any?

Torunn was born in Asgard's equivalent of a birthing chamber (I think that's what they're called!). She was born on December 15th around roughly 8pm at night after 12hrs of labour and being breach and did not breathe for a full minute. As soon as she took her first breath and was declare healthy.

The newborn princess was handed over to Sif after being cleaned up first, so that she could accept the newborn. The nine days of celebrations then began, everyone brought many gifts for the new princess, whose birth news had spread like wildfire across the realms. On the 9th day, everyone was brought into the main hall, where Thor sat on the throne. Placed the baby princess on his knee and whilst sprinkling droplets of water on the baby's forehead, announced that the princesses name is Torunn Thorsdottir and that she is his heir and she was then crowned.

The representative's of 6 of the 9 realms then were made to swear their allegiance and protection to Torunn Thorsdottir, their new princess and future queen. The celebrations then continued until the next day, when everyone went to their homes to continue celebrating Yule.

And yeah, that's the story of Torunn's birth!

7. What is their fondest memory? Their worst?

A fond memory for Torunn was watching Cinderella for the first time as a child, for she had never seen a movie before and it gave her a great distraction and allowed her to calm down after experiencing a traumatic event and it quickly became her go to comfort film.

Their worst memory, she's been through a lot and all of her trauma is quite horrific honestly. But being seperated from her mother, especially the way it happened, has got to be high up there. She'll never really recover from being forcefully taken from Sif and sent to a different planet, all on the same day.

@forevermuses

[ghostlyfanparadise]

“Dam it val” I say

“What now” they ask clearly annoyed

“The compass broke” I say throwing it to the ground they roll there’s eyes at me

“We’ll be fine” Val says as we continue doing o walk in the desert they may be ice and I may be fire but trust me in a fight we would both lose we keep walking val trips

“Are you ok” I ask them reaching my arm down for them to grab onto

So I can pull them up they puts there hand around my arm affectingly pulling me down and into the sand they laughs “really” I say

“Yes” they respond I start brushing the sand off my legs but hit a hard surface by accident “what’s that” they ask pointing to a wooden circle I just shrug my shoulders we both get on our knees and dust it off we look at each other before we open it and we do when we do there are some sort of clothes and weapons each one with are name engraved in them

“Asgarden” I say they nod in agreement “but why” I ask this time it’s turn for them to shrug there shoulders I guess that’s the answer I sigh they pull out a gem of sorts it looks just like our necklace and bracelet we must be asgarden that’s the only answer “val I think we’re Asgard” they sigh and nod

“Yeah I think so to i mean look at this is seems so familiar but at the same time different think strange knows” they ask pulling out a small knife it does look familiar

“I doubt it” I say getting no response from them

“So what do we do” honestly I’ve been asking myself that

“I don’t know maybe we should stop looking and go home he’s probably dead anyway” they shake there head

“Marie we’ve come this far we aren’t giving up not yet they has to be an answer somewhere” I know there right they always are

“Ok but you pick the next move” I say giving in I hope it not more walking but it probably is saying that’s our only option hopefully she doesn’t freeze me again

“I say we go through this and the keep going straight” they say I sigh going back through the trunk I shake my head at the thought of being asgaurd there’s no way is there I mean I don’t know soon we get up and start walking again I look over at val who’s hand his covered in ice oh no now it happening to them great

“Val your hand” i say pointing to there hand

“I know I can’t stop it” they say I put my hands on there shoulder causing them to stop walking and quickly remove them because there freezing

“Left your hand I’m going to defagh you” I say so that’s what they do I light a small fire in my hand as the ice turns to water “anywhere else” I ask

“No” they pause “thank you” I nod my head and we keep walking I hope there not lieing they better not be I’m not losing them no there my only faimly I have left and I will protect them tell the day I die if I have to

@angelwiththeblue-box @thedragonemperess chapter 5 of the twins I hope you enjoy and if you have any suggestions let me know